For those skilled in esoteric arts, if you wish to do something secretly, the first thing to do is not to hide the action itself, but to conceal the causality to prevent divination, so that others cannot easily divine what you are doing.
"Hmph, what a pity. If Fujiwara no Kanehira personally takes action, it's impossible to divine what he's hiding." Minamoto no Mitsunaka snorted, then continued.
"Father is right. Things Fujiwara no Kanehira has personally handled cannot be divined. However, to know what he is concealing, we don't necessarily need to use divination." Minamoto no Yorimitsu said, looking at his father, the relaxed expression on his face unchanged.
"You mean..."
"Within this Onmyoryo, those secretly working for the Minamoto Clan are not just one or two..."
After Minamoto no Yorimitsu finished speaking, he drew a new bamboo tube from his sleeve. After silently chanting a few spells, he tapped the bamboo tube several times, then handed it to the crow still beside him. The crow took the bamboo tube and flew straight out the window.
"Give this to our informant in the Archives Pavilion. See if he can find that mission you forcibly archived. The secret letter from the Subjugation Bureau mentioned some clues before."
Looking at his son before him, Minamoto no Mitsunaka's heart was complex. To this day, he didn't know how many informants his son had secretly placed throughout Heian-kyo, or how far his intelligence network extended.
"If it can be found, then that means..."
"Yes, that means we've finally caught Fujiwara no Kanehira's fox tail. Using this tail, we might be able to trip Fujiwara up." Minamoto no Yorimitsu said, folding the paper in his hand, a gleam appearing in his eyes.
"It seems that in this world, when doing something in secret, one must guard against far more than just divination..."
...
Inari Mountain was silent in the dark night; everything seemed as usual.
Miketsu was asleep. Unlike before, she seemed to be having a dream. In this dream, countless people with indistinct figures and faces worshipped her, and many similar figures danced around her, while a rhythmic drum sound continuously echoed throughout the dream.
In an instant, Miketsu suddenly felt a splitting headache. She abruptly woke from the strange dream, clutching her forehead, her brows deeply furrowed.
"What... what is going on..."
Miketsu muttered in confusion. Since transmigrating here, she had never had any dreams. This first one was so strange.
Who were those people in the dream just now? Ordinary humans? Were they worshipping and dancing for her, a deity? And what was with that drum sound?
"Dong... dong... dong..."
Suddenly, Miketsu heard the drum sound again, startling her. She then looked in the direction of the sound; it was clearly coming from outside the Secret Realm.
Normally, if Miketsu encountered something like this, she would definitely go find Tsuruha first, and absolutely not step out of the Secret Realm. Who knew what kind of demon might be drumming in such a place.
But now, for some reason, Miketsu felt a desire to go towards the drum sound. The sound felt as if it were calling to her.
An instinct, from she knew not where, told her there was no danger on the other side of the drum sound.
Miketsu silently stood up. After simply dressing, she slid open the door, put on her geta, and slowly advanced towards the direction of the drum sound. She felt as if she was subconsciously responding to a call, yet somehow believed there was nothing wrong with it.
As Miketsu walked through the forest, the drum sound grew closer and clearer.
This continuous drum sound was not deep; one could tell it wasn't played by a large drum. The frequency of the drumming wasn't fast, but it was very rhythmic, as if each beat struck one's heart.
Miketsu was very curious: with such a loud drum sound, why hadn't the patrolling Inari foxes noticed it? Could it be that only she could hear it?
With various questions, Miketsu finally arrived at the source of the drum sound. This was Kojin-mine on Inari Mountain, a subsidiary peak separate from Inari's three main peaks, and an excellent spot to view Heian-kyo. Miketsu often came here to admire the scenery when she had nothing to do.
At this moment, on Kojin-mine, beneath the twinkling stars, Miketsu saw a figure, a female figure drumming and dancing.
It was a woman with long golden hair, her face concealed by a fox-shaped mask, wearing a headscarf and a strangely styled yellow kariginu. Beneath the kariginu was a green skirt, and clearly depicted on the kariginu were stars of the Big Dipper. At her waist, she wore a small drum shaped like an hourglass, wide at both ends and narrow in the middle. At this moment, she was drumming and dancing, the drum and dance almost perfectly integrated, her entire being infused with emotion.
The moment Miketsu saw the woman, she was first startled, because this woman, like Miketsu herself, was currently in the divine realm. This was the first time Miketsu had seen any being other than her own divine messenger in the divine realm. This indicated that the mysterious woman before her was very likely a deity, a deity just like herself.
A deity? From where? What was she doing here? Could she know the former Inari Okami?
Although her heart was stirred, Miketsu did not interrupt the woman's dance and music. She watched silently from not far away, appreciating it, waiting for the performance to conclude.
Watching the woman's dance and music, Miketsu felt an indescribable sense of tranquility.
With the final tap on the drum, the woman ended her dance and music. She looked up, gazing at Miketsu who was watching her from the other side. She removed the fox mask from her face, revealing a distinctive countenance with red eyes. After a slight smile, she bowed slightly and said.
"To be able to summon you forth once again with such a dance and music, my heart is exceedingly joyful."
Hearing the other speak, Miketsu trembled slightly, then also began to speak.
"What was that dance and music just now?"
"This is... 'Sarugaku,' that is what people of this era call it." The woman replied to Miketsu, maintaining her smile.
"Are you using it to call me?"
"Indeed."
Silence. After Miketsu finished her questions, neither she nor the woman spoke again. Compared to Miketsu's inner anxiety, the woman's expression was calm and composed, as if she was waiting for Miketsu to speak first.
"May I know who you are?" Finally, Miketsu couldn't help but ask. She had initially hesitated to ask directly, fearing the other might be an old acquaintance of Inari Okami, and a direct question might reveal her abnormality. But then she reconsidered and realized there was no need for such caution; she had made no preparations before meeting the other, so if the other truly knew the former Inari Okami, her current state would immediately reveal the problem.
"When I was worshipped, I had other names, but now, you may call me...
"Matara Okina."
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