Why is the Demon King like this?

"Originally, 'eight inches' referred to the container for these dishes, an eight-inch square flat plate. Now, it mostly refers to a cold dish platter."

This is seasonal sea urchin, with a rich and sweet flavor; simply scoop it out with a small spoon to eat.

The small bowl contains the orange gonads of a sea urchin, surrounded by a ring of milky white broth.

Shinbata Yui pushed the bowl in front of Ao Keisuke, set it out, then opened the sake she brought from the shrine, poured a cup, and placed it next to the Demon King.

"Why don't you eat it yourself? Why make things so complicated?" said Qing Guijie.

"Kaiseki cuisine emphasizes the hospitality principle of 'establishing a place' in the tea ceremony, which means hoping that the host will treat the guests with sincerity and that the guests will be sincerely grateful, emphasizing the resonance between the spiritual worlds of the two."

So don't be fooled by how complicated it is; every word I say contains my deepest feelings for Qinggui-kun.♡

She poured herself a glass and said with a smile, "Of course, please forgive my impudence, but I'm too greedy to share a few drinks with you, sir."

Keisuke Ao didn't say anything more, but simply pushed some of the dishes back to Yui Kamabata and gave them to her to eat.

Shinbata Yui readily accepted—isn't this also a form of communication?

Unfortunately, every time she tried to feed Qinggui, he would glare at her, leaving the shrine maiden deeply disappointed.

The drinking party was in full swing, and several eight-inch cold dishes were shared. Soon it was time for the "main dishes".

"There's still soup in the food box, please wait a moment."

The light blue soup, with goldeneye snapper, sweet shrimp, and green peas, is fresh, refreshing, and appetizing.

Next came sashimi, which consisted of a few pieces of bluefin tuna belly, large mackerel, and creamy scallops...

Some of it went into Yuki's stomach, making the kitten so happy that it rolled around on the ground.

Yui Kamabatake took out a towel and handed it to Keisuke Ao to wipe his mouth. Finally, she began to talk about the important matters that were inconvenient to mention in chats and on the phone.

"Regarding the Garden Shrine incident, after investigation by the shrine, several suspects have been identified, possibly the unknown Onmyoji who appeared near the shrine that day."

Apart from that, there has been no investigation into you or Professor Shiraishi, and the security forces we deployed near Dr. Shiraishi have not found any hidden spying.

Ah... Don't worry, the ones protecting Shiraishi-sensei are all shrine maidens.

Aokiji snorted softly, "It doesn't matter if I don't add the last sentence."

"Finally, regarding the situation at the Garden Shrine, although the higher-ups intervened quickly, they have yet to discover any possible flaws within the shrine or any place where tampering was carried out."

However, it has been confirmed that the head priest and the sister of the shrine's chief priest were murdered. The shrine's chief priest, Fujita, developed a high fever and only woke up in the afternoon.

They also rejected the proposal to temporarily and completely close the shrine.

"Oh...?" Aokiji processed the news for a moment, then silently put down the towel. "Completely closing the shrine would probably be very disadvantageous for him as the head priest... Hey!"

With lightning speed, Shinbata Yui snatched the towel from the table and then elegantly dabbed her lips a few times with it.

"What's wrong, Qinggui-kun?" Kamabatake Yui asked innocently.

"You..." Aoki Keisuke covered his forehead, somewhat speechless.

Yui Kamabatake smiled slyly, her demeanor remaining elegant: "There's nothing we can do about it; there's only one towel in the lunchbox."

Keisuke Ao waved his hand, indicating to Yui Kamabatake to analyze the situation of the Garden Shrine.

"Hanazaki Shrine is a very old and important shrine in the Tokyo area. The main deity has been the Fujita lineage for generations. It enshrines three main deities: Kurane no Tame no Mikoto, Takeru no Mikoto, and Hoshoku no Mikoto. It has a large number of worshippers."

But the previous head priest of Fujita did something that was very taboo…”

Shimahata Yui paused for a moment before continuing, "He secretly usurped the power of Inari's spirit, Inari Kura!"

Upon hearing this, Aokiji perked up—he loved hearing this kind of thing.

"To be precise, it is to seize the trace of divine power belonging to Kurane's soul within the Garden Shrine."

"The faithlessness of those who serve the gods," said Qing Guijie.

"That's right. Originally, the entire Fujita lineage was to be purged, but thanks to the help of the current head priest, Fujita Shimaji, the authorities were able to uncover his father's conspiracy in time, preventing more serious consequences."

Furthermore, he personally carried out his father's seppuku and second execution, so even the most stern leader could no longer criticize the Garden Shrine.

Upon hearing this, Qing Guijie couldn't help but say, "I didn't realize he was such a man of spirit that night."

Upon hearing this, Shinbata Yui was speechless for a moment: "This..."

"In short, despite all that Fujitajima Tsukasa did, the Fujita family became even more feared and hated, and there were quite a few people who wanted to seal off the shrine."

Fujitajima Tsukasa is worried that if he listens to the official advice this time, the Hanazono Shrine will really become history.

Therefore, citing his need to personally conduct the funerals for his sister and the shrine's chief priestess, he only accepted a semi-closed stay, and decided for himself when to lift the restrictions.

"What a pathetic man!"

In this situation, it is truly pathetic and pitiful to use the deceased to secure one's own survival.

The Demon King wasn't being sarcastic, because he already understood the true nature of power.

Without power, suffering is always unavoidable.

Even he, in the end, didn't he also taste the bitter fruit of failure and death?

"Cheers." This toast is for the weak.

"Since it's only semi-closed, there's likely to be more to this than meets the eye?" he continued.

"Yes, some people are waiting."

We are waiting to see if the Shinto Church will intervene, and we are also waiting to see if the Fujita family will make a mistake!

Previously, various factions used their influence to remove the name "Inari" from the Garden Shrine and stripped away the shikigami that originally protected the Garden Shrine. Now, they are trying to take away the existence of the shrine itself.

Even within these official bodies, there is visible competition.

After all, when it comes to deities, the question of how to divide this mess of reality becomes quite relevant...

Even Meiji Shrine might be happy to see Hanazono Shrine close down.

But no matter how much competition there is within these official bodies, they certainly won't let the God One Cult be the first to taste the spoils!

"It sounds like the secretive side of the Japanese government isn't all that great either."

"After all, each family serves different gods and follows different doctrines! It's just that they have the most basic understanding of being human, and also to avoid unnecessary fighting, that's why they can form a relationship similar to an alliance." Kamibata Yui explained to him, "Internally and externally, the alliance is called the 'Seijindo Headquarters,' which includes Shinto, Kendo, and other schools. It's essentially a very bloated organization."

She refilled Keisuke's glass and said in a somewhat playful tone, "But no matter how bloated you are, respecting power and revering the gods are truths that will never be wrong."

"That's true!"

Keisuke Ao has absolutely no interest in this kind of organization; if he were powerful enough, he would only leave behind the voice of his own family.

However, if the great powers become independent and lack external pressure, the so-called alliance is very likely to become a place for empty talk.

But we must revere the gods...

Aoki Keisuke revealed a smile that made Kamabatake Yui blush and her heart race—

When we are strong enough, it will be their turn to respect our power, right?