Chapter Ninety-Seven: Morning

After praying for a blessed match, the three of them returned to the shrine’s main hall to offer their prayers.

They wrote their wishes on red paper, slipped it into an envelope, and set it alight. Only when the envelope and the paper within had burned completely to ash was the prayer considered fulfilled.

After that, An He and the others toured the shrine once more. Along the way, the Amamiya sisters went to find Miyamoto Shinichi again, and when they returned, each was holding a bundle in her arms.

An He asked what was inside, but the two of them tacitly refused to answer.

That day, An He did not see Ito Shin-e again, though he did learn her exact lodging from other people.

Time passed.

Toward evening, before the sun had set, the three of them said farewell to the girl who had first guided them there, passed beneath the shrine gate, and slowly made their way down the mountain.

They had not gone far when a graceful figure swayed into view at the top of the stone steps.

When she had first seen An He that morning, her heart had leapt with surprise. But after learning that he had come together with Amamiya Sagiri, that first burst of joy had quietly faded away.

Ito Shin-e did not know how to face Amamiya Sagiri, nor did she know how to be with An He in Sagiri’s presence. Left in confusion, she ultimately chose to hide, and only when she learned at dusk that the others had left did she finally step out of her room.

Standing beneath the shrine gate and watching the three figures gradually vanish into the whiteness of the snow, her gaze dimmed and a lonely expression appeared on her face.

If she could, she wished that one of those three figures might have been her.

Snow drifted down from the sky, slowly laying a thin white covering over Ito Shin-e’s hair.

When the three figures had completely disappeared from view, she turned to return to her room.

But just as she passed the shrine hall, she was suddenly called to a stop.

Following the sound, she saw a girl of about fifteen or sixteen in a white down jacket.

Ito Shin-e remembered her. Her name seemed to be Mariko. Because her family was not well-off, and because she happened to live in Yamanashi Prefecture, she had chosen to come to the shrine during the holiday to work part-time.

Brushing the snow from her head, Ito Shin-e walked over to the girl and, once she was close, asked curiously, “Did you need something, Mariko?”

At her question, Mariko nodded, then raised a hand and pointed toward a leafless tree not far away.

“It was the guest from before,” she explained. “He asked me to tell you, if I saw you, to go beneath the tree of destined union. He left a love plaque there for you.”

“What does his love plaque have to do with me?”

Though she said that, after hearing Mariko’s explanation, Ito Shin-e still instinctively walked toward the dead tree the other girl had indicated.

She did not know why she was doing it. It was as though some force deep within her were guiding her feet. The closer she drew, the faster her heart beat.

When she reached the tree and looked up, she immediately noticed two plaques hanging there, both bearing the name An He.

Ito Shin-e thought of the other blonde girl An He had brought with him that day. Clearly, the other plaque must have been left by her.

“Scoundrel,” she muttered under her breath.

Then she looked up again and soon noticed a different plaque.

There was no name on it, nor any wish for a future partner. There was only a short line of writing.

“I’ll come for you tomorrow.”

No signature was left, but from the fresh carving, Ito Shin-e already knew who had written it.

“At least that man has a conscience,” she murmured.

And with that, her face bloomed once more into a radiant smile.

...

On the other side, the three of them returned to Yamanashi before dark.

The sun had already set, leaving only a stretch of evening glow hanging at the edge of the sky.

At dinner time, the streets of Yamanashi grew lively. People emerged from work and strolled through the winter streets, savoring their leisure.

The shop lights began to come on, and vendors set out their wares along the road.

Walking among them, breathing in the tempting aromas from the roadside food stalls, Saori Amamiya, who had been listless from a day of fatigue, instantly brightened.

Like a greedy little cat, she bounced from stall to stall. When she found something she liked, she would even splurge and buy a great deal of it.

As for the things she disliked, those were left for An He and Sagiri Amamiya to deal with behind her.

By the time they had finished wandering the entire food street, the sky had gone completely dark.

They found a nearby inn.

Under the innkeeper’s wary and dangerous gaze, An He ultimately chose three separate rooms.

After taking the keys, the three of them went upstairs together, then tacitly entered the same guest room.

The room was not large. Just inside the door was a bed, and at the far end there was a balcony, with the bathroom off to one side.

As soon as the door closed, Saori Amamiya eagerly kicked off her shoes, then walked barefoot into the room and flung herself onto the bed, letting out a sigh of relief.

“I’m exhausted~”

“You little thing, you just ate all that greasy food. If you dirty their bedding, we’ll have to pay for it.”

As he spoke, An He set down the travel bag and the rest of their things, then went to Saori and pulled her back up.

When she heard that, her pretty face turned a little red, but she still protested unhappily.

“Idiot, you make me sound filthy. I wiped my mouth properly.”

“Did you, now?”

An He raised a brow. His gaze lingered on Saori’s rosy lips for a moment, but remembering that Sagiri was right there, he did not dare say anything further. He could only steer Saori toward the bathroom and remind her, “Then wash up. Don’t come out until you’re done.”

With that, he closed the door. Saori’s complaints drifted from inside, but An He paid them no mind.

Turning, he looked toward Sagiri, who had just reached the bed and was now taking off her down jacket, revealing her curvaceous figure.

Perhaps noticing his gaze, Sagiri suddenly turned her head. After meeting An He’s eyes for a moment, she lifted a hand to the corner of her lips and murmured as if to herself, “There seems to be a little oil around my mouth.”

At that, An He’s eyes lit up. Moving toward her, he volunteered, “I’ll help you!”

The moment the words left his mouth, he had already sealed Sagiri’s red lips with his own.

Soft sounds of muffled breathing gradually filled the room.

...

Several dozen minutes later.

When Saori finally emerged from the bathroom, she immediately noticed that her sister seemed somewhat off.

Her cheeks were flushed bright red, her eyes were soft and shimmering, and her plump pink lips glistened faintly beneath the lamplight.

Having already experienced certain things, Saori only needed a moment to understand what had happened before, and her own face at once burned crimson.

Still, she did not say it outright. Instead, she looked at Sagiri and reminded her, “Sis, go wash up. This inn even has a bathtub. A soak feels wonderful.”

At that, Sagiri nodded, glancing lightly toward An He, who was tidying up by the entryway, before she stepped into the bathroom.

Once the sliding door closed, Saori bounced over to the entryway. Watching An He unpack the contents of the travel bag, she smiled and teased, “So? Was Big Sis’s little mouth especially sweet?”

“Do you want to know?”

As he spoke, An He took the last few items from the travel bag and turned to look at Saori.

At that moment, her hair was wet, and she wore only a white yukata supplied by the inn.

A few droplets of water still clung to her exposed neck. Because she was half crouched, her collar was open wide enough to reveal the scene within.

Noticing his gaze, Saori’s cheeks were flushed, but she made no move to cover herself. Instead, she took up the thread with curiosity. “How could I possibly know?”

At that, An He withdrew his gaze from the pale skin and looked instead at Saori’s alluring red lips. With a grin, he suddenly leaned in.

The moment their lips met, Saori clearly froze. By the time she reacted, An He had already knocked her onto the wooden floor.

Feeling that strange sensation within her mouth, Saori’s face flushed scarlet. At first she struggled a little, but under An He’s continuing guidance, she gradually sank into it, closing her eyes and beginning to enjoy herself.

Just as An He had said, this was indeed a way for her to learn what her sister’s lips tasted like.

Sweet.

Because Saori was still a complete novice, An He’s kiss did not last nearly as long as the one he had shared with Sagiri.

Their lips parted. A fine thread of saliva glimmered in the lamplight before snapping away.

Looking down at Saori, who lay beneath him with half-lidded, dazed eyes and a flushed face, An He could not help teasing her, “Saori looks awfully indecent right now.”

“Am I more indecent than you are?”

The sudden female voice nearly startled both An He and Saori.

Turning their heads, they saw Sagiri standing beside them at some point.

When they looked over, she blinked, then pointed to the bundle she had taken out of the travel bag and explained, “I came to get my clothes. Don’t mind me.”

With that, she gathered up the clothes and turned back toward the bathroom.

But just before leaving, she gave Saori a quick wink, as though conveying some secret message.

Saori received it, and her face instantly reddened even more, though she still gave a slight nod.

Witnessing all of this, An He could not help raising a brow.

Once Sagiri had gone into the bathroom, before An He could even ask a question, Saori struggled up from the floor.

She straightened her rumpled yukata, then looked at An He. After hesitating for a moment, as if making a very difficult decision, she finally said, “Do you want to play a game?”

At that, An He was taken aback, and almost reflexively asked, “A game?”

“Just, just...” Saori’s voice grew smaller and smaller as she spoke. In the end, she simply closed her mouth, stood up, and rummaged through the pile of clothes until she found the bundle that belonged to her.

She opened it, took out a red silk ribbon, and looked at An He with a reminder: “Don’t resist.”

Before he could agree, she stepped forward, circled behind him, and tied the red ribbon over his eyes.

His vision gone, An He had not yet recovered when he suddenly felt a small hand slip beneath his collar.

Saori’s fingers were slender and soft, like an agile little serpent wandering through unfamiliar terrain.

In an instant, An He found his breathing quickening. He opened his mouth to speak, but the moment he did, several fingers slipped inside.

Those fingertips toyed with his tongue, as though teasing a disobedient cat.

Then came the rustling beside him, as though Saori were changing clothes.

An He could not see anything, but the faint fragrance of a young girl drifting through the air still made him swallow.

After only a brief moment, the movement stopped. Before An He could ask anything, his outer clothes were slowly removed by those nimble little hands.

...

Several dozen minutes later.

When An He’s vision returned, Saori was nowhere to be seen.

In her place stood Sagiri, wearing a red-and-white shrine maiden outfit.

Her long black hair flowed down her back, and the ordinarily solemn shrine maiden robe had been deliberately opened a little, giving it a strikingly seductive air.

Seeing his gaze upon her, Sagiri smiled, then slowly crouched down, lifted An He’s chin with her hand, and asked softly, “Do I look good?”

“Y-yes... very good.”

An He swallowed and answered almost reflexively.

Satisfied, Sagiri nodded, then slowly leaned closer.

After a gentle kiss, she brought her lips to his ear, exhaled softly, and asked in a low voice, “Then... who looks better, me or Miss Ito?”

Gulp.

An He’s throat bobbed.

Not because of the way Sagiri asked the question, but because while she spoke, her small hand had already taken hold of his arousal.

Earlier, thanks to Saori’s teasing, he had already been driven nearly wild. Now, after Sagiri’s grip, he was instantly on the verge of revolt.

Feeling the twitching in her hand, Sagiri blinked at An He and, without waiting for him to answer her previous question, smiled again and said in a quiet, mysterious tone, “You know, I was actually lying to you, An He-kun. I haven’t had my period at all during this time~”

As the words fell, she sat directly onto his lap.

In that instant, both of them shuddered violently.

An He could clearly feel the beauty in his arms quicken her breathing.

Because his hands were bound, the young man could do nothing to resist. He could only endure the pressure from Sagiri in silence.

That night, the room was consumed by relentless passion.

...

The next day.

At dawn, the sky was still a deep blue, touched faintly with orange. The sun had not yet fully risen, but a few birds could already be seen hopping among the branches, and the air was filled with a fresh, clear fragrance, as though everything still slept.

Now and then, a few small insects crawled through the grass, making the faintest sounds. From far away came several birdcalls, as if heralding the beginning of a new day. On such a morning, one could feel calm and peace, as though everything might begin anew.

Stepping out of the inn, An He and Yusheng breathed in the fresh air and felt, as if delivered from suffering.

A double salvation, of body and soul.

Last night, Sagiri had worn him down all night long, and he had truly witnessed what it meant to be drained dry.

It had been drained in the truest sense of the word, not a single drop left...