Chapter 24: The Shrine Maiden's! The Sisters Akira & Kazuha!

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It was 10:00 am at the Sayorihime Shrine.

Haru and Akira sat on the shrine steps, facing the inquisition of a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair.

"So, you're saying it was just an overexcited greeting between childhood friends who haven't seen each other in years? Not, you know, a romantic thing?" Kazuha eyed Akira and Haru with suspicion, her expression mirroring that of a wife catching her husband in an affair.

*Even if they're just childhood friends, that was a little too intimate, wasn't it? And besides, isn't it common for childhood friends to develop romantic feelings for each other?*

"Yes, yes! You have to believe me, Kazuha!" Akira's face burned crimson. Being accused of dating a boy, and potentially being about to kiss him, was mortifying for a sixteen-year-old girl.

"Ah, that's exactly how it was! And, nice to meet you, I'm Kasugano Haru." Haru discreetly glanced at the girl with long, straight black hair neatly tied with a white ribbon. She wore a violet dress and a white coat, her figure undeniably attractive. He cleared his throat and introduced himself with a straight face. 

"Ah, it's nice to meet you too. I'm Kazuha Migiwa. Pleased to make your acquaintance." The unexpected introduction flustered the girl, who rarely interacted with boys. However, her impeccable upbringing allowed her to quickly regain her composure and respond with a polite curtsy.

"Kasugano... I remember the only family in town with that surname was the late doctor's family." A thought struck Kazuha. She vaguely remembered that whenever she was sick as a child, her parents would take her to the clinic run by Dr. Kasugano, an old friend of her grandfather. She had a faint memory of a young boy helping out at the clinic.

Kazuha scrutinized Haru's face, recognizing the familiar features of the boy from her childhood.

Akira snuck up behind Kazuha, wrapping her arms around her neck. Resting her head against Kazuha's, she whispered, "Are you smitten with Haru, Kazuha? You've been staring at his face for quite a while now."

Kazuha jumped, her face burning as she stammered in denial. "No! No! He just looks familiar. I think I saw him a few times at Dr. Kasugano's clinic when I was younger."

"Hmm, I don't believe you. I don't think you ever met Haru when we were kids." Akira's expression turned mischievous, her lips curving into a sly smile.

"Wait, I remember going with you a few times," Kazuha protested, her cheeks reddening even further as Akira's breath tickled her neck.

"Oh, you're right! There were a couple of times. So, Kazuha, what brings you here today?" Akira chuckled, playing along to distract her easily flustered friend.

"Ah! I almost forgot! I came to get some protective charms!" Kazuha finally remembered her purpose for visiting the shrine.

"Protective charms? What do you need those for? They're useless. They're just for peace of mind." Because they were family and close friends, Akira didn't hesitate to reveal the truth.

"Well... It seems our house is haunted!" Kazuha whispered, her face pale as she recalled the unsettling events.

"Haunted!!!" Haru and Akira exclaimed in unison. However, one was excited, while the other was terrified.

Despite having lived two lives and battled gods and Devil Kings, Haru had never encountered a ghost. His curiosity was piqued. 

Akira, trembling, hid behind Haru, as if expecting Kazuha to transform into a monstrous apparition. "What happened?"

Kazuha glared at Akira, who was avoiding her like the plague. *Does she think *I'm* the ghost?* "It started with Grandpa, our butler, seeing an unknown figure. Then, Chitose, our maid, also reported seeing a strange shadow lurking around my father's study and bedroom. And yesterday, both my parents saw something odd. This morning, I saw a blurry figure outside the study, so I rushed over here to get some protective charms."

"There really are ghosts?! But the charms are..." Akira trailed off, her eyes widening as she seemed to remember something. She rushed into the shrine, struggling to pull out a dusty wooden chest, and rummaged through its contents.

After a moment, she emerged, triumphantly holding a stack of old paper talismans. "Found them! It's these!"

"Those are... protective charms?" Haru and Kazuha asked in unison, looking at the worn talismans with skepticism.

"Yes! The previous shrine priest, before he passed away, told me to use these if there was ever any danger!" Akira pointed to the chest. Inside, it was filled with a variety of items that radiated a faint magical aura: old talismans, ancient prayer beads that glowed faintly despite their age, and various other tools used to ward off evil spirits and even protect against magic.

It seemed the previous priest had been a practitioner of magic, well-prepared to protect his granddaughter from supernatural threats. While these items might not be effective against powerful enemies, they were more than enough to safeguard an ordinary girl.

*Collecting these items must have taken a lot of effort for an ordinary old priest. He truly loved his granddaughter.* Haru watched Akira, who was beaming with excitement.

"The previous shrine priest! I heard he was a very skilled Shinto practitioner." Kazuha's eyes lit up with hope.

"So, let's go ghost hunting with these! Come on, Haru, let's go on an adventure! Just like when we were kids!" Akira, armed with her newfound "weapons," grabbed Kazuha's hand and eagerly invited Haru to join them. 

---

Across the sea, in China, on the summit of Mount Tai, the most sacred of the Five Great Mountains, a figure stood gazing towards the east. "So, it has been taken to the Far East, has it?"

Lightning flashed, a three-meter thick bolt illuminating the entire mountain, revealing the figure standing on its peak.

"What I seek is my original self."

As the two girls walked away, Haru looked towards the west, a sense of unease creeping over him. He felt something approaching. *A Heretic God?* If so, the egg might finally get its treat.

He watched the girls as they reached the bottom of the shrine steps, then vanished with a flicker, reappearing two meters behind them.

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To be Continued..

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