We left the mall after we ate. Kitsune and I parted ways; she said she would go first to the abandoned apartment building she mentioned. As for me, I went back to my room to get my shop.
"Our Queen's reincarnation is near." She's right. I need to gather as much power as I can. Because as soon as our Queen reincarnates, this world will serve as our battlefield once again. An endless war between spirits and demons... as declared by the scriptures of Lunaria.
Six pillars of divinity, their light does shine,
Binding the king of hell in chains divine.
Each billion years, one pillar fades away,
Until the last one stands, holding night at bay.
When the final pillar holds the world in light,
The glow of Lunaria will pierce the night.
And as the heavens tremble and stars depart,
The final war will rise, a darkened art.
Maybe Kitsune knows something about the scripture...
As I went back to get my shop cart, I hurried to meet Kitsune. While entering the abandoned apartment building, I heard her talking to someone. It was probably the three spectres she mentioned.
"Misaki, you're already here. These are the three spectres I was talking about."
Three little girls approached me, all wearing kimonos. They looked no older than eight years old.
"This is your father, please greet him."
"Father?? Don't push your fantasies on me, you creep me out."
"And Kitsune, they look like kids. There's no way they can enter our school…"
"Don't worry about that, I'll handle it…"
She's probably planning on seducing the principal again.
The three girls looked at me with pity in their eyes. I was starting to feel like I was the bad guy here...
"Uh, can you tell me your names?" I asked them in a polite tone.
The girl with red hair stepped forward and spoke.
"We may look the same, but as you can see, we have different hair colors…"
She was right. Their hair was braided just like Kitsune's.
"I'm Nishi, the oldest, I'm the one with red hair. The girl with blue hair is Mitsushi, the middle child, and the one with purple hair is Yoshi, the youngest. If you want to speak to them, you can speak to me and I'll answer for them. They're quite shy and don't speak to anyone, not even to mother."
"Oh, okay... then can you tell me about you and your siblings' battle specialties?"
"We're experts in area surveys, information gathering, and assassinations… Mother said you would give us manifestations. I know she probably asked you to do that, so we ask for your forgiveness in her stead. She's just concerned about us."
Kitsune's adopted daughters were surprisingly well-mannered, compared to their mother.
"Don't worry about it. I don't mind giving you some manifestations. Just let me know what you prefer, and I'll find it in my shop."
"Then we humbly request that you grant us a weapon that is light and easy to carry. My siblings prefer ranged weapons, and for me, I would like a weapon suited for close combat."
"Okay, just wait for me. I'll check to see what's available in my shop."
I searched for manifestations that would suit their fighting style. Thankfully, I always prioritize collecting smaller manifestations, rather than the larger ones. They're easier to arrange and store.
I needed two ranged weapons, so I picked poison darts and kunai. For the melee weapon, I chose a knife.
After gathering the weapons, I showed them to the three girls.
"Yes, these will suit us. We are deeply grateful for your kindness. We will repay it by being useful to you."
Kitsune approached them and patted their heads.
"Now, you can try your manifestations and hunt some evil spirits nearby. Your father and I have something to discuss."
The three of them left. I approached Kitsune to ask about the girls.
"Kitsune, to make them able to appear in front of humans, will you give them your own life force?"
Kitsune narrowed her eyes, her tone shifting to something more serious.
"No, I won't do that. But I have a plan for where I'll get the life force they need."
"Kitsune, don't tell me…"
"Yes, we're hunting some local deities."
I began to think about what Kitsune had just said. Local deities are powerful spirits, rivaling the ancient ones. They are guardians of specific places, making them quite formidable.
"Kitsune, if you kill a local deity, you will distort the balance of the place it guards. You know that... after all, you were a local deity yourself before."
"But, what if I told you that the local deity we will hunt is the one who killed my daughters' real parents…"
"What do you mean?"
"If you didn't know, Misaki, my daughters are originally from Mount Fuji. That mountain was protected by the local deity Tria, the ice fairy. But her reign ended 400 years ago when her territory was attacked by an unknown spirit, said to possess a powerful manifestation. Tria's forces fought back, but they were all killed, including my daughters' parents. Nishi and her siblings managed to escape, and I found them at the foot of the mountain, injured. Since then, Mount Fuji has been dominated by a new local deity."
Wait, 400 years ago? That would mean...
"It's not confirmed, but there's a chance that the manifestation this new deity possesses... could be from you."
"Then, when should we start moving?" I asked.
"As soon as possible Misaki, also ask Himeko to come along."
"Huh? Are you insane? We will literally fight a monster here, and you want a human to accompany us?" I said with a slightly pissed tone.
"Don't worry, I will protect her, besides my daughter will be coming along too,"
"Why do you intend to bring her?"
"Her spirit, Yuki if I remember, maybe it can help us,"
"Fine, but we should protect her with our lives, I don't want to make any human to be dragged at this mess,"
"Human? No she's not human...."
Kitsune's word bothered my mind, as if she was saying the truth. She possess greater senses than mine, so I know I should consider her findings...
"If you doubt my word, observe her at our trip in Mt. Fuji, Misaki."