— — — — — —
As Veyron and Midoriko made their way toward the infamous cherry blossom tree—the one said to drive people to take their own lives—the scene quietly shifted to their destination: the main residence of the Saigyouji family.
---
The Residence of Saigyouji family
It was a sprawling estate, complete with a vast courtyard and an unsettling stillness, like death itself had taken up residence there.
Inside a traditional tatami room facing the central garden...
A pink-haired girl gently dipped a soft cloth into warm water. After wringing it out, she carefully dabbed at the blood oozing from the wounds of a blonde woman who lay slouched against a cushion.
The injury was horrifying—starting at the left shoulder, the tear ran diagonally down to the right side of her waist, the cut deep enough that it could be seen from both the front and back.
By all logic, her body should've been cleaved clean in two.
And yet, the blonde woman remained miraculously "intact." Still, the blood flowing from the wound made it clear—just because her body held together didn't mean she wasn't suffering.
"You're wasting your time," the woman said with a yawn. "Wiping it down isn't gonna fix this kind of injury. If you've got time to fuss, I'd rather you grant me one last dying wish and let me down a few more bottles of sakura wine…"
That's what she said, but she didn't stop the girl from tending to her. She just sat there, letting her do as she pleased.
"Don't say things like that, you'll scare me," the pink-haired girl replied, rinsing her hands after cleaning the wound.
Then she took a long strip of white cloth and began wrapping it carefully around the woman's body. Layer by layer, nice and snug—she even finished it off with a cute little bow, smiling proudly.
"Besides," she added, "you said the same thing two days ago. But judging by how you've been holding up since then, the wound looks scary, sure—but it's not fatal, right?"
The wound itself wasn't fatal.
The "power" lingering inside the cut was annoying to deal with, but if given enough time, she could eventually suppress it with her own power.
The real danger... was the person who gave her that wound in the first place.
But staring into the pink-haired girl's innocent eyes, the blonde woman couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. Instead, she simply held out her hand.
"Alright, I let you patch me up. Now, where's the wine you promised?"
"I'll go get it for you right now!"
The girl stood and left the room, her footsteps echoing down the corridor as she headed toward the front garden where a massive cherry blossom tree stood.
. . .
Back in the room, as the sound of footsteps faded, the injured blonde woman—Yakumo Yukari—let out a long, weary sigh.
The pink-haired girl's name was Saigyouji Yuyuko.
(IMAGE of Saigyouji Yuyuko)
...
Three days ago...
Yakumo Yukari had managed to flee to this area.
Just her closeness to the cursed cherry blossom tree in the Saigyouji estate had caused the black flames she'd been suppressing to flare up again—triggered by the tree's deathly aura. She collapsed right then and there.
When she came to, Yuyuko had already dragged her back to the house.
"Do you know I'm a yokai?" Yukari had asked after waking up.
"Yup! With wounds like those… if you were human, you wouldn't still be breathing."
Yukari: "...And knowing that, you still brought me into your home?"
"What's the big deal?" Yuyuko had smiled. "People have been calling me a monster for years anyway."
Then, with a curious tilt of her head, she added, "Besides, I can tell you're not like those terrifying yokai in the legends—you don't go around eating kids or anything, right?"
"You're a good... right, Miss Yokai? You've never eaten anyone before, have you?"
"Don't say disgusting things like that." Yukari had visibly cringed.
"Then it's fine!" Yuyuko had let out a relieved breath and happily offered to help treat her wounds.
In the days that followed, Yukari gradually learned why people called Yuyuko a "monster."
Yuyuko's father had once been the head of the Saigyouji family—a renowned poet known as the "Song Saint."
A few years ago, the Saint had passed away beneath the cherry blossom tree in the garden. After his death, the tree mysteriously gained the power to lure people to their deaths.
And not long after, Yuyuko discovered that she had somehow developed a connection to the tree. A bond that gave her the ability to control ghosts and spirits of the dead.
As more and more people started dying under the cherry tree, the Saigyouji family panicked. In the end, they abandoned their ancestral home.
And Yuyuko—whose spiritual powers had already begun to show—was quietly "ignored" during the evacuation, left behind like some sort of unwanted relic.
Fortunately, her bond with the tree worked in more ways than one. Even if she didn't eat or drink, she could absorb just enough energy through the connection to stay alive. That's what kept her from starving to death in this empty, lonely estate.
"Three days now… it should be soon, right?"
Yukari gently placed a hand over the bandages wrapped around the wound left by Veyron's blade. The pain from his black fire embedded in the wound still bit at her constantly, like it was gnawing from the inside. Yet her expression remained calm as she whispered to herself.
---
Meanwhile…
Yuyuko had stepped into the front garden and was about to dig up a stash of cherry blossom wine she'd buried herself a couple of years back—when she saw a man and a woman already standing beneath the tree.
Not far from them, there was a snow-white dog, graceful and elegant.
"Excuse me, but you two should really stay back," Yuyuko warned. "That tree has the power to lead people to their deaths without them even realizing it."
"Oh, we know," the man replied with a calm smile. "That's actually why we're here."
"Huh?"
Yuyuko blinked and looked them over more closely.
The woman wore armor, though underneath it you could just barely make out the traditional robes of a shrine maiden.
As for the man—his outfit was striking and unlike anything she recognized, but it suited him. And strapped to his back was a long sword—its decorated sheath and hilt practically screamed that it was no ordinary blade.
"Wait… are you two here to exorcise the tree? Like a samurai and shrine maiden duo or something?"
Yuyuko tilted her head, curious.
"Well, she's definitely a shrine maiden," the man replied, pointing to his companion. "But I'm no samurai."
He then pointed to himself. "Name's Veyron. This is Midoriko. And you are...?"
"Yuyuko. Saigyouji Yuyuko," she answered politely.
"I knew it," Veyron thought, giving a small nod.
He'd suspected it from the moment he laid eyes on her.
Saigyouji Yuyuko—the future noble of the Netherworld's Hakugyokurou. A ghost princess, granted dominion over the dead by Yama due to her power to manipulate spirits and souls.
Her name wasn't one you'd expect to hear in this era… which made running into her all the more surprising.
Her father, based on the real historical figure Saigyou, was active around the end of the Heian period (794 - 1185) and the start of the Kamakura period (1185–1333).
So, by rough calculation, this time period should be several hundred years before Veyron's current timeline.
Then again, considering that Yuyuko had been known to exist as a ghost for at least a thousand years by the 21st century, running into her now wasn't that far-fetched.
"Mr. Veyron, Miss Midoriko," Yuyuko said softly, "if you came all this way even after hearing the rumors, then I believe you must be strong enough to handle it. Still… I'd really prefer if you didn't stand so close to the tree."
She hesitated for a moment, then added, "There've been shrine maidens and exorcists before who tried to seal it. They all ended up becoming part of the tree's… collection."
"Don't worry," Veyron said cheerfully. "If anything goes wrong, we'll prioritize our own safety first."
Then, with the same relaxed smile, he threw out a question that made Yuyuko stiffen slightly.
"But Miss Saigyouji… you and this cursed tree seem really closely connected. Are you sure you're okay?"
.
.
.