I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

"Hmm? You want to hear a story about Goryō Lily?"

It was one of those lazy days. Kiichi Hougen was curled up in her room with a book in hand, a plate of lavender melon slices resting on a nearby table.

Though she claimed reading was mentally taxing and required sugar for energy, the truth was she simply had a sweet tooth.

When Sara appeared, Kiichi Hougen reluctantly set her book down.

"That's a bit of a tricky one…" she said, scratching the back of her head in mild exasperation. "If you'd asked about Mikoshi Chiyo or Hakushin Ki, I could tell you a few stories. But Goryō Lily… I don't know much about him. Why the sudden interest?"

"Well… Goryō Lily was a Tengu, wasn't he?" Sara replied. "I was just curious."

After hearing the story of Mikoshi Chiyo, Sara naturally became intrigued by the other two—the kitsune Hakushin Ki and the Tengu Goryō Lily.

And since Goryō Lily, like herself and Kiichi Hougen, was a Tengu, Sara couldn't help but feel an even deeper connection.

"But Master, you seem to know so much about Chiyo and the others… and even about the Archons. Does that mean you knew them personally?"

"Well… it's complicated."

Kiichi Hougen furrowed her brow slightly. "I know of them and many of their stories, but they don't know me. In fact, they're not even aware of my existence."

That answer only deepened Sara's confusion.

"Why? Aren't you a millennia-old great yokai?"

"True, but when I interacted with the mortal world in the past, I disguised myself as a human. Let's just say there were… various reasons for that."

Kiichi Hougen decided to leave it at that for now.

"If you're really curious about Goryō Lily, why not ask someone who actually knew him?"

"Someone who knew him?"

Sara's expression turned skeptical.

"You don't mean the Archon herself, do you? Would she even bother with someone as ordinary as me?"

"I'm even more aware than you of how unlikely that is," Kiichi Hougen replied dryly.

If her memory served her right, the Raiden Shogun had long since retreated into the Plane of Euthymia. The puppet she had crafted was now managing Inazuma in her stead. Meeting the real Raiden Shogun was almost impossible.

So naturally, Kiichi Hougen wasn't referring to the Archon.

"I'm talking about Yae Miko, the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine," Kiichi Hougen said matter-of-factly. "That cunning fox may have only lived for five hundred years, but she likely knows a lot about Goryō Lily, Hakushin Ki, and Mikoshi Chiyo. She was especially close to Hakushin Ki—back then, you'd often see her as a little fox, lounging affectionately on Hakushin Ki's shoulder."

A five-hundred-year-old… little fox?

Though five hundred years was nothing compared to her master's age, Sara still found the phrasing odd.

"Yae Miko is one of the Raiden Shogun's familiars and likely one of her few remaining friends. You'll probably have a chance to meet her someday, given her role as Guuji of the shrine. At least she's easier to meet than the Shogun herself," Kiichi Hougen mused, stroking her chin before giving Sara a sidelong glance. "But with your personality, I doubt the two of you will get along."

Hearing that, Sara immediately thought of her troublesome junior, the one who often got on her nerves.

"You mean she's like Itto?"

"No, quite the opposite. She's far more cunning than Itto," Kiichi Hougen said, pausing to take a bite of lavender melon. "She's frighteningly clever—so much so it's almost inhuman. That alone makes her hard to deal with. And she takes pleasure in teasing others. Given how rigid you are, the two of you are bound to clash."

The conversation meandered for a while longer.

"So… have you resolved your earlier dilemma?" Kiichi Hougen asked, referring to Sara's previous frustrations after being disheartened by Arataki Itto.

"…Yes, Master. I've thought it through," Sara admitted, bowing her head with a hint of embarrassment. "I've made you worry about me again…"

"I expected this when I took on disciples. Worrying about them comes with the territory," Kiichi Hougen said with a small smile, narrowing one eye. "But that's part of the fun of being a master."

"Comparing yourself to Itto is fine—I allow it. Competition fosters growth. But getting stuck in a mental rut is another matter. That kind of obsession limits your potential. Fixing weaknesses is important, but developing your strengths is even more so. Only fools trade watermelons for sesame seeds. The scariest thing isn't laziness—it's working hard in the wrong direction."

"The Oni are strong but not particularly clever. Even Mikoshi Chiyo, who managed to briefly gain the upper hand against the Raiden Shogun, struggled to lead troops effectively. Their straightforward nature made them unsuited for such tasks. But you, Sara, are different."

"You have a remarkable talent for strategy, something Itto completely lacks. If you trained like him, you'd be wasting your potential."

"My hope for you is to become a military strategist, one who commands from a distance and wins battles before they begin. As for Itto, I want him to be a pure warrior, capable of charging into an army alone and emerging victorious."

"My plan was for the two of you to complement each other. A strategist can amplify a warrior's effectiveness a hundredfold. But even if you end up working separately, I've trained you well enough that you'll still excel. You may not realize it yet since you haven't had much opportunity to fight others."

Kiichi Hougen rarely spoke at such length, but if it helped Sara understand, it was worth it.

"So… Itto's best suited for charging into the densest part of the enemy forces, going on a rampage, and then blowing himself up to take out as many enemies as possible?"

"Yes, exactly. That's—wait, what?!"

Kiichi Hougen froze, realizing something wasn't quite right.

Why did that strategy feel oddly familiar?

"Did you come up with that yourself?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I read it in a military strategy book," Sara replied, reminiscing. "It left a deep impression on me. It really showed me how profound strategy can be. There were so many ideas I'd never even considered before."

"I don't remember the book's title… but I do recall the author's name: Chen Gong. That's an odd name. Could he be from Liyue?"

As Sara pondered aloud, Kiichi Hougen felt a wave of complicated emotions.

Chen Gong! Why are you everywhere?!

And why is one of his books in my collection?!

For some inexplicable reason, Kiichi Hougen suddenly pictured a tall Arataki Itto standing behind Sara, who was holding a feathered fan.

With a faint smile, Sara waved her fan.

"Go blow yourself up, Itto!"

"It's a necessary sacrifice!"

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