Fantasy Library.

Chapter 477 The Priestess with Beast Ears
"Thump thump—thump thump—thump thump—"

A rhythmic and powerful heartbeat resounded in Aize's chest, causing him to clutch his heart and silently utter a phrase in his mind.

"This feeling... is back again."

Yes.

This strange situation wasn't the first time it had happened to Aize.

He had a similar experience when he was a child, the first time he set foot in the territory of Kenji Shrine.

That scared him quite a bit at the time. He thought there was something seriously wrong with his health, so he went back and had a medical check-up. After that, he was too afraid to come to Kenshin Shrine, for fear that there might be something wrong there.

Even now, several years later, Aize revisited the place and happened to encounter the Spring Festival, which made him decide to come back again.

As a result, he had only just stepped into the territory of Kenji Shrine when this strange situation occurred again.

"What exactly happened?"

This time, Aize didn't panic like he did when he was a child. Instead, he forced himself to calm down, looked at the shrine in front of him, and fell into deep thought.

At this moment, Ma Tingluhua seemed to see someone, and her eyes lit up.

"Look, Aze, it's Rentaro and Koharu!"

Before Aize could respond, Ma Tingluhua began waving and calling for people.

"Hey! Rentaro! Koharu! Over here!"

At this time, Kenji Shrine was quite lively because the procession had already entered, and there were people everywhere, crowding the square in front of the shrine.

The sound of the reeds in Ma Ting was quite loud, but in such a lively setting, it was naturally drowned out by all sorts of noise.

Ma Tinglu called out several times and finally managed to call over a brother and sister who were mixed in with the crowd.

"Oh, it's Sister Luhua. I thought it was one of the pretty foreign tourists I chatted up earlier calling me."

The first to speak was a boy dressed in casual clothes in the style of a kimono. He was slightly shorter than Aize, but had a rather slender figure and a somewhat handsome appearance.

He was about the same age as Aize, and he looked quite energetic, but he gave off a somewhat frivolous feeling. When he walked over, there was a hint of expectation in his eyes, but when he saw Ma Tingluhua, he became disappointed.

"Sister Roka! Are you here to watch the priestess dance the Kagura dance? I thought you'd be helping out at the shop today!"

The next to speak was a petite, cute girl with long pink hair tied in pigtails, a bright and cheerful expression, and a very clear voice.

The girl was probably a year or two younger than Aize, but her height was not particularly outstanding. She wore a light yellow jumpsuit with a distinctive style, somewhat similar to the one worn by Ma Tingluhua, and there was a blue butterfly-shaped decoration on the chest of the dress, which perfectly accentuated her delicate and charming appearance.

Looking at the brother and sister, Aize suppressed his inner turmoil.

"You're Rentaro? You're Koharu?" Aize smiled with some surprise, "Long time no see, you've both changed quite a bit."

The brother and sister, who had been focused on Ma Tingluhua and hadn't noticed Aize's presence, were suddenly stunned, and then their eyes widened in unison.

"You wouldn't happen to be Aize, would you?" The frivolous boy was first surprised, then exclaimed with delight, "Yes! You're Aize! You actually came back?"

"Brother?" The petite and adorable girl covered her mouth, her expression a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. "You're Brother Aize? Really?"

The brother and sister in front of me are named Kurama Rentaro and Kurama Koharu respectively. They are the grandsons of Kurama Genjuro, Aize's maternal grandfather.

In other words, the two are actually Aize's cousins.

"You finally decided to come back, huh? Why didn't you tell us?"

Kurama Rentaro grabbed Aize's shoulder and punched him, both excited and complaining.

"It's been so long, brother, you're finally back!"

Koharu Kurama also grabbed Aize's sleeve with a joyful expression, a habit she had since childhood.

Although they hadn't seen each other for several years, the two didn't seem to feel any distance from Aize at all, and even used phrases like "I'm back" to describe their relationship, proving that they already considered Aize one of their own.

"I had no choice, my mom asked me to come and help my grandpa." Aize smiled unconsciously and said, "What? Didn't grandpa tell you I was coming?"

“Absolutely not!” Kurama Rentaro pouted and said, “Grandpa is an executive member of the Kasuga Festival this time. He was entrusted with an important task by Hoori. He has been busy with festival preparations since last month and has hardly come home. How could he possibly have told us about this?”

"So, brother, are you planning to stay here for a while?" Koharu Kurama clapped her hands and said happily, "That's great! We haven't gotten together in so long!"

Ma Tingluhua, who was standing to the side, also nodded with a smile.

When they were little, the four of them often played together and formed a regular little group.

Aize and the Kurama siblings are cousins, so it's impossible for them not to hang out together. Ma Tingluhua was brought in by Aize's unreliable mother, which is why she became the eldest sister in the group.

When Aize came to Suizhi Town before, he spent most of his time hanging out with these three, having fun all day long. Now, this group of four has finally reunited.

“When you weren’t back a few years ago, Xiaochun kept talking about you.” Ma Tingluhua also revealed mischievously, “All she does is ask me all day long whether Auntie told me when you were coming back. I’m so annoyed by her nagging.”

“Yeah.” Kurama Rentaro also betrayed his sister without hesitation, saying, “She’s always calling me ‘brother’ this and ‘brother’ that. People who don’t know her would think you’re her real brother. It’s so annoying.”

"Well, we don't say it every day, do we?!" Koharu Kurama's face flushed red. She secretly glanced at Aize and said shyly and angrily, "Sister Luhua! Brother Lian! Don't talk nonsense!"

"Are we talking nonsense? Look at yourself now!" Kurama Rentaro said with some disgust, "I'm with you every day and I've never seen you blush once, but as soon as Aize came back, you started pretending to be shy. You have no shame."

"I-I wasn't pretending to be shy! You idiot, Lian-ge!" Kurama Koharu's face turned even redder with anger as she shouted, "If we're talking about pretending, Lian-ge, you're the one putting on an act! Who can casually strike up a conversation with a girl like you?"

Upon hearing this, Aize immediately raised an eyebrow.

"Pick up girls? You?" Aize's gaze towards Kurama Rentaro changed, as if he were getting to know him all over again. He said, "You've gotten so bold now? You've actually learned to actively pick up girls?"

"Well, any man could do that, right?" Kurama Rentaro was not ashamed at all, but rather proud of it. He said, "Hoori is just a small town, and there are acquaintances everywhere. If you don't make an effort to strike up a conversation, good women will be snatched up by others. I don't want to end up going on a blind date with a girl I've known since childhood. That would be too embarrassing."

As he spoke, Kurama Rentaro put his arm around Aize's shoulder and said such things in a sly manner.

"As for you, you grew up in a big country and live in a big city. You must have had at least one or two girlfriends, right? Are you still as withdrawn as before?"

Kurama Rentaro's words piqued the interest of Maba Roka, while Kurama Koharu secretly pricked up her ears and began to eavesdrop intently.

“Unfortunately, unlike you guys, I haven’t changed much since then, except for my height.” Aize slapped Kurama Rentaro’s hand away and said nonchalantly, “Even if you’re born in a big country or a big city, not everyone will have a girlfriend at this age.” “At least, I’m not interested in the girls at school.”

Upon hearing this, Ma Tingluhua seemed a little disappointed, as if she hadn't heard any gossip about her childhood friend. Kurama Koharu, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief without making a sound and became inexplicably happy. Only Kurama Rentaro looked at her with a look of utter disappointment.

"You're clearly ungrateful! I've heard that girls in big cities are not only beautiful but also very open-minded. If it were me, I'd definitely date a few first!"

Kurama Rentaro's words immediately drew a rebuttal from Kurama Koharu.

"Brother Lian, don't corrupt your brother! Not everyone is as shameless as you!"

Koharu Kurama genuinely dislikes her older brother; she's even started rolling her eyes at him.

“It’s true that some girls are very open-minded, but if you’re talking about pretty girls, I wouldn’t dare to say so.” Aize shrugged and said, “There are still more ugly people in this world, and people in big cities are even more realistic. If you come to my school, you’ll only see ugly people scrambling to do weird things.”

"Although there are some good-looking girls, I think girls who grew up in rural towns like Suizhi are more delicate and genuine."

"Rentaro, listen to my advice. You should cherish the resources around you. If you think that girls in big cities are easy to pick up, you are very wrong. The result will only be that innocent country boys like you will be played by scumbags or green tea girls."

As they were talking, Aize suddenly noticed that the noise around them was decreasing.

"coming!"

Ma Tingluhua tugged at Aize's clothes and said something.

"The priestess is about to begin her Kagura dance!"

Even without Ma Tingluhua's reminder, Aize had already seen it.

A figure was seen slowly walking out of the shrine in front of where the procession had stopped.

She was a girl of similar age to Aize, a year or two older than Kurama Koharu, and a year or three younger than Maten Roka, shrouded in an inexplicable aura.

The girl had long, pure white hair as white as snow, which was tied into a bun with two thin ponytails hanging down. She also wore a golden crown on her head, along with lotus-shaped hair ornaments, which instantly added a sense of solemnity and holiness.

The girl had fair and beautiful skin, long legs, and wore a traditional shrine maiden outfit. The white top was paired with red hakama, and the outermost layer was a light red chihaya (shrine maiden robe) with the shoulders gradually turning white downwards. The hem was tied with a red knot, making it more noble and elegant than ordinary shrine maiden outfits.

The girl's appearance was breathtakingly beautiful and delicate. Her taut face had well-proportioned features, and her eyes were as bright as sapphires, making Aize feel as if he were seeing a princess from a fairy tale or a fairy from a myth.

"Is she the shrine maiden of Suiori Town?"

Aize murmured to himself.

The shrine maiden of Suiori Town is a very special person.

Why does everyone call her the Shrine Maiden?

Even the adults in the family wouldn't allow it if you didn't use honorifics.

Suiori is a place full of stories, and the shrine maidens are the closest to these stories and the most revered beings.

However, now, this noble priestess, holding her prayer implements, began to dance gracefully in front of everyone.

"------"

All the surrounding sounds suddenly disappeared.

Even the usually chattering siblings, including Kurama Rentaro and Kurama Koharu, unconsciously stopped talking, becoming completely absorbed in the spectacle, just like Maten Roka.

Aize was also somewhat amazed.

It was simply because the shrine maiden who was dancing so gracefully had such beautiful movements.

Her movements were elegant; with each step and turn, her long hair would gently brush against the air, and her sleeves would flutter like water fans. Combined with her beautiful and earnest face, this made the incredible atmosphere around her even more intense.

Her focused expression and taut face didn't seem forced at all; instead, they conveyed a sense of solemnity. The earnestness and piety in her eyes didn't seem like a deliberate performance; it was as if she were truly offering divine music and dance to God.

Focused, serious, solemn, and dignified... Aize could easily sense these rare and precious qualities in the other person.

Coupled with her beautiful, almost ethereal appearance, Aize could understand why the people around her were so mesmerized.

This is just too tempting.

"...That guy Rentaro, he said that girls from Suiori aren't good, but isn't she a hundred times prettier than girls from the city?"

Aize spoke from the depths of his heart.

In Aize's eyes, the shrine maiden in front of him, who held a special position in Suizhi Town, was absolutely the most beautiful girl he had ever seen since he came to this world, without exception.

Let alone in this life, even in the past life, it would be difficult to find a beautiful girl who is so pure, so dignified, and so elegant.

Perhaps, only in the world of anime and manga can you see such an incredible girl?

"Ok?"

Suddenly, Aize was stunned.

"…Is it my imagination?"

Aize looked completely bewildered.

Just now, for a fleeting moment, Aize seemed to see that the shrine maiden who was dancing gracefully seemed to have grown a pair of... beast ears on her head?
Those are animal ears, right?

Aize opened his eyes wide and looked over carefully.

Then, he saw it again.

A pair of small... white animal ears, like those of a fox or a puppy, slowly popped out from the priestess's head.

"........."

At this moment, Aize fell completely silent.

(End of this chapter)