It took the two of them about twenty minutes to climb the steps to the shrine halfway up the mountain.
Tsuna watched as the vermilion torii gate, its vibrant glow fading in the night, stood as a mere dark crimson outline at the entrance to the shrine. Moonlight filtered through the gaps between the wooden structures, casting tiny specks of light.
The chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves in the dense forest faded into the distance.
It seemed that the shrine staff, mindful of potential nighttime visitors, had specially lit the stone lanterns on either side of the shrine.
The warm yellow glow shone across the mossy stone steps, creating a stark contrast with the surrounding darkness.
In this setting, the two of them were much closer than usual.
"Are you here to watch the fireworks, too?"
"!!"
A sudden, crisp female voice startled Tsuna. Beside him, Shouko looked at him, bewildered, wondering why he had suddenly trembled.
Tsuna was initially startled by the sudden appearance of a third voice but quickly recovered and looked speechlessly in its direction.
"Don't you think you'll scare someone to death, speaking so suddenly like that?"
Seeing Tsuna suddenly speaking to the left, Shouko followed his gaze.
She saw a young woman dressed in a white tunic and a crimson skirt—a striking yet harmonious contrast with the white top.
A wide belt was tied around her waist, connecting the tunic and hakama.
"Hehe... sorry, sorry. I saw someone coming up and got curious." The woman chuckled and apologized repeatedly, clearly amused by the boy's reaction.
Tsuna didn't detect any real guilt or apology in her tone—if anything, he sensed a faint satisfaction at having startled someone.
"Are you a miko from this shrine?" Shouko asked curiously, observing her attire.
The woman stretched out her arms and spun around toward them, her lips curling slightly. "Don't I look like a shrine maiden in this outfit?"
Tsuna recognized it immediately as the shrine's official miko uniform, but he was still a little puzzled. "Doesn't this shrine close at night? Why are you still here?"
As soon as he said that, a thought struck him. Still unsure, he added, "Could it be that the chief priest arranged for you to stay because of the nearby fireworks festival?"
"You're pretty clever. You got half of it right. It's a pity I'm not your homeroom teacher—I'd give you a reward."
The miko's tone was playful, but Tsuna sensed a hint of grit beneath her smile.
She then slowly approached the two of them, her steps accompanied by a soft, crisp rustling.
As she came closer, Tsuna noticed that she wore white cloth socks and a pair of wooden clogs. The pleated hakama of her uniform swayed gently as she walked.
"Hey there, kid. Your girlfriend's standing right here, and you're still staring at me. Aren't you worried you'll get in trouble with her?" the shrine maiden teased, chuckling.
Tsuna withdrew his gaze and retorted, "Who was staring at you? I was looking at the source of those two different sounds." He then rolled his eyes at her.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you're not denying the girlfriend part, huh?" The miko smirked and added, "Precocious brat."
"No, no, no! I'm not his girlfriend—yet!" Shouko raised her hands and waved them vigorously, blushing.
"I think I know why the priest kept you on duty this evening," Tsuna muttered under his breath.
But the shrine maiden ignored him. Instead, she supported her right hand with her left, touched her chin with her right index finger, and looked closely at the hearing aid on Shouko's right ear. Finally, she murmured to herself, "No wonder I only scared one of them."
"You really did it on purpose just now, didn't you?"
"I never said anything—how did you know?" The miko looked at him in disbelief, withdrawing her gaze from Shouko's hearing aid.
But before Tsuna could even reply, she chuckled and said, "Haha... You were just staring at my feet, and now you're staring at my mouth. You pervert."
She reached out with her left index finger to poke him in the forehead, but he dodged.
Tsuna, though a little indignant, found himself successfully distracted from the previous topic.
"I'm not that kind of person," Shouko spoke up before Tsuna could say anything.
The miko simply nodded and didn't tease them further. She changed the subject. "So, you came to the shrine to get the special amulet for this year's fireworks festival, didn't you?"
Tsuna didn't understand the sudden shift in topic, but hearing her tone shift into a sales pitch, he declined flatly, "Nope. Not at all. Forget it."
He had no interest in charms or amulets.
"Tsk." The miko caught a glimpse of disdain in his eyes and clicked her tongue.
"Is there any difference between the special amulets for the fireworks festival and the regular ones?" Shouko asked curiously, ignoring Tsuna's blunt refusal.
The miko's eyes lit up with interest at the question, and her tone became animated as she explained to Shouko:
"Yes, yes, yes! This amulet is a limitededition, only sold at the shrine during the evening fireworks festival. During the day, you can only get the regular ones.
And here's the key point—the key point! This amulet is handmade by the chief priest himself!"
Hearing that, Shouko's interest piqued. "Can you show us one?"
She knew that most amulets sold at shrines were factory-made and later resold. Compared to those, a handmade one by the chief priest sounded much more authentic.
"No problem!" The miko agreed cheerfully, then pulled a red square amulet from a hidden pocket in her shirt and handed it to Shouko.
"Pfft..." Tsuna leaned over to take a look, barely stifling a laugh. He couldn't help but ask, "This is the one made by the priest himself?"
Only the word "peace" was just barely legible on the amulet. As for the rest—the accompanying designs and patterns—he couldn't make them out at all.
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