'A girl in miko robes... she looks familiar. Then again, how many shrine maidens are there in this world? It couldn't be... right?'
As I stood frozen from the blunder I had just committed, my father moved first.
'He's probably going to apologize. I should follow suit.'
"Aha! Fancy meeting you in a place like this. It has been quite a while," Naobito Zenin boomed.
"I knew it! It truly is you, Lord Zenin. It is an honor to see you again. I trust you have been faring well?"
'What? They know each other? That means the other side belongs to a family of significant standing...'
Realizing I needed to offer my own apology, I hurried over and bowed low.
"Good evening. Please forgive my earlier outburst; it was a slip of the tongue."
"Haha, think nothing of it. Children will be children. Is this your son, Lord Zenin?"
"Indeed. He is my pride and joy," Naobito replied, his voice carrying a rare trace of paternal boastfulness. "Touya, pay your respects properly. This is the Clan Head of a prestigious lineage of miko that has endured throughout history."
"I am Touya Zenin. It is a pleasure to meet you," I said, bowing once more.
The man let out a hearty, boisterous laugh and extended his hand toward me.
"The pleasure is mine. I am Asahi Iori. I currently serve as the head of the Iori Clan, though I still have much to learn."
I stood there dazed, nearly forgetting to take the hand offered to me.
'Iori? Ah... I had a hunch, but... is that girl truly Utahime?'
As we exchanged handshakes, the Iori Clan Head's wife gently nudged her daughter forward.
"Hehe... Our daughter should introduce herself as well. After all, there's a boy here who just claimed he wanted to marry her."
"Oh, Mother... please stop that!" the girl stammered, her face flushed.
Looking visibly embarrassed, the young girl greeted my father first before turning to me. She avoided direct eye contact, her voice soft and tentative.
"Hello. I am Utahime Iori. It's... nice to meet you."
'Good grief. How does life turn out like this? The random person I chose to yell at just happened to be Utahime?'
Struggling to mask my utter disbelief, I tried to steer the conversation into calmer waters.
"I'm Touya Zenin. I am truly sorry about earlier. I was arguing with my father and... the words just came out without thinking."
At my words, Utahime's face turned even redder, and she looked away, trying to hide her reaction.
"Even so... suddenly shouting about marriage... it's a bit much, don't you think? It's very startling to hear such things. Anyway, how old are you? I am eleven."
'So Utahime is older. I suppose she was always my senior in the original series.'
"I am nine, Sister Utahime."
Our fathers, who had been conversing privately, stepped back toward us.
"It seems fate has brought us together. Touya, why don't we spend the day exploring the festival with them? That is, if you two don't mind?" Naobito suggested.
"I don't mind... what about you, Sister?" I asked, looking toward her.
"Oh my, look at that! Are you two already on such friendly terms?" Utahime's mother giggled, sounding far too amused by the situation. "By the way, if you just say 'Iori,' there are three of us here, so feel free to use her given name."
Seeing Utahime's mother look so delighted, I nodded with a slightly awkward expression.
"I... I don't mind either," Utahime managed to say.
"Excellent. Let's move, Touya. Use this time to talk and get to know one another. Though I must say, you little rascal—how did you know to pick the daughter of the Iori Clan? Do you already have an eye for high-ranking lineages?"
"I told you, I didn't! I just picked someone at random... This is all your fault anyway, Father. You kept teasing me, and I snapped."
I grumbled as we began to walk.
"The Iori Clan is a family worth staying on good terms with, so do your best. It seems I can finally use that face of yours as a weapon, Touya. Who knows? If things go well, maybe something will come of it," my father whispered, before chuckling to himself and stepping ahead.
Left alone with Utahime, she looked at me, her face still tinged with pink, and asked cautiously.
"So... why did that whole marriage thing even come up?"
"Ah, well... my father told me that many clans have been requesting marriage interviews with me lately, and he wouldn't stop pestering me about it. In a fit of pique, I yelled that I'd just marry anyone, and..."
"And that 'anyone' happened to be me? Pfft. You're actually quite funny. But still, shouting something like that in the middle of a crowd?"
'That part is definitely embarrassing. I usually don't lose my composure like that.'
"Urgh... forget about that. Let's talk about something else. Do you live nearby, Sister?"
"No. I live in Hyogo Prefecture. My father had some business here, so we all came along to see the festival. I take it you live around here?"
'Right. I don't think the original work ever specified where Utahime lived exactly, but it was somewhere near Kyoto.'
"Yes. My whole family was supposed to come, but my younger sister is unwell, so it's just me and my father. But I'm glad I came and made a friend. Don't you agree, Sister?"
Utahime looked shy, her voice dropping to a quiet murmur.
"Yes... it's hard to make friends within the clan. It was very sudden, but... I'm glad I met you too."
"Then we should definitely stay in touch! I've been a bit bored lately without any friends my age. Let's see each other often, Sister."
I smiled, feeling a genuine sense of satisfaction. I had met a character from the original series and befriended her early on. It was a beneficial connection. If I eventually head to Jujutsu High, we'll cross paths again anyway. Besides... I haven't really had any female friends until now.
"Y-yeah... let's be friends, Touya."
"Great. We aren't that far apart, so visits should be easy. Anyway, a clan of shrine maidens... that's fascinating. I'm sure you'll become an incredible miko when you grow up."
"Hehe... thank you. But I was born with a Cursed Technique, so I'll likely become a sorcerer instead. You're the impressive one, though. Everyone in my clan—including my parents—says the Zenin heir is terrifyingly strong."
'I suppose all clans involved in the jujutsu world know about it. The Zenin's prestige is truly immense. To think they ended up in such a wretched state in the original story...'
"Really? I don't think I'm all that. The head of the Gojo Clan is our age, and he's monstrously powerful. His personality is a bit strange, though. I have a feeling you wouldn't like him, Utahime."
"Oh? Why is that? What kind of person is he?"
"He's incredibly arrogant, does whatever he wants, and tends to look down on anyone who's weak. But I think he was just raised that way by his clan. Having talked to him, he's not a bad kid at heart. We used to be quite close, but I haven't seen him in a while."
"Ugh. That sounds exactly like the type of person I hate. How did you know?"
'Because I know how badly you two get along in the future... it's obvious.'
"I just got the impression that you value manners and etiquette very highly, Sister."
"You're right. That's why I was so shocked earlier when some random boy shouted he wanted to marry me!"
Utahime grinned at me, and I looked up at her with an awkward laugh.
"Haha... Sister, enough of that! Let's talk about something else!"
Watching Touya get flustered every time marriage was mentioned, Utahime found him rather adorable. She decided he was fun to tease and intensified her efforts to see his reaction.
"Why? Do you not want to marry me? I thought I wasn't such a bad choice."
"It's not that! It's just... we only just met, and we're not even ten years old yet..."
"So, if we keep meeting until we're adults, can we get married then?"
"Uh... well, wouldn't we have to think about that when the time comes? Wait a minute. Sister, you're teasing me way too much!"
Realizing I had walked straight into her trap, I grumbled and pouted.
Seeing my lips jutting out in a sulk, Utahime couldn't contain herself and burst into laughter.
"Ahahaha! Alright, alright, I'm sorry. I'll stop now. Don't be so moody."
As she laughed and pinched my cheek, I found it strange how quickly we had become close despite only having just met. I figured she probably had as hard a time making friends within her own clan as I did.
After that, Utahime stopped teasing me, but whenever our eyes met during our conversation, I could see a mischievous glint in her gaze. She was definitely thinking of something else.
"Sister, what are you thinking about? You have a suspicious look on your face."
"Hm? Oh, nothing... I just thought it was funny how you talk so much like an adult. Yet, you turn back into a little kid the moment marriage comes up. It's cute."
As she beamed at me, I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me and lowered my head.
"Ugh... I shouldn't have asked. Let's just go."
I hurried my pace, leaving Utahime behind. I moved to walk right beside my father, but Utahime quickly trotted up to catch up with me.
"Hey, Touya! Wait for me!"
As Utahime spoke with a playful grin, I grabbed my father's hand and pretended not to hear her. Naobito let out a booming laugh, released my hand, and nudged me back toward her.
"What's with you? Acting all shy all of a sudden. Go on, go play with the girl."
I stared at my father with a look of utter betrayal, but I had no choice but to be dragged away by Utahime.
"Father... I will have my revenge for this..."
"Huh? Why? Come on, Touya, let's play!"
As Utahime dragged me away with a wicked, triumphant smile, I let out a silent scream of despair inside.