— — — — — —
Deep within the bamboo forest, at Eientei—
Kaguya sat in the bath as Eirin gently helped her wash and change.
She then slipped out of her usual robes and replaced them with a magnificent ceremonial outfit—one that shimmered with divine elegance and automatically adjusted to her form the moment she put it on.
"…It's been years since I wore this. Feels a little strange now," Kaguya murmured.
Standing before the mirror, Kaguya met her reflection's gaze. After a moment, a small, pleased smile curved her lips. "Even if I'm not quite at the perfect age for it anymore… I'm still breathtaking."
The outfit she wore was none other than the royal court attire she once donned as the Moon Princess in the Capital of the Moon—an outfit her "father," the King of the Moon, had crafted using his divine authority, in honor of the perfect image he held of Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto.
"If you already know you're not at the right age for it, why not just undo the time seal?" Eirin asked as she gently brushed Kaguya's long, silk-like hair from behind. "At this point, even if they sense it over there, it won't really change anything. Not with what you're planning next."
Before her exile as a criminal, the King of the Moon had cast a time-based spell on Kaguya's body.
It was punishment—a way to make her truly understand the weight of her "sin" for taking the Hourai Elixir, staining her once-pure, flawless form with the curse of eternal impurity. After being cast down to Earth, the spell left her unable to control her age. After all, who wants to remain a child forever? Especially after spending time with Veyron, she just wanted to grow up year by year—like a normal human child.
In the past, she hadn't dared touch that seal. If she'd broken it before her sentence was complete, the watchers in the Moon Capital would have noticed—and likely sent envoys to intervene.
But now? Now they were preparing to bring war to the Moon itself. A few envoys were hardly worth worrying about anymore.
"I'm not doing that," Kaguya huffed, lifting her chin proudly. "If I suddenly aged a few years in an instant, wouldn't that ruin the memory of me and Daddy?"
Eirin blinked. "…Right."
She wanted to retort—but in the end, she just let it go. "As long as you two are happy, I guess…"
"Dad hasn't come back yet?" Kaguya asked, stepping out of the bamboo house into the courtyard.
There, two figures were already waiting—Inukimi in her human form, and the white fox yokai Hagoromo Gitsune, perched casually on her shoulder.
Thanks to a much stronger foundation as a high-level yokai, and her possession of the rare Fourth-Stage Gene Lock, Hagoromo had reached the level of a Great Youkai far faster than Inukimi had in the past.
Kaguya glanced left and right but saw no sign of the one she was looking for. So she turned to the two and asked, "Where is he?"
"Speak of the devil…"
A spatial door suddenly opened mid-air, and out stepped Veyron, with Yuuka Kazami following casually behind him.
He looked Kaguya up and down with interest, taking in the royal figure before him. "So this is that divine outfit you were talking about?"
"Well? How do I look?" The princess lifted her arms and twirled in midair, giving him a full view of her elegance and charm.
"You look amazing." Veyron gave her a big thumbs-up. "As expected of the world's number one princess!"
"Thank you, Father. I'm glad you like it."
With a graceful curtsy, Kaguya raised a hand—and in a flash of multicolored light, the Jeweled Branch of Hourai, which had been quietly growing in a flowerpot on her balcony, appeared in her grasp.
Veyron then opened a spatial door leading to a lake several hundred miles away.
That lake was the designated rally point for the war—a place where Yukari Yakumo had invited all manner of yokai and spirits to gather for a singular cause:
Storm the Moon Capital. Kill the King of the Moon. And carve out a new world for monster-kind.
Once night fell and the moon's reflection appeared on the surface of the lake, Yukari would use her boundary-manipulating powers to open a direct gateway to the Moon.
— — —
By the time Veyron and the others arrived at Yukari's private residence—a mansion built atop a small hill by the lake—the instigator of this so-called "war", the yokai sage, was already there, comfortably settled in with a few close friends.
Alongside Yukari Yakumo were Ran Yakumo, Yuyuko Saigyouji (in her ghost form), and the Saigyou Ayakashi, the yokai, which had currently taken possession of Yuyuko's human body.
Also in the courtyard were two figures deep in a drinking match.
One of them was small in stature, but her presence was anything but—twin bony horns curled from either side of her head. It was Suika Ibuki, the Oni that Veyron had met once before in the Netherworld.
Sitting across from her was a striking woman with long golden hair cascading to her waist. Her body radiated strength and sex appeal, and a large crimson horn jutted from her forehead, adorned with a golden five-pointed star.
She was Yuugi Hoshiguma.
"Yuuka… and Veyron-kun, too! Figures you'd get roped into this by her," Suika said with a grin when she saw them walk in. She raised her massive bowl of sake toward them. "Come on! Let's have a drink to celebrate this long-awaited reunion!"
"Only two of you Oni came?" Yuuka Kazami asked, glancing at the sake table and raising an eyebrow.
"Didn't Yukari already say it herself?" Suika replied, slurring slightly. "This so-called 'war' of hers isn't meant to be taken seriously. Sending the two of us is more than enough to show some face."
She paused to burp, then continued with a shrug, "Besides, Kasen Ibaraki has been acting weird lately. Something about her just feels… off. Doesn't even seem like an Oni anymore."
"Originally, me and Yuugi were gonna bring her along too—especially since Yukari guaranteed the Moon's got both divine sake brought over from the heavenly plains and powerful enemies to fight. That's more than enough motivation for Oni."
"Oh right, almost forgot!" Suika suddenly perked up and turned to Veyron's group. "This is Yuugi Hoshiguma—another Oni King, just like me."
"Nice to meet you all," Yuugi said, lifting her wide, dish-shaped sake cup in greeting. "Wanna be friends?"
"Wanna try this?" Veyron asked with a grin, snapping his fingers.
One by one, beautifully crafted sake jars appeared in front of everyone—each radiating a rich aroma.
This wasn't just any alcohol. It was a legendary brew from a kingdom in the One Piece world, known for its unmatched brewing skills. It had once been gifted to the Celestial Dragons alongside Sky Gold as tribute.
The second Suika pulled out the stopper and caught a whiff, her eyes lit up. "Whoa… I don't think we've ever had this before, Yuugi?"
"...Let me see!" Yuugi downed the last of her drink in one gulp, then popped open the jar Veyron had given her. With the reverence of a true connoisseur, she poured it carefully into her signature drinking dish—the Hoshiguma Dish, which had the magical ability to enhance the flavor and quality of any liquor poured into it.
"Delicious!" she declared.
One hand held the cup, while the other firmly kept Suika's greedy face at bay. Yuugi took a small sip and grinned, savoring the taste.
"Seriously good stuff!"
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Note: There's an Auxiliary Chapter for images (Touhou +...).