"Huff… Huff… Now I finally get why your stamina's so good, Kagura-chan…"
Mr. C.B. had barely managed to climb those endless stairs together with Kagura and was already breathing slightly heavily. Seeing Kagura standing there without the slightest redness in her face or shortness of breath, Mr. C.B. finally understood how Kagura had such incredible endurance during their previous runs together.
"Speaking of which, Kagura-chan, you said you lived around here, but… uh, I don't really see anywhere someone could actually live?"
Mr. C.B. glanced around, but she saw nothing resembling a proper residence. In fact, all she could see in this area resembling buildings were some distant scaffolds.
Kagura sighed lightly, pointing towards the ruins in the distance:
"Over there, probably. My memories of this place aren't clear… After losing my memories, this is only my second time back here."
"Lost your memories? Kagura-chan, you…"
"I don't really know either. I think I used to have a family… maybe? There was a fire that day… I escaped and ran until I collapsed at the doorstep of the Symboli Household, where Speed-sama found me. After waking up, I couldn't remember a thing."
Kagura casually shared her story with Mr. C.B.—a fixed backstory she'd created for herself. It wasn't very detailed, but it didn't need to be; whenever someone asked too many questions, she just claimed her memories were fuzzy.
This was the first time Mr. C.B. had heard this side of Kagura's story. She'd always thought Kagura was just an ordinary maid, and although she had wondered before why Kagura ended up as a maid in the Symboli Household, she never imagined Kagura had arrived under such circumstances.
"Oh, sorry… It was supposed to be me bringing you out for some fun, but somehow I ended up saying unnecessary things…"
"No… It's my fault. I was thoughtless—I didn't know this place held bad memories for you, Kagura-chan. I shouldn't have brought you here…"
Seeing Kagura's gentle smile, Mr. C.B. suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She suddenly felt that those disrespectful thoughts she'd entertained about Kagura on the way here were extremely sinful.
Even though Kagura had no memory of those events anymore, bringing her back to revisit such a sad place felt terribly inappropriate. Mr. C.B. abruptly thought she should've turned halfway and taken Kagura to the amusement park instead—to ride the Ferris wheel, buy her some cotton candy or sweets, and keep her happily occupied for the whole day.
"Hehe… Senpai doesn't need to feel so guilty. But as you can see… there's really nothing here. There isn't even a place to toss an offering. If senpai wants to make a wish…"
"Eh…"
Mr. C.B., who had lowered her head, suddenly paused. She heard a melodious and gentle bell ringing. Her heart skipped a beat—that was exactly the familiar bell sound she'd kept hearing in her dreams ever since watching Kagura's moonlit dance that night. She lifted her head towards the ruins and saw that Kagura had somehow already taken out her kagura bell and was gently shaking it, as if testing the sound.
"Kagura-chan… You…"
"Senpai, didn't you want me to change into this outfit precisely to see this? We came all this way… I don't want senpai's effort to be wasted. This is a kagura dance, meant for blessings. Since there's no saisen box or shrine to worship here, allow me instead. Just treat it as a New Year's blessing from me to you."
Holding the kagura bell, Kagura gave Mr. C.B. a small smile. Thanks to their earlier visit to the shrine, she understood exactly what Mr. C.B. wanted to see today. Even though she initially hadn't intended to perform, Kagura had come to terms with it on the way here. Embarrassment aside, they'd already traveled all this way; she couldn't bring herself to let Mr. C.B.'s efforts be wasted. Besides, it would just be some extra practice for future dances, which was why she'd brought the kagura bell along.
Mr. C.B. was completely stunned. Even someone as carefree, open-hearted, and straightforward as herself found herself speechless. Earlier, she'd thought that Kagura's initial reluctance meant she really didn't want to perform again—but now, Kagura was actually willing to dance once more, solely for her sake.
"Since senpai requested it, please watch me carefully now… Ah, but don't stare too intensely… or I'll feel embarrassed…"
With those words, Kagura lifted her kagura bell and slowly took a small step, performing the same steps she had danced that night.
Because Kagura danced mostly on instinct, she needed complete concentration during the performance, leaving her unable to pay attention to her surroundings. She initially thought that Mr. C.B.'s presence would make her feel embarrassed, but once she began to dance, Kagura discovered she had no spare attention to even feel shy. All her focus was devoted entirely to her feet, ensuring each step landed gracefully and precisely.
So this… is the dance Kagura-chan performed that night…
Mr. C.B. unconsciously widened her eyes, focusing entirely on Kagura, reluctant even to blink so she wouldn't miss a single step. Exactly as Rudolf had described the director's evaluation that day, Kagura's dance was elegant and beautiful, her body astonishingly flexible—as if born specifically for dancing.
Without meaning to, Mr. C.B.'s gaze caught Kagura's eyes—beautiful lake-blue eyes filled with gentleness, like clear, tranquil water that inexplicably drew her in. That brief moment of eye contact utterly stole all of Mr. C.B.'s attention.
Under the sunlight, the miko danced gracefully among the ruins. The colorful ribbons tied to her kagura bell fluttered in the wind, surrounding her like splendid trails of light. Her wide sleeves swirled gracefully with her movements, making the miko resemble a pure white flower. The golden glow of sunset outlined her figure, as though countless tiny golden spirits surrounded her, leaving Mr. C.B. with an ethereal, dreamlike feeling.
"So beautiful…"
Mr. C.B. murmured subconsciously.
She recalled a certain legend—this time of day was known as ōmagatoki, the hour when humans might witness strange, inexplicable sights. Watching the dancing miko, Mr. C.B. suddenly felt uneasy, fearing everything she saw today might just be a dream, that she'd wake up at the foot of these long stairs.
Unwilling for this precious moment to vanish like a mere dream, Mr. C.B. concentrated intensely, desperate to engrave the miko's dancing figure into her memory forever. Perhaps due to some illusion created by the sunlight or genuinely because of the rumored magic of ōmagatoki, she thought she saw another miko standing in the ruins behind Kagura—a miko identical to Kagura herself. But when she rubbed her eyes and looked again, the figure had vanished, nothing but a trick of the light.
The kagura dance did not last long. Lost in the moment, Mr. C.B. had no idea how much time passed until Kagura stopped, slowly lowering her bell.
"The ritual is finished, senpai. Are you satisfied?"
"Beautiful… It was too beautiful…"
Mr. C.B. was so stunned she couldn't form a coherent sentence. She, who typically didn't have much eloquence, could now only utter those few words.
"That's good, then. I guess bringing the kagura bell out wasn't in vain—I can still dance pretty well after all."
Kagura breathed a small sigh of relief. She'd been worried her amateurish performance would embarrass her, but seeing Mr. C.B. so pleased reassured her.
Maybe if I have time later, I should dance for Speed-sama and Rudolf-ojousama too… The New Year passed, and I still haven't performed a blessing dance for them yet…
Kagura silently thought to herself.
"Kagura-chan, I was going to donate some money to you as an entrance fee… But since there's no saisen box here, why don't I just hand it directly to you instead?"
As Mr. C.B. began rummaging through her pockets for spare change, Kagura quickly waved her hand to stop her:
"No need—I originally just wanted some dance practice, and senpai merely watched along. Seeing you satisfied is enough. It was just a few minutes of dancing, hardly tiring enough to require any reward."
"But… That won't do! I dragged you out here, and it's already getting late. How about dinner tonight? My treat!"
Kagura shook her head immediately, always unwilling to accept favors lightly:
"No need~ There's no reason to trouble senpai's wallet. But if you really want dinner, why not come over to the Symboli Household instead? I'll just cook an extra serving alongside Speed-sama's dinner."