"...If there is something you require, you may speak plainly. As long as it lies within my power, this little yokai shall not refuse... Truly, there is no need for all this," Yakumo Yukari said, her brow twitching as she watched Sū ěr refill her tea with that beaming smile. She was reaching her limit.
To be more precise, she was restless and plagued by a pervasive sense of unease. In this day and age, very few existences could make her feel this way, and two of them were currently in this very room.
"Ahaha, I just didn't want you to go thirsty," Sū ěr gave a dry laugh as he finally set the teapot down.
Tea—tea leaves, hot water, and the culture of serving it to guests—was a practice that wouldn't become commonplace for tens of thousands of years. In this era, he was the only one who did such a thing. It wasn't that Yukari hadn't tasted this novel beverage before, but the atmosphere today was unprecedented. He didn't lace the tea with something, did he?
Yukari covertly circulated her demonic power to inspect her body. Everything was normal; she felt fine.
Although their conversations had maintained a facade of harmony since their initial encounter, Sū ěr had never truly abandoned his killing intent toward her. Yukari knew this well, which was why every "casual" visit to his home was a high-tension exercise in vigilance, her every nerve taut and ready.
Today was no different... the only problem was that this time, Sū ěr genuinely lacked any desire to kill her. In fact, because he actually needed a favor, he found himself at a loss for how to start. He knew their relationship wasn't just "drifting apart"—it had never been "together" to begin with.
Would asking 'Have you eaten?' be too abrupt?
"You are aware of the current changes in Izumo, I presume?" Tossing that stray thought aside, Sū ěr struggled for a moment before choosing a suitable entry point.
"...Naturally." Yukari saw through him instantly; this wasn't what he wanted to ask at all. Nevertheless, she played along. "There is no need for concealment before you. In truth, everything currently unfolding is within my grasp."
"Including the expulsion and slaughter of the yokai?"
"Exactly."
"Why?" Sū ěr raised an eyebrow. "Even if some of them were disrespectful or refused your orders, the vast majority are just ordinary yokai, aren't they? The kind who would respond the moment you raised your voice to lead them."
Yakumo Yukari held an exceptionally high status in Izumo. In human terms, she was the "rising star" of the yokai race. Now that the ancient ones were mostly dead or in hiding, she was the banner of the yokai in Izumo. Usually, it was she who negotiated with the high-ranking deities to discuss the nation's affairs.
Sū ěr hadn't seen her during the Great Massacre, but he didn't believe for a second that this slippery fox of a woman would die so quietly. It was far more likely the gods had dispatched someone to tie her down elsewhere.
Believing firmly that "calamities last a thousand years," Sū ěr categorized Yukari as the type of ambitious schemer who wouldn't even trip over a doorstep without making it a grand event. Dying without stirring up a major storm was simply not in her nature.
He had wandered a bit far in his thoughts. In short, Sū ěr had assumed Yukari was lay low after being blindsided by the gods. He hadn't expected that after he visited Hoderi in the morning to ask for help finding her, she would show up at his door by the afternoon.
"Correct," Yukari admitted without hesitation. "They did indeed possess the resolve to follow me."
"But?"
"But that resolve was not firm enough."
Just as Sū ěr suspected, there was more to the story. Yukari confession proved she wasn't just a bystander in Izumo's plight... she was likely the one pushing the pieces behind the scenes.
"For humans, a race whose lifespan rarely exceeds thirty years, a century is a vast eternity beyond their dreams. But for yokai, it is a mere blink of an eye," Yukari said calmly. "They watched this city rise stone by stone, saw it expand and flourish. They viewed it as their home... their nest."
"But in reality, Izumo has always been a nation established by the lineage of Susanoo... its master has never changed—the Gods," Think added suddenly, following Yukari lead. She and Yukari exchanged a brief nod of mutual understanding. "I think I see what you're doing."
"My thanks for your understanding," Yukari bowed slightly toward Think. She knew how much this translucent soul meant to the man. "Later, at the eastern edge of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni [苇原中国 - The Central Land of Reed Plains], where the sun rises, I shall establish a kingdom belonging solely to us yokai. When that time comes, I hope you will grace us with your presence at our celebration. It will be the glory of all yokai."
"...Ah, we shall be there," Think agreed, glancing at Sū ěr.
Sū ěr had remained silent since Yukari admission. He wasn't pondering grand philosophies of humans versus yokai; he was simply thinking that if that child, Taiko, were here to hear this... he would be heartbroken.
Slaughtered and driven from their nests, the yokai were filled with rage and resentment. Through that hatred, they would unite under Yukari banner, establishing a yokai-only nation in the east.
Sū ěr didn't need to be there to know how Yukari would use her silver tongue to whisper exactly what those yokai craved most. Her scheme wasn't complex—it was surprisingly simple—but its effectiveness was absolute. Her ambition was within reach; her dream was manifesting.
What a ruthless woman.
"...Congratulations, then," Sū ěr sighed, offering a half-hearted cupped-hand salute. Think gave his waist a sharp pinch, and in his pain, he suddenly remembered why he had invited Yukari over. He quickly pasted on a "friendly" smile.
To Yukari, however, that smile looked entirely like the fawning grin of a yokai trying to squeeze a favor out of her. It made her skin crawl again. To be honest, she preferred the Sū ěr from a few seconds ago.
"...Um, is there something you require this little yokai's assistance with?" Yukari asked, her face turning wooden as she reached her limit.
"Ahaha, it's no big deal... Little Yu..." Sū ěr refilled her tea again. "Do you have a dream? Er, I mean, besides becoming the Lord of Yokai. For instance, have you ever considered becoming a... Space Yokai?"