[Hanachirusato appeared and said: "Quite impressive, both Ioroi's illusions and your methods of defeating monsters."]
[Paimon, already used to it, said: "'Eek!' …I was going to say that, but I'm actually used to it by now. Masked shrine maiden lady, you're so predictable."]
[Hanachirusato apologized: "Is that so? I'm sorry for disappointing you. I'll try harder next time."]
She's so genuine, I could cry—she's just too gentle.
If Lumine is a preschool teacher, Hanachirusato could totally be the principal.
If they really opened a kindergarten, Lucian would send Ei in first to tame this 'problem child.' A kid who's three years old plus a few tens of thousands of months shouldn't be an issue, right?
I don't know if Hanachirusato had any plans to open a kindergarten, but right now, she only wanted to know about Ioroi.
The Traveler explained what happened in Chinju Forest.
[Hanachirusato said: "If it's the 'Yougou Three,' then it was most likely the work of Kamuna… a former Onmyoji."]
Paimon asked Hanachirusato if she was the fox friend Ioroi mentioned.
Hanachirusato clarified that she wasn't Ioroi's fox friend. The fox friend Ioroi referred to was the immortal fox known as "Kitsune Saiguu."
And those Sky Kitsune and Earth Kitsune statues were all transformed from her envoys.
Readers finally realized that Ioroi's fox friend was Kitsune Saiguu, not Yae Miko as they'd initially thought.
Moreover, Hanachirusato mentioned that Kitsune Saiguu was already gone, meaning Ioroi had spent centuries waiting for someone who would never return.
This stirred some emotions in readers, though they could still hold it together.
Then Paimon asked Hanachirusato what Ioroi meant by "the score isn't settled."
Hanachirusato explained, starting with an introduction to Ioroi, whose full name was "Kanshinsai Masayoshi Ioroi."
Kanshinsai was a title bestowed by the Raiden Shogun, tasking him with guarding Chinju Forest.
Kitsune Saiguu, worried that Ioroi would face a powerful enemy and die protecting the forest during the Cataclysm, deliberately used a 'hide-and-seek' game to make Ioroi stay hidden.
[Ioroi, a hundred years ago: "'Chinju Forest is my territory. You'll never find me!'"]
[Kitsune Saiguu, a hundred years ago: "'I don't believe you. Listen, you have to hide well. Don't let anyone find you…'"]
["'Ioroi, no matter what happens… no matter what, it's all my magic luring you. Don't be tricked, don't show yourself.'"]
Hide well, don't be found, no matter what happens, you must, must hide well!
Kitsune Saiguu told Ioroi to hide, but she herself faced the Cataclysm head-on.
Now, Ioroi has been waiting for her to come find him, waiting for centuries.
Midway through, Ioroi felt something was off—why hadn't that fox come looking for him?
So he caused a ruckus in Chinju Forest, stealing a comb that might have been Kitsune Saiguu's precious item, and got sealed in stone for it.
The Traveler kept asking questions, about what happened to Kitsune Saiguu and about Hanachirusato's own identity. Hanachirusato answered each one.
You have to admit, talking to her wasn't as convenient as talking to the Raiden family. With Hanachirusato, you had to ask question by question. With the Raiden family, you didn't even need to ask—they'd tell you everything.
Hanachirusato told the Traveler she wasn't Kitsune Saiguu—Kitsune Saiguu was already dead.
The reason she knew so much about events from hundreds of years ago was because she inherited memories.
Hanachirusato didn't specify whose memories she inherited, but sharper readers had already guessed—most likely Kitsune Saiguu's memories.
If she inherited Kitsune Saiguu's memories, did that make her Kitsune Saiguu? That was the question.
To most readers, she was. Having her memories meant sharing her emotions to some extent, and her preferences were nearly identical—how could she not be the same person?
Most importantly, Hanachirusato herself had almost no personal memories or experiences. She inherited Kitsune Saiguu's memories almost from the moment she came into being.
And it wasn't just about inheriting memories—Hanachirusato was essentially another form of Kitsune Saiguu's existence.
She was Kitsune Saiguu reappearing after returning to the ley lines, much like Yura Sai and others.
However, tainted by filth, Hanachirusato could exist longer but also underwent some changes in mindset and personality. Still, she was undoubtedly Kitsune Saiguu.
Yet, due to her 'identity,' Hanachirusato couldn't fully accept that she was Kitsune Saiguu.
Tainted by filth, she felt she was different from Kitsune Saiguu and couldn't rightfully claim Kitsune Saiguu's 'greatness' for herself.
It was like how Rosalyne rejected the 'glory' of her younger self.
Both were clearly the same person, yet both rejected their own 'honors,' feeling their current selves were 'unworthy.'
And their reasons were exact opposites: one due to amnesia, the other because she thought she merely inherited her memories.
Hanachirusato also told the Traveler that she would reveal everything at the right time, so she asked the Traveler to continue the purification process, promising to pray for her at the sealing site in Konda Village.
The Traveler expressed her willingness to trust Hanachirusato and agreed to continue the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual.
[Hanachirusato, in a gentle tone: "'Parting is but this body, my heart flows with the white clouds.'"]
After saying this, Hanachirusato left, and the Traveler continued her purification journey.
The other two sealing sites were in Araumi and near the beach outside the Kamisato Estate.
The Traveler went to the Kamisato Estate first, as it was closer, and saved Araumi for last.
The seals at these two locations were challenging due to the decryption puzzles, but there wasn't much plot content, so Lucian didn't spend much ink on them.
He mainly included them to fulfill Lumine's request, writing out the decryption processes for these two locations.
During the completion of these two seals, Hanachirusato didn't appear out of nowhere behind them like before. This time, it was the Traveler's turn to seek her out.
Fair enough—you can't always have someone chasing after you. Sometimes you've got to chase them too.
Lumine returned to the abandoned shrine at the second sealing site, where the final seal was located under Mt. Yougou nearby.
Hanachirusato was waiting there for the Traveler's arrival.
Through the branches of the Thunder Sakura, Hanachirusato already knew the Traveler had successfully completed the purification tasks and immediately confessed her 'fault.'
Her fault was that she hadn't fully trusted the Traveler from the start, for which she deeply apologized.
Hanachirusato hadn't expected the Traveler to be so capable and perform so well, and she couldn't help but sigh:
["I can't help but feel regret. If back then, by 'Kitsune Saiguu's' side, there had been someone like you, perhaps…"]
Perhaps… I wouldn't have appeared at all?
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Hanachirusato: About Kitsune Saiguu
"Lady Saiguu says I am her, but I still feel that's not quite true.
Her greatness makes me feel unworthy."