"Mn? What's wrong? Inuyasha."
Seeing Inuyasha suddenly stop in his tracks, the others were stunned for a moment before asking.
"No... It's the scent of Kikyo. She was nearby just now."
Hesitating, Inuyasha glanced at Kagome, then spoke truthfully. He had promised Kagome that he wouldn't avoid her to go find Kikyo alone again.
"..."
For a moment, Rikuo could feel the atmosphere around them change.
Miroku, Sango, and Shippo all looked sighing and helpless, and even the usually cheerful Kagome fell silent.
He didn't quite understand why everyone's expression changed as soon as the name Kikyo was mentioned.
"Kikyo is Kagome's previous life... and precisely, she and Inuyasha..."
Seeming to know Rikuo was confused, Shippo jumped onto his shoulder and whispered.
"Hah?!"
Hearing this, Rikuo was directly dumbfounded. Even he hadn't expected such explosive news.
Although he didn't know the details, just thinking about the risks involved, Rikuo felt a bit pitiful for Inuyasha.
That feeling of being caught in the middle... just thinking about it was uncomfortable. After all, the previous life and the current life of the person you like—no matter how you looked at it, both were precious to the heart.
"If you want to go find her, then go. If I don't let you go, you'll definitely feel suffocated..."
Sighing, Kagome didn't make things difficult but responded.
Since Inuyasha rarely took the initiative to confess and explain, she wouldn't stop him no matter what. Although she would still be a little angry, she wouldn't go so far as to make a scene.
"Sorry, I'll be back very soon."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Inuyasha felt reassured, then his figure disappeared into the night.
"He's gone. By the way, Rikuo, why do you still maintain a human form?"
"Eh?"
"That's right, clearly it's already night, yet you haven't turned into a youkai?"
Seeing that the atmosphere might become heavy, Miroku immediately diverted attention. Sure enough, everyone instantly turned their attention to Rikuo.
"At night, I can actively choose whether to turn into a youkai or not. After all, the place where I usually live often involves contact with humans. It would be too strange if I only appeared during the day."
"Isn't that very convenient?"
"It seems a one-fourth youkai is indeed more magical than we imagined."
"Indeed, the temperament gap between the youkai you and the human you is too big."
"Haha, people often say that."
...
"Kikyo... whose scent is that beside you?"
Galloping through the forest, Inuyasha's mind was full of another matter.
He had still concealed something from Kagome and the others just now. That was... beside Kikyo, there was a guy whose scent was very close to his and Kagome's.
Very concerned about that person's identity, Inuyasha had to go see no matter what.
The environment in his field of vision was constantly changing. He chased at a very fast speed.
The scent showed absolutely no intention of being concealed; Inuyasha could perfectly track the other party's location.
After crossing mountains and ridges, he finally found the two walking figures on a mountain path in the forest.
Leaping down from high altitude, he circled around and blocked the way just like that.
"Have you come? Inuyasha."
Kikyo looked at Inuyasha in front of her. A ripple rose in her calm heart, and then she spoke.
"Kikyo..."
Although calling the other party's name, Inuyasha's gaze fell on the stunned girl.
Wearing the same Robe of the Fire Rat as him, carrying a bow on her back, having hair color like Kagome's.
"Aah!! Dad!!"
Before he could recover, Moroha charged straight with a dog-like rush, slamming into Inuyasha's arms.
THUD!
"D...ad?"
His brain crashed directly from that term. Inuyasha was knocked to the ground and didn't recover for a long time.
"Wuwu!! It's Dad alive!!"
Able to feel the other party's excited mood, Kikyo remained silent for a long time.
From the moment she came into contact with this child, she noticed the problems within.
The same Robe of the Fire Rat, that familiar hair color and spiritual power, the reckless nature, and... the rouge that was once given to her by Inuyasha.
Gathering youkai power and spiritual power in one body... This child really inherited everything perfectly.
Undoubtedly, she was the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome in the future.
Precisely because she understood this, Kikyo's mood was complicated. If there were no Naraku, it should have been like this between her and him too.
"Wait...! Don't cry yet!!"
Completely losing his previous anxiety, replaced by panic, Inuyasha tried to comfort this girl crying on his chest.
He didn't even have the mind to be angry or yell; seeing the other party, he was only at a loss.
"Wuwu!!"
But obviously, Moroha had absolutely no intention of stopping.
Although she had faintly smelled the scent just now, she didn't dare to face it. It wasn't until Inuyasha appeared that she couldn't hold back.
One had to know, she had been sent away by her mom since she was born. To protect her as an infant, her dad and mom fell into that kind of situation.
Now seeing her dad still alive and well, it would be strange if she wasn't excited.
"Kikyo... are you indeed one of the selected people too?"
Half-sitting on the ground, holding the girl leaning on his chest with one hand, Inuyasha subsequently looked at Kikyo, witnessing the mark on the back of her hand identical to Kagome's, and said in a deep voice.
"The world is really small."
Hearing Inuyasha's question, Kikyo naturally understood the meaning within.
Kagome... She didn't even need to think to know who had become the so-called Master.
'Then... nine out of ten times, Naraku might also be one of them.'
But Kikyo was very clear about the causal relationship within. If she and Kagome were both involved, then Naraku would definitely also be extremely likely to be selected.
Seeing that strange youkai earlier, maybe it was Naraku's Servant. After all, possessing such strange regenerative power, among youkai, only Naraku's lineage had such capability.
"Then is this child summoned by you?"
"That's right. She is the daughter of you and Kagome."
Those words spoken calmly directly silenced Inuyasha.
"Heroic Spirit Summoning, to put it plainly, involves things existing in the past, present, and future. Famous figures, youkai leaving behind legends, unknown small characters—all might be involved. Based on compatibility, corresponding existences will be called out. The reason Moroha was summoned by me is probably also because of the connection between me and Kagome..."
Hearing Kikyo's soft explanation, when she mentioned Moroha, Inuyasha heard a gentle tone in it.
"The daughter of me and Kagome..."
Looking down at the girl wiping her tears, Inuyasha's hands trembled for a moment.
He wanted to hug but didn't know where to start...
Honestly speaking, this fact was really too shocking for him. Especially since Moroha even said that sentence "It's Dad alive", which made him care even more.
Watching Inuyasha's focused expression, Kikyo didn't disturb him. Rather, since Moroha appeared, even her own mind was a bit chaotic.