The barrier faded — and yet did not fully fade.
That pale curtain of light dissolved like morning dew, melting soundlessly into the air. But Kōbe Hikaru could feel it: the spiritual power sustaining it was still there, coiled at its core, waiting. The shrine maiden at its heart could bring it back in an instant, the moment she chose to.
And then.
Kikyō descended the stone steps.
Her footsteps were steady. The white kosode and red hakama shifted softly in the night wind. Beneath the fall of her black hair, her face remained cool and beautiful — her dark eyes as still as the night itself, deep and untroubled, and yet seeming to hold something unseen moving beneath the surface.
Kōbe Hikaru didn't move from where he stood.
He was waiting.
Waiting for this girl to speak first.
Kikyō stopped five paces away.
It was precisely the distance from which a blade could be drawn. Precisely the distance from which a bow could be nocked.
"What are you?"
Kikyō's voice was calm. Utterly devoid of any emotional inflection.
But Kōbe Hikaru could feel the confusion underneath it.
The shrine maiden was genuinely bewildered.
Bewildered by the existence of a demon — that had helped humans slaughter other demons.
Regardless — whatever came next, at least the welcome he was receiving was not a demon-breaking arrow between the eyes.
"A Ghost Warrior passing through," he answered.
"Passing through?"
Kikyō tilted her head slightly, black hair sliding off her shoulder. "A Ghost Warrior who was simply passing through — helped humans kill his own kind?"
"They're not my kind."
Kōbe Hikaru's tone was genuine.
He truly didn't consider himself the same species as those things.
Never mind that demons themselves came in entirely different varieties — different breeds, different classifications — he and those creatures hadn't even been able to hold a conversation.
Kikyō studied him.
Those clear, cool eyes held no hostility. But they held no trust either.
Only confusion.
"You carry the Shikon Jewel."
She said it plainly — because she could see it directly, and because she had already deduced it. From the sudden appearance of those elite demons. From the way he had moved. From every strange, inexplicable thing he had done throughout the battle.
Kōbe Hikaru blinked.
So much for concealment. He hadn't had the opportunity to voluntarily reveal the Shikon Jewel's presence — but apparently, nothing could be hidden from her.
Then again, she was the shrine maiden charged with guarding the Shikon Jewel. It would have been stranger if she couldn't see through him. And now that he thought about it — that was probably exactly why she had helped him in the first place.
"That jewel — you obtained it from the elder of the Demon Slayer village?"
Kikyō continued.
Her tone remained measured, but Kōbe Hikaru could feel the wariness hiding beneath that composure. If his answer displeased her, a demon-breaking arrow would punch through his forehead in the next breath.
"My name is Kōbe Hikaru. The old man entrusted it to me before he died."
Kōbe Hikaru decided to tell the truth.
There was nothing worth concealing.
"He asked me to deliver the Shikon Jewel to you."
And, incidentally, to unlock the Shikon Jewel's Affection rating, he added internally.
Kikyō went quiet.
Her gaze settled on him, as though measuring the truth of his words.
"That elder… he's dead?"
"He's dead."
Kōbe Hikaru nodded. "His injuries were too severe. Too much blood lost. By the time I got him out, he was already beyond saving."
Kikyō's brow furrowed — slightly.
It was the first emotion she had shown all night.
Then.
Kikyō slowly lowered her gaze.
"I see."
Her voice remained steady. But Kōbe Hikaru could sense the weight beneath that steadiness.
Deeply contained. Controlled to the point where not a trace of it reached the surface.
He understood then. She had known the old man.
Perhaps they had been friends.
"In that case…"
Kikyō raised her head. Her gaze returned to him. "The Shikon Jewel — where is it?"
Kōbe Hikaru didn't waste words.
He reached into his chest and drew out the jewel — that small orb, radiating its soft violet luminescence.
He had come here to deliver it. That much was settled, regardless of anything else. And when he considered everything — handing it over was in his own interest as well.
At minimum, acting in accordance with the jewel's wishes ought to raise its Affection rating.
Besides, he had the distinct sense that unlocking the Affection bond had forged some kind of mental link between them — even after handing it over, he would still, in some sense, hold it. There was nothing to grieve.
The Shikon Jewel rested in his open palm. Its light was soft. Unhurried. Mysterious.
Kikyō's gaze dropped to the jewel.
She did not reach out to take it.
Kōbe Hikaru noticed.
"Something wrong? You're not going to take it?"
"…"
Kikyō didn't answer. She only stared at the jewel.
That gave Kōbe Hikaru pause.
"Strange," Kikyō said at last.
"What's strange?"
"The Shikon Jewel."
She said: "Its Naohi… is conveying a message to me."
Kōbe Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
The Naohi could speak?
He had seen the system panel display messages from the Shikon Jewel before — the jewel 'conveying information.' But he hadn't considered that Kikyō might receive those transmissions as well.
"What is it saying?"
"It says…"
Kikyō's brow furrowed deeper. "It says you can be trusted."
"…"
Kōbe Hikaru went still.
The Shikon Jewel was putting in a good word for him?
That's the benefit it had mentioned — the reward for handing it over?
If the Shikon Jewel's testimony could really be taken at face value like that — Kōbe Hikaru found himself genuinely moved, despite himself. Whatever else could be said, the shrine maiden standing in front of him — even before she reached her peak — was already a formidable force beyond easy measure.
[Shikon Jewel — Naohi conveys a message: 'This shrine maiden is extremely guarded. I found an opening and said a few good things on your behalf. No need to thank me.']
Kōbe Hikaru stared at the panel prompt and found himself at a genuine loss for words.
This jewel… it was proactively advocating for him?
And at a mere 1 point of Affection, it was already this eager?
"The Shikon Jewel contains two opposing forces — one of purity, one of corruption."
Kikyō seemed to sense his confusion and offered an explanation. She clearly had no idea that Kōbe Hikaru's knowledge of the Shikon Jewel in some respects rivaled her own. A faint note of reflection entered her voice:
"Naohi represents virtuous intention. Magatsuhi represents malicious intent."
"If the bearer's heart tends toward evil, Magatsuhi takes dominance — and the Shikon Jewel becomes a corrupt instrument for amplifying demonic power."
"But if the bearer's heart tends toward virtue…"
She lifted her gaze and looked at Kōbe Hikaru.
"Naohi will proactively transmit messages to the jewel's guardian, confirming the bearer's good faith."
Kōbe Hikaru understood.
As had been said from the very beginning — the Shikon Jewel was a mirror. It reflected the true inner state of whoever held it.
And right now, the Naohi was transmitting to Kikyō that he could be trusted.
Which meant the Shikon Jewel had recognized his virtue.
Despite him being a demon.
Despite three months of feeding a sword.
The Shikon Jewel had still concluded that he was, in some sense, a good person.
All because of that single point of Affection.
"So…"
Kōbe Hikaru looked at Kikyō and asked: "Do you trust me now?"
Kikyō did not answer immediately.
She simply watched him in silence. Those clear, cool eyes remained nearly still — carrying almost no readable emotion.
The night wind passed through. Her black hair lifted.
The shrine's torii gate cast long shadows in the moonlight.
Around them, villagers had begun to emerge from the shrine, watching from a distance, their expressions a mixture of fear, curiosity, and — faint, tentative — gratitude.
After all, Kōbe Hikaru had just helped repel the demons for them.
Even if he himself was a demon.
"By every record and account, the judgment of the Naohi has never once been wrong."
Kikyō spoke at last. "If it says you can be trusted…"
She took a step forward.
That pale, slender hand reached out — toward the Shikon Jewel resting in Kōbe Hikaru's palm.
"Then I will trust you."
[Shikon Jewel — Naohi: Affection +1]
[Current Affection: 3 (Budding)]
[It conveys a message: 'Done.']
Kōbe Hikaru read the panel prompt — that message, with all the energy of a delighted matchmaker — and beneath the demon-warrior's painted face, the corner of his mouth twitched.
This jewel…
Why did it feel so… human?
Compared to this, the Cursed Blade Muramasa was genuinely embarrassing to look at.
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