Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Hot Springs
"Hm? Inside the body?"
Kikyō looked at the monster's remains, now split into seven or eight pieces. After examining them closely, she really did spot something shiny in the right side of the abdomen.
She walked over and took out a small knife to remove the glowing object.
It was indeed the Shikon no Tama.
"I can actually see the Shikon no Tama..." Kikyō murmured.
The demon slayers watching from the side were amazed. They couldn't see anything at all as Kikyō precisely located and retrieved the jewel.
"Are you all right? Did you find the Shikon no Tama?"
Just then, the Demon Slayer Tribe Chief arrived on the scene.
"Yes, we found it," Kikyo replied.
She held up the Shikon no Tama. The once-darkened jewel, tainted by demonic energy... now seemed purified again. The darkness slowly vanished, and it began to emit a pure pink glow once more.
"The Shikon no Tama... has been cleansed!" The Demon Slayer Tribe Chief opened his mouth slightly, clearly taken aback by this unexpected turn of events.
He knew that the Shikon no Tama could absorb negative emotions from humans and monsters alike, gaining malevolent power in the process. After obtaining the jewel himself, he had noticed it growing increasingly dim over time.
Yet now, in Kikyo's hands, the Shikon no Tama had been completely purified.
"It seems only Miko Kikyo can truly protect the Shikon no Tama! From now on, I entrust its safeguarding to you. Please keep it safe and prevent any monsters from getting their hands on it."
Kikyo's performance with the Shikon no Tama proved she was indeed its rightful guardian.
"I understand," Kikyo nodded expressionlessly.
At the time of demons—around five o'clock in the afternoon...
The people of Japan liked to call this hour before dusk "the time of demons."
They firmly believed it was a cursed period when all manner of evil spirits and ghosts would appear in the sky.
According to legend, during this time, many ordinary people could see things like ghosts.
In Honkai Impact, Yae and Kallen could leave their Stigmata space during the "time of demons" to walk around.
-
Yae watched as ghosts appeared around her. For them, it was a rare chance to enjoy the sun during daytime.
The sunlight-fearing spirits emerged one by one. The light at this hour wouldn't harm them.
"Hey, Kikyo-chan," Yae called out, "why not rest in the village for a night before leaving? Is there really that much of a hurry?"
After taking over the Shikon no Tama, Yae had planned to get some proper rest—a hot bath sounded especially good.
But before long, Kikyo bid farewell to the demon slayers and left without even eating!
"There's no need," Kikyo replied. "They've already sacrificed so much to protect the jewel. I can't trouble them any further. As long as the jewel remains in that village, monsters will keep coming."
"But... alright!" Yae wanted to say more but decided against it.
-
After walking for a while longer, Yae Sakura looked around and said with surprise, "Kikyō-chan, this isn't the path we came from, is it?"
Although she didn't know ancient paths, she did recognize the one they had just walked on.
"No, it isn't."
"Then where are we going?" Yae Sakura asked, puzzled.
"We're almost there."
-
Finally, they stopped on a small hillside. Yae Sakura saw a little pond steaming in front of her...
"Kikyō, is this... a hot spring? A natural one!" Yae rushed over and tested the water temperature with her hand—it was perfect.
"Hmm, didn't you always want to try a hot spring? I vaguely remember there being a natural one nearby," Kikyō said, thinking back.
"Thank you so much, Kikyō-chan!" Yae hugged Kikyō gently. She had only mentioned wanting to soak in a natural hot spring once or twice, but Kikyō remembered.
She really did something nice for me!
Yae had already forgotten why Kikyō left the demon slayer village so hastily.
As for how there could be a natural hot spring here, Yae wasn't sure...
But Japan does have a huge active volcano—Mount Fuji—and it erupts about every three hundred years.
Maybe that's why there are so many natural hot springs in Japan.
"I'll set up a barrier first. Then you can go soak in the hot spring. It's already late today, so we'll have to spend the night out here. You can stay in as long as you want."
As she spoke, Kikyō pushed aside Yae Sakura and began setting up a barrier that covered the entire area around the hot spring.
Watching Kikyō work, Yae Sakura suddenly seemed to realize something...
"Big Sis, there's actually a hot spring here!"
At this moment, Higokumaru finally woke up again. Seeing the hot spring before her eyes, she instantly perked up.
Earlier, she might have fallen asleep from exhaustion, but now she was finally awake.
"Higokumaru, what's wrong with you today? Why do you seem so tired all the time?" Yae Sakura looked at Higokumaru on her lap, puzzled.
"I don't know either. But maybe soaking in the hot spring will make me feel better!"
"..."
Once Kikyō finished setting up the barrier, they realized... Since none of them had extra clothes, it wasn't possible to bathe while wearing their garments. Besides, bathing fully clothed wouldn't be comfortable at all.
-
"Ahh, that feels amazing!"
Soaking in the hot spring, I could instantly feel my whole body relax. It had been ages since I'd felt like this.
"Kikyō-chan, why don't you join me?" Yae Sakura's eyes lit up as she looked at Kikyō standing by the shore and quickly invited her.
"Mm-hmm." Kikyō didn't refuse. She took off her clothes and laid them on the shore, then placed the Shikon no Tama on top before slowly walking into the hot spring.
"Can you stop staring at me like that?"
Kikyō noticed Yae Sakura was watching her intently. For some reason, it made her feel a bit shy, even though they were both girls.
"Huh? Why not?"
"It's not that I can't..."
Suddenly, I realized that being a girl wasn't all bad.
(TL Note: Lucky, I always wanted to visit one of those natural hot springs...)
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone