The Inari family had always been known as one of the most powerful in Tsuyokuni. For centuries, they were feared and respected, holding the position as the second strongest family in the country—a remarkable feat considering that the political and military power of Tsuyokuni was ruled by fierce rival clans.
Beyond their magical strength, there was another reason the name Inari echoed in legends: the beauty of its members. Both men and women of the family were considered the most beautiful figures in all of Tsuyokuni, to the point where poets and artists dedicated their lives to depicting them.
However, this blessing attracted hatred and envy from a woman years ago. One of these beauties, Inari Sayaka, Aoi's mother, became the target of this terrible woman. Sayaka already bore the burden of being the sole survivor of a demonic attack that exterminated almost the entire Inari clan, leaving only her and her father. Still young at 18, she married for love a man she believed was her destiny, but her happiness was ripped away by her rival—the woman obsessed with her husband, who wanted him for herself.
Driven by envy, this woman cast a cruel curse: Sayaka's beauty vanished before the eyes of the world. In place of her face, everyone saw only a black void with circular white eyes—motionless and piercing. The worst part of this curse was that staring at that face for too long made one feel their very soul being pulled into the void, and if they did not look away, their body would collapse lifeless to the ground. The first to succumb was Sayaka's own father, who, upon seeing his daughter's new face, instantly dropped dead after a few seconds.
"FATHER…"
Desperate and crying tears that shone white in that void, she ran to her father's body. After the funeral, Sayaka sealed her face behind a Kitsune mask to protect others—especially her husband, whom she still loved, and the daughter she carried in her womb. When, hopeful, she revealed herself to him with the mask, believing they could continue together, she was rejected. Her husband coldly revealed that he only desired her for her beauty. Without remorse, he abandoned Sayaka and married the woman who had cast the curse, leaving Tsuyokuni behind with Sayaka.
After that, her husband was scorned by the high ranks, and Sayaka was seen as cursed by the ignorant. However, Tsuyokuni as a nation maintained respect for her lineage, as the Inari blood still carried power destined to reach the Eighth Circle someday.
A few days after being abandoned, Sayaka gave birth to Inari—her daughter. Even though she now hated her husband, her daughter was innocent. Eagerly awaiting the birth, she wanted someone to be with her, and upon seeing her daughter's beautiful face, she was happy. However, what should have been a moment of pure joy turned into a blow of fate: when she showed the baby's face to the servants, they recoiled in horror, quickly looking away, and some collapsed dead on the ground. Aoi had been born with the same curse as her mother.
The clan and the sages of Tsuyokuni tried countless times to break the spell, all without success. All they discovered was that the woman responsible was a follower of Sairao. Her powers were shrouded in mystery, and the few captured followers claimed to use sacrifice magic. Perhaps this was just a way to cover the truth, but nothing could be proven—after all, it made sense that sacrifices were used to wield their magic.
After extensive tests, a disturbing conclusion was reached: only the true soulmate of the cursed person could see their real face. But the curse made this impossible, as its effect had been reinforced by the sacrifice of Sayaka's soulmates and all her descendants' soulmates for generations. There was another way their own blood could see each other's faces, which shocked her because her father had died for this reason. They finally understood that her father had also been used as a sacrifice—the very first to die for the curse to work fully.
"Why did this have to happen to me?"
After a while, Sayaka accepted her fate and, to protect Aoi, made an identical mask for her daughter. Mother and daughter lived reclusively, hidden from sight, until Aoi was strong enough to decide her own path.
Despite the sadness, her hatred was directed only at the child's father and the woman who cursed her, hoping someday to find and kill them. While caring for her daughter, she also prepared her to carry the weight of the Inari lineage and, perhaps one day, to break the curse that had haunted their family for decades, even if it seemed impossible.
"Maybe if I kill that woman, everything will end. Or maybe it will just really stay this way… If so, perhaps it will disappear with Sairao's death."
Sayaka rocked her daughter in her arms as she spoke those words. She had the goal of at least avenging herself and making her daughter happy.
Because of the curse, children did not approach Aoi. The only families who welcomed her and did not give up trying were the Akirama family, where Aoi's only friend, Rina, was. Over time, her mother knew she would have descendants, so she always seriously warned her daughter:
"Daughter, be sure that when you choose someone, they are the right person and will not abandon you."
Although Aoi was playful sometimes and wanted to have fun with Rina, she felt lonely at night, so she would always sleep in her mother's room, embraced as if they were the only two in the world, the only ones who could truly see each other.
'Will she be better now?'
Enrico scratched his cheek, looking at Aoi trembling before him and Rina looking at him hopefully. In the original story, Rina tried to help Aoi find the type of person she liked so she could at least have a good life. She even asked about Kai, who was the one interested in her growing potential.
"What do you think of Kai?"
"Too innocent. He's a good person, but he's not my type."
"Because I don't think he'll abandon you knowing that."
"I know… but what I'm looking for is someone I can truly trust… Rina, look at Kai."
Seeing Kai training, she explained that Kai was a good person but, besides not caring about relationships, he was a scatterbrain who only cared about training and even abandoned important things for it. He was not the kind of person she liked.
"And I don't like innocent boys who don't know what relationships are. I prefer someone more balanced."
"That'll be hard to find… you have so many characteristics to like someone."
Aoi didn't seem to care about Rina's words. Being good wasn't the only thing she wanted, and if she had to be with a doubtful person, she preferred to stay far away. Besides, he didn't have the appearance or body she liked. Yes, she was demanding, but she was sure that if she found that person, she would stay with them forever.
'And that was the most important part told about her in the light novel.'
[I just won't joke because the girl is trembling.]
Rina approached and touched Aoi's shoulder. She was happy for her friend and hoped Enrico wasn't lying. Aoi raised her head and looked at him.
"What color are my lips then?"
"Red."
He answered immediately, which made Aoi tremble even more because not only was he fast, but he was right. Enrico didn't know why he could see her face, to tell the truth, but since he could, he would do his best to make the girl calm and more comfortable, even if it took time.
"I… need to go."
Aoi turned and ran away. Judging by how she was, the way Rina knew, Enrico must have been right. So she turned to him and gave a small bow.
"I really want to be your Musubinin in the future, and I hope you accept Aoi by your side too."
Rina ran after her friend with a smile. That was how Aoi ran when she was emotional and wanted to talk to her mother.
'She must be nervous too, it's been a while, so thank you, Enrico.'
Everyone was confused except Yumeha and Enrico. Watching the two leave, he thought about the description of the void on her face and remembered that when he saw that description, he felt a strange desire to see it.
'I don't know why I feel like this whenever I hear something like void.'
He glanced up and saw the stars had disappeared, finding that beautiful.