'My future advantage is great.'
Yuri rested her chin on her hand and thought for a bit, her eyes blinking as she did so, seemingly not realizing that her train of thought was a little off.
Thus, inside the small room, only Mai's sobbing could be heard.
Fighters have good stamina, but after crying for a while, even Mai got tired. Remembering what Chizuru had just said while tugging on her sleeve, she raised her head, sniffled, and then softly asked, "Aiden, you really won't blame me?"
Aiden had never been able to make that kind of deep, affectionate expression. If he could, he wouldn't have only started getting lucky with women after obtaining the system. So he merely nodded lightly. "Of course not!"
Just four simple words, and even counting the punctuation, it barely made five, but that was already enough.
"Aiden, you're so nice."
In front of Aiden, Mai was just too easy to coax. So, unable to hold back any longer, she began crying outright again, clutching Aiden's arms even tighter, as if she wanted to melt him right into herself.
Then, she raised her head once more, gazing up at the man who had been watching her all along. Her toes lifted lightly off the ground, and she pressed her red lips onto Aiden's lips.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't take advantage of the situation."
Seeing this scene, Chizuru, who had felt so noble and self-sacrificing just moments ago, suddenly grew jealous.
She was generous only toward her own sister. When it came to other women, this proud and sharp-tongued lady, no, this proud and sharp-tongued older woman, just couldn't stand it.
"Mind your own business?"
Mai didn't really know any intimate techniques either; their lips only brushed for a moment before parting. Hearing Chizuru's words, she turned her head and glared at her.
But since she had just been crying, she had no real intimidation at all, if anything, she looked rather pitiful.
"Why can't I mind? This is my house." Chizuru placed her hands on her hips and stood with her legs apart, staring at Mai. "And besides, Aiden is my future husband. Why shouldn't I care?"
Since everything had already been laid bare, Chizuru didn't bother pretending anymore and said it quite frankly.
"That's just your sister's wishful thinking. Aiden hasn't agreed yet!" Having had her past exposed by Maki earlier, Mai's confidence had been crushed completely. But now, with Aiden's forgiveness, she regained her composure.
"Besides, are you sure it's you who wants Aiden to be your husband, and not your sister, Miss Maki, who wants Aiden to be hers?"
Even the kindest woman can have a bit of mischief in her heart sometimes. And Mai, having gone through countless battles, was not some simple-minded girl like Yuri.
Hearing Mai's words, Maki's pretty face flushed red, yet she couldn't come up with a rebuttal.
After all, she had just mentioned something about changing surnames. Though it had sounded like she was just provoking her sister, to anyone else listening, there was clearly something more in her tone.
At that moment, Maki truly envied her sister. Her sister could say such things boldly and openly, but she herself could not.
After all, as the elder sister, she couldn't exactly compete with her younger one.
Although… she had thought about it before, that if her sister didn't agree, then taking her sister's place wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing either.
She had seriously considered Chizuru's earlier suggestion, letting her sister become a proper shrine maiden, so that she herself could live a normal romantic life.
But then, Maki gently shook her head, probably feeling that doing so would be too unfair to her sister.
"Aiden is the husband I chose specially for my sister." She said seriously to Mai.
Then she added, "My sister has already completed her bridal training. As long as Aiden nods, they can get married tomorrow. Changing surnames isn't a problem either."
As she spoke, she looked toward Aiden, her slightly wistful eyes carrying a trace of questioning within them.
'Taking your surname doesn't matter, but marriage… let's not go that far!'
Feeling troubled, Aiden scratched his head awkwardly. By now, Mai had released him, but was still clinging to one of his arms.
That small gesture instantly made all four women in the room change expressions.
Chizuru's face immediately darkened with dissatisfaction. A proud older sister type might be haughty, but she wasn't stupid, she could clearly tell Aiden was caught in a bind.
Meanwhile, the other three women, including Maki, all had a faint gleam of delight flash through their eyes.
Especially Maki, she herself didn't even know why she felt so happy.
'Could it be that letting Aiden become my sister's husband isn't really my true wish after all?'
She suddenly grew alarmed by her own thoughts. Her love for her sister… somehow didn't feel so pure anymore.
Sure enough, her feelings toward Aiden were somewhat improper. As expected, she was… a tainted woman.
But if Aiden became her sister's husband, wouldn't that give her more opportunities to be around him?
As she was lost in such conflicted thoughts, Chizuru pouted unhappily. "I already swallowed my pride and said it straight to you, and you're still hesitating? What, do you plan to take all the women in this room for yourself?"
Once a man gets married, he can only have one woman, but if he's not married yet, then having ten or eight doesn't seem like a problem, does it?
At that moment, Aiden really wanted to say, "You're absolutely right, that's exactly what I was thinking."
But if he said that out loud, it would definitely ruin everything.
Yet staying silent didn't seem like a good solution either.
'Looks like this story's world isn't going to be so easy to conquer after all!'
But maybe because someone thought Aiden had it too hard, the goddess of luck, who had been watching silently, finally lifted the hem of her own skirt toward him.
"Young Miss, it's already five o'clock. It's time to start the blessing ceremony."
Outside the main hall, the voice of the maid, Yumiko, came through.
"So soon?"
Maki had still been waiting for Aiden's reply, but Yumiko's arrival came at just the right time for her.
'Can't let Aiden feel pressured, can't force him to choose, and maybe, just maybe, this situation is actually the most favorable one for me.'
'Though… this whole mess seems to be my fault to begin with…'
Maki suddenly felt regretful.
It seemed like she had dug a pit for her own sister.
Maid Yumiko's announcement temporarily ended the war inside the small room.
Though this war had no smoke or fire, it still left everyone involved feeling deeply unsettled.
However, this battle also allowed one observer to learn something new…
"Aiden, Miss Mai, Miss Yuri, would you like to watch the blessing ceremony later? It's a ritual unique to the Yata Shrine."
Maki stood up from the cushion. Unlike the shrine maidens from other shrines, she didn't wear any elaborate or ornate headpieces. She looked simple, elegant, and serene, her whole face radiated a sacred, untouchable aura.
The only ornament she wore was the crystal earring Aiden had given her a few days earlier. It made her, who already appeared so pure and holy, seem a little less unreachable.
"But the blessing ceremony lasts a long time, doesn't it?"
Mai had originally come to pray, but she didn't want to stay at the shrine too long. It was already nearing evening, and once it got dark, she still had to head to the next spot.
Every year during the festival, there was always a fireworks show to watch.
Watching the fireworks with the person you like, that was something she'd planned several days ago.
"It does last a while, there are so many people, after all…" Perhaps noticing what Mai was thinking, Maki smiled softly. "But usually, there's only one round per hour, and each round doesn't take long. You only need to attend the first one."
"All right then!" Mai nodded.
———
The blessing ceremony at Yata Shrine was naturally held in the Kagura Hall. Although every shrine had such a building, among all the shrines that had survived through generations, only the Yata family had changed its name from Yata to Kagura.
Judging by the name, the shrine maidens of the Yata family were clearly all highly skilled in the sacred Kagura dance.
And indeed, when the blessing ceremony began, Maki performed her ritual dance. On a temporarily built stage, she danced and sang in offering to the gods.
The stage itself was surrounded by a layer of white gauze, so the audience below could only see a graceful silhouette performing for the divine.
However, the uniquely sorrowful and wistful island-style melody failed to resonate with Aiden as a viewer, he couldn't even understand the lyrics' meaning.
He still preferred grander tunes and dances.
Maki's performance didn't last long, only a few minutes before she withdrew to the main hall to rest.
But the blessing ceremony was far from over. During this time, the shrine's maids acted as temporary shrine maidens, guiding visiting citizens and tourists through various rituals while also promoting little trinkets for sale.
The Yata family's success over the other two families of the Three Sacred Treasures was due to this, they never missed a chance to make money.
Aiden wasn't interested in any of that, but Mai and Yuri eagerly joined in. After thinking for a moment, Aiden turned and headed toward the main hall.
Inside the small room of the main hall, only the elder sister, Maki, was present. After all, she had been performing earlier, and her sister was also busy elsewhere.
As Maki sipped her tea and saw Aiden walk in alone, her pretty face inexplicably flushed red. She quickly stood up and poured him a cup of tea.
"Aiden, aren't you going to attend the blessing ceremony?"
Though that's what she said aloud, inside, Maki was overjoyed. After pouring the tea for him, she didn't return to her own seat. Instead, she picked up her cup and knelt quietly beside him, as if it were only natural.
"Please, Aiden, have some tea."
Toward Aiden, she was always this polite, not out of mere courtesy, but seemingly to conceal something deeper.