Shion, feeling her Miko attire about to be yanked off, took a swift step back, instantly putting a meter of distance between herself and Rie. She was still holding the coconut milk Rie had just given her; had she not maintained her balance, that sudden movement surely would have spilled it all over herself.
Rie, on the other hand, almost blurted out, “Are you serious about that half-step retreat? Such a small movement, yet it causes so much damage…”
Though she didn’t sing the line aloud, Shion’s “half-step” had, in fact, covered a full meter.
Shion stared at Rie with the wary eyes of a small puppy. Rie quickly stepped forward, one hand stroking Shion’s hair, the other slipping around her shoulders. “I was just kidding, Shion-san!”
“Hiss…” Shion drew a sharp breath. It wasn’t due to Rie’s actions, but rather because, with Rie’s arm around her shoulders, Shion realized just how significant their height difference was—and it seemed… the gap had widened even further.
Noticing Shion’s aggrieved expression morph into a pout, Rie grew a little flustered. “Shion-san, I truly was just joking! If you hadn’t nodded, how could I have acted so quickly…?”
“Huh?! Senpai, are you actually going to use the word ‘make a move’?” Shion quickly retorted.
“No, no, no, oh, honestly…”
Just as Rie was still fumbling for words, a car pulled up beside the two girls. Grandpa Butler stepped out from the driver’s seat. “Young Lady, Guardian Lady, you’ve worked hard on the exorcism. Would Guardian Lady care to rest at our humble abode?”
Grandpa Butler’s timely arrival broke Rie’s awkwardness. Had Rie not been completely clueless about Grandpa Butler’s salary and whether she could afford to increase it, she would have truly wanted to give him a raise.
Shion wasn’t surprised by Grandpa Butler’s appearance either. During their last joint exorcism, Rie had already told her that, in this town, the Igarashi family’s duty to guard the seal fell to only two individuals: herself, with the Igarashi family bloodline, and Grandpa Butler, who had served the current Igarashi family head.
Moreover, in terms of experience alone, Grandpa Butler’s expertise in handling such matters might far surpass Rie’s. At the very least, when Rie made a mistake with the seal operation last time, Grandpa Butler immediately recognized it.
“Shion-san, how about coming to my place to rest? My bed is really comfortable, you know.” Rie said to Shion, while silently giving Grandpa Butler a huge thumbs-up in her mind.
“But… I still have to get up early tomorrow morning to cook for Ayane. And isn’t tomorrow Friday? We have classes, don’t we?” Shion quickly offered excuses, attempting to refuse.
Cooking for her sister plus attending classes—these were perfectly valid reasons.
Rie gave Grandpa Butler a subtle signal, and he immediately understood. He opened the car door, gestured for the two girls to enter, and said, “In that case, Guardian Lady, I shall drive you back to the Hoshimori Shrine.”
While this mountain wasn’t particularly far from the shrine, Shion knew that since she had completed the exorcism today at full strength, she probably wouldn’t trigger the “full health resurrection” mechanism on her soft bed the next morning. So, she felt that rather than burdening her legs with a step-by-step trek back, it would be far better to take a car…
“Thank you, Grandpa Butler. I’ll gladly accept then~”
****
‘She had fallen into a trap, most likely a trap…’
Although the car’s back seat was quite spacious, for some unknown reason, several large, adorable stuffed animals occupied most of the space. Thus, after reluctantly declining Rie’s suggestion to hold her like a child while sitting in the back, the two girls were now seated almost pressed against each other.
Shion swallowed hard, pretending to gaze at the scenery outside the window. Truthfully… having slept pressed against Rie in a Tokyo capsule hotel before, being this close wasn’t an issue for Shion.
The only slight discomfort stemmed from Grandpa Butler being in the driver’s seat. While he was tactfully silent, simply driving along, Shion would have felt much more at ease if it had just been her and Rie.
Rie’s right hand gently kneaded Shion’s hair, much like one might stroke an adorable stuffed animal. Shion’s hair, however, was undeniably softer and warmer to the touch than any toy.
“Shion-san, speaking of which, isn’t the Autumn Festival about to begin?” Rie suddenly asked.
“Huh?” Shion hadn’t expected Rie to bring that up so abruptly. “Oh, that’s right, the Autumn Festival starts in a while.”
“And then… will we get to see you, Shion-san, performing the Kagura dance in this outfit?” Rie asked, her left arm hugging a stuffed animal, her red hair resting against it, as she turned her face to smile at Shion, her eyes brimming with anticipation.
“Mhm, yes…” At Rie’s question, a blush crept onto Shion’s face. While she had memories of performing the Kagura dance before, those were from before the game. With the Miko attire’s skirt being so short, performing the Kagura dance truly felt incredibly embarrassing!
“I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll even bring a camera to watch,” Rie said, gently kneading Shion’s hair.
“N-no, don’t! That’s so embarrassing!” Shion’s small hand lightly tapped Rie’s shoulder. “Never mind the Kagura dance, Senpai. There are also stalls at the Autumn Festival!”
“Oh? Shion-san, are you going to set up a stall?” Hearing Shion’s words, Rie mused, “That’s right, the Hoshimori Shrine always used to have its own stall.”
Shion lightly poked her cheek with her finger. “Yes, I’ve already told Kazama-san, Iori-san, and Kujou-san. This time, I’m hoping for good sales.”
“I’m the last one to know about this?” Rie’s voice held a hint of displeasure. “No problem at all. Whatever you sell, Shion-san, I’ll buy it all. I guarantee your stall’s sales will be maxed out!”
“No way! That would just make it seem like I’m relying entirely on Senpai. I want to earn money fairly by selling things,” Shion firmly rejected Rie’s offer.
“That’s fine too. Then I can at least help you promote it, right? Anyway, I’ll find a way to boost your stall, Shion-san,” Rie declared, patting her chest.
****
The next morning, when Shion’s alarm clock blared, Shion, lying in her bed, felt an overwhelming urge to hurl her phone out the window.
‘But she decided against it; if she threw it out, she wouldn’t have money for a new one…’
Shion rubbed her sleepy eyes, a thought surfacing in her mind: ‘If only I had collapsed gravely wounded last night, perhaps I would have woken up this morning fully revitalized… It was almost two-thirty when I got back to the shrine yesterday, and I’ve slept less than five hours since then.’
‘I’m so incredibly tired!!!’