— — — — — —
For a moment, Kira's mind buzzed with new ideas about his "traits."
He'd reached LvMAX with his [White · Basic Fist Style], which then merged all the technique-type traits he'd learned into [Purple · Master of All Martial Arts].
But that raised a question.
What about spell-type traits?
Could things like spirit power or youkai energy—the energy-based ones—be leveled too?
Kira's mind worked fast. Once he caught a thread of possibility, he couldn't help but keep tugging until it unraveled into a whole web of thoughts.
"Wait, what?"
Kaguya blinked in disbelief. "Father, you've actually mastered Eirin's spell, World in a Jar?"
"That's the art Eirin spent centuries developing! The world inside that jar—it's not an illusion, it's a real, complete world."
"Princess," Eirin said softly, shaking her head, "that's not entirely correct. The spell only encompasses this bamboo forest. The outer regions aren't included."
"So," Kaguya said, narrowing her eyes, "you've created an actual world inside the forest?"
Kira could only give a complicated look. Was this what it meant to be a being who'd survived since the age of the gods? That level of power was just… ridiculous.
"I've learned it," he admitted after a pause. "But using it and improving it further? That'll take a long time."
"Effort makes you stronger, right?"
"....."
"Father!" Kaguya's voice sharpened with alarm. "Promise me you won't tell anyone about that ability. It's too absurd!"
Kira nodded with a wry smile. Of course he wouldn't. Talking about something like that wasn't just asking for trouble—it was practically suicide.
Just because the age of the gods had faded didn't mean the gods themselves were gone. Plenty of them had left fragments of their power scattered across myths and legends. If they ever found out about his little "trait," they'd probably line up to dissect him.
Until he grew stronger, keeping a low profile was the only sensible move. That was why he hadn't started developing the city yet—or taken in any citizens.
"Just as I thought," Eirin murmured, nodding thoughtfully. "Kira, I brought with me several tomes of divine-era spellcraft. Take your time studying them. You can start experimenting with onmyoji arts and yokai magic as well."
"You've already completed your integration of martial arts."
"So next," she continued, "you'll be doing the same for magic—learning, mastering, then merging them."
"And finally—" her dark grey eyes glimmered with quiet anticipation, "I want to see whether you can also purify spirit power and yokai energy into something higher. Perhaps even integrate them into a new kind of divine energy."
Kira studied her for a moment.
As expected of Eirin Yagokoro. She didn't know about his "trait" system, but from observation alone, she'd already guessed most of it.
"I'll learn slowly, and test things as I go," he said at last. There was no point rushing. These things took time.
Eirin seemed pleased with his mindset.
She knew what her princess was thinking too—and, honestly, she shared that thought.
That annoying friend of hers was still stuck in the same dead end as always. Maybe only a hard slap in the face would finally wake her up.
And the one best suited to deliver that slap was probably the man sitting right in front of her—the Earth-dwelling father of her princess.
"Now then," Eirin went on, "under the pretext of watching over the princess, I'll be staying here on Earth for the next hundred, maybe two hundred years. Tomorrow, send those three girls to me. I'll teach them how to handle spirit energy, in ways that fit their strengths."
If she was planning to give her old friend Tsukuyomi a metaphorical slap, then she'd need to help this "father of the princess" build up real strength. Otherwise, when the time came, they'd simply be outmatched.
After all, the Lunar Capital didn't have just one sage. And the moon's people were not easy to deal with.
"Got it," Kira said with a smile, then tilted his head. "By the way, Eirin—what's really going on with the Apocalypse world?"
Eirin hesitated, then replied, "It's a long story. Come inside first."
She led the father and daughter deeper into the bamboo grove, where a large traditional Japanese manor stood hidden among the trees.
They passed through a quiet corridor and into the back garden before sitting down together.
"Eirin," Kaguya said, clearly familiar with the place, "did something bad really happen?"
Kira glanced around the estate, curious.
Hmm.
This had to be Eientei, right?
The mansion blessed by Kaguya's ability, a place where nothing ever changed.
He could see it now—why, in the original Gensokyo stories, Eirin had been able to hide Kaguya for so long. Beyond the barrier of Gensokyo itself, she had this—the World in a Jar—to cloak their existence.
Otherwise, the Lunar Capital's gaze would have found them long ago.
"Well..."
"For the Apocalypse world, there's no need to rush," Eirin finally said. "Its problems aren't ones that can be solved overnight."
Then, as if changing the subject, she took out a long sheet of parchment covered in neat, intricate notes. "Kira, do you mind if I give you a full examination?"
"...Huh?"
Kira tensed instinctively. Anyone who knew Eirin knew what "examination" could mean. Once you went into her lab, there was no guarantee you'd come back out in one piece.
"Relax," Eirin said calmly, noticing his wariness. "You're the princess's father on Earth. I won't do anything harmful. But your body is... unusual. I need to study it properly, so I can make a detailed plan for your development."
"...Alright."
Kira hesitated, then sighed. It should be fine. Probably.
His aunt's "training methods" had always been crude, and now he could get a perfect, well-researched growth plan designed by the Moon's greatest brain?
That was an opportunity he couldn't afford to waste.
.
.
.