Looking around the inside of the house with a clearly appreciative gaze, from the spotless wooden walls to the simple yet useful furniture made of the same material, a young man with golden hair smiles to himself.
He knew following his thoughts had been the right path. Just look at this perfectly geometric furniture, the walls that almost seem assembled to the millimeter, and those windows, which, when opened, let in just the right amount of warm sunlight.
"Indeed... This is cinema. Well, rather, art or architecture. Haa, whatever, I'm the best."
Inflating his chest with an excessive pride that is very uncommon for him, but which has occasionally reared its ugly head, Asahiko looks completely pleased at having proven his point.
And what is that point? Simply, that he is the most "advanced" person on this island, that he should never have been working as a field laborer. Yes, that had happened days ago, but apparently that "wound" had never fully healed.
[Hahaha, so good that they only listened to you once.]
Speaking mockingly out loud instead of through the mental link he shares with Asahiko, which is rather strange, Souga manages to make the gem embedded in the hilt of Clouded Fang shine with his unrestrained laughter.
Apparently, the "Great and Noble Dragon" had already completely forgotten what had happened earlier, being beaten up and insulted in a dream. Or perhaps he is simply someone strangely pragmatic?
"Bah! I'm misunderstood by this backward, regressive, and simplistic society! You'll see when they excavate these ruins in the future, they'll become one of the great mysteries of history!"
[This crude wooden structure? If I remember correctly, Inu no Taisho lived in some kind of floating palace. Now that is truly worthy of—]
"Ahem, ahem, can we continue this conversation later? I think the owner of the house would rather be sleeping right now."
Coughing in an obviously deliberate manner to attract the attention of those present, a small bearded spirit stops floating nearby and points at the man standing there.
That man pointed out by Saya, the small elderly-looking spirit with a long white beard, is actually the owner of the house they are currently in, but the truth is that no one seems to care.
"Oh, right! How could I forget this incredibly important NPC! Alright, go back to sleep."
"Wait, don't you still have a few more questions to ask him?"
"Meh, I've already done everything I could based on your assumptions. Now it's definitely Inuyasha's problem."
Casually waving his right hand after answering Saya, who can only sigh at his master's mood swings, Asahiko narrows his eyes as he considers his investigation.
After spending some time bothering Shippo that afternoon, which relieved quite a bit of the stress from the fight with Sesshōmaru, he eventually got tired and briefly investigated the matter of the refugees because of the earlier warning from Saya and Souga.
The thing is... There was truly nothing strange. No matter where he looked, outside the village in case they were being used as bait, inside their minds in case they were some kind of hidden villains, or in their "souls" with Kaede's talismans in case they were under some kind of curse... There was nothing!
It was as if they had truly been blessed with such incredible luck that they had made it here safely without suffering any harm, which is simply absurd if we consider the external factors. But I suppose those are things that can happen in a magical world?
"Just like that?"
"Yep, I listened to you, and it didn't work out, so goodbye. Besides, my sense of 'kindness' has already stopped bothering me. I'm not giving it another chance to stab me in the forehead."
[Hahaha, let's hope it turns out to be as troublesome as it seems.]
"Amen to that, Souga!"
Giving the gem embedded in the hilt of Clouded Fang a high five, since Souga cannot materialize a physical body like Saya can, he lets out a lazy yawn before calmly heading to Kaede's house.
Yes, just like Inuyasha's group, Asahiko also ended up living like a parasite in Kaede's house. But it isn't as bad as it sounds. He at least helped with the reconstruction and even investigated those refugees' irregularities. Besides, they're practically family because of Kikyo!
"Um, um, there's no need to feel bad."
"In fact, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but what really matters is the intention that—"
"Ahhh! What are you still doing alive!?"
Jumping back until his back is pressed against the wall, Asahiko quickly fixes his blue eyes on the elderly shrine maiden, who had unexpectedly emerged from the flickering shadows.
Obviously, that old woman can be none other than Kaede, since she is the only one who could be dressed as a shrine maiden, they are inside her house, and the patch over her eye makes her very recognizable.
"I'm sorry to inform you that I still have many years left to live, Asahiko."
"And yes, you've stolen quite a few years from me thanks to all the scares you've given me since I got here. Tsk, you have terrible taste in jokes, just like Kikyo."
"My sister? I think you've got the wrong idea. Come, I've warmed up your meal as thanks for your hard work."
Shaking her head at the slander spread by the young man, Kaede skillfully moves around her small home and reaches the brazier in its center, where an uneven metal pot can be seen.
Inside it is a thick earthy-colored broth, several meticulously cut pieces of vegetables, and the occasional chunk of floating meat.
"Hahaha, I wish, Kaede. She really has a terrible sense of humor. Calling it dark would be an understatement."
"If I remember correctly, demons don't need to eat."
"See, see? You're both the same! Though Kikyo probably would've thrown the pot, threatened me with her glare, or simply pulled out her bow."
Pointing a finger at Kaede's age-marked face, who continues serving him a bowl of food despite everything, Asahiko finally starts rambling.
Apparently, in his mind Kikyo is just as dangerous as, if not even more dangerous than, Sesshōmaru, because otherwise it is impossible to understand his exaggerated reaction to his beautiful companion's behavior.
"Hahaha, cough, cough."
"Good grief, if you're going to die, do it when I'm not here."
"Ah, ah... Thank you. I haven't laughed like that in quite a long time."
"Sure, it's nothing."
Looking curiously at Kaede, who finally stops coughing after he had patted her on the back a few times to "save her," Asahiko takes the bowl of food once again and takes his first bite.
By the way, he had transformed the chopsticks given to him by the old woman into a soup spoon. He wasn't going to drink the broth straight from the bowl like some savage.
"Mmm... This isn't bad at all. But wait, where did you manage to get salt and spices? Even in the residences of great landowners they were quite rare."
"Kagome brought me some as a gift last time, although the flavor of some spices is too strong for my taste."
"So not content with probably distorting history, she's also become some kind of interdimensional smuggler? No wonder she's Kikyo's reincarnation."
Setting the food aside for a few seconds, something quite difficult since it is the first decent meal he has had in quite a while, Asahiko raises an eyebrow at the schoolgirl's actions.
Who would have thought she'd be an illegal trafficker of illicit substances? Well, that was a huge exaggeration, but this really does seem like the beginning of a story about a group of friends traveling through time to fix the timeline.
Can you imagine it? A group of strangers tracking every discarded plastic wrapper, forgotten glass bottle, and trace left behind by Kagome throughout her adventure. Hahaha, that would truly be an interesting sight.
"I think, once again, you're misunderstanding my older sister, Asahiko."
"Perhaps you're right. Kikyo is never that absentminded, except when the subject revolves around Inuyasha, Kagome, or Naraku, at which point she becomes quite irrational."
"I think your name should be among those three, and it might even belong at the very top."
"Pfft, the two of us get along like two peas in a pod."
"And that's exactly the strange part. My sister... Haa, I'm going to bed."
Refusing to explain her reasoning out loud, Kaede simply leaves Asahiko sitting alone at the table, completely ignoring the perceptive gaze that briefly shines in the latter's eyes.