Fantasy Library.

Chapter 529 I Still Want to See You Dance
According to Yoshino Asatake, although most of Hoori's curse has been removed and no more major disasters will occur, the filth will still accumulate on this land and will transform into evil spirits after reaching a certain level.

The daughters of the Asabu family will also trigger a curse after accumulating a certain amount of filth, growing animal ears. Even with repeated exorcisms and purification of the filth, there will come a day when the curse will no longer be able to be suppressed.

At that time, the animal ears that only special people could see will become visible to everyone, which is the fundamental reason why the legend of "dog spirit possession" spread.

Of course, the curse caused more than just the growth of animal ears in the Asagi family.

Even without Yoshino Asahi explaining it, Aize had already sensed this.

After all, he had been living in Chaowu's house for a while, and through his understanding of the family during this time, he discovered that not only was the Chaowu family's bloodline a single-line lineage in each generation, but there had also been no male heirs for a long time.

Asagi Yoshino's mother was the only daughter in the Asagi family at the time, as was her mother's mother, and the same situation existed in the previous generations. Almost every generation had only one son, and this person was always a woman. As a result, the Asagi family has relied on taking in sons-in-law to maintain the family line for hundreds of years.

Asatake Yasuharu married into the Asatake family, as did Asatake Yoshino's maternal grandfather, and the same was true in the previous generations.

Including Yoshino Asagi, she is also the only bloodline of the Asagi family in this generation, which is why Aize mentioned the topic of marrying into the family in his conversation with his mother.

This situation has persisted for hundreds of years, seemingly since the time the curse appeared.

The curse's impact on the Asabu family went beyond that; it also caused each generation of the Asabu family's bloodline to have extremely short lifespans, with almost none living past fifty.

Asatake Yoshino's mother was like that; she passed away several years ago, not even forty years old.

That's why the elders in Suiori were so anxious about Asatake Yoshino's engagement. Asatake Yoshino herself started going on blind dates at a young age because if anything happened to her, the Asatake family bloodline would be cut off.

Aize already knew and guessed about these things; even if Asagi Yoshino didn't say it, he was aware of it.

Now, Yoshino Asagi revealed all of this, causing her face to turn extremely pale.

The uncertainty about her future, the grief over the untimely death of her beloved mother, and the deep sorrow for the ancestors of the Asagi family—all these emotions intertwined in Yoshino Asagi's heart at this moment are easy to imagine.

To be honest, she only looked gloomy and didn't show anything else, which shows that she is already very strong-willed.

“Now I understand why you didn’t want to tell me these things before.” Aize sighed and said, “So it’s because all of this started with your family?”

The root of all this is nothing more than a battle for the family business waged by the heirs of the royal family hundreds of years ago.

Because of the eldest son's despicable, willful, and ugly desires, not only were the descendants of the second son cursed and persecuted, but the people of Suizhi were also implicated and became victims of the struggle between the two brothers of the Asabu family for the family business, or rather, innocent victims who vented the eldest son's dissatisfaction and anger.

Regardless of the neighboring country that bewitched the eldest son, the culprit who brought all this into Suiori, causing untold suffering to the people of Suiori, was ultimately the bloodline of the Asabu family.

In other words, this is a shameful affair of the Asabu family, a dark history of the Asabu family, which cannot be told to outsiders.

Asagi Yoshino concealed all of this, firstly because family scandals should not be aired in public, and secondly because she clearly understood that the source of all this was the Asagi family.

In other words, she didn't want to use the noble reason of "for the good of the people of Suizhi" to entice Aize to do his part for the sake of the Asabu family.

Of course, the main reason is that they don't want to see innocent outsiders affected by their own affairs, not only getting involved in trouble but also in danger.

Furthermore, once she revealed everything, her own affairs would be completely exposed, so she naturally didn't want to say anything.

Otherwise, what can she say?

Tell someone you've just met that if the curse circulating in Suizhi isn't resolved, your family will never be able to have a son, and you will die young.
Is this moral blackmail or an attempt to gain sympathy?
In any case, Asahi Yoshino didn't want others to know about the predicament she was facing.

She insisted that this was her business and that she had to handle it herself; there was no reason to bother others.

Only now has she had to reveal the truth, letting Aize know about the predicament facing the Chaowu family.

"Lord Congyu, Mako, and even my father were all very happy after you appeared, Mr. Aize, because they felt that your appearance might change everything that the Asabu family is currently facing."

Asahi Yoshino clasped her hands together and twisted them very tightly.

“In the past, our ancestor, the second son who was able to use Murasame, used this sacred sword to repel the neighboring country’s army, purify the filth of Hoori, and save the entire town. Now that someone who can use Murasame has appeared again, they will naturally have hope.”

In fact, it wasn't just others; Yoshino Asatake also harbored some hope in her heart.

The Asabu family has been plagued by a curse for hundreds of years. Now, someone who can use the Murasame-maru just like their ancestor has appeared. This may very well be their destined savior.

After some internal struggle, Yoshino Asatake resolutely suppressed this idea and chose to exclude Aize.

Why should someone who is not related to you risk their life to fight against a curse for your own family's sake?

Yoshino Asatake has always been fighting against the curse. All the ancestors of the Asatake family have fought against the curse, including Yoshino's mother. In the end, everyone failed and was injured in the process of fighting against the curse, becoming riddled with holes until the end of their lives.

Therefore, she is the one who feels this most deeply and is the one who is in the most pain.

Some people, after getting caught in the rain, want to hold up an umbrella for others; others, after getting caught in the rain, want to tear up other people's umbrellas so that others can feel the cold and pain just like them.

Asahi Yoshino is undoubtedly the former.

That's why she wanted to keep Aize, this innocent outsider, away from all of this.

but……

"As it turns out, it was I who was powerless," Yoshino Asagi said in a low voice. "If Mr. Aize hadn't been strong and capable enough, my actions would have been the reason for your utter ruin."

Asatake Yoshino thought about what had happened to her after she had kept the truth hidden.

As it turns out, simply concealing or refusing to cooperate not only fails to solve the problem but also leads to the worst possible outcome.

If Aize hadn't had the strength to fight against the evil god alone, or even kill the evil god, he might have been killed on the night he was forced to go up the mountain to find the truth.
And what about yourself?

Instead, I've repeatedly held him back...

"I'm sorry for troubling you all this time, for hiding things from you, and for making you suffer."

Asahi Yoshino bowed her head deeply to Aize.

She really lowered her head so low that it touched the tatami mat, and she was practically in a dogeza (a traditional Chinese swearing position). Even her voice was very sorrowful, and she looked as if she was so ashamed that she wanted to commit seppuku (ritual suicide).

Even the beast ears that hadn't disappeared yet collapsed limply, looking listless.

"do not do that."

With a wry smile, Aize walked up to Asagi Yoshino, took her shoulder, and helped her up. "I don't want to repeat myself anymore. This was your business to begin with, and you had the right to choose not to say it. Besides, it's really not too late to say it now."

"Knowing the true source of the curse will certainly be beneficial for future research."

"I'm not like a headless fly, not knowing where to start thinking."

The idea was to study the spirits, but Aize didn't really understand these so-called spirits, so where should he even begin?

Now that he knows the truth about the curse, his thinking can proceed smoothly.

"...Is it really possible to trouble you?"

Asahi Yoshino raised her head and looked at Aize's face, which was so close to hers, her eyes filled with unease.

She still didn't want to involve others, trouble others, or put others in danger.

“I told you, this is not only your business, but also closely related to me.” Aize met Asagi Yoshino’s gaze and said, “Although I am an outsider, I do not think that I am a savior after pulling out Murasame. I do not feel that I have a responsibility to save you and the Asagi family.”

"But I'm not the kind of person who can just stand aside and do nothing after receiving benefits."

Putting everything else aside, just the fact that Congyu Maru helped him introduce divine power and allowed him to come into contact with the most mysterious aspect of this world is something that Aize must repay.

He wasn't unwillingly drawn into all of this; rather, he was eager to step into this inner world.

The extraordinary realm is right before my eyes. Now that I have come into contact with it, what reason do I have to keep my distance?
"Besides, even if it's just in name, I'm still your fiancé, not a complete outsider, right?" Aize smiled and said, "Or are you the kind of person whose pride is so strong that you won't even accept help from your own fiancé?"

"No, that's not it." Asagi Yoshino quickly shook her head, looking at Aize's face so close to hers, and blushed slightly as she said, "It's just that a troublesome woman like me is not good enough for Mr. Aize."

Upon hearing this, Aize could only manage a wry smile.

Despite being Princess Suiori, an unbelievably beautiful girl who seems to exist in reality, this shrine maiden still has an unfathomable self-esteem.

No, that statement is also incorrect.

Having spent so much time together, Aize had already noticed that Asagi Yoshino was simply someone who was easily insecure and habitually cautious about things she had never encountered before.

Looking at her uneasy face now, who would have thought that when they first met, the other party was a cold and aloof ice queen?

Speaking of which, when I first met Yoshino Asatake, she didn't seem to have a cold expression on her face. Instead, she was dancing earnestly in front of the shrine.

It must be said that Yoshino Asagi's Kagura dance is truly beautiful; anyone who sees it will be captivated.

Lately, Aize has been training Asagi Yoshino, although it's only in the morning. In the afternoon, he usually trains alone, but that's because Asagi Yoshino needs to practice dancing by herself in the afternoon.

For this reason, Aize had watched Takeno dance from the sidelines more than once, and each time he would be captivated by the sight.

There was no way around it; that was the only time Aize couldn't control himself and would involuntarily feel his heart flutter.

So, without thinking, Aize blurted it out.

“I want to see you dance again in the future.” Aize stared straight at Asagi Yoshino and said, “You’re not allowed to die before I’ve seen enough of you.”

Asahi Yoshino's eyes widened slightly, and she froze in place.

She had never been treated with such a forceful tone and attitude before.

For some reason, instead of being angry at being treated like this by Aize, she felt her heart race.

Especially when Aize's gaze was fixed on her, his hands were on her shoulders, and his face was very close to hers, it made Asagi Yoshino's heart beat even faster.

She didn't know why, but she vaguely remembered that there seemed to be a similar scene in the shoujo manga that Moko had shown her.

What happens next when a boy and a girl gaze deeply into each other's eyes like this?

The words that Hitachi Mako once said flashed through my mind.

"Could it be that they actually kissed in private?"

Kiss……

Kiss!

Asagi Yoshino's face instantly turned bright red.

However, she didn't know that her appearance was precisely what made people's imaginations run wild.

Aize hadn't originally intended to, but seeing the girl's face turn red and her eyes filled with panic, even if he had no thoughts, he would start to have them.

Unfortunately, at this time, only the two of them were at Chaowu's house; no one else was there.

Now, it's just the two of them in the whole house.

A sentence immediately popped into Aize's mind.

"You're not even going to serve this?"

Having lived two lives, Aize, who was long past the age of a naive young boy, naturally didn't care about anything.

So he lowered his head.

"Well……!"

Asagi Yoshino's eyes widened again, this time to their maximum.

"Mr. Aize...! Ugh..."

She wanted to say something, but was silenced and had no chance at all.

When her blank mind began to clear up a little, she had already slumped into Aize's arms, completely exhausted and unable to resist.

A pink atmosphere instantly filled the bedroom, warm and ambiguous, lingering for a long time...

(End of this chapter)