Chapter 82: Support

Feeling something poking him in the back, Nobu awoke to find himself cradling Yui. At the same time, however, Onihime was snuggled up to him from behind. As a result, the moment he shifted in his sleep, he ended up pricking himself on the tip of her horns.

"Mnn? Master...?"

Awakened by Nobu's stirring, Onihime moved away from him before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. This allowed Nobu to sit up as well, his expression immediately morphing into a deadpan as he saw the inordinately petite woman in nothing but her birthday suit.

("That explains why it feels like I've been sleeping next to a furnace...")

According to what Onihime had told him, full-blooded Oni were able to bathe in lava without any particular difficulty. This had allowed them to produce some of the greatest blacksmiths throughout the history of Nian as they could work forges and handle red-hot metals without risk of injury.

Though she was only a half, Onihime's body temperature and resistance to heat were much higher than a normal person's. She was far from lava-proof but she could relax in boiling water and resist natural flames.

Feeling a wet stain on his back, the result of a tremendous amount of sweat, Nobu just shook his head before asking, "Why are you naked?"

Tilting her head to the side, Onihime replied, "When sharing a bed with one's Lord or Master, isn't it normal to sleep naked?"

Answering in Nobu's stead, Yui revealed her own sweat-covered body before replying, "Indeed..." in a curt tone. She hadn't been lying next to Onihime, but, with Nobu clinging to her for several hours, a lot of his body heat had transferred into her.

"..."

After the previous day's experiences, Nobu didn't have the willpower to question the duo's logic. If this was considered common knowledge then so be it. At least he knew what to expect when and if he invited others to share his bed in the future.

Combing his hand through his hair, Nobu pulled out the stone tablet to check the time. They had clocked in pretty late last night but it was only 3:57 AM. He figured this was the result of waking up around noon the previous day, so, rather than mull over it, he surprised the two girls by saying, "I'm gonna go for a run."

As she had been expecting him to continue brooding for several days, Yui was genuinely surprised by Nobu's words. He didn't seem nearly as affected as he was the previous day. Rather, despite the sweat covering his body and the fatigued look on his face, there was a fire in his eyes that had only been present during the moments when he had been willing to face his death...

"Nobu..."

Shaking his head, Nobu's expression became serious as he said, "Relax. I just feel like moving my body a bit. After yesterday, it feels like I could run for days without rest. My mind might be tired, but my body is basically on fire."

Though he had noticed it when he slept with Yui and Yuriko, Nobu's body always felt as though it was filled with strength whenever he absorbed the Yin Elemental Energy of his partner. Suzune had also mentioned how men possessed an instinct that made them covet women with high cultivation bases. Thus, even though he felt a powerful compulsion to just lay around and be lazy, his heart was pumping as though he had just finished his tenth cup of coffee.

What Nobu didn't notice was the fact that a bluish-green had surrounded the crystal orb displayed on his Clicker App. Beneath it, glistening in a similarly colored text was a flashing icon that said 10x multiplier. Had he noticed it, Nobu might not have recovered fully but he would have felt a hell of a lot better about the situation...

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After secretly observing Nobu for the remainder of the evening, Inami was both pleasantly surprised and considerably relieved that he had kept his word. She was fully prepared to erase the memories of everyone present. Fortunately, that didn't seem to be necessary, as, despite his brash nature, Nobu seemed to be a man of his word.

Considering herself to be a woman with similar qualities, Inami only hesitated for a few hours, just long enough to observe Nobu finishing his exercise routine, before requesting a private audience with Hitomi. When she saw the scowl on the latter's face, she wasn't even surprised. Rather, if she hadn't noticed something was amiss based on Nobu's behavior, Inami would have been severely disappointed in her former protege.

"What have you done?"

Maintaining a calm expression that belied the nervousness she was feeling, Inami provided a similar yet slightly altered story to the one Nobu had given his entourage. If two or more people provided the exact same information, it was infinitely more suspicious. Thus, while the key details were all the same, there were a number of variations accounting for her personal views and motivations leading up to and immediately following her liaison with their Young Lord.

"You wily old fox. Do you take me for a fool!? I told you to stay away from him...!"

Squinting her eyes, Inami appeared as placid as the surface of a cavern lake as she answered, "On the contrary, Hitomi. I understand your personality and capabilities better than most. I know I can trust you to watch over and protect the Yoshitsune Clan and its interests. If not, I would have never allowed you to hold the position of Matriarch for as long as you have."

Gritting her teeth, Hitomi's aura began to flare as she hissed, "You've jeopardized the survival of the entire Clan and now you expect me to just play along...?"

Despite flaring her own aura, Inami maintained her calm visage as she rebutted, "You know damn well I would never do such a thing! Have you forgotten who it is you're talking to!? I have watched over the Clan for millennia! You haven't even lived a hundredth of my lifespan yet you dare accuse me of putting my interests over those of the Clan!?"

Tensing under the aura unleashed by her former Master, realization donned upon Hitomi before her expression darkened even further. She could intuit from Inami's words that she was acting on behalf of Inari. In other words, neither she nor they really have a choice in the matter. If they dared to defy the petty and ill-tempered Goddess, their Clan would invariably pay an even greater price.

Noticing the understanding glimmer in Hitomi's eyes, Inami's tensions relaxed as an exasperated sigh escaped her throat. She was far more frustrated by their predicament than the much younger woman seated across from her. After all, she was among the first generation affected by the curse, and, thanks to her affinity with the Divine Energy saturating the mountain, she had borne witness to the suffering of her Clan for thousands of years.

"Worry not. The Young Lord of the Oda Clan is far more promising than I ever anticipated. I have personally witnessed the qualities that will allow him to rule over Nian. That is the reason I am here today. I've noticed the effort you've put into nurturing and supporting Yui. However, she, alone, will not be able to support our Lord to the pinnacle. The rest of his entourage needs similar attention. If you haven't noticed, he is quite a sentimental young man. If any of the people close to him were to die before their time, the consequences would be dire. If you're serious about entrusting the fate of the Yoshitsune Clan to his and Yui's hands, we should regard everyone in his entourage as someone important for his growth. Isn't that why you entrusted Onihime to him and allowed Kaia to continue living?"

As it had been quite some time since she and Inami had talked like this, Hitomi had forgotten how sly the deceptively old woman could be. She also couldn't just expose what she believed to be the truth as that would compromise the Clan while simultaneously embarrassing Nobu. In other words, from the moment she agreed to meet with Inami in private, she had basically fallen into the ancient vixen's trap. To make matters even worse, she couldn't even ask what Inari Okami had tasked her to do as the petulant Goddess wasn't fond of people prying into her personal affairs...

"What, exactly, is Inami-sama suggesting...?"

Nodding her head in approval, the tensions in Inami's body relaxed considerably as she said, "My intentions are in line with your own. Don't think I haven't noticed the way your eyes light up when you gaze upon our Young Lord. If Yui hadn't been up for the task, there is no doubt in my mind that you would have attempted to seduce him. I will not censure you for this. Rather, in order to tie him and his trainees to the Clan, I am proposing to have the Elders assist in their education. We will help him expand his influence through the Clan before assisting in his takeover of the entire archipelago. Because of his sentimental nature, there is no way he would be able to ignore our plight when most of his confidants, advisors, and retainers are members of our Clan..."

Furrowing her brows, Hitomi would be lying if she said Inami's words weren't tempting. They were, in fact, in line with her own reasoning. The only problem was that Inami had requested to become Nobu's, Onihime's, and Kaia's personal instructor. In other words, she would be closer to him than any of the other Elders. While there was nothing intrinsically wrong with this, the crux of the matter was that she was the vessel of Inari.

If she were allowed to be completely honest, Hitomi absolutely abhorred Inari. Her Clan had been forced to suffer for thousands of years just because she was spurned by a man that had died more than 5700 years ago. She hadn't even provided them a way to be free of the Curse. In other words, until their last surviving member drew her final breath, the Yoshitsune Clan was effectively doomed to suffer for an eternity. All because their Ancestor had fallen in love with someone else...

Unfortunately, even if she wanted to refuse Inami's request, Hitomi didn't really have a choice. She knew Inari was watching over them even as they sat in silence. The Gods in Heaven might not be omniscient, but time flowed differently between the two Realms. A day in Heaven was rumored to be a year in the mortal world, so, with nothing better to do, Inari was continuously spying on their every action.

Realizing she had been backed into a corner, Hitomi found herself suppressing a sigh despite appearing calm and unflustered on the outside. It was unfortunate that they couldn't contact the Goddess who had prophesied Nobu's rise. She might have been able to do something about this situation. Unfortunately, the only person Hitomi could rely on in this particular instance was Yui, and, to a lesser extent, Nobu...

Deciding to entrust the future to the younger generation, Hitomi's gaze sharpened as she said, "Very well. Though will need to discuss this matter with the other Elders, I am in support of your idea. However, for the sake of our Young Lord's future, we will need to take action to develop and promote his independence. If we begin treating him as a convenient tool to elevate the Clan, there is a very real probability all our plans will come back to bite us..."

Since her impression of Nobu had improved quite a bit after their interaction, Inami was actually of a similar mind to Hitomi. She understood, better than most, how frustrating it was to be treated as someone else's pawn. Thus, even if Hitomi hadn't suggested it, she would have done everything in her power to support Nobu's growth. Rather, now that there was a chance she had his baby in her belly, the notion of replacing Yui as his guardian and fiancee had crossed her mind...

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(A/N: Our boy is surprisingly popular...)