Konda Village, Fox Statue.
The sun, just past its zenith, still shone brightly in the sky. The three of them stood in front of the fox statue, but there was no sign of the mysterious shrine maiden wearing a fox mask.
"Did she already leave?" Yoimiya murmured, one fist gently resting against her waist.
"Hmm... When the villager came to report it at the Grand Narukami Shrine, he said he saw her one night after finishing his farm work. Maybe she only appears in the dark," Yae Miko said, pressing her knuckle to her chin with a faint smile.
"Ehh! Guuji-sama, don't say creepy stuff like that! You're scaring me," Yoimiya complained, her head filling with all the ghost stories she'd heard as a child.
Nolan glanced at her expression and could pretty much guess what she was thinking. He chuckled and said, "Well, the things you're imagining? In Teyvat, they're probably real."
"You too?! Stop trying to scare me!" Yoimiya shot him an annoyed look.
She couldn't do anything about Miko, but this guy? She could handle him. She reached out, trying to pinch Nolan's cheek.
But Nolan had plenty of experience dodging playful attacks from girls and easily avoided her. Then, taking the chance, he swooped behind her and hugged her into his arms.
"Ah—!"
Caught off guard, Yoimiya stumbled back and pressed tightly against him. She gasped in surprise at first, then turned slightly red, flustered and annoyed.
"You two... I brought you here to help, not to flirt and go on a date!" Yae Miko stood with hands on her hips, puffing out her cheeks in an uncharacteristically pouty manner.
"Hehe, sorry." Nolan released Yoimiya and added, "So, what's the plan? Should we wait until nightfall to see if anyone shows up?"
"Well, looks like that's our only option. It wouldn't make sense to search blindly," Miko said, crossing her arms.
"Alright, then let's head into the village and rest for a bit. We'll come back tonight and keep watch," Nolan suggested.
"Mm." Both Miko and Yoimiya had no objections.
They found a place to sit in the village for a while, and during that time, Nolan explained the purpose behind promoting the "Sweet Flower Merchant Association."
"Oh? So the goal is to eventually return to your hometown?" Yae Miko raised her brows in mild surprise. She paused for less than a second before adding,
"But I can smell a whole bunch of women's scents on you. Clearly, you've got quite a few lovers. Are you really willing to leave them behind?"
Her tone was calm, but for some reason, Nolan felt a chill. Even Yoimiya, sitting nearby, visibly sank in mood.
He quickly shook his head and explained, "Of course not! I can return anytime I want. And if any of you want to visit space, I can bring you along—it's easy."
He emphasized again that his Interstellar Travel ability wasn't limited by distance or obstacles. No matter the situation, he could instantly return to them—or bring them to him.
Hearing this, Yoimiya's expression visibly brightened and she relaxed a little. Yae Miko, on the other hand, gave a snort and said unhappily,
"Hmph. You didn't have to include me in that. This Guuji doesn't have such an amazing ability."
"You could have it. Right now, in fact."
Nolan summoned a golden beacon and handed it to her.
"My, my... What are you up to now? Don't tell me you've got some strange ideas about me too." Yae Miko gave him a teasing smile.
"You're overthinking it, Miss Miko. We've known each other for a while, and I'd say we're at least good friends. But as a friend, I've never given you a meaningful gift. Since we were talking about it, I figured this would be a good time."
Nolan replied calmly and seriously.
"A gift, hmm? Well, since you're offering it so sincerely, I suppose I'll accept it." Surprisingly, Yae Miko didn't turn it down and took the golden beacon from his hand.
[Yae Miko Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 480 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (280/800)]
Seeing how easily she accepted it, Nolan realized that she probably did care about him—at least a little. Her Affection had just jumped quite a bit.
After fusing with the golden Waymark, Yae Miko tested it with Nolan and Yoimiya. Sure enough, it allowed seamless teleportation between them with zero effort.
A faint smile curved on her lips.
"This gift is quite nice. I like it. As a return gift, how about I upgrade the blessing I gave you?"
Some time ago, back at the Grand Narukami Shrine, Yae Miko had given him a luck-enhancing blessing through a kiss on the forehead.
Now she intended to strengthen that blessing's effect.
"Oh? That blessing can be upgraded?" Nolan was pleasantly surprised.
Seeing the excitement on his face, Yae Miko's mischievous side stirred. She blinked her pale eyelids slowly and said with false hesitation:
"If you don't want it, that's fine. You know, this kind of kitsune blessing—even Ei hasn't received one. You'd better not take it for granted."
"If you're going to complain, then I'll just pretend I never offered."
"No, no, no! I love the blessing you gave me—how could I not? Please, upgrade it for me!"
Nolan quickly caved. After all, luck was extremely useful to him.
It made it easier to roll good affixes when using "Spiritual Core," saving valuable Spiritual Energy. Without good luck, it often took multiple attempts to get a decent attribute—what a waste.
With high luck, it might only take a single try to get a top-tier effect—like landing a critical hit on the first swing.
Not to mention, with better luck, he could find more treasure chests and Primogems during adventures. No reason to pass that up.
Plus, he'd get another kiss on the forehead…
Nolan brushed aside the fringe over his forehead and leaned in slightly, ready to receive the upgraded blessing.
"Hmph, fine. Since I'm in a good mood, I'll graciously give it to you."
Yae Miko smirked and extended her warm, soft hand to gently pinch his cheek. Then, leaning forward just slightly, she brought her face toward his forehead.
It wasn't the first time he'd been kissed by a girl, but Nolan still looked forward to feeling the softness and warmth of her lips again.
Yoimiya, watching from the side, puffed up her cheeks in frustration. She hadn't even kissed Nolan herself yet—and now she had to stand by and witness someone else do it?
She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
Whew… thankfully, it was just a kiss on the forehead—nothing more.
Yoimiya silently breathed a sigh of relief.
But Yae Miko, ever perceptive, noticed the conflicted emotions swirling in Yoimiya's heart. She cast her a sidelong glance… and suddenly smiled with mischief.
Her cherry-pink lips hovered right above Nolan's forehead—then, just as Yoimiya froze in place, stunned—Miko's lips dipped lower and landed directly on Nolan's lips!
Nolan felt the warm, soft sensation of her kiss. His gaze locked onto her stunning face just inches away, but his mind blanked. He only blinked twice, instinctively.
"Eh?! Guuji-sama, what are you doing?!" Yoimiya finally snapped out of it, her fists clenched tight in her lap.
Ugh—this damn fox woman! To do that right in front of her... it felt like something precious had been stolen from her. Her eyes began to glisten.
"Hehe~ Oh dear, did I forget to mention? My kitsune blessing only needs a kiss on the forehead the first time. But to upgrade it? Naturally, it has to be on the lips."
Yae Miko, realizing she may have gone too far with the teasing, pulled away with a calm expression and slowly explained.
The truth was, this luck-enhancing blessing was known as the Kiss of the Celestial Fox—a unique power of the white-blooded celestial kitsune.
It could only be bestowed upon someone the user genuinely cared for. And as the shrine maiden's power grew, it could be granted again, layering into a double blessing that greatly enhanced luck.
What's more, it also made one more likely to gain favor with other celestial foxes of the same lineage.
But it didn't have to be on the lips—it wasn't limited to just the forehead either. A kiss on the cheek or hand would've worked just fine.
Miko had simply seen Yoimiya getting jealous and couldn't resist the urge to mess with her. She really was a wicked woman.
"Hmph!"
Yoimiya reluctantly accepted her explanation but refused to show her a pleasant face.
Nolan, however, understood girls like no one else. He could tell Yoimiya's feelings were simply out of imbalance—nothing more. As long as he made things fair, the problem would solve itself.
Spending all his time around girls, he naturally understood how they thought.
So, instead of offering comfort, he chose to act.
He gently reached out and pulled Yoimiya back into his arms. As she looked up at him in surprise, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.
"Mm…!"
Yoimiya's eyes widened as she felt his warmth, and the faint lingering scent of Miko's earlier kiss.
"Idiot!" she shouted instinctively, shoving him away with a flushed face and scolding him out of pure embarrassment.
[Yoimiya Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 500 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (700/800)]
Nolan saw the affection notification pop up on his panel—one step closer to maxing out her affection.
Just then, from the other side, Yae Miko feigned pitifulness and said:
"Oh my~ So quick to turn away and forget me? You really are a heartless man."
Nolan glanced left, then right, utterly helpless. After a moment of thought, he gave up and simply pulled both girls into his embrace.
Time flew by as Nolan, Yoimiya, and Yae Miko shared their feelings and playful teasing.
Before long, night had arrived.
Sensing it was about time, the three of them didn't forget their original purpose for coming.
Under the bright moonlight, while the land was not yet fully swallowed by darkness, they returned to the northwestern edge of Konda Village—back to the fox statue.
And this time, they weren't disappointed.
In front of the statue, bathed in moonlight, a figure dressed in red and white shrine maiden robes knelt quietly, lighting a candle.
The flame flickered gently in the night breeze, yet burned on steadfastly, refusing to be extinguished.
As Nolan and the others approached, the figure turned around. Just as expected, her face was covered by a simple white fox mask—the kind easily found in Konda Village, no need to go all the way to Inazuma City for it.
The group didn't sense any hostility from her, so they refrained from making any rash moves.
The moment Nolan saw the fox-masked shrine maiden with his own eyes, he was certain—this was Hanachirusato from the in-game storyline.
Yae Miko looked at the shrine maiden and frowned slightly.
"I don't recall ever having a shrine maiden like you at the Grand Narukami Shrine. Impersonating a shrine maiden is a crime, you know."
For some reason, she felt a strange sense of familiarity emanating from the woman before her.
Yoimiya stood quietly at Nolan's side, finding the fox-masked maiden... a little odd.
"I'm sorry," the shrine maiden finally spoke, her tone calm, "I am indeed not affiliated with the Grand Narukami Shrine. I dressed this way only to attract someone willing to help."
The fox mask concealed her expression completely, lending her an air of calm mystery. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
"Help? Shouldn't you explain your situation first, and maybe a bit about where you come from, before asking for help?" Nolan said with a polite smile.
"He's right. Appearing here out of nowhere is already strange enough. Let's start with who you are," Yoimiya added, nodding.
The masked shrine maiden seemed to understand that her sudden appearance at night would indeed seem suspicious to normal people. She nodded and replied:
"My name... is Hanachirusato. Just call me Hanachirusato. I am a shrine maiden—not one of the current Grand Narukami Shrine, but a remnant from the past... something long forgotten. I only wish to fulfill my final duty."
Perhaps due to Yae Miko's presence, Hanachirusato knew she had to explain at least vaguely. So she offered a brief, somewhat cryptic explanation of her origins.
Nolan thought to himself—Is it because she knows her end is inevitable, so she's deliberately avoiding being recognized by anyone familiar?
"The past?" Yae Miko looked at Hanachirusato, confused.
As the current Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, she remembered every shrine maiden who had ever served there. She was certain—there had never been one named Hanachirusato.
But shrine maidens didn't only exist at the Narukami Shrine. They served at any place of worship. And Inazuma once had many shrines devoted to various gods.
So the existence of a shrine maiden elsewhere wasn't strange.
However, as the number of gods dwindled, the shrines beyond the Narukami Shrine gradually faded away and vanished.
After all, each shrine was linked to a divine being—and when those gods fell during the Archon War, or fled, their shrines inevitably declined into obscurity.
Could Hanachirusato have once been a shrine maiden serving one of those forgotten gods?
Or perhaps she served under a former Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, long before Miko's time?
(End of Chapter)
Author's Note:
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