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Kaito was waiting for the next battle to begin when he suddenly received a communication from the paper clone he had stationed at Mount Ōeyama.
"Hey, main body! If you don’t show up soon, Yūrei is going to be angry."
The words were transmitted directly through the link between the main body and its duplicate.
"Hmm?"
Kaito blinked.
"That does seem a bit problematic."
The paper clone said with clear exasperation, "In any case, if you don’t co over, Yūrei is going to force to summon you directly."
"You can’t do that, can you? There are no ley lines on the moon."
Kaito reflexively retorted out of habit.
"Quit the nonsense. You figure it out!"
The paper clone shot back one last ti before abruptly severing the connection.
In that case, I really should return to Mount Ōeyama for a while.
Kaito closed the folding fan in his hand. After informing Sasuke and Minato, he turned and walked into the castle.
Once he was out of everyone’s sight, he imdiately ford hand seals and opened a passage to the alternate dinsion.
Passing through the air that rippled like water, the scenery before his eyes transford entirely.
"Not bad."
Kaito surveyed the alternate dinsion, which was now brimming with vitality, and clearly sensed the vastly increased ley line energy flowing beneath his feet.
However, now wasn’t the ti to inspect the dinsion’s condition. He ford hand seals once more, opened a spatial gate, and stepped through.
The world shifted again. Kaito now stood within the Uchiha residence at Mount Ōeyama.
"Kaito-chan!"
Accompanied by a faint floral scent, Yūrei’s warm, soft form threw herself into his arms.
"Welco ho."
The familiar voice sounded by his ear.
"Ah, I’m back."
Kaito extended his arms and wrapped them around her.
Then, he saw the paper clone standing behind Yūrei, its face the very picture of utter despondency.
Feeling Kaito’s gaze, the paper clone rely looked back at him expressionlessly for a mont before spontaneously crumbling into pieces and vanishing.
Kaito’s mouth twitched into a helpless smile.
He raised a hand and gently patted Yūrei’s back.
Yūrei took a step back, tilting her head to look up at Kaito. Suddenly, she reached up with both hands and pinched his cheeks.
"You really haven’t been behaving, Kaito-chan." Yūrei smiled as she stretched the skin of his face outward. "Running off to another world without a word, and after coming back, you didn’t even co to see first."
"Sorryyy..." Kaito mumbled an apology through his distorted mouth.
"Hmph!" Yūrei released his face and gave him a thorough once-over.
"But... you do look much better."
She seed genuinely pleased.
"Thank you. I am indeed feeling much better."
Kaito took Yūrei’s hand and led her to sit on the engawa, the wooden veranda, where he began recounting his experiences of exorcising spirits in the other world.
"Such things can happen?"
Yūrei reached out a hand, gently touching a blooming begonia flower at the edge of the veranda.
"Humans... actually devouring each other."
"Simply a jest of the gods." Kaito replied.
A long while later, his story concluded.
Yūrei withdrew her hand from the flower and turned to look up at Kaito once more.
"That’s wonderful. Kaito-chan gained sothing very precious."
Kaito understood she was referring to the World’s Gratitude.
"It is indeed sothing wonderfully addictive." Kaito laughed. "I just don’t know if there will be another opportunity like that."
"Ara, Kaito-chan always loves to run off outside."
Yūrei reached out again, this ti twining a lock of Kaito’s long hair around her finger.
"Has this world beco too small to contain you?"
"Forgive ."
Kaito looked earnestly into Yūrei’s eyes, his apology sincere.
"But, you understand , don’t you? I won’t abandon my goals."
"Of course I understand you. I watched you grow up, after all."
Yūrei pinched his cheek again, then covered her mouth with a soft laugh.
"Thank you, Yūrei. For always being so tolerant of ."
Kaito continued to gaze at her seriously, offering his heartfelt thanks.
"Ara, what’s co over you?"
A faint blush colored Yūrei’s cheeks.
"Why are you saying such things all of a sudden?"
"I haven’t been very attentive all this ti."
Kaito took her restless hands in his own.
"Perhaps it’s due to my recent experiences. I’ve suddenly co to understand many things I used to overlook."
His tone held a note of apology.
"Perhaps... I’ve been walking too fast all along. My eyes could only see the goal ahead, taking great strides toward it, and naturally overlooking other things I subconsciously deed less important."
Yūrei looked up at him, her eyes reflecting the shimring moonlight.
Kaito continued speaking.
"But that was rely my own assumption."
He gave a slight smile.
"From now on, I will still stride forward with purpose, but I will also strive to collect the beautiful scenery along the way into my heart."
Yūrei gently lowered her eyes, her long, thick lashes trembling slightly.
"You’ve grown up, Kaito-chan."
Her tone was complex, carrying a hint of lant and perhaps a touch of joy.
"You’ve beco a truly mature adult."
Kaito couldn’t help but laugh softly. "What are you saying? Haven’t I been a reliable adult for a long ti now?"
"No."
Yūrei lifted her eyes to et his again.
"To march clearly towards a goal while still treating those precious to you with gentleness—only a truly mature adult can balance so many things."
"You’re right."
Kaito’s smile widened.
"Then, shouldn’t you change how you address ?"
"..." Yūrei stared at him for a long mont, seeming to concede.
"Kaito." She called his na softly, her cheeks flushing even deeper.
"Ah!"
She imdiately covered her face with her hands.
"It feels like I’ve lost sohow."
Kaito chuckled and shook his head. To spare her further embarrassnt, he proactively shifted the conversation.
"Speaking of which, how have things been at Mount Ōeyama recently? I need to pay my respects to Lord Shigeru and Lord Shuten and the others. Later, for the defense of the lunar front, we’ll need the help of the yōkai as well."
"Everyone is doing well."
Yūrei visibly relaxed, becoming more at ease.
"However, lately those great yōkai lords have gone to Yomi to watch the spectacle. Only Lord Shigeru remains at Mount Ōeyama."
"I see. It’s just that they haven’t appeared in the broadcasted footage." Kaito remarked.
Yūrei nodded. "Those lords are probably with Kaori."
"Has Lady Kaori returned to Yomi already?"
Kaito suddenly rembered sothing.
"Then she couldn’t have been back for long, because in one of the recent matches, soone displayed a puppet woven from nine hundred and ninety-nine red spider lilies."
"Kaori must not know about such a thing!" Yūrei’s eyes widened in surprise.
"While those who aren’t of the sa species as yōkai aren’t considered their kin... but, nine hundred and ninety-nine? That person is far too greedy. Kaori will certainly punish him!"
"Oh?"
Kaito laughed again.
"It seems we can look forward to a good show starting now."
"Kaito." At that mont, Yūrei called his na once more.
"Hmm?"
Kaito looked at her.
"Since the moon will need the power of the yōkai, I will accompany you there," Yūrei stated.
"Alright."
Kaito lowered his head, slowly drawing closer.
A night breeze swept by, causing the begonias beneath the veranda to sway gently.
The moonlight filled the courtyard, calm and deep as still water.
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