Shinji sat on the rock.
The shrine maiden's figure had long since vanished, leaving only that vermilion torii gate standing silently on the hillside.
A strange feeling came over him.
What was this like?
That scene from Journey to the West where Tang Sanzang is left waiting?
Except he wasn't Tang Sanzang, and he wasn't some kind of "Tang Monk flesh." If anything, the Shikon Jewel Kikyō carried was the real "Tang Monk flesh."
One bite of Tang Monk's flesh granted immortality.
Obtaining the Shikon Jewel could skyrocket a demon's power.
"So what am I, then?" Shinji muttered to himself. "Sun Wukong?"
[Hiraikotsu: You're annoying it.]
"Sorry, sorry." Shinji patted Hiraikotsu on his lap.
This thing was still sleeping, and grumpy about it.
He pulled out his water flask, poured a little into his palm, and began wiping the yellowed bone surface.
His movements were gentle.
Meticulous.
Like he was tending to a VIP.
[Hiraikotsu: Affection +1] [Current Affection: 1 (Budding)] [It thinks your technique is passable. Barely.]
Finally got a reaction.
Shinji's lips curved.
He kept wiping, his hand sliding along the curved bone edge, feeling its solid weight.
"You're called Hiraikotsu, right?" he said as he worked. "I hear you're forged from the bones of many demons. So you're like… a collective dormitory?"
[Hiraikotsu: It thinks you're boring.]
"Alright, alright. No more jokes." Shinji dropped the smile, his tone turning serious. "Your master, that old man, before he died, he asked me to deliver the Shikon Jewel to Kikyō."
"He was worried about you, you know?"
[Hiraikotsu: ...] [It doesn't react, but seems to be listening.]
"I'll take you back to the demon slayer village," Shinji said. "To his family."
"Until then, I'll look after you for him."
He poured more water from the flask, this time directly onto Hiraikotsu's blade, then carefully wiped it with his sleeve.
Not missing a single grain.
[Hiraikotsu: Affection +1] [Current Affection: 2 (Budding)] [It admits you talk okay. But still doesn't really trust you.]
Two points.
Slow progress, but progress.
Shinji nodded, satisfied, and continued tending to his VIP.
Just then,
Footsteps came from the mountain path below.
Very light.
But deliberately making sound.
Shinji didn't look up, continuing to wipe Hiraikotsu.
The newcomer stopped five paces away.
"Um… excuse me?" A woman's voice.
Young, with a playful lilt.
Shinji finally looked up.
Then he froze.
Before him stood a girl.
Maybe sixteen or seventeen. Great figure.
Not just great.
The kind that made it hard to look away.
She wore a dark red tight-fitting outfit. The fabric was absurdly thin, clinging to her like a second skin.
The neckline plunged deep, offering a glimpse of the heavy, pale mounds of her breasts pressing together, creating a deep cleavage that trembled with every breath she took.
Her waist was so slender he could probably encircle it with one hand. yet it flared out dramatically into wide, fertile hips.
Below that, a narrow waist, the fabric cinching tight, outlining a flat plane of her stomach and the faint shadow of her navel before dipping low between her legs.
Lower still...
Her hips curved full and round, that thin fabric molding to every contour, tracing the curve of her ass.
Long, pale thighs gleamed in the sunlight like polished porcelain, the skin smooth and flawless, leading down to delicate, bare feet and ankles.
Delicate features.
Her face was delicate, with willow-leaf brows, apricot eyes, and peach-like cheeks. She had that cute, charming girl-next-door vibe that made you want to trust her.
But the most striking thing was her hair.
Short black hair with green tint, only shoulder-length, but incredibly thick.
Every strand seemed alive, gently swaying in the breeze.
But...
Out here in the middle of nowhere, the chances of running into a real "girl next door" were zero.
Shinji was clear-headed.
"I'm lost in the mountains. Is there a village nearby?" The girl tilted her head slightly, revealing the pale line of her neck. The movement carried a whiff of perfume.
Shinji looked at her.
Didn't speak.
"Big brother?" The girl took a step forward.
The motion made her tits bounce, a heavy, hypnotic surge that could make a man's blood boil.
Her hips swayed with the step, emphasizing the impossibly narrow waist. The curve of her ass tightened with the movement, the red fabric digging into the crack, outlining an eye-catching, heart-shaped arc.
"Why won't you talk to me?" She pouted slightly. That expression, combined with that figure, was indeed lethal.
"Is it because I'm wearing too little? Are you shy?" She deliberately glanced down at her own neckline.
The movement pressed those pale mounds together even more, deepening the cleavage until it looked like her tits might spill out.
Then she looked up and blinked.
"Or… does big brother like what he sees?"
Shinji's expression remained calm.
He set Hiraikotsu aside on a rock and stood up.
"Nice act," he said.
"Huh? What act? I don't understand~" The girl tilted her head, all innocence.
"I really am just lost."
She took another step forward.
Closer this time. Close enough for Shinji to catch that faint scent.
A strange scent.
Like… the smell of hair?
"Big brother is so handsome." The girl looked up at him, those apricot eyes filled with admiration.
"More handsome than any man I've ever seen."
"Your complexion is a bit pale, though. Not feeling well?"
She reached out, as if to touch his face.
"I could take care of you~"
Her fingers were slender and pale, nails painted a soft pink.
Pretty.
But Shinji noticed something else.
Her hair moved.
Not wind-blown movement.
Active.
Writhing.
Like countless tiny snakes, silently creeping closer.
"Let me guess," Shinji said suddenly.
"You're after the Shikon Jewel, right?"
The girl's movement froze.
Just for an instant.
But long enough for Shinji to catch.
"Shikon Jewel? What's that?" She kept up that innocent act.
"I'm just an ordinary lost girl~"
"An ordinary lost girl?" Shinji smiled.
"Dressed like that, wandering around in the wilderness?"
"You think I'm an idiot?"
The girl's expression finally changed.
That layer of innocent pretense vanished, replaced by an amused smile.
"Found me out, huh?" Her voice shifted too, no longer that sweet tone, but carrying a lazy, languid quality. "I thought we could play a little longer."
"So what's your plan now?" Shinji asked. "Keep acting?"
"No." The girl or rather, the female demon licked her lips. "Since I'm caught, no point in acting."
"Your aura is special, demon warrior."
"And…" Her gaze drifted to the hillside behind Shinji. "That shrine maiden has the Shikon Jewel, right?"
"I can smell it."
"Sweet."
"Sweet enough to make me want a taste."
Around her, those black strands of hair began writhing more intensely.
Like countless black vipers, poised to strike.
Shinji looked at her.
"I have a question."
"What?"
"You're a yokai."
"Yes."
"So am I." Shinji pointed at himself. "A demon warrior. You've seen them before?"
"I have."
"So tell me..." Shinji's tone suddenly shifted.
Grew cold.
"What makes you think you can seduce a 'demon' with your looks?"
His hand was already on his sword hilt. "Bold fiend! I could tell you weren't human at a single glance!"
His voice exploded like thunder.
And right on its heels came the flash of his blade.
A waterfall of steel, ripped from his waist with a resonant clang!
"!?"