In the woods, the entertainment had ended. Amid a subtle, awkward atmosphere, Kohaku and Hisui cleared away the messy cups and plates, then unceremoniously hauled up Anastasia, who was hugging the Fae Hand Puppet and wanted to stay behind for the gossip. They respectfully bowed to the two people sitting opposite each other and took their leave.
"Big sister, could he really be our..."
A moment later, after walking out of the bushes, Hisui, who was not particularly good at thinking, could not help asking. She trailed off hesitantly.
"In a sense, he is..."
Miyojo Kohaku nodded with a faint smile. Seeing that her younger sister was still confused, she calmly reminded her.
"Misaki City. The Baptism of God."
It was him!
Hisui immediately understood. In her mind surfaced scenes from that night: the savior who had descended from the light, his body like a gemstone, baptizing them, bestowing grace upon them, and leading them out of suffering.
Indeed, he was their shared father.
And they themselves were the children of God, chosen by fortune, who took serving him as their duty.
A father-daughter relationship in another sense.
Only, that predetermined fate had been interrupted by their current master, who had swooped in and taken the prize first.
But from another perspective, that lady was the deity the shrine maidens served, and nominally their shared "mother."
A family of four. Put that way, it did not seem wrong.
"Please stop there, Your Highness. It would be best not to disturb the two of them while they are alone..."
Just as Hisui was gradually sorting through the mess in her head, Kohaku beside her suddenly turned around as though she had eyes in the back of her head. Smiling, she looked at Anastasia, who had hunched down and was stealthily trying