Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 663

urgent!

Extremely urgent!

Knowing the herbs Seimei needed, Kousaka Kyosuke led his men on a whirlwind journey.

Before long, they arrived at the monster market, which had remained largely unaffected until they sought out Aori for help.

"It can be found, please wait a moment."

Aori carefully looked at the list provided by Kousaka Kyosuke and nodded in agreement.

Kyosuke Kosaka asked in surprise, "Aori, are you familiar with all this?"

He could have chosen not to ask, but he was very curious.

Azhi runs a tavern.

Isn't it usually just brewing wine and making side dishes?

“When the wine runs out, I’ll work in other shops, some of which sell herbs,” A-Zhi said with a smile.

Kyosuke Kosaka suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."

That's right too.

Reality is not a game.

Running a tavern doesn't mean you can always have "999+" bottles of fine wine available for sale.

Even if Azhi might have special means to speed up the brewing process, she still needs the right ingredients.

The tavern sells ale, millet wine, and some fruit wines, so the ingredients are definitely limited.

"Please wait a moment, I'll get it done right away," Ah Zhi said again.

Kyosuke Kosaka smiled apologetically: "Thank you for your help."

"It's alright, it's a small matter, and the store isn't busy at all."

"Because I have a good helper."

"Yes."

Azhi looked tenderly at a white-haired girl calling out sweetly inside the tavern.

The girl wore an indigo-blue undergarment, with two long, fluffy tails hanging down her back, and her white-on-the-outside, pink-on-the-inside ears swaying gently and playfully.

Cat Shopkeeper—that's the name the girl was teased about by the monsters.

Over time, it truly became her name.

Before that, the cat shopkeeper was just a stray white cat with no name.

She transformed into a demon a few months ago, and Kyosuke Kousaka had seen her then, so of course he was familiar with her.

"Then I'll take my leave now." Azhi left to help out.

Kyosuke Kousaka, Kagura, and Hiromasa Minamoto were waiting.

"This wine is not bad." Minamoto no Hiromasa, who was visiting the yokai settlement for the first time, was quite natural and even began to savor the wine seriously.

Kagura watched curiously, and Kousaka Kyosuke quickly took out some orange juice.

Orange juice made from citrus fruits is definitely better than wine.

Kyosuke Kosaka didn't want Kagura, who was so young, to be drinking; it wasn't appropriate.

“Kagura is already dressed, so it’s fine for her to have a little drink,” Minamoto no Hiromasa said casually.

Kyosuke Kosaka immediately said, "I won't allow that."

Minamoto no Hiromasa immediately rolled his eyes, wanting to say something, but Kagura had already turned her expressionless face towards him.

Minamoto no Hiromasa had no choice but to shut up.

Kagura then sipped her orange juice slowly.

She believed that everything her husband did was right.

The sweet juice and tender, small pieces of orange pulp make orange juice just as good as wine.

Stare~

After only a few sips of orange juice, Kagura noticed intense gazes fixed on her.

"Cat Shopkeeper, would you like a drink?" Kousaka Kyosuke, who had also noticed, handed a cup to the owner of the gaze, the Cat Shopkeeper.

The cat shopkeeper hurried over. Just then, the wine was sold out, and she didn't have much to do. She happened to see and smell the orange juice that Kousaka Kyosuke had given to Kagura, and was naturally drawn to it.

"Is that alright?" The cat shopkeeper blinked his azure eyes.

Kyosuke Kosaka laughed and said, "It's not like it's anything rare."

"Isn't that a bit unusual? It has a slightly sweet smell, I can smell it."

"Yes, to some extent, but is it really necessary to fuss over something like this?"

"Oh……"

The cat shopkeeper carefully accepted it and thanked him again.

Minamoto no Hiromasa wasn't surprised; after all, he had seen countless monsters, so one more wouldn't make a difference.

Kagura just wants to make comparisons.

There was also a cat demon in the bedroom where they lived, namely the Nine-Lives Cat.

Compared to the cat shopkeeper whom they had only met once, the nine-lives cat, who ate spirit rice every day and occasionally asked Kousaka Kyosuke for fish, seemed very lazy.

The cat shopkeeper we see now was just busy.

The nine-lived cat she saw from beginning to end was eating, drinking, and sleeping...

Could it be that cat demons are so different from each other?

"Lord Kyosuke, may I ask about the condition of these citrus fruits?"

"I did receive seeds from my superiors at work, and I tried planting them."

"Of course, what happens next?"

"It will probably take quite a while for them to grow. Do you want some seeds? I can give you a few."

"This……"

"It's alright. Citrus seeds aren't precious, and given the soil and climate, growing sweet ones isn't that easy."

Kyosuke Kosaka reached into his magic space, took out a seed, and handed it to the cat shopkeeper.

The cat shopkeeper stood frozen in panic.

Kyosuke Kosaka still placed it in her little hand.

"If you can grow sweet ones, please send me some every year. You know that the citrus fruits outside are bitter and astringent."

"Yes, that's right! I took a bite in the wild back then, and I'll never forget that bitter taste..."

The cat's ears and tail were taut, and a look of distress appeared on its tender little face.

Kagura blinked: "Is it very bitter?"

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing! There's absolutely no sweetness whatsoever!"

The cat shopkeeper gestured wildly with his small hands outstretched.

Kagura looked thoughtful.

"Land, weather, and climate are indeed very important."

Kyosuke Kosaka added, "There are also varieties."

Wild citrus fruits—no, I should say oranges—we don't know if they're poisonous.

In ancient times, there were simply too many fruits and vegetables that had not been optimized or cultivated.

"Aren't those seeds very precious?" The cat shopkeeper suddenly came to his senses.

Kyosuke Kosaka shook his head: "I heard that the place where citrus is grown is in the center of the spiritual vein, so the soil conditions are probably more important."

Perhaps because the cat shopkeeper frequently deals with money, he is very sensitive to profits.

Furthermore, due to their strong sense of shame and meticulous nature, they were unwilling to accept too much benefit.

But in fact, citrus seeds are not a rare thing.

"I remember that some nobles in Kyoto planted them when they had nothing else to do, but they couldn't eat them; they could only grow them for decoration."

Kyosuke Kosaka then explained.

The cat shopkeeper nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "I see, I see..."

Kousaka Kyosuke looked at the fluffy cat ears that kept jumping around and almost wanted to hit them.

Fortunately, he still retained his rationality.

He wouldn't just pet a cat whenever he wants.