You turned around.
Sure enough, Futaba was standing about five or six meters behind him.
The same perfect smile still hung on her face. Her expression was exactly the same as when they first met at the shrine a few days ago.
But today was different.
She wasn’t wearing a shrine maiden robe.
A white short-sleeved shirt and gray skirt—a very ordinary summer outfit. But dressed in casual clothes, Futaba’s bright and pretty face no longer had the fiery aggressiveness from before. It softened, making her look like the sunny girl next door.
Then You noticed something.
Futaba’s legs were wrapped in black stockings.
The black stockings made her legs look longer, and under the sunlight, the lines of her legs were clearly outlined. Especially the rim at the top of the stockings—a slight tightness around her thighs, as if it had a gravitational pull, made You’s gaze involuntarily lock there.
You was only captivated for a moment.
He snapped back to reality and cursed himself inwardly: ‘Can’t you have more self-control? Chihaya and Mai are right here.’
Clearly, he was too slow in looking away.
Although You’s gaze shift lasted only a brief moment, the three young ladies present all saw it.
Chihaya dropped the faint smile she had while shopping, her expression turning serious.
Mai, on the other hand, began grinding her teeth, looking like she was about to pounce and bite You.
As for Futaba—her expression and demeanor didn’t change at all. She still wore that same smiling look. But You felt there was a little more amusement in her eyes.
He felt a bit pressured.
‘Damn, is this what a shuraba feels like? So much pressure.’
The air froze for a few seconds.
Futaba spoke, her tone carrying a hint of sweetness.
“Divine Child, I told you before, we were fated to meet again.”
She tilted her head.
“It seems our destiny came quite quickly.”
As soon as she said that, the atmosphere took a sharp turn for the worse.
It instantly became tense and adversarial.
Chihaya and Mai both couldn’t hold back. What did she mean by saying “destiny came quickly” in this situation? Was it a provocation?
Chihaya didn’t speak, but her lips pressed into a thin line.
Mai moved half a step forward, the sound of her grinding teeth growing louder.
Feeling the dangerous atmosphere, You felt cold sweat forming on his forehead. He racked his brains, trying to think of something to ease the situation. He couldn’t just watch the shuraba break out, could he?
He reached out, taking Chihaya’s hand with his left and Mai’s hand with his right.
Trying to express his stance.
The two were caught off guard by this move.
Their faces blushed at the same time.
Chihaya’s earlobes burned fiercely, and Mai’s entire face turned tomato-red. They glared at You sharply, but neither pulled their hand away, nor did they speak.
Futaba covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh.
“You all have such a good relationship.”
Her tone was airy, as if commenting on today’s weather.
The tense atmosphere from before slowly dissipated.
You let out a sigh of relief.
‘Looks like I passed.’
***
Futaba was laughing inwardly.
She never expected such a coincidence. She decided to come to Hakone for summer break on her own, and she happened to run into Chihaya and them—including this interesting Divine Child.
Judging by the situation, they were probably arranged by Moon Princess to bond.
As for the comment just now—of course, it was her mischievous side acting up. She wanted to tease Chihaya and the others, so she used that ambiguous wording.
Their reactions satisfied her greatly. Their performance earlier was really interesting.
Moreover, judging from their reactions—it seemed these two had already started to like this Divine Child. At least there were some signs, or they wouldn’t have reacted so strongly.
But that was strange.
If she remembered correctly, this Divine Child had known them for less than a week.
What happened in between?
This guy didn’t seem particularly special, and was even a bit lecherous—he was just secretly checking out her stockings a moment ago.
What charm did he have? To make the Mochizuki sisters develop feelings for him so quickly.
This was just too interesting.
It looked like there would be some fun this summer vacation.
She decided to stick with them and observe what was so special about this Divine Child.
Well, that comment earlier was just the right amount. If she teased them further, her two handkerchief friends might turn hostile. That wouldn’t be fun—she only had these two friends.
There was still plenty of time. There would always be chances to have fun; no need to rush.
Futaba put on a sincere smile.
“Alright, alright, just joking.”
Her tone changed. It no longer had that probing edge.
“It’s a rare coincidence. I just wanted to hang out with you all. Why so tense? How about we walk around together?”
The tone was familiar.
It wasn’t the polite, distant tone she used when speaking to You, but the close friend tone of girls who had grown up together.
This change in attitude put the two in a difficult position.
When facing Futaba the shrine maiden, an enemy in divine affairs, they could refuse. But when facing Futaba as a friend, they couldn’t maintain the grounds to refuse.
After all, they still couldn’t confirm her true intentions.
After a moment of silence, Chihaya spoke:
“We can hang out together.”
She paused.
“But you can’t set your sights on Yuu-kun.”
The words were very direct.
Futaba’s smile seemed to deepen, but maybe it hadn’t changed.
She naturally took Mai’s hand.
“Then let’s continue walking around the street for now.”
Plan succeeded.
She said to herself inwardly.
‘—And calling him “Yuu-kun” so soon? Divine Child, I’m getting more and more interested in you.’
***
The group continued walking around.
As if they hadn’t just been arguing.
Futaba walked ahead holding Mai’s hand, pointing at a shop selling hot spring steamed buns and saying, “This place is really good. I bought some here last time.”
Chihaya walked beside You, keeping a moderate distance.
The atmosphere inexplicably relaxed. And as time passed, the three chatted more and more happily, as if they were leaving him out.
While You was relieved, he was also a bit bewildered.
‘Is this what women are like?’
Just now they clearly looked like they wanted to fight, and in a blink, they were back to being friendly? Holding hands and shopping, chatting happily?
Truly baffling.
“What’s wrong?”
Chihaya noticed his expression and tilted her head to ask.
“Nothing.”
You shook his head, shaking off those messy thoughts.
He glanced at Futaba walking ahead. The sunlight fell on her shoulders, and the ends of her hair swayed gently with her steps. She was turning back to say something to Mai, and the curve of her profile looked very soft.
A completely different person from a few days ago at the shrine.
But he always felt that what lay beneath those eyes had never changed.
***
The street was even livelier than before.
Probably lunchtime—tourists had all poured out. The air carried the savory smell of grilled rice dumplings, and in the distance, a shop selling Hakone’s specialty black eggs had a long line at the entrance.
Futaba walked back and naturally stood next to You.
“Divine Child, have you been to Hakone before?”
“No. First time.”
“Then we must take a good look around.”
She pointed to the fork ahead.
“Left leads to a very old soba noodle shop, right leads to the crafts street. What would you like to eat?”
You glanced at Chihaya and Mai.
“You decide.”
Chihaya thought for a moment:
“Soba noodles. Something simple.”
“Then soba noodles it is.”
Futaba nodded and took the lead turning left.
She walked lightly, her black stockings shimmering slightly in the sunlight. You’s gaze unconsciously drifted downward again.
He bit his tongue.
‘Aren’t things chaotic enough?’
***
The soba noodle shop was small, hidden in a small alley.
The wooden sign had faded, and the noren curtain at the entrance was washed white. Pushing the curtain aside and entering, there were only five or six tables inside. The air was filled with the aroma of bonito stock.
The proprietress was an old lady in her sixties, who smiled when she saw them come in.
“Oh my, oh my, welcome!”
Futaba ordered like she was an old regular.
“Hello, Grandma. Four servings of soba noodles, please.”
The group sat down around the table.
Futaba naturally sat across from You. Chihaya sat on his left, and Mai sat on his right.
You glanced at this seating arrangement, feeling something was off.
But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
The noodles arrived.
The broth was clear, the noodles thin, topped with chopped green onions and seaweed. You took a bite. It was indeed good—much better than those chain stores in Tokyo.
“Is it good?”
Futaba asked him.
“It’s good.”
“That’s good.”
She smiled and continued eating.
Chihaya and Mai both didn’t speak, focusing on their bowls of noodles.
You suddenly felt this scene was a bit strange.
Four people eating soba noodles together, like ordinary friends hanging out. But if you went back a few days—when he first heard the name “Tsukuyomi Futaba,” his mother and Chihaya both wore expressions of facing a great enemy.
And now here they were, eating noodles together.
‘Human affairs for humans, divine affairs for the gods.’
He suddenly understood that saying a little.
After finishing, they came out to find the sun even stronger than before.
Futaba raised her hand to shield her eyes, then naturally walked into the shadow under the eaves.
“Where to next?”
Chihaya asked.
Futaba thought for a moment:
“The crafts street. Coming to Hakone without buying some yosegi-zaiku is a wasted trip.”
“Makes sense.”
Mai rarely spoke up on her own:
“I want to buy a box. The kind for small items.”
“Then I know a shop with a lot of styles.”
As Futaba said that, she walked ahead again.
You followed behind, looking at her light back, when a thought suddenly popped into his mind—
When she said “we’ll meet again if we’re fated,” had she already planned to follow them?
No.
She couldn’t have known when they would come to Hakone.
This should be a real coincidence.
But he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure. After all, he still knew too little about this person named Tsukuyomi Futaba.