How did I, an Onmyoji, become the Lord of Yokai?

In this age where gods exist, they can naturally hear the voices of the people, and the more devout the people are, the clearer the gods can hear them.

This is why people are absolutely sincere when they worship the gods.

Just as Shimizu Asahi was sincerely praying, in the deepest part of Izumo Shrine, in that quiet little courtyard, the burly man who was about to ask his wife for an extra drink suddenly froze.

"Wait, what's with that pleading voice? It sounds so much like... no, not just like, it's that little guy's voice! What's going on?!"

Although he had only spoken face-to-face with his younger brother a few times, those few encounters were enough for him to remember the voice of Shimizu Asahi. Therefore, the moment he heard the prayer, he recognized the owner of the voice.

But......

"Why is that little guy here?"

Hearing the voice that should have been in Heian-kyo, the burly man was so astonished that he put down his wine cup.

He temporarily put aside his matter of asking his wife for wine, and then turned his gaze to the main hall.

Deep, bright, jet-black eyes pierced through countless obstacles, landing directly on the main hall.

"It really is that little guy. I didn't expect him to come to Izumo..."

Looking at the boy on the futon, the big man couldn't help but grin.

Shimizu Asahi came to Izumo Taisha to worship Susanoo-no-Mikoto, he should be happy, well... in fact, he was indeed somewhat happy inside.

only......

Why did you come to Izumo at this time?

"I made sure you were grounded and banned from drinking so you could spend more time with that little Ibuki, but now..."

The big man couldn't help but clutch his head, his head throbbing with pain.

The responsibility that Ibuki now bears is no longer as simple as the escape of the evil god; his future has also fallen into her hands.

As long as she doesn't reach base, he will be 'imprisoned' here for a day.

So now he desperately hopes that Ibuki can get to base safely as quickly as possible, but... how can she get to base if the most crucial player on base runs out?

"Ugh, do I have to endure at least three more months of pain?"

"Why am I always the one who gets injured?"

The big man felt another urge to cry.

After sighing to himself for a long time, the big man finally managed to calm himself down. Then, with a sorrowful expression, he began to listen to Qingshui Chaoyang's prayer.

Although the younger brother caused the older brother to suffer for a longer period of time, how could the older brother ignore the younger brother's prayers?

"Let me see... is this a marriage proposal? Hmm, this little guy is old enough now. It seems that matchmaking him with that little girl Ibuki was the right thing to do...?"

"Wait, is this little guy seeking a marriage partner?"

The burly man raised an eyebrow slightly, paused for a moment, and then the grief he had just shown vanished instantly, replaced by a sly, fox-like glint.

"I wish for a good marriage, I wish for a good marriage... Hey, Ibuki, even though you betrayed me, you are still Yamata's child, so this time, let me help you out again!"

The burly man, who already had a plan in mind, laughed happily. Then, with a wave of his hand, a surge of divine power quietly flew out.

At that very moment, in the main hall, Shimizu Asahi, who had been praying for three minutes, opened his eyes.

He stood up, patted his knees, and then laughed, "Alright, let's go."

"Ah."

Aonofusa nodded indifferently and prepared to leave without a care. Kyogoku I also nodded with a smile. She knew very well that as long as people prayed sincerely, the gods would surely grant their wishes. Therefore, Shimizu Asahi's future wife should have already been decided.

Hehe, she was somewhat looking forward to it, wondering what kind of person Shimizu Asahi's future wife would be.

Just as they were about to leave, a faint fluctuation of divine power suddenly spread out.

The vast and majestic power attracted the attention of the three. They subconsciously looked in the direction from which the divine power came from, and then a wooden plaque emitting a faint light came into view.

Looking at the wooden sign in mid-air, Shimizu Asahi suddenly remembered his prayer.

"Is this for me?"

With this guess in mind, he reached out and took the wooden plaque.

The moment he took down the wooden sign, the faint light disappeared, and then a large character was imprinted on the sign.

—I! Chapter 168, Section 171: My future wife is Ibuki?

"Eh?"

"What does it mean?"

Looking at the wooden sign that had no other characters or paintings besides the character "伊", Shimizu Asahi blinked unconsciously.

"The deity has appeared... The deity has appeared without any priestess praying... Mr. Shimizu, I'm a little envious of you."

Beside her, Kyogoku I spoke up with a hint of envy.

"Envious? What's there to envy?"

The boy chuckled and replied somewhat nonchalantly.

Hearing what Qingshui Chaoyang said, the girl immediately shook her head and then explained, "Sir, you should know that the gods can hear the prayers of the people. The more sincere the people are, the more the gods like them. Therefore, devout people can receive the gods' protection, and basically every time they pray, the gods will grant their request."

"However, the gods do not directly satisfy the people. They prefer to do things indirectly rather than giving them immediate gifts."

"For example, if a wealthy merchant prays to the gods for money, the gods will grant him the opportunity to earn money; if an ordinary person prays to the gods for a future wife or husband, the gods will grant him (or her) the opportunity to meet him (or her)."

"However, gods do not never reveal their divine power to the people. Just like the shrine maidens in the shrine, they can communicate with the gods and receive rewards and blessings from them."

"Although, apart from the shrine maidens, there are also some common people who are favored by the gods and can receive rewards directly, this group is very small, so small that it is not even as small as the number of shrine maidens in many shrines."

"Even members of the royal family only see divine power on the day of the God's Sacrifice."

"Sir, you met the deity on your first visit to Izumo Taisha Shrine... The deity seems to like you very much."

Faced with Kyogoku I's explanation, Shimizu Asahi gave a slightly bewildered "ha."

Could it be that Susanoo-no-Mikoto realized that the god he respected most was Him, and that's why He gave him a hint?

However, if that's the case, then what does this '伊' mean?

Perhaps sensing his confusion, Kyogoku paused for a moment before guessing, "Sir, this should be a hint given to you by the God."

"hint?"

"Well, after all, even the God cannot force you to be with your future wife directly. So, the God is probably hinting to you that your future wife is related to the character '伊' (Yi).

"Have you ever thought about whether you know anyone whose name contains the character '伊'?"

"The character '伊'...?"

Drawn in by Kyogoku I's analysis, Shimizu Asahi subconsciously began to think about the women he knew.

Almost instantly, a petite and adorable figure appeared in his mind.

"Wait, could it be that Susanoo-no-Mikoto is referring to...?"

When that figure appeared, his heart skipped a beat.

To be honest, Shimizu Asahi doesn't have many female friends. Apart from her older sister, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Kuzuha, the only person she can call a friend from childhood to adulthood is Aika.

Therefore, Susanoo-no-Mikoto was probably referring to a girl he would meet in the future.

Yes, theoretically that's how it should be...

However, there was a girl beside him who met this condition.

Ibuki, the oni girl he met three months ago.

"Does the shrine priest mean that Ibuki will become my future wife?"

Upon realizing this, Shimizu Asahi's first reaction was that it was impossible. He didn't have many other reasons; he just subconsciously felt that it was unlikely.

But the next second, he hesitated.

Is it really impossible?

'This time, I'm serious.'

Recalling those intoxicating words, Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart.

Although Ibuki never mentioned these things to him again after that, as if it really was just a joke, what if... it really was?

......

"Hahaha, this little guy is not bad, really not bad! I never expected the Izumo royal family to have such a promising youngster. This little guy has really been a great help, hahaha..."

In the serene courtyard, the burly man who witnessed all of this couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Although Kyogoku I didn't do it on purpose, her words and actions still captivated Shimizu Asahi's thoughts. If he wasn't mistaken, he now had about 70-80% trust in the idea that 'Ibuki will become his future wife'.

If he continues to maintain this mindset, when he returns to the Shimizu family, Ibuki will be able to sense his thoughts and then put on a show of getting to base all day.

"Hehehe, this time, let's see how you escape from that little Ibuki's clutches!"

The big man picked up the wine cup, instinctively wanting to cheer, but the moment he picked it up, he remembered that he was out of wine.

"...Never mind, no wine is no wine. I'm happy today, I can get by even without wine, hahaha..."

......

Faced with this scene, the burly man laughed with delight, but the other young woman in the main hall couldn't help but frown.

Looking at the black-haired boy who was deep in thought with a slight tension between his brows, Qing Nufang crossed her arms and said calmly, "Heh, it seems you are quite satisfied with this result. You get so nervous just thinking about her as your future wife."

The sudden words snapped Shimizu Asahi out of his reverie. He paused for a moment, and then a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.

"This...no, Qingnufang, I didn't mean that, it's just...this, I..."

Shimizu Asahi wanted to explain, but faced with this sudden question, he couldn't think of a good excuse for a moment. After stammering for a while, he finally gave an awkward smile.

"...Tsk!"

Seeing the boy give up trying to explain, Qingnvfang couldn't help but click her tongue.

For some reason, she felt a little irritable.

I was worried she'd take advantage of you, but now it seems you deserved it. She was so pretty, she didn't care about anything else!

"Um, Qingnvfang, are you angry?"