"You're sure you want to do this for me? I mean, I can do it…"

Akari said she could do the introductory announcement for their idol performance, but she didn't actually believe it. She could perform in front of a handful of regular shrine visitors, sure, but taking the lead at something new in front of this many strangers was too much.

Neko grinned. "Nah, I got this. I'll give a little over-the-top energy, show a little leg, and I'll have them all pumped for our performance."

"Don't do anything weird…"

"Of course. Inara's approval is just as important to me as all the followers, err, fans I'm about to earn."

Akari glanced around to see if the other girls had heard Neko's confession. She had obviously cooked up this entire idol show to boost her following, to lay the groundwork for her ascension to a superior spirit. All the fundraising and publicity for the shrine were just icing on the cake.

But the others were too busy with their own concerns to have overheard. Usagi was closing up the fried sweet potato stand for the night, Inu was pacing around the stage like a soldier on patrol, and Hebi was deep in conversation with Inara about something. Hebi looked a bit annoyed yet resigned to move forward with Inara's wishes.

Those wishes became clear almost immediately when Inara jogged over to Neko and Akari. "Hey girls, I decided on your group name, and how you'll each be addressed for the popularity contest."

"Oh! How exciting!" Akari replied.

"Lay it on me, Goddess," Neko said, still grinning.

"Since the shrine's still called Mori-jinsha, the group will be called Mori Musume," Inara said. The name just meant 'forest girls', but it was a fitting name for a group of animal-eared girls working at a forest shrine. "And you'll go by your animal names, since it fits the brand."

Neko giggled, "I'm obviously fine being 'Neko', but Akari's gonna be 'Ningen'?"

Akari's face fell. "That sounds so weird. I'd rather not."

"Good call. Akari's just Akari then."

"And Hebi? She won't have any visible snake features with her tail hidden."

Inara leaned close, giving Akari a whiff of her perfume, a sweet, rich, and earthy scent that Akari hadn't smelled before. "She's going to move like a snake, and I gave her permission to unveil her tail briefly during the finale. As long as no one gets a close look at it, we can claim it was a prop."

"If you say so," Neko said. "And just so you know, Inara, Akari asked me to do the intro and build the hype."

Akari bowed her head. "Sorry, I just wasn't confident that I'd do a good job,"

Inara's voice grew soft and motherly. "Did you take a peek at the future to check? Seeing that success is possible can be a great motivator."

Akari quickly shook her head. "I didn't want to get overwhelmed again."

Inara stepped behind Akari and placed her hands on Akari's shoulders. "I'll guide you and make sure your visions stay related to this festival. The rest is up to you."

"Wha? Uh, okay… I'll try my best," Akari mumbled, then she closed her eyes and reached for that oddly familiar feeling of remembering forward. She also attempted to steer her vision to 'recall' things related to the idol show and her own performance in it.

She saw herself climbing the steps on the back of the stage, and she saw Inu down below, making one last patrol before the show. Akari felt herself take a deep breath and psych herself up for the opening introduction. From her vantage point, she could see a crowd of hundreds, most with their attention fixed on her.

"You're not welcome here," someone said near the stage, a woman's voice stern and ungiving. It wasn't directed at Akari, but at someone in the audience.

"This is a public festival," came a reply. "I can watch if I want."

Akari glanced down and saw Inu glaring at a young man. Oh shit, that's Watanabe. Why'd he have to be here?

Akari's ex-boyfriend stepped closer to Inu. "And I remember you. That slap hurt, you know?"

"Good. Too bad you didn't learn your lesson from it."

He looked pointedly at her ears and said, "I see you're dressed like a bitch today, literally."

Inu's reaction was instant: she kicked him in the shin, but her flimsy sandal did little damage. "You're not welcome here," she repeated, but her voice was less level this time. "Leave before I call security."

"You just kicked me. I should call them on you. In fact, I'll do that right now." He put both hands to his lips and opened his mouth to shout, then—

The vision ended. Akari was back with Neko and Inara, with the comforting weight of Inara's hands on her shoulders.

"Damn," Akari muttered once she had reacclimated to the present.

"What's wrong, Akari?" Inara asked, resting her chin on Akari's head.

"I didn't even get to my introduction before the vision ended. I saw Inu and my ex getting into a fight, and it looked like it was going to derail the whole performance."

"Damn indeed," Neko agreed. "So what can we do about it?"

Akari answered, "I think we just need to get Inu to call off her final patrol. And tell her not to interact with my ex if she does see him."

Inara patted Akari on the shoulder and started away. "I'll go find her and tell her. She'll listen to me."

"Thanks, Inara," Akari said, but it didn't feel like enough. If Watanabe saw Akari doing the intro, he would probably heckle her, and even if it didn't derail the performance, it was sure to torpedo her confidence. "Um, Neko. Can you still do the intro for me? Knowing he's here… I don't think I can."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Neko gave an understanding nod. "Sure thing, babe. I'm happy to help a follower."

Akari couldn't help but giggle at that. "You're really gunning for that promotion, huh?"

"Like an asskissing salaryman," Neko confirmed.

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"Ladies and gentlemen, humans and spirits, souls and celebrants of this lovely Aki Matsuri! It's my humble pleasure to introduce Shinjō's first and only Shinto idol group, Mori Musume!" Like the other girls, Neko held a wireless microphone, and it carried her voice loud and clear to the entire gathered audience.

Neko did a little twirl that showed off her tail and revealed the bare legs beneath her skirt. "We're one cute human and four cute animal girls from the forest near the Mori-jinsha shrine south of town. And as you can see, we were given human forms by the goddess of that shrine, so that we could work as shrine maidens alongside our human member. And so we could put on this show for all of you!"

With that, Neko spun around again, flashing so much leg that Akari nearly had a heart attack until she remembered that all their outfits had dance shorts beneath.

She danced to Akari's side and said, "This is our human mentor, the adorable Shinto expert Akari!" Akari barely had time to wave to the crowd before Neko zipped off again.

Neko stood behind Usagi, then gently grabbed both of her ears and held them up high for everyone to see. "This busty little bombshell is Usagi, and she's a seriously awesome chef!"

While Usagi cowered in embarrassment, Neko moved on to Inu. "She'll run circles around you and fight off any threat, this is our fitness nut and loyal protector, Inu!"

Inu beamed, clearly proud of that description.

Neko slid to Hebi's side, wrapping an arm around her remarkably slim waist. "Smart and sly, slender and so sexily stern, say hello to Hebi!"

Hebi remained stone-faced and pushed her glasses up with one finger. The lensless costume glasses had been Inara's idea, and they were a simple but effective way to emphasize Hebi's academic aesthetic.

"And last but not least, I'm the flirty little kitty of the group, Neko!" She wiggled her ears and swished her tail and made an exaggerated paw gesture with one hand.

On cue, all five girls lifted their microphones and said, "And all together, we're Mori Musume!"

The girls were far from professional pop stars with their own music library, so they just performed a few covers of Shinto-related pop songs, singing over instrumental backing tracks karaoke-style. And the singing was really secondary to the dancing, which incorporated dozens of distinctive miko movements. Throughout their practice sessions, Akari had made sure that the dance moves remained faithful and respectful tributes to Shinto rituals, and not some cheap knockoff or parody.

The audience seemed to agree. Priests and other shrine maidens clapped along with the rest of the public, and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Akari kept an eye on the crowd, looking for any trouble with Watanabe, but he was nowhere to be seen. Just one small change in plans, just asking Inu to avoid confrontation, had been enough to sidestep an entire timeline.

Foresight is awesome. And more than a little terrifying, Akari thought as she went through the familiar motions of the kagura dance. She'd been doing this dance at various events for years now, and it was basically muscle memory at this point. She just needed to speed it up a little to fit the pop song rhythm and stay in sync with the other girls, and that wasn't too hard.

"Akari!" Usagi hissed.

Akari opened her eyes to find the music had stopped and she was the only one still dancing. She stopped and bowed deeply, partially hiding her rapidly reddening face. "Sorry about that," she said into her microphone. "I just love kagura and I got carried away."

Neko, always quick on her feet, rolled with it, "That's our Akari. She loves Shinto more than anyone I've met, and that's why she leads all our events back at the Mori-jinsha Shrine. Come see her when you visit for daily worship, especially if you're interested in self improvement, our goddess's newest domain. If you want to grow or improve in any way, she's here for you, watching and supporting." Her exaggerated peppiness faded and her tone grew serious and reflective as she pressed a hand to her chest. "I know she's already helped me be a better person."

Suddenly, the pep returned in force. "And before you go, please vote for your favorite Mori Musume idol at our booth right there. We're having a friendly competition, and we want your opinions!"

With a deeply exaggerated bow, Neko cheered, "Signing off, I'm Neko!"

"I'm Akari!"

"U-Usagi!" stammered Usagi, only slightly exaggerating her real shyness.

Inu pointed a thumb at herself and grinned. "Inu."

"And I am Hebi," Hebi finished, but as she spoke, her long and scaly tail unfurled from beneath her skirt and waved in the air beside her like a charmed snake. She flashed a mysterious smile, then tucked the tail away again and left the stage.

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"I'd say that went really well," Inara said between bites of fried sweet potato on a stick, one of a dozen or so that hadn't sold yet when Usagi closed up shop. The festival had finished and the only people still around were exhibitors packing up their stands or volunteers picking up litter. Usagi, Hebi, and Akari were off doing just that.

"Of course you'd say that," Inu said with a roll of her eyes. "You got to see us all dancing in cute outfits and making fools of ourselves."

"You weren't fools. The festival goers genuinely enjoyed your performance. We got nearly 100 votes, after all."

"So you have counted them!" Neko blurted. "Hurry up and tell us who won!"

"Not until we're back home. I don't want you girls distracted or discouraged while we still have cleanup to do."

"Fine," Neko pouted. "I'll go help Akari with her work. Seeya!"

Neko strutted away, looking very cheerful and confident.

Inu watched her go. "She's certainly having a good time."

Inara nodded. "This was her plan, after all. And it went very well, both for her and the shrine."

Inu narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean 'for her'?"

Inara smiled and nibbled some sweet potato, then said, "She's still working toward her goal of becoming a superior spirit by gathering followers. And now that self improvement is my domain, I can't refuse her, now can I?"

"Isn't that dangerous? She's a loose cannon, and she used to hurt people."

"Used to," Inara said firmly. "And I believe she can put that behind her and grow for the better."

"I hope you're right…"

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"Hey, Akari!"

Akari paused with a microphone cable in one hand. She had been packing the borrowed electrical equipment back in its crate. "What's up, Neko?"

"What are your thoughts on the name 'Seshi'?"

"The thing the little kid called you earlier? Never heard it used as a name before."

Neko lowered her voice. "But does it fit me?"

"Wait, that kid calling you 'seshi' was enough to earn your name? Seriously?"

"Maybe? It's hard to tell with this stuff. But just in case, I want to know your opinion on the name."

Akari rubbed her chin. "I guess I like it. It's cute, and it makes me think of 'sexy' too. Though maybe that's just because I was there when the kid said it. Not sure that association will come through for others."

Neko seemed quite satisfied with that. She smiled broadly and said, "Let's give it a test run. Hi, I'm Seshi!"

Akari giggled and played along. "It's nice to meet you, Seshi, I'm Akari."

Just then, a loud hum echoed through the area. It was a bit like microphone feedback, but all the equipment had been unplugged. Akari had to cover her ears, but the other humans didn't so much as flinch. A pair of Shinto priests who had been deep in conversation looked around with puzzled expressions, then resumed unfazed.

The hum grew louder and higher, as if building toward a crescendo, and Neko winced and covered her own ears. There was a squeak overhead, barely audible over the hum, and a small creature, a mouse by the looks of it, fell from the stage rafters. It landed behind the microphone crate, then skittered away and off stage.

Then the hum stopped.

"What was that?" Akari muttered, lowering her hands from her ears and looking around in confusion.

Neko blinked several times and ran a hand over her tail to smooth it back down. "Oof, that was pretty different from your thunderclap."

"Huh?" Akari was totally lost. "My thunderclap?"

"The shockwave when you became Inara's chosen one? I thought this would have been like that."

"This? You mean that loud humming sound?"

"Yep. And thank you, Akari. I really owe you one."

Akari frowned. "I don't understand, Neko. What do you mean?"

The cat spirit grinned so wide it was as if her smile would escape her cheeks. "You just gave me a name. I'm not Neko anymore. I'm Seshi."