The two girls lay on the mats in the warehouse, gazing up at the flickering incandescent light.
Ayane was still in her school uniform, though the collar had loosened considerably after their recent tussle. She hadn’t, as she’d half-jokingly expected, been violently ripped apart by her silly sister—then again, that was probably never a realistic outcome.
“So, Ayane…” Shion gasped, still breathless on the mattress.
“What is it?” Ayane asked, tugging on her sister’s hand.
“Give me your phone, quickly! I have to delete those photos!” Shion reached out, attempting to snatch her sister’s phone.
Ayane quickly pressed the phone beneath her. “I won’t show them to anyone else! My sister’s private photos are only for my eyes!”
Shion pouted, giving up on trying to reclaim Ayane’s phone. One hand rested on her chest, while the other remained clasped in Ayane’s.
“Sister, what if… we charged for the Kagura dance?” Ayane proposed.
Shion shook her head. “No, that’s not right. The Kagura dance is meant to bring joy to the divine spirits and to assure everyone in town that they are protected by the gods. If we charged for it, the divine spirits would be displeased.”
“It’s fine, the divine spirits wouldn’t mind, truly. I think they might even prefer that you, my sister, get a proper meal.” Ayane tugged at Shion’s sleeve. “Just charge a symbolic fee. Filling a Miko’s stomach would surely make the divine spirits happy too.”
“No, I would be unhappy with that,” Shion countered, rolling over to embrace Ayane’s waist. “I’m sure my occasionally brilliant sister can come up with something else for us to sell.”
Just as the two girls were deep in thought, a voice suddenly called from outside the door.
“Shion-san, Ayane-san! Are you home?”
“Eh?” Shion abruptly sat up. ‘That voice…’
“Kazama-san?”
****
When Nanami saw the Hoshimori sisters emerge from the warehouse looking disheveled, a corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily.
“What exactly… were the two of you doing in there?” Nanami asked, her gaze sweeping over them with a hint of suspicion. She scrutinized Ayane, whose school uniform buttons were undone and whose forehead glistened with sweat, and then Shion, whose cheeks still bore a tell-tale flush.
“We were…” Shion and Ayane exchanged a glance.
“Organizing the warehouse!”
“Looking for something!”
‘Are we really sisters?!’ Shion wanted to complain. ‘This absurd lack of synchronicity—we’re clearly not sisters!’
Nanami paused, taken aback. “Well… I’ll just assume you were in the warehouse…” Her voice trailed off, unsure how to complete the sentence.
“Oh, never mind those details, Kazama-san! What brings you here so late, anyway?” Shion quickly redirected the conversation.
“Ah, right, well, I’m planning to set up a stall at the Autumn Festival to sell fresh salmon,” Nanami explained, scratching her head. “I want to change people’s completely unwarranted bad impressions about my family’s seafood.”
Shion considered this. “That’s certainly a good idea… but why come to us about it?”
Ayane poked her silly sister’s forehead, then whispered into her ear, “Sister, weren’t we just struggling to figure out what to sell at *our* stall?”
“Oh, right!” Shion exclaimed, slapping her thigh in sudden realization. It seemed she’d slapped a bit too hard, leaving a small red mark on her fair skin. Still, after spending half the day in the warehouse unable to decide what to sell, this was perfect…
‘Wait, I still haven’t asked Nanami why she came today!’
“So, Kazama-san, you…”
Before Shion could finish her question, Nanami quickly interjected, “Shion-san, you must have a stall at the Autumn Festival, right? Could I use half of your space to sell my fish? No, even a small corner would be enough!”
Nanami’s large, aquamarine eyes were brimming with desperate pleas and longing. She placed both hands directly on Shion’s shoulders.
“The thing is, the fish I’ve caught recently aren’t selling, and I truly can’t afford to rent a full stall! This is the most important request of my life!”
‘The last ‘most important request of my life’ was when Kujou Sakuya begged me not to reveal her secret…’
Shion was about to ask Ayane what to do, but Ayane, hands on her hips, immediately adopted the air of a seasoned negotiator. “Alright, Kazama-san, come inside the shrine and have a seat. We’ll brew some tea and discuss the details.”
Shion’s face began to bead with sweat. ‘Seriously, when did my sister learn to do this…?’
‘And is the house even tidy?!’
****
Although the table was still littered with Ayane’s unfinished snack bags and the sofa still held the blanket she used while binge-watching morning and evening dramas, none of this deterred the easygoing Nanami from settling directly onto the sofa, with Ayane taking a seat beside her.
“I… I’ll go pour you both some tea.” Despite her strong urge to comment on the situation, Shion dutifully went to prepare tea and snacks, adhering to the principle that guests must always be well-received.
In any case… judging by Ayane’s demeanor and words, she should be perfectly capable of discussing the stall fees and other matters with Nanami.
With the aid of modern technology, the kettle boiled water in just two minutes. Tea and snacks were ready within a few more. However, when Shion carried the tea and refreshments into the living room…
“I don’t think this flavor of potato chips is very good,” Nanami mumbled, a torn bag of chips in hand, her voice muffled by the several crisps still in her mouth. “I’d recommend the new wasabi yogurt flavor instead.”
“Oh, okay! Good, I’ll have Sister go buy some.” Ayane was tapping notes into her phone.
“I thought the two of you were discussing the stall arrangements,” Shion said, setting down the tea and snacks with a sigh.
“It’s already settled, just a two-minute conversation,” Ayane declared proudly, crossing her arms over her chest as she addressed her sister.
“That fast?” Shion asked, her expression incredulous.
Still munching on chips, Nanami explained, “Well, Ayane-san just said you hadn’t figured out what to sell at all, so we’ll just use your stall to display the fish I bring. We’ll split the profits fifty-fifty. My main goal with selling salmon this time is really just to dispel those rumors about my family’s fish being no good.”
“A mutually beneficial arrangement, wouldn’t you say, Sister?” Ayane puffed out her chest, once again showcasing her impressive bosom to her sister.
“It certainly sounds good…” Shion mumbled, though she was now more inclined to give her sister a good scolding. Ayane was clearly provoking her, absolutely provoking her!
“Hehe, I actually brought a salmon with me today,” Nanami said, pulling out a cooler packed with ice and the fish. “I was originally hoping to impress you both with my exquisite culinary skills! Let me show you the talent of a senior member of the cooking club!”