Chapter 181: Natsuba Hanae’s Reward
Natsuba Hanae decided she would pretend to be Natsuba Rinrei.
Even if Natsuba Genryū were to activate his divine artifact and launch a fatal attack the moment Hanae stepped out of the main residence, she would not be seriously injured.
But if it were the real Natsuba Rinrei, she might have died instantly.
After all, from their previous battle, Natsuba Genryū already knew Natsuba Rinrei’s abilities like the back of his hand. He even knew how to use killing intent to suppress the Aosagi no Hi template and prevent it from regenerating.
In this way, the risk of continuing to use Natsuba Rinrei as bait was clearly too great. It was better for Hanae to act personally.
However…
Natsuba Hanae looked down slightly at the magnificent fruits on her chest, pursed her lips, and a hint of difficulty appeared in her red, glass-like eyes. If she were to bind her chest, she should be able to flatten it.
Sigh, sometimes being too big wasn’t a good thing.
No, no, if anyone is to blame, it’s Rinrei’s chest for being too flat, not my own.
As Natsuba Hanae thought this, she completely forgot that when she had bestowed power upon Natsuba Rinrei, Rinrei’s flat chest had a chance to grow into a small hill. It was Hanae who had forcibly diverted that energy to other places.
After a moment of contemplation, a rough outline of a plan to lure out Natsuba Genryū had formed in Natsuba Hanae’s mind. Now all she had to do was slowly perfect it.
After all, the most urgent matter now was the attack on the Kujō family.
In reality, it wouldn’t have been too late if Kamishiro Hime had told Hanae this news at the meeting in thirteen days. There was really no need for Hanae to be summoned this time. Of course, knowing in advance allowed her to make some preparations and set up some means in the main residence. It might also make the plan to lure out Natsuba Genryū go more smoothly.
In short, it was a little beneficial, but not much.
Hanae decided she should reward Kamishiro Hime for this.
Thinking of this, Natsuba Hanae pursed her lips, and her red, glass-like eyes looked at Kamishiro Hime as she said softly, “Hime, this information is useful to me. What reward would you like? I can grant you one or two, within my power.”
Hearing this, Kamishiro Hime’s already pure white eyes immediately burst with a brilliant light. On her originally calm face, a smile suddenly appeared.
“Really, any reward?!”
However, in the next moment, Tamamo-no-Mae, beside her, immediately cried out.
“My Lady, I want a reward too! I want a reward too! I communicated with you in a timely manner. My contribution is so much greater than Hime’s.”
“The reward I want is that… and also this…”
Tamamo-no-Mae cupped her blushing cheeks and began to fantasize. Small, faint hearts appeared in her purple eyes, and then she closed them in a daze, drool trickling from the corner of her mouth.
(¯﹃¯)
“The handkerchief from before, the scent has faded a bit. I want something with a stronger scent. Hmm… how about your original-flavor panties…”
“No, no, I should really just have my Lady give me a kiss, or maybe it’s better to share a bed for a day…”
“No, no, no…”
“Perhaps an even more excessive request would also be possible…”
The blush on Tamamo-no-Mae’s cheeks grew even brighter and more captivating, as vibrant as a ripe peach, delicious and alluring. She crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly and lifting her chest slightly. The crystal-clear drool from the corner of her mouth flowed down to her exquisite collarbone and into a certain unseen, indescribable area.
The five pink and white fox tails behind her swayed and trembled from time to time.
Tamamo-no-Mae’s chī nǚ (lovesick girl) component had increased.
And Natsuba Hanae, seeing this Tamamo-no-Mae, three words appeared in her mind.
A lost cause.
Among all her daughters, Tamamo-no-Mae was the most hopeless. Hoshikawa Oto at least tried to hide it. But Tamamo-no-Mae didn’t even bother to hide it anymore.
Natsuba Hanae’s expression was elegant as she said softly,
“Tamamo-no-Mae’s contribution does not offset her fault. After I warned you before, you still used my statue as a hug pillow. You need to be punished.”
“I will pluck out all the hair on three of your fox tails, as a punishment.”
With that, Natsuba Hanae willed it.
Before Tamamo-no-Mae could react, the fur on her three middle fox tails was suddenly covered in Sanctuary Flame. The yokai quickly looked back, preparing to use her own ability to douse the fire.
However, it was already too late.
In just a moment, the Sanctuary Flame had disappeared, leaving behind bald tails with no fur. For a beauty-loving girl, this was a disaster.
Tamamo-no-Mae froze on the spot. She lost all color, turning a grayish white, and slowly petrified.
This is so ugly!!!!
In reality, Tamamo-no-Mae’s fox tails had always been there. When they were not visible, she was just using her supernatural power to conceal them. Only supernatural users with a much lower rank than her couldn’t see them. Supernatural users of a similar rank, or stronger, would see her five fox tails. And when the fox tails were revealed, it was because the energy fluctuation was too great, so even ordinary supernatural users could see them.
In other words, in the eyes of supernatural users of a similar rank, her tails would always be in this bald state.
Thinking of this, Tamamo-no-Mae’s mentality suddenly collapsed. It would take at least a week for her fox tails to grow back, and she would have to go through an awkward phase. To grow back to their full size would take at least half a year.
Natsuba Hanae, seeing Tamamo-no-Mae’s appearance, continued, “If you perform well later, I’ll use other methods to restore your fox tails to their original state.”
Hearing this, Tamamo-no-Mae’s originally dazed expression shifted, her fox ears twitching for a moment. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she threw herself at Natsuba Hanae, hugging her thigh and shouting loudly, “Mom——————!”
“I was wrong! Please restore my tails to their original state…………wuu.”
Natsuba Hanae backhanded the yokai and sealed her mouth with crimson divinity. Hanae just found her noisy.
Then she looked at Kamishiro Hime, waiting for her to name her reward.
Kamishiro Hime couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Honestly, because of Tamamo-no-Mae’s influence these days, when Hime had the statue before, she had only gently hugged it, or had taken its hand and stroked her own head.
Today, she had also had the thought of sleeping with the statue, to do… things. Even more so, the things Tamamo-no-Mae had said just now, Hime had even thought of a part of them in her mind. However, she had only thought it, and hadn’t said it like Tamamo-no-Mae. But she also thanked Tamamo-no-Mae for dispelling those fantasies.
An ordinary material reward was not what Kamishiro Hime needed. What she wanted was her mother’s warmth.
Thinking of this, Kamishiro Hime already had a decision in her heart. Her expression was still righteous, but her exquisite face was slightly flushed, and a hint of shyness appeared on her earlobes.
Kamishiro Hime took a few steps forward and said softly, “Mother, can you stroke my head? This is the reward I want.”
Hearing this, Natsuba Hanae was slightly taken aback. She clearly hadn’t expected Kamishiro Hime’s reward to be so simple and unadorned.
However, this was completely within a reasonable range. Kamishiro Hime’s normalcy index was very high. After all, she was an outstanding heir cultivated by the imperial family. Her earlier collusion with Tamamo-no-Mae was highly likely due to being led astray by the yokai. Now that Hime had come to her senses, she was gradually returning to normal.
Natsuba Hanae naturally had no reason to refuse. A gentle smile appeared on her lips, and her red, glass-like eyes were filled with a warm light as she said softly, “Alright.”
She extended her slender hand and stroked Kamishiro Hime’s head, smoothing down a wisp of a cowlick. Kamishiro Hime, like a gentle little beast, closed her eyes contentedly. The scene was one of motherly love and filial piety.
At this moment, Kamishiro Hime thought to herself, Yay! I won’t wash this head for a year!! Or maybe I should just shave my head and cherish it. That’s more secure!!!
On Natsuba Hanae’s interface, a series of transparent pop-ups appeared one by one.
[Kamishiro Hime’s affection value has increased to eighty-eight]
[Kamishiro Hime’s affection value has increased to eighty-nine]
[Kamishiro Hime’s affection value has reached ninety]
[Affection value has reached ninety. You will randomly obtain a related ability of Kamishiro Hime]
[You have obtained Amaterasu’s Majesty]
Natsuba Hanae slowly manifested a question mark.
“Amaterasu’s Majesty?”
Roughly speaking, this was a part of the ability that the god Amaterasu had left in Kamishiro Hime’s body through her bloodline. At the same time, this also made Natsuba Hanae completely understand. So her template-drawing ability was not just drawn from the template, but could also draw from the abilities that her daughters themselves possessed.
This was the first time she had drawn an ability outside the template. However, from the looks of it now, since it was an ability related to Amaterasu, it shouldn’t be too bad.
The most important power of the Daitengu, the power of the fierce wind, Hanae had already drawn when she had bestowed the template on Kamishiro Hime. The remaining skills related to the Daitengu were insignificant. Perhaps drawing a part of Amaterasu’s ability could inspire her.
Thinking of gods, Natsuba Hanae quickly thought of something. She said to Kamishiro Hime, “I need to tell you something, Hime. Yamata no Orochi may have been resurrected. And it’s planning something. Have you noticed anything unusual on your side?”
Kamishiro Hime, who had been enjoying her mother’s stroking, heard these words and her eyes immediately opened. Her pupils constricted sharply, filled with disbelief. Her expression was a little flustered.
“Yamata no Orochi has been resurrected?!! How is that possible? In the imperial family’s records, it was clearly killed by Susanoo.”
If Yamata no Orochi were to be resurrected, things would not be so simple. Unlike other gods, Yamata no Orochi was an evil god. And a peak evil god.
In the current situation where the highest combat power was only a peak A-rank, if a peak evil god were to be resurrected, no one would be able to stop it. Even if every major force of a thousand years had a god guarding them, this world had more ordinary forces, weak supernatural users, and even ordinary people.
If a peak evil god were to make a comeback, the current world was not the world of a thousand years ago, where gods were as common as dogs. There would be no god to appear and kill it. Because the current gods were all still sleeping, and they only protected one force. If this were to happen, the one who would be most affected would clearly be the imperial family. Their recently restored control over the country would probably be gone in a short time, and the country might even be gone…
“Calm down.”
Just as Kamishiro Hime’s thoughts were in a turmoil and her heart was filled with apprehension, Natsuba Hanae’s voice came.
Kamishiro Hime looked at her mother and saw that her mother’s expression was still calm. This immediately gave Hime a sense of reliance, and her mood gradually calmed down. She forced herself to be calm and began to analyze the situation.
“Mother, the scale of Yamata no Orochi on my body did indeed heat up and boil before. I had thought it was a weak evil god that had appeared. But according to what you said, this is highly likely to be related to Yamata no Orochi. If Yamata no Orochi were to be resurrected, in the current world, probably no force would be able to stop it. They could only protect themselves. Even several A-ranks with divine artifacts…”
At this, Kamishiro Hime’s expression became complicated. An A-rank, after all, was not a god. They couldn’t unleash the true power of a divine artifact. Perhaps several A-ranks with divine artifacts working together could kill a low-level god, and even have a hope of winning against a mid-level god.
But a peak god…
She shook her head. That was impossible.
“Don’t be too discouraged,” Natsuba Hanae said softly, seeing Kamishiro Hime’s expression. “Although I don’t know how much of Yamata no Orochi’s strength has recovered, it’s definitely not at the level of a peak god.”
“Its method seems to be to parasitize a part of Susanoo’s body through a curse. I call it a pseudo-Susanoo. After the pseudo-Susanoo died, without any suppression, Yamata no Orochi was resurrected. And not long ago, I observed a small black snake. The small black snake was not conspicuous and was very hidden, but it would absorb divinity, and its essence was somewhat similar to Yamata no Orochi’s. You might be able to investigate from this aspect.”
Hearing this, Kamishiro Hime’s heart relaxed slightly. As long as Yamata no Orochi hadn’t reached a high-level or peak god, there was still a hope of defeating it.
Fortunately, her mother had known about Yamata no Orochi’s resurrection right after it had happened. In this way, Hime still had enough time to find it and organize forces to besiege it. And her mother had even provided a clue about the small black snake. Even if the small black snake had the ability to hide, if she used various methods to search, she would still have some success. The scale of Yamata no Orochi might also be of some use, helping her find its location.
However, her mother had just mentioned that after the pseudo-Susanoo had died, Yamata no Orochi had been resurrected. The pseudo-Susanoo’s strength was at least at the level of a god. How had he died? And Hime had never heard of such a battle.
Could her mother’s information be wrong?
She was a little confused about this.
“Mother, could it be that there was another situation in the battle between Susanoo and Yamata no Orochi a thousand years ago? But how do you know that Yamata no Orochi was resurrected after the pseudo-Susanoo died?”
Hearing this, Natsuba Hanae said softly, “Why?”
“Because I killed him.”
Kamishiro Hime: “…”
The information is very reliable.
