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The grounds of the Tenrei Shrine were wrapped in a solemn atmosphere.
Beyond the neatly laid stone pavement, lantern flames flickered in the wind while the worship hall stood quietly.
Though the murmur of the crowd filled the air, it carried a hushed, reverent tone.
A large number of people had already gathered in front of the wooden stage set up beside the main shrine building.
We stood on the outer edge of the crowd, apple candies in hand, waiting for the moment to begin.
"…It's amazing. So many people have come."
Luna murmured softly.
Oliver narrowed his eyes and replied,
"It just shows how important this event is to the people of this country."
That was when a familiar voice reached us from beyond the crowd.
"Hey! Orun, everyone!"
Turning around, we saw Hart waving as he walked toward us, with Katina and Huey following behind.
All three were still in their light, easy-to-move outfits, but their expressions were bright and clear.
"I figured you three would be here. I thought you might be over on the participants' side since you're involved."
"Our position right now is kind of awkward, so we'll just watch quietly from here today."
"I see. Oh, right—want some apple candy? For Katina and Huey too."
"Oh, thanks! Brings back memories~"
Hart's face softened as he accepted the apple candy.
"Fuuka recommended them, so we bought some. These are really good."
"They've always been her favorite. I got sent to buy them for her plenty of times back in the day."
Hart's expression as he spoke was incredibly gentle.
Before we knew it, the people around us had also begun focusing their attention on the stage.
Bonfires were lit all at once, casting a soft glow over the wooden platform.
The sound of sacred bells rang out, and the wave of voices gradually fell silent.
From the back of the stage, two girls dressed in shrine maiden attire appeared.
One was the current princess of this country—Nagisa Asagiri.
The other was a girl wearing a fox mask… Fuuka Shinonome.
A small stir rippled through the crowd at the sight.
From the murmurs, it seemed they were confused because someone unfamiliar was standing in the spot where Nagisa usually performed alone.
Nagisa took one more step forward.
She straightened her back and spoke in a clear voice.
"Everyone—thank you for gathering here today. We will now offer a dance to purify this country and help it begin walking forward once more."
The restless atmosphere slowly settled at her words.
"However, before the dance, please allow me to say a few words. This year's Spirit Dance Festival had something different from previous years. On the very first day of the festival, monsters appeared in the streets of Hanemiya."
The air in the shrine grounds grew taut at Nagisa's words.
Everyone was remembering that nightmarish event.
"The phantom demons that attacked the city, and the great serpent spoken of in myth—Yata no Hebi. They were born from miasma that could not be fully sealed away. And… the reason for that also lies in our past."
Nagisa lowered her eyes for a brief moment, then raised her face again.
"Several years ago, this country underwent a major upheaval. My father rose up in rebellion against the tyrannical rule of the Shinonome family, who held power at the time."
The expressions of the people hardened. It was a history everyone knew—or had been taught to believe.
"At the end of that conflict, the Shinonome family was defeated, and my father lost his life as well. I have carried this country on my shoulders as princess, inheriting my father's will."
There was no tremor in Nagisa's voice. She simply spoke the facts calmly.
"…However, the Spirit Dance Festival rituals I have performed since becoming princess were incomplete. I am not the true princess. I am merely a shrine maiden who offers the dance."
At those words, the crowd's gazes shifted once more toward the girl in the fox mask beside her.
And then Nagisa stated plainly,
"And this person is the rightful princess—Fuuka Shinonome."
After a moment of silence, the air stirred with a low ripple.
'Shinonome!?'
'Princess…?'
'Is she the real one?'
Shock, confusion, and bewilderment swept through the shrine grounds.
Neither Nagisa nor Fuuka took even a single step back. They accepted every gaze head-on.
"She was driven from this country because of that rebellion, yet she returned, fought the monsters, and saved this city—this country. I still remember it clearly. While everyone trembled in fear, she did not retreat even one step. She swung her cherry-blossom blade and struck down Yata no Hebi! You all must have seen it that day too!"
I recalled that scene.
The back of the girl who had stood farther forward than anyone else, fighting more earnestly than anyone else to protect this country.
"…No matter what you think of the Shinonome family, I will not deny those feelings. But the person standing here now, from what I have seen, is the one who fought for this country more than anyone else!"
Nagisa's voice rang out strong and clear.
"What the Shinonome family did in the past—"
Nagisa paused for a moment and met the crowd's gazes directly.
"…Whether it was right or wrong, I do not know."
She was not telling the truth.
Very few people there likely realized it.
Yet Nagisa's voice was filled with nothing but sincerity.
"But—Fuuka Big Sister is different!"
Her voice grew just a little louder. The feelings in her heart poured directly into her words.
"Big Sister swung her blade not as anyone's enemy, but for the sake of this country."
Nagisa's gaze gently turned toward the girl in the fox mask beside her.
"That is an undeniable fact."
Someone in the crowd could be heard swallowing hard.
The night wind swayed the flames of the bonfires.
In the silence, Nagisa's voice rang out once more.
"Please, everyone… please accept her."
There was no hesitation in those words.
Her voice, full of resolve, was absorbed into the night sky.
—Nagisa was not speaking the full truth.
There had never been any tyrannical rule by the Shinonome family in the first place.
The rebellion had been justified through distorted information and [Recognition Alteration].
Her father had probably taken up arms without ever knowing the real truth.
Yet Nagisa chose not to overturn that lie.
Standing atop that falsehood, she had chosen the "present" over the truth.
She believed that was the best way to have Fuuka accepted without causing chaos.
'B-But the Shinonome family in the past…'
'Won't tyranny return…?'
The murmur spread once again.
Unease and doubt began rippling through the crowd like waves.
That was when it happened.
On the stage, the girl in the white fox mask quietly removed it and took one step forward.
—Fuuka Shinonome.
Her black eyes, illuminated by the lantern light, looked out over the crowd from the stage.
Her expression was calm, yet it held hidden strength.
"…I have no intention of returning to the position of princess."
Her voice was not loud.
Yet it carried surprisingly well, and the restless murmuring gradually died down.
"You all raised the banner of justice, fought, and defeated the Shinonome family to build the country you have today. I believe there was meaning in that action."
Fuuka lowered her gaze slightly for a moment.
But she quickly raised it again and continued straightforwardly.
"…If I were to return to this country as it is now, I know it would cause confusion and division. That is why I have no intention of forcing my way in."
There was clear resolve in her words.
"What I wish for is only one thing. That this country may continue to exist in peace."
The expressions of the people began to change little by little.
"And if possible—"
Fuuka's eyes shone quietly and strongly.
"—I would be happy if you could all recognize this place as a place I can return to."
After she finished speaking, a quiet wind blew.
Her hair swayed softly, like cherry blossoms dancing in the night sky.
Everyone was watching her.
There was no lie. No embellishment.
They were simply looking at a girl who had spoken only her honest feelings.
No one present could speak right away.
The silence was broken by an elderly man.
"…Back then, I took part in the fighting. I lost many comrades and my home. Even now, I cannot forgive that night. However…"
He slowly looked up at Fuuka.
"Even so, I have no intention of blaming you now. Because it was you who protected my grandchild from those monsters."
As if his words had opened the floodgates, more voices began to rise, one by one.
The voices overlapped, and little by little, the atmosphere of the crowd began to shift.
The sense of rejection gradually unraveled.
A child tugged on their parent's hand, pointed toward Fuuka, and waved shyly.
Before long, applause began to rise from somewhere in the crowd.
One person, then another.
Hesitant hands began to clap, producing real sound.
The sound gradually gained strength and spread throughout the entire shrine grounds.
It was not loud cheers of welcome or praise. It was a quiet applause that simply said, "We recognize you as one of us."
On the stage, Fuuka remained still.
But her eyes wavered slightly.
The corners of her lips softened into the faintest smile.
I heard someone sniffle beside me, but I pretended not to notice.
Then Nagisa stepped forward once more.
"We will now offer the dance."
At her announcement, silence returned to the shrine grounds.
The lit bonfires illuminated the stage, filling the air with a sacred atmosphere.
"Actually… on the day the rebellion happened, I lacked confidence in my own dance, so…"
She glanced ever so slightly toward Fuuka.
Choosing her words carefully, she continued,
"I had promised to offer the dance together with Fuuka Big Sister."
It was a quiet confession.
Everyone in the crowd listened with bated breath.
"However, that promise was never fulfilled, and I was left alone."
Nagisa gently placed a hand over her chest.
There lay the regret she had carried since she was still a young girl.
"That has always been… one of my deepest regrets."
She closed her eyes, then turned to face the crowd once more.
"So this is simply—my own selfishness."
At those words, Fuuka lowered her eyes slightly.
Nagisa declared clearly,
"Please… just for today, allow me to offer the dance together with Fuuka Big Sister."
The night wind gently brushed between the two of them.
The promise that could not be kept on that day was finally about to be fulfilled.