The courtyard of the Glass Forest was larger than expected.
The group walked slowly along the stone path, with various glass artifacts lining both sides. Mai ran ahead, wanting to touch everything she saw. Chihaya pulled her back twice.
“It’s glass. If it breaks, you’ll cut your hand.”
Chihaya’s voice wasn’t loud, but after being pulled back twice, Mai felt an ominous aura brewing behind her. She knew when to stop, obediently returned to the group, and didn’t dare to touch anything else. You smiled.
‘As expected, Mai is still a child. So cute.’
Futaba and Hitomi, watching from the side, also chuckled kindly.
Hitomi walked near the middle-back of the group, her phone raised the entire time. She photographed glass flowers, the reflections in the pond, and the white building in the distance. After taking over a dozen shots, she scrolled back and deleted a few she wasn’t satisfied with. Futaba walked beside her, occasionally offering advice on Hitomi’s photography.
You brought up the rear.
He stared at the backs of the four girls, but his mind was elsewhere.
Just now, Futaba had interrupted him, but the question still lingered in his head. Curses, Onmyōdō, the red-eyed girl from the Tsuchimikado Clan—these words swirled in his mind.
Wind chimes hung from the glass trees, tinkling in the breeze. Sunlight struck the chimes, scattering fragments of light that fell on the girls’ shoulders, then slid to the ground.
You hardly noticed.
He followed behind at a steady pace, his mind churning.
‘What exactly is Curse Art? Can I learn it?’
When they reached the pond, Mai crouched down to look at the koi fish. Several large red-and-white fish swam over slowly, opening and closing their mouths as if waiting to be fed. Mai reached into her bag and fumbled for a while but found nothing. She turned her head to look at You.
“You, do you have any food?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
She crouched back down, drawing circles on the water’s surface with her finger. The fish, thinking there was food, swam closer, their mouths poking above the water. Mai laughed, genuinely delighted.
Chihaya stood nearby, watching Mai tease the koi, a slight smile curling her lips.
Hitomi put away her phone and walked to the pond to admire the glass sculptures. Turning her head, she noticed that at some point Futaba had moved beside her, fan already open, swaying slowly.
“Aren’t you taking photos?” Hitomi asked.
Futaba shook her head.
“No. Seeing it is enough.”
You stood a few steps away, watching them.
The wind blew, lifting Hitomi’s hair and brushing it against Chihaya’s shoulder. Mai crouched by the pond, tracing patterns on the water. Futaba waved her fan, smiling as she looked at everyone.
What a beautiful sight. Too bad You’s mind was completely elsewhere.
***
When they returned to the inn, the sun was already low in the west.
The group sat down in the living room of the Moon Residence. Chihaya poured tea for everyone.
You took a sip and couldn’t wait to speak. This time, it should be okay to ask questions, right?
“Chihaya, what exactly is the difference between a Miko’s Curse Art and an Onmyoji’s Onmyōdō? Is it just that one is offensive and the other is supportive?”
Chihaya shook her head.
“It’s not just that.”
She set down her teacup.
“The fundamental difference between us Mikos and Onmyoji lies in the source of our power.”
“Different sources?” You perked up.
“Yes. Besides the basic Curse Arts common to all, a Miko can only cultivate Curse Arts related to the deity they serve. Essentially, we act as proxies for a portion of that deity’s authority.”
Chihaya’s voice was clear and pleasant, but always carried a slightly textbook tone.
“Onmyoji are different. They fight by utilizing their own Spiritual Power and by capturing yōkai spirits to create Shikigami.”
Futaba added an explanation. She held her fan, tapping it against her knee idly.
“Shikigami are yōkai or spirits that Onmyoji subdue and refine for their own use. Different Shikigami have different abilities.”
You nodded.
‘Got it: the difference between a priest and a mage.’
Mikos rely on their deity; Onmyoji rely on themselves.
He asked next:
“Then where do an Onmyoji’s Curse Arts come from? If a Miko’s arts depend on their deity, then an Onmyoji’s arts can’t just fall from the sky, right?”
Hitomi answered.
“Legend says that the tradition of Onmyoji can be traced back to the Celestial Empire in the west.”
Her voice was soft, always making one think of cotton candy.
“It is said that two thousand years ago, a fangshi named Xu Fu left a partial tradition in Japan, and that gradually led to the Onmyoji of later generations.”
You clicked his tongue.
‘Wow. So not a mage, but a Qi cultivator? And it’s Xu Fu’s legacy?’
“Because of this,” Hitomi continued, “Onmyoji do not worship the deities of Takamagahara. They venerate Hokuto Shinkun and Myoken Bosatsu, and they fight using the Star Power gained through self-cultivation, talismans, and prayers.”
Another question popped into You’s mind.
He knew Hokuto Shinkun—‘Nandou controls life, Hokuto controls death,’ just like in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
But what was Myoken Bosatsu?
He asked as soon as he thought of it.
Futaba answered casually:
“Myoken Bosatsu is the Buddhist deity who governs the Northern Star. Sometimes Onmyoji worship Hokuto Shinkun and Myoken Bosatsu as the same entity.”
You silently mocked.
‘Oh, so they worship both sides. Red flower, green leaf, white lotus—three teachings are really one family, huh. Onmyoji are the same, I see.’
Come to think of it, his fiancées sure knew a lot. Mythology, history, religion—each of them was like a walking encyclopedia. Was this to be expected from the young ladies of prestigious families?
“Then—”
You paused.
“Can I learn Curse Art?”
Chihaya was taken aback.
“You want to learn?”
Her tone carried clear surprise.
“These things aren’t very useful. And honestly, they’re pretty boring.”
You couldn’t help retorting internally.
‘Only you would find them boring, Chihaya. A mosquito’s leg is still meat. This is supernatural power—of course I want to learn.’
Out loud, he said seriously:
“Yes. I want to learn.”
Chihaya was silent for a moment. You thought she would object, but instead Hitomi spoke up.
Hitomi frowned and gently dissuaded him:
“You, there has never been a precedent in history for a Living God to practice Curse Arts.”
Her voice was gentle, but her tone was earnest.
“We cannot guarantee what will happen.”
You was stunned.
‘Is that so?’
He thought about it. Yeah, that made sense. Apart from him, every previous Living God had been the Emperor without exception. The Emperor had no need to learn something this useless. And after entering the modern era, the Emperor was nothing more than a figurehead. How could the Cabinet allow the Emperor to learn supernatural powers?
He waved his hand.
“I think it should be fine. The reason past Emperors didn’t learn Curse Arts was probably political.”
The girls were taken aback by this analysis.
Chihaya nodded first, her expression relaxing a little. Futaba’s eyes narrowed slightly. Mai poked her head out from behind a cushion and blinked. Hitomi tilted her head.
‘He’s only received a normal education, no extra training, yet he could think of this?’
Both Chihaya and Futaba harbored the same thought almost simultaneously.
There was something new in their gazes.
‘As expected of the bloodline of Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto.’
As for Hitomi and Mai, the two who hadn’t been trained as the next family head, they weren’t as surprised as Chihaya and Futaba.
If You could hear their thoughts, he would have laughed out loud.
‘Come on. Any high school student in the Celestial Empire could figure that out. Do you have any idea what world-class basic education means?’
Chihaya thought it over but couldn’t decide on her own. She decided to consult first.
“I should ask the Moon Princess about this first.”
She picked up her phone.
“Regarding the matter of teaching You Curse Arts.”
She dialed Masako’s number, placed the phone directly on the table, and put it on speaker.
Everyone’s eyes focused on the phone.
You was a little nervous. He swallowed. He wondered what his mom would say.