In the world of Type-Moon, it all begins with becoming Morgan's husband!

"Hmm." Tamamo-no-Mae nodded, while gripping the mirror tightly in her hand.

"Mr. Abe... thank you so much."

"If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would never have been able to retrieve this mirror."

Ian shook his head.

"Nothing."

“Xiaoyu, you’re so smart, you’ll definitely find a way to get the mirror back even without my help.”

"but--"

You should still remember our promise, right?

"Of course I remember."

Tamamo-no-Mae stroked the mirror, her expression somewhat troubled.

"but……"

"but what?"

Sensing that Tamamo-no-Mae was a little nervous, Ian tried to speak in a teasing tone.

"Xiaoyu, you are my lover."

"Shouldn't you tell me everything?"

"Hmm... Of course I understand."

Tamamo-no-Mae's gaze lingered on the mirror in her hand.

"I have not forgotten my promise to Mr. Abe."

"It's just that this mirror is a bit damaged from maintaining the Yin-Yang formation for too long... If I want it to work, I'm afraid I'll have to go back to the mountains for a while."

"Mr. Abe, look..."

Do you know what Tamamo-no-Mae is worried about?

She's afraid you'll think she's lying to you.

After all, if she just takes the mirror and leaves, you won't be able to catch her so easily.

But you don't have that concern at all.

Because you know Tamamo-no-Mae would never do such a thing.

"I understand, Xiaoyu."

Ian nodded in agreement.

"Is there anything I can help you prepare?"

“Mr. Abe…” Tamamo-no-Mae looked at the great Onmyoji who hadn’t hesitated at all, “Aren’t you worried that I’ll just leave like this?”

"Will not."

Ian smiled.

"I believe Xiaoyu is a demon who keeps her word."

"..."

Tamamo-no-Mae's golden eyes were already moist.

She knew this came from his absolute trust—he was the only person in the world willing to believe in her like this.

So--

Just accept it.

"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Abe. I will definitely return soon."

"But before you leave, please enjoy my tea one more time."

"……it is good."

[Tamamo-no-Mae left you with wonderful tea-drinking memories through her body.]

She left temporarily, taking the mirror with her.

[Minamoto no Yorimitsu was also busier with the aftermath of the Heian-gu Shrine fire.]

In the end, it was Shuten-dōji and Ibaraki-dōji who stayed by your side.

However, your mind isn't on them.

[You're reflecting on the memories that surfaced when you fought Ashiya Dōman.]

Saying it's just a memory might not be entirely accurate.

Ian felt it was more like a connection.

A connection between oneself and the golden cup.

It was precisely because of this connection that a continuous stream of power emerged at that time.

The cup I brought back from Ghost Island... does it have some kind of mysterious connection to me?

Ian sensed that he was only one step away from freeing Kaito Raikou from his constraints.

He was certain that once Tamamo-no-Mae repaired the mirror, the solution to everything would appear before him.

But then again——

Ian looked at his hands.

Shuten-dōji once said that he was something other than "human".

So what could it be?

You've been thinking about this question for a long time.

You did not get an answer.

Time flew by during this process.

Night has fallen; it's time for a bath.

This was one of the few times Ian took a bath alone.

He picked up his things and walked towards the bathhouse.

That was a replica made by Minamoto no Yorimitsu based on the pond where the two first met.

Every time Ian comes here, he feels like he's back in the past.

But this time——

The situation seems to be a little different.

Because Shuten-dōji and Ibaraki-dōji were standing at the doorway.

"..."

Ian's gaze swept over the two kids.

He vaguely sensed their purpose in standing there.

Upon seeing the Great Onmyoji arrive, Ibaraki-dōji tugged at the sleeve of Shuten-dōji beside him.

"Lord Abe has arrived."

You should cherish this opportunity.

Since his last conversation with Ian, Ibaraki-dōji has been seriously considering his actions.

She quickly realized the source of the problem.

"I am not Shuten-dōji."

"It's not good to speak her mind for her."

"We need to get her to take action herself."

Ever since——

Ibaraki-dōji's approach to helping his friend has evolved from simply offering words of encouragement to actively urging him to improve.

She firmly believed that if Shuten-dōji made the request, the great Onmyoji in front of her would be unlikely to refuse.

After all, if you really don't want to.

Opposition would have been raised from the very beginning.

Therefore, the key to the problem lies in getting Shuten-dōji to speak.

This is clearly the best time to take a bath.

"this and that……"

Although Shuten-dōji understood that Ibaraki-dōji was helping him.

but--

It's hard to say this out loud.

She stammered for a long time, only managing to squeeze out one sentence:

Good evening, uncle!

"Well, good evening."

Ian smiled.

"Is everything alright? I'm going to take a shower now, we can talk later."

"Okay, okay!"

As soon as Shuten-dōji finished speaking, he saw Ibaraki-dōji's murderous gaze.

However, the latter did not speak up for the former this time.

She came up with a better method—the reverse psychology tactic.

Then Ibaraki-dōji began to speak to the Great Onmyoji.