"Nakano-kun, Katsura, bye-bye~ Be happy!"
"Mm, Yurikawa Hana, see you later."
Katsura Kotonoha smiled and said goodbye to Yurikawa Hana and Yotsuya Miko, then followed the young man.
It was already late, and it was time to head home.
After seeing off Nakano Yu, Yotsuya Miko chatted briefly with Takeda Mitsue. She was overjoyed to learn that the other party also possessed spiritual sight, but, as expected, her problem of the sudden activation of her spiritual sight remained unresolved.
Still, Yotsuya Miko was fortunate enough to buy a rosary from Takeda Mitsue, so the trip was not in vain.
When everyone had left, Takeda Mitsue also packed up her things, looked at the piles of cash in her small register, and sighed:
"Ah, this old woman is becoming more and more useless. It seems I should soon save enough money and return to Kyoto to retire."
With that thought, Takeda Mitsue finished packing her luggage and was just about to close the shop and leave when a figure appeared at the entrance:
"Yo, long time no see, gra—grandma."
Hearing the voice, Takeda Mitsue paused, but did not turn around. Instead, she continued lowering the metal shutters of the shop and said:
"Rom, why have you come back?"
Behind Takeda Mitsue stood a tall and thin young man in a black coat, wearing a top hat and holding a briefcase, with a somewhat gloomy and gothic appearance.
That man was Rom, whom Takeda Mitsue had mentioned earlier.
"I came back to settle something that must be settled."
Rom adjusted the brim of his hat, looking at Takeda Mitsue's back, which had visibly aged compared to his memory, and said.
"I didn't expect that after so many years, grandma, you would become someone who deceives people. Was that incident back then too great a blow for you?"
Looking at Takeda Mitsue, a mixture of emotions and dissatisfaction could be felt in Rom's tone.
He knew that Takeda Mitsue was a person with real abilities and that she should not be here pretending to be a fraud.
"…Do not interfere in the matter of the shrine. Even the master could not deal with that monster…"
After a long silence, Takeda Mitsue forcefully pulled the metal shutter all the way down, turned around, and looked at the young man as she spoke.
"I know, but I still have to go."
After hearing Takeda Mitsue try to dissuade him, Rom only smiled faintly. Naturally, he knew how terrifying that shrine was, but he was not without trump cards. He had studied the knowledge of the onmyouji in Kyoto for so long, and now that the time had ripened, how could he not go and bring the events of that year to an end?
"…Good luck."
Takeda Mitsue looked at him deeply, knowing that the events of many years ago were an insurmountable obstacle in Rom's heart, but also a thorn in her own. Not long after those events, she no longer walked the path of an exorcist or onmyouji.
Instead, she became the "shaman of downtown," a fraud who amassed wealth through deception.
Leaving behind that short sentence, Takeda Mitsue departed with her luggage.
"Sigh."
Rom did not stop Takeda Mitsue, but only lowered the brim of his hat, sighed, and walked in the opposite direction.
The events of that year had ultimately begun because of him, and they should end because of him.
His visit today was only to see Takeda Mitsue after a long time, because he estimated that there might no longer be an opportunity in the future.
After all, what he intended to do was a death sentence for an onmyouji!
"Kotonoha, what's wrong?"
By the roadside, Nakano Yu looked at Katsura Kotonoha in confusion as she stopped.
At that moment, Katsura Kotonoha was holding her phone, looking at a message from Katsura Kokoro, her cheeks flushed and her heart beating rapidly.
"N-nothing!"
Hearing the young man's voice, Katsura Kotonoha was startled, quickly put away her phone, and ran toward him.
"Did Kokoro send you a message?"
Seeing her cheeks burning with embarrassment, Nakano Yu asked curiously.
"N-no, it's not that… Yu-kun, what… what will we do next?"
Hearing that, Katsura Kotonoha quickly waved her hands in denial, but as she spoke, her gaze inexplicably drifted aside.
Seeing the girl like that, Nakano Yu knew that Kotonoha was lying. She had become like this after looking at her phone, so Katsura Kokoro must have been giving advice, and bad advice at that!
He just didn't know what Katsura Kokoro had said to make Kotonoha so embarrassed.
What Nakano Yu did not know was that the message that caused Katsura Kotonoha to be like this had indeed arrived on her phone and had indeed been sent by Katsura Kokoro, but not entirely.
At the Katsura family home, at that moment, Katsura Manami was wearing a transparent nightgown, sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, holding a pink phone in her hand and beaming with a smile.
That phone was obviously not Katsura Manami's. After all, as a classic strong woman, how could Katsura Manami use such a girlish pink phone? The phone, of course, belonged to Katsura Kokoro.
At that moment, Katsura Kokoro was sitting to the side with her arms crossed, pouting, looking at her mother with dissatisfaction.
"Mom, can I have my phone back now?"
Looking at Katsura Manami's smile, Katsura Kokoro felt uneasy in her heart. She had a feeling that her mother had done something bad and quickly urged her.
"Eh! Kokoro, don't rush. Mama will look a little longer. Kotonoha is really something, she's still shy at a time like this. I've recently heard that Nakano Yu is surrounded by several young ladies from zaibatsu families. She must quickly win over Nakano Yu!"
Staring at the phone, Katsura Manami waved her hand at Katsura Kokoro, speaking anxiously, as if it was not Katsura Kotonoha who needed to win over Nakano Yu, but she herself.
Katsura Manami had been very nervous lately. First she heard that Kaguya from the Shigomiya family was very close to Nakano Yu, then she heard that the young lady from the Fujiwara family was Nakano Yu's childhood friend, and that girl from the Tachibana family had also returned from abroad and might seek out Nakano Yu at any moment.
Katsura Manami had originally thought that Kotonoha would be the first, but she did not expect that so many people would be eyeing him. How could a mother not worry?
Seeing Katsura Manami like that, Katsura Kokoro pouted and muttered:
"Tsk, what kind of mother pushes her own daughter aside?"
"Hm? Kokoro, what are you saying?"
Hearing that, Katsura Manami shot Katsura Kokoro a sharp look. Suddenly a bold idea came to her mind. After sending an edited message to Katsura Kotonoha, she put away the phone and asked Katsura Kokoro:
"Nana, Kokoro, what do you think? If I were to betroth you to Yu, would he agree?"
Katsura Kokoro looked at her mother in shock, her face full of confusion. After a long time, she finally responded:
"Ha?"
"Mom, you!… Actually, it's not impossible… That way I wouldn't have to be separated from Kotonoha-neechan!"
"You little brat, you're actually considering it! How old are you?!"
"Eh?! Coerced confession?!!"
Ignoring the Katsura family, who were at that moment enforcing family rules, Katsura Kotonoha and Nakano Yu walked aimlessly down the street, holding hands.
Holding Nakano Yu's hand, Katsura Kotonoha constantly had "Katsura Kokoro's words" in her mind urging her to win over Nakano Yu.
"What should I do? How… how do I bring up such an embarrassing topic with Yu-kun?"
"If… if I just tell him directly, will Yu-kun agree?"
From time to time, she secretly glanced at the young man beside her, her thoughts in complete chaos.
In the end, Katsura Kotonoha understood what Katsura Kokoro had told her. After today's events, she was very aware of how popular Nakano Yu was, and she also understood that although she was Nakano Yu's fiancée, their progress had only reached kisses.
She had to speed up the process quickly!
With firm determination in her heart, Katsura Kotonoha suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, Kotonoha?"
Seeing Katsura Kotonoha stop, Nakano Yu looked at her in confusion. Evening was already approaching, and he had planned to walk a little longer with Kotonoha before returning.
After all, at night in Neon, apart from fireworks and some celebrations, few people wander outside. There are not many activities at night, and it is dangerous, of course, except for drunkards and those hanging around red-light districts.
"Yu… Yu-kun… I… I want to go to one… one place…"
Katsura Kotonoha lowered her head and spoke shyly, and as she spoke, the hand holding the young man tightened slightly, as if afraid he would run away.
"Where?"
Hearing that, Nakano Yu was confused. It was so late, where did Kotonoha want to go?
Perhaps there was an event nearby? Or fireworks?
While he was thinking, Katsura Kotonoha's gaze crossed the street and finally stopped at the hotel that "Katsura Kokoro" had mentioned in the message.
Without a word, Katsura Kotonoha immediately pulled Nakano Yu and ran toward the hotel.
When she brought him in front of the hotel, Nakano Yu was stunned.
"Kotonoha, are you sure you want to come here?"
Pointing at the neon sign, Nakano Yu still could not believe it. Was this really the reserved and shy Katsura Kotonoha he knew? How was she so proactive today?
Masaka?! Katsura Kokoro?!! No, do girls nowadays know so much?
"Mm… Yu, I… this is my first time here…"
Blushing, Katsura Kotonoha, though shy, did not deny it, but her voice was very soft and gentle.
"Kotonoha, have you thought it through?"
Seeing the girl like that, Nakano Yu took a deep breath, calmed his slightly excited mood, and confirmed.
This time, Katsura Kotonoha did not speak, she only looked into the young man's eyes and nodded firmly.
Seeing that Katsura Kotonoha had made her decision, Nakano Yu naturally did not refuse and led her inside.
When they arrived in the room, bright lights illuminated the large bed in the center. Katsura Kotonoha lay down first, felt the softness of the bed, and looked at her beloved with a gentle gaze.
At that moment, both of them were silent, but it was deeper than a thousand words.
That night, a giant wolf that devoured the sun and the moon roared toward the great sea, then threw itself into it, as if wanting to swallow the full moon in the sea.
But in the end, it sank into the sea and became calm.
Like the White Horse and the phoenix, it sank into the deepest trench of the great sea, bringing a trace of light to that abyss.
"Ah~ Why do we have to go to school again! Didn't we just go last week?!"
In the car, Ichika yawned. The two days of the weekend had passed in the blink of an eye and she felt like she had done nothing.
"Don't worry, Ichika, this week we have the sports festival! I heard that after the sports festival there's a campfire!"
Seeing Ichika listless, Yotsuba patted Ichika on the shoulder, encouraging her.
"But it's true that it's nice when there are no classes."
Hearing that, Ichika's gloomy mood improved significantly.
Nakano Yu glanced at the Five Sisters in the car and smiled, then turned his head to look out the window.
"How nice."
He sighed, and suddenly from the depths of Nakano Yu's heart a pounding sensation arose. Sensing that something was wrong, his heart became delighted.
Could it be… a heretical god just now?
Holy God! How many days has it been?! How much time has passed?! Finally, finally another heretical god has appeared?!!