Fox Spirit Shame Education Under the Cherry Blossom Tree / The Best Way to Settle Tamamo no Mae

"..."

"I understand."

Without a moment's hesitation about his own death, Abe no Taishin directly responded to Abe no Seimei's words.

"Taishin."

Abe no Seimei looked at him before him, his eyes full of approval.

"Your speed of agreement is even faster than what I observed before."

"Because there's nothing to hesitate about, right?"

Abe no Taishin looked directly at Abe no Seimei, whose appearance could no longer be discerned.

"Using my life to exchange for Raiko's future."

"Isn't that much more worthwhile than imagined?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, Abe no Seimei suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

"Indeed."

"If it can be exchanged with a life, there is nothing more worthwhile than this."

"Taishin—!"

"You truly are the descendant I chose!"

Abe no Seimei's praise had just landed.

The space shrouded in the light emitted by Tamamo no Mae's mirror began to tremble.

Cracks appeared on the originally stable ground.

Obviously.

This place where it was possible to "communicate" with souls would soon fall apart.

"It seems our communication must end here."

Abe no Seimei looked at Abe no Taishin before him and reached out his hand.

"I hope we can both get what we wish for."

"Hmm..."

Abe no Taishin grasped Abe no Seimei's hand.

"That's what I think too."

The two generations of Onmyoji, separated by many years, looked at each other until the other disappeared from their sight.

[You have learned everything.]

[Talent Great Onmyoji+++ has been replaced by Descendant of the Great Onmyoji+++: You have figured out everything about your identity as an Onmyoji.]

[You learned that your abilities originate from the Holy Grail.]

[You understood the reality that your means of drawing ayakashi came from Abe no Seimei's prayer.]

[This was indeed the same as what Shuten Douji had felt back then.]

[You are not a true human being—but an existence summoned by the Holy Grail.]

[Talent Strange Couple+ has been replaced by Reversing Fate+: You know that you are the only one who can prevent Minamoto no Raiko's future of demonization.]

[You are determined to do it.]

[Talent Kyoto's Highest Fame has been lost: These so-called honors no longer have any meaning for you at this moment.]

[You must plot an event sufficient to allow Minamoto no Raiko to kill you.]

[But before that, you know you must also arrange things for the ayakashi who love you.]

The blue light gradually faded from Minamoto no Mitsunaka's former room.

Abe no Taishin opened his eyes and saw Tamamo no Mae with an apologetic expression.

"Migu!"

"I'm sorry, Abe-sama!"

Tamamo no Mae glanced at the mirror on the tatami mat that had lost its light and immediately prostrated herself in apology.

"The 'aura' of this humble one's mirror seems to have been used up."

"It's alright."

Abe no Taishin smiled slightly.

"I've already figured things out."

"Migu?!"

Tamamo no Mae's two fluffy ears twitched slightly.

She raised her head, her expression changing from the guilt just now to joy all at once.

"Abe-sama, does this mean this humble one has helped you?"

"Hmm," Abe no Taishin nodded, "That's about right."

"Tama-chan's mirror has already explained all the questions I had before."

"That's wonderful~"

Tamamo no Mae held her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

She reached out and wiped the corner of her eye.

"This humble one almost cried when I saw the light leave the mirror just now."

"..."

Looking at Tamamo no Mae's extremely worried appearance, Abe no Taishin was stunned for a moment.

Then he reached out and pulled Tamamo no Mae's head closer to himself.

"I'm sorry, Tama-chan."

"I shouldn't have made you so worried."

"It's nothing."

Tamamo no Mae snuggled against the Grand Onmyoji's chest.

Her two fox ears perked up slightly—that was her way of showing happiness.

"This humble one only hoped to be able to help Abe no Taishin-sama in my own way."

"I know."

Abe no Taishin's hand gently stroked Tamamo no Mae's head, feeling the delicate texture of the ayakashi's fur.

"Tama-chan, is there anything you want to do?"

"Anything I want to do?"

Tamamo no Mae clearly hadn't expected Abe no Taishin to ask such a question at this time.

And she also knew that she shouldn't make any demands.

However—

The cherry blossoms she had seen when entering the capital flashed back in the fox spirit's eyes.

It was a breathtaking scene, also implying that spring had quietly arrived.

A little selfishness towards the person she admired welled up in her heart.

"This humble one does have something I want to do."

Tamamo no Mae raised her head, her golden eyes cautiously looking at the man before her.

"Abe-sama... could you go see the cherry blossoms with this humble one alone?"

As soon as she said the words, Tamamo no Mae regretted it a little.

Because she suddenly realized that she seemed to be going a bit too far.

After all, he was still thinking of ways to save Minamoto no Raiko... Doing this herself would seem very inconsiderate, wouldn't it?

However—

Tamamo no Mae still secretly observed his reaction.

Although she knew it wasn't quite right to do so, the fox spirit's heart still held some unrealistic expectations.

And the next moment, this expectation actually became reality.

She saw Abe no Taishin nod, then agree to her request.

"Hmm, I understand."

"If Tama-chan wants to go see the cherry blossoms with me alone, then let's go."

"Miko!"

"Abe-sama?!"

"Don't doubt it, I'm serious."

Hearing these words, Tamamo no Mae then realized that she wasn't actually as magnanimous as she had imagined.

She was just afraid he would get angry, so she had pretended to be someone who didn't care about anything.

[You agreed to Tamamo no Mae's request to see the cherry blossoms.]

[You chose a day.]

[This was the time when Minamoto no Raiko had to go to the Imperial Court.]

[You used a suitable excuse to temporarily settle Shuten Douji and Ibaraki Douji in the residence.]

[This time, it was a private date for you and Tamamo no Mae.]

Heian-kyō, having entered spring, was noticeably more lively.

Everywhere, people who had come to enjoy the spring and admire the beautiful cherry blossoms could be seen.

In such a situation, Abe no Taishin and Tamamo no Mae actually seemed less conspicuous.

Of course—

Perhaps they were just afraid to make a fuss.

But no matter which situation it was, it made no difference to Tamamo no Mae at this moment.

Because at this moment, she was holding hands with Abe no Taishin.

It was a leisurely companionship that perfectly complemented the spring scenery.

Tamamo no Mae's heart was pounding at this moment—she really liked this feeling of being held by his hand.

However, although she was very much enjoying this pleasure, the fox spirit still remembered his situation at all times.

She saw her ask softly:

"Abe-sama... isn't this not very good?"

"If Lady Minamoto finds out, it will be difficult for you."

"But Tama-chan, you've changed into such a beautiful kimono, haven't you?"

Abe no Taishin looked at Tamamo no Mae beside him, his eyes full of sincerity.

"If we don't treat all of this seriously, wouldn't we be letting down Tama-chan's good intentions?"

"Abe-sama..."

"Alright, Tama-chan, don't worry anymore."

Abe no Taishin tightened his grip on Tamamo no Mae's hand.

"If you keep doubting, we won't have enough time today."

"Not enough time?"

"Hmm."

The Grand Onmyoji nodded, his gaze slowly falling on Tamamo no Mae's lower kimono.

"Because—"

"What I want to touch isn't just the cherry blossoms of Kyoto."

"Eh?"

Tamamo no Mae, understanding, blushed.

But she still nodded.

"Hmm... this humble one is also looking forward to it."

[You and Tamamo no Mae walked hand in hand against the crowd.]

[There were quite a few places in Kyoto where cherry blossoms could be admired.]

[You brought Tamamo no Mae under a cherry blossom tree.]

[There were many such trees around.]

[So no one focused their attention on you.]

[After all, the main characters this time were not you, but the surrounding cherry blossoms.]

Looking at the surrounding crowd, Tamamo no Mae became a little nervous.

She held the Grand Onmyoji's hand and softly asked about her inner concerns.

"Abe-sama... do we really have to come to such a place?"

"Hmm," Abe no Taishin nodded.

"But—"

Tamamo no Mae glanced at the bustling crowd around them.

"Won't we be discovered if we stay like this?"

Abe no Taishin shook his head.

"Tama-chan, no."

"No one will notice this spot."

"This..."

Although there were still many concerns in her heart, Tamamo no Mae nodded shyly.

"Understood."

"This humble one will let Abe-sama arrange everything."

After saying these words, Tamamo no Mae skillfully laid out the cloth for cherry blossom viewing, as well as a series of things that would be needed.

Being busy, she had gradually entered a wife-like mindset.

And the fox spirit herself didn't seem to have noticed this.

After everything was laid out, she turned her head back and subconsciously called out the address that had been hidden in her heart for a long, long time.

"Husband~ Please..."

Halfway through speaking, Tamamo no Mae suddenly realized she had said something strange.

"Migu!"

She turned her head back.

"This humble one didn't mean to..."

Before Tamamo no Mae could finish speaking, Abe no Taishin had already walked over.

He sat down on the cloth she had laid out and leaned against the tree behind him.

The Grand Onmyoji pulled the startled fox spirit into his arms and rubbed his forehead against hers.

"Madam."

Tamamo no Mae's pupils widened slightly in an instant.

"Abe-sama, you..."

"Tama-chan, don't you want to hear me say that?"

Abe no Taishin looked at Tamamo no Mae in his arms, a hint of tenderness in his eyes.

"No way!"

Tamamo no Mae quickly denied.

"This humble one loves it!"

Although she knew that the address of "Madam" was false, and also knew that he was simply making her happy.

But Tamamo no Mae found that she couldn't refuse this kind of thing.

"Then—"

Abe no Taishin's hand stopped on Tamamo no Mae's thigh.

"I'm going to properly enjoy the beautiful scenery of Madam and the cherry blossoms coexisting."

"Hmm... Husband, please take your time."

There was an imperceptible stirring under Tamamo no Mae's kimono.

Although a season had passed, the fox spirit's treasure still maintained the same tenderness as before.

The Grand Onmyoji easily found his way back to the familiar and correct method of exploration.

"Migu~"

Tamamo no Mae lowered her head, her ears twitching, but she didn't dare to call out too loudly.

After all, there were many people around, and if she made too loud a sound, she would definitely be discovered.

The fox spirit's body was trembling involuntarily.

Clear water flowed out of her treasure drop by drop, dripping onto the cloth along her legs.

This was an inevitable overflow—after all, this wasn't the first time she had reached this feeling under the guidance of his fingers.

But what happened next exceeded Tamamo no Mae's expectations.

She saw Abe no Taishin lean close to her ear and say softly:

"Tama-chan, put your hand in too."

"This humble one's hand?"

"Hmm."

"..."

Although she didn't quite understand the Grand Onmyoji's intention, Tamamo no Mae still carefully followed his instructions.

But as soon as she put it in, the fox spirit found that her hand had been grasped by him.

Then the previous steps were repeated.

Tamamo no Mae suddenly became nervous.

"Abe-sama, this humble one just now..."

"I know."

Abe no Taishin put his hand together with Tamamo no Mae's hand.

"Tama-chan, feel it carefully."

"..."

Tamamo no Mae didn't speak anymore.

Instead, she allowed the Grand Onmyoji to gently explore the treasure hidden under her kimono with her hand.

Stroking.

Plucking.

And then hooking.

As cherry blossoms fell one after another, the fox spirit, disguised in everyday attire, gradually became familiar with her body with the help of the Grand Onmyoji.

Soon.

Tamamo no Mae understood—he was teaching her how to pleasure herself.

Once she understood the intention, the clever fox spirit found the direction of learning.

Gradually, she no longer needed the Grand Onmyoji's hand to guide her.

Then, only Tamamo no Mae's own hand remained inside the kimono.

Abe no Taishin held her waist, silently feeling her shame and surrender in this environment.

Drip drip.

The sound of dampness came from the cloth once again.

Abe no Taishin knew that after this guidance, Tamamo no Mae would no longer have her pleasure controlled by him as it had been before.

"Tama-chan," he leaned close to her ear and encouraged softly.

"You did it."

But facing Abe no Taishin's praise, Tamamo no Mae couldn't be happy at all.

"Abe-sama, why did you want this humble one to learn such a thing?"

"This humble one... doesn't dislike being used by Abe-sama for pleasure."

"..."

Of course, Abe no Taishin didn't want to teach Tamamo no Mae this kind of thing for no reason.

He also very much liked seeing her face flushed red in front of him.

But this was a beginning that had to be endured.

He wanted to ensure that after everything settled down, Tamamo no Mae's life wouldn't be too greatly affected by his departure.

So—

Physical pleasure was one aspect of it;

The security of her identity was another aspect.

He wanted her to live comfortably and with peace of mind.

Then—

At this moment, there was one identity that could absolutely guarantee all of this.

Abe no Taishin gently kissed Tamamo no Mae's cheek, then whispered:

"Tama-chan."

"The Emperor's body has been found—the truth about the name 'Fujiwara no Tokuko' will no longer be known to anyone."

"I... I hope you can take on this identity."