After instructing the Zashiki-warashi [House Spirit] to keep a good watch on the home while he and Think were away, and—just to be safe—using his power to shroud the house from the world to ensure no meddling youkai would cause trouble in his absence, Sū ěr set out on the road to the land of Yamato.
Calling it a solo journey wouldn't be quite right. Aside from Think, who was always by his side, Yukari Yakumo hadn't given up on the idea of drawing them into her "grand design." Furthermore, Yuuka Kazami had tagged along, driven by the simple logic that following Sū ěr was the easiest way to find a good fight.
They didn't wait for the spring thaw. While the cold and the scarcity of food were lethal to the ordinary humans of this era, they posed no obstacle to Sū ěr party.
The reason Sū ěr abandoned the idea of waiting until early spring was a single comment from Think: "In the frozen winter of food shortages, wouldn't it be easier to see the true reality of humans and gods living together?"
Ultimately, both he and Think were curious. These weren't the "barbarian" dwarves like the Tsuchigumo, but the humans of this world who actually bore the name of "Man." How were they different from themselves, or from Sū ěr?
They were not a species evolved from natural animals, but a race created directly by the gods, much like Think herself.
They yearned for a peaceful and quiet life, but such a life did not mean stagnating like a pool of dead water, living merely for the sake of survival. Both Sū ěr and Think agreed on this—especially since this era, devoid of entertainment, felt as restrictive as a prison sentence.
Sū ěr crouched by the bank of a stream, staring at a jarring sight. Winter was far from over, yet at the foot of this mountain, a river of melted snow had appeared. It wasn't a natural watercourse, but a newly carved path.
Flowing meltwater should have been bone-chillingly cold, but when Sū ěr dipped his finger in, he felt no sharp chill. When he turned his head to follow the stream to its source, he saw white steam rising near the mountainside. The snow blanketing the range was melting, exposing wet earth covered in fallen leaves.
The entire mountain seemed divided into distinct, vivid layers. Beyond the line of sight obscured by trees, the ground had already turned a dry, dark-yellow color from the leaves. Meanwhile, further down this very stream, the water that had melted and flowed down had returned to the world of cold, spreading out and freezing once more.
Yet even this secondary frost line was being pushed further away. The breath of spring seemed to have appeared on the other side of the mountain... but this was an impossible sight. It was only just past December; spring was still a long way off.
There was no doubt about the cause of this anomaly—the Nine-Tailed Fox.
"...A smaller sun?" Sū ěr stood up from the stream and remarked with a sigh, "Truly an exaggerated display of power. But causing an abnormality on such a scale in winter is bound to trigger a chain reaction in the flora and the climate. Are there no gods to stop her?"
"Fallen though she may be, she is still an aspect of Amaterasu-Omikami, Excellency."
The voice of Yukari Yakumo came from a slope not far behind him.
"A word of warning: perhaps due to being neglected for too long, that fox is not in a particularly approachable state. In her presence, there is only submission... or death." As she spoke, she walked to Sū ěr side. Yukari tilted her head slightly as a wisp of white steam drifted past her.
The water flowing before them was already scalding.
Her entire body was a translucent, jade-like white, with light radiating naturally from within—bright and dazzling, yet not so much that it pained the eyes of those who beheld her. Nine snowy, fluffy tails brushed against the sky behind her like flowing silk, swaying as if caught in a breeze, yet seemingly manipulating the very wind that blew past her.
The so-called Yasakani no Magatama was not, in fact, a single bead, but an entire string of gems. It now floated around the neck of this beautiful great white fox, glowing faintly, yet not eclipsed by the Nine-Tail's own brilliance.
Elegant and magnificent, it was a beauty that transcended species. Even Think could not bring herself to utter a word of denial—on the contrary, the pale-golden-haired Dhampir's [Elf] eyes were practically sparkling.
"Sū ěr! Let's keep this one!!"
She then made a demand that gave Sū ěr a massive headache.
"Uh, I have no problem with that, of course," Sū ěr felt his eyelid twitching. "But we might have to wait a while... until the opportunity arises, when everything is ready, the conditions are ripe, all necessary preparations are complete, the situation is analyzed, and both past and present are surveyed—"
"Do we have to beat her up or kill her? To what extent? One breath left? Two?"
Before Sū ěr could finish, he saw Think gaze shift past his shoulder toward Yukari.
This was the first time he had seen Think look so desperate for something.
"I think we can try several times. Generally, even the most stubborn youkai can't stand the sensation of repeatedly dangling on the edge of life and death... I'm quite experienced in that regard, I can help when the time comes," Yuuka chimed in enthusiastically.
"Thank you for your kindness, please stop making things worse, and can you be quiet for a moment?" Sū ěr signaled Yuuka to shut up with a deadpan expression. But in the next second, Think circled behind him and covered his mouth, leaving him able to produce only muffled puffs of air.
"Alright, continue," Think said with a beaming smile, resting her chin on Sū ěr head as she looked at Yukari.
"...Then that depends on how far the power of you two goes," Yukari said, ignoring Sū ěr eyes now that she had confirmed who held the real authority. "After all, if you truly strike at this Nine-Tails, the commotion of the battle will be impossible to hide. If her life is truly endangered, the gods will likely intervene to save her. That must be taken into account."
"However, looking at the current situation, perhaps your power is even greater, Sū ěr?" At this point, Yukari turned to look at the Nine-Tailed Fox walking in the valley below.
The jade fox turned her head toward the crest of the hill where the group stood. None of them made a move to hide, yet her eyes rolled as if she saw nothing at all, and she continued her way toward the valley floor.