Time passed slowly; in a flash, it was dusk.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the Grand Narukami Shrine standing atop the summit of Mt. Yougou.
Aside from Tenshukaku, this was the most sacred and revered place in Inazuma.
At this moment, several shrine maidens dressed in red and white miko attire were busily sweeping the courtyard in front of the Sacred Sakura.
"How many times have I told those people drawing fortune slips? If you draw a bad lot, don't throw it on the roof. Why just won't these people listen... I'm so tired, I want to sleep."
The shrine maiden Reimi took the bookmarks thrown onto the roof by those who drew 'Misfortune' or 'Great Misfortune' and hung them one by one onto the Ema rack.
As she hung them, she rubbed her eyes and yawned, speaking wearily.
"Why does your tone sound so much like that little fellow Sayu?" Kano Nana, who was clearing fallen leaves with a broom nearby, said with a smile.
After speaking, she sighed again: "However, I haven't seen that little fellow Sayu all day. I don't know where she ran off to slack off. That little guy really doesn't let one have peace of mind."
"Have you looked under the foundation of our shrine's worship hall? I seem to recall seeing her set up a hammock between a few wooden stakes a week ago, and then she slept there for a whole afternoon," Reimi said.
"A week ago? Then why didn't you tell me at the time..."
Kano Nana rolled her eyes at Reimi in exasperation, then shook her head and said, "However, I already discovered that place two days ago. She wasn't there."
"Then I wouldn't know," Reimi said, smiling and shaking her head.
"Sigh, I really want to hurry up and see Yae Publishing House's new books. I heard Lady Yae found someone to open up channels with the Liyue Publishing House and imported a large batch of new books. I wonder how the quality of the books is; I really want to read them soon," Kano Nana said with a look of melancholy.
"It's not just Liyue's books; the quality of books by Inazuma's local authors in this issue is also frighteningly high," other shrine maidens joined the topic and said.
"Speaking of which, I went home yesterday and found my younger sister bought a book called Junior Sister, Go Easy, Senior Sister Hurts at Yae Publishing House. She was reading it with a flushed face and red ears. After she went to take a bath, I picked up the book and took a look. The content inside was simply..."
As she spoke, that shrine maiden's face turned red.
"Is it that exaggerated?" Kano Nana and the other shrine maidens felt somewhat puzzled seeing her shy and embarrassed appearance.
One of the shrine maidens even looked around, then said furtively, "Sister Inagi isn't here. Tell us what the content is."
"Eh? Do I really have to tell it?" That shrine maiden looked hesitant, her face flushing.
"Tell us, tell us," the few shrine maidens urged with looks of great interest.
Kano Nana looked at those extremely curious shrine maidens with a helpless expression.
"I didn't read it from the beginning yesterday; I flipped directly to the later parts. Roughly speaking, it was Senior Sister Zi Ling and Junior Sister Li Qiuyao squeezing into a very small bath to wash. They sat opposite each other, and then the Junior Sister extended her foot between the Senior Sister's legs..."
That shrine maiden's face was blushing crimson as she stammered out the story in that book. The few shrine maidens gathered nearby also listened until their faces and ears were red.
Kano Nana listened to the shrine maiden telling the story idly from the side, and her pretty face also turned red from listening.
Using her foot wasn't enough; in the end, that Junior Sister even got up and straddled the Senior Sister's body, reaching her hand in.
"However, hearing you say this, this book seems to be about the love between a Senior Sister and a Junior Sister, two girls, right? Why did your sister buy this kind of book?" someone asked in confusion.
"Senior Sister and Junior Sister, older sister and younger sister... Hiss... Your sister doesn't have that kind of thought about you, does she?"
The shrine maidens all sucked in a breath of cold air.
"How is that possible! Don't talk nonsense. How could my sister possibly have that kind of strange thought about me?"
"Then why did she buy this kind of book? Tsk tsk, just from the rough story you told, we know how explosive the content is. Maybe when she reads the book, she's fantasizing about herself and you."
The shrine maidens teased with mischievous looks.
"That... that must be because... because she didn't know it was this kind of content." The shrine maiden surrounded in the middle was so shy her entire face was bright red.
"This book title is already very obvious, isn't it? Why don't you go home at an unusual time next time to take a look? Maybe you'll discover something."
"I certainly won't!"
For a moment, the shrine maidens frolicked and laughed together.
Kano Nana smiled and withdrew her gaze from the frolicking shrine maidens, casting her eyes toward Reimi. She guessed Reimi was truly very sleepy.
"I really envy them for having so much energy. At times like this, I feel that little fellow Sayu is quite right: working is not as good as sleeping... Ah... so sleepy."
"If Lady Yae hears those words of yours, you'll be in trouble," Kano Nana rolled her eyes at Reimi and said.
"Where is there such a coincidence..." Reimi smiled and said.
However, just as her voice fell, a playful voice rang out.
"What thing isn't that coincidental?"
As soon as this voice rang out, Reimi's expression instantly froze. She stiffly raised her head and turned around to look.
She saw a woman standing behind the main hall, wearing a unique miko outfit, with cherry-pink hair, a tall figure with well-defined curves, and charming looks, looking at her with a playful expression.
And beside her stood a little girl wearing a dark yellow-green ninja outfit with a hoodie and a large tail connected to the back of her clothes, who had a mournful look on her small face.
And that tall woman was stroking the little girl's small head with a look of great interest.
"Lady Yae."
The group of shrine maidens bowed one after another.
Kano Nana also followed and performed a bow.
The charming-looking woman before them was the Head Priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine, Lady Guuji, Yae Miko.
Her personality was elegant and mature, as if everything in the world was within her grasp. Devising strategies within a command tent, determining victory from a thousand miles away.
And the little girl standing to the side with a mournful face, being patted on the head by Yae Miko, was Sayu—who had always battled wits and courage with her, determined not to work if she could avoid it, and to slack off whenever possible.
She belonged to the Yashiro Commission's Kamisato Clan. She was also a small ninja of the Shuumatsuban ninja organization.
One didn't know who she learned it from; despite being a ninja, she greatly disliked things that consumed energy. She always seized opportunities to slack off and fish for leisure, sneaking off to hidden places to curl up and sleep.
"The Shuumatsuban's work doesn't have much meaning anyway. If I keep delaying and not doing it, there will be more suitable people to do it. But sleeping is different; as long as I sleep long enough, maybe one day I can grow taller. This is of extraordinary significance."
She still remembered the righteous manner in which Sayu spoke those words after being caught by her.
Seeing this scene before her, Kano Nana was not only not nervous but couldn't help but want to laugh slightly.
What that little fellow Sayu disliked the most was having her head patted, saying she wouldn't grow tall that way. But in front of Lady Yae, no matter how much she disliked it, she could only endure it.
After all, Lady Yae's prestige was very terrifying.
And it just so happened that Lady Yae really liked patting Sayu's head.
She had once asked Sayu how it felt to have her head patted by Lady Yae, and Sayu had told her very aggrievedly:
"She always likes to pat my head, but I don't dare to bite her, and I don't dare to resist. I always feel that if I refuse, something very terrible will happen. But if I keep getting patted like this, will I really not grow taller? What should I do..."
However, where on earth did this little fellow run off to slack off that she actually got caught by Lady Yae?
But in front of Lady Yae, she didn't dare to ask.
She would ask in detail later.
Compared to Kano Nana, Reimi was panicking right now. Her sleepiness instantly vanished; Lady Yae had just responded to her words...
The other shrine maidens weren't much better off than Reimi.
They had just been discussing some shameful topics... And in the solemn and dignified Grand Narukami Shrine, near the sacred Sacred Sakura...
"If you are really tired, then have a good rest. Let this bad child who slacked off for a whole day do your work for you," Yae Miko smiled gently and said, "You shouldn't slack off anymore, right?"
When saying the words "bad child," she looked down at Sayu and patted Sayu's small head.
This scared Sayu into nodding repeatedly, saying, "I won't anymore. Sayu guarantees to complete the mission."
"That's good. Truly an obedient good child."
Yae Miko smiled and said, "Go to work quickly."
"Yes."
Sayu breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly trotted all the way to the Ema rack, helping to tie the drawn 'Misfortune' and 'Great Misfortune' slips onto the rack.
Her expression was solemn and serious, meticulous.
She looked as if 'labor makes me glorious, labor makes me happy,' bearing no resemblance to her usual slack-off nature.
Seeing this scene, Kano Nana couldn't help but sigh with emotion in her heart.
As expected of Lady Yae.
Reimi, who was to the side, breathed a sigh of relief hearing Yae Miko tell her to rest, and thanked her: "Thank you, Lady Miko."
As for the other shrine maidens, Yae Miko didn't rebuke them either. She just turned to look at Kano Nana and said, "I heard from Inagi that Yae Publishing House has already sent over yesterday's sales report today. Come with me to the room to take a look."
"Yes, Lady Yae," Kano Nana nodded and said.
Kano Nana was not surprised by this.
Ever since Lady Yae learned that she was a novel enthusiast, she often gave Yae Publishing House's manuscripts to her.
Moreover, when Lady Yae acted as the owner of Yae Publishing House, she was very different from when she was the Guuji; she would become very amiable and would even wait for her to finish reading to ask for her thoughts on the new novels.
As soon as Yae Miko turned around, Kano Nana saw that the originally serious-faced Sayu instantly had a mournful look on her face.
But she still didn't dare stop the movements of her hands.
Her conflicted appearance was indescribably cute.
Following Yae Miko into the side hall, Kano Nana saw a shrine maiden sitting at the office desk inside the side hall, working.
This shrine maiden was called Inagi Hotomi.
Because Lady Yae was busy with affairs on ordinary days and was also the owner and editor-in-chief of Yae Publishing House, many of the shrine's daily affairs were handled by Inagi Hotomi on her behalf.
Although the work they were responsible for was different, Inagi Hotomi's relationship with the other shrine maidens was still quite good.
In the center of the side hall, there was a chaise lounge surrounded by quite a few books.
"Lady Yae, the items are on your chaise lounge."
Seeing Yae Miko enter with Kano Nana, Inagi Hotomi stood up and spoke.
After speaking, she also nodded to Kano Nana who was following behind Yae Miko.
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