Lumine and Paimon had lingered here for a long time, unable to resist reading the manga that followed the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual section.
Hanachirusato didn't rush them, standing quietly to the side. She had guessed the book's contents and closed her eyes, waiting.
"Miss Hanachirusato, after cleansing the final filth, you'll disappear, won't you?" Paimon asked, panicking, her large tears welling in her eyes.
She had cried, and not just once.
In her heart, she wanted to give Lucian a 'Thai massage' right now to express her 'gratitude.'
Because they had a guide, Lumine and Paimon had more time and mood to interact and bond with Hanachirusato, making their relationship closer.
This closer bond made the sorrow even stronger. Even the usually composed Lumine couldn't bear it.
"…" Hanachirusato fell silent for a moment before saying, "Is that written in the book?"
Her tone was gentle: "I've noticed that whenever you encounter something difficult, you turn to that book."
While wiping Paimon's tears, the Traveler nodded. "Yes, it's a prophecy book, detailing this story."
She was wiping Paimon's tears, but her own face still bore traces of tears.
"Miss Hanachirusato, would you like to read it?" Paimon offered the book to her.
Hanachirusato shook her head. "No need. I've long known my final fate, so why look again?"
"About my identity… I'm sorry for hiding it from you. Please forgive me."
Hanachirusato placed her hands in front of her and gave a slight bow.
Paimon hurriedly waved her hands. "Don't say that! You weren't trying to harm us."
"I'm truly sorry. Though I've now revealed my identity, I still can't let you see my face behind the mask…"
The dark filth distorts one's appearance. Even the stunning Mikoshi Chiyo was twisted into a beastly form.
Hanachirusato always wore a mask, likely to conceal this.
"It's okay! Aren't we friends? You don't need to keep apologizing!" Paimon said.
Hanachirusato paused, then nodded, falling silent.
Lumine asked, "Miss Hanachirusato, you'll disappear after the cleansing. Why are you so eager to perform the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual? Isn't there anything else you want to do?"
"We can keep you company."
Lumine meant it—if you can live and leave, I'll accompany you to see the world's rivers and mountains.
With their connections in Inazuma, they could even take her to Tenshukaku.
No, with Hanachirusato's identity, forget Tenshukaku—she could treat the Plane of Euthymia like home if she wanted.
Hanachirusato sighed softly, looking up at the Grand Narukami Shrine atop Mt. Yougou. "That place, I miss it dearly, but I cannot go."
Yae Miko, following behind, nearly couldn't hold back from speaking.
'How could you not go?'
That's your home! How could you not go!?
Hanachirusato continued, "As you know, I am the embodiment of Kitsune Saiguu's obsession fused with filth—a malevolent entity. How could such a thing enter a shrine?"
Her voice carried a bitter smile. "I think the other immortal fox would find it quite troublesome if she saw me."
Indeed, if that immortal fox weren't Miko, it would be troublesome. If it were Miko, it would be even more so.
She was born silently in the darkness; let her perish silently as well.
"…" Yae Miko listened in silence.
Uncharacteristically, she fidgeted, pinching the hem of her clothes, betraying her emotions.
Hanachirusato was right. If Lucian didn't have a solution, it would indeed be troublesome for her.
Knowing the other was 'Kitsune Saiguu' yet being unable to keep her—that feeling was far too cruel.
Thank goodness for the Traveler. Without them, it might have come to her personally performing the cleansing…
Then, Hanachirusato would likely be satisfied, seeing the little fox in her arms had grown up.
But what about her? She might smile, even if her hands and voice trembled, she would still smile.
She had to let the other know she'd grown, that she was a qualified shrine maiden.
She wasn't the child she used to be, so the tears… she'd save them for after the other left, right?
"I really don't want to make things difficult for her, so I'm very grateful to you, Traveler," Hanachirusato said.
She didn't do what she wanted because she didn't want her 'past friends' to grieve or be troubled.
Even in her current state, she still thought of her friends.
Just like Kitsune Saiguu, consumed by darkness, thinking not of herself but of those she cherished.
Hanachirusato shifted her gaze from the Grand Narukami Shrine to the moon. The moon was far, but they had once tried to 'chase' it. How nostalgic, the Hyakki Yako.
She remembered Yae Miko saying she wanted to join everyone in a Hyakki Yako when she grew up, but that wish was never fulfilled, and she didn't even get to see her grow.
How is she doing? Is she happy? Has she grown tall? She hasn't been ill, has she?
And the friends from that Hyakki Yako—how many remain now?
Hanachirusato collected her thoughts and said, "I thought of something. In Kitsune Saiguu's memories, there's a short poem that fits perfectly. Allow me to borrow it."
'"The autumn moon I saw last year remains radiant tonight—yet those who gazed with me are now forever parted by time."'
Paimon and Lumine exchanged a glance, both seeing the sorrow in each other's eyes.
The mask hid Hanachirusato's expression, but her voice still carried her sadness.
"Is that so? I thought of one too," Yae Miko said, approaching gracefully.
'"You have the wind longing for you, enviable. I wait for the wind, but it never comes—how can I not lament?"'
Everyone longs for you, and I long for you, but you never returned.
Hanachirusato stared at Yae Miko, lost in thought. After a long moment, a smile spread behind her mask.
"So, the other immortal fox's aura is you, Miko."
"Hm… haha, it really is you."
Hanachirusato placed her hands in front, her posture elegant, observing this somewhat 'unfamiliar' immortal fox.
She tilted her head slightly, and even with the mask, one could sense her smile.
"You've grown up."
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Traveler: About Hanachirusato and Kitsune Saiguu
Paimon: "Miss Hanachirusato is so gentle."
Traveler: "Isn't Kitsune Saiguu gentle too?"
Paimon: "Uh… it's not that she's not gentle, it's just… hm, how do I put it?"
"It gives me this feeling like, 'Wow, this person really is Miko's guardian!'"
Traveler: "Paimon, have you been secretly going to school behind my back?"
Paimon: "Ugh! What's that supposed to mean?!"