The forest floor was littered with yokai corpses, their crimson blood soaking the grass.
A young girl in a luxurious kimono sat cross-legged on the ground, her face contorted with terror as she stared ahead—more precisely, at the pink-haired girl clutching a katana, her eyes brimming with bloodlust.
The girl's long fox ears betrayed her non-human nature, yet she wore the sacred attire of a miko, albeit a scandalously revealing one.
The young girl couldn't understand why she was encountering terrifying yokai on her way back from Kyoto, even though it wasn't yet dusk—the time of demons was still some time away.
Yet she had run into so many yokai...
The samurai who had been protecting her had all been slaughtered by the yokai. Thanks to their desperate efforts, she had managed to flee this far.
But how could an ordinary human, especially a delicate young girl, outrun yokai? In the end, they had caught up to her.
Now... though the yokai were dead, an even more powerful half-demon had appeared. She had no idea what this half-demon would do to her.
Still... compared to being torn apart and devoured by the previous horrifying yokai, being eaten by this "beautiful" half-demon didn't seem so unbearable.
If it was just a half-demon, perhaps her corpse would at least remain relatively intact...
Yae Sakura, the beautiful half-demon miko, had no idea what the kimono-clad girl was thinking. But right now, she had discovered a way to earn Crystals!
Earlier, a notification had appeared in Yae Sakura's ear:
[First yokai kill! Reward: 10 Crystals.]
Crystals! These were the most important thing to Yae Sakura. Having transmigrated with her years-old game account, she had no shortage of weapons, equipment, or gold.
Except for Crystals.
She needed 2,400 Crystals to unlock the next world, but before that, she had to complete all the main quests. Otherwise, even with enough Crystals, she couldn't unlock a new world.
Moreover, Crystals weren't just for unlocking new worlds; they could also enhance her strength. Her Gyakushinn Miko character was max level and graduated, but most of her other characters weren't! Especially Kiana, the Herrscher of the Void she had just pulled, who was only at level 1.
After all, only a handful of characters had graduated.
With enough Crystals, new characters could instantly reach max level.
Crystals were crucial.
Perhaps because it was her first monster kill, Yae Sakura had also gained some new information.
She could actually return to her original world! Once she unlocked all the Valkyries, she could go back.
Unlocking new Valkyries required opening new worlds. Each new world randomly unlocked one Valkyrie, and she would have to live in that world using the new Valkyrie's abilities.
How many Valkyries were there in total?
Even Yae Sakura alone had at least three forms. Other characters likely had multiple forms as well.
Yae Sakura wasn't sure if she could endure this for so long, but the thought of her beloved sister's smile steeled her resolve. No matter what, she had to return!
Her smile couldn't be given to anyone else.
There was one piece of good news, though: when she unlocked all the Valkyries and returned to her original world, only an hour would have passed there.
In other words, her sister wouldn't fall into anyone else's hands while she was gone!
After all, her precious sister wasn't actually related to her by blood.
(TL Note: Man really likes his sister...)
The first Valkyrie unlocked was a fully maxed-out Gyakushinn Miko—a stroke of luck!
A level 1 Kiana would have been a real headache.
To avoid feeling helpless when Kiana awakened, Yae Sakura decided to focus on accumulating more Crystals.
Crystals were versatile; they could level up Valkyries and purchase Valkyrie Fragments. The initial Kiana was only an S-rank Valkyrie, after all.
After pondering this, Yae Sakura snapped back to reality and noticed a kimono-clad girl trembling nearby.
The girl wore an exquisite silk brocade kimono, a garment of striking beauty.
In this era, such fine clothing clearly marked her as someone special—either the daughter of a wealthy merchant or a noblewoman.
Yae Sakura strolled over to the girl, who kept her head bowed, too afraid to meet her gaze. Her body shook slightly, as if overwhelmed by fear.
"Are you afraid of me?" Yae Sakura asked.
She sheathed her Spiritual Blade and looked down at the girl, whose features remained remarkably lovely, rivaling even her own sister. The girl appeared to be around thirteen years old.
"N-no! I wouldn't dare!"
Hearing Yae Sakura's voice, the kimono-clad girl seemed startled and quickly denied it.
"Stand up and speak!" Yae Sakura commanded.
Although she knew she was in the world of Inuyasha, Yae Sakura wasn't sure exactly when. It would be ideal if someone could explain the timeline to her.
"...Yes, Great Yokai!"
The kimono-clad girl remained silent for a moment before cautiously rising to her feet. However, she kept her head stubbornly bowed, as if she wanted to bury her face in her chest.
"Look at me!" Yae Sakura continued coldly.
If I hadn't become a girl, she thought, I probably wouldn't be using this tone with such a beautiful kimono-clad girl right in front of me. I might not become a simp, but I definitely wouldn't be acting like this.
"..."
Despite Yae Sakura's commanding tone, the girl kept her head lowered, refusing to meet her gaze.
"Am I that terrifying?" Yae Sakura wondered, puzzled by the girl's behavior. I'm in Sakura's form right now, and Sakura is so cute... How could you possibly be afraid?
Are you even human?
How could anyone be scared of such an adorable fox-eared girl?
"N-no... it's not scary at all... Great Yokai, you're very beautiful!" The kimono-clad girl stammered, still refusing to lift her head.
Yae Sakura reached out and gently lifted the girl's chin.
Upon closer inspection, she was even more stunning than Yae had initially thought.
"What's your name?"
"N-Natsuki-hime..." With Yae Sakura's hand under her chin, the girl blushed slightly, hesitated, and then answered.
"Natsuki?"
So you're the legendary Natsuki?
"Hime? Are you a princess?"
The title "hime" wasn't something just anyone could use; it was typically reserved for princesses.
However, in Japan, the daughters of castle lords were also referred to as princesses and could use the title "hime."
To distinguish between the Emperor's daughters and those of ordinary daimyo or castle lords, the Emperor's princesses were specifically called "Imperial Princesses."