Chapter 25: Hitomi’s Accommodation Problem

A few people walked slowly along the street.

Hakone’s afternoon was quiet; the noise of tourists had been blown away by the wind, leaving only the clatter of geta on the stone pavement and the gurgling of a distant stream.

Shops lined the street, selling all sorts of things: handmade glassware, Yosegi-zaiku jewelry boxes, round fans printed with Hakone patterns.

Chihaya stopped in front of one shop, looked at a wooden hairpin for a long time, picked it up and put it down, but in the end didn’t buy it.

Mai, on the other hand, bought a small charm—a stuffed cat—and hugged it tightly.

Futaba seemed uninterested in everything, fanning herself as she followed behind, her gaze drifting from shop to shop.

Hitomi, however, looked carefully, standing in front of a wagashi shop for a while, finally buying a box of strawberry daifuku and walking out with a paper bag.

“Want one?” she asked You.

You glanced at it.

The packaging was exquisite, the daifuku round and plump, the skin pink with a thin layer of powdered sugar.

“I’ll have one.”

Hitomi opened the box, used the small bamboo skewer to pick one, and handed it to him.

You took a bite.

The outer skin was soft and sticky; the strawberry inside was sweet and sour with plenty of juice, and the cream was delicate.

“It’s delicious.”

Hitomi smiled and offered the box to the others.

Chihaya waved her hand, while Mai and Futaba each took one.

The few of them stood by the roadside eating daifuku.

Sunlight leaked through the gaps in the eaves, cutting strips of light across them.

The girls stood on the street side, like a painting.

You leaned against a roadside pillar, watching the painting.

After finishing the daifuku, they continued walking.

The street had already been dyed a madder-red by the gradually setting sun, as if the entire street had been soaked in diluted paint.

The shadows stretched longer than before, almost reaching the eaves on the opposite side.

You suddenly thought of a question.

“Hitomi, I forgot to ask earlier—where are you staying tonight?”

Hitomi’s thoughts were pulled back from her daze.

She froze for a moment.

‘Oh, right, where am I staying tonight?’

‘She hadn’t reserved a hotel when she came today! It was supposed to be a short business trip—meet the person and go straight back to Tokyo. But now… she had already accepted the divine oracle to be his fiancée. It wouldn’t be appropriate to go back to Tokyo, would it?’

Her expression was a bit embarrassed.

She quickly pulled out her phone and started tapping.

“Um, Divine Child, which inn are you staying at? I’ll book it now…”

“Snow-Reflecting Pavilion,” You answered with the inn’s name.

Hitomi muttered under her breath, poking and tapping on the screen.

“Snow-Reflecting Pavilion, Snow-Reflecting Pavilion… Ah, found it.”

She entered the reservation interface.

The loading bar spun, and it took a while for the interface to refresh.

The room reservation interface turned gray, with the words “Fully Booked” written in large characters.

Rooms were full.

Hitomi let out an “Ah,” unable to hold back a sigh.

She felt her career as a miko was bleak.

Executing the divine oracle—bad start.

First day with no place to stay.

How was she supposed to get closer to the Divine Child like this?

The others saw Hitomi’s expression and guessed what had happened.

“It can’t be helped.”

“After all, there are a lot of tourists in Hakone, and it’s still summer vacation.”

The few of them chimed in with consolation.

Mai blinked her eyes and spoke sweetly.

“How about Sister Hitomi comes to stay with the Divine Child? Our Moon Residence is pretty big; one more person won’t be a problem.”

Her voice was soft, as if she were saying something very ordinary.

‘Just right to test the waters. What’s You’s attitude toward Sister Hitomi?’

That thought turned in Mai’s mind.

She selectively forgot that she had been angry earlier at Hakone Shrine when she saw You attracted to Hitomi’s ample charms.

Of course, it might also be because she herself had become addicted to the sensation of hugging Hitomi in the private room earlier.

When Hitomi heard this proposal, her cheeks quickly flushed a scarlet color.

“That… doesn’t seem right.”

She stammered a little.

‘This is way too fast! Isn’t little Mai a shy kid? How can she say something so bold?’

Hitomi couldn’t help but complain internally.

Chihaya frowned and spoke.

“Mai, Hitomi is meeting You for the first time. That’s not good.”

Mai’s face suddenly turned red, and she muttered, “R-right… Sorry, Sister Hitomi.”

She lowered her head, twisting her fingers on the hem of her clothes.

‘Phew, that was close.’

‘As expected of the next family head? The older sister is much more mature than the younger. The younger sister’s reaction was also normal; it must have been pure kindness.’

‘Ah, my heart is tired.’

Hitomi felt relieved inwardly.

Futaba spoke.

“If Miss Hitomi doesn’t mind, how about staying with me?”

She fanned herself, smiling.

“I checked in yesterday, and there’s room for one more person.”

Hitomi felt a sense of salvation.

During the conversation earlier, this Futaba of the Tsukuyomi family had asked such sharp questions that she thought it would be hard to get along with her.

But now, it seemed she was a good person.

She smiled and bowed slightly.

“Then I’ll gratefully accept, Miss Futaba.”

Futaba’s tone was light:

“No problem. Since we’ve met, we’re friends. Besides, we’re both consorts of the Divine Child, aren’t we?”

Futaba added with a full smile.

“Also, just call me Futaba.”

Hitomi complained internally.

‘Are you really the Divine Child’s consort? I don’t believe it. It seems this Miss Futaba is no simple person either.’

Her face still wore a gentle smile.

“In that case, Futaba, just call me Hitomi too.”

Futaba nodded and, as if they were already familiar, took Hitomi’s hand.

“Let me tell you, that inn’s breakfast is pretty good, but the hot spring’s temperature is a bit high…”

The two of them walked side by side ahead, chatting about the inn’s facilities.

Hitomi’s expression shifted from the earlier embarrassment to relaxation, even a bit of happiness.

Futaba’s smile was still perfect, but her tone was much softer than when she had spoken to Chihaya and the others earlier.

You followed behind, watching this scene in awe.

‘Is this the speed at which girls form connections?’

‘Horrifying.’

‘Just now during the meal, they talked about makeup and trends, and he thought that was social niceties—the kind of superficial courtesy like “I’m fine, you’re fine.” But now this couldn’t be explained by mere social niceties. From “polite strangers” to “calling each other by first names” to “holding hands”—was it really that smooth?’

He glanced at Chihaya beside him.

Chihaya’s expression was calm, with no discernible emotion, but she seemed to be thinking about something.

Mai walked on the outermost side, head down, the blush still on her face.

The setting sun stretched everyone’s shadows long.

Futaba and Hitomi’s shadows were in front, overlapping so much that you couldn’t tell whose was whose.

Chihaya and Mai’s shadows were behind, mostly blocked by You’s shadow.

The stone pavement glowed warmly under the sunset, and the distant mountains had turned completely deep purple.

Wind blew from the lake, carrying moisture and chill.

You walked on, stepping on his own shadow.

A thought popped into his mind:

Tonight, Futaba and Hitomi share a room. What would they talk about?

He thought about it and decided it was better not to think about it.

The wind blew, carrying the cool of the evening.

The day was about to end.