Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Onikiri and his generals held their weapons, ready to counterattack Shuten-dōji if he dared to pursue them.

"Don't you intend to see my true strength?"

Shuten-dōji stood arrogantly on a stone pillar, his unrestrained voice carrying in all directions.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu laughed loudly, "Let's fight another day!"

At this point, Kousaka Kyosuke began to admire Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

They can even say such words of weakness.

Shuten-dōji glanced at Minamoto no Yorimitsu, then vanished in an instant, turning into a blur.

The monsters around them gradually left.

"go back."

Minamoto no Yorimitsu also led the others back to the military camp.

So, before noon, everyone had a rare moment of relaxation.

Upon discovering that Minamoto no Yorimitsu hadn't called a meeting with everyone, Kousaka Kyosuke simply strolled around with Yoto Hime.

He casually glanced at the numb, empty eyes of the people around him, dressed in tattered clothes.

He remained unmoved, his mind preoccupied with other things—

Now, Shuten-dōji has appeared.

But he was too strong.

Basically, it has high attack power, strong recovery ability, and damn high HP!

It has virtually no weaknesses.

Therefore, a single, decisive blow is necessary.

Then we'll have to besiege Shuten-dōji.

It would be unrealistic to expect Shuten-dōji to come and willingly accept the attack.

Unless all the monsters are delayed.

That's probably what Minamoto no Yorimitsu was thinking.

If I'm not mistaken, Kousaka Kyosuke himself was one of those who delayed or besieged Shuten-dōji.

That evening, Kyosuke Kosaka received a request from Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

Yes, please.

"I intend to have you lead a team to resist the monsters of Mount Ooe."

How many people?

"Five thousand people, they will all obey your command, and you can choose half of the Onmyoji."

"Give me three thousand men. I want all of your Minamoto clan's men, except for mine, along with most of the grain and all the lowly people I can take..."

“Some things don’t conform to the principles of Yin and Yang,” Minamoto no Yorimitsu said with a rare, profound meaning.

Kyosuke Kosaka smirked: "Where do you think you're going?"

"I agreed!"

Minamoto no Yorimitsu replied without hesitation.

Since it would give him more men, he had no reason not to agree.

After all, when he, Onikiri, and a group of Onmyoji besieged Shuten-dōji, powerful yokai that broke through the encirclement were bound to come and interfere.

Therefore, it definitely won't work if there aren't people guarding the area!

Upon receiving the order, Kyosuke Kousaka immediately began to act.

Let's eat first!

63. White rice during wartime / Conflict / A sense of security

Eating is very important.

Life can be simply summarized as: work, eat, sleep.

Let's leave work aside.

Kyosuke Kosaka has always maintained a very high standard in his eating and sleeping habits throughout this era.

Eat when it's time to eat.

Go to sleep when you should.

Unlike others who cut corners, we don't.

He's someone who eats well, drinks well, and sleeps well.

Day 99 of crossing

"You cooked half of the white rice?" The head cook in charge of the meals looked astonished.

After confirming repeatedly that it was an order, they began to arrange personnel.

Each grain of rice, round and plump, is cooked in batches.

The warm and familiar aroma of rice wafts through the air, gently permeating the heart and soul.

Some people who smelled the fragrance had tears welling up in their eyes and began to weep silently.

Ayanokouji, who was resting with Hikigaya, immediately noticed this scene.

"What does it look like when you miss it?"

"It seems there are quite a few people like me this time."

Even noble children rarely had the opportunity to eat rice.

And nostalgia likely means that you once ate it.

This had already aroused Ayanokouji's suspicions.

However, even if he knew that some of the untouchables here came from the same place as him, he wouldn't feel much sympathy.

Call him cold if you want.

But he was having such a hard time just surviving, how could he have the mind to think about anything else?

If it weren't for Kousaka Kyosuke's kind nature and nepotism,

He didn't think his efforts to gain status would be rewarded much.

Ultimately, this was in a feudal era.

There will always be those who reap the benefits without doing anything.

Without Kyosuke Kousaka as his support, even if he achieved merit, he would still have accomplished nothing.

They might even be silenced?

Hikigaya, standing next to Ayanokoji, kept his head down and remained silent.

He actually noticed that there were quite a few familiar faces among the commoners.

But he really couldn't help...

Suddenly, Hachiman noticed that someone had moved tables into the empty space.

Many sturdy men dressed as cooks worked together to carry out the giant rice steamers.

A person walking leisurely behind caught Hachiman's attention.

Kousaka Kyosuke!

"It smells really good..."

With a sigh, Kyosuke Kousaka continued talking to himself.

Even though we eat it every day at home.

They even tried to find ways to get their partners to eat it, but it was a real luxury for the average person.

Under normal circumstances.

In this era, only those of middle-class nobility and above could afford to eat like this every day.

Of course, we also have to exclude those who don't hold any positions and are just living off their past achievements.

It is important to understand what happens after one obtains an official position commensurate with their status.

It is almost impossible for them to fall into a difficult financial situation.

Otherwise, so many casual rank holders wouldn't have risked their lives to participate in the extermination.

"Qinglong, Aba, organize people to line up in an orderly manner."

"Yes!"

"……Yes."