Futaba and Hitomi parted ways with You and the Mochizuki sisters in the hallway not long after, exchanging goodnights.
Hitomi followed Futaba to their room.
Futaba pushed open the door and stepped aside to let Hitomi enter first.
“Come in, come in—it’s a bit messy, don’t mind it.”
Hitomi entered and looked around.
The room was small but very tidy.
Two beds were already made, the white bedding looking soft under the warm yellow light.
By the window was a small low table with a book of some sort on it.
Through the window, she could see a small clump of bamboo in the yard, gently swaying in the night breeze.
“It’s nice,” Hitomi said.
Futaba closed the door and went to the window to draw the curtains.
“Do you want to use the bathroom first, or should I?”
“You go first.”
Futaba nodded, pulled out her toiletries and a change of clothes from her bag, and went into the bathroom.
The sound of water soon started, rushing and splashing.
Hitomi sat alone on the edge of the bed, staring out the window.
Too many things had happened today.
This morning she had stopped the Lord Divine Child and his party at the gate of Hakone Shrine, then the Divine Descent as the vessel of Amaterasu Omikami, then Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto appeared, then she was ordered to marry the Lord Divine Child.
Then there was the conversation at lunch, the Divine Grace, and that line “We are a family.”
Her mind felt like someone had poured a pot of glue into it; it wasn’t turning well.
And now she was sharing a room with this Futaba of the Tsukuyomi Family.
She glanced at the bathroom door.
It was frosted glass, and she could see a hazy figure moving inside, and even faint humming.
‘This person is not simple. She seems hard to deal with.’
Hitomi silently labeled Futaba in her mind.
At lunch, when Chihaya was asking questions, Futaba was fanning herself beside her, her eyes darting between the two people.
The way she looked clearly showed she was watching the fun.
Later, when Hitomi asked her, “What is your relationship with the Lord Divine Child?” her smile froze for a moment, then immediately returned, and she said, “I’m You’s girlfriend, of course.”
Hitomi didn’t quite believe it.
But that smile—no matter how she looked at it, it was very amiable.
It didn’t seem like she was just watching the fun.
She had no evidence, just intuition—this person’s words couldn’t be fully trusted.
Still, she probably had no ill intentions.
At least not for now.
Futaba had proactively invited her to stay together today, solving Hitomi’s immediate problem.
If she were really someone with ulterior motives, she wouldn’t have needed to do that.
Hitomi lay down directly on the bed.
‘Forget it. I don’t want to think anymore. I’m so tired.’
The water in the bathroom stopped.
The door opened, and a rush of steam came out, carrying the scent of body wash.
Futaba came out in her pajamas, her hair wrapped in a towel, her face still flushed from the hot water.
“The bathroom’s free for you. The water’s pretty hot—just adjust it.”
She picked up the room phone:
“Hitomi, you probably didn’t prepare any toiletries, right? I’ll have the inn send another set. And if you don’t mind, you can use my facial cleanser and body lotion too.”
“Thank you…”
Hitomi was momentarily taken aback.
She had only come for a short business trip; of course she hadn’t prepared any toiletries.
She was a little moved.
‘It seems Miss Futaba is not a bad person, no matter what.’
Soon there was a knock on the door, and the toiletries were delivered.
Hitomi went to the door, thanked the attendant, and took the items into the bathroom.
Futaba sat on the edge of the bed, drying her hair while watching the bathroom door.
Soon the sound of water started from the bathroom.
Futaba didn’t stop her mind while drying her hair.
‘First, confirm whether this Hitomi person is friend or foe. From her identity, she was a Miko of Amaterasu, and marrying the Divine Child is by divine oracle. It’s similar to Chihaya and Mai’s “generations of service” nature. But the relationship between Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi—everyone knows it well. How should I get along with her?’
Futaba recalled the scene at the shrine gate today when Amaterasu Omikami descended.
That scorching sense of divinity made her kneel on the ground, not daring to lift her head.
And the scene when Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto appeared—the dim silver light, the silent pressure.
‘Hitomi says she is “helping the Lord Divine Child,” but everyone knows she’s a spy. After all, Amaterasu Omikami can’t keep watching the mortal world every day. It’s most likely a long-term surveillance mission. So the most important thing is her true attitude. As the saying goes, “Leave human affairs to humans, and divine affairs to the gods.”’
Futaba draped the towel over her shoulder and looked at the night mostly blocked by the curtains through the window.
‘I need to probe further.’
The bathroom door opened.
Hitomi also came out in pajamas, her hair loose and not completely dry.
The pajamas were the standard light gray yukata provided by the inn, very loose, but on her, they still showed the curves of her bust.
‘Really big. Even I can’t help but want to take a second look. No wonder the Lord Divine Child’s gaze keeps getting drawn to her.’
She withdrew her gaze and patted the bed beside her.
“Sit here. Your hair isn’t dry yet. I’ll get you a hairdryer.”
“Thank you.”
Futaba took out a hairdryer from the cabinet, plugged it in, and handed it to Hitomi.
Hitomi took it and started drying her hair with a buzz.
Futaba leaned against the headboard, waiting for her to finish.
The sound of the hairdryer stopped.
The room quieted down, and they could hear the chirping of insects outside the window and the sound of a stream in the distance.
Futaba spoke first.
“What do you think of You?”
Hitomi was taken aback.
“Didn’t we talk about it today? The Lord Divine Child seems like a good person.”
“I know. I mean—”
Futaba tilted her head, as if choosing her words.
“Do you think he’s… worth marrying?”
Hitomi was silent for a moment.
She had originally planned to say, ‘This is the oracle of Amaterasu Omikami; I will just obey it.’
But those words came to her lips and then she swallowed them back.
Because she thought of that scene at lunch.
‘Divine Grace.’
When that person said, “We are a family,” his tone was very casual, as if stating something taken for granted.
‘Worth marrying?’
She wasn’t sure.
But at least, she didn’t dislike him.
“I think—”
Hitomi paused.
“The Lord Divine Child is different from what I imagined. I thought he would be a difficult person to get along with, given his status. But after meeting him… he’s pretty ordinary.”
“Ordinary?”
Futaba laughed.
“The Lord Divine Child is not ordinary. Have you ever seen an ordinary person who dared to ask Amaterasu Omikami directly, ‘Did you really hide in Ama-no-Iwato?’”
Hitomi laughed too.
“That’s true.”
“And—”
Futaba paused, lowering her voice a little.
“You know, today when he took out that Moon God’s Bead, I almost thought I was seeing things.”
“The Divine Grace?”
“Yes. Divine Grace.”
Futaba’s tone turned a bit more serious.
“I’ve lived this long and never seen something like that with my own eyes. I’d only read about it in ancient texts. I never thought it actually existed.”
She glanced at Hitomi.
“Even more unexpected, someone would casually give it to a person they just met.”
Hitomi nodded.
“Chihaya said that at the time, he said, ‘We are a family.’”
“Yes. Those exact words.”
Futaba leaned against the headboard, drawing circles on the bedding with her finger.
“Tell me, is this person too naive, or is he deep and actually plotting to win people over?”
Hitomi was taken aback.
She hadn’t expected Futaba to describe the Divine Child as “deep.”
She thought for a moment.
“I think—neither. He truly feels that since we’re a family, there shouldn’t be any distinction between us.”
Futaba didn’t respond.
The room was silent for a few seconds.
Hitomi looked at Futaba and suddenly asked a question.
“Futaba, are you really You’s girlfriend?”
Futaba’s finger stopped for a moment.
Then she smiled, the same smile as during the day—perfect, without any cracks.
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Nothing.”
Hitomi didn’t press further.
She was already sleepy.
Her mind couldn’t turn anymore.
‘Whether Futaba’s words were true or false, she didn’t want to figure out today. She couldn’t figure it out anyway.’
“That’s good.”
Hitomi yawned, lay down, and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.
“Futaba, good night.”
“Good night.”
Futaba turned off the bedside lamp.
The room darkened, leaving only a thin line of moonlight coming through the gap in the curtains, drawing a thin white line on the floor.
Futaba lay in bed, eyes open.
‘Hitomi’s answer… was quite honest. Words like “different from what I imagined” and “pretty ordinary” don’t sound like lying. If she really had some agenda, she would have said something nicer. But Hitomi didn’t. She told the truth. At least this part was the truth.’
Futaba turned over, facing the wall.
‘As for Hitomi herself, she still needed to observe further.’
From beside her came the sound of even breathing.
Hitomi was already asleep.
Futaba closed her eyes too.
‘It’s too late today. Time to rest.’