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It was Saturday, and the weather was as sunny as ever.
Frogs croaked in the rice paddies, their calls answered by the chirping of cicadas in the trees.
It was late June, and summer vacation had already begun.
Half a month had passed since the bloody battle with the Heretic God, the Heavenly Emperor.
An eerie atmosphere hung over the Kasugano residence.
Click, whirr! A computer ejected a disc. Sora, sitting on the sofa, reached out, took the disc, and casually tossed it into the trash can.Â
"You beat this game too?" Haru, lying beside Sora with his eyes closed, carefully refined his Golden Core, integrating the rules of life force with minuscule progress. He opened his eyes and looked at the growing pile of game discs in the trash can.
"Yeah… I'm bored." Sora stared blankly at the computer desktop. Over the past half month, she had been staying at home, playing computer games and conquering them one after another. However, with her high intelligence, she had already cleared nearly 200 games.
"Want to go on a trip somewhere?" It was just a casual suggestion. After saying it, Haru closed his eyes again, his consciousness sinking into his body to continue refining his Golden Core, enjoying the slow process of self-improvement.
Sora thought for a moment. Half a month ago, after that bloody battle, fearing that she might lose Haru, she had pestered him relentlessly, preventing him from leaving the house. After all, she had learned from numerous people in the magic world that it was in a Godslayer's nature to encounter incidents involving gods and Devil Kings whenever they went out!
However, half a month had left Sora feeling restless. Her cosmetics and bags needed to be replenished. She decided to visit the nearest major tourist spot and stock up while they were there. This time, she would buy a year's worth.
Creak! At that moment, Sayanomiya Kaoru returned from her shopping trip, pushing open the living room door.
"Kaoru, do you know the nearest tourist spot to Okukozome?" Sora delegated the troublesome task of deciding on a travel destination to Sayanomiya Kaoru, the only servant in the house.
"Hmm, nearest? The closest tourist spot to Ashikaga would be Nikko Toshogu Shrine in Nikko City!" Sayanomiya Kaoru tilted her head, recalling information about regional tourist spots, casually mentioning Nikko City.
"Okay, let's go there," Sora declared, reaching a final decision.
"Wait, wait! Are you sure about going there? The Unruly Monkey living there will probably pick a fight with me!" Haru looked at Sora with a bewildered expression, his face etched with concern. Did you forget? You've been restricting me for half a month because you were afraid I'd go looking for a fight with a god! And now you want to go to a god's territory?
Thud! Hearing the term "Unruly Monkey," Sayanomiya Kaoru's grip loosened, and the groceries she had just bought scattered across the floor.Â
Nikko Toshogu Shrine, guarded by the Kuhoutsuka family, one of the Four Families, housed the Seiten Palace, where the Unruly Sun Wukong was sealed using the Bimawen curse. Due to the overwhelming power of gods compared to mortals, the Kuhoutsuka family, and even Japan, considered the magic that borrowed Sun Wukong's divine power through the Bimawen curse to be their greatest trump card.
"Wait a minute! Don't tell me you didn't know that Sun Wukong is sealed there?" Now it was Haru's turn to be dumbfounded. Sayanomiya Kaoru, as the head of the Sayanomiya family, one of the Four Families, didn't know about one of their greatest assets?
"Oh! I remember now. It was recorded in the inherited memories, but to enter the abode of that Monkey God, the seal must be opened by a Magatsuhi Miko. However, the position of Oomiko in the Kuhoutsuka family has been vacant for nearly a hundred years…"
Sayanomiya Kaoru rubbed her forehead, trying to alleviate the pain. She possessed a vast amount of inherited memories, and to access specific information, she had to use the advanced mental magic "Recollection." However, "Recollection" caused a sharp, stabbing pain when activated. She endured the pain as she searched her memories.
A Magatsuhi Miko referred to a Miko who possessed the Magatsuhi ability. Magatsuhi was a rare ability that allowed one to nullify magical energy and spells, rendering them ineffective. Only one girl with this ability would appear among the Hime Miko every hundred years. It was considered the rarest superpower in Japan.
Oomiko referred to the highest-ranking Miko in a shrine, or even the highest authority figure.
"Do you believe that nonsense? The Kuhoutsuka family would have been devoured long ago if they didn't have some hidden agenda. They've been guarding Nikko Toshogu Shrine for 300 years, right? And they haven't found a single way to use Sun Wukong's power in 300 years? Search your memories again!"
Haru looked at Sayanomiya Kaoru with disdain. She was one of the heads of the Four Families, and she was this clueless? If Sun Wukong's power were so easy to borrow, wouldn't the Kuhoutsuka family have taken advantage of it? To say they hadn't conducted any research in 300 years was simply unbelievable.
Provoked by Haru's disdainful gaze and realizing the ridiculousness of her previous statement, Sayanomiya Kaoru gritted her teeth and glared at the silver-haired boy lounging on the sofa.
It was unbelievable that such a jerk could slay gods! She sighed in frustration and activated "Recollection" once more.
Fifteen minutes later…
"Found it! The previous Oomiko, Toujou Miki, is still alive, though she has retired and is living in seclusion. The Kuhoutsuka main family does possess techniques to borrow the Monkey God's power, but only a Magatsuhi Miko can reach him!" Sayanomiya Kaoru clutched her head, massaging it to alleviate the spell's side effects, and glared at Haru.
"Wait, didn't you say the Oomiko position has been vacant for a hundred years? The previous one is still alive? How old is she?" Haru was astonished. Could she be an old hag from the same era as the oldest Godslayer?
"...She should be 230 years old this year… Lady Toujou Miki." Sayanomiya Kaoru was also shocked. If she hadn't seen the images of Toujou Miki conversing with her grandfather, Sayanomiya Shouya, in her inherited memories, along with records of Toujou Miki's life, she wouldn't have believed that a human could live that long. Even the purest magic users could only live to the human limit of 150 years.
"She really is an old hag from Voban's era!" Haru was speechless.
Just then, Sora spoke with a serious expression. "In that case, let's change our travel destination to Kyoto!"
Haru's face fell, and he looked at Sora helplessly. Damn it, I shouldn't have mentioned it! Once Sora learned that there was a god in Nikko City, she would never let him go near the place.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Haru's mind.
"Sora, you know…" Haru said, his voice taking on a coaxing tone, like a sly wolf.
"Hmm?" Sora tilted her head, her expression innocent and adorable.
"That Toujou Miki probably still looks like she's in her prime. Don't you want to know her secret to eternal youth? She's 230 years old this year." Before he could finish his sentence, Sora's eyes sparkled with anticipation. She dashed out of the living room and up to her room on the second floor.
The sounds of rummaging and packing came from upstairs.
Sayanomiya Kaoru looked at Haru, who was lying on the sofa, a sly grin on his face, and asked, "How do you know what Lady Toujou Miki looks like?"
"I guessed. Magically pure Miko can maintain their physical vitality, so I figured that 'Miki' would still look young. Women, right?" Haru replied casually.
That afternoon, the group set off on their trip to Nikko City.Â
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