Chapter 64: Fried Tofu

"The village... is completely gone..."

The battle concluded, and the Gyakushinn Miko, carrying a dazed Higokumaru, stood atop the shrine mountain with the Yae Sakura sisters, Kallen, and the girl who had previously been possessed by Higokumaru, all looking over what remained of Yae Village.

Below them, the entire settlement lay devastated...

It was as if a battle between Herrschers had passed through, leaving nothing but ruin...

Not a single soul remained, not even a blade of grass. The inferno had transformed the village into a void, a barren wasteland.

The villagers of Yae Village were all but gone, save for one little girl... The rest...

To be honest... the sisters fared somewhat better. Raised by Serenade and already ostracized by the villagers, their deaths left Yae Sakura and Yae Rin only slightly grief-stricken. Beyond that... they felt little else. After all, it was an inevitability.

As for exacting revenge by killing Higokumaru?

As a Herrscher, what does one death mean? She'd merely rise again sooner or later.

It could only be described as an act of nature, a calamity that no one could have foreseen or prevented.

Even the Gyakushinn Miko, the priestesses said to oppose the gods, could only protect the Yae sisters—little more. Their power was limited.

The Yae sisters were doing a little better, but Kallen was feeling somewhat ill at ease.

She hadn't been able to save a single person in the village, and even... she herself had been the one needing protection.

But... given some time, these things should be able to recover.

The entire village was destroyed, and the Yae Shrine had also become abandoned. It would probably take years... before plants would grow again in Yae Village.

However, although the current outcome was roughly the same as the end of the "Sakura" chapter, in reality... many things had completely changed.

The villagers were no longer killed by Yae Sakura; these events had nothing to do with her. Kallen and Yae Sakura wouldn't have a confrontation. Yae Rin was doing just fine...

Isn't that... enough?

Anything more would be... too greedy, wouldn't it?

"Though... they've passed away, at least... we can help them find peace! If you feel guilty... let's do this together! May their journey through the underworld be a good one."

Seeing Kallen's sorrowful expression, the Gyakushinn Miko spoke to the group.

"Help them find peace?"

"Yes, help the deceased..."

A true miko must learn many things... performing rituals is among them. This isn't something only monks and priests can do.

Miko Kikyō was undoubtedly a great miko. When the Gyakushinn Miko was with Kikyō, she didn't just learn about spiritual energy cultivation and barrier techniques.

Blessings, divination, rituals for the deceased, medicine...

She dabbled in all of these...

In this world of Honkai, it's unclear if there truly are souls...

You could say there are, but they're rarely seen...

Or you could say there aren't, yet there's evidence of spirit-like entities...

Take the Stigma spaces for example... The spirits within them, aren't they akin to souls?

Regardless, as the Gyakushinn Miko led Kallen, Yae Sakura, and the others in performing rituals for the villagers, their inner guilt inexplicably lightened.

The smiles on their faces returned once again.

Whether these rituals truly worked or not was irrelevant. As humans... we merely seek a sense of peace.

Even if it's false, by choosing to believe, the burdens weighing on our hearts can't help but lessen.

With their home completely destroyed, they had no choice but to rebuild anew...

But these were no ordinary people; they didn't need months like commoners would. Surely... a week should be more than enough.

Before that, however, Gyakushinn Miko had ridden Higokumaru to a nearby town and bought many blocks of tofu...

For tomorrow, Higokumaru was set to disappear along with the girl. The Gyakushinn Miko wouldn't forget her promise to Higokumaru.

After purchasing all the ingredients for fried tofu, Gyakushinn Miko decided to try her hand at cooking and made several large batches.

-

"Dig in!"

She placed the first plate of freshly fried tofu in Higokumaru's hands and promptly began preparing a second pot. How could just one batch possibly satisfy Higokumaru's appetite?

Gyakushinn Miko had gone to the trouble of buying up all the fried tofu in town.

"It smells divine! I'm going to chow down!"

Without a table, Higokumaru held the plate without fear of its heat... and simply grabbed a piece of fried tofu with her other hand to start eating.

"Mmm, it's so delicious! Warm and soft fried tofu..."

Higokumaru took a bite of the fried tofu, her face immediately lit up with pure happiness... she savored the lingering taste with endless satisfaction.

Being able to occasionally enjoy Big Sister's fried tofu throughout my life is more than enough for me.

"Is it really that good?"

Kallen looked at Higokumaru, utterly puzzled...

It's just fried tofu.

"Of course! Big Sister's fried tofu is the best in the world. But... I'm not giving you any. I barely have enough for myself." Higokumaru clutched her plate tightly, eyeing Kallen warily as if afraid she might snatch her precious fried tofu.

"What is this? Are you taking me for a thief? ...Do you think I'd actually steal your food?"

Seeing Higokumaru act this way, Kallen couldn't help but feel indignant!

Me, stealing your food?

"Who knows... You even stole my big sister!" Higokumaru glared at Kallen, clearly annoyed with her know-it-all attitude—and, well, this nun had also stolen Big Sister's heart.

Though it was only Kallen from a parallel world!

"My big sister? I... I never stole your b... big sister," Kallen stammered, wanting to defend herself but suddenly lacking confidence when she saw the furious shrine maiden. She quickly prepared another tray of fried tofu.

"Heh heh, you didn't give me any, but I still get to eat, right?" Kallen looked smugly at Higokumaru.

"Hmph!" Higokumaru was visibly displeased.

It was clearly her reward, so why... did they get a share too? Especially... Higokumaru really couldn't stand Kallen's holier-than-thou act.

When the Gyakushinn Miko brought out a fresh tray, Kallen and Yae Sakura eagerly grabbed a piece each, their eyes lighting up as they tasted it.

Though not as exaggerated as Higokumaru had claimed, it was indeed... utterly delicious!

"The flavors of fried tofu... truly remarkable!"