The red-and-white shrine maiden robe disappeared beyond the torii gate, leaving only dappled tree shadows on the stone path.
Masako withdrew her gaze, turned, and walked toward the main hall. You and the Mochizuki sisters followed behind. They crossed the front courtyard, took off their shoes in the corridor, and entered the main hall to sit down.
The inside of the main hall was smaller than You had imagined. The wooden floor looked quite old but had clearly been well-maintained. Several paintings hung on the walls, and in the middle of them was an ancient altar.
There was a faint fragrance in the air, a mix of pinewood and incense, that made one unconsciously quiet down.
But You was full of questions now, and the fragrance did nothing for him.
Once everyone had settled, he couldn’t help but speak:
“Mom, why did you call her Little Futaba? Isn’t Kaguya-hime your enemy?”
Masako smiled but didn’t answer directly. Instead, she glanced at Chihaya sitting beside her.
“Let Chihaya tell you about it.”
You turned his gaze to Chihaya.
Chihaya first gave a slight nod to Masako.
Then she turned to You, sat up straight, and placed her hands meticulously on her knees.
“Divine Child, there is something you don’t know.”
Her voice was still that crisp tone, but noticeably more relaxed than when they were outside.
“Since entering modern society, shrines have been different from before. Naturally, the Shinto family clans are the same.”
She paused, as if organizing her words.
“Although the deities served by our Mochizuki family and the Tsukuyomi family are at odds, that doesn’t affect the personal friendships between members outside of divine affairs. In fact, the main houses of the Mochizuki and Tsukuyomi families are very close. There are only so many people in Shinto.”
She glanced to the side as she said this.
“Futaba, Mai, and I have actually been friends since childhood.”
Mai nodded beside her, her face still bearing the slight blush from when Futaba had interrupted earlier. She hesitated, then added softly:
“When we were little, Big Sister Futaba always used to help me do my hair… Back then, Big Sister Chihaya’s hairstyles weren’t as good as Big Sister Futaba’s…”
“Chihaya!”
Chihaya’s ears immediately turned red. She reached out and poked Mai, who quickly shrank her neck.
“Don’t tell the Divine Child about that.”
Mai quickly covered her mouth, but her eyes still carried a hint of amusement.
You watched this scene and found it a bit surprising.
So Chihaya, who had seemed so cold she could freeze people, could actually blush.
Masako smiled and added from the side:
“This is what they call ‘Human matters belong to humans, divine matters belong to gods.'”
She leaned back against the wall behind her, her tone much lighter.
“As long as divine affairs aren’t involved, the Tsukuyomi family and we are not hostile.”
Then her tone sank a little.
“Of course, if divine affairs are involved, then they are enemies. Little Futaba came in her shrine maiden robe to disrupt things today, so naturally I had to show some attitude.”
Chihaya nodded, as if confirming Masako’s words.
“That’s right.”
She looked at You.
“Is there anything else the Divine Child doesn’t understand?”
You shook his head with a strange expression.
‘He had never imagined the two families had this kind of relationship.’
‘But thinking back, it was actually normal. After all, this was modern society. He had lived eighteen years without ever hearing of any supernatural power appearing before ordinary people—this meant the gods probably couldn’t freely interfere in the mortal world, or at least it was very difficult.’
‘If that was the case, then shrine maidens serving the gods living normal lives and having normal friendships wasn’t really that strange.’
“There’s one more thing.”
You thought for a moment and asked anyway.
“Futaba… what kind of person is she?”
Chihaya’s expression changed.
It wasn’t a very obvious change, but You noticed. Her eyebrows moved slightly, and her lips pressed together a little tighter.
“Divine Child, I advise you to be careful with Futaba.”
Her tone was more serious than before.
“Futaba… has a kind of talent. No, perhaps it’s a blessing from the gods.”
Chihaya’s gaze fell on the wooden floor in front of her, as if recalling something.
“In all the years I’ve known her, I have never once been able to tell whether her words were true or false from her expression or tone.”
Mai nodded vigorously beside her, her movements much larger than before:
“Right, right, Big Sister Futaba always has that smiling face. I’ve never seen her lose her composure.”
You found it hard to believe.
‘How is that possible?’
‘Unreadable, saying one thing while meaning another, and from Chihaya’s words, the type that could never be seen through. Shouldn’t such people be old foxes who had been in high positions for a long time? Futaba looked to be about the same age as Chihaya, right?’
He recalled Futaba’s actions earlier.
From the moment she appeared under the torii gate, to her saying “love at first sight,” to his provocation, to her leaving—
Every moment, her expression was perfect. Even when he suggested “then kiss me,” her smile remained perfect, revealing no cracks.
‘You clicked his tongue. Damn, so this is a genius beautiful girl? But this talent is too godly.’
Masako gave a wry smile.
“I can’t see through Little Futaba either. Not just me, even the Tsukuyomi family—no one knows what that child is really thinking.”
She paused, then her tone softened a bit.
“But I believe Little Futaba is a good child. Just as Chihaya is the most outstanding junior of the Mochizuki family, Futaba is the most outstanding child of the Tsukuyomi family. She is the next family head of the Tsukuyomi family.”
You didn’t reply.
He sat on the wooden floor of the main hall, looking at the sunlight spilling in from outside, and suddenly had a bad premonition.
‘The days ahead were probably not going to be peaceful.’
At the same moment.
On the forest stone path outside the torii gate, sunlight leaked through the gaps in the leaves, spreading a patch of scattered gold on the ground.
Futaba walked alone.
No one else was around. Only the noisy cicadas chirping, and the sound of wind blowing through the leaves.
She still had a smile on her face, but it was different from earlier in front of the main hall—not that meticulously designed perfection, but more relaxed and casual.
As she walked, she thought about what had just happened, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up even more.
‘Today was really interesting.’
‘Yes, very interesting.’
She had been good at playing with words since childhood. Not the kind of trickery that deceives, but something more subtle—she could always make her words indistinguishable from truth. Every sentence seemed both real and fake, and in the end, the other party had to give up judging. And this skill seemed innate to her.
It made her feel very amused.
Watching others get caught up in her words, showing that baffled expression, made her happy. Simply put, she was a thrill-seeker.
‘Does she truly like the Divine Child?’
‘Of course not.’
‘They only met today for the first time, barely exchanged a few words—how could there be any liking? But…’
She slowed her steps as she thought this.
‘But saying that out loud would make Lady Tsukuyomi and Chihaya’s expressions really interesting.’
She could almost imagine it. Lady Tsukuyomi would frown, Chihaya would purse her lips, and Mai would probably widen her eyes. Just thinking about that scene made her want to laugh.
‘So does she truly want to marry the Divine Child?’
‘Hard to say.’
‘Maybe marrying him would be fun too. Think about it—if she married him, she could tease Chihaya every day. That would be so great.’
Futaba’s steps became lighter.
‘Chihaya.’
She silently murmured the name in her heart.
The two were close friends in private, but rivals in public affairs. She had accepted this positioning long ago. They were evenly matched—but that “evenly matched” was only established because she had the talent to “hide her true feelings in words.”
Conversely, in most other matters, Chihaya was stronger than her.
Whether in curse technique practice or divine ritual protocol, Chihaya’s talent was clearly superior.
That was why she loved to see Chihaya suffer defeat.
Watching that always upright, never-erring Mochizuki Chihaya tense up, frown, or have her ears turn red because of her words—
Futaba’s lips curved.
She quickened her pace and walked down the stone path. The light in the forest grew brighter, and ahead was the area where tourists came and went. The sounds of people gradually increased, the cicada chirps were drowned out by human voices, and the scent of incense in the air thickened.
Futaba adjusted her smile, changing from that relaxed curve to a perfect smile more suitable for outsiders.
She walked onto the main road and stepped into the bustling crowd.
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