Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 936

Kagura looked down at her little hands.

Kyosuke Kosaka suspected that Kagura was counting, and while he found it amusing, he took Kagura's little hand and led it up.

Interlace your fingers and place your palms together.

The soft, warm touch fascinated Kyosuke Kousaka.

Time flies.

"Yes, Kyosuke is here with me."

Kagura smiled radiantly, her cherry-pink eyes misty with spring-like allure.

Kyosuke Kosaka smiled and hugged Kagura tightly.

Under the dim, golden sunset, the already intertwined shadows stretched ever longer...

Day 340 of crossing

After taking Kagura to the government office, Kousaka Kyosuke returned to his residence; he did not leave Kyoto casually.

According to the message sent by Minamoto no Yorimitsu early this morning, there are subtle movements taking place in Suzuka Mountain.

Specifically, it seems that sentries have begun to appear around Kyoto.

It looks like they're about to launch an attack.

Therefore, Kyosuke Kosaka naturally couldn't run around.

Of course, he didn't go to the government office to oversee things. After all, the firemen of the Bureau of Investigation and Punishment were not the main force this time. As long as they tried their best to maintain order and prevent the flames of war from spreading to the nobles, that would be enough.

Forcing your way in will only get in the way!

Kyosuke Kosaka did not underestimate Kyoto's military strength.

In terms of both quantity and quality, whether it is protecting nobles or resisting the sirens of Suzuka Mountain, it is more than enough.

The saying goes, "It takes a thousand days to raise an army, but only one day to use it."

It's time for the Onmyoji and samurai, who are usually supported by the royal family and nobles, to show their skills.

Let's put it to the test and see what it's really like.

In this situation, those who are going to the battlefield absolutely cannot shirk their responsibilities and must act proactively, otherwise their reputation will plummet and their lives will likely be ruined.

Ultimately, this is an era that places great importance on public opinion.

Onmyoji and samurai are renowned for their strength and bravery.

Once a reputation in this area is damaged, it is extremely difficult to make amends.

This is also why Kyosuke Kousaka made all his brothers-in-law participate in the battle.

Although these people are supposed to maintain order according to their duties, they have been present in every battle before, and Kyosuke Kosaka promoted them specifically for their merits in this regard.

Then, since the battle against Suzuka Mountain didn't happen this time, his future promotion path was practically blocked.

Anyway, it's estimated that Kyosuke Kousaka won't be taking special care of them for quite some time.

If they participate in the war, they can continue to be promoted in rank based on their merits.

It's not just them.

There were also some valiant fire soldiers in the government offices, including those from the Qin and Fujiwara clans, as well as the Minamoto clan who joined later...

After all, this battle is essentially an extremely rare opportunity to earn merit points.

If we don't seize this opportunity now, we may never have another chance.

In fact, there are many opportunities in the future.

But in their view, this opportunity was extremely rare.

Anyone who wants to improve will definitely not let anything slip by.

Kyosuke Kosaka couldn't very well stop him from doing so.

"There's still a lot to do after defeating the sea monsters heading towards Suzuka Mountain, but it seems like it only requires Seimei's main characters to handle... I guess I'll have to get involved then too, I really want to slack off."

Thinking about all this, Kyosuke Kousaka felt melancholy again.

at the same time.

Ayanokoji, Hikigaya, Horikita Manabu, and Shijo Tei, who were on Kosaka Kyosuke's mind, were practicing martial arts in the open space at the west gate, and they were practicing even more diligently than usual.

Some distance away, a group of young girls were sitting and talking.

There are three people in total: Shizuko, Komachi, and Horikita Suzune.

"Komachi, can you sense which rice ball has higher spiritual power?"

"Yes, I can feel it very clearly."

"...Komachi, your spiritual talent is very strong."

"Hehe, this is perfect if it can help Shizuko-neechan."

"Eh? You want to help? Okay, wait a moment, I'll go get the spirit rice seeds for you to take a look—"

Shizuko vanished in a flash, turning into a gust of wind.

She thought to herself that it wasn’t good to keep bothering her husband, Kyosuke Kosaka, so she should ask Komachi for help!

Komachi blinked, tilted her head, and after a second or two said to Horikita Suzune, "Shizuko-neechan must have come up with some special research again."

Horikita Suzune said with admiration, "It's remarkable that Shizuko can dedicate herself so fully to something."

She admired Shizuko very much.

She only recently learned that Jingzi was in charge of cultivating the spiritual rice.

She eats Lingmi from time to time, and while it's delicious, it also replenishes her physical and mental energy faster than usual.

If you can eat spirit rice during battle, wouldn't that be a huge advantage?

Then, Komachi in front of me is not bad either.

Even without cultivation, her abundant spiritual energy could put considerable pressure on her...

Even though she knew that Komachi's spiritual power was dissipating and she didn't know how to use it, Horikita Suzune also understood very well that when she truly knew how to use it, the spells she had painstakingly learned might not even be as good as the spells Komachi had learned the first time.

What an incredible talent!

Komachi has amazing spiritual talent, Shizuko is an expert in agriculture... and what about her? She can only be described as average.

Horikita Suzune would find it hard not to feel ashamed.

"Suzune-neechan is amazing too! She knows both martial arts and magic!" Komachi quickly praised, seemingly noticing Suzune Horikita's mood.

Horikita Suzune smiled and nodded: "Thank you for the compliment."

She understands.

Komachi's praise cannot mask the fact that she lacks talent.

It seems she needs to work harder.

"And Suzune-neechan has a great figure too~"

"..."

Horikita Suzune remained silent as Komachi continued to praise her, trying her best to keep her smile from becoming stiff.

She doesn't want to rely solely on her figure as her main advantage... No, she must work even harder!

233. Horikita Suzune's integration / Shijou Tei's consultation / Siren is coming soon

Keep trying! Keep trying!

This was the first thought that came to Horikita Suzune's mind after she entered the manor.

Especially after learning that Kyosuke Kosaka was not opposed to women who wanted to handle matters outside.

She worked even harder to improve herself.

She was even more energized after learning that she could go out freely with Yukino.

Although I haven't been able to go out these days due to the siren, my training and studies haven't stopped.

Seeing his older brother, Horikita Manabu, already capable of taking on three opponents at once, he's even more determined to fight!

"My senior has only been practicing martial arts for a short time and he has already achieved so much..."

Seeing Horikita Suzune slowly turn her gaze to Horikita Manabu, Komachi praised him at the opportune moment.

Horikita Suzune almost nodded and praised her brother's good points.

However, doing so was definitely inappropriate, so she also praised Hachiman.

"The combined attack technique of Lord Hachi and Lord Kiyotaka is also perfect. Once they work together, they can attack or defend, and they can easily deal with even the more powerful monsters."

"Ah...haha, a combined attack technique. It's so easy for my brother to build a tacit understanding with other men."

Komachi couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly.