The morning air was cool, the kind that tickled your nose and made your fingers tuck into sleeves for warmth. Birds chirped lazily from the trees above, and the wind carried the faintest scent of incense from somewhere deeper in the shrine grounds.
Yuzume adjusted the ribbon at her waist, glanced back over her shoulder, and waved Riku forward.
"Come on, you'll get left behind."
He jogged to catch up, yawning. "Do shrine tours usually start this early?"
She gave him a sideways look. "This isn't a tour. It's education."
"Ah. My mistake, sensei."
"Don't call me that."
"Yuzume-sensei, got it."
She groaned but didn't stop walking.
They moved through the outer courtyard, where flat stones led the way past carefully kept flower beds. She paused near a stone lantern cracked down the side.
"This one's old," she said, tapping it gently. "Spirits used to leave tiny paper offerings here. My master told me never to repair the crack. He said the light still shines, so why cover its story?"
Riku crouched to look closer. "Huh. I like that."
"Yeah," she said softly. "Me too."
They walked on. She showed him the river where she bathed in the mornings, the spirit-tree with silver leaves that shimmered no matter the weather, and the prayer bell that never made a sound when mortals rang it.
At one point, she reached into a bush and pulled out a tiny stone carving of a frog.
"Lucky charm," she explained. "Spirits hide these for fun. If one lands near your pillow, it means a spirit likes you."
Riku raised an eyebrow. "I found one under my blanket last night."
Her tail swished.
"Must be a really bold spirit," she said, and walked on.
By the time they reached the inner sanctum, a simple wooden platform surrounded by wind chimes and candle stubs, Riku looked more thoughtful than amused.
"This is where it's quietest," Yuzume said. "The veil is thinnest here. Sometimes I can hear the voices on the other side."
He stepped closer, looking around. "It's… peaceful."
She nodded. "It's the place I go when I'm scared."
Riku glanced at her, surprised.
She looked away quickly. "Not that I get scared often. I'm very… shrine-y."
"Very shrine-y."
"Yes."
He didn't press. Just stood beside her for a while, letting the breeze fill the space between their words.
"Thank you," he said at last.
"For what?"
"For showing me this."
Yuzume shrugged. "I thought you should see it. If you're going to be underfoot for a while, you should at least know where the sacred moss is."
He grinned. "Sacred moss?"
"You stepped on it yesterday."
"Oh no."
"Oh yes."
She smiled — a real one this time — and let her hand brush the edge of the platform, grounding herself in the moment.
*Maybe it was okay that he was here.*
**Maybe it didn't have to be so lonely anymore.**