I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

Although she had barged into numerous rooms without uncovering any significant clues, it didn't mean Kiichi came away empty-handed.

For instance… in a backyard, she unearthed three jars of sake buried beneath the soil.

The moment she opened one, the rich aroma of the alcohol wafted into the air, making her mouth dry and causing her to instinctively lick her parched lips.

Kiichi wasn't one to care about appearances. Grabbing the jar with gusto, she tilted it up and drank straight from it.

Even as some spilled, she didn't mind. The sunlight glinted off the liquid as it trickled down her lips, slid along her smooth neck, and disappeared into the snowy crevice of her chest.

"Pwah! Refreshing!"

She downed more than half the jar in one go, and yet all it did was bring a faint blush to her cheeks.

Holding the jar's rim in one hand, she casually wiped her mouth with the other before pulling out a small gourd tied with a red string from seemingly nowhere.

"Hey, barkeep! Pack it up for me! Huh, no barkeep? Guess I'll help myself."

The gourd in her hand was deceptively small, the kind that would make anyone doubt it could hold much.

But then, something jaw-dropping happened.

She poured the remaining sake from the first jar into the gourd, then moved on to the second jar, and finally the third—until all three were emptied into the tiny container. Only then did she stop, corking the gourd and shaking it near her ear as if testing its capacity.

Back when she was still the Fenhuan Yu, Kiichi had despised alcohol, adhering to a disciplined "no drinking, no smoking, no gambling" lifestyle.

But as Kiichi, though she wasn't as obsessed as the oni clans who lived for booze, she had developed a strong appreciation for fine sake. It seemed that, for most Japanese yokai, drinking was a deeply ingrained pastime.

No one really knew why. After all, so many powerful yokai had met their end due to their addiction to alcohol. And yet, the allure of sake endured.

The gourd, despite its modest appearance, was akin to a pocket dimension—spacious enough to hold two and a half jars of sake without filling up.

If she felt like it, Kiichi could probably imitate the scene from Journey to the West where Sun Wukong gets sucked into the Red Gourd, using this sake gourd to trap others.

Walking along a narrow path, gourd in one hand and a fan in the other, Kiichi's mood seemed buoyant. She occasionally took a sip from the gourd while fanning herself with what appeared to be a scaled-down version of her signature feather fan. She had carefully restrained its power, using it merely as a regular fan to stir the breeze.

Humming softly to herself, she began to sing:

"The monk loves to roam around~~ Crazy antics with reason abound~~

Chasing fame and fortune's goal~~ Legs stretched out, they're never whole~~"

For some reason, she had always been a fan of the TV series The Legend of Crazy Monk, starring Benny Chan. She hadn't missed a single episode of all its seasons, including The New Legend of Crazy Monk.

There was something nostalgic about the fan in the show—called a "palm fan," if she recalled correctly. She'd once seen a similar one at her grandparents' house.

She wondered if anyone else shared that experience. Either way, as a child, she had gleefully picked up the palm fan, pretending to have the same divine powers as the legendary Ji Gong and shouting, "Om mani padme hum!"

She remembered how her grandparents' palm fan had been as tattered and weathered as Ji Gong's. When they later replaced it with a newer, prettier one, she had sulked for days.

Now, holding her gourd and fan, though not quite the same as Ji Gong's, she couldn't help but recall those innocent childhood days. After all, Ji Gong was never without his ragged fan and endlessly refilling wine gourd.

Even her steps had become unsteady and erratic, mimicking Ji Gong's drunken swagger.

As for whether such behavior was appropriate for someone like Kiichi…

"Well," she mused aloud, "aren't monks sometimes called Western sorcerers? Hmm…" She paused, lifting her feather fan to hide her amused smile. Her half-lidded eyes sparkled with mirth.

"Hmm! If they're sorcerers, then they're not so different from an onmyoji like me, are they? Oh, and even Douman calls himself a 'poor monk' sometimes! So it's all good! All good! Hah!"

Extending her fan like a battlefield strategist rallying the troops, she bellowed:

"Play the music! Dance on!"

Unexpectedly, her stance resembled Zhuge Liang's—but her words were pure Liu Bei.

"The monk loves to roam around~~ Crazy antics with reason abound~~

Chasing fame and fortune's goal~~ Legs stretched out, they're never whole~~"

Just as she hit her stride, a familiar voice interrupted her.

"Angel Sister! Angel Sister!"

The only one who called her that was Chika.

"Awake already, Chika? Did you eat breakfast?"

"No… I wanted to eat with everyone."

Chika lowered her head, hands clasped behind her back, scuffing her foot against the rough ground.

"...Is that okay?"

Her pleading gaze tugged at Kiichi's heart. Refusing would surely break the child's innocent spirit.

"Of course it's okay."

Kiichi smiled warmly, patting Chika's head. It was a gesture she had made so often it was almost second nature by now.

"Yay!" Chika's smile bloomed like cherry blossoms, her cheeks glowing with excitement. "Thank you, Angel Sister!"

"Call me Big Sister Kii."

"Okay! Angel Sister is the best!"

"…"

Someday, you little rascal, I'll tan your hide!

On the way back, Chika piped up again.

"Angel Sister, were you singing just now?"

"Hmm… I suppose you could call it that."

"Chika knows how to sing too, but Angel Sister's song was so beautiful, like a melody from the heavens! And I've never heard that song before. Did you write it yourself?"

"Nope. It's…" Kiichi froze, realizing she'd been outmaneuvered by the little trickster. Rubbing her temples, she sighed. "The song was written by someone else. I just sang it."

Hearing this, Chika hesitated.

"Would you like to learn it?"

"Really?"

Facing Chika's eager expression, Kiichi smiled.

"Of course! Teaching is one of my favorite things. Not just that song—any song you like, I can teach you. How about A Gust of Wind?"

"Hmm… Chika's never heard of it."

"No problem. I'll sing it for you."

---

Unauthorized Access Detected!

Beep beep. Nahida's end note? Yeah, it's taking a little break while I clue you in on something way cooler: Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? Ever wondered what happens when interstellar strategy collides with the chaotic vibes of a gacha game? It's a perfect mix of sci-fi mastery and Star Rail shenanigans. Trust me, it's got all the tech geek vibes you crave, and maybe a few surprises you won't see coming.

Oh, and WiseTL's P@tr30n? That's where the real magic happens. Your support fuels more chapters, exclusive perks, and keeps the chaos rolling. Check it out: [patreon.com/WiseTL]

Transmission complete.