Chapter 138. Feels Like Keeping a Lover Outside!
[You have found a house in Heian-kyo for Tamamo-no-Mae.]
[This is something that Tamamo-no-Mae could never do on her own.]
[But with your help, it is no longer a problem.]
[This is a residence that has been abandoned for a long time.]
[You spent a sum of money to purchase this place.]
[For now, this will temporarily serve as Tamamo-no-Mae's residence— in a certain sense, it can also be considered another "home" of yours.]
Inside the residence.
Seeing the dusty scene before her, Tamamo-no-Mae frowned slightly and couldn't help but mutter:
"It seems like this place has been here for quite a long time."
"That's true."
Ian also observed the scene before him.
"But compared to other places, this one is rather secluded. Living in this residence will be a little safer."
"But, Courtesan, do you not like this place?"
"If that's the case, it's still early. We can still switch to another place."
"How could that be?~"
Tamamo-no-Mae lightly waved her hand.
"Having a place to rest like this, I'm already very satisfied!"
"But with all this dust, I can't just move in as it is. I have to clean it thoroughly first."
"..."
Ian hesitated for a moment, then spoke up:
"I'll help you."
"Mikon?"
Tamamo-no-Mae was a bit surprised.
"Abe-dono, so you actually know how to clean a house?"
"That question of yours..." Ian smiled wryly. "Even an Onmyoji has to live a normal life, you know?"
"Besides—"
"Even if I don't know how, as long as I'm willing to learn, I'll surely be able to do it."
"That's true, isn't it?~"
"Alright then. Let's start cleaning!"
[You and Tamamo-no-Mae began cleaning up this ancient residence.]
[While this task wasn't complicated, it was very labor-intensive.]
[After all, there were only the two of you.]
[The two of you were busy from noon until sunset, and finally, the work was considered complete.]
[You realized that this was not a simple task.]
"It's finally done."
Ian looked at the residence before him—though it couldn't be called completely new, at least it was now much cleaner and more pleasant. He let out a light breath.
"That's right."
Tamamo-no-Mae carried over a basin of warm water, with a clean towel inside.
"Abe-dono, let me wipe your sweat for you."
"..."
Before Ian could respond, Tamamo-no-Mae had already wrung out the towel and then gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Her gestures were careful and gentle.
"Umu."
After finishing, Tamamo-no-Mae swung the towel slightly, placed both hands on her waist, and looked quite pleased.
"All done~"
"Now, Abe-dono looks much more dignified!"
[You realize that Tamamo-no-Mae's true nature is not that of a melancholic person.]
[In reality, she is a very lively girl.]
[This makes you wonder about all that she has gone through on her journey.]
[You feel that your decision now carries more meaning than just a simple exchange of benefits.]
"Well then, that's it for now."
Ian stood up.
The tall Grand Onmyoji slid open the shoji door slightly.
He caught the golden glow of the sunset outside and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I have to head back now."
"Courtesan, be careful."
"Mikon~!"
Tamamo-no-Mae nodded.
Perhaps because she had finally found a temporary place to stay, she looked much more at ease than before.
"May you have a safe journey~"
Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered something.
"Ah, Abe-dono, can I ask you one more thing?"
"...Go ahead."
"The thing is—"
Tamamo-no-Mae raised a finger and pointed at herself.
"From now on, please don't call me 'Courtesan' anymore."
"That way of addressing me makes me feel very uncomfortable."
"Then what should I call you?" Ian turned to look at the fox spirit.
Tamamo-no-Mae smiled gently.
"Just call me Tamamo~"
"Umu, very well."
[You left the residence under the watchful gaze of Tamamo-no-Mae.]
[You returned to the residence you shared with Minamoto no Raikou.]
[Just as mentioned before, Minamoto no Raikou was getting busier and busier.]
[She no longer returned to the residence that belonged to both of you as regularly as before.]
[You decided to take this time to temporarily sort out your thoughts.]
As for the origins of Tamamo-no-Mae, there was probably no doubt anymore.
But the core issue lay in the strange attitude of the Tenno of Heian toward her.
To be fair.
Even though Ian had barely interacted with this Tenno, he did not believe that the man was the type to mobilize a large-scale pursuit just for the sake of a fox spirit (or rather, a woman) from the mountains.
Because if that were truly the case—
Minamoto no Raikou, in her role as "Mino no Kami" (the guardian of Mino), would certainly not stay silent—she was someone who carried the ambition of restoring the Minamoto clan and would not willingly obey a weak ruler.
But if he thought about it this way—
A new problem arose before Ian.
Aside from the factor of "being a woman," what other reason could have prompted the Tenno to order such a large-scale hunt?
Ian had a constant feeling that this matter was far from simple.
Additionally—
Even though he had agreed to help Tamamo-no-Mae, Ian currently had no leads at all.
How could he make the Tenno call off the pursuit?
How could he retrieve the mirror for Tamamo-no-Mae?
These matters were not easy in the slightest and carried great risk.
But—
If he could use this opportunity to "establish contact" with Minamoto no Mitsunaka, then no matter what, he had to give it a try.
That was the key to preventing Minamoto no Raikou from becoming Ushi Gozen.
Ian absolutely would not accept that future.
[You have sorted out your thoughts.]
[You realize that a lot of time has passed.]
[Minamoto no Raikou has returned to the residence.]
[She looks utterly exhausted—it seems that governmental affairs have indeed increased significantly.]
"My lady, you've returned."
Even though she looked extremely weary, upon seeing Ian, Minamoto no Raikou still mustered the energy to greet him.
"Umu, Danna-sama, I'm back."
After speaking, she embraced Ian.
For her, this was the most relaxing moment of the day.
However—
Minamoto no Raikou quickly lifted her head.
Her beautiful purple eyes shone with suspicion.
"Danna-sama, did you do something today?"
"Eh?"
Ian had not expected Minamoto no Raikou to suddenly bring this up.
"My lady, what do you mean by that?"
"The scent on you is different."
Minamoto no Raikou gazed intently at Ian and replied.
"Danna-sama, this is not how you usually smell—something definitely happened. You must have exerted yourself and worked up a sweat for it to turn out this way."
"Danna-sama, you weren't secretly doing something behind my back, were you?"
"..."
It was only now that Ian realized—whenever Minamoto no Raikou embraced him, she wasn't just enjoying the action itself, but also taking in his scent.
However, he remained completely calm.
"My lady, have you forgotten?"
"For your sake, I now have to command some soldiers for patrol duty as well—perhaps that's why there's a strange scent on me that you're not used to."
"...That's true."
Minamoto no Raikou lightly tapped her head, a slightly apologetic smile appearing on her lips.
"There's been so much going on, I almost forgot."
"But—"
The female samurai lifted her head and looked straight at the Grand Onmyoji before her, her voice extremely serious:
"Danna-sama, you must not get too close to any other women."
"If you do—"
"I will definitely kill that person."
Ian was just about to respond when he realized that Minamoto no Raikou had already fallen asleep, resting her head against his chest.
It seemed that she was truly exhausted today.
But that didn't mean her words were just idle talk.
Perhaps it was best not to bring up Tamamo with her.
Avoiding unnecessary complications.
Looking at Minamoto no Raikou sleeping in his arms, her breathing slightly hurried from exhaustion, Ian felt his heart sink.
He gently stroked her hair and placed a kiss on her fair forehead.
"Don't worry."
"My lady will have days of peaceful rest."
[The large-scale pursuit ordered by the Tenno was still ongoing.]
[Thanks to your protection, Tamamo-no-Mae had not encountered any danger.]
[After all, the residence she was staying in had been purchased under your name.]
[The soldiers in charge of the investigation, even if they didn't consider you, would at least give some respect to Minamoto no Raikou.]
[However, you did not lower your guard because of this.]
[You knew very well that the Tenno would not give up so easily.]
"Mikon!"
"Truly, I am deeply grateful to Abe-do—no, Abe-sama!"
Tamamo-no-Mae immediately knelt before Ian, her large fluffy tail standing straight up behind her.
"If not for Abe-sama, I would still be trembling in fear out in the streets right now."
"As long as you understand."
Ian helped Tamamo-no-Mae up.
"Tamamo, for now, you're safe."
"But—"
"You should also know that this is not over yet, so you must be careful for the time being."
"Umu." Tamamo-no-Mae nodded.
"I understand."
"I know my position, so when Abe-sama is not around, I will absolutely not leave this place."
"That's good."
Ian stood up.
"I've already brought you the necessities… If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"That—"
Tamamo-no-Mae hesitated as if she wanted to say something but held back.
Seeing her like this, Ian took the initiative to ask:
"What is it? We're already at this point, just say it."
Tamamo-no-Mae looked troubled.
"I suddenly feel like this might not be the right time to bring it up."
"..."
Ian reached out and flicked Tamamo-no-Mae's forehead.
After she clutched her forehead and cried out, "That hurts!" he continued speaking:
"If you have something to say, say it now. Don't keep petty thoughts to yourself."
"Tamamo, you must understand that your situation is extremely dangerous right now."
"If you make a mistake, it won't just be you who suffers—it will affect me as well."
"So—"
"If you have something to say, say it outright."
"Whether it's appropriate or not, I'll be the one to decide."
"Then—"
Tamamo-no-Mae's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Tomorrow at noon, would Abe-sama be willing to have a meal with me here at the residence?"
"It's fine if you can't… I was just mentioning it casually, so if you don't come, then—"
Before Tamamo-no-Mae could finish her sentence, Ian had already replied:
"I'll be there, wait for me."
"But for now, I have to go."
Hearing this response, Tamamo-no-Mae was overjoyed.
"Yes!"
"I will prepare everything perfectly!"
[Your agreement stemmed entirely from concern for Tamamo-no-Mae's state of mind.]
[After all, if she could no longer endure this situation and decided to take action, you feared you wouldn't be able to control the consequences.]
[So, you knew you had to pay attention to her feelings.]
[This wasn't just about solving her problem—it was about solving your own as well.]
The next day.
Ian arrived on time.
As he slid open the doors of the old residence, he immediately saw the busy figure of Tamamo-no-Mae—she was truly taking this lunch seriously.
Seeing the Grand Onmyoji arrive, Tamamo-no-Mae paused for a moment.
Despite the sweat glistening on her forehead, she smiled brightly and spoke:
"Abe-sama, please wait just a moment."
"I'll be done soon."
"Umu, I understand."
[You found a spot on the tatami and sat down.]
[Tamamo-no-Mae continued her preparations right in front of you.]
[She didn't seem the least bit bothered by the work—in fact, she looked quite happy.]
[Before long, a full table of dishes had been set out.]
[Her skills were no less than those of a professional chef at a tavern.]
"Abe-sama."
Tamamo-no-Mae placed the final dish on the table before Ian.
"Please, have a taste of my cooking."
"..."
"Abe-sama, what's with that look?" Tamamo-no-Mae looked slightly anxious. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No."
Ian shook his head.
"I just vaguely remember you saying before that you don't like serving others, so I was thinking of helping out."
"But from the looks of it, you're not entirely unfamiliar with this sort of thing."
"Besides, you seemed quite happy just now."
"..."
Tamamo-no-Mae rested her chin on her hands, elbows on the table, and her lips curved into a slight smile.
"Abe-sama, you're mistaken."
"It's not that I dislike serving others… I just hadn't met anyone worth serving."
"But now—"
The fox spirit gazed at the Onmyoji sitting before her.
"Abe-sama is my only benefactor."
"That's why I believe you are worthy of being served like this."
"Please, enjoy the meal I have prepared with all my heart."
"..."
Tamamo-no-Mae's eyes were filled with anticipation.
Ian hesitated for a moment but did not reject her kindness.
He began to taste the dishes on the table.
There was no denying it—
Tamamo-no-Mae's cooking skills were just as impressive as she claimed.
Ian truly couldn't find a single flaw.
"Tamamo, your cooking is excellent."
"Of course it is."
Tamamo-no-Mae puffed up with pride.
"I put a lot of effort into preparing today's meal, after all."
"That's right."
The considerate fox spirit stood up and picked up a sake jar placed to the side.
"The bottle of sake Abe-sama brought last time has yet to be opened."
"Today—"
Tamamo-no-Mae placed the sake jar on the table and then sat down beside Ian.
"Abe-sama."
"Would you care to have a few drinks with me?"