Amagami Chiharu suddenly looked up, amber eyes trembling with emotion.
She saw Amagami Yae hop around after a spark from the fire singed her, while Amagami Asahi anxiously blew on her sister's fingers.
The scene overlapped perfectly with a distant memory of their mother grilling fish for them on this very beach.
Rei Ao's words had been a key, unlocking a desire she had sealed away—
especially now, seeing her "idiot daughters" still acting like the lovable fools they'd always been.
"Go to them," Rei Ao whispered, stepping back to give her space.
"At least let them know their mother has always been here."
…
When Rei Ao led Amagami Chiharu—now wearing a fox mask—toward the bonfire, every pair of eyes snapped toward them as if a murderer had appeared.
Nodoka was stuffing ice‑cream into her mouth.
The moment she noticed the shrine maiden robes and the familiar mask marked, she tugged on Futaba Rio's sleeve.
"Rio‑senpai, why is Mai suddenly cosplaying? And standing so close to Rei Ao…?"
Remembering the earlier suggestive atmosphere, her cheeks flushed crimson, guessing the two might share some peculiar hobby.
Shinomiya Kaguya's brows rose. "That's Sakurajima Mai? Her height and figure look different."
"…Huh? She's—"
Tohru and the others who possessed blessings from Rei Ao also sensed that the masked woman was not Sakurajima Mai.
But it was the Amagami sisters whose reactions were most extreme.
Amagami Yuna's hand froze, skewer halfway to her mouth, eyes locked on the fox‑masked figure.
That shrine‑maiden outfit was their mother's favorite design, down to the trailing fringe of kikyō blossoms at the waist.
Yae paused in her tug‑of‑war with Tohru over roasted meat, brows knitting. "Sis… I think I smell Mom. It's that salty‑savory scent mixed with sea breeze."
Asahi was simply stunned, her cotton candy slipping from her hand to the sand unnoticed.
The masked woman stood beside Rei Ao.
Though a mask hid her face, she inexplicably made them recall nights when Mother held them while they watched the stars.
At Rei Ao's nod, Amagami Chiharu silently approached the grill.
Without a word she picked up a skewer of saury, deftly brushed it with sauce, and sprinkled it with chopped scallions—the seasoning Yuna had loved most as a child.
When it was done, she handed it to Yuna with trembling hands.
"Th‑thanks…"
Yuna accepted it reflexively. The warmth of the fish against her fingertips made her eyes sting.
The instant she tasted it, the familiar flavor shot through her like electricity—
Mother's secret sauce recipe: a hint of plum sweetness, the salty freshness unique to the seaside.
"Mm…!"
She was the first to lose control; tears plopped onto the sand.
"This taste… it's Mom's…"
Yae bit into the grilled shrimp Chiharu offered.
The careful way the shell had been slit and the vein removed was exactly how their mother used to keep them from biting into the grit.
She couldn't hold back either and asked through sobs, "Who are you? How can you cook Mom's food? Why—"
Chiharu gazed at her three daughters' tear‑reddened eyes.
A goddess who had never shed tears now felt them gather.
She lifted a shaking hand and stroked Yuna's cheek, finally uttering the long‑delayed call:
"Yuna… Yae… Asahi…"
The voice was as clear as ever, yet carried the unparalleled tenderness only a mother possesses.
The three sisters stood as if struck by lightning.
That voice… it was Mother's! Absolutely Mother's!
Yuna seized Chiharu's wrist. It was cool as ice, yet so real it made her heart race.
"Mom? Is it really you? But you—"
Chiharu shook her head. Tears at last slipped free, gleaming in the firelight.
She slowly removed the fox mask, revealing the beautiful face that matched their memories perfectly, now softened, weathered by years they had never known.
"Mom!"
"Mom—!"
All restraint vanished; the sisters hurled themselves into her arms.
Though her spiritual body felt faint, the blood‑deep familiarity was undeniable.
Chiharu clutched her daughters tightly. Loneliness and longing burst forth, turning into a flood of tears.
The four of them wept together, as though trying to reclaim every moment lost to separation.
Around them, the other girls exchanged bewildered looks.
No one understood how this sudden "mother‑and‑daughters reunion" had come about.
Yukinoshita Yukino glanced at Rei Ao, who merely raised a finger to his lips, those iridescent eyes unusually gentle.
Everyone took the hint and fell silent, simply watching the touching scene by the fire.
Tohru folded away her tail, the angels stopped bickering, even Satania—who'd been loudly vowing to conquer the sea—sat quietly on the sand, nibbling cotton candy and watching.
Gabriel whispered to Raphiel, "Is that lady really a goddess? She doesn't seem all that scary."
Raphiel pondered. "Her spirit form is remarkably stable—more like a being born of faith and a shrine, not some rampaging monstrosity."
Rei Ao stood at the edge of the crowd, a subtle, meaningful smile curving his lips as he watched the four embrace.
Moments later his voice sounded in Chiharu's ear:
"Now do you believe? Tell me—would you like to stay and live with your daughters like this forever?"
Chiharu's body tensed, but her arms tightened around her girls.
She lifted tear‑bright amber eyes to Rei Ao—joy at reunion, resentment at his power, and an emotion she refused to name: a ripple of wavering.
The sea breeze carried the bonfire's warmth, blurring the boundary between divinity and humanity.
Rei Ao smiled.
This seaside encounter had only reached its most interesting part.
And Chiharu understood: the moment she took off the fox mask, her calm had been completely shattered by the man with iridescent eyes.
~~~
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