After this story began to spread, Hiiragi Shinsuke faced even greater pressure, and the other families under his command seized the opportunity to make their own moves.
Now, Hiiragi Shinsuke was utterly incapable of interfering in Inazuma's future affairs—he could only delay the arrival of his "death."
Setting aside Hiiragi Shinsuke, in the story, the Traveler and Kamisato Ayaka returned to Ogura Textiles after obtaining the fabric.
Kamisato Ayaka suggested buying the Traveler a new outfit, but the Traveler declined.
The Traveler in the story loved her current clothes and had no intention of changing.
However, in reality, because she knew Lucian, she was occasionally subjected to his dress-up games. Since Chiori also enjoyed designing outfits, Lucian simply had her make a bunch of cosplay costumes.
Lucian made Lumine dress up as every golden-haired character—like Saber, Dio… though, unfortunately, the resemblance wasn't quite there.
Returning to the story, after resolving the clothing issue, the group headed to their next destination—Kuinara Kohan.
Kamisato Ayaka originally wanted to prepare a foreign dish as a gift, but her cooking skills were lacking, and she ended up blowing up the kitchen.
In the end, it was Lumine who helped make a pizza as the gift.
Kamisato Ayaka hid her flushed face behind her fan—now the whole world knew she'd blown up a kitchen.
Kamisato Ayato, however, laughed heartily. Indeed, even his sister's flaws were endearing.
After preparing everything, the trio in the story officially set off on their journey to find "Tsubaki." Along the way, Kamisato Ayaka and the Traveler speculated about Tsubaki's possible identity—perhaps a fox envoy of the gods?
Arriving at the location recorded in Ayaka's mother's notes, they followed the riddles to search for Tsubaki's residence.
["A crane brings a flower to adorn my hair, a white rabbit sews four pieces of moonlight into a skirt. Dressed properly, I call Tsubaki's name seven times toward the east, and in the blink of an eye, I stand upon the path to her home."]
Following the riddle's guidance, what they found was not a "residence" but a stone wall.
After knocking on the stone wall seven times, they discovered a mysterious box hidden behind it. Inside was another notebook.
The notebook read:
["As Tsubaki, I am both the same and different from my usual self. As Tsubaki, I am not Kamisato Kayo, but simply an ordinary woman."]
["Everything below is merely the trivialities of life recorded by an ordinary me."]
It turned out Tsubaki wasn't a "fox envoy of the gods," nor was she a friend of Ayaka's mother—she was Ayaka's mother herself. She was Kamisato Kayo.
The foreign foods and clothes associated with "Tsubaki" were simply things her mother had wanted to try.
They were gifts Kamisato Kayo had wanted to give herself.
"Mother…" Kamisato Ayaka stared blankly at the words on the page.
In the book, she said:
["As for me, I can deeply understand Mother's actions."]
["Rather… I, too, have such a side to me…"]
["Reading the notes even left me somewhat flustered, as if my own thoughts had been seen through and written down…"]
["Perhaps it's simply been too long since I last saw her. Unconsciously, even my memories of her have faded, leaving only her dignified and noble side."]
["When I saw this notebook, I realized… She and I are exactly the same. No matter what duties we bear, we are still just ordinary people."]
Kamisato Ayato remained silent. For his part, he, too, wished for his sister to live the life she desired.
"Truly… so much like Mother…" Kamisato Ayato looked up, no longer reading, to steady his emotions.
His expression calm, his gaze landed on the illustration on the wall.
In the illustration, Ayaka stood gracefully, a paper fan covering half her face, leaving only her beautiful eyes visible—curved slightly, exuding an elegant smile.
The fan obscured Ayaka's youthful face, leaving Ayato momentarily dazed.
Kamisato Ayato smiled again. "Really… so much like Mother."
But it wouldn't have to be exactly the same. Food, clothes, festivals—she could experience whatever she wished.
The Kamisato Clan, the Yashiro Commission—they didn't need the "Shirasagi Himegimi" to sacrifice herself to maintain an image. As long as he was here, it would be enough.
In Sumeru, Faruzan also fell into silence. She wondered—after she had been trapped, what kind of lives had her parents led?
She hadn't even had the chance to understand, to witness, to care for them, to see… their final moments.
If… if her parents had left behind notes like Kamisato Ayaka's mother, it would have been something. To see their words would be like seeing their faces one last time. How she wished she could have met them "one last time."
Though an ordinary human, Faruzan now felt the melancholy of a long-lived species, her expression sorrowful.
Returning to the story, after speaking of her mother, Kamisato Ayaka decided to make a change. She bravely invited the Traveler to attend the festival with her.
Paimon glanced at the two with a knowing little smirk.
As the Yashiro Commission's "Shirasagi Himegimi," Ayaka had never attended a festival in a private capacity—she worried it would make others uncomfortable.
She feared the Yashiro Commission and the people weren't yet close enough, and that her sudden participation would be improper.
Now, inviting the Traveler to join her was the first step toward being herself.
When they arrived at the festival, it was already the final evening—the event was winding down, with few visitors or vendors left.
A stall owner spotted Kamisato Ayaka and shouted:
["Hey, everyone—! The young lady of the Kamisato Clan has come to enjoy the festival! Don't pack up yet!"]
Kamisato Ayaka frantically waved her hands. She hadn't expected the man to make such a scene.
She'd wanted to enjoy the festival quietly, but now the entire event knew.
It was like riding a bicycle with a loudspeaker blaring, "The beauty is here~ The beauty is here~"—who wouldn't look?
Still, Ayaka knew the man meant well, so her refusal was born purely of embarrassment.
Though she'd unwillingly become the festival's "center of attention," Ayaka and the Traveler still had a wonderful time.
Few guests, few vendors—but this atmosphere, lively yet tinged with solitude, perfectly suited Ayaka's current state of mind.
A feeling of fulfillment, joy, and just a hint of cautiousness.
As the festival ended, the Traveler escorted Ayaka home, passing through Chinju Forest.
[Kamisato Ayaka: "Come to think of it, the Traveler and I are alike—we both have elder brothers."]
["Family and kinship are bonds none of us can escape… They are the most important 'roots' we have in this world."]
Kamisato Ayato nodded approvingly.
[The Traveler and Kamisato Ayaka strolled through the forest, the tranquil ambiance making it seem as if the world consisted only of the two of them.]
[Ayaka drew her paper fan and stepped into the stream, speaking softly under the moonlight.]
["Ah, Traveler."]
["There's one more thing I'd like to do. May I borrow a little more of your time?"]
["Please, look at me properly."]
Kamisato Ayato's head shot up with a visible "!".
Kamisato Ayaka couldn't take it either—the prophet truly understood her too well, but must they illustrate such things?!
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice: Kamisato Ayato – About "Grus Nivis Chapter"
"Hmm, Ayaka is very much like Mother, but I hope she can simply be herself.
Hm? The dance? ...It was beautiful. The illustration was beautiful too—it would've been even better if it hadn't been drawn for everyone to see..."