"Mm, it seems like something quite important."
"But please rest assured—Kirinmaru hasn't reached the point of controlling me. I simply hear his call, that's all."
"So I'm quite curious what could make him care so much."
Sitting in the living room, seeing Kagome hesitate without speaking, Rion expressed his harmlessness.
"Of course, if you don't trust me, I can provide you with information about Kirinmaru. How about that?"
Seemingly afraid of not gaining their trust, Rion continued speaking quite frankly.
"Could you wait a moment, please? Let me discuss with Inuyasha."
Rising from the table, Kagome then pulled Inuyasha to the corridor outside.
"Inuyasha, what do you think?"
"What else could I think? This guy seems fine. If he'd wanted to act, your Dragon Ball should've been stolen long ago."
"True..."
Recalling Rion's first visit, she'd left the Dragon Ball at home then. If he'd wanted to forcibly take it or steal it, it would have been simple.
Yet he'd still come to the door so politely, not using her family as leverage, not resorting to violence. For a youkai, he was quite proper.
He was even willing to provide information on Kirinmaru...
From this, it seemed these incarnations weren't very respectful toward their main bodies.
But what concerned Kagome was whether he'd change his mind after learning the Dragon Ball's true function.
After all, like the Shikon no Tama, this was an object that supposedly granted wishes.
It was possible he'd be tempted.
"Worrying about that is pointless. Even if you don't tell him, that Kirinmaru will inform him sooner or later."
"Better to tell him first, then see if we can get useful information from him."
'When necessary, you and Sesshomaru will need to stop me.'
Recalling those words, Inuyasha knew Kirinmaru was his father's Master.
According to what Kagome and Koga had said about Command Spells, eventually they would clash with these two overlords.
"Huh?"
"Wh-What?"
Seeing Kagome tilt her head with a surprised expression, Inuyasha spoke with dissatisfaction.
"It feels like you've matured somehow. Before, you definitely wouldn't have thought this much."
With hands behind her back, Kagome bent forward with a smile as she replied.
"Shut up!"
Hearing this and thinking of Moroha's face, Inuyasha's face reddened as he turned away.
He was a father now—shouldn't he try to be more responsible and mature?
He couldn't be as unreliable as before.
He had to become a proper father, or else he'd look pathetic in front of his daughter.
With that said, he adjusted his mindset and followed Kagome back into the living room to sit down.
"Well then, Rion-san, I'll explain it to you. But I hope that after hearing this, you'll tell us information about Kirinmaru."
She placed the Dragon Ball on the table. That glowing single star shone brightly.
"No problem."
Eyes fixed on that orb, Rion was already observing it.
"Actually, this all started with a ritual..."
Slowly telling the original story, Rion gradually began to understand.
'Gather seven and any wish can be granted... Isn't that the same as the Shikon no Tama back then?'
'Why would the main body believe in such a ridiculous thing?'
But after hearing everything, Rion became doubtful.
Theoretically, the Shikon no Tama could also grant wishes, yet the old Kirinmaru had been contemptuous of it. So why did he suddenly believe in this unknown "Dragon Ball"?
He couldn't understand, couldn't figure it out...
Rion couldn't fathom Kirinmaru's thoughts...
"At first glance, it doesn't seem to have any youkai power or ability to strengthen youkai. The craftsmanship is exquisite, but..."
Examining the orange orb, Rion found it difficult to judge whether it truly had such miraculous power.
"Well, we don't know if it's real either. We just got caught up in this."
To this, Kagome couldn't provide detailed answers either...
"Mm, I understand. Then let me tell you information about Kirinmaru."
Sitting upright, Rion snapped back to attention and spoke.
"Hm? Rion-san really doesn't seem to care, huh."
"Ah, to me, I've long since separated from Kirinmaru. What he wants to do has nothing to do with me. Besides, it's hard to believe something unverified like this."
As Kirinmaru's right arm, Rion had long regarded himself and the main body as two separate people.
He didn't know what Kirinmaru was thinking, but asking him to help with this sort of thing? He'd rather not.
One could only say that as incarnations, whether from Naraku or Kirinmaru, they always produced such individualistic existences.
"About Kirinmaru... where should I begin..."
...
"The streets are quite lively..."
Looking up at the familiar castle, Rikuo walked along Kyoto's roads.
"Monks, priests, onmyoji, miko..."
"As expected of Kyoto—there are so many guards..."
Sensing the people hidden in the shadows, Rikuo moved about in his human form.
'Forget Hagoromo Gitsune—there's not even a trace of youkai energy.'
'And there are various barriers set up...'
'No wonder people can live so peacefully.'
Confirming his suspicions, Rikuo also put his doubts to rest.
He couldn't see the Keikain main house, nor was there any familiar youkai aura...
After wandering the city for a while, Rikuo simply left.
But not long after leaving, he sensed something was wrong.
"!"
Dodging the thrown spike, Rikuo twisted to avoid it.
In his field of vision, a bald muscular man stood watching him.
A Servant...
Making that judgment, Rikuo remained alert.
"Nurarihyon..."
"What an interesting twist of fate."
Letting out a cold laugh unbefitting his form, the Shikon no Tama controlled the body as it approached.
"?"
Having his true identity seen through didn't bother Rikuo—he was more curious about the opponent's Class.
'Doesn't seem like Saber or Assassin...'
'Probably not Caster either.'
'Archer?'
Seeing the opponent about to throw more spikes, Rikuo hesitated.
THUD!
But the body suddenly rushing toward him made Rikuo instantly flare his youkai power and transform.
Holding the broken Nenekirimaru, Rikuo saw the opponent's changing figure and froze.
"Hehe, I'm also a Nurarihyon..."
Circling behind him, an arm pierced through his chest as the Shikon no Tama spoke ominously.
"Is that so?"
"I thought something felt familiar..."
But lacking any sense of impact, the Shikon no Tama looked at Rikuo turning to face it with confusion.
"To think there would be a youkai of my same species in this war..."
"Such a frenzied aura..."
"You're... Berserker, aren't you?"
Maintaining the pierced posture, Rikuo spoke with composure.
"I see—so this is the ability Naraku mentioned? What's in front of me is just an illusion."
Understanding the situation, the Shikon no Tama showed no urgency.
Encountering a Servant during this outing was an unexpected bonus. If it could be dealt with conveniently, that would be ideal. If not, gauging the opponent's techniques and lethality was most important.
After all, the body it had fused with was a very special youkai.