The question You wanted to ask most had been answered, so his attention finally returned to the main topic of the day.
Right, today was supposed to be meeting his “fiancée.” In other words, it was an arranged marriage meeting.
But what exactly was he supposed to do at a meeting like this? He had no idea.
In his previous life, he’d started a new life before ever going on a blind date, so his experience in that area was completely zero. And besides, normal people’s arranged meetings wouldn’t have this kind of setup—two girls, one a year older than him, the other the same age but looking a few months younger, both shrine maidens, and both “raised knowing this was their duty.”
Panic. Full panic. Can anyone save him?
Obviously, no one was around to teach him flirting techniques at a time like this.
The atmosphere in the room was starting to get awkward. Chihaya was still sitting up straight, her gaze fixed on the teacup in front of her, lost in thought. Mai was looking down, drawing circles on her knees with her finger. You sat across from them, feeling like the air had solidified; even the sound of breathing seemed unusually loud.
Just as he was about to force some topic to break the tension, Masako, who had been sitting off to the side, suddenly clapped her hands together.
“Oh, right. Little Futaba’s arrival made me completely forget about this.”
Her eyes curved into crescents, her tone brimming with excitement.
“You, today you’ve officially met Chihaya and Mai. You young people should get to know each other better. And since summer vacation starts next week, why don’t you take them out for some fun?”
She tilted her head, thinking.
“I think Hakone would be nice. After all, a date should definitely include soaking in hot springs.”
As she spoke, she pulled out her phone and started swiping her finger across the screen, apparently checking hotel booking websites.
You nearly dropped the teacup in his hand.
‘Wait, isn’t this moving too fast?’
Shouldn’t the normal process be: get to know each other first, exchange contact info, then slowly build feelings?
How did it jump straight to a hot spring trip? At Mom’s pace, if he didn’t resist, would he be a father by next year?
He opened his mouth to say something, but Chihaya spoke first.
She struggled to maintain her formal sitting posture, her back straight, but the blush on her face betrayed her. That thin layer of red spread from her cheeks all the way to her earlobes, standing out vividly against her pale skin.
“Since Lady Tsukuyomi has arranged it this way,” her voice was a bit quieter than before, but her words were still clear, “Mai and I will naturally comply.”
As for Mai—
She had already buried her face in the table. From You’s angle, he could only see her ears and the back of her neck, both completely red. Her fingers gripped the edge of the table so hard that her knuckles were turning white. If there were a crack under the table, she would have crawled into it already.
You cleared his throat.
“Mom, isn’t this moving a bit too fast?”
He tried to keep his tone reasonable.
“Wouldn’t it be better to let things take their natural course?”
Masako stopped tapping on her phone, looked up at You, then at the expressions of the two girls across the table.
Then she covered her mouth and laughed.
“Oh my, I suppose I was too impatient.”
Her laugh was light and cheerful, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
“But this scene really is youthful.”
She stood up, brushed off some non-existent dust from her skirt.
“In that case, I’ll leave the space to you young people.”
With that, she turned and started walking out. Just as she was about to leave, she looked back and winked at You.
“Get along well, now.”
Then she thoughtfully closed the door.
The room fell silent.
You glanced across at the two.
Chihaya was still sitting formally, but her back wasn’t as tense as before. She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and when she set it down, the cup and saucer made a soft clink.
Mai slowly lifted her head from the table. The blush hadn’t completely faded, but at least she could look straight ahead.
The atmosphere had improved a bit. At least without Masako staring at them with that “I’m rooting for you” look, everyone felt more relaxed.
But You quickly realized that this situation hadn’t actually improved his predicament much.
Because he still didn’t know how to talk to girls.
He was great at chatting with his male classmates—gaming, anime, sports, any topic could fill half a day. But sitting across from him were two shrine maidens, “fiancée” candidates. He couldn’t exactly bring up games or the latest seasonal anime, could he?
After thinking it over, an idea popped into his head.
‘The Mochizuki sisters are shrine maidens, so they must be interested in things related to the gods. And Mom said Chihaya is very skilled in curses. I don’t know exactly what curses are, but they’re probably the hidden supernatural power of this world.’
And he just happened to have something on him—
You reached into his pants pocket and pulled out that bead.
The one his father had casually tossed to him last night. He had left it by his pillow, and when he went out today, he’d inexplicably pocketed it. He hadn’t really thought about why he brought it; it was just that he felt uneasy leaving such a supernatural artifact at home, so he’d decided to carry it with him.
He held the bead out in front of the two of them.
“Since it’s our first meeting, consider this a gift.”
His tone was casual, like he was saying, “Want me to buy you a bottle of cola?”
The moment he said that, the expressions of the Mochizuki sisters changed instantly.
The shy blush was still there, but something else was layered on top. Chihaya’s eyes widened slightly, her lips parting into a small O shape, as if she had been frozen in place. Mai’s reaction was even more direct—her big, sparkly eyes practically seemed about to shoot stars.
Chihaya was the first to snap out of it.
“Divine Child, are you certain you want to give this to Mai and me?”
Her voice trembled slightly, carrying a solemnity You had never heard before.
You was a bit surprised.
‘Isn’t it just giving away a bead? Why make such a big deal about it?’
It was a supernatural artifact of Tsukuyomi, sure, but he couldn’t use it. He didn’t know any curses or divine rituals. In his hands, this thing was just a glowing glass bead—besides being a nightlight, it had no practical use.
Since Mom had arranged for the Mochizuki sisters to be part of his life, they were undeniably his people. And if they were his people, then by the logic of distributing equipment in a game—if he couldn’t use it, give it to someone on the team who could. Wasn’t that maximizing efficiency?
Why were they so worked up?
He nodded.
“Of course. Since Mom set this up, we’re family now.”
He paused, then added,
“This is for you two.”
His tone was still that carefree attitude.
But the Chihaya across from him had clearly undergone some kind of change.
She took a deep breath. It was a very deep breath, her shoulders rising slightly. Then she exhaled slowly, and her whole demeanor shifted into a state You had never seen before.
She stood up.
The movement was slow, as if following some kind of rhythm. She walked around the low table, came to stand in front of You, and then knelt down.
Not an ordinary kneel, but a very formal one—both hands flat on the ground, a prostration posture. Her forehead touched the backs of her hands stacked on the floor, her back curving into a smooth arc.
She stayed in that head-touching-the-ground position and raised her hands above her head, palms facing up.
You was a bit flustered as he placed the bead in her palm.
Chihaya held the bead securely. She didn’t stand up immediately. Instead, she remained in that kneeling posture, holding the bead to her chest, closing her eyes, and moving her lips slightly.
It must have been a prayer.
You couldn’t make out what she was murmuring, but he could see the silver glow on the bead’s surface brighten a little, flickering in time with Chihaya’s breathing, as if responding.
Mai beside her also sat up straight in a formal kneeling position, her hands folded on her knees, her expression the most serious You had seen from her all day.
After about ten seconds, Chihaya opened her eyes and stood up. She carefully cradled the bead in her hands, stepped back to her seat, and sat down. The blush had long since faded, replaced by an expression You couldn’t quite name—not happiness, not excitement, more like… a feeling of being filled by something.
You watched the scene, the corner of his mouth twitching.
He finally realized that for devout shrine maidens, an artifact of a god might still be a bit too intense.
About that—he, who had been born under the red flag in his previous life and had received a materialist education, truly didn’t feel anything. The moon was just the moon, a rocky sphere 380,000 kilometers from Earth. Even knowing that his father was Tsukuyomi, that understanding remained.
But for Chihaya and Mai, the ruler of the moon was real, and His artifact was held in their hands.
“Um…”
You scratched his head, trying to steer the atmosphere back to normal conversation.
“So, what exactly is a curse? Could you tell me about it? I’m pretty curious.”