Shrines are sacred dwellings for the veneration and worship of the various gods in Shintoism, representing the oldest type of religious architecture in Japan.
Due to Shintoism's close ties with the daily lives of the Japanese people, shrines are exceedingly common.
On a small mountain at the edge of Nagazora City, a shrine called Yae Shrine had been established at some unknown time.
Unlike other shrines, the object of worship here was not Amaterasu Omikami, nor was it an Inari Shrine dedicated to the gods of nature. A search of the entire grounds would reveal not a single statue, a fact that was quite strange.
Moreover, this shrine was built on a rather high mountain, almost as if out of spite, with only a single narrow path leading up to it.
As a result, the number of people who came to pray was pitifully small; it was so deserted as to be unbelievable.
The young man with brilliant golden eyes stepped onto the stairs, which were clearly newly repaired, passed through the torii gate, and continued walking forward.
Although he was already prepared to head to the next "dungeon" to meet up with the airdropped Kevin and Su and resolve that crisis, there were still many things to handle beforehand.
For example, Yae Sakura, whose memories had been sealed all this time, and the soul of Yae Rin, which still remained by his side.
He had delayed the matter of these two sisters for a long time. It was time to resolve it.
With this thought in mind, he walked briskly until he stopped in front of the purification fountain before the main shrine.
With practiced etiquette, the young man followed Shinto ritual, scooping water from the basin with a long-handled wooden ladle to purify his hands. He then proceeded to the worship hall, with its distinctively翘-up roof ridges, tossed some change into the slatted offertory box, clapped his hands twice, and pressed them together in prayer.
After completing the ritual, he walked to the thick hemp rope hanging below the eaves and gave it a pull, causing the bell at the top to ring out.
The sound of the bell was both a prayer and a notification.
Soon, a miko with pink, beast-like ears—shaped perhaps like those of a fennec fox, or maybe a donkey—emerged from within the shrine.
Accompanying her was another girl, who also had beast ears, but hers were clearly those of a normal fox.
The ones who appeared were Yae Sakura and Ling, who had been working for Li Zihan for free all this time.
Upon seeing the handsome young man, a slight smile graced the face of the miko named Yae Sakura.
Although it had been some time since they had last met, she recognized the young man who gave her an immense feeling of closeness.
"Li-kun, it's been a long time."
Very naturally, the miko greeted the young man who had suddenly appeared.
"Please come in and rest for a bit. I'll go make you a cup of tea."
This was, in fact, a very strange situation.
She had met him only a few times—a pitifully small number, really—yet she always felt that he was someone she could be close to.
In contrast, Kallen, who was theoretically her lover, felt more like a stranger.
The miko, who had never even met Kallen five hundred years ago, felt a sense of strangeness as she recalled the past.
"No need, I can do it myself."
The young man, who was here to unseal Yae Sakura's memories and resurrect Yae Rin, casually walked into the living quarters of the shrine, which was laid out identically to the one from five hundred years ago.
Without any guidance from Sakura or Ling, he quickly found the guest area, located the drawer where Sakura kept her tea leaves, took some out, and began brewing tea.
His movements were incredibly fluid, as if he were in his own home.
Is it my imagination?
It felt as though she had seen this exact scene before.
Yae Sakura, who should have been the one leading the way, watched the young man navigate the shrine—built in the image of the old Yae Shrine—with such ease, her expression turning dazed.
She felt…
Her head ached a little.
"Would you like some?"
Casually, after making his own tea, the young man brewed two more cups and placed them on the low table on the tatami mat.
Then, he glanced at Ling, who was standing beside Yae Sakura, and asked, "Do you want a cup too?"
"Tch—"
"Why are you here?"
Unlike Sakura's welcoming attitude, Miss Ling didn't answer the question about the tea. Her voice was laced with deep disdain.
She glared at the guy who had so naturally taken the seat of honor, her lip twitching slightly.
Every time this guy showed up, it was for nothing good. Who was he going to drag her off to fight this time?
Ling, who possessed a keen intuition from her experience as a tool, rolled her eyes. She wanted to tell the black-hearted boss, "I don't feel like dealing with you," but—
"Ling, be more polite."
A voice identical to her own sister's sounded from behind her, causing Miss Ling's eyes to widen.
Me, impolite?
She stared at the guy who had been rummaging through the shrine the moment he entered and had even sat himself down in the host's seat, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.
Even someone who had only read a pirated book on Far East etiquette from a Shenzhou street stall wouldn't do something so punchable.
Would this ridiculously knowledgeable scumbag not know any better?
Hey, hey, hey, he's obviously the one being rude here!
Miss Ling turned to her temporary 'big sis' beside her, trying to read something from her face.
And then—
She was astonished to find that Yae Sakura showed no signs of displeasure at his outrageous behavior, not even a trace of annoyance.
It was as if what Li Zihan was doing wasn't out of line at all.
What is going on?
Feeling the situation was utterly absurd, Ling's eyes widened further, her bright pupils filled with confusion.
It was as if…
…her big sister was completely used to this.
But—
Theoretically, before she was unearthed, her big sister had never even met that scumbag!
Ling, who vaguely recalled that Yae Sakura had only learned Li Zihan's name after knowing him for some time and that their relationship was at most that of friends, felt her mind spin into chaos.
Why was her big sister so accustomed to this?
Weren't they unfamiliar with each other?
Suddenly, the scene she had witnessed during the Second Honkai Eruption surfaced in her mind.
Black and red feathers fluttered before the girl named Sirin. The scumbag who had done this collected her body and placed her soul within the Herrscher core, forging history…
Ling's expression flickered between light and shadow.
"Alright, don't make things difficult for Ling," the young man said with a slight smile after seeing the change in Ling's expression, coming to her defense.
"I'm so sorry, please excuse her."
Yae Sakura, feeling Ling's behavior was rather impolite, gave the young man an apologetic smile, then habitually sat down in the spot next to him.
Then, as if remembering something, she turned her head to look at Li Zihan's profile and asked, "By the way, Li-kun, is there a reason for your sudden visit?"
"As promised, I've brought Rin back for you," the young man replied with a light chuckle.
"And while I'm at it, I'll restore your memories."