Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 678

"They are such a loving couple."

The mind of the eight hundred nuns.

She had some understanding of the nobility; she knew that most noble men were philanderers and, more often than not, treated women as tools and playthings.

Kyosuke Kosaka's type is relatively rare.

Observing silently, Yaobikuni found it to be a beautiful sight.

It does look quite good from this perspective.

A quarter of an hour later.

Kyosuke Kosaka then led the person to a shrine.

That's right, it's the Oitsuki Shrine.

The shrine, which only shelters pregnant women, orphans, and widows, was filled with wailing sounds that could be heard from afar.

"This is--"

"This is the residence of my shikigami, Oitsuki, and the shrine she built."

"A place brimming with new life."

"Actually, at first I thought it was a bit noisy, but gradually I realized it was fine, and I even started to like it..."

"..." Kyosuke Kousaka's eyelids twitched.

Seeing Kagura's slightly dazed and intoxicated face, he felt the gunshots around him had become much more intense.

"Things about children don't happen that quickly!"

Kyosuke Kousaka really wanted to talk to Kagura.

But seeing that Kagura was in a daze, he thought he should give her a hint at some time.

He is not ready to become a father yet.

The sheer absurd actions of Orochi alone were enough to make his scalp tingle; how could he possibly have time to look after the children?

I'll at least wait until I've sorted out the problem myself before making any decisions.

“You all go inside, I’m going to see my friend,” Kousaka Kyosuke said again.

With that, he went to find Kasumigaoka.

As for why they didn't enter the shrine with Kagura and Yaobikuni, it's because men are not currently welcome at the shrine.

Kyosuke Kosaka even frequently sent some of his men who patrolled the outskirts to deliberately pass by this area to warn those ungrateful vagrants.

When people are desperate to survive, they're likely to do anything.

However, the lower classes of this era almost all had a deep-rooted servility, and even if the nobles did not have guards around them, they would most likely not dare to take action.

Only someone as unrestrained as a time traveler, the type that Orochi would really like, would be likely to cross that line, right?

Kousaka Kyosuke is not sure either.

While he was thinking, he walked towards the cubicle in Kasumigaoka.

Kagura and Yaobikuni, who entered the shrine through the main gate, were quickly greeted by Hayasaka Ai and Shirogane Kei.

"You all go about your business. I just came here with my friends to take a look."

Kagura said to the two of them.

Having visited several times, she was quite familiar with Hayasaka Ai and Shirogane Kei.

"Then please make yourself at home, Lady Kagura." Hayasaka Ai tactfully led Shirogane Kei away.

Having already considered herself Kousaka Kyosuke's concubine, she naturally wanted to please Kagura.

Unfortunately, although Kagura has a good personality, she is usually very clingy to Kyosuke Kousaka, so Ai Hayasaka doesn't have much of a chance.

At this moment, Kagura was not with Kousaka Kyosuke, but with a shrine maiden by her side.

Hayasaka Ai immediately realized that it had nothing to do with her.

"I see……"

Yaobikuni looked at the women around her with children and breastfeeding, and her inner emotions were hard to describe.

On the one hand, she did delay the relief received by a large number of homeless people, leading to their deaths one by one.

Conversely, this also provides better protection for vulnerable groups such as orphans and widows.

After all, as Kyosuke Kosaka just said, these people are usually the ones who die the fastest among the homeless population.

However, this does not change the fact that she is a sinner.

"I was indeed quite selfish to cause so much trouble for others in order to break the curse of immortality that came from accidentally eating mermaid flesh."

The nun Yaobikuni was reflecting on herself.

Compared to those so-called nobles who are generally perceived as indifferent to the lives of the lower classes, she is more like a noblewoman.

What he did was even more despicable than that of many nobles.

This is truly a ridiculous thing.

"Eight hundred bhikkhunis."

"I'm fine, don't worry."

Yaobikuni smiled at Kagura, who was looking at her with concern.

Having lived for hundreds of years, she had attempted suicide and suffered breakdowns in many ways, but she wouldn't collapse so easily.

"Does Mr. Kyosuke want me to realize my sins? What a cruel person."

Although Yaobikuni thought this to herself, she was still quite grateful to Kousaka Kyosuke for telling her this.

Ignoring the past and treating it as if it never happened is worse than anything else.

But what should she do next?

Atonement?

That's probably going to be difficult.

Yaobikuni always felt that Kyoto would not be so peaceful in the future.

If unrest occurs in a place that is the capital of a country and a gathering place of spiritual energy, won't even more people die?

I'll do my part then...

Even if the heart is frozen by the long years, there can still be goals.

Once Kyoto is peaceful again, she'll find a quiet place to stay and stop causing trouble for others.

"Xiao Gui, it's time to cook the porridge."

"Yes."

Upon hearing Hayasaka Ai's instructions, Shirogane Kei quickly responded.

He then had to carefully hand over the still unsettled baby to the mother before swiftly heading to the kitchen.

Today, the shrine has become a large childcare center, consuming a great deal of food, clothing, and other necessities.

The original kitchen was also specially expanded to include a very, very large iron pot.

There was originally a lot of firewood needed.

However, Shirogane Kei can use the special talisman given by Kosaka Kyosuke to heat up the iron pot for cooking.

Since it's just cooking multigrain porridge, it's not too much trouble.

—Add water to the mixed grains and heat until fully cooked.

Standing on the chair, Baek Eung-kyu picked up a porridge stick several times thicker than his arm and stirred it continuously.

The hot steam brushed against her face, slowly turning her pretty cheeks red. Her soft hair stood up on her head, damp with sweat.

Bai Yingui didn't mind these things.

"The porridge needs to be cooked until it's very soft and smooth so that everyone can enjoy it."

"The children are all so cute, we can't let them choke..."

Despite it being the New Year, Baek Eun-kyu was more worried about the women, children, and babies.

Her mother had told her not to overwork herself, and although she had listened, she still couldn't help but drag her tired body to help.

She is much better than most people, so helping those in need is nothing to her.

The problem is that my brother is causing me some headaches.

My mother started talking about my brother's problems at some point, saying that he was carrying heavy loads every day and that his health would eventually collapse.

After careful consideration, Bai Yingui realized that it made a lot of sense.

But there was nothing she could do.

She was just a lowly shrine maiden, at most able to pray to the deity she served, the Moon Goddess, hoping that she would bless her brother with good health and peace, free from illness and pain.

It wasn't just prayers; Shirogane Kei did other things as well.