"K—crack!"
The moment those words left Amanoin Ayami's mouth—uttered without the slightest warning—not only did Yamato Miku freeze on the spot, even Spider-Hime, who had been calmly pouring tea beside them, stiffened in shock.
The surprise was so intense that the yokai energy leaking from Spider-Hime surged out of control. With a sharp bang, the teapot in her hands shattered into fragments, scattering porcelain across the floor.
For Spider-Hime, who prided herself on striving to become a "perfect maid," such a blunder would normally be an unforgivable breach of etiquette.
But right now, she didn't even have the presence of mind to care about that.
She stared at Amanoin Ayami in utter disbelief.
Lord Yuto and that sword-shrine-maiden… their relationship has already progressed to the point of discussing marriage?Why didn't I know anything about this?!
By all logic, someone as dense and single-minded as Lord Yuto—a textbook ironclad straight man—should have an almost supernatural resistance to romantic signals. And that sword-shrine-maiden didn't exactly look like someone with high emotional intelligence either.
And while others might not know where Yuto disappeared to so often, Spider-Hime certainly did. As his confidant—and someone who wasn't even from this world to begin with—she knew perfectly well that those so-called "secret missions" only fooled Lady Ayami.
Could it be… that shrine maiden is actually a closet seductress?All prim and proper on the surface, but she already made her move while I wasn't home and quietly claimed Lord Yuto for herself?!
Just as Spider-Hime's thoughts spiraled into chaos, Yamato Miku spoke up calmly, as if Ayami's question had simply confirmed her expectations.
"So you guessed it too, Ayami-san? Since you've already seen through my purpose, I won't beat around the bush anymore.
"This time, my visit to the Amanoin household is indeed to hear your thoughts. What do you think of my daughter, Yamato Kuka? Would you be willing to agree to this marriage?"
She smiled gently, her tone composed.
"And to be clear, this isn't an arranged marriage. Yuto and Kuka genuinely seem to share mutual feelings."
Pausing briefly, Yamato Miku continued.
"You may not know this, but not long ago, Kuka already brought Yuto to visit the Yamato family. As her parents, we were extremely satisfied with him—in every respect. That's why we took the liberty of visiting you in person, to ask how you feel about this match."
Since Amanoin Ayami had already voiced the question outright, Yamato Miku decided to lay her cards on the table.
Truthfully, she had felt that directly discussing marriage on her first visit might be too abrupt. Her original plan had been to slowly build a rapport with Ayami first, then ease into the topic over time.
But now that Ayami had guessed her intentions so straightforwardly, there was no point in dancing around the issue anymore.
What pleasantly surprised Yamato Miku, however, was Ayami's reaction.
From Ayami's expression alone, it was obvious—she wasn't resistant at all. If anything, she looked happy. Even… expectant.
That struck Yamato Miku as odd.
Could it be that my daughter isn't as clueless as I thought?Maybe she wasn't doing nothing at all—maybe she went straight for the mother-in-law route first?
Judging solely from Ayami's demeanor, Yamato Miku could already tell: this matter had real potential.
Just as she was about to press the advantage and finalize the engagement between Yuto and Kuka while the mood was right, a voice suddenly cut in from the side.
"If I remember correctly," Jingū Saori said calmly, turning toward Ayami, "the Yamato family may be influential, but in this generation, isn't Yamato Kuka the only heir?"
She adjusted her posture slightly, her gaze sharp.
"If that's the case, then as the sole successor of the Yamato family, Kuka wouldn't be marrying into a fallen house like the Amanoin family, would she?"
Her eyes shifted subtly toward Yamato Miku.
"Unless, Yamato-san, your true purpose today is to persuade Ayami to have Yuto marry into the Yamato family?"
If this were a normal marriage discussion, etiquette dictated that the groom's family would be the ones to pay a visit.
Yet here it was—the bride's family, arriving with generous gifts and considerable fanfare.
That alone was unusual.
Compared to the vast resources of the Yamato family, the Amanoin household could barely even be considered a minor family anymore.
Such a move suggested one of two possibilities: either the Yamato family had a very specific request—or they were exceptionally satisfied with Yuto as a prospective son-in-law.
But according to Yamato Miku herself, they had only met Yuto for the first time a few days ago, because of Kuka.
That made the former far more likely.
When Jingū Saori voiced this aloud, Yamato Miku frowned slightly.
Kuka was indeed the sole heir of the Yamato family. Marrying her off was never an option. Beyond discussing the marriage itself, Yamato Miku had also intended to quietly probe Ayami's attitude toward the idea of Yuto marrying into the Yamato family.
What she hadn't expected was that she wouldn't even get the chance to bring it up herself.
Before she could prepare her words, the woman sitting beside Ayami had already seen straight through her intentions—and stated them bluntly.
In any era, most families on the groom's side were deeply resistant to the idea of mukoyōshi—a man marrying into his wife's family.
And that went doubly so for ancient exorcist families like the Yamato and Amanoin clans, whose traditions ran deep and rigid.
This was precisely why Yamato Kuka—despite being the very definition of a wealthy, beautiful, and accomplished woman—had remained unmarried for so many years.
Her personal feelings were one factor. Her identity was another, far more troublesome one.
Ordinary men weren't worthy of the Yamato family's consideration, while talented heirs of other exorcist families balked the moment they heard the word "marry in."
Yamato Miku didn't know exactly who Jingū Saori was—but the fact that Ayami had dismissed everyone else while allowing her to remain made one thing clear.
This woman was close to Ayami.
And she was going to be difficult.
Yamato Miku folded open her fan and spoke again, her tone measured.
"It's true. As the sole heir of the Yamato family, the likelihood of Kuka marrying out is quite low.
"But for the Amanoin family, marrying in may not necessarily be a bad thing."
She glanced toward Ayami, her words deliberate.
"The Amanoin family may have originated as an exorcist lineage, but in truth, it has long since fallen into name only. At this point, there's only one male descendant left—Yuto himself.
"And even the exorcist techniques Yuto uses were not inherited from the Amanoin family. Given that, can the Amanoin household truly still be considered the exorcist family it once was?"
Her fan shifted slightly as she continued.
"If Yuto were to marry into the Yamato family, he would gain direct access to our core clan techniques—privileges that even I myself never received.
"With Yuto's talent and strength, combined with the resources of the Yamato family, it wouldn't be impossible for him to one day stand among the strongest in the world."
Her eyes glinted faintly.
"And after completing his marriage with Kuka, he might even become the next head of the Yamato family.
"Thinking of it that way, Ayami-fujin—do you truly believe Yuto would be losing out by marrying into the Yamato family?"
Hiding her lips behind the open fan, Yamato Miku finished speaking.
The Yamato family's stance on this matter was unwavering.
If she wanted Ayami to accept it, then the only path forward was to lay out every advantage—clearly, thoroughly, and without reservation—and make it impossible for her not to be tempted.