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"So, Asakura-kun, where are you planning to go? If it's one of those stores marked 18X, Mama won't allow it, you know!"
Yanami Anna asked curiously, looking at the large bags Asakura was carrying.
Feeling that arguing with her would only exhaust him, Asakura ignored the girl's antics and simply replied: "Yanagimori Shrine… Yanami, have you heard of it?"
"No, in fact, it's my first time hearing that there's a shrine near Akihabara. I wonder if they sell sweet sake."
Yanami Anna said excitedly.
"Most shrines only sell it during temple festivals or Hatsumode…"
Asakura rubbed his temples and replied: "Besides, Yanami, isn't your wallet already empty?"
"Although Mr. Fukuzawa and Mr. Noguchi can no longer lend me their power, it's okay, I still have the support of the lilac flower (the design on the back of the 500-yen coin, also said to be paulownia flower)!"
Yanami Anna held up a 500-yen coin high, looking as if she was about to transform into a Pretty Cure.
But her hand slipped, and the coin fell to the ground with a crisp clinking sound, then rolled under a vending machine by the roadside.
"My 500 yen!"
The girl shoved the canned oden into Asakura's hand, then, disregarding her image, she sprawled in front of the vending machine, sticking out her backside and reaching inside.
"I told you, at least pay attention to your image as a girl."
Asakura sighed.
"Shut up, can image be eaten?! Ah, I touched it! Huh, why is it a 100 yen coin?"
The girl looked at the coin in her hand, which was clearly not the one she had dropped under the vending machine, with a bewildered expression: "Does this even give change?"
"I'm saying, is there a possibility that you always disregard your image in front of acquaintances, which is why you get dumped?"
Asakura analyzed considerately.
"I didn't get dumped! It just ended before it even began… Damn it, why do I feel even more pathetic saying that?!"
Yanami Anna pounded the ground, muttering tragically.
"When I didn't know her, she still looked like a beautiful girl…"
Asakura sighed.
"I'm still a beautiful girl now!"
The girl argued.
Asakura looked at her deeply, then shook his head again: "Sigh…"
"What's with that look, like you've seen someone incredibly disappointing! Even I get hurt by that!"
The girl complained indignantly.
"That's not it. Instead of that, do you want to come along to Yanagimori Shrine?"
Asakura asked.
"I hope that shrine doesn't enshrine some matchmaking god, right?"
Yanami Anna joked, crossing her arms over her chest and saying with a sly, overly dramatic tone of caution: "Even if Anna is cute, you can't trick me into going to that kind of shrine~"
"Sigh…"
"So, stop it! That kind of 'this person is truly regrettable' sigh really hurts!"
Asakura walked away with a cold expression, and Yanami Anna noisily followed him.
Just like that, the two of them strolled through Akihabara and arrived at Asakura's destination for this trip, Yanagimori Shrine.
Although he was mentally prepared, Yanagimori Shrine looked much smaller than the shrines Asakura had visited before; after passing through the torii gate, there was a washbasin and the main shrine.
Although it was the main shrine, it was actually just a small hall, not too large, full of Japanese Shinto style.
In front of the hall was a offertory box, and at the very center of the main shrine was a shrine dedicated to the Go-shintai.
Perhaps for the purpose of protecting the Go-shintai, the shrine was protected by a glass door, and the strong glare during the day made it difficult to clearly see the appearance of the shrine.
Asakura subconsciously sensed it, but did not feel any magical reaction from the shrine.
"Are you a visitor here to worship at the shrine?"
A staff member wearing traditional white and red miko attire appeared next to the shrine.
From the broom in her hand, it seemed she had just been sweeping the courtyard.
"I am Asakura Takuma, who made a reservation earlier," Asakura said. "Are you Urushibara?"
"It's you! Yes, it's me. That IB... uh, sorry, I'm not very familiar with electronic device signals... Anyway, it's already been taken out and put in the warehouse."
"Thank you."
Asakura nodded politely, then introduced Yanami, who was beside him: "This is Urushibara Ruka. She's a girl."
Her voice and demeanor looked like a woman.
...No, a beautiful girl who looks more like a woman than a woman.
That's right, she's a girl!
Although she is taller than Yanami, her figure is very slender.
That's right, she's a girl!
She looks great in miko attire.
That's right, she's a girl!
...It's not even evening yet, it's really hot.
The cicadas are still chirping.
That's right... she's a girl.
"You can tell that just by looking, right? Do you need to remind me so solemnly?"
Yanami looked at Asakura with some difficulty accepting it: "Am I the kind of person who can't even tell the difference between male and female?"
"They say when my mother was pregnant with me, a kind person sent her a text message saying she should eat more vegetables, otherwise I might turn out to be a boy," Urushibara Ruka said with a smile.
"Even if Miss Urushibara were a boy, she would definitely be very handsome."
When there were outsiders present, Yanami was usually able to maintain her static beauty quite well.
"Just put the money in the offertory box, right?"
Asakura pulled out a stack of Yukichi Fukuzawa—Yanami's eyes went wide—and stuffed them into the offertory box.
Then, with a sense of ritual, he paid homage to the Go-shintai, whose nature he didn't know, before looking at Urushibara Ruka again, "Can you take me to see that IBN5100 now?"
"Of course, no 'gurgle'... Ah."
Before Urushibara Ruka could finish speaking, her stomach made a cute sound.
Her fair face instantly flushed red, and she said shyly, "Sorry, I was in a hurry this morning and came to work at the shrine without eating breakfast, so..."
Her shy appearance made the desire to protect her well up in one's heart like a bubbling hot spring; in contrast...
Asakura looked at Yanami.
The latter tilted her head, not understanding, then proudly returned a look that said, 'I ate breakfast before coming here for a sacred pilgrimage.'
No, no, no, there's nothing to be proud of about that, is there?
While Asakura was complaining inwardly, he took two delicious sticks from his pocket.
Just as he was about to give them all to the miko, he felt a very intense gaze from Yanami.
He sighed inwardly and gave one delicious stick to each of them.
"R-really?"
Urushibara Ruka looked at Asakura somewhat shyly.
"It's just a small snack that costs less than a hundred yen.
I hope Miss Urushibara doesn't find it too humble," Asakura replied with a kind smile, then looked at Yanami, who was staring at him with a complicated expression: "...What's wrong with you now?"
"Nothing, it's just that the delicious stick Asakura-kun gave Miss Urushibara has a 'Sweet Milk Lady' design, while the one he gave me has a 'Wrinkled Kelp Granny' design.
I'm wondering if there's any deeper meaning to it."
"...It's just a coincidence, okay?"
"What's with that suspicious silence?! You did it on purpose, didn't you, hey!"
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