I have an unlimited number of shikigami

After washing my shoulders and upper body for a while, my whole body felt weak from being soaked in the spring water, and my consciousness became a little hazy.

"Try it with your finger..." The devilish whisper of Natsuki Kuriko echoed in her mind. Kasahara Mieri quietly reached her hand underwater, caressing it as if confirming a location on a map. Pink petals lay on the surface, obscuring her vision, making it impossible to see what was happening underwater.

It was clearly a ball of fire.

After transforming into human form, she could grow to be so beautiful and so lifelike...

Kasahara Fukaeri tilted her head back, resting the back of her head on the edge of the bathtub, her expression somewhat subtle.

Looking through the curtain, the aloof policewoman's body was taut, her shapely shoulders trembling slightly. A hint of allure unconsciously flickered in the corner of her eye, highlighting her detached and cold demeanor, which, in the misty haze, exuded an otherworldly charm.

The ripples on the water gradually subsided.

Kasahara Fukaeri's expression gradually relaxed.

Fine droplets clung to her cool, snow-white skin, whether from the hot spring or sweat, it was hard to tell. Her pretty face was flushed from the steam, even her neck and shoulder blades weren't spared, and her half-closed, dreamy eyes were incredibly alluring.

Is this the kind of kiss Miss Miki was talking about...? Kasahara Fukari pondered this question, but before she could feel lost or disappointed, she heard soft footsteps inside the house.

Instantly, the hairs on her body stood on end.

Just as the footsteps sounded, she caught a glimpse of a figure on the petal-strewn water behind her.

"Who goes there?" Kasahara Fukaeri turned around and looked back.

Suddenly, a beautiful, naked woman appeared behind the bathtub.

"……Mother?"

Kasahara Fukaeri opened her mouth wide, unable to close it for a long time.

"Aren't you welcome?" Mrs. Kasahara smiled and slowly walked to her eldest daughter, bending down to touch her hair.

"...No, no." The thought that her mother might have seen what had just happened sent Kasahara Fukari's mind blank with shock and shame; she wished she could die right then and there. She lowered her head, her nose almost touching the water, and murmured dreamily, "Why did you come? You didn't even say anything..."

"Don't worry, your mother didn't see anything," Mrs. Kasahara said with a gentle smile.

Her words only made things worse; Kasahara Fukaeri immediately ducked her head, submerging her entire body, including her head, into the water. On the steaming, petal-strewn surface, only her long orange hair floated pitifully like a war criminal being interrogated.

Eri Fuka is so cute~

Mrs. Kasahara smiled proudly and smugly, then bent down and crawled into the pool.

Underwater, he reached out with both hands and gently embraced his daughter's waist, letting her lean against him.

"Hoo~" Kasahara Fukaeri surfaced, taking a deep breath.

With her head resting on her mother's soft body, her nervousness and shyness slowly faded. The usually aloof and proud policewoman revealed a rare, endearing side, her voice gentle as she asked, "How did Mother get in?"

"It hid in your bag to get in." Mrs. Kasahara said softly as she washed her daughter's hair, "Luckily, Mother came in, otherwise I would have missed my daughter's wedding."

"Mother, don't talk nonsense!" Kasahara Fukae turned around, her eyes weak and listless. "You didn't even discuss it with me before forcing me to talk about a wedding. I'm furious right now!"

"Are you really angry?" Mrs. Kasahara asked, looking incredulous.

"...I'm so angry!" Kasahara Mieri gritted her teeth.

Seeing her eldest daughter's earnest expression, Mrs. Kasahara, a delicate young woman, slightly furrowed her brows, which then gently relaxed. A slight smile played on her lips as she loosened her long orange hair and gently massaged her daughter's shoulder: "Mother?"

"Can't you be a little more honest with me?"

"Mother……"

"When a daughter grows up and has someone she likes, her mother will be very happy."

"But I don't like him."

Kasahara Fukari bit her lip in resentment and leaned closer into her mother's soft embrace.

“Eri Fukahara,” Mrs. Kasahara murmured, then pointed a finger at her cheek, “you’re sweating.”

Kasahara Fukarei swallowed hard and licked her lips as she stroked her nose with her slender fingers.

“Eri’s nose is so soft,” Mrs. Kasahara said with a smile, her eyes narrowing. “Like a cat’s nose.”

A single, rustic lampstand illuminated the bath, a candle burning inside. Perhaps it was the candlelight, but Kasahara Fukaeri appeared more languid and alluring than usual. Her rosy cheeks, reflected in her mother's eyes, resembled an incredible little animal.

Feeling the warmth of her mother's fingertips as she touched the tip of her nose, Kasahara Fukaeri trembled slightly.

It was a feeling mixed with shyness and pride, just like the feeling when my mother gently stroked my head or hugged me and kissed my cheek when I was a child, sweet and filled with boundless joy.

Mrs. Kasahara is a fox spirit in human skin.

She could clearly perceive the changes in her daughter's emotional state.

"Is Eri Fuka attending the wedding tomorrow?"

"...I really don't know whether I should participate or not."

"Are you worried?"

"I feel like this is too hasty, and I don't know how to explain it to Asuka..."

"Why don't you ask your mother's opinion?" Mrs. Kasahara said as she washed her daughter's back.

My daughter's back is smooth and soft, even more so than the finest mutton fat jade in the world, and its touch is truly exquisite.

"What is Mother thinking?" Kasahara Fukaeri asked, turning around.

"Of course I'll participate. Just think about it, that's a mountain god, and a great tengu at that... Once you become the mountain god's wife, the Kasahara family's hidden power will be practically all-powerful. Then, whoever crosses me..."

"mom!"

The eldest daughter was a little angry.

"Alright, I was just joking." Mrs. Kasahara stuck out her tongue slightly, trying to get away with it cutely. "Actually, I think this place is an ideal home for you. You were only conscious for a short time when I found you, and from childhood to adulthood, you've only been raised on Shintoism. You've never been exposed to the world you should have been exposed to. What has always worried me the most? My biggest worry is that when I get old and leave this world, if your identity is exposed, there will be no one to protect you, and you won't know how to return to your world..."

Sword Comes

Kasahara Fukari turned around and hugged her shoulders tightly: "Don't say that!"

"Silly girl." Mrs. Kasahara gently patted the back of her head, a faint smile as faint as the smoke rising from a farmhouse at dusk. "Even if I don't say it, Mother's worries are getting closer and closer. I'm forty this year, and at most I only have fifty or sixty years left to live. For humans, that's a long time, but for yokai, it's just a blink of an eye."

"I want to be with my mother forever!" Kasahara Fukari snuggled closer to her.

“Mother feels the same way.” Mrs. Kasahara gently cradled her eldest daughter on her lap as if holding a baby. “Having Eri and Asuka is my greatest pride. You have no idea how proud I am of you…”

The mother and daughter whispered to each other in the bathtub. The daughter bent over like a limp animal, while the mother lowered her head to kiss her neck. The daughter was ticklish and giggled, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck for mercy. The mother laughed too, and the two remained forehead to forehead, interacting affectionately.

At this moment, the mother and daughter seemed to be living a blissful, idyllic life, as if they could easily become one.

Does Eri listen to her mother?

"listen."

"Then marry him."

"..."

"Of course, it's just a formality, just a title. As for whether you really want to give yourself to him, that's up to you. Anyway, that kid won't go against your wishes and get rough with you. Your mother is pretty good at judging people, I can assure you of that."

"...But what about Asuka?"

"Xiangxiang's identity means she and he are destined to be apart. You don't need to feel guilty, and your mother won't interfere. Let her make her own choice. She can't live under our protection forever. Consider this experience as a trial she has to endure to grow up."

"That's too cruel," Kasahara Fukari said, feeling a pang of pity.

"There's nothing I can do. She's far from being qualified to be the chairperson," Mrs. Kasahara sighed, hugging her eldest daughter tightly. "Who wants to see their daughter sad? If only your mother could have a long life like you..."

Kasahara Fukari suddenly remembered what Natsuki Kuri had just said.

By becoming the wife of the mountain god, one can travel with the mountain god to Takamagahara and obtain eternal life.

"Mother, why don't you marry in my place tomorrow?"

"?"

Mrs. Kasahara looked puzzled.

Although she kept using such language to tease Fujiwara Izaya, she would never actually steal her daughter's man.

Kasahara Fukari lowered her voice and repeated Natsuki Kuriko's words.

"...It seems feasible." Mrs. Kasahara pondered for a moment, then, as if she had thought of something, she smiled and shook her head, saying, "But even if I go to Takamagahara, you can't go. What difference would it make if I died? You and Xiangxiang would still be without anyone to protect you."

"That's true." Kasahara Fukari cursed herself inwardly for being an idiot.

"Get up, soaking your body any longer will cause wrinkles."

Mrs. Kasahara gently patted her daughter's cheek, then stood up.

Amidst the rushing water, her smooth, glistening body emerged from the hot spring water, water droplets rolling down her soft skin, leaving a trail of dark water stains.

"Eri Fuka, I have a question for you."

"what?"

"How is Mother's health?"

"That's great."

Through the curtain, Kasahara Fukae looked at her.

Although she was 40 years old, her face was still young and beautiful, and her figure was still very voluptuous. Having grown up in a large family, Mrs. Kasahara, who took good care of herself, had legs that were perfectly proportioned in shape and length, and a very graceful figure. When she turned to talk to her daughter, her curves were dignified and smooth like a sculpture, and the full curves of her breasts and her pert buttocks were very symmetrical, giving her a rounded appearance.

No one would find it inappropriate to say that she is twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old this year.

"It's good that you're still young." Mrs. Kasahara smiled smugly, putting on her clothes while thinking to herself: One person being the wife of a mountain god certainly can't change the future, but what if the whole family is... Xiangxiang, do you want to be a carefree little girl forever? Hmm... Let Mom think carefully about how to make it happen.

Kasahara Fukaeri emerged from the bath and looked at her mother, who had a mischievous grin on her face, with a puzzled expression.

Having lived together for over twenty years, she knew perfectly well that when her mother wore that smile, she was definitely plotting something. ...Someone was about to suffer a terrible fate, Kasahara Fukaeri couldn't help but silently mourn for that poor soul for a few seconds.

Chapter 160. Mrs. Mei and Mrs. Riho, ah—

The sky was clear, and the moonlight was as bright as day.

Fujiwara Izaya flew down from the main building and glanced around furtively.

The dimly lit and cold hall was filled with flickering candlelight, but no one was in sight... Were they all asleep?

Yukino Riho was also looking at it curiously.

Jade-green floor tiles, crane-shaped screens, sheer gauze curtains, and subtly visible, unusual wood grain on the ceiling—everywhere you look exudes a classical elegance.

"Where are we going?" Yukino Riho gently grasped Fujiwara Izaya's hand.