V1 Chapter 15: Seeking Refuge with Kikyō

"Only 280 Crystals? That's barely anything!"

Yae Sakura froze, a hint of disappointment coloring her expression.

This is a great yokai, one of the apex predators in the entire Inuyasha World! It should be worth at least a few thousand Crystals, right?

But it was only... 280?

Is this just like pulling a gacha in a game?

And this was the first-kill bonus! If it were a normal kill, would she have to slay a dozen or more great yokai just to unlock a new world?

Wait... it seemed there was more than just the Crystal reward.

[Great Yokai Slain: Earth Spider.]

[First Great Yokai Kill Achievement unlocked! Randomly drawing one of the slain yokai's Talents. Congratulations! You have obtained the Resurrection Talent.]

"Res... resurrection?" Yae Sakura was stunned.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed the details:

[Resurrection: Each world allows three resurrections, restoring the user to perfect condition upon revival.]

[First resurrection costs 280 Crystals, the second costs 2,800 Crystals, and the third costs 28,000 Crystals.]

"28,000 Crystals? That's insane..."

Still, the first one seemed manageable.

Revivals only cost 30 Crystals in the game! This is outrageous!

But then she recalled the animated short "Final Lesson" where Himeko battled the Herrscher of the Void. If she could revive Himeko, even 28,000 Crystals might be worth it, right?

"What kind of system is this? By the way... can I spend money on it?" Yae Sakura asked hesitantly, but the aloof System clearly ignored her.

Never mind...

Having dealt with the earth spider, Yae Sakura turned her attention to another great yokai: Princess Seiki.

"Do you intend to kill me?" Princess Seiki asked, her face expressionless, as if Yae Sakura's decision held no consequence for her.

Yae Sakura fell silent, lost in thought. Logically, killing another great yokai would undoubtedly yield more Crystals. But Princess Seiki resembled an ordinary human woman, and Yae Sakura felt no animosity toward her. She simply couldn't bring herself to strike.

If I ever truly need to kill someone, it should be someone I despise...

"Go," Yae Sakura said, sheathing her Spiritual Blade, resolved to spare her.

Princess Seiki stared intently at Yae Sakura, bowed respectfully, and turned to leave.

With the earth spider slain, Princess Seiki would return to the ruins of Dōjō-ji Temple, hoping to one day reunite with that person.

After watching Princess Seiki leave, Yae Sakura finally returned to Natsuki's side.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Yae-sama. What about you? Are you hurt?" Natsuki asked, her face etched with concern as she looked at Yae Sakura.

"I'm fine too. It's all over now. Let's go home."

"What about that earth spider...?"

"It's gone!"

"Oh."

-

Half an hour later...

Yae Sakura finally escorted Natsuki home, completing the quest and earning five Crystals. It wasn't a small sum, considering that even a great yokai only yielded a handful.

As for the reward Natsuki's father had offered, Yae Sakura flatly refused. With over a hundred million gold coins in her possession, the paltry compensation from a mere noble held no appeal.

However, Yae Sakura did ask Natsuki to help her boost her reputation. To become a renowned miko, she needed people to spread her name quickly.

Finally, Yae Sakura rummaged through her warehouse and pulled out a one-star USP45, handing it to Natsuki.

"I'll visit you again soon. Keep this for protection! With it, you should be able to handle ordinary humans and weaker yokai. Practice your accuracy when you're alone."

Yae Sakura found Natsuki beautiful, but knowing she would eventually leave, she had no intention of pursuing a relationship. Still, it was nice to have met her, and they could consider themselves friends.

Yae Sakura discovered that all the guns and cannons in her warehouse had unlimited ammunition. There was no need to worry about running out of bullets.

With the USP45 she carried, Natsuki should be able to handle ordinary bandits. As for everything else, she would have to rely on her own resourcefulness.

"Yae-sama, are you leaving already?" Natsuki asked, her eyes filled with reluctance. Though they had only known each other for a day or two, Yae Sakura's kindness and care during their journey had left a deep impression.

"Yes. Take care, and until we meet again." Yae Sakura waved farewell, pulled up her hood, and departed Yuhara Castle.

After leaving Yuhara Castle, Yae Sakura suddenly felt a surge of freedom and relief. Having Natsuki by her side had forced her to travel at a snail's pace.

Now, however, she could move as swiftly as she pleased. In an instant, she vanished from the tip of one tree and reappeared on another.

-

"Where should I go now?"

Yae Sakura stood atop a tree, lost in thought. The main plot hadn't even begun yet; Kikyō hadn't even taken possession of the Shikon no Tama.

Perhaps she should find Kikyō, not just to deal with the yokai drawn to the Shikon no Tama. If possible, Yae Sakura didn't want Kikyō to die.

Though if Kikyō survived, Kagome would never appear.

But... compared to Kagome, Kikyō's fate was simply too tragic!

That settled it! She would find Kikyō, both to hunt yokai and to prevent her death.

But... how did she get to Maple Village?

Looking out at the endless forest, Yae Sakura felt... hopelessly lost once again.

As night fell, Yae Sakura caught a pheasant, found a suitable spot, and built a roaring fire.

She was already regretting her hasty departure from Yuhara Castle. If only she had stayed a few more days! This wilderness life was proving to be quite troublesome.

Besides, she was starting to crave a hot bath.

-

"Huh? I actually have a friend now? What the heck?"

While savoring her roasted pheasant, Yae Sakura suddenly noticed a new entry in her System's friend list. It was none other than Natsuki!

But what was the point of having a friend in this system?

And... private messages?

The ability to send private messages? Yae Sakura was thoroughly impressed.

After a moment's thought, she decided to test the feature and sent Natsuki a message:

"Are you there, Natsuki?"

"Eek! Eek! Who's talking?"

Natsuki's voice suddenly rang in Yae Sakura's ears, startling both of them.

"It's Yae Sakura. Can you hear me?"

"Yae-sama? Where are you? I can't see you anywhere!"

"I'm not at Yuhara Castle..."

After a brief conversation with Natsuki, Yae Sakura was genuinely impressed.

It felt like telepathy or a phone call—utterly incredible.

She wondered if this private communication ability would still work in other worlds. If so, it would be immensely powerful.

-

The next afternoon...

Having emerged from the forest and inquired in several places, Yae Sakura finally arrived at Maple Village, Kikyō's hometown.

Perhaps it was her miko attire, or perhaps her ears were concealed by her cloak, but the villagers treated her with utmost respect.

Or perhaps their reverence was directed at her status as a miko.

When Yae Sakura explained her purpose—to meet Miko Kikyō—the villagers assigned a young boy to guide her to Kikyō's residence.

Yae Sakura immediately spotted Kikyō ahead, teaching a young girl archery.

"Kikyō!" Yae Sakura called out.

Kikyō, who had been instructing the girl, turned toward Yae Sakura at the sound of her voice, the girl following suit.

"You're... Yae Sakura?" Kikyō asked.

"That's right!" Yae Sakura replied, removing her cloak to reveal her fox ears.

"Fluffy ears!" The young girl beside Kikyō exclaimed in astonishment, her eyes wide with wonder.

"They're fox ears!" Yae Sakura said casually, unfazed by Kikyō's puzzled stare.

"What brings you here?" Kikyō asked.

"I have nowhere else to go, so I decided to stick with you! You don't mind, do you, Kikyō-chan?"

"Don't act like we're old friends and call me 'Kikyō-chan.' Weren't you escorting Princess Natsuki?"

"I already took her back."

"Then why didn't you stay..." Kikyō started to ask, but then she remembered that Yae Sakura was a half-demon. She would likely face prejudice from humans, making it understandable why she hadn't stayed.

"You really have nowhere else to go?" Kikyō pondered for a moment, then calmly met Yae Sakura's gaze.

"Nowhere," Yae Sakura replied honestly, shaking her head.

"Then you can stay here temporarily. But... you must not harm the villagers, and you must follow my instructions. Can you agree to that?" Kikyō considered Yae Sakura's circumstances. As a half-demon, she was likely unwelcome by both humans and yokai.

In Maple Village, with Kikyō's presence, the villagers wouldn't dare to object.

I'll take her in for now, Kikyō decided.

For the sake of... us both being miko.

"Thank you, Kikyō-chan! You're the best!" Yae Sakura exclaimed, rushing to Kikyō's side and embracing her.

"Let go of me! And listen carefully," Kikyō said, quickly pushing Yae Sakura away. "If I ever discover you've done anything to harm humans, I won't spare you."

"How could I? I'm a miko too! How could I possibly harm humans? My duty is to slay yokai and fight for humanity's bright future!"

"Is that so...? Just remember your own words."

And so, Yae Sakura took up temporary residence in Maple Village.

-

Time passed swiftly, and before long, a year had gone by.

"Sister Sakura, Sister Kikyō has accepted a quest from another village and is about to leave. Aren't you going to get up?"

Yae Sakura was fast asleep when a young girl in a miko outfit approached her bedside. Her eyes fixed on Yae Sakura's fox ears, and she desperately suppressed the urge to touch them as she called out to her.

The little miko hadn't forgotten the painful lesson she'd learned the last time she secretly grabbed Yae Sakura's fox ears while she was sleeping.

"A quest? This early...? I'll get up right away!"

Yae Sakura immediately scrambled out of bed. Since arriving in Maple Village, she'd discovered that assisting Kikyō with villagers' quests earned her Crystals.

While most quests only yielded one Crystal—or none at all for trivial tasks—the escort mission for Natsuki had been a rare exception, granting five.

But every Crystal counted! Over the past year, Yae Sakura had frequently accompanied Kikyō on quests, earning nearly three hundred Crystals. More importantly, the villagers of Maple Village had fully accepted her half-demon identity.

Combined with the Crystals she'd earned from slaying yokai, Yae Sakura now possessed almost a thousand.

Wow... Only a thousand Crystals in a year? I'm such a failure!

The main reason was the lack of encounters with great yokai. After all, such formidable creatures were rare in this world.

As for missions, I've been focusing on quests, particularly the bounty quest I started earlier but haven't finished yet.

I've already slain the great yokai, but I still need to eliminate a hundred more to reach the quota of ten thousand yokai. The problem is that Yae Sakura has cleared out all the yokai in the surrounding area, making them increasingly difficult to find.