After Michael's departure, Akeno gently took Kazuki's hand and led him deeper into the shrine, to a room where she actually lived.
Unlike the cold, sacred main hall, this space was warm and carried the scent of her presence. It calmed his nerves without him realizing it.
"So this is where you and Michael handled the sword?" Kazuki asked, casually sipping the tea she had made and nibbling on a sweet she offered.
It was a domestic, almost intimate scene, one that felt far too peaceful considering the dangerous artifact they were talking about.
"Yes," Akeno nodded, her voice soft.
"We performed the treatment on Ascalon here at the shrine. It was a direct request from Lord Sirzechs as well. Even though this is an abandoned shrine, it still retains traces of a divine field."
"A divine field?"
"Yes. For someone like Michael-sama, a being of pure and powerful light, to descend into a devil's territory like Kuoh Town, there has to be a place designated as sacred ground. Otherwise, it would violate the balance. ...Well, unless it's wartime."
'That made sense.' If a being that strong just descended out of nowhere, people would assume the angels were launching an attack. In a time when peace was still delicate and negotiations were underway, a mistake like that could spark a war.
"Besides," she added, "since I live here, it was convenient. Especially to hand it over to you."
"I see..."
"Mhm."
The conversation faded there, but the silence didn't feel awkward. Being alone with Akeno often carried a certain seductive tension, but this time, it felt more... gentle. Comfortable. Her aura soothed him in a way that was rare.
But maybe it was that comforting atmosphere that made Kazuki ask something he had been wondering since stepping foot into the shrine.
"Hey, Akeno."
"Yes?"
"I've been here before, haven't I?"
"Yes," she replied quietly.
'I knew it.' The image of her in a shrine maiden outfit had overlapped with a distant memory, one buried deep inside.
"You're... A-chan, aren't you?"
"Yes. That's right, Kazu-kun!!"
Their old nicknames rolled off their tongues naturally. And as he looked into Akeno's eyes, he noticed the tears shimmering in them, even as she smiled.
-----
-----
On his eighth birthday, Kazuki's father bought him a bicycle.
With that bike, his world expanded.
He could go farther than ever before, beyond the neighborhood, past familiar streets, into places he never thought to explore.
One early summer day, just like now, he decided to ride out toward the mountains.
However, mountain roads weren't easy for an eight-year-old. Exhausted, he sat down by the roadside to rest.
That's when he heard it, a beautiful singing voice floating on the breeze.
Drawn to it, Kazuki followed the sound into the woods, brushing aside leaves and stepping over roots, until he reached a small, hidden shrine.
There, in the middle of the sacred grove, stood a beautiful woman in shrine maiden attire—and beside her, a girl about his age.
That girl was Akeno, and the woman was her mother, Shuri.
Shuri had been surprised by Kazuki's sudden appearance, but welcomed him with gentle kindness.
Akeno, who probably hadn't seen many children her age, peeked out from behind her mother, watching Kazuki with curiosity.
Looking at the little girl he reached out his hand and said, "Let's play together."
After that, every time Kazuki visited, the two greeted him with warmth. He and Akeno grew close, calling each other "A-chan" and "Kazu-kun," playing together until sunset.
Shuri always watched them with a gentle smile and sometimes sang the same beautiful songs that had led Kazuki there in the first place.
The shrine had always felt strange, magical even. Though there was a proper stone stairway leading to it, he could never get in that way. He always entered from the animal trail he had found that first day. Looking back, there must've been a barrier on the main path, with a small break in the veil where he'd slipped through.
Fuwa Kazuki often wondered why they lived out there, so isolated. But at that age, he was simply happy to have made such precious friends.
That magical summer lasted about two months.
Then, one day, on his way home from the shrine, a sudden downpour drenched him. He caught a cold and couldn't go out for a while.
When he finally recovered and went back...
They were gone.
The beautiful shrine had been burned and broken. It was in ruins.
Kazuki ran around calling their names, searching for any trace of Akeno or Shuri. But there was no sign of them. When he got home and told his parents what had happened, they looked confused.
"What shrine? There's nothing like that in the mountains."
He couldn't believe it. But no matter how he tried to explain, they insisted no such place existed.
What could an eight-year-old do?
Even though he went back several times, hoping they might have returned, he never saw them again.
Eventually, as he grew up and his body got bigger, he could no longer even pass through the animal trail.
The shrine, Akeno, Shuri—they all faded into his memories. Locked away in the depths of his heart.
Forgotten... until now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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