"Yuzuki, you lost again."
Uchiha Kasage calmly placed her final piece on the board and looked at the little girl across from he with a faint, teasing smile.
Yuzuki puffed out her cheeks, clearly unwilling to accept defeat. She reluctantly handed over her dried fruit, then lifted her chin stubbornly.
"One more round! I was so close this time! I know I can beat you!"
"Alright," Kasage replied with a soft chuckle, already resetting the pieces with practiced ease, a glint of amusement in he eyes.
Beneath the shade of a large tree, the three of them sat around a wooden table, a simple checkers board between them. Kasage, Yuzuki, and Deva Akane had been playing for quite a while.
A small mountain of dried fruit had accumulated beside Kasage, and Akane had also gathered a fair amount. In contrast, only a few pitiful pieces remained in front of Yuzuki, making her repeated losses painfully obvious.
What she didn't realize was that she had been outmatched from both sides the entire time.
Akane had no real talent for strategy games like checkers. Throughout every match, she had been quietly guided by Kasage, essentially cheating the whole time.
Just as Yuzuki was pouting and preparing for another round, Kasage's gaze shifted.
She noticed Kikyo returning from outside the shrine, carrying a bundle of freshly gathered herbs. Her steps were quick, her expression focused.
Kasage glanced once more at the pile of dried fruit, then at Yuzuki's aggrieved face. A flicker of guilt crossed her mind.
Perhaps teasing a child this much was going too far.
"Kikyo," she called out, "you seem in a hurry. Did something happen?"
Kikyo paused, turning toward her.
"A group of yokai suddenly appeared nearby and attacked the village. Many survivors fled here. There are numerous injuries—I'm going to help treat them."
Kasage's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Do you know what kind of yokai?"
With Kikyo protecting the area, such attacks had become rare. For villagers to abandon their homes like this, the threat had to be serious.
"I've been told they are blood-sucking bird yokai," Kikyo replied thoughtfully. "I've never encountered them before. They may have migrated from elsewhere. Several villages have already been attacked."
"I'll come as well," Kasage said immediately, rising to her feet.
Yuzuki's eyes flickered toward the pile of dried fruit she had mostly "donated," hesitation flashing across her face. But in the next moment, she put the game aside and ran to Kikyo's side.
"Lady Kikyo, I can help too!" she said earnestly, looking up at her.
Kasage noticed the reluctant glance and couldn't help but smile faintly.
With a small sigh, she pushed her entire pile of dried fruit toward Yuzuki, merging it with her small remaining share. Then she gently patted her head.
"These are all yours."
Yuzuki froze for a moment, then her eyes lit up with joy.
"R-Really?! Thank you, Lord Kasage!"
All her earlier frustration vanished instantly. She hugged the dried fruit tightly like a precious treasure.
Kikyo glanced at Akane's slightly confused expression, then at Kasage. It didn't take her long to see through the trick.
She let out a quiet, almost invisible sigh, feeling both amused and helpless at Kasage's childish side.
Then she turned to Yuzuki.
"Yuzuki, come with me. Medicine is an essential skill for a shrine maiden. You'll learn by assisting me."
It was clear she intended to pull her apprentice away from Kasage's "questionable mentorship."
"Okay!" Yuzuki replied brightly.
Kikyo then turned her gaze to Kasage, her expression growing more serious.
"Kasage, go and investigate those blood-sucking bird yokai. If you encounter them… eliminate them."
Kasage met her eyes and nodded calmly.
"Understood."
A faint thought crossed her mind—based on what she remembered, she already had a good idea of what this was.
"I'll have Akane scout ahead first."
Soon, the group split up.
Kasage and Yuzuki followed Kikyo toward the village to assist the Injured, while Tendo Akane, under Kasage's control, mounted the Blazing Hoof and rode away from the shrine to track the attacking yokai.
The trail was easy to follow.
From the sky, Akane guided Blazing Hoof against the flow of fleeing villagers below.
Before long, the target came into view.
The village was already engulfed in flames. Thick black smoke coiled upward into the sky, and the sound of chaos carried on the wind.
Above it circled a flock of strange white creatures.
They resembled small pterosaurs—featherless, with leathery wings and elongated beaks. Their cries were harsh and grating, like a chorus of distorted quacking.
Akane frowned slightly.
"So it really is them…"
Through her vision, Kasage observed everything clearly.
Hell Birds.
Based on Kikyo's description, her suspicion had been correct.
These yokai belonged to the Hell Bird clan, led by a violent and unstable princess named Abi. Their purpose was simple and cruel: to harvest human blood to dilute the toxins within their mother, Tekkei.
Kasage recalled one thing very clearly about Princess Abi—
Her temper was terrifying.
At that moment, the Hell Birds swooped down.
With razor-sharp claws, they snatched fleeing villagers from the ground, hurling them violently before piercing their flesh with their long beaks.
The sound that followed was horrifying.
Screams rang out as blood was drained in seconds, bodies shriveling into lifeless husks.
Fire crackled, villagers cried out, and the shrieks of the Hell Birds filled the sky, blending into a nightmarish scene.
Akane's gaze turned cold.
"Blazing Hoof… descend."
She leaned forward slightly, her hand brushing against its neck.
"Kill them all."
Blazing Hoof let out a sharp, piercing cry. In the next instant, it surged forward, accelerating like a blazing arrow shot from a bow, tearing straight toward the flock.
"Kwaa—!"
The Hell Birds immediately noticed the incoming threat. Several broke away from the group, their formation shifting mid-air as they screeched harshly.
With violent intent, they dove straight toward Akane and Blazing Hoof, their claws extended, their beaks gleaming with deadly hunger.