"Nothing unexpected will happen. Besides, don't I still have you, Kiana?"
Akeno Himejima didn't think much of it. Demons saw things differently from humans. Although Akeno Himejima had once been human, she was now a demon and a fallen angel.
Even if she refused to admit that she had fallen angel blood.
"..."
Kiana found Akeno Himejima's attitude hard to accept, but she didn't say anything.
At the end of the day, they could only be considered friends. Saying a few words was enough; she had no right to force Akeno to do anything.
"Don't dwell on that. You haven't explored this area before, have you, Kiana? I'll take you to the shrine nearby..."
Seeing Kiana's expression, Akeno Himejima tilted her head in thought, then grabbed her little hand and led her toward the shrine ahead.
"Hey..."
Watching Akeno Himejima pull her forward at a brisk pace, Kiana could only follow passively.
The shrine before them wasn't particularly large and couldn't compare to those famous grand shrines at all. Still, it was worth visiting. If they didn't just breeze through it, they could easily spend an hour or two here.
The first thing that came into view was naturally the flights of stone steps. Shrines were usually built high up, halfway up a mountain or at its summit.
After passing through the red torii gate, they entered the shrine grounds. The buildings within mainly consisted of three parts: the main hall enshrining the deity in the center, a small garden, and the corridors.
"That's the sacred tree. It might be several hundred years old. The occasional worshipper who comes here will pay respects to it too, but it's really just an ordinary tree."
Even though this was technically her family's shrine, Akeno Himejima showed no respect whatsoever for these sacred