December was peak season for ski resorts, but it wasn't a holiday, so the hot spring lodge in the scenic area wasn't too crowded. The dining area had only a handful of scattered guests.
Ame, her green-dyed hair catching the light, slipped off her coat and hung it on the back of a bench. She was dressed fashionably, but the faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes betrayed that she was well past thirty-five, her youth a distant memory.
She sat down, casting a slightly jealous glance at Sayoko's figure, accentuated by a high-neck black sweater. Then her eyes flicked to Tetsu Fuyukawa, who was ordering at the counter. With a sultry toss of her long hair over her shoulder, she teased, "Look at you, little miss accomplished! You actually snagged your department head. Tsk, tsk, thirty years single, and you were just waiting to land a big one, huh?"
"Ame-neesan, don't say it like that! It's not like I reeled him in or anything," Sayoko protested, sipping her beer. The chill in the air made her shiver, causing a slight jiggle under her sweater. Noticing Ame's raised eyebrow, Sayoko flashed a sly, fox-like grin. "But… he's pretty great, right?"
"I wouldn't know about great in that sense," Ame replied, "but he's definitely a catch. Good build, handsome face, and a young department head at a big company? He's one in a million."
Ame's tone carried a mix of envy and admiration. Beside her, Keiko, with her orange-dyed hair, took a sip of beer and glanced at Tetsu. She nodded, then asked curiously, "But why would a guy like that agree to son-in-law adoption? He's not after your family's shrine, is he?"
Son-in-law adoption. Shrine.
The words hit like a bombshell, freezing the smile on Sayoko's face. But with her two childhood friends, she didn't hide the truth. Her fingers nervously tapped the glass beer mug, and she forced a bright smile. "Uh… I haven't exactly told him about my family yet."
"What?!" Ame's eyes widened in shock. "You haven't told him something that important?!"
Her reaction was pure disbelief, but after a moment, sensing Sayoko's uncertainty, she tossed her hair with a carefree flair. "Whatever, it's not a big deal. You have to be a pure maiden to serve as a shrine maiden, right? But you two have already… you know, cooked the rice. Your strict grandma back home can't say much now. At worst, she'll just push you to pop out a daughter to take over—"
"Uh, about that…" Sayoko's smile grew even more strained.
Ame's sunglasses nearly slid off her face. She leaned in, suspicious. "Wait, what?! You haven't hit a home run yet?! You just said you've been living together for months! Is he… you know, defective or something?"
Not just Ame—Keiko, usually so poised and ladylike, choked on her beer, her wide eyes fixed on Sayoko in confusion.
Sayoko's face flushed crimson. "It's not like that! He's… super intense, okay? I'm practically stuffed like a hamster! It's just… I haven't told him about my family, so I can't fully relax or get in the mood. And he's never pushed me either."
"Tch, who would've thought? A gentle guy like that," Ame said, her expression screaming, I'm shocked, but as the big sister who raised you, I know how awkward you can be. She took a big gulp of beer, glanced at Tetsu, who hadn't returned yet, and shrugged. "So, what's your plan? I don't see him as the type to agree to son-in-law adoption."
"Come on, Ame, don't put so much pressure on her," Keiko interjected, though her eyes sparkled with amusement.
Ame rolled her eyes. "Please. When Sayoko was four and you were fourteen, still playing in the mud, I'd already had three boyfriends. I know men better than both of you. Even after just a few words with him, I can tell he's got this commanding vibe. A guy with his looks and status? No way he's agreeing to son-in-law adoption. Those old-fashioned rules about shrine maidens requiring it? They don't hold water with a guy like him. And let's be real—your family's remote, rundown shrine isn't exactly a cash cow. It's more of a burden."
"Says the love expert who got played by a guy for over a decade and then dumped," Keiko shot back.
"Say that again!" Ame snapped.
"Cough, cough, I didn't say anything. Chill out," Keiko said, sipping her beer and waving her hand dismissively. But her eyes soon lit up with mischief. "So, what now? Tell Sayoko to dump him? Come on, she's thirty and finally found someone she really likes. It'd be such a shame to let him go. But… looks like that's the only option. Poor Sayoko, back to being a lonely—"
"Hey! What kind of sisters are you, gloating like that?! Help me figure this out!" Sayoko's frustration boiled over, her cheeks puffing out in a mix of anger and panic.
Seeing her flustered expression, Ame and Keiko burst into laughter. Ame wiped a tear from the corner of her crow's feet, took another sip of beer, and then, noticing Sayoko's serious look, toned it down. She sighed, exasperated. "Seriously, you're so much younger than us, but you live like some old relic from last century. You keep boxing yourself in with these pointless rules, and that's why you're so stressed.
Let me ask you this: when your parents tried to marry you off to that company president's idiot son, who stood up for you besides me and Keiko? Nobody. Do you really think your future is going back to Harumibe to take over that crumbling shrine and live out your days alone? Or worse, getting sold off again by your creepy grandma to keep the Kawachi family line going? Come on—one path is a bottomless pit, and the other is a fresh start right in front of you. What are you still hesitating for?"
Mention of her parents, who died in a car accident, and those painful memories dimmed Sayoko's eyes. Her face was still full of hesitation.
Seeing her expression, Ame shook her head in frustration, crossing her legs and sipping her beer. After a moment, she tapped the table with her finger. "Hey, do you remember when we used to explore the back hills as kids?"
"The back hills?" Sayoko looked up, confused, but a spark of nostalgia lit her eyes. "Of course! We caught stag beetles in the woods together. Wow, that was so long ago."
Ame nodded, sipping her beer. "Yup. At first, you were too scared to even touch the bugs, let alone go near the hills. But do you remember why our parents eventually banned us from going up there?"
"It was…" Sayoko trailed off.
"It was you," Ame said, pointing. "You couldn't wait for us and ran up the hill alone, then got lost! The police had to search for hours to find you!"
"Why bring up my embarrassing childhood stories now?" Sayoko pouted.
Ame slammed her empty beer glass on the table, loud enough to draw glances from nearby tables—even Tetsu, who was directing a waiter to fetch fish at the counter, looked over. But Ame ignored them, adjusting her sunglasses with a hiccup. "I'm not bringing this up to remind you of your little adventures. I'm saying that, growing up in that messed-up family, your curiosity—your longing for freedom—was stronger than mine or Keiko's. You just never had the courage to take that first step.
Normally, I wouldn't bother with your nonsense—you've been stubborn forever. But you're thirty now, and you really like this guy. So, as your big sister and someone who's been around the block, let me give you some advice."
Ame took off her sunglasses, revealing eyes with faint crow's feet, no longer as clear as they once were. "I'm not saying you have to stay with this guy. Relationships don't always last.
But what I am saying is, that car accident was a blessing in disguise. If it hadn't happened, you'd be crying yourself to sleep every night next to some idiot husband. This is your chance, a gift from the heavens. You're thirty now. If you don't muster the courage to change and chase the life you want, opportunities will only get scarcer. And you'll never get that 'stable but mediocre' life you're imagining."
The words hit hard, carrying heavy weight. Sayoko fell silent. After a long pause, she opened her mouth to respond, but just then, Tetsu returned to the table, food ordered.
"No idea what you two like, so I got a bit of everything," he said, raising his glass. "Here's to you both—thanks for looking out for Sayoko back in the day."
"Oh, Sayoko's lucky to have found a guy like you…" Ame said, clinking glasses with him.
Watching Tetsu chat and toast with her two big sisters, Sayoko's mind lingered on Ame's words. Her grip on her beer glass tightened, her eyes distant and thoughtful.