The Inari family had always been known as one of the most powerful in Tsuyokuni. For centuries, its members had been feared and respected, occupying the position of the second-strongest family in the country, an impressive feat considering that Tsuyokuni's political and military power was divided among extremely fierce rival clans.
Besides magical strength, there was another reason why the Inari name echoed through legends: the beauty of its members. Both the men and women of the family were considered some of the most beautiful people in all of Tsuyokuni, to the point that poets and artists dedicated their lives to portraying them.
However, that blessing also awakened the hatred and envy of a woman. Years ago, one of the great beauties of the family, Inari Sayaka, Aoi's mother, became the target of a terrible curse.
Sayaka already carried on her shoulders the burden of being one of the only survivors of a demonic attack that had exterminated almost the entire Inari clan, leaving only her and her father. Still young, at eighteen years old, she married for love a man she believed to be her destiny, but her happiness was destroyed by her rival, a woman obsessed with her husband and who wanted to have him for herself.
Consumed by envy, that woman cast a cruel curse on Sayaka. Her beauty disappeared before everyone's eyes, and in place of her face, there was only a black void, accompanied by two white and circular eyes, motionless and penetrating. The worst part of the curse was that anyone who stared at that face for too long would feel their own soul being pulled into that void. If they did not look away, their body would eventually fall lifeless to the ground.
The first to succumb was Sayaka's own father. When he looked at his daughter's new face, he remained staring at that appearance for a few seconds before falling dead before her.
"DAD..."
Desperate, Sayaka ran toward her father's body while white tears glowed inside the void where her face should have been.
After the funeral, she decided to hide her appearance behind a Kitsune mask, mainly to protect the people she still loved. Her husband was one of them. At that time, Sayaka still loved him and was pregnant with his daughter, believing that, even with the curse, the two of them could remain together.
When she finally met him while wearing the mask, Sayaka still carried hope.
However, she was rejected. Her husband coldly revealed that he had only wanted to be with her because of her beauty. Without showing any remorse, he abandoned Sayaka and married the woman responsible for the curse, leaving Tsuyokuni behind alongside her.
After that, the man came to be viewed with contempt by the upper echelons of Tsuyokuni, while Sayaka began to be treated as a cursed person by the more ignorant. Even so, the nation continued to respect the Inari bloodline, because the family's blood still carried a power that, someday, could allow one of its descendants to reach the Eighth Circle.
A few days after being abandoned, Sayaka gave birth to her daughter. Despite hating her husband for what he had done, she knew that the child was not to blame for anything. She eagerly awaited the birth and, when she finally saw her daughter's beautiful face, she felt a happiness she had not experienced in a long time. However, that moment of joy soon turned into another blow from fate.
When she showed the baby's face to the servants, they recoiled in horror and immediately looked away. Some were unable to do so in time and fell dead to the ground.
Aoi had been born with the same curse as her mother.
The clan and the sages of Tsuyokuni tried to break the spell countless times, but no method worked. All they managed to discover was that the woman responsible for the curse was a follower of Sairao. Her powers remained shrouded in mystery and, according to the few followers who had been captured, she used sacrificial magic.
Perhaps that was merely a way to hide the true nature of her power, but nothing could be proven. The followers really did use sacrifices to perform their magic, so there was no way to know whether they were telling the truth.
After extensive testing and research, the sages reached a disturbing conclusion: only the true soulmate of a cursed person could see their real face. However, in the case of the Inari family, this became practically impossible. The curse had been reinforced through the sacrifice of Sayaka's own soulmates and those of all her descendants throughout the generations.
There was only one other exception: the family's own blood could see each other's faces.
Upon discovering this, Sayaka became completely incredulous. Her father had died precisely because he had seen her face, so how could that be possible? It was then that they discovered the truth: her father had also been used as a sacrifice. More specifically, he had been the first to die so that the curse could function completely.
"Why did this have to happen to me?"
After some time, Sayaka eventually accepted her fate. To protect Aoi, she created a mask identical to her own for her daughter. Mother and daughter began living in seclusion, hidden from the gazes of other people, until Aoi was old and strong enough to decide her own path.
Despite all the sadness, Sayaka's hatred was directed only at Aoi's father and the woman who had cast the curse. She still hoped to find them someday and kill them.
While taking care of her daughter, she also prepared her to carry the burden of the Inari bloodline and, perhaps, one day break the curse that had haunted her family for decades, even if that seemed impossible.
"Will everything end if I kill that woman? Or will the curse really remain? If that's the case... perhaps Sairao's death is the only way to end this."
Sayaka rocked her daughter in her arms as she said those words. At that moment, she had two goals: to obtain her revenge and ensure that Aoi could be happy.
Because of the curse, other children did not approach Aoi. Even so, some families did not give up on her, and among them was the Akirama family. It was there that Aoi found her only friend, Rina.
As the years passed, Sayaka realized that Aoi would one day need to find someone to follow alongside her. Because of this, she always spoke seriously with her daughter about the matter.
"Daughter, make sure that when you choose someone, that person is truly the right one and will never abandon you."
Aoi could be playful and enjoyed having fun with Rina, but she still felt lonely at night. Because of this, she would often go to sleep in her mother's room, hugging her as if the two of them were the only people in the world. After all, they were the only ones who could truly see each other.
'Will she be better now?'
Enrico scratched his cheek while watching Aoi, who was still trembling before him, and Rina, who was looking at him with hope. In the original story, Rina had tried to help Aoi find someone she truly liked, so that her friend could have at least a happy life. At one point, she even asked about Kai, precisely because she was interested in his growing potential.
"What do you think of Kai?"
"Too innocent. He's a good person, but he's not my type."
"Why? I don't think he'll abandon you when he finds out about that."
"I know... But what I'm looking for is someone I can truly trust. Rina, look at Kai."
While watching Kai train, Aoi explained that he was a good person, but, besides not caring much about relationships, he was an airhead who only thought about training. He would even go as far as abandoning important things because of it, and that simply wasn't the kind of person she was looking for.
"And I don't like innocent boys who don't know what relationships are. I prefer someone more in the middle."
"It will be difficult to find someone... You have many characteristics you need to like in a person."
Aoi did not seem to care about Rina's words. Being a good person was not the only thing she was looking for, and if she had to stay beside someone she did not trust, she would rather keep her distance. Besides that, he also needed to have the appearance and body she liked. Yes, Aoi was demanding, but she was certain that, when she found the right person, she would remain by his side forever.
'And that was the most important part that was told about her in the light novel.'
[I just won't make a joke because the girl is trembling.]
Rina approached and touched Aoi's shoulder. She was happy for her friend and only hoped that Enrico really was not lying. Aoi then raised her head and looked at him again.
"What color are my lips, then?"
"Red."
The answer came immediately.
Aoi trembled even more. Besides answering quickly, Enrico had gotten it right. He himself did not know why he could see her face, but since he could, he would do his best to make her feel calm and more comfortable, even if it took some time.
"I... need to go."
Aoi turned around and ran away. Rina knew that way of running: it was the same way Aoi ran when she became emotional and wanted to talk to her mother.
"She must be nervous. It had been some time... So, thank you, Enrico."
Rina ran after her friend with a smile, leaving the others behind.
Everyone was confused, except Yumeha and Enrico. While watching the two move away, Enrico continued thinking about the description of the void that existed on Aoi's face. When he had read that description in the original story, he felt an inexplicable desire to see it personally.
'I don't know why I feel this way whenever I hear something like "void."'
Enrico raised his eyes toward the sky and noticed that the stars had disappeared. Even so, he thought it was beautiful.