I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

"Sakura," Kikyō said after a moment of silence.

"Hm?"

"Do you want to become human or a real monster?" Holding the Shikon no Tama, Kikyō turned to look at Yae Sakura.

"No!"

"Uh??" Yae Sakura's firm answer startled Kikyō immediately.

"I don't feel there's anything bad about being half-monster, and besides... this jewel can't grant wishes anyway."

Yae Sakura looked just like the Gyakushin Miko she was now—why change it? This form was perfect for her.

Besides, the Shikon no Tama wasn't some magical dragon ball that could grant any wish; those were all traps.

"Can't it?" Kikyō held the jewel uncertainly.

"It's just a bead made from the souls of a great miko and a powerful monster. How could it possibly grant wishes? So... Kikyō, don't make any wishes with it. It'll only give you what you don't want.

"For example, if you wished for world peace, it might kill everyone so there'd be no conflict left."

"Twisted wishes?"

"Yeah! That's exactly what I mean."

"I see..."

Kikyō couldn't tell if Yae Sakura was telling the truth, but as she gazed at the Shikon no Tama in her hand, she hesitated for a moment... before putting it away.

If it was true...

Her good intentions could turn into something harmful instead.

Kikyō had originally planned to give Yae Sakura the Shikon no Tama. But this jewel was dangerous; it didn't bring good luck, only disasters.

If she used it, wouldn't nothing happen? No monsters would come to steal it either.

After spending time with Yae Sakura, Kikyō realized that even if Yae wanted to become human or fully a monster, she wouldn't turn evil because of the jewel.

But now, hearing what Yae said, Kikyō decided not to give her the jewel after all.

-

After resting overnight, Yae Sakura, Higokumaru, and Kikyō prepared to head towards the battlefield at the border of two countries.

"Kikyō-sis, Yae-sis, and Higokumaru, be careful on your way!" Kaede stood at the village entrance, waving goodbye to the three figures before her with reluctance. They had returned just a day ago, yet were now leaving again.

Once again, she wasn't included in their group, but this time, Kaede didn't complain. She knew she was too weak and would only slow them down.

"Go back home! Look after things here."

"I will, Kikyō-sis," Kaede nodded promptly.

"Don't forget to practice with the weapon I gave you too!" Yesterday afternoon, Yae Sakura had given her a one-star handgun with minimal recoil. It took all her strength to use it properly now.

Yae then spent about two hours teaching her how to handle modern weapons, which proved far more efficient than traditional archery training.

No matter how skilled someone is, one shot can take them down...

Unlike Kikyō, Kaede lacked spiritual power and archery skills. Even if she trained for a lifetime, she wouldn't achieve much success that way.

Instead, becoming a unique "gun miko" seemed like a better path for her.

Times have changed; who still uses bows and arrows anyway?

"Thanks, Sister Yae," Kaede said, patting the gun in her lap. "I'll practice hard."

Kaede had trained with Kikyō for a long time, learning spiritual power and archery. But these skills required talent—Yae had surpassed her even though she started later. Now, Kaede was only slightly better than an average person.

If Kaede wasn't Kikyō's little sister, Kikyō would have given up on teaching her ages ago. Not just anyone could become a shrine maiden.

But after getting that unlimited ammo gun yesterday, Kaede saw new hope.

She knew firsthand how powerful the handgun was—even against samurai without sword energy, one shot could be fatal.

It wasn't perfect against monsters, especially spirit-type ones where it was basically useless. Still, it was a big improvement from before.

After all that bow training, Kaede might not even kill an animal with one arrow...

Plus, Sister Yae mentioned if Kaede improved her shooting and got stronger physically, she'd get more advanced weapons too—like laser guns that could harm spirits, or even powerful grenade launchers.

Then Kaede would become the first shrine maiden in this world to use modern firearms.

"Well then, good luck! We're off now."

"Bye!" Kaede waved vigorously.

-

"Kaede seems really happy..."

As they left Maple Village, Kikyō watched Yae-sakura playing with a little fox. She felt more puzzled about her friend.

But Kikyō wasn't one to ask too many questions.

"Yes! You know... for Kaede, the path of a traditional shrine maiden was just too hard. There's such a big difference between your talents. She needed to find another way..."

"But... these items are incredibly precious. Giving them away like this?"

"If I don't care, you shouldn't either. We're friends, right?"

"Friends..."

Kikyō stopped and looked at Yae-sakura. In this era... forget about friendship, even family members would often turn against each other over small benefits.

What do friends even count for?

"Sakura, why do you always stay by my side?" Kikyo asked, staring intently at Yae Sakura.

"..."

"What's wrong? Why do you ask like that?" Yae Sakura was puzzled; it seemed so sudden.

"With your strength, there's nowhere you can't go. So why suffer with me everywhere?"

"Suffer? I don't feel like I'm suffering! In fact, I find it quite interesting!"

"Do you want the Shikon no Tama?" Suddenly, Kikyo held out her palm, revealing the jewel.

"Kikyo, what are you doing? Don't you trust me?" Seeing Kikyo's action, Yae Sakura's smile froze. Was this a sign of distrust?

But clearly...

"I understand now! Thank you..." After watching Yae Sakura for a moment, Kikyo suddenly gave a rare smile. She put away the Shikon no Tama and sincerely expressed her gratitude.

"Huh..."

Yae Sakura was completely confused. What kind of riddle was Kikyo speaking in?

"Let's go! We need to reach the border before dark."