Late at night, in a room within the Minamoto clan's residence.
Tamamo no Mae was leaning against the window, exhaling hot air again and again.
Her legs were trembling slightly, and even when she tried to stop them with her hands, she couldn't.
Of course.
This wasn't because Tamamo no Mae had some strange illness.
It stemmed from the towl inside her fox's treasure.
Even though she felt a bit uncomfortable from holding it in, she couldn't bear to take it out.
After all—
It was something he had personally inserted.
If she pulled it out, it felt like she would lose her last connection with him.
Thinking of this, Tamamo no Mae felt a little lost.
With a soft rustling sound, the shoji door was gently pulled open.
The figure of the Grand Onmyoji appeared there.
Tamamo no Mae's eyes instantly brightened a little.
And just as Abe no Taishin was about to speak, he noticed Tamamo no Mae's legs were still trembling.
[You realized something.]
[You looked between Tamamo no Mae's legs.]
[Her face turned red.]
"..."
"Ahem, Tama-chan."
Realising his words she exclaimed in embarrassment.
"I am here!."
"You..." Abe no Taishin saw between Tamamo no Mae's legs and asked, "You haven't taken it out yet, have you?"
"...Yes."
Tamamo no Mae nodded, then lowered her head.
Seeing this, Abe no Taishin walked up to her in a few steps and then crouched down.
"Why didn't you take it out?"
"Tama-chan, you should know that I just didn't want you to leak there, right?"
"Because I couldn't bear to."
Tamamo no Mae answered Abe no Taishin's question in a very small voice,
"I wanted to keep a little more connection between myself and Abe-san."
"..."
[You realized that Tamamo no Mae seemed to have misunderstood the scene in the bathroom.]
[She felt that she would no longer have any connection with you.]
[But you knew that the situation was not like that at all.]
[You wanted to clear up this misunderstanding.]
[You had a plan.]
"I see."
Abe no Taishin looked at the sad Tamamo no Mae, his eyes filled with a bit more tenderness.
"Then—"
"Tama-chan, I want to take it out now, is that okay?"
"..."
Tamamo no Mae hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"...Yes."
"If Abe-san wants to take it out, then please do."
"Alright."
Abe no Taishin sat down in front of Tamamo no Mae.
He lifted the fox demon's skirt, as if unveiling a treasure.
"Tama-chan, can you help me hold this?"
"Okay."
Tamamo no Mae obediently took the hem of the skirt from the Grand Onmyoji's hands and carefully held it in her own.
But after that, Abe no Taishin just looked at her like that, without saying a word.
Seeing him like this, Tamamo no Mae became even more embarrassed.
She asked shyly:
"Abe-san... is there something about me that made you feel unwell?"
"No, not at all." Abe no Taishin smiled slightly.
"On the contrary, it's because it's too good."
"Too good?" Tamamo no Mae's fox ears twitched slightly.
"Yes."
Abe no Taishin looked up at Tamamo no Mae, his fingers gently scratching at the pure white treasure.
"Tama-chan's treasure, no matter how many times I look at it, is always so beautiful... that's why I get distracted like this."
"Eh?"
It was clearly a very shameful thing, but after Abe no Taishin said it, Tamamo no Mae didn't feel that way at all.
Because this at least proved one thing—that she wasn't just an object of transactional interest related to the mirror in his heart.
"Tama-chan."
Abe no Taishin's fingers gently slid between the gap in the fox's treasure, which was propped open by the towel.
"I'm going to dig it out now."
"I understand."
The Grand Onmyoji's fingers gently stirred in the gap of the treasure, and soon found one end of the towel.
Slish, slish.
The towel hooked by his fingers was gently pulled out.
The inside of the treasure rubbed against the clean towel, creating an itchy sensation, like many ants crawling.
Tamamo no Mae bit her lower lip.
Her beautiful golden eyes narrowed slightly, and her two fox ears perked up and down, as if she was enduring something.
But even so, she didn't make any sound.
The towel was pulled out little by little, and Tamamo no Mae's face gradually turned redder.
With a soft pop, the towel fell into the Grand Onmyoji's hand, and the inside of Tamamo no Mae's treasure returned to its empty state.
The towel had served its purpose—absorbing the fox demon's surge, allowing Tamamo no Mae to experience the full excitement without making a mess everywhere.
The fox demon subconsciously wanted to shout her catchphrase, but then covered her mouth.
She absolutely couldn't cause him any more trouble.
But at this moment.
Abe no Taishin pulled her into his arms and gently comforted her.
"Go ahead and moan... Raiko is already asleep. If you're quiet, she won't hear."
"..."
Tamamo no Mae looked up.
Her eyes held rather complex emotions, and her head was filled with countless thoughts.
But in the end, all of this was thrown to the back of her mind.
The wandering fox demon, who had been adrift for so long, no longer cared about external constraints.
"Migu!"
Tamamo no Mae leaned against Abe no Taishin's chest.
"Abe-san... although I know I have no right to say this."
"But I—"
"I also really want to become your wife!"
[This was a confession from Tamamo no Mae.]
[You were not surprised by this.]
[After all, the way she looked at you had long been unusual.]
[But you were not confused by Tamamo no Mae's beauty.]
[You had your own thoughts.]
Abe no Taishin looked at Tamamo no Mae in front of him, thought for a moment, and then said in the most serious tone:
"Tama-chan, you could certainly become a very good wife."
"But becoming my wife is probably impossible."
"..."
Objectively speaking.
Tamamo no Mae wasn't surprised by this answer at all.
After all, having witnessed the scene in the bathroom, she didn't think for a moment that the Grand Onmyoji before her would be the kind of person willing to abandon the current Minamoto no Raiko.
Her words just now were only because she felt unwilling.
This result was just her destiny.
"Yes... Abe-san, you're right."
Tamamo no Mae composed herself and forced a wry smile.
"I was being presumptuous again."
"I will leave now... I won't disturb Abe-san and Lady Minamoto."
But just as she finished speaking, things took a direction that Tamamo no Mae had never expected.
The Grand Onmyoji grabbed the fox demon's hands with both his left and right hands, and then pressed her whole body onto the tatami mat.
"Tama-chan has already become a demon defeated by me today."
"So—"
"You can't go anywhere."
"Otherwise, my reputation as the Grand Onmyoji will be ruined."
[Tamamo no Mae was not foolish.]
[She understood the true meaning of what you were trying to express.]
[She knew this was your euphemistic way of keeping her in the Minamoto clan's residence.]
"Abe-san, you can't do that."
Tamamo no Mae denied Abe no Taishin's statement.
"If Lady Minamoto finds out, Abe-san will be in big trouble."
"No, she won't."
Abe no Taishin looked at the fox demon beneath him, who had nowhere to go in every sense of the word.
"Tama-chan is so capable, arranging a temporary identity for her to stay won't be difficult."
"Besides—"
"Besides?"
"Besides, using Tama-chan's body for pleasure like this has already become a part of my life."
"..."
[Of course, Tamamo no Mae wouldn't take your words literally.]
[After all, if you really wanted to do that, you could have kept finding excuses to trap her in Heian-kyō.]
[She quickly understood.]
[You were just finding a seemingly plausible reason to keep her here.]
"Abe-san."
Tamamo no Mae turned her face away, still unable to fully accept it.
"Can I... really do this?"
"If I say you can, then you can."
Abe no Taishin said gently.
"Tama-chan, stay here and let me take pleasure in you."
"Perform beautiful water flowers show for me every day, and then struggle vigorously against the ropes on the tatami."
"That kind of Tama-chan... is very important to me."
The absurd request was the most sincere expression at this moment.
Giving her a reason to stay even after being rejected was more important than anything else.
"I understand."
Tamamo no Mae turned her head back and looked directly at the Grand Onmyoji who was pressing her down on the tatami, her eyes showing a bit more docile obedience.
"Abe-san... from now on, please use me well for your pleasure."
"Not tonight for the time being."
Abe no Taishin gently stroked Tamamo no Mae's treasure.
"But—"
"To let Tama-chan know I'm not joking."
"I have to do something."
Saying these words, the Grand Onmyoji's fingers slid down to the fox demon's lower abdomen.
That was an excellent place to draw a talisman.
[Talent Grand Onmyoji+++ has been activated: You drew a purplish-red Onmyoji mark on Tamamo no Mae's lower abdomen.]
[It was a shape that was extremely compatible and similar to the inside of the fox's treasure.]
[Tamamo no Mae was very happy about this—although she felt it was a bit shameful.]
"Abe-san."
Tamamo no Mae looked down at the mark on her lower abdomen.
"What is this used for?"
"An oath."
Abe no Taishin replied.
"Tama-chan will be something I use for pleasure from now on... so I have to protect her properly."
Pleasure was just an addition.
More importantly, it was to protect her—after all, this was the Minamoto clan's residence.
Without being able to leave Heian-kyō, this was naturally a relatively safe place.
After all, no one would suspect the Grand Onmyoji who had just exterminated a fox demon, and even less would they provoke Minamoto no Raiko.
Tamamo no Mae, who had spent a season in Kyoto living in fear and anxiety, deeply understood this principle.
"Abe-san, thank you so much."
"If I hadn't met you, I'm afraid I really wouldn't have survived."
"No." Abe no Taishin shook his head. "Tama-chan is so smart, even without me, she would definitely have found a way to survive."
"It's just that I now feel there's one thing worth questioning."
"Something worth questioning?"
"Yes." Abe no Taishin nodded.
"Tama-chan, don't you think the Emperor's attitude towards you is very problematic?"
"First, he ordered the entire Heian-kyō to be sealed off, but he didn't issue an order allowing you to be killed."
"Even after Raiko reported my plan, he still issued the requirement to 'capture her alive if possible'."
"Isn't this practically demanding that you enter the court no matter what?"
"This..."
Tamamo no Mae was a little surprised.
"I hadn't thought of such a thing."
"Eh? Wait."
"Abe-san, now that you mention it, I remember that when I was captured that day, those people mentioned a name."
"What name?"
"Fujiwara no Tokuko."
[You realized this was a name that had never been mentioned before.]
[But your intuition told you that this was a very important name.]
[You realized that the situation had changed somewhat.]
"Then Tama-chan, do you know any information about this name?"
Hearing Abe no Taishin's question, Tamamo no Mae shook her head.
"At that time, I was always thinking about how to escape... I didn't delve into this name."
"It's alright."
Abe no Taishin patted Tamamo no Mae's head.
"Tama-chan, you don't need to worry."
"If it's a name from the court, Raiko will definitely know."
"..."
Tamamo no Mae forced a wry smile.
"Yes, Lady Minamoto will definitely be able to help."
Abe no Taishin naturally couldn't fail to hear the sadness hidden in Tamamo no Mae's words.
"Tama-chan, are you feeling very sad?"
"Yes." Tamamo no Mae said frankly.
"But—"
"I'm not sad because I couldn't help."
"It's because I wasn't able to meet Abe-san earlier."
Tamamo no Mae looked affectionately at the Grand Onmyoji beside her.
"Abe-san."
"If I had appeared before Lady Minamoto, would you have chosen me?"
"Tama-chan, I don't want to deceive you."
"But probably not."
Images of the past flashed before Abe no Taishin's eyes.
"Because without Raiko, I would probably still be living a secluded life in some village."
"She brought me to Heian-kyō, and that's how everything I have now came to be."
"So—"
"Without her, I don't think anything would have happened even if I had met you."
"I see, I understand."
Tamamo no Mae's eyes slightly reddened.
"Lady Minamoto is really important to Abe-san."
"Tama-chan."
Abe no Taishin gently stroked Tamamo no Mae's cheek.
"You are also important."
"But, I'm sorry—my wife will only ever be Raiko."
(T/N:Pfft! Do we look like idiots).
"..."
Tamamo no Mae was silent.
After a long time, as if she had figured something out, she smiled and said:
"Does that mean I should start seducing Abe-san from now on?"
"Wait a minute, seduce?"
"Yesh~?"
Tamamo no Mae took Abe no Taishin's arm.
"If Abe-san can't acknowledge that I can become his wife—"
"Then shall I seduce Abe-san as his lover?"
"That way, all the consequences will be due to my charm, you see~?"
"Abe-san will become the Grand Onmyoji captured by me!"
Knowing that this was a psychological compromise after Tamamo no Mae had come to terms with reality,
Abe no Taishin didn't say anything more.
He nodded and said:
"Alright."
"I'd like to see how Tama-chan can seduce me."
"Hehe~" Tamamo no Mae winked.
"Abe-san, please look forward to my actions☆~"
"But speaking of which—"
"Why is there such an empty room here?"
"Hmm... because it used to be a place where oni lived."
"Eh? Oni lived here?!"
"Yes, two oni to be precise."
"Two?!"
"That doesn't matter anymore—from now on, this will be the place where Tama-chan performs for me."
[Tamamo no Mae, unable to leave the capital, decided to stay here.]
[Talent Landscape Confrontation has been activated: You settled Tamamo no Mae in the residence as a servant.]
[She very considerately avoided Minamoto no Raiko.]
[The two lived peacefully.]
[The day to report the results of the demon extermination soon arrived.]
[You and Minamoto no Raiko went to the Imperial Palace.]
In front of the palace gate.
Abe no Taishin, who was here for the first time, looked at the stone path ahead—at the end was where the Emperor would meet with his officials.
But as soon as he took a step onto the stone path, he froze.
Because the Grand Onmyoji felt a strange aura.
It was a feeling of life and death being confused by some means.
Was there a living corpse nearby?