Following the path of the Grand Narukami Shrine, Yuuko quickly arrived beneath the sacred sakura tree.
He also saw the pink figure: the chief priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine, the Editor-in-Chief of Yae Publishing House, Yae Miko.
Yuuko didn't have much of an appraisal for Yae Miko, just eight words: a bad woman who loves to tease people.
Of course, this wasn't to say Yae Miko was truly bad; it was simply that Yae Miko herself gave off a mischievous vibe, enjoying teasing others.
Walking over, Yuuko smiled and greeted her, "Chief Editor Yae, good morning."
Yae Miko, who had been deep in thought, smiled upon seeing Yuuko approach:
"Oh my, Yuuko-chan, are you here to draw a fortune slip again?"
Yuuko-chan?
Didn't she just call me by my full name a while ago? Why is she calling me this today... Yuuko raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't pay it much mind.
Perhaps he had gained the Editor-in-Chief's favor by showing his face frequently at the shrine recently.
Yuuko nodded, "Yes, my new book just came out recently, so I planned to come draw a fortune slip to check my luck."
Yae Miko's expression suddenly turned serious, and her tone became icy:
"Is it that book, *Reincarnated as the Raiden Shogun, and Having Yuri with Yae Miko*? How bold of you, Yuuko-chan, you actually dared to write me into your book!"
This scene made Yuuko extremely awkward.
After all, the subject of his new book was Yae Miko herself, and discussing the book's contents in front of her was quite embarrassing.
Just as Yuuko was wondering how to gloss over it, Yae Miko suddenly covered her mouth and laughed, letting out a mischievous chuckle:
"Hehehe~ Yuuko-chan reaction is indeed amusing~"
"Ara~ Yuuko-chan, you didn't really think I was angry, did you? A novel is just a novel, a fictional product meant for relaxation. How could I possibly get angry just because I was written into a book~"
Saying this, Yae Miko extended her small hand and lightly poked Yuuko's cheek with her finger.
This made Yuuko freeze again. After a moment, he let out a helpless sigh.
This Editor-in-Chief is truly the same as always, loving to tease people... "Hehe~ Yuuko-chan, you mainly came here to draw a fortune slip today, right? I won't bother you anymore. Kentarou Ringo is by the sacred fortune slip box; you can go find her to draw your slip."
Yuuko didn't refuse, "Then I'll come chat with Chief Editor Yae after I finish drawing my slip."
Just as Yuuko was about to leave, Yae Miko reached out and stopped his chin, pulling him closer until their faces were only a few centimeters apart.
Yuuko could smell the faint fragrance emanating from Yae Miko, and could even feel the slight warmth of her breath.
"Hehehe~ You'll come chat with me after drawing your slip? Yuuko-chan, you're so clingy~ Could it be that the real reason Yuuko-chan frequently comes to the shrine to draw slips is actually just to see me? Well... I don't dislike it, though."
Yae Miko displayed an extremely charming yet wicked smirk.
"Ahem, ahem..." Yuuko quickly broke free and put some distance between them.
It wasn't that he was shy or anything; it was simply that his true intentions had been exposed, making things awkward.
After all, the reason he went so far out of his way to draw a slip today was indeed to get closer to this bad woman, the Editor-in-Chief of Yae Publishing House and chief priestess of the shrine... However... this bad woman is truly too flirtatious... Every time Yuuko comes, this bad woman leaves him flustered... At this moment, Yae Miko covered her mouth and chuckled, "Hehehe, I won't interrupt your fortune drawing anymore, Yuuko-chan~ Go quickly~"
"You just said that a moment ago..." Yuuko muttered, then sighed helplessly.
Sure enough, he still wasn't good at dealing with this kind of bad woman.
Shaking his head, Yuuko temporarily bid farewell to Yae Miko and headed toward the Grand Narukami Shrine's fortune drawing area.
Although drawing a fortune slip was just a pretext, he still had to keep up appearances.
Upon arriving at the fortune drawing area, Yuuko saw Miss Kentarou Ringo, the shrine maiden stationed there.
As soon as Yuuko arrived, Kentarou Ringo smiled gently and said, "Oh, Lord Yuuko, hello! Are you here to have your slip interpreted today?"
Hmm, today's Kentarou Ringo seems to be the gentle Kentarou Ringo... Yuuko made a silent assessment.
Yuuko often wandered around the shrine, so naturally, he had some understanding of all the shrine maidens here.
Miss Kentarou Ringo, the shrine maiden standing guard by the sacred fortune slip box, seemed to be replaced by a different person every so often.
Although their appearances were very similar and their names were both Kentarou Ringo, Yuuko could tell that there had always been two of them.
One was the gentle and shy Kentarou Ringo he met today.
The other was a sharp-tongued yet fundamentally kind and considerate tsundere.
To be honest, Yuuko liked both Kentarou Ringos, but he preferred the one in front of him.
Yuuko also smiled, "That's right, my new book was released recently, so I came to draw a slip and check my luck."
Kentarou Ringo smiled, "Then, Lord Yuuko, please follow the procedure to draw a slip from the sacred box, and let me interpret it."
Yuuko nodded and, following the familiar procedure, shook a bamboo slip out of the sacred box.
The bamboo slip was engraved with symbols that were incomprehensible to him.
To know the contents of the bamboo slip, he had to have Kentarou Ringo interpret it.
"Here is the slip. I'll trouble Miss Kantou Ringo to interpret it." Yuuko handed the bamboo slip to Kentarou Ringo.
Miss Kantou Ringo took the bamboo slip, examined it carefully for a long time, and her expression grew serious:
"Ah... Lord Yuuko drew a [Minor Misfortune] this time."
"Is that so." Yuuko felt slightly helpless.
Although he didn't believe in occult things, drawing a bad fortune slip right after his new book was released was certainly discouraging.
Afterward, Kentarou Ringo slowly continued interpreting the slip:
"Lord Yuuko's omen of disaster for today is... a purple thing?"
"A purple thing?" Yuuko frowned slightly.
"Uh... in short, Lord Yuuko should try to stay away from anything related to the color purple today."
Probably trying to ease the atmosphere, Kentarou Ringo quickly added:
"Right, Lord Yuuko can tie the bad fortune slip onto the [Fortune Slip Rack]. The sacred sakura will bless Lord Yuuko to turn misfortune into good fortune!"
Yuuko nodded and smiled, "I will. Miss Kantou Ringo is truly reliable; you know everything."
As soon as he said this, Kentarou Ringo instantly panicked, waving her small hands repeatedly and hastily saying:
"No! Not at all! This is merely... the basic duty of a shrine maiden!"
Looking at Kentarou Ringo's blushing and flustered appearance, Yuuko smiled.
Sure enough, this gentle and shy Kentarou Ringo was much cuter. Compared to the other sharp-tongued tsundere, he could at least tease this one a bit.
Just as Yuuko was about to tease her a little more.
He suddenly felt a chill come from behind him.
Unbeknownst to him, Yae Miko had arrived behind him, wearing a deeply benign smile, and said in a low voice:
"I was wondering why it took you so long to draw a fortune slip, Yuuko-chan. Turns out you were flirting with our shrine maiden."
Hmm... why did this bad woman, the Editor-in-Chief of Yae Publishing House and chief priestess of the shrine, seem rather angry?