Twilight, Stars, and Confessions

Amidst a symphony of laughter and playful commotion, the daytime cultural festival drew to a close.

Having changed back into her school uniform, Shion sat on the rooftop, her gaze fixed on the setting sun as it gradually softened from a dazzling gold to a warm, delicate yellow. She watched the wind whisper through the forest on the mountain behind and observed the expansive clearing behind the school building, where the firewood for the after-festival bonfire had already been neatly laid out.

Shion wasn’t surprised by the sudden appearance of a girl from a four-hundred-year-old shrine on the stage. After all, with spiritual cleansing still a necessity here, what else could possibly be impossible?

Still, Shion remained ignorant of the girl’s true identity. If, as the girl had asserted, the Miko of Hoshimori Shrine had indeed perished in that ancient war, then who precisely was this maiden, so strikingly similar to Ayane?

Moreover, there was the promise the girl had made to her: that they would certainly meet again in the future. Yet, from the moment Shion had begun playing the game, this particular girl had never reappeared. The only person who bore any resemblance to her was Ayane—those familiar eyes, and the way she addressed Shion as ‘Big Sister.’ Truly, no one else fit the description.

But then again… Ayane didn’t even possess the spirit-suppressing constitution. She bore no resemblance whatsoever to the girl who could wield the Spirit Cutter, conjuring a tempestuous gale capable of sweeping away hordes of malevolent spirits. Moreover, when Shion had gently inquired if Ayane was concealing anything, her utterly bewildered expression had seemed entirely unfeigned; as her own older sister, Shion felt she could certainly tell the difference.

In essence, the enigma surrounding the mysterious girl from the shrine four centuries prior remained a profound puzzle for Shion.

Cupping her chin in her hand, Shion watched the clouds, now stained a deep crimson, unfurl across the sky like a warm, spreading fire.

‘Perhaps I will see her in the future…’ Shion murmured, more to herself than to the fading light.

The other girls had long since returned to their respective class duties, each seemingly having reaped considerable profits from their efforts. It appeared dinner was to be transformed into a small, jubilant celebration.

Shion herself had received invitations to the celebratory dinners from both Class A and Class E. For Class A, it went without saying that Shion was their paramount contributor; her individual nominations alone had accounted for a staggering forty percent of their revenue. Class E, on the other hand, owed its overflowing popularity directly to the breathtaking Kagura dance Shion had performed as their finale.

However, Shion had politely declined every invitation, effectively making herself scarce. Now, anyone attempting to find her would be met with an empty search. She sat in solitude on the rooftop, her only companions the whispering wind and the fading twilight. Today had simply unfolded with too many events, both momentous and mundane.

“Big Sister?” Shion heard the rooftop door creak open, and a profoundly familiar voice drifted to her from behind.

“Ayane, to think you actually found me—how remarkable,” Shion remarked, without turning her head, her gaze still fixed on the expanse of the evening glow.

“There’s a telepathic connection between a clever little sister and her slightly silly big sister,” Ayane quipped with a smile, as she walked over to her sister’s side. After a slight adjustment of her skirt, she settled down next to her.

“Hmph,” Shion merely hummed, yet found herself unable to offer a rebuttal. After all, the undeniable fact remained: her middle school entrance scores across three subjects were barely equivalent to Ayane’s in a single one. Thus, she deftly changed the subject. “Ayane, aren’t you supposed to be at your class’s celebration dinner today? What brings you here?”

“Our class celebration is merely snacking on some meager treats, which, I might add, taste infinitely worse than anything Big Sister cooks,” Ayane declared with a nonchalant shrug. “So, naturally, I came to find you.”

“So, you were worried about me, then?” Shion asked, a soft smile gracing her lips.

“Alright, alright, I knew I couldn’t hide it from you, Big Sister,” Ayane conceded, leaning casually against Shion’s shoulder. “Of course, I was worried! You’ve seemed so preoccupied ever since your performance ended today, and it really made me anxious.”

“You noticed that, did you? I thought I was quite immersed in my work,” Shion said, lightly poking Ayane’s forehead.

“As I said,” Ayane reiterated, nuzzling against Shion’s shoulder, “there’s a telepathic connection between a clever little sister and her silly big sister. So, tell me, Big Sister, what’s truly troubling you?”

Shion’s gaze drifted back to the sky. The last vestiges of the evening glow were slowly vanishing, and the heavens began to dim.

A silence, lasting perhaps a minute, settled between them.

“Ayane,” Shion began, her voice a hushed whisper.

“I’m listening, Big Sister. Please, tell me,” Ayane replied, still nestled against Shion’s shoulder, her eyes joining Shion’s in their shared contemplation of the distant heavens.

“I had a dream,” Shion began softly, “or perhaps, a series of dreams.”

“Mhm. If it was a nightmare, I would certainly be there to comfort you, Big Sister. And if it was a beautiful dream, I imagine I’d be right there with you, wouldn’t I?” A faint smile touched Ayane’s voice.

Shion playfully bumped Ayane with her head, a soft response to her teasing. “I saw a girl who bore a striking resemblance to you, Ayane. She told me she desperately wished to see me.”

Ayane simply nodded, offering no further words.

“In the first dream,” Shion continued, “she wore a fox mask and swung the very sword enshrined at the shrine directly at me.”

“That… that wasn’t me, was it?” Ayane whispered, gently stroking Shion’s hair. “I would never, ever, raise a sword against you, Big Sister. I’ll always be your silly Big Sister’s little sister.”

Shion smiled softly. “Yes, I know,” she said. “You are my sister.” With that, she pulled Ayane into a gentle embrace.

The last hues of the evening glow had now completely vanished from the horizon, as the moon, accompanied by a scattering of nascent stars, ascended onto the vast stage of the night sky.

“In the second dream,” Shion continued, “she claimed to be from four hundred years ago—the very era that served as the backdrop for… Kujou Sakuya’s play script. I saw her, and she saw me. She told me we would definitely meet again…”

“Then… what happened next?” Ayane whispered, her voice barely audible. For some inexplicable reason, as she heard this, Ayane, already held in Shion’s embrace, burrowed even deeper into her sister’s arms.

“Then,” Shion continued, “she vanished. Her last wish, she said, was to watch me perform the Kagura dance. I agreed. And when that dance concluded, she disappeared, and the dream dissolved.” Shion sighed, a faint weariness in her voice. “I know absolutely nothing about her, except for the overwhelming feeling that she looked so much like you; that was my very first impression.”

Ayane blinked slowly. “Many people adore Big Sister’s Kagura dance,” she said. “I love it, today’s audience loved it, and even… the gods love it.”

Shion playfully ruffled Ayane’s hair. “You really are something else,” she murmured.

“I’m serious, Big Sister!” Ayane insisted, her voice taking on a playful, spoiled tone. “Isn’t the Kagura dance fundamentally performed for the gods? And the girl in your dream, looking so much like me—that’s just the gods telling you to take excellent care of your little sister, to always, always cook delicious meals for her, and never, ever leave your little sister!”

A flicker of firelight danced in the distance, and tiny sparks, carried by the wind, began to drift upwards, momentarily illuminating Shion’s eyes.

“The after-festival bonfire dance is about to begin, Big Sister! Let’s go together!”