Just like when he first met Yae Miko, Yu Xie lowered his footsteps and approached her, crouching down to watch her sleeping form.

The two pink fox ears twitched gently, and her fluffy fox tail swayed slightly.

She was so cute, it was hard not to want to touch her.

Yu Xie didn’t think much about it. Without hesitation, he reached out and pinched Yae Miko's ears, running his hand through her fur.

Though Yu Xie was careful, Yae Miko still woke up.

She opened her sleepy eyes and saw Yu Xie's face right in front of her.

Unlike their first meeting, Yae Miko didn’t startle this time. She didn’t immediately turn back into her human form, but instead, she pounced on Yu Xie and lay on his shoulder, closing her eyes as if she intended to continue sleeping.

Yu Xie didn’t say anything, slowly sitting down and holding Yae Miko in his arms, just like Makoto did when he held her.

Yae Miko's fox-like mouth seemed to curl into a smile, her expression comfortable, and her tail swayed gently.

"Yae Miko, the weather’s still chilly. Be careful not to catch a cold while sleeping here," Yu Xie said.

Yae Miko didn’t reply and kept her eyes closed.

"By the way, Yae Miko, are you really not interested in becoming the head priestess of the Grand Shrine of Narukami?"

This question made Yae Miko open her eyes again.

The fox-shaped Yae Miko looked up at Yu Xie, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she just hummed twice and returned to lying on Yu Xie’s chest to continue sleeping.

Seeing this, Yu Xie decided not to say more, just holding her like a warm handwarmer.

It had to be said, her soft and warm fur was perfect for warming his hands.

But suddenly, the fox-shaped Yae Miko let out a startled yelp.

She immediately jumped out of Yu Xie’s arms, and a puff of light smoke appeared and vanished, transforming her back into her human form.

The sudden transformation left Yu Xie slightly stunned.

"What’s wrong?"

The Priestess’s face flushed with embarrassment, and she stammered:

"Y-Your hand… what did you want to touch?"

Yu Xie froze.

It seemed that he had gotten too caught up in treating the Priestess like a handwarmer and perhaps had touched somewhere he shouldn’t have.

Seeing the lingering blush on Yae Miko’s face, it seemed almost certain.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to..."

Yae Miko didn’t respond to Yu Xie’s words but just stared at him with a red face.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I really am sorry, how about...?" Yu Xie began again.

"…Forget it, I won’t hold it against you, hmph!" Yae Miko interrupted, sitting down and turning her head to look elsewhere.

Seeing Yae Miko act this way, Yu Xie thought for a moment before standing up.

"Wait for me, I’ll be back soon with an apology gift."

After saying that, Yu Xie left.

Yae Miko didn’t say anything. She lowered her head to glance at her chest, her face turning even redder, her heart racing as if she could hear the pounding in her chest.

Not long after, Yu Xie returned, holding a portion of fried tofu.

Without a word, Yae Miko took the fried tofu from him and began eating.

"So, does this mean you forgive me?" Yu Xie asked, watching her.

"Hmph, I won’t hold it against you." Yae Miko replied, still chewing the tofu.

A light breeze blew through the Grand Shrine of Narukami, and cherry blossom petals fell with the wind, like pink snow.

Yae Miko finished the fried tofu, her expression one of contentment.

"My cooking hasn’t declined, right?" Yu Xie asked, testing her.

"Mm..." Yae Miko thought for a moment. "Well, it hasn’t declined."

"That's good." Yu Xie smiled, about to bring up the topic of the position of the head priestess, but the atmosphere didn’t seem right for it.

"Really, how did my hand end up touching a place I shouldn’t have while holding Yae earlier?"

"Regarding taking over from Lady Kitsune Saiguu to become the head priestess of the Grand Shrine of Narukami, I’ve actually given it some thought." Yae Miko suddenly brought up the topic herself. "To be honest, I’m not entirely opposed to becoming the head priestess, but Lady Kitsune Saiguu has always talked to me like she’s planning to leave... so that’s why I refused her."

This made Yu Xie fall silent for a moment.

Kitsune Saiguu wasn’t leaving; someone else was.

"Don’t overthink it. Even if you take over as the head priestess of the Grand Shrine, Kitsune Saiguu won’t leave. She’ll always stay here." Yu Xie said slowly.

"Mm." Yae Miko nodded lightly. "But for now, I think I’ll stay as a shrine maiden. When Lady Kitsune Saiguu gets tired, I’ll take over, if I’m qualified by then."

Yu Xie looked at Yae Miko. Without realizing it, he reached out and placed his hand gently on her head.

Yae Miko paused for a moment, but didn’t seem to mind. Her pink fox ears twitched a few times.

"Yae Miko, when you’re in your human form, can you show me your tail?" Yu Xie asked.

"Sure, but why are you asking that?" Yae Miko asked curiously. Then, it seemed like she understood, and she added, "I’m not going to let you touch my tail in this form!"

"I never said anything about touching it!" Yu Xie quickly explained.

........

Ei had changed into a different outfit.

She was wearing regular human clothes now, her hair styled into a ponytail, with a few minor magic adjustments.

With this new look, no one would recognize her on the street.

She walked alone silently down the street, with vendors on both sides constantly praising their goods.

Normally, Ei rarely went out.

But for some reason today, she had a sudden impulse to go for a "secret visit" to the streets.

She remembered that Yu Xie had once told her not to always stay inside the keep when there was nothing to do, and that she should go outside more often—it might lead to new discoveries.

Had she come out today just because of that one sentence? Ei couldn’t quite figure it out.

Now that she thought about it, Yu Xie really was a strange person. He was just a mortal, yet on the battlefield, he didn’t care about his own life or death, and fought with all his strength to save Makoto, to save Chiyo, and even to save Kitsune Saiguu.

If it hadn’t been for Yu Xie, would she have lost her sister, lost Chiyo, lost Kitsune Saiguu? Ei didn’t know.

All she knew was that she truly appreciated Yu Xie, and had gradually gotten used to his presence.

A hundred years—how could she not get used to it?

The sweet smell of desserts drifting from a nearby stall broke Ei’s thoughts. She stopped in front of the dessert stall.

"Miss, would you like to buy some sweets? They're really delicious, I can guarantee it!" The stall owner immediately greeted her with a smile when he saw a potential customer.

"I'll have some," Ei said.

"Great! Which one would you like?"

Kage hesitated for a moment before pointing to a dessert packaged in a beautiful box.

"That one."

"Got it, anything else you need?"

"One is enough."

"Alright, that’ll be 500 Mora."

Ei suddenly froze. Only then did she realize that she hadn’t brought any Mora with her.

The atmosphere became a bit awkward.

"Miss, are you perhaps…" The stall owner, having been in business for many years, quickly noticed.

"I’ll pay for her," a deep voice said, and 500 Mora was placed on the stall.

Ei turned her head to see Yu Xie standing beside the stall, smiling at her.