A Cuddly Shota Is Really So Cute, Cuddle Cuddle Cuddle Cuddle Cuddle Cuddle

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The steps of Tenshukaku seemed longer than usual. Baichen cradled the Tricolor Dango he had just bought, taking each step with care.

The sweet fragrance drifting from the paper bag should have been delightful, but now it only made him more anxious-was Ei already angry?

Had she found out he had modeled for Yae Publishing House?

System, do you think Ei will...

[What the hell are you afraid of?]

[Her affection is locked at 100%, got it?]

[Even if you blew up Tenshukaku, she'd punish you at most.]

The system's consolation unexpectedly helped Baichen relax a little. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the bedchamber-

Ei was sitting by the window, reading a book, her long purple hair glowing softly in the setting sun.

Hearing him, she looked up. A barely perceptible flicker of joy passed through her violet eyes before they grew calm again.

"Where did you go?" Her voice was neither warm nor cold.

Baichen swallowed and held the dango to his chest. "I... I went to buy these." He carefully watched Ei's expression. "I heard Uyuu Restaurant had new flavors..."

Ei's gaze fell on the paper bag bearing the dango shop's logo, and the corners of her lips rose almost imperceptibly for an instant.

She put down her book and beckoned. "Come here."

Baichen obediently walked toward her, then suddenly cried out when he was two steps away.

Pretending to trip over the carpet, he pitched forward and fell right into Ei's arms.

The bag of dango landed safely in the space between them, without spilling any.

"Ow..." The boy looked up with a pitiful expression, his blue-violet eyes shimmering with tears. "I think I twisted my ankle..."

Ei's brows immediately knitted.

She wrapped one arm around Baichen's waist and gently held his ankle with the other hand to examine it. "Here?"

"Mm..." Baichen leaned against her shoulder. "Only a kiss from Ei can make it better..."

His obvious attempt to act cute made Ei pause.

She looked down at the "pitiful" boy in her arms and suddenly realized she had fallen for his trick.

Strangely, though, she wasn't annoyed. Instead, she felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction-

This little fellow could have openly asked for affection, yet he insisted on using such a cute little trick.

"Liar." Ei gave a soft huff but still kissed his forehead. "Where's the dango?"

His scheme a success, Baichen immediately "recovered" and opened the paper bag with delight. "There are three new flavors! Sakura, matcha, and..." He blinked. "Your favorite, sweet red bean paste~" (I made that up.)

Surprise flickered in Ei's eyes. She hadn't expected Baichen to remember such a small detail-the last time she made dango, she really had added extra red bean paste filling...

"Have you had any?" she asked, taking the skewer the boy offered her.

"Nope~" Baichen shook his head. "I wanted to eat them with you."

His answer was like a feather brushing gently over Ei's heart.

She shared half the dango skewers with Baichen, and the two sat shoulder to shoulder by the window, quietly enjoying the sweet moment.

[Ei's affection: 100% (stable)]

[Sweet understanding]

The setting sun gradually sank westward, like a giant ball of fire slowly descending below the horizon.

Its final ray of golden light was like a golden ribbon, slipping through a gap in the window and falling gently upon the two in the room.

Like a thin veil, the golden light settled softly over them, outlining their figures in warmth.

Their silhouettes looked especially soft in the faint light, as though imbued with a sacred radiance.

Baichen stole a glance at Ei's profile. She ate her dango with great concentration, chewing each bite slowly and carefully, occasionally licking away the powdered sugar that landed on her lips with the tip of her tongue.

The little unconscious gesture made the boy's heart skip half a beat.

"Ei..." He worked up the courage to speak. "If... I mean, if... I could bring Sister Makoto back to life, would you be happy?"

"Crack-"

The bamboo skewer in Ei's hand snapped. She slowly turned her head, complicated emotions churning in her violet eyes. "...What?"

Only then did Baichen realize how shocking his words had been.

He hastily waved his hands. "It's... just a hypothetical! There was a plot like that in a new Yae Publishing House book..."

Ei's expression softened slightly, but her gaze remained fixed on him. "Makoto has been gone for five hundred years." Her voice was low and hoarse. "Even a god cannot reverse life and death."

"But what if there were a miracle?" Baichen pressed. "If Sister Makoto could come back... would you be happy?"

Silence spread between them. Ei gazed at the setting sun outside the window, sorrow and longing appearing in her eyes that Baichen had never seen before.

"...Yes." After a long while, she answered softly, "I miss her very much."

The simple answer made Baichen's heart ache.

He quietly opened his system inventory and looked at the description of the item called "Raiden Makoto's Resurrection Ball"-"Unconditionally resurrects Raiden Makoto (Ei's older sister)."

System, can this really work? Are there any side effects?

[Use it without worry, guaranteed honest dealing for young and old.]

[Her memories and personality will be intact after resurrection.]

[May I be damned if I'm lying.]

[The only problem is how to explain a living person suddenly appearing.]

Baichen bit his lip. He couldn't tell Ei about the system, but he couldn't bear to watch her remain immersed in the pain of losing her sister, either.

Perhaps... he could talk to Yae Miko first? As Makoto's good friend, she should know how to handle this situation...

"Ei..." He leaned gently against her shoulder. "I have a surprise to prepare, so I might be going out a lot over the next few days..."

Ei looked down at him, a question in her eyes.

"It's a very important surprise!" Baichen hurriedly added. "I'll tell you when it's ready..."

To his surprise, Ei didn't press him. She merely murmured an acknowledgment and stroked the boy's hair. "Be careful."

Her indulgent attitude left Baichen both touched and guilty.

He decided that once Makoto was resurrected, he would make it up to Ei properly-perhaps by practicing swordsmanship with her or taste-testing the dango she made, no matter how awful it tasted! (That really would be making it up to her, if he could manage to eat it.)

Night fell, and warm lights were lit throughout Tenshukaku.

Curled up in Ei's arms, Baichen secretly looked through the treasured photos he had gotten from Yae Miko.

Ei's gaze fell on the photos, and her expression instantly froze.

"Where... did these come from?" Her voice had a dangerous edge.

A chill ran down Baichen's back. "L-Lady Miko gave them to me..."

"What did you give her in exchange?"

"I just... just..." Baichen stammered. Under Ei's increasingly cold stare, he finally confessed, "I modeled for half a day..."

Ei's brows drew tightly together. She flipped the boy over and gave his bottom a smack that was neither too hard nor too soft. "Nonsense."

"Ow!" Baichen cried out dramatically, though it didn't hurt at all. "Sob, sob, sob, Ei, I was wrong, sob, sob, sob..."

Ei gave him two more smacks before stopping, but held him even tighter. "You're not allowed to go again." After a pause, she added, "If you want pictures of me... just ask."

Baichen looked up in surprise. "You're willing to pose for me?"

"...Yes."

The answer sent the boy over the moon.

He threw his arms around Ei's neck and planted a hard kiss on her cheek. "You're the best, Ei!"

The tips of Ei's ears turned slightly red. She cleared her throat and changed the subject. "Time to sleep."

The lights went out, and moonlight fell gently across the bed.

Curled up in Ei's arms, Baichen listened to her steady heartbeat, but his thoughts wandered far away-

How should he arrange Makoto's resurrection?

Where should he do it?

How should he explain it afterward?

These questions circled in his mind until sleep gradually overtook him...

Early the next morning, Baichen woke to find that Ei had already gone to attend to government affairs.

A steaming breakfast sat by the bed. This time, it was clearly the work of a professional chef: the fried egg was golden and crisp, and the rice balls were shaped just right.

System, check in.

[Check-in successful!]

[Obtained: Invisibility Talisman ×1 (stored in system inventory)]

[Effect: invisibility for 30 minutes, cooldown of 24 hours]

The item had come at just the right time.

Baichen planned to visit Yae Miko today to discuss resurrecting Makoto, but he didn't want Ei to find out.

He finished breakfast in a few bites and quietly slipped out of Tenshukaku.

The Grand Narukami Shrine was livelier than usual, with a long line of people waiting to worship.

Baichen went around to the path on the mountain behind the shrine and spotted Yae Miko standing beneath the Sacred Sakura, as though she had been waiting for him for some time.

(A large part of the following section is purely fan-created. Fans of the original who don't like that can stop reading.)

"You're awfully slow, little one~" Miko waved her fan, her foxlike eyes curving into crescents. "Let me guess... you're here for 'that'?"

Baichen froze. "You know?"

"A fox's intuition~" Miko winked mysteriously. "That aura of yours that 'doesn't belong to this world' is far too obvious." She suddenly grew serious. "You have the power to resurrect Makoto?"

Baichen nodded cautiously. "But I need your help... finding a suitable place, for example, and figuring out how to explain it afterward..."

Miko's expression turned more serious than ever. After a moment's thought, she suddenly took Baichen's hand. "Come with me."

The two came to the shrine's most secluded inner chamber-Makoto's former residence.

For five hundred years, everything here had been kept just as it was. Even the rouge on the dressing table hadn't been moved in the slightest.

"Let's do it here," Miko said softly. "Makoto loved this place most..."

Baichen took a deep breath and retrieved the Resurrection Ball from his system inventory.

It was a translucent purple crystal, with lightning-like patterns flowing inside it and a warm, powerful energy radiating from it.

Miko rubbed her eyes in surprise.

"What do I need to do?" he asked nervously.

Miko stepped back. "Just crush it. Leave the rest... to a miracle."

Baichen held the crystal in both hands, closed his eyes, and silently repeated Makoto's name in his heart.

With a sharp crack, a dazzling light instantly filled the entire room-

(The picture is in the author's note.)

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