The firelight sent shadows dancing and fading across the sand.
Yae clutched Yuna's hand so tightly her knuckles whitened, while Asahi buried her face in Chiharu's shoulder—as if the moment they let go, the mother before them might vanish like a soap bubble.
"Th‑this isn't a dream, is it… Mom?"
Asahi's voice was muffled and tremulous, on the verge of tears.
Yuna lifted her swollen, red‑rimmed eyes and stared at the faint halo of spirit‑light wavering around Chiharu's waist.
Its ethereal quality made her doubt once more whether she was dreaming.
Amagami Chiharu stroked Asahi's hair, yet her gaze drifted to Rei Ao, who stood a short distance away.
His rainbow‑hued pupils shimmered in the firelight, as though they could see straight through all their fears.
"If you want to talk," he said, "let's do it inside the villa—take our time."
He waved at Eriri and the others still on the beach.
"Keep playing; don't mind us."
Though phrased like an invitation, his tone brooked no refusal.
…
The lavishly furnished living room only deepened the sisters' bewilderment.
"Sit," Rei Ao gestured to the sofa, then leaned against the fireplace.
"Don't be so tense. Ask whatever you wish."
Yae drew a long breath and finally managed to speak.
"Mom… are you really… still here? But you already—"
The unspoken word died pricked every heart in the room.
Chiharu's eyes dimmed. She glanced at Rei Ao; when he gave a slight nod she began, voice low:
"I did die.
"But my soul didn't disperse. It remained at Amagami Shrine and became a guardian deity of that place."
She paused, fingertips brushing the carved armrest.
"All these years I've watched you—watched you grow, watched you bustling about the shrine…"
"Then why didn't you tell us?" Yuna cried, hugging her.
"Every year Asahi sets an extra pair of chopsticks on the offering table for your birthday… Mom, do you know how much we miss you?"
"I'm sorry… truly sorry," Chiharu said bitterly, helplessness written on her beautiful face.
"Between a god and mortals there's an impassable boundary.
"I can't show myself in physical form, nor speak with you directly.
"That is the rule—my fate."
Her grateful eyes turned to Rei Ao.
"Until today—this Rei Ao-sama lifted the restriction so I could appear like this, for a while, and meet you."
"For a while?"
Asahi snapped her head up.
"Mom, do you have to leave again?"
Chiharu's spirit form trembled. She could feel the divine power Rei Ao had infused into her slowly ebbing; the force holding her manifest was unstable.
"I don't know how long this state will last…"
"No!"
Asahi burst into tears and flung herself before Rei Ao.
"Rei Ao-sama, please let Mom stay! We can't lose her again!"
Yuna knelt as well, clutching his trouser‑leg.
"Yes—please! If Mom can stay with us, we'll do anything!"
Though Yae remained standing, her eyes were equally pleading.
"Rei Ao-san, if there's any way… please help us."
Rei Ao set down his wineglass and walked to the three sisters.
He crouched, meeting their tear‑filled eyes one by one.
"To let a deity remain forever in the mortal realm—breaking the boundary between god and man—do you understand what that means?"
They shook their heads blankly.
"It means Amagami Chiharu would cease to be a god. Her spirit might collapse without its divinity, or she could become a wandering soul unable to reincarnate," he said quietly, every word weighted.
"Even the world's laws might intervene."
Chiharu stared, shocked. "Is… is that true?"
She herself had never known—only that she was constrained.
A faint smile curved Rei Ao's lips. "I know far more than you imagine."
He faced her.
"Still, I do have a way for you to stay in the mortal world, even regain a flesh‑and‑blood body."
"Truly?"
Chiharu and the sisters gasped together.
"But it requires a price."
His rainbow eyes glinted with danger.
"Amagami Chiharu, what are you willing to trade?"
Chiharu looked into her daughters' hopeful faces, recalled her own millennia of solitude, and hesitated no longer.
She rose and bowed deeply to him.
"If it lets me remain with my daughters, I'll give you anything."
"Excellent," Rei Ao nodded, satisfied.
"You've passed my test."
"T‑test?"
Chiharu stiffened, unsure what that implied.
But the moment she felt Asahi's small hand clutching her sleeve, all doubt turned to resolve.
"I understand… whatever it is, I accept."
"Mom!"
The three sisters threw their arms around her, weeping anew.
Watching the scene, Rei Ao was already calculating the next step. Granting Chiharu a body would not be difficult…
"Come now—no more tears." He clapped his hands. "Since we've come to terms, enjoy your reunion first."
He pointed outside: Tohru was chasing Kanna across the beach, while Gabriel and Satania bickered over the last sausage—laughter everywhere.
"See? They're having a blast out there."
Rei Ao chuckled. "Chiharu, why don't you try it too—feel the bustle of the human world again? We can discuss the deal later."
Chiharu hesitated; she'd grown used to being a sideline god.
But the sisters tugged her along, and she followed them out of the living room.
When her feet sank into the soft sand and the sea breeze brushed her cheeks—solid, real sensations—
the heart that had lain still for years seemed to beat once more.
Seeing the excitement on her three "daughters'" faces, she felt that any price would be worth it, and an involuntary smile touched her lips.
~~~
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