"I think the most direct way to understand it… is to experience it yourself." Uchiha Kasage shrugged casually, his tone indifferent—as if smashing someone's head were nothing out of the ordinary.
"I'm really sorry!" Kikyo shot him a helpless glare before turning to Enju with an apologetic smile. "He didn't mean any harm… he simply has a rather unconventional way of explaining things."
"No need to apologize…" Enju touched his newly restored head and gave an awkward smile. "That method… was indeed very effective."
"Since everything has been settled, we should take our leave." Kikyo glanced up at the sky, then waved toward Kuromaru in the distance.
As the wolf yokai rushed over, she gracefully mounted him and turned back to the group.
"I'm sorry we couldn't properly host you," Enju said apologetically. Having just returned to the world of the living, there was still much he needed to process.
"It's alright," Kikyo replied gently, shaking her head. "It was we who disturbed you by summoning you back."
Just as they were about to depart, Enju's gaze finally swept across the surroundings—and froze.
Not far away lay a heap of ruins.
Though barely recognizable, he immediately knew what it had once been.
"The Pagoda of Many Treasures…" His eyes widened in shock. "The place that sealed away evil spirits… Has it been destroyed? Have the spirits escaped?!"
"That yokai is already dead," Kasage said calmly as he walked beside Kuromaru. "I used it as the sacrifice for the Impure World Reincarnation."
He paused slightly before adding, "Its remains are currently inside your body. You'll be able to confirm that once the technique is released."
"…Dead?" Enju was stunned.
His gaze swept across the battlefield—the lingering traces of destruction, the scent of ghostly blood still heavy in the air, and the oppressive aura of residual malice.
There was no doubt.
The powerful spirit sealed by generations of priests… had truly been destroyed.
"I am deeply grateful," Enju said, bowing respectfully toward Kasage. "Thank you for eliminating that yokai."
"It just happened to be suitable," Kasage replied with a dismissive wave. "The stronger the sacrifice, the more complete the summoned soul's power."
Soon, Kikyo and Kasage reached the temple gate. Seeing the group gathered to see them off, Kikyo spoke once more.
"Master… I entrust Tsubaki to you."
"Rest assured," Enju said solemnly. "During this month, I will guide her properly and correct the mistakes I once failed to prevent."
He paused before adding apologetically, "I'm truly sorry for the trouble she has caused you."
"It's nothing," Kikyo replied with a gentle smile.
She then turned to Momiji and Botan, her voice soft and encouraging.
"Continue training diligently. Become strong, capable shrine maidens. I will come to see you again."
"Yes! We will!" The two girls nodded enthusiastically, their eyes shining. They bowed deeply toward Kasage as well. "Thank you for everything! Please take care!"
Kasage gave a small nod in acknowledgment.
"Tsubaki," Kikyo said, turning toward her, "stay here and focus on your training. I'll come visit you again."
"Hmph. No need," Tsubaki scoffed, touching the prayer beads around her body. "I don't want to see a woman like you."
Her tone remained harsh—but the hostility in her eyes had faded.
Kikyo didn't seem bothered. Instead, a faint smile curved her lips.
"You're practically my friend now. I'll come when I have time."
"…Friend?" Tsubaki froze slightly.
A subtle emotion flickered across her eyes.
A strange, unfamiliar feeling stirred within her chest.
"…Do whatever you want," she muttered at last, turning away.
"Take care, everyone," Kikyo said softly, waving one final time.
Once Kasage seated himself behind her, she gently patted Kuromaru's neck.
The wolf yokai immediately leapt forward, speeding through the forest. The temple quickly faded behind them, swallowed by the dense woods.
---
Sitting behind Kikyo, Kasage could clearly smell the faint fragrance drifting from her—something clean and subtle, mixed with a gentle herbal scent.
After a moment, he spoke.
"I didn't expect you to consider Tsubaki a friend," he said, his tone thoughtful. "If I remember correctly… she cursed you and even tried to steal the Shikon Jewel."
"…Mm." Kikyo's voice was quiet, touched with a trace of melancholy.
"She is a dark priestess. And yes… she did harm me. I once disliked her deeply."
She fell silent for a moment before continuing.
"But after I returned… I realized something."
Her voice softened.
"Everyone I once knew has changed."
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"Family… friends… even those I once loved… they have all moved forward with their lives."
"…And only I remain."
Kikyo slowly turned her head, her eyes clouded with quiet loneliness.
"To me… it feels as if I simply fell asleep… and when I awoke, fifty years had passed."
"There is no longer a place for me in the world I once knew."
A soft sigh escaped her lips.
"At first, driven by resentment and bound to that clay body, I didn't think about these things."
"But after truly returning to life… I began to notice."
"And little by little… that loneliness grew."
Her lips curved into a faint, almost fragile smile.
"So when Tsubaki stood before me—unchanged—and spoke to me the same way she did back then…"
"'You pretentious woman.'"
"I wasn't angry."
"…I was happy."
Kasage remained silent, listening.
"She made me feel… that I wasn't alone in this time," Kikyo continued softly. "At least one person remained the same."
"That's why I didn't kill her."
"…And why I brought her back to her master."
At last, Kasage understood.
That was the real reason.
Not mercy.
Not hesitation.
But loneliness.
His gaze lingered on her slender back—on the quiet, distant figure before him.
Then, without warning—
He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"You—!" Kikyo stiffened instantly, her cheeks flushing red.
She instinctively struggled—but his grip tightened slightly, firm yet not forceful, leaving her unable to pull away.
After a few moments, her resistance faded.
She slowly relaxed… leaning back against him.
"What are you saying?" Kasage murmured softly, his voice low near her ear, carrying a mix of quiet reproach and sincerity.
"Have you forgotten?"
"I'm here."
His chin rested lightly against her shoulder as his gaze studied her flushed expression.
"How can you say you're alone?"
There was a faint teasing edge in his voice, but beneath it… something steady.
"You wouldn't be thinking of leaving me behind one day, would you?"
"N-No…" Kikyo's heartbeat quickened.
She avoided his gaze, her voice soft and slightly unsteady.
"I won't leave."