"All right, you two should be more or less ready now, correct?"
Seeing the two of them return together, the young shrine maiden asked with a smile.
"Mm, we can begin."
Ayaka answered first.
"..."
The Shogun said nothing, perhaps still distracted by the kiss from earlier, though her ears were listening to the conversation ahead.
"Hehe, very good. Then allow me to announce the item you'll be searching for in this round..."
The shrine maiden raised a finger in a gesture that told them to listen carefully.
"All right, please go ahead..."
Ayaka responded patiently.
"And that item is—Dango Milk."
The young shrine maiden chuckled before revealing the answer.
"...?"
The Shogun immediately snapped back to attention upon hearing that familiar term and looked toward her.
Dango Milk...
Isn't that the drink Ei likes?
Uh... I rather like it myself too.
She had not expected the first-round item to be that... It was certainly familiar. Ever since the mother and daughter pair had promoted it last time, Tomoki's Dango Milk had become extremely popular. Back then, the Kamisato Clan had genuinely distributed Dango Milk to every household in turn, even saying things like, "It's a drink recommended by Shogun-sama. Everyone should give it a try."
Of course, although they had endorsed it, the product itself also had enough merit to stand on its own. Otherwise, it would never have become so popular. Tomoki had even opened a proper shop now instead of selling it from a cart as before.
"Is it the same 'Dango Milk' we're familiar with?"
Ayaka asked for confirmation.
"That's right. It's Dango Milk sponsored by Mr. Tomoki, the delicious drink once endorsed by Shogun-sama. Right now, it's been placed somewhere within Chinju Forest."
The shrine maiden turned her gaze toward the entrance of Chinju Forest, which led deeper inside... Beneath the moonlight, the area shimmered with dreamlike fluorescent colors, carrying a faint sense of eerie depth.
"There will be signposts along the way to guide you, but there will also be forks in the road. All sorts of strange things may happen during the journey. If you can't endure it, you may withdraw at any time."
She explained.
"If you're both ready, then you may begin."
The shrine maiden stepped aside.
"Thank you. Let's go, Shogun-sama."
Ayaka smiled at her, then took the hand of the woman who was still staring blankly into the forest and called to her.
"...Let's go."
She came back to herself and looked at the girl beside her. The restlessness in her heart eased slightly as she softly agreed.
"Have a safe journey, you two."
Watching their retreating backs, the young shrine maiden even gave them a special farewell.
...
Each group of participants entered through a different entrance, and the two of them had been assigned this one—a staircase leading deeper into the forest, covered by several red torii gates. Paper lanterns on either side gave off a faint, warm glow, while the deep forest stretched ahead, creating an exceptionally atmospheric scene.
Tap, tap... ×2
Their heels descended the stone steps at nearly the same rhythm, producing a slightly uneven series of crisp sounds. Perhaps considering the Shogun's mood, Ayaka did not keep holding her hand. She had already let go and now walked beside her with a closed folding fan in one hand. The surroundings were so quiet that they could even hear each other's breathing.
"Are you still angry with me?"
Ayaka looked at her and asked gently.
"I'm not angry... Don't overthink it."
She glanced at Ayaka before looking back down at the stone steps beneath her feet.
"Really? You're not holding anything back because of me? I already feel a little guilty about what I did earlier. Was I terribly disrespectful toward you?"
Ayaka asked quietly.
"Haa... If you consider that 'disrespectful,' then wouldn't everything you've done to me before count as 'disrespectful' too?"
She raised her eyes and met Ayaka's gaze.
"Shogun-sama..."
Ayaka stopped walking... and pursed her lips.
"Why did you do that?"
Seeing Ayaka stop, she gradually halted as well and asked.
"...What do you mean? Are you referring to everything I've done to you, or..."
"No. I mean just now. Why did you... y-you... kiss me so seriously///?"
Didn't you always kiss the corner of my mouth before? Why did you suddenly...
As she brought it up, her face betrayed her once again by turning red, and her voice became shy.
"...Perhaps it was my possessiveness getting the better of me."
Ayaka smiled and spoke with a certain sense of release.
"Possessive... ness?"
She froze for a moment, not entirely understanding.
"Rather than possessiveness, perhaps it's more accurate to call it competitiveness. Competing with her."
Ayaka stroked the closed folding fan in her hand, lowering her eyes as she murmured softly.
"...Her? You mean... Kokomi?"
She guessed.
"...Mm. I know it's rather ridiculous to try to compete with her over something like this, but... I suppose it really is my own selfish desire. I love you, Shogun-sama. You should have known that for a long time already."
Ayaka finally raised her eyes to look at her. There was no blush on her face. Instead, her expression was utterly resolute, and the Shogun's reflection filled her eyes.
"..."
She fell silent, unsure what to say for a moment, yet inside, her heart was pounding—even though it was the heart of a puppet.
"Not only that, she loves you too. We both love you. But... I also know that someone of your noble status cannot be monopolized or possessed by either one of us alone. So this 'love' we have for you is... shared. She and I are sharing our feelings for you, and the feelings you have for us."
Ayaka stepped closer and took her hand.
"Sh-Sharing...? You and Kokomi... the two of you... are sharing... me///?"
She was completely at a loss now... dazed, even confused.
"You dislike that, don't you? Do you think we're despicable for doing this?"
Ayaka asked.
"No. I don't dislike it... I just... don't know what I'm supposed to do."
She answered softly.
Ayaka could feel the woman's hands trembling before her, so she tightened her grip around them once more.
"Shogun-sama, don't be afraid. Please don't be afraid of us. This is our 'heart.'"
Ayaka slowly moved closer again, like approaching a child who had built walls around herself, gently melting those walls away so that she could touch the sincerity hidden within.
Rustle~
The girl wrapped her arms around the woman before her with extraordinary tenderness, soothingly stroking her flowing hair.
"I... can trust you both... can't I?"
Held in Ayaka's arms, the Shogun asked in a soft voice.
"Mm... Please trust us. You don't need to worry about anything. Just treat us the same way you always have. It's all right... Shogun-sama, you know us, don't you?"
"...Mm."
The Shogun slowly nodded, her face flushed. At this moment, she looked almost like the delicate wife of the icy-haired girl holding her.
"Hehe~ Shogun-sama really is adorable when she blushes. Mwah~"
Ayaka stroked the blushing Shogun's face, then lightly kissed her soft lips once again. This time, the Shogun did not retreat, simply allowing Ayaka to kiss her.
"Stop teasing me///. Aren't we supposed to be looking for something? If we keep this up, someone else will find it before us."
The Shogun coquettishly chided her with a flushed face, then glanced around at the forest and urged her onward.
"Mm... I nearly forgot."
Hearing that, Ayaka also looked around, though her hands still had not released the Shogun.
"...Then why haven't you let go of me yet?"
The woman asking the question made no effort to raise her hands and push Ayaka away. She simply remained in the girl's arms and asked softly, almost as though she were subtly acting spoiled.
"Do you want Ayaka to let go?"
Ayaka pressed the tip of her nose against hers and asked ambiguously.
"...That's a very unfair question."
She looked away and spoke in a small voice.
"Pfft... All right~ I'll let go."
Ayaka indulgently and slowly released the Shogun's slender waist, though the woman's fragrance still lingered in her nose.
Still, as far as Kamisato Ayaka was concerned, today's progress had been the most satisfying development yet...
Of course, when it came to this matter of "sharing love," Ayaka had spoken on Kokomi's behalf as well. Back then, the two of them had still worried whether Shogun-sama would mind such an arrangement, but fortunately... the person they loved was a gentle soul.
And someone who loved them in return...