[An old story gets a new take]
During the Heian era, the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons roamed, Onmyoji held sway, and chaos was everywhere.
As a member of a fox-yokai family, Kyoki Chanko has weak powers, doesn't like eating people, has a strange temper, and is utterly plain-looking. She really does bring shame to the fox yokai.
The fox yokai have an unwritten rule: when each fox cub turns three hundred, they must be thrown out of the house to prove themselves. They must eat one hundred people before they can return. Otherwise, they will never be allowed back into the Shinda Forest, where the fox yokai live.
When Chanko turned three hundred, her mother callously packed her up and tossed her out. Chanko thought her mother must have decided that since she already had nine little fox cubs at home, one more or one less made no difference. She knew Chanko wouldn't manage to eat a hundred people, so she could get rid of her without a second thought.
Chanko cried.
But the standard for eating a hundred people isn't the number of heads, but the amount of life energy. An ordinary man's life energy is enough to sustain an adult fox for one day. If the energy comes from an Onmyoji or someone blessed with great fortune, then one person can count as a hundred.
However, most fox cubs can't defeat people like that, so eating a hundred ordinary people is easier.
Chanko had already resigned herself to never returning to the Shinda Forest, not even in a thousand lifetimes. But just as she was despairing and laying out her bedding in a little copse, a blood-covered man staggered up and collapsed in front of it.
He was an adult man.
And an Onmyoji, too.
Chanko: Heaven is on my side! After making sure the man had passed out, Chanko eagerly feasted on his life energy to her heart's content. But then the man, who should have been dead, woke up and watched her with his chin resting in his hand, completely at his ease.
Terrified, Chanko tried to talk her way out of it. "Um, listen... I'm your savior! You were practically dead, but I gave you my life energy, and that's why you woke up!"
The man said, "Oh? A drop of kindness should be repaid with a gush of gratitude. I should thank you properly."
From then on, the strongest Onmyoji wouldn't leave her alone.
* Set during the Heian era, with the Onmyoji setting. Uses the Three Great Families setup from Jujutsu Kaisen, with Satoru Gojo as the strongest. (I personally want to see 5t5 with long silver hair in Onmyoji robes, being called Lord Gojo. I'm already satisfied!!)
* I want to write about a silly couple, with a light, sweet style. Don't scrutinize the historical details. No logic, just writing and reading for fun, with the romance as the focus.
* Later on, it gets more emotional. There may be a little angst, but it'll still be mostly sweet, so please enjoy without worry.
* Characters from Jujutsu Kaisen will also make guest appearances, all with new settings.
Theme: Sweet romance.
