POV Junko Hoshino
The girls who entered were very beautiful, and each of them had a different standard of appearance. The first to enter was a red-haired, short-haired girl with a voluptuous figure and a simple, friendly expression, wearing a short top that accentuated the voluminous breasts of an adult woman, and jean shorts just above her knees. Brown round ears protruded from her red hair.
The second was a fragile brown woman with waist-length hair to match her short stature.
She wore a light blue summer dress, flower pins in her hair, and a small watch on her wrist. The third didn't walk in — she floated in. In a traditional yukata of ripe cherry color, a pattern of lilies, a tight braid thrown over a perfectly small chest, and a slight smile of scarlet lips.
The whole image of the girl spoke-no, shouted — The Golden Mean! — She really had enough of everything, no more and no less. And a lively intelligence shone in her eyes. The girls stood in line, bowed, and waited. Everyone in the hall waited in silence for the verdict of the woman-almost-ally.
Junko approached the matter thoroughly, so she examined each applicant carefully. There were no questions about the most beautiful, because she had seen during her travels with her son which girls attracted Sora's attention more. And such a girl, who had a figure that was not Japanese at all, would certainly interest any normal man.
The woman realized that the lords could not have stupid and brainless children and grandchildren, and if they had such misfortune, they would not be entrusted with such a responsible business.
Obviously, all three girls are intelligent and no doubt deeply devoted to their families. But she couldn't help but notice the obvious kindness and openness in the eyes of the redheaded "sex bomb". With her own senses, the woman also noticed a good amount of magical power and physical fitness. Judging by her ears, she was a tanuki, a werewolf raccoon with a traditionally wild temperament.
— The red-haired girl fits right in. — Junko nodded to the girl who smiled broadly.
— Kokoro, you can sit against the wall. — The old woman nodded slightly, but there was warmth and satisfaction in her voice.
Junko went over to the frail girl. An obvious Ookami — a wolf-shifter — she reeked of raw physical power and very little magical potential. Ookami are fiery and headstrong, but also incredibly stubborn and loyal to their mates and family.
The grey-green eyes of the small, frail, but noticeably mature girl looked with interest, which she tried to hide. It turned out not very well, which made the shaten girl cute and attractive, completing the image of a certain fragility.
— I like the brown hair. — The woman nodded at the gleam of excitement in the girl's eyes.
— Ririna. — A woman of sturdy build, probably her mother, said in an important but obviously pleased voice — if one looked closely, one could find similar facial features.
But the last applicant raised questions. But the main one was about species affiliation. Judging by the reactions of the Lords and Elders, it was obvious that there had been some intrigue, some game, in the matter of this union, and the acceptance of the applicant turned out to be someone's victory.
Despite their militancy and bloodthirstiness, Ookami can be considered the most harmless, as they are not prone to intrigue or backstage games, and everything is done honestly and openly. The tanuki are more difficult to deal with because they are the most human of all.
There's no... clarity among them, is there? There are as many tanuki as there are characters. But that Matsuhide seems too perfect. Everything. The way she holds herself, her gestures, her facial expressions, her motor skills, her magic and physics. Her beauty is best not talked about or thought about — pure female jealousy immediately rocks and hisses at this beauty.
Junko hesitated and was silent for about five minutes, although the first one decided twice as fast. But then the challenger turned her head slightly, away from the ray of sunlight, and at that moment her half-smile, like a glued half-smile, curved the corners of her mouth a little more, and her eyes turned into a narrow squint for a moment. Everything fell into place at once.
— I don't approve of the last applicant.
The woman said confidently, her eyes catching the reactions of the crowd. Matsuhide herself puckered her lips into a mocking grin of closed scarlet lines and squinted her eyes behind her thick lashes. It was the oldest among equals who spoke.
— What's wrong with Matsuhide? — The voice was flat and it was impossible to read anything in it.
— Sora has been at war with his assigned maids for three months now and he won't let up. He even found common ground with Bakeneko, who came later, an apparent friend of the "furry snakes"....
— On the subject of fish and other delicious things, yes? — he grinned broadly at the Ookami woman.
— Yes, — Junko also smiled at the memory of very serious conversations between her son and the spotted gray Bakeneko on the subject of fishing and fish processing. — But he dislikes kitsune, to put it mildly, and is firmly convinced that there are no more harmful creatures in the world. — Without hiding her smile, the woman finished, noticing the smiles of the gathered people, though not all of them.
— So... — Tenno-sama stretched out, and her beautiful face turned into the legendary and world-famous "Fox" mask, in every sense of the word and expression. — I must have made a mistake in entrusting such an important matter to such a young, one-tailed girl... — the Celestial Fox spoke softly, as if thinking aloud. — You still don't seem to be able to control your impulses and are acting too openly. But Matsuhide is already three-tailed, and at twenty-two, that's unprecedented progress. I'm sure your son won't have any misunderstandings with her.
Junko understood quickly, and Tenno-sama couldn't refuse, so the daughter of the Heavenly Fox also joined the approved girls. A little later, there was another discussion that lasted a good two hours, where the positions of the girls were discussed.
The argument was heated — no one wanted to give up the position of eldest wife for their own or allied child. Finally, after many clarifications, concessions and assurances, Mitsuhide was approved for such a responsible position. Junko just sighed heavily on this, to herself, Sora, obviously, such a choice will not be happy, and a lot of problems are to be expected. And if what they all had planned, the Ayakashi and the ambitious mother, happened, she would probably be cut off from contact for a VERY long time....