The sky outside the door had already begun to take on the colors of dusk.
Tsuchimikado Akane stood at the front desk, flipping through a book. The cover was worn white, the corners slightly curled—clearly a well-read volume. It was densely packed with records of various curse arts.
But today was different—those Onmyōdō techniques that had always captivated her seemed to have lost their appeal.
Her thoughts were unusually focused on something else.
The complaints about the guests that Senior Takahashi Kana had unloaded on her during the midday shift.
Just then, the inn’s door slid open.
She quickly shoved the book into the drawer, pushed it in firmly, and closed the cabinet.
Then she looked up, ready to greet the guest.
Her pupils contracted.
***
Midday.
The staff changing room at the Snow-Reflecting Pavilion. It was a small space, with two rows of metal lockers standing against the walls. The air smelled of laundry detergent mixed with a faint mustiness. Takahashi Kana sat on the bench, holding a bottle of mineral water, chattering away as she shared gossip with the new hire.
“Let me tell you, Tsuchimikado.”
Her tone carried an excitement that screamed, You’ve gotta hear this.
“Yesterday, there was a guest who brought two girls to stay in the same room. And it’s the most expensive room here—the Moon Residence.”
She paused for effect, then emphasized.
“And on top of that, those two girls looked like sisters. Total scumbag.”
Akane stood in front of the locker, stuffing her bag inside, and replied flatly.
“Senior Takahashi, this kind of thing is pretty common in the Reiwa era.”
She casually closed the locker door and started changing into her uniform.
“He might just be some rich second-generation playboy or something.”
Kana waved her hand, and the water bottle swayed, spilling a few drops.
“That’s not even the main point. The main point is—this guest checked in yesterday morning with two female companions, and when he came back last night, there were three.”
She stared at Akane, waiting for her reaction.
“And they all seemed to get along really well. That’s the craziest part. But the new girl didn’t stay in the Moon Residence—she got her own separate room.”
A faint glimmer of surprise flickered in Akane’s eyes.
“How is that possible?”
She blurted it out.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
She ran the information through her mind.
“Senior Takahashi, you’re not joking with me, are you?”
“As if. You’re working the evening shift anyway, so just see for yourself, right?”
Kana twisted the cap back on, stood up, and smoothed her skirt.
“Who knows? Maybe he’ll bring another one back tonight.”
She waved her hand, left the changing room, and closed the door behind her.
Akane stood there, shaking her head.
‘How is that possible?’
‘Senior Takahashi must be joking.’
***
Now.
Akane looked at the group coming through the door, and only one thought remained in her mind.
‘What Senior Takahashi said was actually true.’
‘How ridiculous.’
‘And he really did bring another one.’
One man, four women. The man walked in the middle, surrounded by the four women. Two flanked him on either side, two hung back a little. The atmosphere seemed harmonious—no one was arguing, no one was making a face.
Akane’s gaze swept over the group quickly.
The man looked ordinary. Not ugly, but not particularly handsome either. Okay, she admitted, he was a little good-looking, but at most the kind of guy who might make a passerby do a double take on the street.
But the four women around him were all stunning. And each was a different type—cool, cute, striking, gentle—an entire set.
Akane felt herself losing composure and couldn’t help thinking.
‘Myōken Sonshinnō Bosatsu above. What is this world coming to?’
‘This guy is way too much of a playboy.’
Her face showed no expression.
“Welcome.”
Her voice was flat. No bow, no smile. Even the word “welcome” carried a lifeless quality.
***
You pushed open the glass door of the inn, and a blast of air-conditioned cold hit him, mixed with the smell of tatami and wooden furniture. The lobby lights were a warm yellow, casting a soft glow on the dark brown wooden floor.
Someone stood at the front desk.
It wasn’t the energetic young girl from two days ago, nor the middle-aged woman from last night. Instead, there was a new face—a young woman he hadn’t seen before, wearing the inn’s standard uniform: a navy blue polo shirt, beige trousers, her hair tied in a low ponytail hanging down her back.
How to describe it—
She was very pretty. But her beauty was different from Chihaya or Futaba. Her eyes slanted upward, giving her a naturally alluring look. Her lips were neither thin nor thick, nicely shaped, but her cold expression somehow disrupted that allure—or maybe it complemented it? In any case, cold and beautiful was You’s assessment of this new staff member.
And her chest was quite large. The uniform shirt was stretched taut, the buttons looking like they might pop off at any moment—rivaling Hitomi’s.
But what stood out most were her eyes.
Red. Like two rubies set in her eye sockets, they seemed to glow with a faint, eerie light under the lamps, captivating.
‘Red eyes… are those contacts?’ You wondered.
Akane watched the group approach the front desk but said nothing more. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the man’s face, then moved to the four young women.
Futaba pulled Hitomi forward and spoke with a smile.
“Hello, I’d like this friend of mine to share a room with me starting tonight. What procedures do we need to follow?”
Akane pulled a form from the front desk.
“You two need to fill out a registration form.”
Standing behind, You silently complained about this new receptionist’s service attitude.
‘This new receptionist’s looks are undeniable. But her service attitude… hard to rate.’
‘She doesn’t look like she’s here to work at an inn—more like she’s here to collect rent, with a face that says someone owes her five million yen.’
Hitomi took the form, leaned against the counter, and began filling it out. Her full chest rested on the counter, that softness unconsciously drawing You’s gaze once more.
‘Ahem… blame it on that damn gravity.’
Akane noticed this. A trace of disdain seemed to appear in her eyes, and her expression turned even colder.
After Futaba and Hitomi finished, Akane took the form and scanned it. Her gaze paused at the two names.
Then she processed the registration, tapping away at the computer.
“All set, Miss Nissho Hitomi. You can now share a room with Miss Tsukuyomi Futaba.”
She handed over the key card.
“Here’s your key card.”
Futaba accepted the key card and thanked her. Hitomi also thanked her. The group turned and headed inside, their footsteps fading down the hallway.
Akane stood behind the front desk, watching as the group rounded the corridor corner until their backs disappeared.
Then she let out a slow sigh.
So soft that only she could hear it.
“The Nissho family and the Tsukuyomi family, huh…”
She leaned against the counter, arms crossed.
“Just the Tsukuyomi name might mean something else. It’s not common, but it’s not unique either.”
“But Nissho—there’s no other branch.”
“In all of Japan, only the clan that serves Amaterasu Omikami bears the name Nissho.”
“Surrounded by two shrine maidens from Shinto family clans… just who in the world is that playboy?”
A thought crossed her mind.
‘Could he possibly be the Divine Child of Tsukuyomi?’
Then she laughed at the sheer absurdity of the idea and shook her head.
‘Impossible. Tsukuyomi has been living in seclusion in Yoru no Shokuhara ever since he killed Oogetsuhime. A deity who’s been hiding since the Mythological Age—how could a Divine Child suddenly pop up?’
“Still…”
She glanced at the Onmyōdō technique book in the counter drawer.
“To be safe, I should quit and talk to the boss first.”
She muttered to herself.
“Less trouble is better.”
She looked down at the registration form on the desk. Nissho Hitomi. Tsukuyomi Futaba. The two names sat side by side.
She stared at those names for a moment.
Then she reached out and flipped the form over, pressing it face down on the desk.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Outside the window, the night breeze blew down from the mountains, carrying a chill that made the noren curtain sway gently. The red light from the lantern flickered in the wind.
Akane stood behind the counter, her red pupils reflecting the lamplight.
What she didn’t know was that the playboy she suspected of being “just who in the world” would one day become entangled with her future.