The warm afternoon breeze rustled through the shrine grounds, stirring fallen leaves and sending a few drifting lazily through the air. The red torii gate stood solemnly before us, its paint faded and chipped but still carrying an undeniable presence. Beyond it, the stone pathway led toward the shrine’s closed wooden doors, aged with time and covered in vines that had begun reclaiming the structure.

I hesitated for a moment, staring at the path ahead before voicing the obvious question. “Should we… go inside?”

As if nature itself wanted to answer, the birds in the trees chirped cheerfully, and a few flowers by the shrine’s entrance seemed to bloom just a little brighter. A coincidence? Maybe. But given everything that had happened so far, I wasn’t so sure.

Yuzu shuffled on her feet, her fox ears twitching nervously. “Yuzu… scawed, but Yuzu bery agree with Mashiro.”

Catherine, standing beside her, had a conflicted expression on her face, her crimson eyes scanning the shrine’s entrance with suspicion. Meanwhile, Yuki, who had been her usual lazy self, seemed uncharacteristically quiet, her white cat ears flicking slightly as if picking up on something unseen. Was she… worried?

Nope. She yawned. Loudly.

“I don't know about this,” Catherine finally said, adjusting the brim of her witch hat. “Are you sure you two will be okay going alone?”

Before I could answer, Yuki, looking completely unbothered, flopped onto the grass and sprawled out like she was about to take a nap. She stretched out her arms, lazily pawing at the air. “Just tell me when you’re done, meow.”

I stared at her, utterly baffled. “You two… aren’t coming?”

Catherine sighed, tilting her head toward me like I had just asked if fire was hot. “Mashiro… I’m a witch.”

Still lying on the ground, Yuki rolled onto her back, holding up her hands like little cat paws. “And I’m a cat, meow~!”

I blinked at them. “…That explains nothing.”

The wind whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves in a way that made the shrine feel even more eerily quiet. The red torii gate loomed over us, and beyond it, the shrine's doors remained shut, their weathered wood barely holding back the mysteries inside.

“Okay, think about this.” Catherine turned to me, adjusting her grip on her staff. “If you see an abandoned witch's lair in the wild, would you go inside?”

“No…?” I answered hesitantly. In truth, I had no idea what a witch’s lair even looked like, but it sounded ominous enough. Then again, gacha games had taught me that anything dangerous was both dangerous and worth exploring. But this wasn’t a gacha game, and I didn’t have a guaranteed pity system for my survival.

“Exactly,” Catherine nodded. “A witch like me might be tempted to go inside and gather remaining tomes, potions, and research that might be lying around. However, if you’re not well-versed in magic and witchcraft, you could easily die if you enter carelessly.”

Her voice softened slightly, the usual sharpness giving way to something… lonelier. “After all, a witch is a lone creature. We have to be prepared for anything when someone enters our territory.”

Her words hung in the air, mixing with the whispering wind that wove through the shrine grounds. The way Catherine spoke, so matter-of-fact yet strangely distant, made me wonder just how much of her warning came from experience rather than mere caution.

I glanced at the torii gate again, then at the abandoned shrine beyond it. The place was old, forgotten, but not dead. It still pulsed with something unseen, something that made the air feel heavier the closer we got.

“I get what you’re saying,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. “But this isn’t a witch’s lair… it’s a shrine, right?”

Yuki, who had remained sprawled on the grass the entire time, let out another long yawn, stretching like a cat basking in the sun. “Mmm, meow~. Then again, danger’s just another word for ‘adventure,’ isn’t it?” Her snow-white eyes peeked open slightly, glinting with something unreadable.

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Catherine sighed, pressing two fingers to her temple like she was already regretting this conversation. “That’s exactly the problem with cat-kin logic. You all just waltz into trouble like it’s a game.”

Yuki’s lazy smile widened. “And yet, somehow, we always land on our feet.”

Catherine gave her a flat look. “Not if I push you off a cliff.”

“Meow~.”

I shook my head, exhaling as I turned back to the shrine’s entrance. The heavy wooden doors stood tall, worn by time and the elements, but still standing strong. If this place really was important to the fox-kin, then maybe Catherine was right to be cautious. But…

I stepped forward.

The wind picked up for just a moment, rustling the trees more violently before settling back into an eerie stillness.

“…We’re going in,” I decided.

Catherine busied herself by pulling supplies from her seemingly endless bag, spreading out a thick cloth as the base for the tent. The clearing where we stood was surprisingly soft with patches of grass and wildflowers, making it a comfortable enough place to rest. A small stream trickled nearby, its gentle babbling adding to the serene yet eerie atmosphere of the forgotten shrine.

“Um… I don’t think it would take that long…? I just wanted to check the inside.” I said, shifting my gaze between the shrine and Catherine’s growing campsite. “Besides, didn’t you say that we should be resting at the next village over today?”

Catherine looked up briefly, the sun glinting off her crimson eyes. “Mashiro, this is your journey’s home. It’s your call.” She turned her gaze toward the shrine again, as if measuring its significance. “If I were to find a witch’s lair, it would take me weeks to research and figure out all kinds of witchcraft inside.”

“Nyaw… I saw myself sleeping here…” Yuki mumbled suddenly, rolling onto her side on the grass. Her fluffy white cat ears twitched as she stretched lazily under the warm sunlight, her tail flicking idly.

“Is that one of your cat premonition things?” Catherine asked while she continued assembling the tent, driving a stake into the ground with a practiced motion.

“Nyo….” Yuki replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “I just feel sleepy.”

Catherine’s eyes twitched. “Stop being lazy and help me!”

Yuki let out a soft, drawn-out purr before snuggling into the grass, completely ignoring Catherine’s outburst. Yuzu, meanwhile, was crouched near the shrine’s entrance, ears perked up as she studied the worn wooden doors with an air of both curiosity and caution.

The worn wooden steps creaked softly beneath my feet as I approached the shrine’s entrance. The scent of old wood and faint incense lingered in the air, a reminder of the prayers once offered here. The torii gate behind us framed the world outside. A warm, sunlit forest bathed in golden hues while the shrine ahead stood in the quiet shade, untouched by time yet seemingly waiting for something… or someone.

As I took another step forward, Ai suddenly wriggled free from my arms, landing gracefully on the ground. She let out a small, triumphant yip! and trotted beside me, her tiny paws moving with newfound purpose. It was as if she had been waiting for this moment, for us to finally step inside.

“Oki! Yuzu would bery protect Mashiro!” Yuzu declared proudly, stepping up beside me. Without hesitation, she grabbed my hand, her grip surprisingly firm.

“Um… Yuzu?” I blinked, caught off guard.

Yuzu, ever nonchalant, simply nodded, her black fox ears twitching as she stared straight ahead. “Yuzu need to bery hold Mashiro’s hand to bery protect Mashiro!”

Her words were so serious, so matter-of-fact, that I couldn’t argue. I could only sigh, feeling the warmth of her small hand in mine as we faced the shrine together. The soft rustling of the wind in the trees seemed to quiet as we stood before the doors, the weight of the moment settling in.

With Yuzu holding onto me and Ai trotting ahead excitedly, we were ready to step into the unknown.

“Open sesame!” I yelled, as I opened the door.

The heavy wooden doors groaned in protest as I pushed them open, their hinges creaking with age. Dust swirled in the afternoon light as the inside of the shrine revealed itself, a vast, dimly lit hall lined with faded paper lanterns and wooden pillars wrapped in old, tattered charms. The scent of ancient wood and lingering incense filled the air, a quiet reminder of the countless prayers once offered here.

Ai let out an excited yip! and darted ahead, her fluffy tails swaying as she trotted deeper inside. Yuzu, still clutching my hand, took a hesitant step forward, her fox ears twitching as if listening for something unseen.

The light from the open doors spilled across the wooden floor, casting long shadows that stretched into the depths of the shrine. Everything was eerily silent, no wind, no insects, just the sound of our own footsteps echoing softly against the walls.

“Bery spooky…” Yuzu whispered, tightening her grip on my hand.

I nodded. “Yeah… but it doesn’t feel… bad?”

Despite the shrine’s abandoned state, there was a strange sense of warmth lingering in the air, as if the place itself was watching, waiting.

Yuki’s voice called lazily from outside, “Nyaw… be careful in there… or don’t. Either way, I’m napping.”

Catherine sighed as she finished setting up camp, shaking her head. “If anything tries to eat you, scream loudly so I can start setting things on fire.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the support.”