Tokyo, Shinjuku.
It was late afternoon.
The sky was a canvas painted in hues of golden orange by the setting sun.
Unlike the stifling rush of the daytime crowds, Tokyo at this hour was vibrantly alive.
Almost everywhere one looked, high school boys and girls in various styles of uniforms could be seen.
They walked in groups, chattering incessantly as they shared the interesting events that had occurred at school that day.
Salarymen returning from work, having finished a day of exhausting labor, wore smiles of relaxation and happiness at the thought of returning home to enjoy a dinner lovingly prepared by their wives.
“Are you going to the shrine today, Asuna?” “Un.” “Being a shrine maiden must be really hard work, Asuna.” “It’s not hard at all.
I am honored and happy to serve as a Miko.” “You really are the type of person who never complains about anything, Asuna.
Well, since you’re heading to the shrine, we won’t wait up for you.” “Okay.
Take care on your way home.” Standing at the gates of Private Ousai Academy in Shibuya, a beautiful girl with long brown hair named Yuuki Asuna bade farewell to her friends.
After watching her friends leave, Yuuki Asuna glanced at the distant mountain peak that stood silhouetted against the setting sun.
She raised her arms and slowly stretched her body.
Bathed in the evening glow, the faint smile on Yuuki Asuna’s face was really beautiful.
“…Next stop, the shrine.” —- Yuen Shrine.
The shrine Yuuki Asuna belonged to was called Yuen Shrine.
Although it was not famous in Tokyo and could not compare to landmarks like the Fushimi Inari Shrine, it boasted a history just as deep.
Her grandfather, Yuuki Tendo, had once told her that Yuen Shrine had a history spanning at least two thousand years.
Furthermore, their family had served the deity of Yuen Shrine for generations.
Unlike the convenient locations of other shrines, Yuen Shrine was situated at the very top of a mountain.
To reach it, one had to ascend nine hundred and ninety-nine steps before finally passing through the Torii gate.
Under normal circumstances, a person’s stamina would be nearly exhausted by the time they reached the top, which was why very few people were willing to make the effort to visit.
This inaccessibility was a major reason why Yuen Shrine remained obscure.
Since being appointed as a shrine maiden by her grandfather in middle school, she had made this round trip once every single day.
For Yuuki Asuna, this trek had long since become routine; she didn’t feel the fatigue that others might.
The grounds of Yuen Shrine were naturally not as expansive as those famous shrines down in the bustling city.
However, the essential structures—the Main Hall (Honden), the Offering Hall (Heiden), and the Worship Hall (Haiden)—were all present.
It was just that they hadn’t been renovated in a very long time, giving the place a slightly dilapidated appearance.
As per custom, she purified herself at the Temizuya.
Then, shouldering her school bag, Yuuki Asuna walked straight into the Main Hall.
In the eyes of the people, the Main Hall was the dwelling place of the Gods.
And in this case, that was fact.
“Kami-sama, I have returned.” As Yuuki Asuna’s voice faded, the interior of the hall—which originally housed no statue for worship—was suddenly bathed in a sacred, brilliant yellow light.
It felt as though one had stepped into a divine realm.
Immediately afterward, the light converged toward the center, forming a golden silhouette.
The figure waved a hand casually, and the surrounding holy light shattered like a broken mirror, dissipating into the air.
As the white-gold radiance faded, a young man appeared before Yuuki Asuna.
He wore white hunting robes (Kariginu) reminiscent of an Onmyoji and held a pure white folding fan.
His features were handsome, flawless to the point of perfection.
This was the deity served by this shrine—Yuen.
“You are early today, Asuna.” A faint smile appeared on Yuen’s face.
His tone was incredibly gentle, lacking the arrogance one might expect from a legendary god.
Every movement he made was filled with a unique charm that human language could neither express nor describe.
Even though she was very familiar with Yuen, Yuuki Asuna would often find herself momentarily entranced by him.
“There were no club activities today, so I came over early.” Yuuki Asuna set down the bag hanging from her shoulder and took out a case containing a newly released fighting game CD that had just hit the shelves in Tokyo.
“By the way, Kami-sama, here is the game you asked for.
I went to the store first thing in the morning to buy it.” Yuuki Asuna’s tone held a hint of grievance.
When she went to the game store this morning, she had accidentally been spotted by a female student from her school.
One had to realize that game stores in Japan didn’t just sell fighting games like this; the majority of their stock consisted of story-driven Galgames and adult games.
So, for a high school girl to walk into such a store…
it was hard not to cause a misunderstanding.
Fortunately, that student wasn’t a gossip, so no strange rumors had spread through the school.
Otherwise, her mood today wouldn’t be nearly as perfect as it was now.
The folding fan in Yuen’s hand dissolved into specks of light as he took the game CD from Yuuki Asuna.
He affectionately reached out his other hand and gently ruffled Yuuki Asuna’s hair.
“Asuna, thank you for your hard work.” “It’s…
it’s not hard.
This is what I should do.” Yuuki Asuna lowered her head shyly, her small hands nervously clutching the hem of her clothes.
Although she had been treated this way by Kami-sama often since she was very young, she was a sixteen-year-old girl now.
Being treated like a child still made her feel embarrassed.
Of course, outweighing the shyness was a sense of happiness.
Asuna has grown up before I knew it…
Noticing Yuuki Asuna’s shy demeanor, Yuen couldn’t help but sigh internally at the rapid passage of time.
He remembered the first time he saw Yuuki Asuna; she was just a little baby held in her parents’ arms, only capable of babbling.
Unknowingly, she had blossomed into a wonderful young woman.
Recovering from his reverie, Yuen smiles slightly and asked, “Asuna, would you like to try this game together?” Within the Main Hall, there was a space isolated from reality—that was where he usually lived.
Inside, there were computers, game consoles, and various other modern electronic devices.
Experiencing these games was one of Yuen’s few hobbies.
“Kami-sama, I really want to stay, but the teachers assigned a lot of homework for every subject today…” Yuuki Asuna looked a little disappointed.
If there were a little less homework, she could have stayed with Kami-sama a while longer.
“If that’s the case, then you can’t stay.” Changing his tone, Yuen suddenly joked, “How about…
I do your homework for you, Asuna?” “Geez~ Kami-sama, please don’t tease me!” Yuuki Asuna rolled her eyes at him, feigning annoyance.
Ding, ding, ding— Just then, her phone rang.
It was the alarm she had specifically set before coming to the shrine.
Yuuki Asuna took the phone out of the inner pocket of her pleated skirt and turned off the noisy alarm.
She looked up at Yuen, her eyes filled with reluctance.
“Kami-sama, I have to go back and do my homework now.” Yuuki Asuna had a planned schedule for every minute of her day.
When to do homework, when to finish it—the times were all fixed.
It wasn’t that Yuuki Asuna wanted to be this way, she simply had no choice.
As the eldest daughter of the Yuuki family, many things had been arranged for her, such as piano practice.
In short, she had to reserve time every day to deal with these obligations.
Yuen nodded slightly.
“Go on then.
But remember to be careful on the way back.
Pay attention at the intersections and don’t be careless.” “I know!” Yuuki Asuna nodded seriously and hoisted her school bag back onto her shoulder.
“…Kami-sama, I’ll be going now.” “Safe travels.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS DarkzPhantom Sorry for the delay!
I’m back, and from now on I’ll be posting one chapter a day.
Thanks so much for reading!