Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 1032

It's rare to see Chitanda alone, so of course I'll just ask her out.

The rain is expected to stop for at least 45 minutes, which is enough time for us to have a proper conversation and exchange feelings.

In short, the two sat on the ferry hall in the corridor and chatted casually.

Soon, Yang Nai, Fuyumi, Horikita Suzune and the others who were passing by noticed them from afar, and they all deliberately avoided the two of them and walked around them.

"Kyosuke-sama will be casting the spell to build the house around noon, I'll definitely go check it out then~"

Yang said with great interest.

Horikita Suzune said admiringly, "I should also go and observe with Kaede."

Dongshi: "I'm not really interested in that."

"It would be good if Dongshi mastered medical skills. As for me, I've been thinking these days about whether I should practice martial arts. Because I do have some free time sometimes."

"If that's the case, how about we train together sometime in the future, Yang Nai-jie?"

"Let's take a look, but our job is still more important."

Yang said this to Horikita Suzune.

Just as he said.

She's been a little bored these days.

Just then, I realized that my younger brother, who would definitely be born in the future, would learn martial arts, so I might as well take advantage of my current age and continue learning.

I'll teach my younger brother then, so he won't have to suffer too much in the future.

Ultimately, Yang was well aware of the troubles of being an heir.

Given that there are many people in this era who are both literate and martial, and that there are many noble children who are not eligible for hereditary privileges, one must naturally possess strong enough abilities to stand out and gain attention.

This principle applies to both ancient and modern times.

Let's get back to the main topic.

Yang suddenly realized that it seemed he still found it hard to stay idle.

But it seems not bad, at least it's much freer than before.

"I will be studying marine items such as coral and seaweed in the coming days, because Kyosuke-sama specially gave me some that have great medicinal value."

Feeling that he couldn't remain silent, Fuyumi then introduced his future plans.

Both Yang Nai and Horikita Suzune expressed their approval.

Once they reached the East House area, they separated and went about their own business.

Among them, Horikita Suzune specifically went back to tell Kiryuin Fuka about what happened at noon.

"Building a bathhouse...that's really thoughtful. But what's the situation outside?"

After sighing, Kiryuin Kaede became curious about what was happening outside.

Horikita Suzune said, "Judging from Kyosuke-sama's disgust when he mentioned it, I guess it's probably not a good thing. Let's just ignore it?"

"That's true, after all, it involves..."

Kiryuin Fuka's expression was inscrutable.

how to say?

How could someone living in Kyoto not be aware of the "environmental pollution" incidents that have been occurring since last year?

Therefore, it's best not to pay too much attention to it.

Noon time.

After making preparations, Kyosuke Kousaka arrived at the designated location and, together with Kagura, began constructing the bathhouse.

Because there was plenty of wood, stone, and metal in the space, building with earth and wood magic wasn't too difficult for him.

Moreover, there were quite a few onlookers during the construction.

The atmosphere was quite lively.

In contrast, the outside of Kyoto was quiet—

The air in Kyoto was thick with moisture after the rain, and the surroundings were very humid.

Strange traces remained scattered throughout the streets...

There was also a particularly strange smell in the air.

The cleaners were all using brooms made of slender twigs to clean the surroundings.

There were also many firemen and guards present.

However, the expressions on the faces of these people were all filled with bitterness and resentment.

"Damn it... Why should we have to bear the blame for those people's mistakes?"

"It stinks, it stinks so bad! I probably won't be able to eat anything for the next few days."

"It will take at least six or seven days for things to improve."

"No, I heard from the Onmyoji that it will continue to rain for the next few days."

They chatted amongst themselves.

The content of his speech became increasingly resentful.

The relevant departments under their jurisdiction, namely the Anti-Illegal Activities Office and the Foreign Guard Office, are particularly busy.

This does not include Ayanokoji, Hikigaya, Horikita Manabu, Shijo Tei, and others who are usually quite busy.

Under normal circumstances, they are not exactly leisurely.

But today is different.

After the caretakers at the lodge ran into trouble and the streets became "a terrible sight," they stopped going out.

They were all chatting in the pavilion.

"Aren't you going out now?" Shijo Tei asked.

Ayanokouji: "It's best not to go out at all, just wait until you get off work. After all, getting involved in this kind of thing will only make people think it's bad luck."

Horikita Manabu: "Previously, the nobles would not go out except for important matters."

Hikigaya: "In similar incidents in the past, some nobles simply moved to the outskirts of the palace."

"...It seems everyone is quite uncomfortable."

Having not experienced any disasters in Kyoto Port before, Shijo Teito immediately displayed a strange expression.

Ayanokouji said helplessly, "It's no longer a matter of whether I feel comfortable or not, but a big problem that will cause trouble for others - if it's not cleaned thoroughly, the other adults will still talk about it."

"However, according to our stance and principles, we cannot get too involved, otherwise we might be equated with 'filth.' Therefore, the days that followed were extremely difficult."

Horikita Manabu summarized: "It is a series of situations, namely, the difficulty in handling the follow-up issues, the high probability of being complained about, and the inability to go too deep into the matter."

As Hikigaya listened, he rubbed his forehead, which seemed to have wrinkles, and he felt very tired.

"In the future, I guess I can only keep going like this, until...the end."

The problem is, he doesn't think it will end so easily.

Clearly, this "smelly" war was not just an isolated incident, but a covert and extremely terrifying political confrontation.

Unless something unusual happens, they'll probably stay in the government compound on standby until they get off work these days...

It's not just that.

Hikigaya has other concerns as well.

"After the battle of Suzuka Mountain, the flow of spiritual energy around Kyoto suddenly accelerated, as if there was a bottomless pit drawing in spiritual energy... Even setting up a barrier could not prevent it, and it is certain that the environment will become more and more deteriorate in the future."

Then, we must add this political clash to the mix.

It seems like we're facing both internal and external troubles.

So can't things just stop for a moment?

Well, it must be very difficult in the imperial court. At least according to history, it took the seemingly advantageous Taoist priest a long time to completely suppress Yi Zhou.

If these two forces want to fight, it will be a long battle.

Hachiman hopes they can exercise restraint at crucial moments.

Don't completely destroy Kyoto.

Day 367 of crossing

A subtle atmosphere still permeated Kyoto.

Some ministers couldn't bear it any longer and even suggested that the Onmyoji (a type of Taoist priest) help resolve the issue.

A heated verbal conflict even broke out in the imperial court...

Kyosuke Kousaka, who was still staying at home and not going out, was just eating melon seeds.

Until, a guest came to visit.

The guest was Minamoto no Yorihira.