Time rewinds to ten days ago.
Due to the reverse summoning of the 'Miracle,' Rozen quickly left the world of Tokyo Ravens and returned to the world of Automaton.
Upon returning, Rozen appeared directly at Karyusai Shouko's residence.
"It seems Karyusai Shouko is the one who called me back."
This thought quickly crossed Rozen's mind, and he immediately went to find Karyusai Shouko to understand the situation.
However...
"...I say, could you please let go of me first?"
In the mansion's hall, Rozen, who was sitting directly on the tatami, spoke helplessly.
"Nuragami! Nuragami! Nuragami!"
However, the doll girl seemed oblivious to Rozen's helplessness and words. She held him tightly, as if worried he would run away, sobbing and calling his name in this world.
The doll girl was, of course, Yaya.
And facing Rozen, who was tightly embraced by Yaya, were Karyusai Shouko, Irori, and Komurasaki.
"Welcome back, Nuragami-sama."
Irori respectfully bowed.
"If you didn't return, Yaya would have malfunctioned."
Komurasaki, meanwhile, chased after Gyokuto, who didn't want to be held, smiling at Rozen and saying such words.
As for Karyusai Shouko, she looked at Kinu perched on Rozen's shoulder with great interest and curiosity, seeming contemplative and thought-provoking.
"You disappeared for two years, and when you come back, you bring something like this. I'm really curious about where you've been and what you've experienced."
Karyusai Shouko expressed her thoughts this way.
Even though Rozen had already explained to the people present that Kinu and Gyokuto were merely special creations he obtained by chance, it was clear that trying to deceive Karyusai, the renowned puppet craftsman, wouldn't be easy.
"The entire body is formed from magic, with only the core acting as a physical magical tool, serving as a medium to sustain their existence. Rather than puppets, they are more like shikigami, following the same principle as the onmyoji in the Izanagi style," Karyusai Shouko directly exposed.
In fact, that was the case.
After experiencing the world of Tokyo Ravens and gaining extensive knowledge of jujutsu, Rozen was no longer partially ignorant about Onmyoudou.
Therefore, comparing this world to the previous one, Rozen noticed that although both worlds had onmyoji and shikigami, they had evolved into completely different paths due to their distinct environments.
In the world of Tokyo Ravens, the appearance of Tsuchimikado Yakou, the exceptional genius, led to the development of jujutsu, with the core Onmyoudou absorbing the essence of various religions. This successful integration of practicality and effectiveness turned the previous world into the pinnacle of Onmyoudou mastery.
On the other hand, in the world of Automaton, the emergence of Automaton magic led people to gradually abandon intricate and lengthy spells. They began relying on automatons for quick, convenient, and precise combat. As a result, onmyoji also abandoned complicated spells to keep up with the era's development, eventually splitting into two different factions.
These two different factions either followed the example of the Akabane family, abandoning the ancestral Onmyoudou knowledge to practice Puppetry, a similar type that involves controlling automatons for combat. Or they followed people like the practitioners of the Izanagi style, who maintained the status of Onmyoudou while focusing on shikigami—a type of familiar capable of direct control and combat, mirroring the effects of controlling automatons—resulting in swift, convenient, and precise battles.
This caused Onmyoudou to become synonymous with the technique of manipulating, controlling, harnessing, and even generating shikigami, almost entirely.
Moreover, unlike the world of Tokyo Ravens, in this world, shikigami were primarily formed from miasma. Unlike in the world of Tokyo Ravens, where, besides Ogre-like entities, most were spiritual beings formed by condensed natural energy, here in this world, shikigami were almost exclusively formed by miasma. Even though they were classified as disasters, they didn't necessarily consist of miasma harmful to the human body; rather, they were formed by stable spiritual energy.
This was how things were explained. However, as mentioned in the previous world, so-called spiritual energy was essentially life force. The transformation of spiritual energy into miasma due to its distortion was distinct from the life force and was often referred to as the force of death. This theory was equally applicable in this world.
Then, whether it was spiritual energy or miasma, the shikigami ultimately formed were condensations of magic power. This was undeniable.
Given this, they were Rozen's shikigami and familiars. They were both manifestations of Rozen's pure records engraved on his soul, and what appeared externally were Kinu and Gyokuto, condensations of magical energy. If they were viewed as shikigami, it was a perfectly normal occurrence.
However...
"The Akabane family has already abandoned Onmyoudou, so for now, let's just consider them as special automatons, Karyusai Shouko."
Rozen could only selectively ignore Yaya, who was clinging to him. He rolled his eyes and said this.
There's no helping it.
In this world, shikigami are formed from miasma, and Kinu and Gyokuto don't possess that thick aura of death. Explaining Kinu and Gyokuto as shikigami would require too many explanations and would raise too many questions.
Since that's the case, it's better to just directly refer to Kinu and Gyokuto as automatons. That's Rozen's thought.
"Is that so?"
One would wonder if Karyusai Shouko sensed Rozen's attempt to brush off the matter. She tapped her pipe and, after shaking off the ashes, spoke nonchalantly.
"Then let's just go with that."
Karyusai Shouko said so, but the look in her eyes as she watched Kinu and Gyokuto still appeared quite intrigued.
In this situation, Rozen went straight to the point.
"Alright, Lady Karyusai, let's save this discussion for next time." Rozen looked at Karyusai Shouko and said, "If I'm not mistaken, something not quite pleasant seems to have happened on your end."
Rozen spoke as if unraveling a riddle, causing a slight raise of Karyusai Shouko's eyebrows.
Then...
"Have you heard any news from outside, young man?"
Karyusai Shouko said leisurely, taking a drag from her pipe, as languid and captivating as ever.
However...
"You seem rather anxious, don't you?"
Rozen didn't beat around the bush, speaking directly.
"Wouldn't it be better to just say it now?"
Rozen looked at Karyusai Shouko steadfastly, causing Yaya, who was clinging to him, to stop her sobbing, and Komurasaki also stopped chasing Gyokuto. Even Irori lowered her head, falling into silence.
Karyusai Shouko continued to smoke her pipe, her expression unchanged. Yet, the incredibly complex emotions in her eyes were impossible to erase.
This indeed confirmed Rozen's words.
Karyusai Shouko was indeed very anxious.