Futaba suddenly laughed.
This laughter was like light filling the room—her signature professional smile, the same one she had shown You when they first met, like Lady Kaguya descending to the mortal world. It was the smile of the next family head of the Tsukuyomi Family. Perfect, proper, betraying no cracks.
“Chihaya, you jest.”
Her voice returned to that light, airy tone, as if nothing had happened.
“As everyone knows, a deity’s divine grace can only be applied with the corresponding technique. I am Lady Kaguya’s miko; I don’t know the Prayer Spell Technique corresponding to Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto Omikami at all. This divine grace would be useless to me.”
She kicked the ball back.
Chihaya raised an eyebrow, about to continue her pursuit.
You suddenly spoke up. This was the perfect chance to chime in.
“Alright, alright. The atmosphere was so tense just now; why make it so awkward?”
Chihaya shot You a sharp glare.
“Please don’t speak at a time like this.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but each word struck You’s face like shards of ice. Feeling the chill in her words, You wisely shut his mouth.
Chihaya was about to press further—
Suddenly, a knock came from the door.
“Hello, guests. Your dinner has arrived. Please check it.”
You shot up from the tatami as if electrocuted.
“Coming, coming!”
He practically ran to open the door.
Chihaya sighed.
‘No time left. I’ll have to wait until next time. Futaba got lucky this time, but there will be another opportunity.’
She quickly put away the kettle containing the divine grace liquid and stuffed it into the cabinet, moving with a speed unlike her usually composed self. This was something that couldn’t be seen by ordinary people.
The other girls also helped. Mai put the teacup with divine grace liquid onto a tray and also stuffed it into the cabinet. Hitomi used “Purification” to clean the water stains around the kettle. Futaba also stood up and moved her chair aside to make space for the meal trays.
The group worked together seamlessly, cleaning up everything that “couldn’t be seen” in under ten seconds.
You returned to the living room, followed by a server pushing a cart. The cart was laden with trays. The aroma of grilled fish mixed with the steam from miso soup filled the room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
The server placed the trays one by one on the table and lifted the lids.
“Tonight’s dinner is grilled fish set meal. Please enjoy. You can have more rice if it’s not enough.”
“Thank you,” You said with a smile.
The server bowed, pushed the cart, and left. The sliding door closed.
The room was quiet for a few seconds.
“Let’s eat, let’s eat.”
You urged everyone to sit down and picked up his chopsticks first. After being glared at by Chihaya, he sheepishly put them down.
The group sat around the table, pressed their hands together, and said, “I humbly receive.”
You buried his head in his food, cheeks puffed up, not saying a word.
‘Thank goodness the server came in time, or else Chihaya would have continued to press. Then Futaba would have been backed into a corner, and he might have been dragged into it too.’
‘When I think of Chihaya’s glare earlier, my back still feels a chill.’
‘Anyway, the storm has passed. Ahem. Since things have come to this, let’s just eat first.’
Chihaya also sat upright, eating in small, delicate bites. Her movements were as elegant as usual. But Mai, sitting across from her, noticed that her sister’s gaze occasionally drifted toward Futaba.
Mai herself picked up a piece of radish, took a bite—it was crisp.
‘Did Big Sister win this round? Futaba-nee didn’t take the divine grace, but she didn’t reject the “fiancée” status either. It seems no one won, no one lost.’
She glanced at You. He was burying his head in his food, cheeks puffed, completely oblivious to the undercurrents flowing among the girls around him.
Mai withdrew her gaze and continued eating.
The grilled fish was delicious. The skin was crispy, the flesh tender. Dipped in soy sauce and radish paste, the flavor was just right. The rice was also well-cooked—each grain distinct, with a faint sweetness when chewed.
You helped himself to another bowl of rice.
“You-kun has a good appetite,” Hitomi said with a gentle smile.
“I was hungry.”
You shoveled rice into his mouth, speaking indistinctly.
“I practiced Curse Art all day, so I burned a lot of energy.”
“Then eat more. You’re still at an age where you’re growing.”
Her expression was as gentle as water, showing no signs of anything unusual.
But in her mind, she was thinking about what had just happened.
‘Chihaya’s move was brilliant. She forced Futaba to take sides, using the divine grace as a touchstone. If Futaba accepted, she’d be one of us; if she refused, she’d be an outsider. There was no third option.’
‘Futaba’s reaction was also quick. “I don’t know the Prayer Spell Technique”—that was a good excuse. It rejected the divine grace without denying the “fiancée” status. Not a win, not a loss—a draw.’
Hitomi picked up a piece of pickled vegetable and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly.
‘Will Chihaya let it go at that? No. She was interrupted today, but what about next time? The time after that? How many times can Futaba dodge?’
She lowered her eyes.
‘It’s none of my business. I am a miko of Amaterasu. I don’t need to take sides here.’
Futaba was smiling brightly on the surface, but inwardly she heaved a sigh of relief.
‘Good, good. You helped. And the server’s timing was perfect. I managed to bluff my way through this one.’
She put a piece of grilled fish in her mouth, chewed a couple of times. She looked like she was eating, but she knew she couldn’t taste it.
‘Well, aren’t you something, Chihaya. It’s only been a few days, but your methods have improved a lot compared to before. That was a good move; I nearly capsized. I’ve never seen you pull something like this. Could it be that falling for a man has boosted your intelligence?’
‘But—come to think of it, how could she not want it?’
‘That’s divine grace, you know. No mortal has laid eyes on divine grace since Emperor Go-Daigo of the Nanboku-chō Period. How could she possibly not want something like this?’
‘Her claim of “I don’t know the Prayer Spell Technique” was just an excuse.’
‘Of course, it wasn’t a lie—she really couldn’t use it directly. But after a miko of the Mochizuki Family applied the corresponding technique to the divine grace, she would be able to. Chihaya knew this. If not for the inn staff delivering dinner, Chihaya would have cornered her and left her with no more excuses.’
‘She was just buying time. After all, dinner time was approaching, and the staff would certainly come. This kind of situation couldn’t be seen by ordinary people. Thank goodness, she bet correctly.’
Futaba picked up her teacup and took a sip. The tea had gone cold.
‘But—while saying that was a clever dodge, didn’t it also leave an opening for herself?’
‘The excuse “I can’t use it, so I don’t want it” won’t work next time. The next time Chihaya asks, she’ll have no reason to refuse.’
‘ “I am Lady Kaguya’s miko; I don’t know the Prayer Spell Technique corresponding to Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto Omikami.” The subtext of that sentence was: if I learn it, then I can accept.’
‘If Chihaya really wants to bring her into the fold, she has plenty of ways.’
Futaba’s finger slowly traced a circle around the rim of her teacup.
‘Could it be that she’s actually become interested in the Divine Child?’
‘No, no. How could that be?’
‘Even if she married into the family, her main purpose would be to mess with Chihaya, not to fall for the Divine Child. That’s right, that’s how it is. She came to see Chihaya get humbled, not for some Divine Child.’
Futaba found a reason to convince herself, and her expression became calm again.
She didn’t notice that this time, she hadn’t even recited “The wise do not enter the river of love.”
You stuffed the last piece of grilled fish into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed. Then he picked up his miso soup and took a big gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh.
He glanced at the people around the table. Chihaya sat upright, her chopsticks holding a piece of pickled vegetable, not yet brought to her mouth. Futaba was drinking tea, her expression calm. Hitomi was concentrating on her meal. Mai was shoveling rice, cheeks puffed.
The atmosphere seemed to have returned to normal.
You sighed with relief inwardly.
‘Thank goodness the server came in time earlier, or else the situation would have been impossible to handle.’