Seiyo Raimei lifted his sleeve to his nose and sniffed. There was still a faint scent of tobacco.
He furrowed his brow, thinking there shouldn't be any problem.
His eye color changed again, like a clear purple wisteria-tinged pond slowly fading. The purple iris rapidly dispersed.
As spring departed and autumn arrived, leading into deep winter twilight, the purple in his eyes slowly frosted over with silver, gradually transforming to an almost silver-gray hue.
"Ahem." He coughed lightly. Cough. Cough, cough. Cough!
A sense of weakness filled his lungs, his limbs stiffened, and the vibrant life force rapidly drained from his body—
He had once again become that man on the verge of passing away. Or rather, this was who he truly was.
The winter twilight entered dusk.
"Coming," he said.
He picked up the kimono from the floor, draped it over himself, and opened the door.
As soon as the door opened, snow and wind rushed in first.
The snow in Inazuma wasn't as vast and overwhelming as elsewhere. It fell in small particles, floating in the air like clusters of white cherry blossoms.
Landing on his body, it felt very cold.
After the wind and snow, the first thing to catch his eye was a pair of wooden clogs on the ground.
White socks stepped onto the wooden clogs, but her legs were bare. The red and white miko outfit's sleeves hung naturally beside her slender ankles.
Yae Miko, the head shrine maiden of the Grand Narukami Shrine, was a fox.
It was snowing outside, and her fluffy ears drooped naturally, with small white snowflakes piled on top, looking like white pompoms.
"Whew, it's so cold!" Seeing the wooden door finally open, Lady Yae shook her ears, shaking off the snow.
She bent down, nimbly took off her clogs, and slipped into the room with practiced ease, as if returning to her own home. Her white socks made light thumping sounds on the tatami mats.
Only after crawling next to the stove and putting her long, fair legs into the kotatsu did the fox lady let out a relieved sigh. She made a comfortable sound as her face slowly flushed, and her eyes narrowed into crescents. "Phew, this Lady Guuji almost froze to death!"
"Why did you take so long to open the door, old man?" she raised her head and looked at Seiyo with a slight complaint.
"Ah... looks like you need to be taught a lesson." Seiyo sat down opposite the fox lady, also putting his feet into the kotatsu. Their thighs lightly touched.
He appeared to be at a loss with her.
The Honorable Pillar had commanded respect all his life, from the shogunate above to the citizens below. Not a single person failed to show reverence.
But he just couldn't intimidate this fox.
"Oh my, your collar," Yae suddenly said. "It's not fastened properly."
Before Seiyo could react, Lady Miko had already leaned her upper body forward.
One of her fair, delicate hands supported herself on the desk, while the other lightly pressed on Seiyo's chest, tightening the loose collar to cover the exposed skin.
They were very close to each other.
Seiyo could even smell the sandalwood fragrance emanating from her pink hair.
"Do you really think you're still a young man? In such cold weather, old man?" Her tone carried a hint of reproach, quite displeased.
"Ah, I told you I'm very strong..." Seiyo struggled.
"Old man."
"You promised to stay strong for hundreds of years, so you must keep your word to this Lady Guuji — so, old man, the first step to being strong is to dress properly in winter!"
The fox lady raised her head, bringing her face close to Seiyo's, and said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Her purple eyes stared stubbornly into Seiyo's eyes.
Only at this moment did she resemble the "Lady Guuji" who was second only to one and above ten thousand, overseeing all the shrines in Inazuma.
...Seiyo conceded defeat and turned his face away:
"You're too close."
Indeed, it was too close.
Lady Yae realized it too.
They were already sitting close, and now as they raised their heads, their breaths almost intermingled.
Their thin, warm breaths condensed into tiny water droplets in the cold air, two mists merging together before slowly dissipating in the air.
Outside the window, snow piled on the pine and cypress trees, reflecting the rare sunlight.
"So, so what... nosy," she said.
She also turned her face away, sitting back on the cushion, and lightly scolded, "This Lady Guuji... you useless old thing."
Seiyo noticed her profile was slightly flushed.
Like the snow outside, and also like the sunlight reflected on the snow.
Was the fireplace too hot?
He wasn't sure.
However, why was this girl's tongue getting sharper?
"Hey," Seiyo said, somewhat displeased, "You need to learn to respect people..."
"You were smoking again just now. I smelled it on your inner sleeve."
The fox lady's delicate hand supported her cheek as she stared at Seiyo expressionlessly,
"I smelled tobacco just now."
"...No!"
"Hand over the tobacco pouch."
"I said no means no!" The dignified Seiyo Pillar argued vigorously, fighting for his tobacco pouch!
"Fox nose."
She tapped her delicate nose, spreading her hands, "It's very sensitive and can smell out any secret~!"
...The dignified Seiyo Pillar really couldn't intimidate this sly fox.
Helplessly, he took out the hidden tobacco from the inner pocket of his kimono and placed it in Yae Miko's hand.
"Now, this Lady Guuji will teach you the second step to longevity,"
The fox lady smiled gently again, and it was a smile unique to her.
Slightly cunning, a bit naughty, with a touch of laziness, a bit of willfulness, and most of all, a smug smile, like the small snow melting fully on the eaves—
"The second step to longevity, no smoking!"
"You still need to be this Lady Guuji's chef for a few hundred years."
Ha...
Really.
Longevity...
Longevity, huh.
Looking at her, listening to her words, Seiyo paused, then smiled helplessly.
What difference would one more puff of smoke make?
What difference would one less puff of smoke make?
For him alone, it didn't matter anymore.
You say your fox nose can smell everything, but you can't smell out this secret.
"So," Seiyo looked at the snow slowly melting in the sunlight outside the window, "Are you hungry? What was that "Kitsune Udon" you just mentioned?"
"Fried tofu with udon. Serve it up~"
"Let me study the recipe first."
"The third step to longevity — eat well."
"...Be careful not to get fat as a ball."
"Can you beat Lady Guuji? Old man~"
Yae Miko lifted her sleeve, revealing half of her fair, delicate arm, apparently showing off her strength.
She looked like a little cat flaunting its power.
"Hey, I'm very strong!"
But Seiyo felt the urge to cough again. His lungs twitched slightly, and his throat tasted sweet. He paused, picked up the cup of tea warming on the stove, and drank it.
Along with the warm tea, he swallowed fresh blood that tasted slightly of rust.
He couldn't let her know.
"I could kill a little fox like you with one punch. I'm very strong, and I'll stay strong for hundreds of years!"
Swallowing the blood, he smiled.
Then, he laughed heartily at Yae Miko, a very cheerful and generous laugh. This was the laugh unique to the great pillar of the state, an inspiring smile. On the battlefield, when Inazuma's warriors saw this smile, incomparable courage would always rise in their hearts.
The Honorable Pillar would never fall.
Seiyo always had this ability, the ability to lie. He could always make both enemies and friends believe that he would never fall.
Clearly, he was very successful at it.
The fox lady was still happy, still languid. She straightened up, her sleeves dragging on the tatami, and snatched the cup from Seiyo's hand.
After taking the teacup, she revealed a slightly mischievous smile, looking like she had just succeeded in playing a prank.
"Mine~"
She also poured herself a cup of tea.
When Lady Yae drank tea, she held the cup with both hands, drinking it lightly, looking very pleased with herself.
Sigh...
Seiyo sighed helplessly.