The next morning, when Anko woke up from her sleep, the lights in the room were on. Akane Kirino rolled onto her bedding at some point and pressed her arms on her chest.
"..."
Squinting her eyes, she stared at the light for a while, and then realized that the power supply had been restored. The wind had stopped raining outside, and the typhoon had left here.
Everything that happened last night was like a dream, leaving few traces that can be recalled. Anko held Akane Kirino's wrist, turned her head and stared at her sleeping face for a few seconds, and suddenly a sentence came out of her heart:
"It shouldn't be a dream, right?"
Recalling many details before falling asleep, she quickly got a firm answer.
Her eyes fell on the face of the girl next to her again, and she also remembered that she was also carried back to the room by Sogu.
But fair treatment in this kind of thing...is this fair treatment?
Hongzi had a headache and felt empty in her stomach. She couldn't turn her thoughts around and didn't want to think too much.
After lying there for a while, a voice came from outside. It seemed to be Zonggu, but I couldn't hear clearly what he was saying.
Slowly moving her arm away from her chest, Anko covered Kirino Akane with a thin quilt, got up and walked to the window.
"ah."
She couldn't see clearly at night, and only during the day did she realize how much damage the typhoon had caused all night long.
The backyard of Kirino's old house became a mess. Soya and Tsukuyomi were bending down to clean up the garbage blown from nowhere on the ground, and put things that belonged to the Kirino family back to their original places.
She opened the window and said, "Sotani."
"..."
He turned back and raised his head again, his eyes met hers, "Good morning."
"Good morning."
Anko smiled at him and looked at Tsukuyomi next to him.
His hair was messy, his energy was listless, he kept yawning, and looked reluctant.
Are such people really gods?
"Good morning, Tsukuyomi-sama."
"Um."
Yue Duman responded and bent down to pick up a plastic bottle with the outer packaging peeling off. It took a while before he realized something was wrong.
"……Um?"
"She already knows." Soya said.
"Did you tell her?"
"Um."
"oh."
This was all Tsukuyomi's reaction.
Hongzi recalled Soya's words last night: This god is useless, just treat him like an ordinary person.
"Let me help too."
"Is Kirino awake?"
"No……"
She turned around, only to find that there was no trace of Kirino Akane on the quilt.
The next second, two hands suddenly fell on her waist.
"Wait a minute! Ahaha... Akane... wait..."
"..."
Looking at the movement in the window upstairs, Soya shook his head and asked Tsukuyomi to continue picking up trash while he returned to the house and started preparing breakfast.
Kirino Akane quickly went downstairs and went around to the kitchen to show herself before going to check the courtyard that had been ravaged by the typhoon.
After breakfast, Hongzi stayed for a while, and then went home first, leaving only one sentence: "I'll go back and check the situation... It's probably either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. In short, be prepared."
"It's summer vacation, but I'm still busier than when I was in school." Even so, Akane Kirino also enjoyed it, leaving half of the garbage she had picked up, and turned around to pack her clothes.
At ninety o'clock in the morning, Kirino and his wife also arrived at the old house, and the yard had been almost cleaned up.
"You're really capable."
Kirino Keiko praised him several times and became more and more satisfied with Soya.
The typhoon has gone away, but it has left many traces. In addition to cleaning up the garbage, the inside and outside of the house need to be cleaned, and the vegetable patch in the backyard also needs to be tidied up. The morning passed in a busy manner.
With Sogu's help, the couple also saved a lot of effort.
"Would you like to come to the izakaya this afternoon? People from the supplier are coming over today, so Soya can get to know them."
"No...I have other things to do."
After lunch, shortly after Kirino and his wife left, Soya also changed his clothes and planned to go out.
"Going to the shrine?" Kirino Akane followed to the entrance.
Zonggu changed his shoes, "Yeah."
"I have nothing to do, so I'll go with you."
He paused and said, "Hongzi may come over in the afternoon."
"Well..." She hesitated for a while, "Okay, then Hongzi and I may go to find you together."
Anko may not be willing to see Kyoko, so Soya didn't say anything at this time. He said goodbye to Kirino Akane and went out, sending another message to Anko on the way.
Hongzi: Who wants to go?
"Yezhou Station—Yezhou Station, here we are—"
After getting off the tram, I walked all the way to the foot of the mountain. The steps leading to the mountainside shrine were still wet, but there were not many fallen leaves on the steps, so they must have been cleaned.
Most of the time, the ordinary shrine maiden's job is to sweep the floor - a college student who works part-time as a shrine maiden at Fuun Shrine once told him this.
"There are so many steps, even one person can't climb them down..."
Climbing the stairs and arriving at the shrine, Kyoko was receiving worshipers. When she saw him, she first smiled and then nodded.
Soya walked into the social office and came to the largest Japanese room. Minami Noma was lying on the tatami, instructing the second lady of the shrine to rub her waist and back.
"elder brother!"
Tamako greeted happily, and after a moment's pause in her hand movements, Noma Minami called out.
Sogu also smiled at her and sat down aside, "If I were the palace secretary, I would let Miss Noma leave today."
"Miyaji can't control me." Noma Minami glanced at him lazily, "What's more, I spent the whole morning sweeping the grounds of his shrine, so I should enjoy it."
Zonggu ignored her and looked at Yuzi, "Are you tired?"
"tired……"
"Let's rest for a while."
"Hmm~"
With Soya's support, Tamako stopped immediately, got up, left the Japanese room, and went to find her sister.
"Hello."
Minami Noma was slightly dissatisfied, "I really worked hard all morning."
Soya looked at the other two miko, "Miss Hanai and Miss Hasegawa are not tired."
"They were sweeping the stairs above. I swept the hundreds of stairs by myself. Can they compare?" she added.
Zong Gu was a little surprised, this was not like her style.
"Don't listen to her." Mayuri Hanai said, "Kingko swept most of the stairs. Anan went to drink coffee after sweeping for a few minutes."
"Wow."
Noma Minami said nothing, and after a while she motioned for Soya to go over and give her a pat on the back.
"I don't do anything lightly or harshly."
"It's okay, I'm just afraid you don't have enough strength."
Zonggu stood up and walked over, "Can I use my feet?"
She glared at him, then changed her mind, but agreed: "That's okay, you give it a try. Don't step on me all at once."
"I still have common sense."
"Wait a minute, did you just change your socks today?"
"Of course, I changed it before going out."
"You don't have foot odor, right?"
He stretched out his feet and said, "Smell it."
She slapped her and said, "You brat!"
Sogu retracted his foot and stepped on her back.
Noma Minami rested his arms on the cushion and said, "Move down a little."
"here?"
"A little further down."
After several adjustments, Sogu stepped on the back of her waist. Noma Minami raised her hand and gestured OK, then let him continue.
Anyway, it's not difficult to use your feet. Zonggu stepped on it casually, and there was no skill at all. When he felt tired, he would switch to another foot.
"Sogu, why don't you open a massage parlor in the future?"
Noma Minami, who enjoyed the waist-stepping service, spoke highly of it, and I don't know if it was to make him willingly step on her waist for a while longer.
Zong Gu shook his head, "It seems like everyone wants to give me some advice on my future."
For example, inheriting an izakaya or marrying into a shrine.
"That's why I said that because I think highly of you. Who would give advice to an ordinary person when there is nothing wrong?" Noma Minami groaned in comfort, "My back has been sore for several days, and I felt much better after being stepped on by Soya a few times.
."
"Didn't you just sweep the floor today? It only took a few minutes."
"Some adults' entertainment is quite strenuous... No, it's nothing."
"..."
Hanai drank tea calmly, while Hasegawa beside him blushed, a little unnaturally.
Zong Gu just pretended not to hear, stepped on it a few more times, and sat down aside.
"tired."
"It's only been a few minutes. Where is the resilience of young people? I want to take back my previous comment."
"Take it back."
Hasegawa came over to replace him, and as soon as he stepped on it, he got exactly the same evaluation.
After only sitting for a short while, Zonggu quickly got up and went to the next room to take a look. There were only two or three pieces of information next to the fax machine, all of which were sent today.
When he went back and asked, Hanai said that all the information from the past few days had been sent to the wooden house next to the ancestral hall by Kyoko.
Walking out of the social affairs office, he narrowed his eyes.
The weather kept getting better, and the sun even came out at this time.
Kyoko and Tamako stayed together, still busy receiving worshipers in groups of twos and threes. Soya went over and queued for a minute or two, and when it was his turn, he handed out a hundred-yuan coin.
"..."
The corners of Jingzi's mouth curled up, and then she picked up the lottery tube and handed it to him.
"It seems like a lot of people came to pay homage today."
"Well, the weather is relatively good, suitable for going out."
Zonggu shook it a few times, pinched the wooden sign that came out, and called out the number.
"It's lucky." Yuzi said, and when Jingzi glanced at her, she covered her mouth and opened a gap, "I guessed..."
After receiving the signature, Zonggu opened it and looked at it, "Guessed it right."
"Yeah." Yuzi laughed again.
There were people waiting in line behind him, so he folded the signature into a paper crane and put it in front of Jingzi, "I'm going to the back."
She nodded, accepted the paper crane, and took another look at the information in his hand.
"I'll come find you after three o'clock."
"good."
After saying goodbye to the shrine maiden, Soya turned around and went to the small cabin at the back of the main hall. When he walked into the innermost stall, he saw that the information on the activities of spirits in the past few days was placed on the desk, neatly stacked.
After stretching, he sat down and started working.
"Well, is there any follow-up feedback on the intelligence from the past few days..."
Zonggu lowered his head and flipped through the information, writing a few sentences from time to time.
During this period, Yuzi came twice, and each time she only stayed by his side for a short while, said a few words, and then turned around and left.
When she came over for the third time, Kyoko followed. Soya looked up at the time, it was just a few minutes past three o'clock.
"Are you done."
"It's not too busy. Miss Xiaolin is over there now."
Jingzi walked to the desk and looked down at the spiritual body information on the table.
"There are two left," Soya said.
"Um."
She pulled up a chair, sat down next to it, and looked through the parts she had finished.
"Are my sister and brother dating?" Yuzi suddenly asked.
Jingzi didn't even raise her head, "No."
Looking at Zong Gu again, he also shook his head at her.
"Will you get married in the future?" Yuzi asked again.
Jingzi looked over and said, "Tamako."
The little miko stepped back and hid behind Soya, "I'm just curious. Can't you answer?"
She raised her head and looked at Sogu.
There is no unreasonable curiosity. Someone must have talked a lot about their relationship in front of Yuzi, which made her eager to get an accurate answer, they both thought at the same time.
The identity of the speaker is also obvious.
Soya looked down at the young miko, "You can't tell Tamako yet."
"All right……"
Yuzi was a little disappointed, and then said: "I hope my brother can marry my sister."
Kyoko pursed her lips, and Sogu smiled, "I also have such an idea, but there is still a long way to go before it can be put into practice. It cannot be decided in a few words now."
Yuzi was very happy to hear what he said before. But she was still a child after all. She turned around and put the matter behind her. She talked about the typhoon that raged all night yesterday and the camping activities in a few days.
.
"...I'm going to stay there for a week."
"It's five days." Kyoko corrected.
"Camping for five days?" Zongya asked casually.
"No, only two of the nights were spent camping at the beach."
After staying for a while, Yuzi, who had nothing to talk about for the time being, left the dark and slightly dull filing room first.
Hearing the sound of the sliding door being closed, Soya rechecked the notes he had written absently just now. After confirming that they were correct, he handed the last two pieces of processed information to Kyoko next to him.
She reached out to take it, but with a flick of his wrist, he delivered the information to the table, and then grabbed her outstretched hand.
"..."
Jingzi just struggled a little and looked at him, "We have to pass the information back as soon as possible."
"Not bad at this time."
Zong Gu used some more force on his hands and pulled her hands and body in front of him, letting her sit on his lap.
"..."
Kyoko looked at him again, let go and turned around, turning her back to him. Sogu didn't care, held her other hand, and slowly sat down with her.
This form of intimacy was also the first time for her. She was very worried about her weight, and it took her a long time to sit still, with one arm still propped up on the desk.
With his hands stretched out from both sides of his waist, Zong Gu hugged her stiff body and lowered his head slightly.
"Relax."
He said it simply, but it was not easy for her to do it. Her back was pressed against his chest, still straight and tight.
"...That's it." Jingzi remained motionless in his arms, not like a lover, but like a hostage being held hostage.
Zong Gu didn't force it, he lowered his head and smelled the fragrance of her hair, and slowly tightened his arms.
"Kyoko."
"Um……"
Her hand rested on his, he made no more movements, and her body gradually relaxed.
"I plan to go to Kanto in a few days to visit the Tsukuyomi Shrine in Kanagawa and Ibaraki." Soya said.
Jingzi was slightly startled, "Really?"
"This time, Kyoko and I are the only ones traveling together...oh, and Tsukuyomi-sama."
She turned her head and looked at him, "When does Yoshiaki-san plan to leave?"
"Four or five days later."
Kyoko smiled helplessly, "At that time, my father and mother will take Tamako out for camping activities, and they won't be back until almost a week later. I have to stay at the shrine. This is also the condition of my father's promise for me to follow Yoshiaki-san to Kyushu.
one."
"..."
Soya was stunned for a few seconds, and then he realized that the camping activity that Yuzi mentioned in a semi-flaunting way was at the cost of imprisoning Kyoko.
"Don't show such an expression..."
Jingzi turned around and raised her hand to touch his face, "Tamako has been looking forward to it for a long time. This is an arrangement that has been discussed long ago, and I am not reluctant. Fuyun Shrine is the foundation of the Yuan family, and there must always be someone left.
Looking after the house?"
Zong Gu was silent for a moment, "Then I'll postpone going for a while."
The plan was disrupted, and he began to think about other suitable days for travel. But the question was, could Kirino Akane and Anko be successfully excluded by then?
Kyoko shook her head again, "I don't have time. Yoshiaki-san, it's already August."
"What happened to August?"
"It's Obon Festival."
Zonggu opened his mouth and fell silent.
The Bon Festival in mid-August has another name in the world of spiritual awakeners - the Soul Sacrifice Meeting.
There is no fixed date for the Soul Sacrifice. It usually starts a few days earlier than Obon and ends some time later. During this period, various spirits appear in large numbers and gather in the city to revel in the festivals of the world of the living;
Carnival means chaos, and the Kinki area is where the largest number of spiritual bodies gather. For spiritual awakeners affiliated with the organization, busyness is inevitable.
"Go early and come back early." Kyoko was a little regretful that she couldn't go to Kanto with him, but she also didn't want it to affect his schedule. "After the soul worship ceremony starts, we still need Yoshiaki-san to help us."
Zong Gu was silent for a while, and finally he could only accept this unexpected change.
"All right."
Jingzi twisted her body, hooked one hand around his neck, and turned it on his lap into a position that made it easier to move.
"..."
After staring at him for a few seconds, she came up and placed a little kiss on his lips. Then she slowly moved and kissed his cheeks, until she reached behind his ears and buried her head in his neck;
Zong Gu lowered his head, kissed back in the same way, along the opposite path, and finally landed on her lips.
"Well……"
The thread of love is entangled and refuses to give up.
I don't know how long it took before the two separated.
After lying on his chest for a while with her eyes closed, Kyoko's breathing gradually calmed down and she sat up with support.
"There's still business to be done."
His eyes fell on the information on the table, Zonggu nodded, "I'll go with you."
"Um."
After leaving the wooden house, passing through the atrium of the shrine, and returning to the social affairs office, Kyoko stood in front of the fax machine and replied to the processed information one by one.
Zong Gu watched for a while, then walked behind her and hugged her waist.
"Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I will go to the countryside where Hongzi's grandmother lives for a few days. Kirino and Suzu will also go together."
"..."
Jingzi paused for a moment and continued pressing the number, "I understand."
"On the day you come back, classmate Fangming, please remember to contact me."
After entering the number, the fax machine started working, and she held the hand on her waist.
"I have something to discuss with you."
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
I don’t know why, but when I was imagining this part, I always thought of Kyoko as Joel in the spy house.