Ten thousand thunderous applause resounded towards the Earth Spirit Grand Shrine.
　The cheers that should be described as a tidal wave of sound surged, and the eyes of the enthusiastic people were focused on only one girl.
　Yozora catches it.
　She doesn't flinch, but goes straight ahead.

(My beloved people are so weak.)

　They all pray to the priestesses.
　A year of peace.
　The bounty of the mountains, unchanging.
　The safety of their neighbors.
　Even your own happiness.

　Give me, they pray.
　Even though we struggle to grasp them with our own hands, they are difficult to grasp, and we irresponsibly impose them on the priestesses.

(Well, maybe it's us who are ordering them to do so--)

　To be sheltered by a warrior family is to be strong, in other words, to be deprived of one's strength.
　To be given peace is to weaken oneself, little by little, little by little.

　It stops us from facing the danger.
　Because at some point, we become indifferent, that we are not a part of it.

(I wonder if they understand the fact that to live today is the most unearned happiness of all.

　It was the warrior family that separated them from the danger, hid the facts, and made them live weakly.
　That is why warrior families have a duty to protect their people.
　As they are weak, we must be stronger than they are.

　With his back to his people, Yozora slowly walks away from the stage.
　Passing through the intervals of the apprentice priestesses who worked on Yozora, she wiped her sweat off with the towel she had received, and when she was alone, she finally took a breath.

'Yeah, first of all it worked.

　It is fair to say that the kagura danced on behalf of the hijuki was a great success.
　The people had given the faith that they had directed towards the princess miko, Hyuki, to Yozora, the miko, as well.
　With this, it would be unlikely that they would be lacking in power.

(Neither the superiors of the Shinto religion nor the bigwigs of the warrior families would consider the postponement of the great festival a good idea--)

　Even if Konoha gets around to it, they'll be begging Yozora for help at some point.

All that's left is to do what a warrior does.

　Yozora thought she was alone in her determination.

If you insist on getting tough, you'll get tired when the time comes, Yozora.

　A lazy voice mingled with Yozora's monologue.

'Ha!　If you're here, please say a word to me, Haruka-sama.

Oh, so that's why... Oh, well... I asked you to go out with me.

　At the sound of Haruka's voice, Yozora's expression hardens a bit.
　The former princess miko, Haruka, smiling like a vague, infatuated, human eater.
　To be honest, Yozora had never been a fan of her.

　Yozora was honest and devoted to the teachings of the warrior family. On the other hand, Haruka, on the other hand, is insincere and has never lost her unique attitude.
　It's hard to believe that they are on the same page, nor do they want to be friends, but Yozora still has a lot of respect for Haruka.

'It was nice~, it was a great success~. It was cute~ Yozora-chan's dancing~

Kagura.

Well, they're all the same.

'No, sir!　What do you think of the traditions of the Samurai family?　Kagura is a traditional dance performed by maidens...

Hahaha, I know, I know, don't be so angry.

'　You are a.....

　Someone who doesn't think anything of the samurai tradition. On the contrary, someone who doesn't even try to hide their horribly mocking attitude. There's no way Yozora could love someone like that.
　But even so, she still managed to achieve enough results to not let him deny her ideas.
　In the face of that result, even Yozora had no choice but to keep her mouth shut.

　A proud great man who controlled the divine prayer formula, accomplished the Great Festival, and brought peace to the sea of the Land of Harmony. In exchange for that, she lost all of the magic she was once hailed as a genius, and carved unhealable wounds into her body - and yet the girl who can continue to laugh is Izumi Haruka.



　Yozora asked.
　A former princess priestess, Haruka's influence on the Grand Festival was great.
　If she recognizes Yozora, she will be able to perform the grand festival at the moment the date changes.
　Expectation and anxiety.
　Yozora looked at Haruka with a mixture of expectations and anxiety.

'I'm not against it.

　Haruka said with a heavy air.

''Ha!　Well, then--

Yeah, I'm not against it. But you know--

　Haruka's eyes, sad eyes were looking at Yozora.

'- I've always thought that no one should have a role to play,'

'That's impossible!　Someone has to do the job, or else the land of harmony--

'I know, I know, idealism. The big festival had to be done by someone else, someone had to do it without fail. That's why I did it - if it's something that someone else has to do and can't be avoided, it should be left to the person who is most willing to do it. So, yeah, I'm not opposed to Yozora-chan officiating the big festival.

　At Haruka's words, which even included intimidation, Yozora regained his energy.
　She breathed in slowly and let all the tension out.

Then, I, the miko Yozora, will be conducting this grand festival. Haruka-sama, would you please come with me?
　Yozora's voice, heavy and resonant.

Yeah, that's fine!

　Haruka replies back lightly.

'But hey~, Yozora,'

　Haruka laughs.
　I couldn't help but feel that Yozora's bitter smile was somehow becoming even more tacky.

'I apologize ahead of time, maybe - I don't think the story is going to go the way we think it's going to go anymore...'

　Yozora gave a small nod of her head to Haruka, who said that with a bitter smile.






◇





　The worship hall of the Jiryo-taisha, a place deep in the mountains hidden in the back of the shrine.
　The main shrine, the main hall of the Jiryo-taisha, is located in that place hidden within the boundaries formed by the protective amulets that guard the four sides.

　The corner of the mountain where the trees must have been cluttered was cut wide and wide.
　There was only one space in the main hall of the Jirei Grand Shrine.
　The majestic architecture was, to put it bluntly, nothing more than a mere decoration.
　The essence of the main hall of the Jiryoidaija is the ritual hall that surrounds the huge magic square, which is several tens of meters in diameter.

　Even Yozora is not a place you can visit for nothing. This is one of the most inviolable places in the Land of Harmony.
　That's why Yozora gasped at the main hall of the Jirin Taisha, the man standing in front of it.

''Kensei-sama, and I see your mother was able to come as well.

Ho-ho-ho, Yozora-chan, and Haruka-chan have come a long way.

　Kensei greeted them with a kind smile that didn't match his sharp eyes.
　Beside him stood Konoha, the acting head of the holly, with a divine expression on his face.

''With Haruka-sama's cooperation, as you see here - the will of the Shinto religion has been unified. The priestess Yozora will take the place of the princess priestess, Hyuki, for this Grand Festival. Very well, Konoha-sama--

　Yes, Yozora said.

Yeah, do what you have to do.

　And her mother accepted it without any resistance.
　Yozora was a little dubious, but an even greater sense of accomplishment brought relief.

'Now, on the ritual--'

　With that, Kensei softly interrupted Yozora, who was about to move on.

Well, wait and see, Yozora. Well, wait and see, Yozora-chan, for there is one that has yet to come.

　That being said, Yozora nodded her head.
　The actors would already be in place.
　The miko Yozora, the priestess Yozora, who would serve as the grand festival; Haruka, the former princess priestess as the representative of the Shinto religion; Konoha, the chief executive of the earth spirit festival and the grand festival; and Kensei, the prior general of the shogun's family, who would see to the execution of the rituals.
　Who else is needed any more?
　As Yozora was thinking that, Kensei looked up at the sky.
　Following Kensei's lead, Yozora looked up at the sky and saw a star in the sky.

The first time I saw him...　High, high, high, high, high!　Yoo, yoo, yoo, Shter-chan, don't let go, don't let go, never let go!

Are you faking it?

You can't pretend to be so desperate!

Just kidding.

　-- two people, clad in light like flowing stars, rushed through the sky and descended.

'Yes, we've arrived!'

Where...?　I mean, what?　Yozora...?　d*mn it!　Yozora!　I don't know why it's here.　Is this the Grand Shrine of Earth Spirit?

　The fear of running in the sky hadn't been awakened, and the hijuki would not be able to swallow the situation.
　But it was the same for Yozora.
　The next thing you know, you find yourself being held captive by a little girl who has fallen from the sky with her. It would be absurd to ask her to understand.

''Why is your sister........''
　Yozora muttered in a trembling voice.

'Hey, Yozora!　What have you done?　Are you out of your mind?　Even if I were, I'm your sister!

　Yozora was puzzled by the hiyuki that rolled up in one breath.

''.........Now, now, what are you talking about? I don't know where your sister was going, but the role of the Great Festival has already been given to me--

　When Yozora said that, Hyuki approached him.
　And.

"Ow--!

　A relentless fistful of fists struck Yozora.

'What are you doing?!'

"Punishment for kidnapping me.

I don't know if you know what that is...

And he's being punished for trying to put all the blame on Hanzo. If you are going to insist that someone tried to give up his or her life for your selfishness, and yet I don't know about it because he or she did it without permission and it's all his or her fault, I'll hit you again.

..........

　Yozora is silent at Hyuki's words.
　Still, he can't affirm her words. Because acknowledging her words is synonymous with wasting the loyalty that Hanzo offered to him.
　Yozora must feign irrelevance.

''Thank you for coming in after all this time and bringing in even outsiders, but--your sister's role is no more. So please don't worry, you can visit us.

I, the princess miko, will be in charge of the Grand Festival. Yozora is out of the way, so you need to stand back.

　Hyuki and Yozora sparked off.

'Why are you coming back now!　You didn't want to do that!　This is what a warrior should do!

'Open your mouth, warrior-warrior, warrior-warrior, shut up!　How can I trust a dangerous role to someone who's euphoric about self-sacrifice!　You didn't get picked because of your lack of ability, don't come out of the woodwork now!

'　You said you were going to protect me!　Why, you, you don't know!
　I found myself screaming with emotion.
　Yozora is the daughter of a warrior family. But even so, she has strong personal feelings. She just keeps a lid on them and suppresses them.
　Her poor sister lost her parents, fell into orphanhood, and was forced to become a princess maiden. No one, not one person, was really on her side.

　So.

　So I tried to protect her, and I was determined to do so.
　She won't take Yozora's hand.

'What........I knew you were trying to help me.

What the hell is wrong with you?

　Hyuki smiled kindly at a frustrated, angry, sad, screaming Yozora.

'Nah, I'm glad,'

　Such a hug with the words.
　My sister, who smells of dust and dirt, gently hugs Yozora again.

'I'm so happy, thank you, Yozora.

"....what's the matter........now........ ...

　Don't be such a big sister to me now.
　Those words never came out of my mouth.

'I'm so weak that I made Yozora anxious. I'm sorry, I'm an unreliable big sister.

　Hyuki said the words that made him feel ashamed of himself for being so strong.
　No, it wasn't.
　I was the one who said the things that pushed her away. I made a lot of dark moves to get the position of princess miko, and I confronted her with mindless words to the point of disgust.

''But it's all right now. I know that many people are supporting me, I realize that there are people who care about me, so I can do my best - so I'll protect you, Yozora, too.

　The sister Yozora had known was not there.
　The sister who was unwilling to shed blood for her people, who complained about the fate of the warrior family and who suffered, wishing she could escape, was nowhere to be found.
　The weak sister that Yozora had tried to protect, the one who had no resolve, was nowhere to be found.
　But that is no reason not to protect your sister, one of your people.

'I--'
　Hikyuki's fingers blocked Yozora's mouth.

'Don't worry, leave everything to your sister.

　It was at that moment that my sister almost convinced me to do it. Geez, I heard the sound of an old-fashioned door opening.

''-- I'm sorry to interrupt the excitement, but it's already impossible for you guys to fulfill the mission of a princess maiden.

"What!

　A door was opened that no one should have entered.

　The human who appeared was a young girl with a perfect, accomplished appearance, almost doubting the fact that they were of the same species.

'Mom!　I've rescued big sister Hinoki properly!　Praise me!

　The child beside Hyuki jumped out of the way with great vigor and rubbed her head against the girl.
　Astonishment and doubt stole the words from the sisters who had been arguing.
　No one, except for Yozora and Hyuki, were surprised or even blamed that the girl stroking the child's head had appeared from the main hall of the off-limits Jiryo Taisha Shrine.

''Oh, who are you?　You know what kind of place this is!　No, more importantly, what did you mean by those words just now?

　I thought I had made a perfectly natural denunciation.
　And yet, for some reason, Kensei, her mother and even Haruka give Yozora a sympathetic look.
　The girl is in the extreme state of confusion and Yozora is in a state of confusion, but the girl is relentless in her pursuit of Yozora.

'Hmm, to put it plainly - I've already taken control of your magic formula. If you want to return it, you will have to obey me honestly," he said.

　Then the girl twisted her elaborate face and smiled like a demon.