The moonlight faded.
Along the eastern horizon, a thin line of pale grey slowly bled into the ink of the night sky.
The battle was over.
Kōbe Hikaru and Kikyō stood facing each other, both of them looking like they'd been dragged through a warzone — because they had.
The ghost-qi armor that had encased Kōbe Hikaru's body was shattered beyond repair, leaving exposed the grey hemp robe underneath, soaked through with black blood. A trail of it seeped from the corner of his mouth and dripped from his jaw onto the stone tiles below.
Kikyō wasn't in much better shape.
Her white kosode and red hakama were caked with dust. Her normally immaculate black hair had come loose and spilled across her shoulders, sweat-drenched strands plastered flat against her pale cheeks. Her legs were trembling. Faintly — but trembling.
That last arrow had emptied her of every drop of spiritual power she had. What was keeping her upright now was nothing but willpower.
"..."
They looked at each other.
Neither of them spoke.
And then —
Kikyō's knees buckled.
Kōbe Hikaru's hand shot out on instinct and caught her by the arm.
"Careful," he said.
Kikyō didn't pull away.
She simply leaned against his arm.
At this distance, Kōbe Hikaru could smell her clearly.
His gaze drifted downward without his permission.
Kikyō's chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. The white fabric of her kosode, soaked through with sweat, clung to her skin. The neckline had loosened during the battle and fallen open slightly, baring the pale line of her collarbone — and the soft curve below it. The waist beneath was slender, the shadow there deceptively deep.
Kōbe Hikaru forced his eyes away.
"Can you walk?" he asked.
Kikyō didn't answer immediately.
She simply raised her head and looked at him.
The cold clarity that usually lived in those eyes was gone. In its place was something fragile — something he had never seen there before.
She held his gaze for a long moment. Long enough that Kōbe Hikaru started to wonder if he had something on his face.
"...Thank you," she said, suddenly.
"Don't mention it."
Kōbe Hikaru's tone was offhand. "I was acting in my own interest, really."
For the sake of earning more Affection with the Shikon Jewel. And for the sake of the 'Affection' of the shrine maiden standing in front of him.
Then, without pausing, he added:
"Not just for tonight. Any time you need help — I can be there."
Kikyō's movement stilled.
She looked up at him, and something rare flickered in those cool eyes — surprise.
"You are a demon," she said.
And then: "I am a shrine maiden."
A demon and a shrine maiden. By every law of this world, they were supposed to be mortal enemies.
But as she said the words, she found herself thinking back over the past few days — and the conviction behind them felt considerably less solid than it should have.
Kōbe Hikaru smiled at that.
"I know," he said.
His voice was steady. Sincere.
"But Naohi trusts me."
"And you trust me."
"So —"
"That's enough."
Silence.
A long, loaded silence.
Long enough that Kōbe Hikaru was beginning to feel mildly awkward about what he'd just said — and then, finally, Kikyō spoke.
"...Mm."
No elaborate phrasing. No emotional declaration.
But for Kōbe Hikaru, it was enough.
[Shikon Jewel — Naohi: Affection +5]
[Current Affection: 39 (Trust)]
[It conveys a message to you: 'She has accepted you.']
['Not merely as an ally.']
['But as...']
The text on the system panel stopped there.
Kōbe Hikaru waited. No continuation came.
This jewel — why did it always leave things half-said?
He looked at the girl leaning against his arm.
A pale face. Exhausted eyes. And a tension in her bearing that had, for the first time, let go.
This was the strongest shrine maiden of the Warring States era.
A shrine maiden who had been alone for so long, he couldn't even guess how many years.
And now — she would be alone no longer.
The thought came to him before he could stop it.
"From now on," he said, "we're friends."
Kikyō's lips moved — just slightly.
It might have been a smile. Very faint, very small, just the corners of her mouth lifting the barest fraction.
But Kōbe Hikaru saw it.
"There is a sleeping mat inside the shrine hall," Kikyō said. "You should rest."
"So should you."
Kōbe Hikaru glanced around — at the shattered corridor pillars, the cracked stone tiles, the demon corpses still scattered across the grounds.
"It's too much of a mess out here. Not exactly restful."
Before she could respond, he bent down and lifted her.
Bridal carry. Smooth and without ceremony.
Kikyō's entire body went rigid.
"What do you think you're —"
"You can barely stand. You were planning to walk on your own?"
He cut her off and started toward the shrine hall.
Kikyō tried to struggle. She found she had no strength to do so.
The consequences of exhausting her spiritual power were worse than she'd expected. All she could do was remain stiffly in his arms.
Kōbe Hikaru noticed how light she was.
Much lighter than he'd imagined.
And more than that —
He could feel the warmth of her body clearly, transmitting through the sweat-damp fabric against his hands. Her waist, when his arm circled it, was impossibly slender. Small enough that one hand could span it. The thigh pressed against his arm through the folds of her hakama was soft — with the particular resilience that only belonged to youth.
Kōbe Hikaru sternly ordered himself to stop thinking about it.
But the faint trace of her natural scent kept finding its way into his nose regardless — like it had decided to move in and make itself at home.
"...Where exactly are you looking?"
Kikyō's voice came from just above him.
Cold.
Kōbe Hikaru realized, belatedly, that his gaze had somehow found its way to the open neckline of her kosode.
"At the path," he said, without a flicker of expression.
Being a Ghost Warrior with a permanently neutral face had its advantages.
Kikyō didn't call him out on it. She simply turned her face away and said nothing more.
But Kōbe Hikaru could have sworn — the tips of her ears were a shade redder than before.
Probably his imagination.
...
The shrine hall was quiet.
Kōbe Hikaru set Kikyō down on the sleeping mat, then went and sat himself against the pillar by the doorway — outside.
He hadn't gone in.
Men and women were supposed to maintain a certain propriety, after all.
Even if he was technically a demon now.
"You're not coming inside?" Kikyō's voice drifted out from within.
"I'll keep watch out here. In case there are any stragglers."
A brief pause from inside.
"...As you like."
Kōbe Hikaru settled back against the pillar and closed his eyes.
The demon-qi within him had been spent dry. He needed rest to recover it.
But he didn't actually fall asleep.
He simply stayed still, and let himself feel the world.
Through [Spirit Sight], he could see the motes of spiritual energy that wandered freely through heaven and earth, drifting slowly on the dawn air. Some floated toward the shrine, drawn in and absorbed by the hovering Shikon Jewel. Others drifted away toward the horizon, dissolving into the lightening sky.
Like fireflies in flight. Countless of them, scattered everywhere.
The eastern sky grew brighter.
Golden light broke through the thin morning mist and scattered across the shrine's rooftiles.
A new day had begun.
...
"Sister! Sister!"
Kaede's voice carried up from the stone steps below.
Kōbe Hikaru opened his eyes.
The sun was fully up. The world was bright.
He looked down at himself — most of his wounds had closed. [Undying Bloodthirst] had done solid work overnight; the demon blood he'd been bathed in during the battle had accelerated his recovery considerably beyond its usual pace.
"Sister, are you all right? I heard there was a huge commotion over here last night — wha—?!"
Kaede's voice drew nearer, then cut off abruptly.
Kōbe Hikaru looked up.
The small girl stood at the entrance to the shrine hall, mouth hanging wide open, eyes perfectly round.
What had she seen?
He followed her gaze.
The door to the hall had drifted open at some point during the night.
Kikyō stood in the doorway, a thin outer robe draped over her shoulders, her black hair still slightly disheveled, the drowsy, soft-edged look of someone who had just woken up still on her face.
And Kōbe Hikaru himself was right there beside her, leaning against the pillar at the door's edge.
The distance between them was less than a foot.
Kaede's gaze bounced back and forth between the two of them.
And then —
"I knew it!"
She exploded. Both small fists planted on her hips, her face burning red.
"I knew Sister Kikyō and Big Brother were perfect for each other!"
"You spent the night together! I knew it!"
"..."
Kōbe Hikaru and Kikyō went silent simultaneously.
Kōbe Hikaru had a fleeting thought: this little girl's brain worked in exactly the same way as his.
"It's not what you're imagining," Kikyō said — which, coming from her, was a rare enough act of explanation that it was notable in itself.
"It absolutely is!"
Kaede stood her ground, arms crossed, the expression of someone who has seen everything and is not being fooled by anyone.
"I don't care about what adults get up to! But Big Brother!"
She jabbed a finger at Kōbe Hikaru, her face turning serious.
"You have to take responsibility for Sister!"
Kōbe Hikaru glanced at Kikyō.
For the first time, a faint flush had touched the shrine maiden's cheeks.
Just a pale trace of color. Barely there.
But Kōbe Hikaru saw it.
"...Understood," he said.
"I'll take responsibility."
Kikyō's head snapped toward him.
Kōbe Hikaru was quietly delighted. Moments like this — getting to see Kikyō with an expression like that — were genuinely rare.
"I'll take responsibility for guarding the Shikon Jewel," he added, "alongside you."
He paused, then finished: "After all — we're partners now."
Kikyō's expression softened, just slightly.
She gave a small nod.
[Shikon Jewel — Naohi: Affection +2]
[Current Affection: 41]
[It conveys a message to you: Was that deliberate?]
Kōbe Hikaru read the notification and felt perfectly at ease.
He had always believed in doing things properly.
One step at a time.
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