— — — — — —
"...Under the pillow," Yukina murmured almost inaudibly.
The shame of answering such a question had pushed her to her absolute limit.
"I see... hidden under the pillow, huh?"
'Shirona' echoed thoughtfully, her voice ringing through the hall.
And then, just a second later, she asked in a surprised tone:
"You never thought about just burning it?"
Burning it?
Yukina's face instantly turned crimson.
Right. She could've just burned it after reading it. Or better yet, refused it from the start.
Why in the world did she say she hid it under a pillow?
Even without looking up, she could feel the stunned gazes of the four high-ranking members in front of her.
Overwhelmed by shame, her brain just... snapped.
She took a deep breath, forced her face into a rigid, ironclad expression, and stared straight at Shirona.
"Senpai, with all due respect, I don't think this question has any relevance to the assessment."
"This is clearly just a test to humiliate me! And a particularly nasty one at that!"
Her face was now red as a ripe apple—part frustration, part embarrassment.
But then Ry... uh 'Shirona' calmly replied: "Shame and personality evaluation are unrelated?"
Yukina opened her mouth, ready to argue... but couldn't. As annoying as it was, the question did have some validity.
After all, shame reflects self-awareness—an ability to recognize and reflect on one's behavior. It's a facet of morality, and by extension, personality.
Still, knowing that didn't make it any less humiliating.
"Senpai," she said, forcing herself to stay calm, "could we please move on to more meaningful questions?"
"Alright, have you ever thought about marriage?"
"...What?" Yukina froze.
Marriage?
Okay... sure, that's more meaningful than the last question. But still... wasn't this a bit much?
She was eleven!
Looking up at the very serious-looking Shirona—who she knew was secretly anything but—Yukina clenched her jaw and replied:
"No, I haven't thought about it. The Lion King Agency doesn't offer bride training courses."
Normal schools in Japan might include some, but the High God Forest was anything but normal.
They prioritized spiritual training over household skills—that was just how they operated.
Not wanting to let Shirona go off on another tangent, Yukina added quickly:
"Please don't ask how I'd feel if such courses were offered. I don't think that's relevant right now."
But of course, 'the voice' kept going: "Then let's say you were 18. Would you consider it then?"
"..."
Yukina stared at her with a deadpan expression, voice flat as a board:
"If I were 18, I'd 'seriously' consider it. Very seriously."
"You seem unusually opposed to the question,"
Yukina's eye twitched. "Saint, do you really understand how the Lion King Agency operates?"
No more honorifics like "senpai" in a warm tone—just cold, professional "Saint" now.
"We're trained to be sword shamans and War Dancers. We're here to combat large-scale magical crime. Not attend some kind of matchmaking school."
"No, Yukina," 'Shirona' said with a suspiciously amused voice, "you seem to be the one who's misunderstood."
"There's a rumor, you know... some people out there call the Lion King Agency the Lion King matchmaking Agency."
"Huh?" Yukina blinked in disbelief. "This is literally the first time I've ever heard that."
"Same." Both Endou and Koyomi echoed the thought silently, glancing between the still-stoic Shirona and the ever-grinning Ryo.
Neither of them had the strength to say anything anymore.
If Ryo wanted to mess around like this, they had no choice but to play along.
"I mean, if it's a lifelong training institution, then isn't it only natural to help its members sort out their future marriages?"
"I guess… but shouldn't personal opinion matter in something like that?"
"Of course! We're not a cult."
Yukina had no idea how someone with such a straight face could say something like that… but somehow, Shirona did.
Grinding her teeth, cheeks burning red, Yukina mumbled, "I'd like to make that kind of decision on my own, thank you very much."
"What kind of guys do you like?"
That did it. Her embarrassment overflowed.
"I… I don't really know?"
"Then let's try it a different way. Pretend everyone here is male—anyone match your type?"
Yukina froze, then looked deeply uncomfortable.
"Do I have to answer that?"
"Yes."
Swallowing her pride, Yukina raised her hand and quietly pointed at Ryo—who hadn't said a word this entire time.
And then she fell silent again.
She wasn't about to pretend any of these people were guys. That was ridiculous.
And if she had to pick a guy, there was literally only one male here. It wasn't even a real choice!
Annoyed but resigned, she told herself it was just another hurdle to get through. Not that it made her feel any better.
"And your reason for choosing him?"
Yukina was nearly in tears at this point, her voice cracking under pressure.
"His looks! Okay? Lord Ryo's appearance matches my aesthetic preferences. Is that good enough?!"
"Uh.... that's fine. With that, the special question segment is over. We'll now proceed to the formal assessment." The real Shirona could finally speak.
Looking at Yukina, who now looked at her like she might be some kind of deviant, Shirona honestly didn't even know where to start.
"…Alright then. Let's say you're in a tight, enclosed space. The person you're assigned to protect comes under enemy gunfire. What do you do?"
Still a bit wary, Yukina narrowed her eyes.
"The person I'm protecting… they're not some weird type, are they? Like a creepy dad, a shady uncle, a sketchy fiancé, or someone with bad intentions?"
"…No," Shirona replied flatly after a pause. "They're a normal protection target."
Even so, she could feel the judgmental stare Yukina was giving her. It was like lasers burning through her soul.
'Yeah... maybe it's time I filed that retirement paperwork,' Shirona thought grimly.
— — —
Outside the Shrine
At the bottom of the steps, Sayaka Kirasaka spotted Yukina walking out of the shrine with a dazed expression.
She rushed over and grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Are you okay, Yukina? You look like you're about to pass out! Did the Three Saints do something to you?! Tell me—I'll make them pay!"
Yukina quickly waved her off and shook her head.
"I'm fine, Sayaka. They just… asked a bunch of weird questions, that's all."
Sayaka narrowed her eyes, fury rising.
"That damn Endou is really crossing the line with these prank assessments..."
Yukina opened her mouth but couldn't bring herself to explain.
At that moment, a calm voice called from inside the shrine.
"Sayaka Kirasaka, please enter."
Sayaka clenched her fists. "Yukina, don't worry. I'll get revenge for you!"
She took a step toward the stairs, but Yukina grabbed her arm.
"What is it?" Sayaka looked back, confused.
Yukina hesitated, then let go and said softly, "…It's nothing."
But then she quietly added under her breath:
"Just… beware of Shirona-Senpai."
"Huh?"
Sayaka blinked, baffled. What did this have to do with Shirona?
"Anyway, you should go," Yukina said, gently pushing her toward the shrine doors.
As they shut behind her, Yukina let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Shirona-Senpai really is a pervert…"
Her quiet muttering carried perfectly through the shrine's listening devices—directly into Shirona's ears.
"….."
.
.
.