The morning after the party, it took a few hours longer than normal for the residents of the shrine to get moving, for obvious reasons. Nezumi and Shika were the first to get dressed, then they had a quick breakfast of party leftovers and excused themselves.

"Thank you so much for the invite," Shika told Inara with a graceful bow. "Please reach out to us if there's anything we can do in return."

Inara rubbed some sleep from her eyes, then said, "I already have something in mind, actually. Are you two available any of the next three days to help with our shrine's Hatsumode event?"

Shika blinked and tilted her head. "I think so?"

Nezumi nodded and told Shika, "You've got work tonight, but you have the first and second off. And I can make it work."

The sleepy look vanished from Inara's face and a smile blossomed in its place. "Wonderful! I'll have Seshi send you the details."

The two spirits left after that, but didn't get far. Beyond the shrine's front steps was a solid wall of snow nearly two feet high. The forecasted snow storm had come and gone, leaving clear skies and even more accumulation than anticipated.

"Ugh," Nezumi groaned. "That's not going to be a fun walk." The thought of pushing her short legs through that much snow had her nearly sick to her stomach.

Shika smiled. "Transform and hop on my shoulder. Just promise to warm me up when we get home."

A pink glow filled Nezumi's pale cheeks. "Um, okay. Thanks."

With a puff of smoke, Nezumi turned into a tiny mouse. Shika gathered the fallen clothes into one of her liquor store bags, and gently placed Nezumi on her shoulder.

Shika pointed a finger across the flawless expanse of sparkling snow and cheered, "Onward, my love!" The mouse on her shoulder just groaned in reply.

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"It's not going to get any warmer than this," Inu said firmly. "We need to get the snow cleared while the sun's still out, so the walkway can dry and not turn to ice tonight."

"Yeah, yeah," Seshi grumbled. "But why doesn't Hebi have to help?"

"Because she's cold blooded, obviously," Akari said, poking Seshi's bare hip through the cutout in her shrine maiden hakama. The cat spirit had modified it to be extra sexy with hip cutouts and a short skirt, clearly not planning for shoveling snow in it.

Seshi yelped at the cold contact, but a quivering smile appeared on her lips. The party last night had satisfied all of her wild instincts except one. But she knew how much Inara liked seeing girls in miko outfits, and if she played her cards right…

"Come on!" Inu shouted, hefting a snow shovel over her shoulder. "You can look forward to a hot bath when we're done."

"Ooh, that sounds nice," Akari said.

Usagi raised a hand. "And I already put the water on for tea, which should be ready shortly."

With four workers and the shrine's four shovels, the girls made quick work of the walkway, while Inara watched and used a bit of purification magic to keep everyone comfortable and free of sweat. Fresh snow was already too pure to purify away, or she would have just done that and saved everyone the trouble. Hebi, not wanting to feel left out, sat just inside the shrine door with her laptop, finalizing the plans for the next few days.

[https://i.imgur.com/4cBSKrc.jpg]

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Once the snow removal was done and the day was at its warmest, Hebi asked Inu for some help moving something heavy. Inu had just finished shoveling the steps to town and the little footpath to the shed and road, and she somehow still had energy left over. Together, they hauled a long shipping crate that had been delivered a few days prior out of the store room and set it on the front porch. It was less than a foot thick but over eight feet long, making it as awkward as it was heavy.

"This is the ranma that Inara commissioned from the woodcarver Tetsuhiro," Hebi explained to her gathered assistants, Inu and Akari. "I've already prepared the spot for it over the main entrance, and I shouldn't need too much help installing it."

"Just tell me where you need me," Akari said with a smile.

"For now, I just need you two on either end to hold the crate in place while I pry it open."

Hebi carefully removed a few nails with a crowbar, then popped the entire front panel off the crate. Akari and Inu had been distracted in conversation about the coming Hatsumode, but they went silent when they saw the carving.

Akari had seen photos of the entire creation process and even of the final result, but seeing the ranma in person was another matter entirely. "It's gorgeous," she muttered, awestruck.

It was a sweeping vista of nature and life, a panorama of mountains, trees, wildflowers and animals, all perfectly lifelike except for the uniform dark wood color. The negative space that had been cut out of the wood felt like open sky and valleys, even with just bland packing material as the current backdrop. Every inch of the carving's length was impossibly detailed, down to the texture of the fur on a lone deer, the distinctive outline of every maple leaf, and even the subtle curve of a smile on the central figure's face.

And that figure was instantly recognizable as Inara: her eyes and smile, her hair and ears, even her lovely and curvy silhouette. The likeness that Hebi had captured in her drawings had been replicated and expanded upon perfectly, to a degree that had Akari wondering if Tetsuhiro had somehow seen Inara in person, or in a dream. Akari had asked Tetsuhiro to conjure feelings of prosperity and harmony in nature within the carving, along with a laundry list of the things Inara's nine tails represented. Somehow that master craftsman had captured it all.

"Hey Akari," Inu started, pulling the human from her dazed wonder.

"Yeah?"

"Has Inara ever been the deity of art? Because this… this isn't normal, right?"

Akari shook her head. "No, that's Ame-no-Uzume, goddess of the dawn and wife of Sarutahiko Okami." Akari looked at the carving again, having a hard time believing how good it looked. "But maybe Inara's domain is moving that direction…"

Hebi stood up and moved two small ladders into place beneath the doorway, saying "Nothing against this line of thought, but let's get this thing installed so our visitors tomorrow can enjoy it too."

"Right, right," Inu said, jumping into action. She and Akari worked together to lift the massive carving from the crate, then flipped it around so that the smiling 'greeting' Inara faced outward. The other side was basically the same carving again, since it had to use the same silhouettes, but Inara's expression was different: more reserved, more intimate, and conveying a sense of well-wishing and protection.

Inu held the ranma in place from the center while Hebi moved her ladder around and secured it. The process didn't take long, but it gave Akari enough time to check her email on her phone. She gasped aloud, then ran off to find Inara.

"What was that about?" Inu asked.

"Not a clue. But things sure are lively with Akari around."

Only the bottom half of Inu's face was visible from Hebi's position on the opposite side of the door, but it was smiling broadly. "Yeah, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

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After a brief chat with Inara, Akari ran out of the shrine, passed beneath the fully installed ranma, then made a sharp left at the bottom of the steps. She crossed the clearing and was deep in the trees when she heard a truck rumble to a stop ahead of her.

"Hello!" she called out as she reached the road and stepped over the large snowdrift created by the plow that had passed through that morning. "Sorry I wasn't here to help you park. I wasn't expecting you to arrive today."

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

There was a small delivery truck pulled up next to the shed with its tailgate facing the path. Four large crates were secured with tethers in the open back, sitting amongst a dusting of wispy snow.

A man hopped out of the driver's seat of the truck, wearing a blue coverall uniform and hat. He said, "No problem, miss. I could park this thing backwards on a rocking boat in the dark. I have, actually."

Another man in the same uniform got out of the passenger side and gave Akari a silent nod. Then a third figure emerged from the truck's cab, bundled up in a fluff-lined grey coat with a wool cap pulled down over her ears. Her eyes were hidden beneath dark sunglasses, and her lips were thin and tight, like they were personally displeased to be exposed to such chilly air.

"You must be Akari," the mysterious woman said.

"I am. But who—"

"I'm Kasumi," the woman answered.

"Bwuh?" Akari had received an email that the fox statues would be delivered today, but she had not been expecting the artisan herself to make an appearance. In fact, with how unapproachable and mysterious the artist known only as 'Kasumi' was, Akari had been pretty sure she didn't make public appearances.

Upon seeing Akari's baffled expression, the driver let out a deep laugh and said, "This little lady practically begged us to let her ride along. She says that it's only about making sure the statues get installed right, but—"

Kasumi cut him off. "It is about that. Mostly. I'm also a bit attached to these particular statues, so I had to make sure they arrived safe and are treated right. And I want to meet the commissioner, my patron."

Right… I told her we'd commission her again if Inara was happy with the results, Akari thought. I guess she wants to help that along.

Akari decided to roll with it. "Oh, it will be wonderful to have your experience on hand for the install, and I'll see whether my boss is available to meet you." Akari pulled out her phone. "Let me text her now."

As Akari frantically emailed Hebi a warning that Kasumi was coming and wanted to meet Inara, the delivery men started unloading crates from the back of the truck onto two furniture dollies with big rubber tires. There were four crates in total, housing the two fox statues and the stone plinths that they would sit upon.

"You sure are remote," the driver said, making conversation while he worked. "We don't usually have to lug things through a forest to deliver them."

"Uh, yep. It's inconvenient, but you can't really move a 500-year-old shrine," Akari said distractedly, still focused on her phone.

The talkative man countered, "Well, I heard there's a shrine in Mie Prefecture they tear down and rebuild every 20 years, switching between two spots." He paused as he worked with the other man to lower a very heavy crate onto the dolly. "But I suppose that's a bit different."

Kasumi stepped close. "So, is your boss available to talk?"

Akari panicked and hid her phone screen."Uh, yeah, I think she will be, after the installation is done."

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With Kasumi overseeing the operation, the pair of fox statues were successfully installed a few feet in front of the shrine's front steps. They sat atop polished granite pillars that featured small bronze plaques crediting Kasumi for their crafting. The pillars were about ten feet apart, and the angle of the two foxes' heads made it clear that they were associated, if not actively watching each other.

The fox on the right was incredibly lifelike, with a realistic size and intricate details, from the texture of its fur to the precise shape of its snout. The only ways to tell it wasn't a real creature just pausing on the plinth for a rest were its stony grey color and the fact that it had nine tails splayed out behind it like a blooming flower.

The one on the left was beyond lifelike. Its fur seemed to glitter in the sunlight, its eyes were wide and full of intelligence and purpose, and its lips were curled into a proud and hopeful smile, directed at the other fox. Inara had wanted the statues to represent her own journey, her growth from her current self into her idealized one. Akari thought that Kasumi had succeeded in that task, but Inara would be the final judge.

While they waited for Inara to make her appearance, Akari offered glasses of juice to Kasumi and the delivery men, then said, "So how did you make the 'magical' one sparkle like that?"

"Nothing special. I just used a block of granite that had a quartz-infused vein running through it. The other statue came from the same block, except outside the vein."

Akari blinked. It really was a simple technique, but the effect was amazing. "Um, will it wear out faster as a result?"

"It shouldn't, as long as it's cared for properly," Kasumi answered. "I'll send along some guidelines for granite maintenance. If you do it right, these will outlast everyone you know. If you do it wrong, I suppose you can pay me to make another."

Akari disagreed with the 'outlast everyone you know' part of that statement, since she knew a lot of immortal spirits, but she was determined to care for these wonders to the best of her ability.

"Oh, here she comes," Akari said, somehow both relieved and even more anxious now that Inara was showing herself to the humans. She'd hid her ears and tail and was surely suppressing her aura as much as possible, but her immense beauty was still on full display. Kasumi seemed like an incredibly observant person, and Akari wondered if Inara could truly hide her supernatural nature from the sculptor.

"Kasumi, I presume?" Inara said as she made her way down the stone steps. She wore a black winter kimono with a fur lining at the neck and pastel flowers embroidered throughout the silky material. Short black gloves covered her fingers, perhaps as an extra barrier between her power and human contact.

"Ye—" Kasumi's voice caught in her throat when she first laid eyes on the goddess, then she resumed. "Yes, that's me. And you must be Inara. I've heard little about you, but what I have heard has me quite intrigued." She took off her sunglasses and hat, revealing short black hair in a bob cut and bright green eyes, then she offered a hand.

Inara smiled and gently grasped Kasumi's hand, then stepped back. "May I take a closer look at your work?"

Kasumi nodded. "Of course. Take your time." Then she quickly covered her head and eyes again, as if she didn't want to be recognized by anyone, even way out in the woods.

Inara hummed in thought as she admired the statues, stepping around them and peering at them from every angle. She mimicked their glancing poses, the way they were each looking at the other in admiration or pride. She ran a covered finger along their backs and pushed on their tails as if testing that they were actually stone and not alive, then walked away and sat down on the shrine steps.

"Inara? Are you okay?" Akari asked.

The goddess looked up at Akari with a brilliant smile and glossy, wet eyes. "I am wonderful."

She turned to Kasumi. "Forgive me. I didn't expect to be affected so. Your work is truly amazing. Better than I could have hoped for. There's no doubt in my mind that every visitor to this shrine will know the emotion of these statues, and understand the purpose of this shrine. Personal growth, given form and life in unliving stone. Thank you."

Kasumi was speechless for a moment, then her driven, confident personality reemerged. "You're very welcome. I put my all into my work, and a little extra into these statues. I do hope you'll commission me again. With a path as long as this shrine's and a clearing so large, you certainly have the room for more works."

Inara suddenly rose to her feet, wiping moisture from her eyes. "Forgive me," she repeated, then she turned away, toward the shrine. "I… need some time to recover. Akari can handle the rest."

She scurried away into the shrine just as Akari felt a wave of emotional energy radiate out from the goddess. With her emotions so high, she was having difficulty keeping her aura in check, and she really didn't want to reveal her true nature to these humans.

"I would call that a rousing success," Akari said cheerfully.

The quieter of the two delivery men finally spoke up, saying, "Quite an emotional lady, huh?"

"Only when something goes just right," Akari said. "She really loved your statues, Kasumi."

Kasumi waved to the two men, "We're wrapping up here, and I don't want to keep you longer than necessary. You can get ready to go and I'll be along shortly."

As the men stacked the empty crates on their dollies, Kasumi faced Akari and lowered her voice. "The whole time I was working on this assignment, I felt like there was something special about it, like my hands were being guided, no, inspired by something bigger than myself. After seeing this lovely shrine and meeting Inara, I'm sure of it."

Then, instead of elaborating, she smiled and said, "Please email me again when she wants another statue or two."

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Starting just after midnight on the 1st of January, the people of Shinjō began to arrive at the Mori-jinsha Shrine. There, they found a rotating crew of shrine maidens on staff, keeping the walkways clear of snow and supporting the public in their first prayer of the new year.

Even if the beautiful shrine maidens hadn't been eagerly pointing out the shrine's newest decorative additions, the public would surely have noticed them. After all, the ranma was positioned directly above the donation box, and the fox statues flanked the only path to the shrine. But more than that, a strange aura of satisfaction permeated the air, directing every eye to appreciate the wondrous artwork that had been painstakingly crafted by skilled human hands.

Inara couldn't be happier with those creations, and that emotion slipped out from her like the scent of fresh-baked bread from an oven.

"Are you even trying to keep your aura in check, Mistress Inara?" Usagi whispered as she came off shift. It was Shika's turn to keep the flow of people moving smoothly for a while. "The people out there are practically drooling over those statues."

Inara just smiled and watched the visitors from the shadows at the back of the main hall. "I am, but good art just has that effect on people."

"If you say so," Usagi said with a chuckle. Then she continued down the hall, leaving Inara to her proud observation. The goddess wanted to hear what people thought about the shrine's new displays, and what their presence might mean.

An older couple paused at the top of the stairs, waiting for their turn to make an offering and pray to the deity. One of them said, "Looks like there's a fox theme now."

"Ayup. Is this an Inari shrine then?"

"I don't think so," the first answered. "The little darlings said it's a nameless mountain goddess who lives here. And Inari-okami's foxes never had nine tails."

The other nodded, slowly shuffling towards the offering box. "Oh, that's right. I wish I knew this goddess's name then. It would make it easier to pray, I think."

Inara almost stepped forward then, to reveal herself and tell them her name. But there was one thought that kept her firmly seated and hidden, one question she needed to answer before she could make the progress she so desired.

I am no longer Inari-okami, goddess of rice, prosperity and… industry. That word left a sour taste in her mouth just thinking of how the ill-fitting domain had been thrust upon her all those years ago. But who am I now? Who have I become, after centuries of inaction, decades of reinventing myself, and now a mere half-year of visible growth?

"What did you pray for, dear?" The couple had finished their visitation and were beginning the long walk home.

"Just a bit of positive change, to keep things fresh in this old town."

"Huh. So did I. What are the odds?"