Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 773

Kyosuke Kosaka was also somewhat shocked.

He used to see a lot of people, so he never came here before.

As a result, after not coming for quite a while, it turned out like this?

“There are less crowded places over there too,” Kasumigaoka pointed to another side.

Kyosuke Kousaka naturally noticed it as well.

The wooden bowls filled with tender yellow millet and garnished with emerald green vegetables sat untouched on the stall, and he could roughly guess that the high prices deterred people from buying them.

"You don't mind if I buy a little more on credit, do you?"

"It's nothing."

So the two of them went to the place that sold millet porridge.

Kyosuke Kosaka bought two servings and stood in a quiet corner to slowly drink them.

"Shopkeeper, what do you sell over there?"

Curious, Kyosuke Kousaka asked a question.

A large magical barrier has been set up in the Yokai Market, and Kousaka Kyosuke will not use any power unless necessary.

Naturally, they are just like ordinary people, and therefore cannot hear the specific content of the noisy conversation clearly.

"The mixed grain soup vendor, one cent a bowl," the female fox demon shopkeeper said softly.

Kousaka Kyosuke was thoughtful.

"This is the bare minimum of security that the Yokai Market can provide for the poorest people..."

He felt that this was quite familiar.

Similar situations occur in Kyoto, where many commoners who have been removed from prominent families live in this way.

This can essentially be described as some superiors showing care for the lower classes.

So, from whom does the market receive this preferential treatment?

Kyosuke Kosaka pondered this, too lazy to pay any more attention.

He's not really involved in much of the affairs here anymore.

Why should a mere human being interfere so much?

Kyosuke Kosaka thought it was better to be more conspicuous.

After finishing the fairly tasty, slightly sweet millet porridge, he continued walking with Kasumigaoka.

Finally, we arrived at a tavern.

"welcome--"

A warm greeting rang out.

A cat-eared girl with a sweet smile greeted us.

Kousaka Kyosuke nodded knowingly to her, and then he and Kasumigaoka were led to a corner by her.

"Do you come here often?"

"Yes, but because the name became increasingly ferocious, it eventually became a nameless, lonely ghost."

"Ha ha……"

Kasumigaoka laughed.

Kyosuke Kosaka then asked, "Do you drink?"

"Of course, how could I not drink?"

"There's no need to force yourself."

“No, and I’m glad I’m not drunk right now,” Kasumigaoka said.

Although he had to drink alcohol in the palace due to the circumstances, he also disliked it.

But what she actually dislikes more is the kind of behavior that one is forced to do, rather than alcohol.

Currently, it is Kasumigaoka's own freedom to go shopping, eat, or even drink with Kyosuke Kosaka.

So there's not much to say~

Then, the two started drinking, and their conversation revolved around news from the past few days.

We won't mention the imperial court or palace, lest it remind Kasumigaoka of the past.

In the end, we ended up talking about the camera.

"There must be a great demand for Xuxu in the palace, right?"

"I can only stall for time. Some things are simply impossible to do. At the very least, I've resolved the issues with the Emperor and the Taoist priest."

"The rest can be left to the Kamo family," Kousaka Kyosuke added to himself.

Kamo-u-shi could be considered his strongest shield.

"The Imperial Palace isn't just for the Emperor; it also includes the concubines. Not to say anything bad, but they're really petty."

"Before doing this, I had already considered how many people would feel, but I still decided to do it anyway."

"Then good luck." Kasumigaoka didn't ask any further questions, only offering a soft word of encouragement.

She had no idea how much dissatisfaction would arise from the insufficient camera production on Kyosuke Kosaka's side.

But she also felt that Kyosuke Kousaka shouldn't have overlooked this aspect.

Therefore, she didn't create any anxiety; perhaps she was just worrying unnecessarily.

Another hour passed.

After finishing their drinks, Kyosuke Kosaka and Kasumigaoka left and returned to the shrine.

Azhi watched the two figures disappear, and sighed inwardly.

I remember Kousaka Kyosuke smiled at her earlier; he must have something to say to that girl, which is why he didn't greet her.

"Sister Zhi, we're out of wine."

"Oh, good."

Ah Zhi responded to the Cat Shopkeeper, then went to the corner, picked up a small wooden sign, and hung it at the door.

【sold out】

Not long after the drinks were sold out, the customers gradually left, and the tavern closed completely when no one was left.

"Sister Zhi, are you unhappy?"

"No, don't make things up."

"Could it be because he didn't get a chance to speak with Lord Kyosuke?" the cat shopkeeper guessed.

She noticed that Aori enjoyed chatting with Kousaka Kyosuke, but they didn't get to chat this time, which is why she was disappointed.

Yes, this reasoning is entirely correct.

"Time to clean!"

Azhi glared at him.

The cat shopkeeper's ears twitched, and it began cleaning with its tail tucked in.

"The dishes are all washed." Another voice rang out from the doorway leading to the inner room.

A-Zhi smiled and said, "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Itsumade. Today's payment is five cents, I'll settle it with you now."

"I'll help with the cleaning too."

"Okay, I'll bother you then."

Aori did not refuse the girl Itsumade's request to act proactively.

The cat shopkeeper continued cleaning with its tail tucked in.

Seeing that Aori was a little annoyed, she decided to try her best not to talk about Kosaka Kyosuke...

However, Itsumade, who appears indifferent, is not.

As she cleaned, she asked curiously:

"Cat Shopkeeper, at noon you took a man and a woman to that quiet corner. Do they have some special identity?"

Yes, Itsumade, who was helping out at the tavern, immediately recognized the tacit interaction between the cat shopkeeper and Kousaka Kyosuke at noon.

I was a little nervous. Did the man and woman passing by know both the cat shopkeeper and the owner of the apron?

If that's the case, wouldn't all my previous actions have been presumptuous, and I probably misunderstood them?

No, this is already at the level of offending them!!

"Oh no, am I going to get fired because of this...? No! If it's a misunderstanding, I have to apologize sincerely!"

Despite appearing calm, Itsumade was in a terrible panic.

Being unemployed is a terrible thing!