"Senpai, what brings you here?"
"Mm… I heard you'd be going on stage today, Mitsuha, so I wanted to come support you and see you perform the ritual dance."
Fujimiya Konomi covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
"Eh? Is that so?"
Just then, another girl who looked a bit younger came out from behind, fiddling with the heavy golden headpiece on her head. "Onee-chan, help me with this, I can't get it on properly."
"Ah, Yotsuha, why are you so clumsy!"
Miyamizu Mitsuha quickly turned around to help Miyamizu Yotsuha fix her headpiece.
"So this is Mitsuha? You've grown so much."
(Non non Biyori) Miyauchi Kazuho said with a hint of emotion.
Miyamizu Mitsuha looked over at them curiously, a trace of confusion in her eyes.
After helping Yotsuha adjust her headpiece, Mitsuha turned and introduced them, "This is Fujimiya Konomi-senpai, and this is Miyauchi Kazuho-senpai. Their families used to serve at Fujimiya Shrine and Miyauchi Shrine."
"Oh, hello! I'm Miyamizu Mitsuha!"
Miyamizu Mitsuha bowed politely. Miyamizu Hitoha had told her about the nearby shrines before, and their families could be considered long-time acquaintances.
But soon, her gaze shifted to Sato. After looking him over a few times, she turned back to Mitsuha.
Then… who is this?
Miyamizu Mitsuha also looked a bit at a loss. Just as Sato was about to introduce himself, Fujimiya Konomi beat him to it, smiling brightly as she said to the two sisters, "This is Nohara Sato, my childhood friend. He's very interested in your kuchikamizake, so I brought him here."
Huh?!
Sato stared at Fujimiya Konomi with his mouth agape. When did I ever say that?!
That's slander!
Ever since this woman got jealous, she's been acting completely off!
"Eh?!"
On the other side, Miyamizu Mitsuha and Miyamizu Yotsuha both froze for a moment, then slowly lifted their heads and met Sato's gaze.
The next second, the two of them stepped back in unison, looking at him with frightened expressions.
"Th-this…"
Miyamizu Mitsuha's face turned bright red as she stared at Sato in disbelief. D-does someone really take an interest in kuchikamizake?!
Miyamizu Yotsuha was even more direct. The little girl, who looked like she was still in elementary school, stared straight at Sato with wide eyes and asked, "Onii-chan, are you a pervert?!"
Sato: "…"
"I am absolutely not a pervert!"
He said with a dark expression, though he felt that Mitsuha and Yotsuha probably wouldn't believe him.
Sure enough, even after his explanation, the two sisters still huddled together, keeping their distance and watching him warily.
This… how was he supposed to explain himself?!
Fortunately, at that moment, Miyamizu Hitoha spoke up. Smiling, she said to the sisters, "Mitsuha, Yotsuha, go get ready. The festival is about to begin."
"O-okay!"
The two sisters edged along the wall, keeping a cautious eye on Sato as they moved, then bolted out as if fleeing.
Sato looked at Fujimiya Konomi beside him, whose face was full of undisguised delight, and sighed. As expected, once you cut her open, she's just as dark inside.
Scheming. Petty.
Someone muttered inwardly.
"The festival is about to start. You should go have a look as well. The shrine will likely be entrusted to them in the future."
Miyamizu Hitoha still wore a smile, but the three of them could hear a trace of fatigue in her voice.
She was, after all, growing old.
Fujimiya Konomi and Miyauchi Kazuho's expressions changed slightly. They exchanged a glance, then both spoke.
"Grandma Hitoha, you must be joking. Mitsuha and the others are still young. The shrine should remain under your care for now."
"That's right. You're still very energetic. At the very least, you should wait until Mitsuha and the others get married and have children."
Hitoha listened to them and smiled faintly. "Then I'll take your kind words to heart."
The two exchanged another look, then stood and bowed. "We'll take our leave now."
"You'll come again next year, right?"
"Of course we will!"
…
After the three of them stepped outside, the shrine grounds had already become much more crowded, to the point where people were brushing shoulders.
Sato looked up at the sky. It had already grown completely dark, with a bright full moon hanging in the deep night alongside countless stars.
Miyauchi Kazuho looked at the crowd ahead and sighed, "Ah, it's been a long time since I've seen so many people."
"Sato, Konomi, do you want to go pray?"
She pointed toward the shrine ahead, where quite a few people were lining up to offer prayers.
"Let's go."
The three of them joined the end of the line. With nothing else to do, Sato asked curiously, "Why did Grandma Hitoha say the shrine would be passed on to Mitsuha and the others, instead of their parents?"
"Mitsuha's parents…"
Fujimiya Konomi fell silent for a moment.
"Mitsuha's mother has already passed away. As for her father… he's actually the mayor of Itomori."
"The mayor?"
Sato frowned slightly. There seemed to be some unspoken story behind it.
"That's right. Mitsuha's father originally married into the family. After Mitsuha's mother, Futaba, passed away, he left the Miyamizu family… and his relationship with Grandma Hitoha became strained."
"I see…"
Sato let out a soft sigh, lowering his gaze slightly.
"It's our turn!"
Suddenly, Fujimiya Konomi, standing beside him, tugged at his sleeve and pulled him forward beneath the shrine's deity statue.
Clap, clap!
The two of them tossed coins into the offering box. After ringing the bell, they stood before the statue, clapped their hands, and brought them together, lowering their heads slightly as they began to pray.
What should I wish for…
Sato felt a bit lost. Even though he knew that everything before him might be false, he still considered it seriously.
"Sato, have you made your wish?"
Suddenly, the girl beside him raised her head and asked, her bright eyes fixed on him.
Sato was momentarily stunned, then turned to look at her.
Well, if there really are shinto gods, then please keep the girl beside me safe and sound.
He made his wish sincerely.
"Sato?"
"Ah, I'm done. Let's go."
Sato smiled as he responded to the girl.