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

Some villagers who got up early had already finished breakfast, carried their farm tools, and were ready to go to the fields to work.

As the saying goes, "The year's plan starts in spring, and the day's plan starts in the morning." For the self-sufficient villagers, the spring mornings are the time they should not waste.

At the other end of the village fields, the young student and two girls also got up.

After a quick wash, they sat down at the wooden table to enjoy breakfast.

Ah, breakfast was made by Qingshui Chaoyang.

Since neither Ibuki nor Aonobo can cook, this task can only be assigned to him.

Yes, Shimizu Asahi can cook. Although her dishes are not as good as her older sister Shimizu Mio's, they are no worse than those of an average housewife.

At least, both girls gave positive reviews.

Putting aside Ibuki, even Aonobo said it was good, so it must be good.

The young student, who rarely cooks, smiled smugly.

After laughing, Shimizu Asahi glanced at the petite girl beside her and the blue-haired girl on the other side with some confusion.

Something's not quite right.

Although during the few days he lived with Ibuki, she would often move closer to him while they were talking, these were things she would do when she was drinking. This was the first time he had ever seen her stick to him like this, even during breakfast.

If it was because she was so happy to see him, then she should have clung to him during dinner last night.

In addition, Ibuki's gaze would occasionally sweep over the maiden's room on the other side.

The casual glance carried a hint of smugness and confidence, as if he were showing off something.

Is Ibuki showing off to Aonobu?

Hmm... what is she showing off? They only really met yesterday, they don't have much in common, so there's probably nothing to brag about.

Or perhaps they said something while they were healing in the house yesterday, and then a conflict arose?

Last night, he was so happy about Qingnufang's recovery that he overlooked many details.

Now that he thinks about it carefully, when he re-entered the room, there was still a strange atmosphere, and Qingnu's expression was slightly off... not as happy as he had imagined.

That must have been when the two had a conflict.

After careful consideration, the young students came to this conclusion.

Although it's best not to meddle in girls' affairs, both of them are his friends, and he couldn't just leave Shimizu Asahi alone. After hesitating for a while, he asked this question.

"Ibuki, has something happened between you and Aonobozu?"

"Hmm? Why do you ask that, sir?"

The student's voice made the girl look away. She tilted her head slightly and asked in return, as if she knew nothing.

"...Why? I think any normal person could see what happened between you two."

"Hey, that's your misconception, sir. I'm very good friends with Qing Nu Fang."

"Friends?" Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but look at Aonobu. The girl's calm and indifferent expression seemed to indicate that she didn't quite agree with his answer.

Noticing the students' gaze, the girl who was eating quietly raised her head.

She first looked at Shimizu Asahi, then at Ibuki Doji, and after a moment of silence, nodded and said, "Hmm... friend."

"..."

The boy blinked. I'm sure I can tell from such an obvious perfunctory attitude.

"Fine, then I'll just consider you friends."

The girls didn't want to talk, and Shimizu Asahi couldn't force them to. Besides, judging from their conversation just now, their conflict should be a minor one that could be resolved privately, so there was no need to worry too much.

He thought that it was possible that Ibuki's prank went too far, making Aonobosa a little angry, which then led to the conflict.

Although Ibuki had a good grasp of the rhythm when playing pranks on him, neither humans nor yokai are machines after all, and minor mistakes are inevitable. They should be able to make up in a few days.

Hearing the student's words, Ibuki and Aonobo exchanged glances.

Aonofusa didn't know what Ibuki was thinking, but she knew for sure that she and Ibuki-douji could never be friends in this lifetime.

Their goals are completely opposed; a life-or-death struggle is their only fate.

The brief conversation ended quickly, and after the three finished breakfast, they left the house.

Their destination was the fields outside the village, a scene of humans and monsters living in harmony, something Shimizu Asahi had been looking forward to since yesterday.

With light steps, the young students quickly arrived at the edge of the field.

Then, a painting unfolded before his eyes.

—Under the crimson morning sky, sturdy villagers dressed in hemp clothing and strong, white-haired, one-eyed monsters with bare upper bodies worked together in the fields.

The strong monster wielded the farming tools in front, while the sturdy villagers adjusted them from behind. The two worked together seamlessly, without the slightest sense of disharmony.

Although it was just simple farming, they seemed to be one, and every move they made was filled with indescribable harmony.

Without hostility or hatred, without prejudice, humans and monsters lived together peacefully... They... truly coexisted.

Despite their different races and appearances, their coexistence seems perfectly natural, as if it were always meant to be this way.

Seeing this scene before him, Shimizu Asahi involuntarily widened his eyes.

"Is this... what it looks like for humans and yokai to coexist peacefully..."

"Hehe... Master seems quite excited."

To the left of the young student, a petite and adorable girl smiled and said this.

"I thought I would be more excited." The student smiled softly, gazing at the harmonious and beautiful scene, but he wasn't as excited as he had expected.

He had thought that he would be so excited that he would be speechless when he saw the painting.

"Really? Then why aren't you even more excited?"

"I guess they felt they shouldn't get excited."

"Shouldn't it?" The girl tilted her head, somewhat puzzled.

“I don’t know, but my heart just tells me, ‘This is only natural, I shouldn’t get excited.’”

Isn't it natural for villagers and monsters to coexist?

The atmosphere here speaks volumes about the answer.

Shimizu Asahi gently clenched his fist. One day, he would make this answer resound throughout this land!

......

Meanwhile, at the summit of Mount Ōe, the demon king Ibaraki-dōji, dressed in a magnificent kimono, stood before the assembled demons.

She wielded a massive bone knife, her petite frame radiating an aura as profound as the ocean.

After glancing at the powerful monsters gathered there, she shouted fiercely and boldly:

"My minions, follow me and we will crush the Asura clan!" Chapter 74: The Asura Demon King

The azure night slowly faded, and the crimson sun slowly rose into the sky.

The morning chill dissipated without us noticing, and the soft light warmed everyone's bodies, causing a lazy, languid feeling to creep into our hearts.

Spring is a beautiful season full of vitality.

The cold white snow gradually melted, the withered green trees came back to life, and people began to loosen the soil, sow seeds, and plant crops.

Everything in nature bursts forth with upward vitality.

However, with the arrival of spring, a sense of weariness begins to creep in—spring drowsiness begins to roam among people.

Spring fatigue is a natural bodily reaction that everyone, from ordinary people to Onmyoji (a type of Japanese sorcerer), experiences.

The only difference is probably whether it's obvious or not.

"I didn't expect you to experience spring fatigue as well."

Inside the simple wooden house, Qingnufang looked at the somewhat tired boy with a hint of surprise.

She poured him a cup of tea and then said this.

"Thank you."

After thanking the student, he accepted the teacup and then smiled naturally, saying, "I'm human, it's normal to feel sleepy in spring."

Every spring, Qingshui Chaoyang experiences this reaction, but because he exercises regularly, it is not very noticeable.

The reason he showed such obvious signs this time was because he had been fighting and traveling for the past few days and was feeling physically exhausted.

Moreover, the knife wound the shopkeeper left on his chest had only just healed.

“…”

The boy's words made the girl glance at him again.

Human? You're probably the only one who doesn't know you're a half-demon.

I don't know what your monster sister was thinking. She's clearly a half-demon, but she raised you like a human.

Speaking of which, do half-demons even have the concept of spring fatigue?

The girl blinked gently, a question involuntarily arising in her mind.

People experience spring fatigue because their bodies are adapting to the gradually warming environment. Since a half-demon's body is much stronger than a human's, he probably wouldn't experience spring fatigue.

"Hmm... never mind, it doesn't matter." After thinking for a moment, Qingnvfang gave up on thinking about it further. She sat down opposite Shimizu Asahi and asked, "Do you want to sleep a little longer? You can get some rest before Kamo Tadashi arrives."

"No need, if I sleep now I won't be able to sleep tonight."

The student gently shook his head, then turned his gaze to Ibuki Ibuki-dōji.

"Furthermore, I have some questions I'd like to ask Ibuki."

"A problem?" The girl drinking sake paused for a moment, then realized what she meant.

She gently turned her head, looked at the young man, and said, "Master wants to know about the demonic energy, right?"

"Hehehe... Sure, just think of it as telling the master a story."

The girl smiled faintly as she drank and began to tell the story of the Asura Demon King.