Is that... someone close to the esteemed Narukami? Or perhaps her daughter?
At that moment, Chizuru was hiding off to the side, watching the two women leaning against each other beside the Akitsu Yuugei grounds as she could not help making that guess.
Their conversation drifted into her ears from time to time. Perhaps because of the distance, she could not hear everything clearly, but she could make out words like "daughter" coming from the esteemed Narukami's mouth, seemingly directed at the clingy woman beside her.
Could she really be... the esteemed Narukami's child?
Chizuru herself no longer knew how long she had been asleep... much less what Inazuma had become in the present day. But she could be certain that far too much time had passed since the era when the hundred youkai still roamed the land. Had even the esteemed Narukami had a child by now?
If it had been anyone else, she could have simply gone over and coaxed them into leaving. But this was different. If it was the esteemed Narukami, there was nothing she could do even if she wanted to. She was only a minor youkai who did not even possess much youkai power anymore. Truly—
She had the will, but not the strength.
Why... Why did those three children have to bring these things back into the world?
It would only end in tragedy.
A tragedy brought about by the passage of time.
No!
She could not allow something like that to happen again...
She did not want to see those sorrowful faces ever again!
Rustle!
The more Chizuru thought about it, the more agitated she became. In her agitation, she accidentally stepped on a thick branch.
Crack!
The sound was not especially loud, but on the otherwise quiet beach, it stood out clearly. Not only that, perhaps because she was already nervous, she lost her balance and fell onto the ground, her sleeves brushing through the surrounding grass and making it rustle noisily.
Oh no!
Her heart jolted.
This was bad!
"...!" ×2
Sure enough, the mother and daughter sitting together on the beach immediately noticed the sound. In perfect unspoken coordination, both of them turned their gazes toward Chizuru's hiding place at once.
"...Who is there?"
Ei was the first to speak. She could already sense that someone was hiding there.
"..."
The Shogun glanced at her, then instinctively frowned toward the bushes. Someone secretly following them at a time like this probably had some kind of purpose.
"...!"
Chizuru's face went pale inside the bushes. Sweat had already formed on her skin, yet she did not dare move.
"Haa... Would you come out? What kind of behavior is it to crouch there and hide?"
Ei sighed and spoke again. Her voice did not turn cold. Instead, it carried a gently coaxing tone.
After several seconds...
The bushes finally moved again. What entered their sight was a woman in a kimono slowly emerging from within.
She wore a red-and-black kimono, had long black hair, and thorn-like decorations across her face... At a glance, it was obvious that she was no ordinary person.
Her entire body was tense, even frightened. She approached them one cautious step at a time before finally stopping.
"Are you... a visitor who came here to sightsee?"
The Shogun did not truly believe that was the case, but she still asked just in case. Ei also watched the woman, waiting for her answer.
"I... I'm... a visitor..."
Chizuru's mind raced, and she immediately changed course, lying on the spot.
"If you're a visitor, then why were you deliberately hiding?"
The Shogun's eyes shifted as she asked.
"I-I've always been timid by nature... I originally wanted to play Akitsu Yuugei, but when I saw the esteemed Narukami occupying the grounds, I didn't dare come over. So I hid off to the side and waited for you two... to leave before I... came out."
Chizuru stammered as she gave her explanation. Her instinctive nervousness happened to match perfectly with her claim of being timid, lending an extra touch of authenticity to the story.
The mother and daughter exchanged a glance.
"I see... It seems we've stayed here too long and ended up inconveniencing the visitors."
Ei understood and folded her arms as she spoke thoughtfully.
"It's getting late. Let's leave, Shogun."
Ei turned toward her and suggested it.
"Mm... I suppose that's the only thing to do."
The Shogun obediently nodded, then looked toward the visibly cautious woman in front of them and gave her a reassuring smile.
"It's all right now. We're leaving... If you want to play, then go ahead. There's no need to be so frightened."
She comforted her.
"Um... yes."
Chizuru instinctively agreed.
After that, the Shogun took Ei's hand on her own initiative and left the beach together with her.
Watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance, Chizuru finally breathed a genuine sigh of relief. Her body collapsed limply with a rustle, and she began panting heavily.
"Haa... Haa..."
That had nearly killed her...
She supposed this counted as good luck. Otherwise, she would not even have known what to say.
Still, the esteemed Narukami was not nearly as stern as she had imagined.
The same seemed true of the lady beside her.
...
"Shogun... am I frightening?"
While walking up the mountain path at night hand in hand with her daughter, Ei turned toward her in confusion.
"You're scary when you're angry..."
The Shogun answered with a smile.
"I only get angry when you're being disobedient..."
Ei looked at her reproachfully.
"I-I'm pretty obedient now, aren't I///?"
The Shogun said with a blush.
"You are. Very obedient... So am I frightening now?"
Ei asked again.
"You're all right..."
The Shogun shrugged.
"..."
Ei continued staring at her without changing expression.
"You're not frightening. Happy now?"
Unable to withstand that gaze any longer, the Shogun simply told the truth.
"I see... Then why was that woman so afraid of me just now? Not only her. When I went for a walk through Chinju Forest earlier, everyone I saw reacted the same way."
Ei was puzzled.
"That's perfectly normal. Aren't you the Raiden Shogun? Of course people would instinctively get nervous around you."
The Shogun said as though it were obvious.
"Haa... I suppose you're right."
Ei sighed.
"I'd say... you're the most frightening part of this entire Test of Courage."
The Shogun lightly bumped her shoulder against her mother's and teased her.
After all, who could have imagined that anything at a Test of Courage could be more frightening than personally encountering the god of one's own nation?
There probably was nothing.
Every trace of youkai power and every mechanism faded into insignificance the moment Ei appeared.
"Hehe... You... stop describing me like that. Somehow, when you say it that way, it makes me sound... strange."
Ei nearly laughed at her words, though it was a helpless sort of laugh. As the Shogun leaned against her, Ei's steps were even pushed slightly to the side. She raised a hand and gently patted the back of the Shogun's hand, speaking in a faintly aggrieved tone.
"Then... why don't you change clothes later?"
The Shogun hugged Ei's arm and rested her head against her shoulder, asking sweetly in a softened voice.
"Change clothes? That's not a bad idea... But what should I wear?"
Feeling the warmth and weight against her shoulder, Ei walked leisurely ahead while resting her chin on one hand and murmuring softly.
"Would you wear a school uniform?"
The Shogun asked. The Tennoz school uniform she had brought back at the time was still perfectly preserved. She wondered whether it would suit Ei.
"You mean the set you brought back then?"
"Mm... Want to try it?"
She suggested.
"Sure... when we get home tonight?"
"Okay~"
She could already imagine what Ei would look like in that outfit.
Her aura would undoubtedly be different from the Shogun's own.
The two continued chatting casually like this until they returned to the vicinity of Chinju Forest.
However...
"Who are you going to participate in the third round with?"
Ei deliberately asked.
"Me? I haven't decided yet."
The Shogun answered.
"...How about participating with me?"
Hearing that, Ei thought for a moment, then gently squeezed the soft flesh of her palm as she asked.
"With you? In what way?"
The Shogun asked.
"Mm—it's been a long time since I've... entered your body."
Ei raised a hand and pinched her cheek as she spoke softly.
"...You... honestly///."
The Shogun instinctively blushed and raised the back of her hand to cover her soft lips, complaining in a shy, gentle voice.
"...Well?"
Seeing her reaction, Ei chuckled and leaned closer to ask again.
"Haa... W-What else can I do? C-Come in... just be gentle///."
Her face flushed as she murmured without daring to look at Ei. Her legs even drew slightly together in embarrassment, the tip of her left foot moving back until it rested lightly against the heel of her right.
"Mm..."
Hum...
In the next instant, Ei transformed into violet motes of light and entered through her chest, a warm current spreading through the Shogun's body.
"Mmph~"
The Shogun instinctively suppressed the sensation of being filled, letting out a soft, alluring moan before placing a hand against her own chest with slightly unfocused eyes.
It really has been a long time since I've felt this sensation of being filled.
[Did I hurt you?]
Seeing her reaction, Ei asked with concern.
'No. If anything, it feels... rather comfortable///.'
The Shogun answered shyly.
[That's good... Haa... It really has been a long time since we did this. How nostalgic.]
Within the Plane of Euthymia, Ei habitually floated in midair, her slender legs folded into a meditative posture. At that moment, she could feel the Shogun's warmth, just as she had back then.
'Mm...'
Stroking her own chest, the Shogun revealed a faint smile.