Nodoka Toyohama jerked her head up to look at Mai. Their gazes crossed in mid‑air, and in each other's eyes they both saw shock and relief.
Rei Ao watched the scene before him, a knowing smile flickering in his iridescent pupils.
He stepped forward, sliding one arm around Mai's waist while the other hand rumpled Nodoka's hair.
"Looks like you've finally untied the knot in your heart."
Mai leaned into Rei Ao's embrace, her amber eyes curling into crescents. "Mm‑hmm, it's undone at last."
At last she could be close to the one she loved.
Nodoka glanced at the pair of hands that were hers once more, then at Mai's familiar idol face.
Her delight at regaining her body carried a trace of inexplicable loss, but she quickly buried it beneath a dazzling smile.
"Heh‑heh, Nodoka Toyohama is back! You two keep showing off your lovey‑dovey stuff—I'm off to the beach!"
With that she spun and ran toward the shore.
Behind her, Mai watched the retreating figure and let a gentle smile rise to her lips.
She leaned close to Rei Ao's ear and murmured, "Ling‑kun, were you stealing a taste just now?"
"I wasn't stealing anything—I was perfectly aboveboard," Rei Ao replied with a shrug.
"Hmph."
Mai snorted softly. She knew all too well what a shameless wolf this guy could be.
Of course, given her current state, she wasn't in much position to complain—her body had reacted the instant she swapped back and touched him.
Blushing, she whispered, "Ling‑kun, I'm a bit tired. Could you carry me back to the villa to rest?"
Rei Ao chuckled. "You're pretty worn‑out—drenched, even."
"Quit it!"
Mai glared at him in embarrassed annoyance.
"Haha, all right, I'll take you back to the villa for a break."
…
Morning at Amagami Shrine was always wrapped in a fine mist; the scent of sandalwood mingled with damp air and drifted quietly about.
Yae Amagami stood beneath the dark torii, the cuffs of her white miko robes stitched with delicate bellflowers.
She brushed a black lock from her forehead and let her gaze fall on the two bouncing figures behind her—her younger sisters Asahi Amagami and Yuna Amagami.
Yuna was laboriously dragging a suitcase patterned with cats, the pink ribbon in her hair bobbing lively in the dawn breeze.
Asahi hugged a bamboo basket stuffed with snacks, her plump cheeks flushed with excitement.
"Hurry, hurry! If we don't get moving, the sun will bake the sand hot!"
Yuna craned her neck and waved at Yae.
Yae nodded slightly, a gentle smile lifting the corners of her lips.
"Got it—you want to visit the beach Mom always took us to again this year, right?"
"Uh‑huh!"
Asahi nodded hard, eyes sparkling as though full of starlight. "The waves sound best there, and there are loads of pretty shells!"
When the three sisters set foot on the path into the forested hills, the morning mist had yet to lift.
Dew‑soaked flagstones mirrored pin‑pricks of sky‑light.
They had walked this trail countless times; every jutting stone and crooked‑neck maple was etched into memory.
Each summer their mother had led them through these woods to the hidden cove deep in the bay.
There were no tourists there—only the whispers of waves and rock, their secret hideout with Mom.
Now that Mom had passed, they still went every year.
But by the time Yuna stuck her suitcase on a root for the third time, the light filtering through the trees had grown harsh.
Asahi clutched her basket, her small head turning uneasily. "Big sis… haven't we been walking too long? We'd usually be at the sea by now."
Yae stopped and looked about. The scenery felt both familiar and strange.
The ancient camphor with antler‑like branches was still there, yet the brambles beneath seemed far thicker than she remembered.
The winding stream still murmured, yet its surface no longer reflected the beach's outline.
"How odd…" Yae frowned. "Haven't we already come through here?"
"Are we lost?" Asahi's eyes went wide, her small body pressing to Yae's skirt.
"But if you look back, the path still looks exactly like the way we came…" Yuna fretted, tugging Yae's sleeve.
"Big sis, have we fallen into a kamikakushi—spirited away by the mountain god?"
The forest depths were eerily silent; only the rustle of wind through leaves sounded, as though countless unseen eyes were watching.
Yae narrowed her eyes and shielded her sisters behind her.
Just then the ground beneath her feet trembled faintly, and the air before her rippled like water struck by a stone.
At the same time—
On the villa's second floor, sunlight poured through a floor‑to‑ceiling window, tracing satin shadows across the soft bed.
Mai Sakurajima's long hair sprawled over the silk sheets.
She panted softly, hazy eyes turning to Rei Ao, lips parting. "…What's wrong…?"
Rei Ao propped himself up on one hand, tousled black hair falling forward, a playful gleam in his iridescent eyes.
He had been about to ravish the long‑awaited Mai when he suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation—four pure yet slightly flustered souls mixed within it.
"Four new friends have arrived," he said, chuckling low, fingertip gliding across Mai's sweat‑damp collarbone. "They're wandering just outside the barrier."
"New friends?" Mai blinked, the warmth of desire still lingering in her body. "Strangers?"
"Strangers to you—though not quite to me."
He dipped to peck her lips, then straightened and walked to the window, gazing toward the invisible magical ward around the villa.
At the forest's edge three figures stood lost in the mist, one holding a gohei.
"Let's invite them in for a look, shall we?"
A smile tugged at Rei Ao's mouth. He snapped his fingers lightly.
In that instant the magic barrier surrounding the beach and villa receded like the tide, leaving behind only a faint ripple in its wake.
~~~
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