From eager anticipation to bitter regret... all within the span of just a few decades.
"Lord Kamai's appearance remained unchanged, while the old friend standing before him had grown frail with age. The joy of their meetings would ultimately become a lingering knot in the heart called 'regret.'"
Chizuru raised her head and gazed at the dawn gradually emerging over the horizon. Her voice also became increasingly distant, sorrowful, even fragile.
"People say that an observer sees more clearly. After witnessing everything, I came to understand one cruel truth. All those things that leave people with regrets are actually destined to happen from the very beginning—it's an inescapable fate."
She walked up to the Shogun and looked at the woman before her, whose eyes were lowered in deep thought.
"My lady, we differ from humans in lifespan and in nature, yet we live upon the same land. We come into contact with one another, are drawn to one another, and in the end, part in haste."
"..."
The Shogun remained silent.
"Haa... When the dream ends, all that remains is everlasting longing and pain that can never be dispelled... I imagine you've experienced that as well, haven't you?"
Chizuru asked.
'Shogun...'
Ei worried about her.
'I'm fine... Haa... I know these are things that must be experienced.'
She let out a breath and reassured Ei in that manner, though her heart still ached. Wasn't she feeling exactly what Kamai had felt back then? One day...
"..."
Even Heizou, unusually, said nothing during this time, silently listening to Chizuru's account.
"If even a mature great youkai could feel this way, then how much more painful must separation be for those innocent, kindhearted little youkai?"
Chizuru continued speaking... then turned her gaze toward the surrounding beach, a trace of nostalgia appearing in her eyes.
"I had originally hidden myself on this beach, waiting for the day my lifespan reached its end. But they happened to build Akitsu Yuugei here and awakened me from my slumber."
She did not want those still-young and innocent children to hear the legend of Kamai and the human samurai, then approach humans with boundless anticipation and enthusiasm.
"—Because that would only cause history to repeat itself. I don't want them to become like this too."
Chizuru pressed a hand over her chest and murmured those words.
"...I understand what you mean. However... there is one thing I wish to ask."
The Shogun raised her eyes once more and looked at the woman.
"Please ask... Narukami."
Chizuru did not refuse and patiently waited for her to speak.
"If you were frightening people with ghostly tricks in order to drive them away from this place, then what did it mean when someone previously reported to the Tenryou Commission that he had been trapped on the beach and tormented by youkai power?"
If she wanted to frighten them away, why had she gone to such lengths specifically against one person?
Heizou also nodded inwardly, sharing the same question.
"My power is already extremely weak. Most of the time, I use props I've stockpiled to frighten people, since it's inconvenient for me to show myself when there are too many around. But that bastard was insatiably greedy and wanted to steal the decorations placed around Akitsu Yuugei so he could sell them for a high price afterward."
"So I used what little youkai power I had left to teach him a lesson!"
Chizuru's tone abruptly shifted, becoming filled with disgust. Her eyes turned cold as well, every word brimming with contempt and loathing.
So that's how it was...
She understood... In other words—
The villain complained first?
'No wonder he was the only one who suffered that way. He deserved it... There is no need to pity him.'
Ei understood as well. Within the Plane of Euthymia, she folded her arms slightly and spoke coldly.
"I see. I'll verify that with him after I return."
Heizou replied after understanding the situation.
"Chizuru, could this pair of hagoita be your true body?"
The Shogun raised the old pair of paddles in her hands and asked.
"That's right..."
Chizuru nodded.
Several centuries ago, these were the hagoita used by the youkai Kamai and the human samurai during Akitsu Haneasobi. Influenced by powerful youkai energy, they gradually developed consciousness. She had been the closest witness to their story, and those unknown events were among the few memories she possessed.
"Several centuries have passed. Even with youkai power protecting them, the hagoita themselves are already nearly rotten with age. My own existence can barely be maintained anymore, so I have almost no youkai power left."
Chizuru picked up the pair of hagoita and spoke with a complicated expression.
"Could this pair of hagoita be the target item for the third round of the Test of Courage?"
The Shogun's eyes lit up as she suddenly thought of something that had been overlooked. Wasn't the item they were supposed to find during the third Test of Courage precisely this pair of hagoita?
"Since the item for the third round was provided by the Grand Narukami Shrine, that means it was—"
"Exactly right. Shogun, you really haven't disappointed your big sister."
At that moment, as though confirming her deduction, the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine—Yae Miko—arrived with the young shrine maiden beside her. The beautiful, alluring pink-haired shrine maiden looked at her with an expression of pleased approval.
'Haa. Thinking about it now, of course she was behind this... I'm used to it.'
Seeing her old friend approach, Ei gave a faint, helpless sigh.
"My, Ei... Don't think I can't hear you badmouthing me just because you're hiding inside the Plane of Euthymia~"
Miko threw the Shogun a flirtatious wink, though it was actually meant for Ei.
'Can she really hear you?'
The Shogun asked blankly.
'How could she? She's bluffing. She knows me well enough to guess what I would complain about. Haa...'
Ei shrugged.
'Pfft... You two really are something...'
The Shogun was amused by her. Just what kind of pair were these two...? Always bickering, yet inseparable.
'...'
Ei cast her a slightly reproachful look, but after seeing her daughter smiling again, a relieved smile unconsciously appeared on her own face as well. Perhaps this was simply the mindset of a mother. Whenever her child was happy, she would naturally become happy too.
"Hmm—let me guess. She definitely said I was bluffing, didn't she? She's so easy to read."
Miko took her deduction one step further.
"..."
'What should I say?'
She instinctively asked Ei.
'Whatever you like... It doesn't matter.'
Ei replied indifferently.
"Whatever you like... It doesn't matter."
Once she understood, the Shogun bluntly repeated the words aloud.
'I meant you could say whatever you wanted, not repeat what I said.'
Ei was rendered speechless by her.
'Pfft... I did it on purpose.'
She showed absolutely no remorse.
'Haa... Mischievous...'
Ei's tone sounded somewhere between indulgence and helplessness.
"Ahem... She did indeed say that."
The Shogun then answered Miko properly.
"Hehe... My, my... I can guess what's on her mind every single time."
Miko did not even seem especially surprised, as though she had long since grown accustomed to it.
"I nearly forgot to say it. Congratulations on passing the third round of the Test of Courage."
She should originally have said, "Congratulations, Ei, Shogun..." here, but since Heizou was present as well, she refrained and simply congratulated "you all."
"Congratulations, Shogun-sama."
The bob-haired young shrine maiden beside her bowed as well.
"You... are you all right?"
She asked the young shrine maiden, whom she had not seen in some time.
"I'm sorry... Actually, this was part of Lady Yae's arrangements too. I wasn't supposed to be present during the third round."
The shrine maiden's speaking voice had now returned to its normal tone, without the mysterious affectation she had adopted while staying in character before. She felt much more approachable this way.
"Still, you were very dedicated. That deserves praise."
The Shogun praised the shrine maiden appreciatively.
"Really? Hehe... It's a little embarrassing to be praised by you like that. I really was awkward at first, but I'll keep working hard."
The young shrine maiden smiled shyly.
"At first, when I told her to stay in character and never 'break' no matter what happened, this child found it rather difficult. Hehe, but didn't she do quite well?"
Miko looked at the shrine maiden with obvious delight.
"Ugh... Please don't tease me like that... Guuji-sama."
Even so, it truly did put one's composure to the test.
The young shrine maiden smiled somewhat awkwardly, though she was clearly rather happy as well.
"I originally planned to have her present during the third round too, but after thinking about it, I decided against it. Since fear comes from the unknown, the more chaotic the situation, the better. Ideally... even the staff should mysteriously vanish~! Only then can it truly be called a 'Test of Courage.'"
As Miko spoke, she deliberately adopted an eerie tone, then broke into another alluring smile.
Somehow, it feels like merely being a shrine maiden and editor is already wasting Miko's talents... Just what kind of bizarre existence is she, anyway?
The Shogun grumbled inwardly.