I don’t know if it’s just my imagination.
But today, while I was at the Man-ya, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there were an unusual number of eyes fixed on me.
I couldn’t help but ask Qingguang beside me, “Is there something on my face?”
“Hm?” Qingguang immediately put down the two items he was comparing, reached out, and cupped my face carefully, examining it closely.
“Nothing at all, Master,” Qingguang said. “You look just as beautiful as always.”
Moreover… when he got that close, I could catch the scent coming from the girl—myself.
It was impossible to compare or describe with any known fragrance. It was a scent belonging only to their Saniwa—that kind of scent.
Qingguang tugged at his scarf, burying the lower half of his face in it, trying to hide the flush that was spreading across his cheeks.
Does Spirit Power have a scent? Kiyomitsu Kashuu didn’t know.
But ever since the Saniwa helped him break conventions to achieve Hand-entry and Repair, that scent had lingered in his dreams, gently enveloping his nightly visions of the blade’s memories.
As the Initial Blade of the Honmaru, as the sword that had accompanied her all along the way, Kiyomitsu Kashuu could neither suppress nor resist falling deeply into that scent, even if it meant drowning in it forever.
In fact…
If one day he were to be broken, Kiyomitsu Kashuu hoped it would be in that embrace, surrounded by that very scent.
Her Spirit Power had given him a form independent of the sword itself, a shape in this New Era. He came from her, so ultimately, he should return to her.
And for her… it should be the same.
She was his important, irreplaceable Master.
Qingguang’s answer didn’t dispel my doubts at all; on the contrary, it only deepened my confusion.
—If it’s not because there’s something inappropriate about my appearance, then why is everyone staring at me?!
Surely it can’t be that the secrets about the current political situation have been exposed, or that I— the sole survivor of the attack— have been publicly revealed?!
Normally, I’m not such an impulsive person; but today was different. The longer I stayed at the Man-ya, the more eyes fixed on me became, until finally someone even came up close pretending to pick something, but kept sneaking glances my way.
Good grief, you’re not even trying to hide it anymore, are you?!
I just grabbed the nearest colleague outright.
“Colleague, if you keep staring, you’ll have to pay the fee for watching the monkey show :)”
“What exactly are you all looking at?” I couldn’t figure it out.
The one I grabbed was an adorable little girl—tiny and petite, with a small face but enormous eyes. At first glance, I almost thought I was staring at a little deer.
The little deer probably didn’t expect to be caught red-handed, because she visibly trembled, her grape-like eyes welling up as if about to cry.
“S-s-sorry! I didn’t mean to…!”
Wait a minute, I really wasn’t bullying anyone.
Why is the Law Enforcement Team walking over here?! What do you want?! (throws up hands)
After explaining everything to the Law Enforcement Team, it turned out to be just a misunderstanding.
The little deer seemed even more frightened and apologetic, trembling like she had Parkinson’s, and I began to doubt if I had actually done something to wrong her.
Thankfully, the girl managed to calm herself down and told me the reason.
“My Wedding Blade is Tsurumaru…” she said. “And I felt a Marriage Contract from Tsurumaru on you, the senior ahead of me…”
But on this senior’s body… it seemed there was more than one Marriage Contract…
The little girl thought in a daze.
I had to summon enormous willpower and self-control to keep my face from twisting into something grotesque and scaring the junior in front of me.
But I guessed my expression wasn’t much better, because the little deer again showed a tearful, pitiful look.
Tsurumaru—! You’re always causing trouble, aren’t you!
Why don’t you come and explain this Marriage Contract to me clearly!
“Qingguang, tell me— has Tsurumaru gone too far this time?!” The Master beside me was loudly denouncing Tsurumaru.
Kiyomitsu Kashuu gently smoothed her hair, sharing her indignation, but when he turned away, only he wore a bitter expression, neglecting to maintain his usually important dignified image.
After all… quietly leaving marks of Marriage Contracts on the Saniwa was not something only Kunihira Tsurumaru’s blade had done.
His gaze swept vaguely over the girl beside me before closing his eyes.
The Divine Light shining from the human female was dazzling. Even after all this time, the light had shown no sign of fading.
And if one looked more closely, they could see that these lights were actually a series of Marriage Contracts from different swords, like territories dividing and ruling the land, spanning across the girl’s body.
Among them, of course, was the one belonging to Kiyomitsu Kashuu.
However… for the sake of sparing Tsurumaru from trouble for now, Kiyomitsu Kashuu decided it was better not to bring this up to the Saniwa.
They all knew.
Their Master had never considered such matters, and if not for this accident, she might never have had such “bonds” with them in her lifetime.
But that didn’t matter, because as their Vassals, it was their role to accommodate and adapt to the Master’s needs.
The first thing I did upon returning to the Honmaru was to find Kunihira Tsurumaru, that reckless fellow.
When did you form a Marriage Contract?! Why am I the other party in this contract and I don’t even know about it?!
Kunihira Tsurumaru, if you can’t explain this clearly to me, tonight the Honmaru will be having spicy braised Tsurumaru :）
“This isn’t fair, Aruki!” Kunihira was caught red-handed while preparing his latest prank. Even when I pointed at his nose demanding a full explanation tonight, he wasn’t angry—only shouting for equal treatment.
Suddenly, a very bad premonition rose within me.
“What do you mean by equal treatment and fairness?”
Kunihira looked at me with an innocent expression.
“Ah, don’t you know?”
He stretched out his hand, fingertips tracing from my forehead down over my nose, gently brushing my lips, then over my collarbone, heart, and finally my lower abdomen, flashing a very subtle yet suggestive smile, clearly planning mischief.
Tsurumaru’s voice sounded by my ear, playful yet innocent in his gaze.
“The moment we built an interactive channel of power with you…”
You were already destined to be the Shrine Maiden.