Chapter 240

In a room filled with silence at the Saiguu Dorms

1, the Maid who had been left all alone to lie down looked up at the ceiling in shock. Rather than the ceiling, she was staring blankly into the empty void of nothing. Her mind was clearly somewhere else.

Yona murmured, "I am..." but her voice trailed into silence, unable to continue past those two words. What she should say, what she was holding inside, what she was feeling—even she herself couldn't figure it out. Only a hollow sense of loss, like a hole had been punched through her, filled her heart.

In a way, she had been completely left behind. She had lost consciousness once, and when she woke up, there was a terrible dull pain in her head, bandages wrapped around it with a water bag to cool it, and just when she thought she was surrounded on all sides by Shinto priests, she was ordered to leave before they even interrogated her, and now she was alone instead. Alone, locked in a room under the name of "rest," without a single word of explanation.

That effectively meant house arrest, and treating a Maid who served as an attendant to the Coin-offering envoys

2 that way was also something that couldn't happen under normal circumstances—which clearly showed that the situation was not normal.

Holding her head and sitting up with her face twisting slightly from the ongoing ache, Yona whispered, "My Lady... Ako-sama..." Her primary worry above all else remained her master's whereabouts, safety, and dignity.

As someone serving the Ako Family, as one of the Maids who had taken care of her since childhood, and above all as someone who had been allowed to come along this time, she worried about her master from the bottom of her heart.

So much so that if things were normal, she would have been driven by the urge to rush to her side right now. She wanted to run out and make sure she was safe, but that wasn't allowed because it could cause trouble for her master. That's why she had no choice but to stay here. After all, she was just a Maid who existed because of Ako's authority, and who couldn't do anything that would hurt Ako. That was reality.

And then... ah. The unpleasant memories were still stuck in her head.

"Fantasies and delusions... surely they cannot be real?" she whispered to the empty room.

She couldn't judge for herself whether the words she spoke were true or false, or perhaps she simply wanted to leave it vague. Even if she tried to forget, what came back reflexively were the scenes that happened just before she lost consciousness.

That man's conversation. The questioning of that man. That man's truth. That man's unfair lies. And above all, her own mistake that could never be forgiven...

"No, that cannot be..." she muttered, her voice trembling. Looking back, the reason she doubted so deeply was because of the current situation. It was certainly still an abnormal situation, but that's exactly why it was strange that she was here recovering after that scene. If her memory was correct, things shouldn't be like this; rest was impossible, and a cell would be more natural. That's why she doubted, suspecting that her own delusions and fantasies were mixed in with her real memories.

Otherwise, something like that...

"...Why?" she whispered, unable to comprehend. Why you? Someone like you? Something like that was impossible, ridiculous, and had to be a dream. It had to be! If not, then... that's why, that's why!

Sensing a presence beyond the screen, Yona gasped, "Ah...!? Who goes there!!?"

It was a presence she sensed on the other side of the sliding door—not a monster or spirit, but clearly human. After understanding that, she regretted calling out so carelessly because she had let them know she noticed.

Hearing only silence on the other side as if the visitor was hesitating, Yona tensed and asked, "...Who is that?" Still unarmed, she braced herself inside the futon, wondering just who was standing there.

Could it be... you?

"No alternative. Entering," the Minister declared firmly.

"!? ...Ah!!?"

At the tone that seemed arrogant for the written words, the sliding door was pulled open without waiting for a reply. Disappointed that it wasn't the person she had hoped for from the voice, and at the figure that appeared, the Maid jumped up and prostrated herself before even accusing. While prostrating, she was shocked at why such a person had appeared in a place like this. No, more than that...

"I—I offer my deepest apologies! Pray forgive my insolence...!! What I uttered earlier, I...!!" Enduring the dull headache, she desperately apologized with a shaking voice, taking back her earlier question as she apologized over and over.

Because, after all, the representative of the Coin-offering envoys had come to this place.

"Acknowledged," the Minister cut in, his tone sharp. "More importantly... status of your injuries?"

"Y-Yes, sir...!! That is...!! Pardon me...!!?"

At the question about her condition in that sharp voice, the Maid tried to respond quickly but found herself at a loss for words. Thinking about the meaning of the intruder's—that Personage's—question, she hesitated to answer immediately.

Considering what position that nobleman held in the court, and what nickname he had, she didn't know if answering "not serious" was correct. Just how much did this person understand the situation, what was he planning by going out of his way to visit someone like her and ask questions—she desperately spun her thoughts trying to guess his intentions.

Unfortunately, she had far too little information to judge and no way to guess.

"I... well, sir..."

"Hmm. Hesitating out of concern for your master's house. Understandable position. Remaining tight-lipped rather than exposing a vulnerability is commendable tactical discipline. ...Truly, Princess, you command a thoughtful and deeply loyal servant."

A small bob-haired girl stepped out from behind him. "Maid. Thank goodness. ...Are you alright?" Murasaki asked gently.

Recognizing that appearance and seeing that expression, the Maid first understood that this wasn't the worst situation, gasping, "My Lady...!"

To the Maid who hesitated to run over herself, Murasaki came to her on her own. She made her prostrating body sit up, touched the bandaged head, and checked on her injury with words of genuine worry and relief. In response, the Maid was still unsure whether she should speak honestly, thinking of the nobleman's presence... but Murasaki gently called out to her.

"It is alright, Maid. I understand your worry, but... there is no need to be suspicious. Simply speak the truth and state the facts. The Minister (Daijin)

3 wishes for that as well."

"Forgive me, My Lady, but..."

"We will not harm you. ...Besides, your loyalty to the Ako Family is absolute. Service and devotion to one's lord is true honor. No matter what happens, deceit is unthinkable. Do you understand?"

"…Yes, My Lady."

Yona was still wavering, but she had no way left to resist her lord's declaration. To hesitate in front of the Personage now would be to disrespect her master and bring shame upon the house.

Whatever judgment might come, they would sink or swim together. She would simply follow her lord. The Maid made up her mind, turning to face the nobleman—the Minister of the Right, who was a Coin-offering envoy—and bowed her head once more.

"I am deeply grieved to have caused your Excellency such trouble. There remains a slight ache, but... my injury is of no true consequence."

"Satisfactory," the Minister replied with a stiff bow of his head. "Correction: responsibility for inducing your suspicion lies with me. Apologies."

"…Your Excellency honors me far beyond my station," Yona replied, stunned inside at receiving an apology from someone so high above the clouds, for all his arrogance.

And she had already realized this was not simply a gesture of goodwill. The Maid sensed that in all of this, the Minister (Daijin) already had some kind of plan for how things would end. That was probably also why the Shinto priests who had first surrounded them were quickly dismissed.

If that was the case, then this was merely a confirmation. In other words, no amount of fudging would work. She had no choice but to answer with complete sincerity, telling everything she knew.

"Proceeding directly: report all details regarding the circumstances of your injury."

Just as Yona had thought, the Personage before her looked down on her and made his request. It was effectively an order with no escape and no way to talk her way out of it. She glanced at her lord beside her, who leaned against her and gripped her hand tightly as the younger master nodded bravely with resolve.

"…Understood, sir. It shall be done."

Reverently bowing her head once more, Yona began to speak as if confessing everything: her own shameful failure and the matter of that ungrateful, filthy sinner.

(I shall offer no apologies for this...) Her heart ached as if being wrung out from her own lack of honor, like she was selling out someone she had thought well of...

In the end, right up to the very last moment, Yona never realized that the one who had set her up was clinging right there at the Minister (Daijin)'s feet.

* * *

'Now then. I need to start getting the requiem ritual ready right away!'

The beast who called himself Nobe declared this boldly and carefreely. As he spoke, "those ones" came running from every direction to prepare the Ritual.

Where on earth had they been hiding? Nobe and the others—not just white-furred ones, but black-furred, gray-furred, and spotted ones too—appeared one after another from the houses placed throughout the "Mouse Pure Land" and the streets between them, carrying in their mouths or on their backs purification wands, sacred sakaki branches, golden bells, and vessels for offering rice, clear sake, and pure salt as sacred food, darting here and there, and in no time they had everything ready. A space divided by Shimenawa (Sacred rope) and green bamboo was being created in all four directions as a divine enclosure formed in the ritual site. The "Reiki (spiritual energy)" of the land was stopped from scattering away, and a gentle stream began to pool and gather. Ritual preparations…

'You're quite efficient at this,' Hummingbird noted dryly.

'Preparation prevents worry, you know. I'm happy to be praised.'

The girl's sharp remark—or rather, sarcastic comment—from the Hummingbird, who was observing the work like a surveillance officer, was met with a smiling reply from the overseer individual wearing an orange iron helmet. A rough tongue-click escaped, and right after, a murmur of voices leaked out as the next voice the Hummingbird spun was raspy and hoarse.

'That lump of flesh for the Iwakura?'

'It's connected to his divinity through the curse. Paradoxically, that makes it suitable as a vessel.'

To the question asked while calmly gazing at the pulsing mass of flesh enshrined at the ritual site, one of the beasts who had stopped working answered honestly and carefully.

'The diagram drawn on this land. A Shikigami. An eight-sided square formation… and a Taiji formation, yes? I see-so the energy overflowing from the Spiritual Vein is concentrated into the Iwakura and made to cancel out the curse.'

'Correct. Well, in reality it's not that simple, though.'

Another individual answered while skillfully pushing a white-line cart with a forward-leaning two-legged walk, drawing the Shikigami (familiar spirit-specifically a surveillance one) with lime mixed with pure salt. It continued further.

'If he's being neutralized too, he'll adjust and come at us. And no matter how much you neutralize it, there's a limit to how much you can detoxify a high-purity divine curse.'

'Then what matters is that one… is that right?'

'Exactly,' Nobe confirmed directly as the beast and the Hummingbird turned to look in that direction at the same time—at the figure waiting outside the ritual site being formed. A man with his head hanging low, and another person nestled close to him. Staring intently at the latter—the girl…

Tamaki knelt beside the trembling man and murmured softly, "Magoroku… are you okay?"

The girl being watched, Tamaki of the Hotoya Family, faintly felt the gazes directed at her, but she focused only on comforting the familiar man before her eyes. No matter what anyone thought, no matter what they were planning, no matter what ulterior motives were at play, for Tamaki, that was what mattered most.

"…Tamaki-sama. I… I…"

"I know. But for now, leave it to me. I want you to trust me."

Magoroku was dazed and lost—the Manservant who had been put on the wanted list for causing a scandal in the Old Capital, the man who had set foot into the forbidden zone. Yet Tamaki did not seize him; she gently reasoned with him and soothed him.

Was that foolish? No—for Tamaki, it was only reasonable. After all, it's impossible to blame someone you looked up to and respected who has fallen into a pitiful state and is drowning in grief. And besides, there was no reason for him to be wanted in the first place.

At least, as far as this whole uproar was concerned.

"Yona must be terribly worried. Murasaki-san too. We need to go back and explain what happened. …It's not your fault."

And Tamaki glanced around at the beasts coming and going, doing their work. That's right. At least Magoroku is innocent when it comes to bloodshed; he didn't cut a single person. The one who made it happen was Nobe and the others, and the one who got tricked into doing the cutting was Yona.

"That's wrong. It's my fault. I'm the one... Lady Yona didn't do anything, and... it's only natural things turned out that way! So!! So, I...!!"

Magoroku went pale at Tamaki's words and desperately denied it. Tamaki spoke to him gently, just like always.

"I know. I understand how it looks from your side, Magoroku. I'm saying this knowing all that. You didn't do anything wrong. Magoroku is... no. I'd defend Yona too, no matter what. Even if it cost me my life."

As Tamaki spoke, what flashed through his mind was Hummingbird's intrusion, and the whole scene leading up to stepping onto this sacrifice altar of the "Rat Pure Land"

10...

* * *

'Yeah, that's right. I can see the future, even if it's limited. I can observe fate. So I already foresaw that we'd end up at this scene. And I also interfered with all the key events needed to get here.'

Without a hint of shame, calm as could be, Nobe dropped a bombshell.

'Could some ordinary priest shake off the Old Capital's pursuers and run away? While carrying a heavy burden? ...Sure, it's not impossible. Extremely difficult, though. Who could honestly say there wasn't some kind of will at work there?'

Tilting his head as if asking back to let the other person figure out the answer themselves, Nobe boasted. It was the same as saying it himself.

'I saw that he and his "little sister" would be set loose in the wild, and that he'd bring back the Princess who'd break this whole situation open. So I let them go,' Nobe explained calmly. '...That's right. I pulled all kinds of little strings to get you here.'

And the beast looked up.

'If I just showed up in the sacred Old Capital and asked you to come here, of course you'd be on guard. You're not that stupid. But if the preconditions and the surrounding situation were different, it's a different story.'

The beast blamed himself—not with shame or apology, but just laying out the explanation.

'When his identity was seen through, Ako's Maid put up quite a fight. The main house had taken in someone who'd run away from the sacred land on their own - in other words, a criminal. And it became public knowledge. From her perspective, it must have been chaos. She drew her tantō

11 and pointed it at him. She was panicking badly, yelling and screaming. She was desperate to keep the main house from getting dragged into suspicion.'

The beast nodded, recalling the Maid's attitude, declaring her a loyal servant as if setting aside his own actions.

'My future sight is point-by-point observation, just grazing here and there. I watched for a while, and... it was a problem. The priest who saw through his true identity tried to protect him and look the other way. The Maid, though, got swallowed by suspicion. Was it a trick, would he tattle later, was this a test of loyalty to the main house - she was totally confused. Even so, the current priest and the former priest both tried their best to calm her down. She was scared but was about to lower the tantō. ...I understood right away. That if I moved here, the future I'd observed would come true.'

That's why he interfered. The power of the shin-scuffing is to scuff, to shift things—so making an extremely tense girl slip and her hand go wild was nothing.

He made her slash the priest's arm deeply, diagonally, in a cutting-down motion.

'Man, it was a clean, deep, perfect slash. She was stunned. She'd already taken in a man who'd abandoned his duties and run off. On top of that, in the Old Capital where bloodshed is forbidden, she'd cut a priest who served Saiguu-dono as a true familiar spirit. Her panic afterward was something else.'

The beast spoke calmly, as if it were someone else's problem, though the actual scene couldn't have been anything like that calm. The woman called Yona seemed talkative and shallow, but in truth she was sharp enough to fully grasp the weight of what had happened.

'What surprised me was how he instantly knocked her out cold. When they got their stories straight and he fled as the culprit, I thought, ah, so that's how it goes. ...I don't see the future as a big flowing picture, you know.'

What was inside the man who'd once been a priest was his own kind of calculation. The Ako Family isn't cold-hearted; even if he became a wanted man, they wouldn't hand over a powerless "little sister" who couldn't possibly commit a crime. That was the calculation. Rather, for the Ako Family, it was a bigger problem if Yona, who'd served them for years, became the culprit, and it was also unwanted for the family's honor if she exposed the identity of the "brother." That would be adding shame on top of shame.

So while Yona was unconscious, it was better to decide the flow of events in advance. The Maid is just a victim, while the man who cut her is just some lowborn man who'd only just been taken in... that's the least damaging landing spot for the Ako Family, and when she wakes up, she'll keep her mouth shut and never reveal the secret. After that, if the "brother" slips through the Old Capital's complicated trap of surveillance shikigami and hides himself, that's the end of it.

...It seems he never considered that the Ako princess, with her sword confiscated and locked up, might rashly commit seppuku

12. Though honestly, it would've been hard to imagine that someone ignorant of violence could use Ako's secret technique to do seppuku bare-handed, without spilling blood. Depending on how the buttons lined up wrong, that outcome was possible. Given the Ako Princess's character, under tension her hand would've slipped, and her white belly would've split open, spilling everything out, leaving her in terrible agony.

'Well, I get why you're angry. But that's that, and this is this. For his sake too... Hotoya Tamaki, you have to go forward. He's waiting. Someone who needs your salvation is waiting. I swear it. I wasn't made to be able to lie.'

'...Ha!! And yet you have the function to hide the truth, don't you!?'

A girl's words spun from Hummingbird's beak, cutting in. Right away there was some kind of noisy sound, and it turned into a wrinkled, hoarse voice.

'Now then. You're going, and who exactly are you going to rescue, and how?'

'It's Miko. The lid on the grudges and resentments of the gods sealed in this land. ...She's being eaten away by a curse. She's in a terrible state now. She's writhing in pain that can't become words. She doesn't even have a mouth to cry out with anymore. It's truly, truly a cruel sight. I want to save her as soon as possible.'

A reply that rings out like a struck bell, but chew on it, and a sickening picture comes to mind. What happens when a single person takes on the curse of the gods? What flashes through Hotoya Tamaki's mind is the image of a now-dead benefactor, a young man, twisted into something beast-like… Was that, in a broad sense, also a kind of curse?

'That's why, Hotoya Tamaki. I need your power. To free Miko, who's still suffering in hell, the power of Gluttony sleeping inside you is absolutely necessary. …It's true. I'm not lying, okay?'

The words he added on almost like an afterthought feel a little strange, somehow… Tamaki hesitated, wavering, worried, and sinking into thought.

'…What? Hmm. Guess it can't be helped. Ah. It's fine. This is my own business.'

Nobe dropped his head for a moment as if he'd lost consciousness, then lifted it like he'd just woken up and muttered, responding right away to Tamaki's puzzled stare.

'…You say you need this Princess's power, but I wonder if it can really be controlled? This Princess, too, must be worried about that.'

Then came an old man's voice from Hummingbird, who glanced sideways at Tamaki. Tamaki was a bit thrown off, but nodded in agreement.

…Tamaki never realized that this was a sideways remark meant to exploit the trust she placed in Hummingbird, and to keep her from harboring any more doubt or suspicion.

'I see. …On that point, rest easy. I'm the manager here, after all. I've been preparing for a long time so you can go all out. I've made sure the torrent of power inside you won't run wild.'

Then the beast turned its back.

'These are all the words I can give you. The rest is up to you. Will you come inside, or will you turn back? You decide. I promise you, turning back won't bring any harm.'

The beast began walking on four legs with a pat-pat sound. Tamaki kept staring at its back with suspicion, then looked down at Hummingbird, who had landed right beside her as if asking for advice, and Hummingbird looked up at Tamaki.

'We'll go on ahead inside.'

With just that, Hummingbird flapped its wings, passing Nobe and disappearing into the grand palace City of the 'Rat Pure Land.'

Still standing there, head down as if looking at her feet, Tamaki suddenly lifted her head and started walking with big strides, soon coming shoulder to shoulder with Nobe.

"Don't get me wrong, but I haven't forgiven you."

Her voice, looking up at Nobe as they walked, was full of hostility. For what was done to Yona, or what was done to Magoroku, or both, Tamaki hasn't forgotten.

"But if my power can save her, I'll go. Besides… Magoroku's probably up ahead, right?"

'…Ugh, gross!'

At the smug-faced reply that seemed to be in some Nanban dialect, Tamaki dealt a kick. Though it slipped right off with no friction, so there was no real impact…

* * *

"…Thinking about it again is making me mad all over," Tamaki muttered to herself.

"Huh…?" Magoroku asked, visibly confused.

"…This is my own business."

When she responded to the confused Magoroku, she looked even more sulky, maybe because the beast's reply and her own had ended up sounding alike. Tamaki let out a sigh and looked around.

Deep, deep inside the 'Rat Pure Land' lay an area filled with an especially sweet air, sitting probably at the very center of the inner world modeled after Jingu. A giant lump of flesh, the size of an ox cart or maybe bigger, pulsed endlessly and oozed, with something constantly dripping from its surface. A faint weird smell hung in the air—horrifying, marking the end of a person corrupted by a curse.

"Keep them alive but not really living, huh. …How nasty."

Tamaki didn't like a curse that did this to someone. She couldn't even tell how much hatred it came from; it was just plain cruel.

'That's how much hatred it is. No, actually, we should be glad it stopped at just this much, maybe?'

At some point, one of Nobe's bodies had come to her side and spoke to Tamaki. Magoroku flinched and shrank back, and Tamaki scowled and opened her mouth.

"She… is fine, right? If I eat all the curse soaked into she, can I think of it as her going back to normal?"

'That's a little optimistic. It's just symptomatic treatment, after all. Even if you temporarily suck out the poison, the poison itself keeps flowing into she. If she holds out… about a year, and it'll be the same again, probably?'

"I see... Can't it be fixed at the root?"

'Only if you cut the connection to the divinities sealed under the lid. But that would just scatter disaster in all directions, so it's better not to.'

Tamaki muttered, "Disaster..." and looked down at her feet at the presence swirling beneath the ground, at the bottom of hell—and right after, she shuddered hard.

But Tamaki instantly shook off the feeling she'd been probing deeper and deeper with focused attention, feeling relieved as a chill ran down her spine. Was it just her imagination? No, Tamaki had definitely felt something dark below.

'Well then. Looks like you're ready. …Now then, Princess Miko, may I ask you to proceed?'

As the underlings came from the barn and storehouse carrying a pure white chihaya, Kagura Suzu (Sacred bells), and a sakaki flower hairpin, the body standing nearby made its request. With no eagerness or awkwardness, just completely calm.

In response to Nobe's question, Tamaki silently stepped into the chihaya. She slipped her arms through the spirit-silk garment, quickly gathered her short hair, and decorated it with a hairpin. Then the Kagura Suzu (Sacred bells). It had a solid weight to it. Holding it, she noticed something off.

"This… isn't tin, is it?" Tamaki asked, examining the metal.

From the unusual weight and the difference in the sound it made, Tamaki saw through it right away. The surface was probably covered in gold leaf? It shone beautifully gold, but this was…

"…Hisui?"

'It's a Hisui nugget from the Northern region, offered some time ago.'

Nobe answered Tamaki's question. And then he spoke.

'I had this made just for times like this. It's done in the style of basket carving, you see. Scraped down so thin you can almost see through it, and inside, another Hisui pendulum is layered in the same way. A pendulum inside a pendulum, you know. A triple structure, no less. …Here, try ringing it.'

Following those words, though still doubtful, she swung her arm, and the fifteen Hisui bells rang out with surprisingly good resonance. Even Tamaki, who had been frowning, couldn't help but open her eyes wide.

"Beautiful…" she gasped in genuine admiration. Normally, stone bells are supposed to make a dry sound, different from metal ones, but these Kagura Suzu

17 made an impossibly clear, bright, and refreshing tone. It was probably the work of a craftsman who had pursued perfection down to the finest detail. In fact, if you looked closely, you could notice the delicate carvings on the surface of the bells.

The sound holes of the bells, and the pendulums inside them too, must have had a unique shape. Rather than being struck to ring, this was more like something that took in air as you swung your arm and played it like a wind instrument. "Playing the bell," Such a phrase naturally came to Tamaki's mind. The arrangement of the bells relative to each other also seemed to have been adjusted so that they would receive and amplify each other's tones. The carvings on the surface might also have had the effect of adjusting the airflow when swinging them around to take in air.

'Hisui

18 is the leading stone among the vessels of spirit. And among all of them, the material for these bells is the finest quality. This is also so that no curse will fall directly on you during the Ritual.'

"I just need to dance the Kagura dance, right?"

'More precisely, I need you to draw the attention of the cursed god with your dance. During that time, I will be operating your power.'

According to Nobe, the Chihaya

19 seems to have the effect of blocking recognition so that she won't be directly cursed. The sakaki

20 flower hairpin on her head is apparently the key to connecting Tamaki's power to Nobe.

'I will intervene in the bond between the Miko and the deity. While protecting you with the Chihaya so you won't be directly cursed, you will dance and draw its attention. Then, through a separate system, I will wield your power remotely. I will usurp the festering curse that has built up inside the Miko. If you place your complete trust in me and protect Mari, I promise I will super master your power and accomplish this without harming anyone! I give you my word!'

And then, after a pause, looking down… the beast continued.

'Never let go of the Kagura Suzu in your hands. They serve as a catalyst to absorb the curses as they scatter. …Good. Everything is ready.'

At the very end, he said it while gazing at the mirror stand that was being carefully carried in by dozens of devices. Tamaki held her breath as she faced it, seated directly before her. She instinctively sensed that this thing, so terribly old-fashioned, was not just a mirror. It was as if it were pulling her in, and yet so dreadful that she wanted to leave right away…

'Well then, all that remains is for your heart to be ready… shall we begin?'

And so the Shikigami

21 who managed and operated the Old Capital entrusted its activation to Tamaki…

* * *

After taking a sip of the sacred sake, a chime rang out—clear like a wind bell, followed by the flowing tone of a flute. Spinning around, shaking her Chihaya, she danced gracefully with the five-colored cloth trailing behind her. Before the mirror, Hotoya Tamaki performed her dedication dance.

Reflected in the glass behind her, a mass of flesh far larger than her own body trembled. The stench of rot tickled her nose, yet Tamaki continued without breaking composure. It was a thoroughly practiced performance.

There was no accompaniment. The Kagura Suzu alone filled the air. No musicians were needed, no extra embellishments required—she alone commanded the space.

Finishing the rite, she bowed low before the mirror. A single, sharp bow. Then Tamaki spoke, reciting the soulless words of celebration Nobe had prepared for her.

"…Heaven and earth open. Replacing the morning, at the bottom of the path. Be calm, O Sacrificial Pillar."

Her voice rang out as clear and pure as fresh water.

"That spirit, so noble, so resplendent, your power I praise and honor. Even the raging spirit held in the lightless, dark night, I honor it…"

At those words—and the weight behind their meaning—Tamaki gritted her teeth in a brief, fleeting pause. Then she pressed on.

"Deep green. On the sacred jewel, gold is cast, layering pure sounds. Be filled with the music of this dance, and let your heart rest. Play for a moment, and be at peace… How pure, how joyous, I humbly offer this…"

She rang the bells once more—calling out to be noticed, bidding the presence to turn her way. She struck the Kagura Suzu, breathing life through them with every movement.

Silence… and then she resumed her dance.

Together with the sacred song, Tamaki moved. Coolly swaying, endlessly spinning. Weaving refrain into verse, she chanted the ritual song—looping it continuously by its very nature. Singing. Dancing. Striking the bells. Round and round in endless repetition, because the repetition was everything.

(It hurts! My throat… it's drying up!)

How many times had she repeated the cycle? How many times had the bells struck? Tamaki danced on until sweat beaded across her brow and her throat burned with exhaustion.

(How long have I been singing?)

Perhaps the alcohol from the sacred sake was taking hold; her mind felt hazy under the rising warmth in her cheeks. Yet it didn't end. There was no end. She clung to the words passed down from Nobe and Hummingbird.

(Just keep dancing, no matter what!)

Nobe aside, she trusted Hummingbird. That trust kept her moving. Even through the daze, she spun and swayed, forcing a pale smile as she caught her exhausted reflection in the mirror stand.

Dancing. Dancing. Endlessly, like a woman possessed.

Sweat poured from her skin, flying off with every motion until she felt as though she were scattering it with the dance itself. Still, no one called a halt. Because no one spoke, she kept moving—a machine built only to dance, as if that were her sole reason for existing. Her consciousness drifted further away.

Vaguely, while continuing the motions, her eyes remained fixed on her reflection…

A sudden prickle of unease pulled at her dulled mind, though she couldn't place what was wrong. Driven purely by duty, she stared at her tired, dark expression in the glass.

Strange. Something was wrong.

(What is it… what's happening?)

Unspeakable doubt swirled in her head. As Tamaki danced, her reflection began to twist into an uneasy expression of its own…

A voice resonated directly from the glass: 'Hey there. Nice to meet you. It's been a while.'

"Eh…?"

Tamaki froze, mouth agape, while the reflection mirrored her shock. She couldn't tell where the voice originated—only that it was her own.

'I'll pass on making an ugly face, okay?'

Matching her exact posture, the self beyond the glass spoke independently, locking eyes with her.

'Thank you for the lovely dedication dance. It's bait to draw me in, right? …Ahh. How hateful. Everyone, everyone, demeaning the flesh. Do you all despise me that much?'

The reflection spoke to her, weaving words as a conscious entity.

Before she knew it, Tamaki had stopped dancing entirely, staring at the glass. She pressed her palm against the mirror's surface. Then her forehead, grinding against the cold glass as if trying to force her way through to the other side…

'Poor little doll. Poor little sacrifice. What a pitiful child you are, aren't you? Knowing nothing, being told nothing… and no one wants you for who you are.'

"What are you…?"

'Fufufu.'

Beyond the mirror, Tamaki watched her own face smile back at her with a dark, unfamiliar sneer.

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Trivia:

- The Maid's imprisonment under the guise of "rest" with no explanation suggests someone deliberately isolated her to prevent her from sharing what she witnessed before losing consciousness.

- Her fragmented memory of "that man's truth" and "unfair lies" hints at a revelation so damaging it could threaten the Ako Family's standing.

- The Minister's pointed praise of the Maid's loyalty and discretion may be a subtle test, checking whether she will speak freely or remain guarded about what she knows.

- The Minister's apology to Yona is calculated - he is not being kind, he is setting the stage for a confession he already expects to hear, having pre-planned the entire situation.

- Yona's internal vow not to apologize while she sells out the person who wronged her hints at a complex loyalty conflict - she still feels honor-bound to someone who betrayed her.

- The irony of Yona never realizing her betrayer is literally at the Minister's feet suggests the Minister is fully aware of everything and is using Yona as a piece in a larger game.

- Nobe describes the "Rat Pure Land" sacrifice altar in the same breath as Hummingbird's intrusion, hinting the bird's arrival was itself part of the engineered path to this place.

- Nobe says he "wasn't made to be able to lie," yet Hummingbird immediately points out he can still hide facts. That gap between being unable to lie and being able to omit is the whole engine of his manipulation.

- The narration notes Yona only seemed shallow and talkative. Her real sharpness is confirmed by the fact she grasped the full weight of the situation at the moment of the slashing, before she was knocked out.

- The beast's promise that turning back brings no harm is technically true, but it frames the choice as binary when Nobe has already manipulated Tamaki's trust in Hummingbird to ensure she moves forward.

- Tamaki's comment about the beast's reply sounding like her own suggests an uncomfortable parallel between her stubbornness and Nobe's evasiveness, hinting at shared traits she would rather not acknowledge.

- The Hisui nugget from the Northern region replacing tin in the sacred bells is a small detail that may connect to the Northern region's significance in the broader worldbuilding.

- The triple-layered bell structure mirrors the three-way connection between Tamaki, Nobe, and the mirror entity, hinting that the ritual itself is a layered trap rather than a simple purification.

- Nobe's careful explanation of the Chihaya's recognition-blocking effect foreshadows that the mirror entity recognizes Tamaki anyway, suggesting the protection was never meant to stop what was already inside her.

- Tamaki's forced smile at her exhausted reflection is the moment the mirror entity first takes interest, implying the entity feeds on hidden despair masked by duty rather than overt suffering.

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Translation Notes:

1↵ Saiguu refers to a specific type of Shinto shrine complex historically tied to the Ise Grand Shrine and imperial princesses who served as high priestesses. The dorm name carries religious and aristocratic weight that a plain English rendering loses.

2↵ A formal delegation whose role involves presenting offerings, likely to a shrine or court. The term carries ceremonial and political significance, implying these envoys represent both religious and state authority.

3↵ The Japanese title for a high-ranking government minister, equivalent to a Minister of State in ancient court hierarchy. The English title "Minister" alone loses the specific weight of this court rank, so the original is preserved alongside it.

10↵ A realm named for the Buddhist "pure land" concept but twisted into a place of sacrifice. The rat imagery ties to impurity and being trapped, contrasting the sacred name with the grim altar.

11↵ A Japanese short blade, smaller than a katana and often carried for self-defense. Here it signals the Maid's desperation and the severity of a servant drawing a weapon indoors.

12↵ Ritual suicide by disembowelment, tied to samurai honor. The passage's horror comes from the idea that a noblewoman with no combat knowledge could still use a secret technique to do it bare-handed.

17↵ Sacred bells used in Shinto ritual dance. Traditional kagura suzu are metal bells on a handle, but here they are made of stone, which makes their clear, flute-like tone unusual and significant.

18↵ Jade, specifically the stone type considered the foremost vessel for spirit in this world's system. The bells being made of the finest Hisui marks them as exceptionally rare and powerful ritual tools.

19↵ A garment or fabric used in Shinto ritual dance, often adorned with sacred patterns or colors. Here it is sewn with five-colored cloth and serves a protective function beyond mere decoration.

20↵ A sacred evergreen tree in Shinto tradition, whose branches and flowers are used as offerings. The hairpin made from it links Tamaki to the spiritual connection with Nobe.

21↵ A familiar spirit in Japanese folklore, typically summoned to serve a practitioner. This one specifically handles surveillance and management of the Old Capital.