Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 242, Section 17: "The moonlight is beautiful, Miss Shrine Maiden."

Rinne's hometown, Takido Village, is located in northern Gunma Prefecture. It is a sparsely populated area surrounded by forest farms and has not been developed for tourism.

The entire village stretches along the main road, with few complicated branching points.

As soon as Masumi entered the village, she slowed down. This densely populated area seemed to be the center of the village.

"This is Rinne's hometown."

The car window was opened, and Qian'ai peeked out slightly.

Scattered straw lay along the edge of the paddy field, and occasionally wild birds would fly down to peck at the rice husks.

"Hmm, so many years have passed, and it seems that nothing has changed."

Rinne gazed silently at everything reflected in her eyes. What was she thinking?

Nothing in the world remains unchanged, Masumi thought. Even the white breath she exhaled in the autumn air seemed to have faded in color after a long period of weathering.

"Which room is Rinne's house?" Masumi asked.

"neither."

Rinne gently shook her head.

"Ok?"

Masumi paused slightly, wondering if Rinne was trying to say that Takido was just the past, and that her present and future were in Kobe, so home was also...

"...To get to Jinshiro Shrine, we need to drive further into the mountains."

"Oh."

With a slightly flushed face and an awkward feeling of not being understood by others, Masumi drove the car into the mountains.

The wispy clouds clung to the low mountain ridges, motionless, making the entire sky look like a solid block of blue ice.

There are gently sloping terraced fields in the mountains, with winding streams running through them.

Masumi surmised that during the Sengoku period, this secluded field located in the mountains of Tone District, Kozuke Province, must have sheltered many civilians during the wars.

"Speaking of which, isn't the Kamishiro Shrine also established around that time?"

“Hmm.” Rinne nodded: “It is said to be 1565, the 8th year of Eiroku.”

"In 1565, Eiroku committed the Great Rebellion. If so, this is truly a shrine with a long history."

Mentioning the keyword "Asami" brings out the spirit.

Don't let his idiot appearance fool you; he's played historical games like Nobunaga's Ambition, so his basic historical knowledge is passable.

"Even so, during the Kyōhō era, a wildfire broke out in Takido Village, which destroyed half of the village and the entire shrine. The current shrine was rebuilt on the ruins, and many of the documents inside the shrine were also burned. It's hard to say how much it has to do with the original shrine."

“Mmm.” Mami nodded heavily. “That sounds even more legendary.”

Where is the legend?

Rinne was quite puzzled.

"...It's that building, right?"

Masumi then interjected.

The river is full of stones, and the gurgling sound of the water gives people a sweet feeling.

Driving along the road by the river, a cluster of solitary buildings came into view.

Rinyin nodded.

There is a parking lot near the shrine paved with gravel, but it looks like it has been abandoned for a long time, with tall weeds and a semi-rotten state.

The reason it is described as half-rotten rather than completely rotten is because there was a five-seater van parked here before them.

"The White Devil!"

Mami pointed at the car and made a strange noise.

"No, it's just an ordinary white car, Mami-nee."

Qian Ai made a strange comment.

"The fact that someone would come to such a secluded mountain shrine is unusual, isn't it?"

Asami argued confidently, "Didn't Rinne say that even many people in Gunma Prefecture haven't heard of Takido Village, let alone the Shindai Shrine in the mountains?"

"...Let's get out of the car and take a look."

Rinne said calmly.

"it is good."

Masumi got off the bus, then shook awake Umizuki, who was sleeping soundly in the last row, and walked into the shrine with the girls.

As expected of an ancient shrine built during the Kyoho era, its vermilion torii gate is quite impressive.

It's just that the exterior looks newer and not as antique.

“That was donated by a construction company that my father brought in to sponsor it when I was in kindergarten, so it’s still very new.”

Rinne said this as she looked up at Masumi, who was gazing at the shimenawa (a type of rope) atop the torii gate.

"Oh."

Perhaps because it is located in the mountains, the approach to the shrine is very long. After passing through the second torii gate, you can see the worship hall. There is a middle-aged man wearing a white shirt and light blue hakama sweeping the floor.

The middle-aged man noticed them looking up.

Perhaps surprised by the unusual combination of six people—one man and five women—his eyes were filled with doubt.

"Gentlemen... are you pilgrims here to pay your respects?"

After exchanging glances, Rinne stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said:

"Hello, I am Rinne Kamishiro, the daughter of the shrine's chief priest. Nice to meet you."

"I see." The middle-aged man dressed in priest's robes nodded in understanding.

"I am Tanaka Masakazu, the priest appointed by the shrine headquarters to manage the Jinshiro Shrine. Nice to meet you."

After everyone exchanged greetings, Masumi raised a question:

"Has Mr. Tanaka always lived here and managed the shrine?"

“No.” Mr. Tanaka shook his head.

"Because the shrine headquarters is short-staffed, I actually serve as the head priest of several shrines. I only come to Jinshiro Shrine two days a month to do some simple cleaning work."

"Thank you for your trouble..."

The heiress trailed off mid-sentence.

Masumi knew what she wanted to say. As the daughter of a priest, inheriting the priesthood and protecting this shrine should have been her responsibility.

However, Masumi sometimes wishes that she could be less responsible.

There are countless things to hold onto, like stars in the sky. If you always treat things you can't choose as things you have to do, it will definitely be very tiring.

To share this feeling with her, Masumi quietly touched Rinne's fingers.

"..."

Rinne's expression remained calm, but her fingertips trembled violently as she reached out and timidly intertwined her fingers with Masumi's.

Feelings are conveyed through warmth, between the skin that touches each other.

...I hope no one else noticed?
Masumi, looking guilty, glanced furtively at the other four.

"Speaking of which, Miss Kamishiro, is your return this time perhaps to take over the Kamishiro Shrine?"

Mr. Tanaka asked, seemingly casually.

Generally speaking, it is rare for a woman to inherit a shrine, even if she is the daughter of the chief priest or the head priest.

However, small, rural shrines like Jinshiro Shrine, which are largely ignored by the local authorities, are naturally not subject to such strict regulations by the shrine headquarters.

The number of Shinto priests at the main hall of the shrine is extremely limited, with only 22,000 nationwide, while there are approximately 80,000 shrines throughout the island nation.

In sparsely populated areas, a priest often serves at multiple shrines, just like Mr. Tanaka in front of us.

The purpose of the shrine's main hall is to provide guidance and assistance to the shrine, not to seize it by force. If Rinne is willing to inherit the Shindai Shrine, they will naturally be happy to do so.

"Rinne".

Qian Ai suddenly looked at her with a hint of worry.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Tanaka,” Rinne said.

“I am currently still in school and have other things that require my full attention, so I cannot return to live in Gunma. I will continue to trouble you.”

That's completely untrue.

Mr. Tanaka denied it without hesitation, saying, "After all, the purpose of our clergy is to serve the gods."

"Oh, right, this is for you."

He clapped his hands as if suddenly remembering something, then rummaged in his pocket for a while before pulling out a bunch of tattered keys.

“It’s the key to the house. Since it’s private property, I’ve only been keeping it safe for now. It’s time to return it to its rightful owner.”

"Thank you, Mr. Tanaka."

Mr. Tanaka's smile remained unchanged as he nodded slightly to her.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he left the shrine space to the group, said goodbye, and drove away.

"Go to...my house, have a look."

Rinne lightly gripped the key in her hand, her face maintaining its usual indifferent expression as she uttered those words.

"Ah."

The Kamishiro family's house is located behind the main hall of the shrine.

"Wow, what a magnificent old house!"

Qian Ai couldn't help but sigh.

“It feels like a house that would appear in a Taiga drama.” Asami nodded in agreement.

"That's way too old-fashioned," Masumi remarked. "But it does have a great atmosphere."

“Although this house is very old, your reaction is far too exaggerated,” Rinne sighed.

"Would you like to take a look inside?"

"I want to see it! I want to see it!"

Chia and Asami seemed impatient.

however……

"It smells so musty."

Mio's brows furrowed.

Yes, reality is harsh.

"After all, it's a house that hasn't been lived in for 10 years."

Masumi didn't seem to care much.

"Seriously, there really are houses like this, with an iron pot hanging from a fire in the center of the floor."

Mio looked around the room one by one, staring blankly in disbelief.

"It looks exactly like a den that a bear or a tengu built out of wood."

"Don't worry, the electrical system and drainage are working properly, and taking a shower won't be a problem."

Rinne noticed Mio's worry. "There's a living room with tatami mats over there. We'll sleep there tonight."

"Huh? Everyone together?" Masumi asked instinctively.

"Well, although there are enough guest rooms, it would be tiring and troublesome to clean so many rooms. In this way, it will be enough to clean only one room."

"Agree!"

Asami raised her hand to cast her vote, then narrowed her eyes imposingly and glared fiercely at Masumi.

"What's wrong? Are you unhappy that Masumi-kun is sharing a room with us?"

Masumi immediately denied it: "That's not true, I'm very happy."

"Hey, that's it."

She then changed to a meaningful tone, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said:
"You like full-course meals, Masumi-kun is such a gluttonous bad man."

"Whoa! Masumi-nii..."

Chiai trembled instantly and turned her gaze to Masumi.

"Yes."

Under the watchful eyes of the girls, Masumi nodded calmly.

"I really enjoy spending time with you all."

"Eh."

The unexpected response froze Mami's teasing smile on her face. What was going on? Masumi-kun's reaction at this moment should be like that of a male protagonist in a light novel, flustered, blushing and stammering, right?

"Wait a minute, Masumi-nii."

Qian Ai straightened her face, her eyes sharp and scrutinizing.

"Did you really understand what Mami-nee meant just now?"

"understood."

Masumi answered nonchalantly, even staring at Chiai with a puzzled look.

"Waaah, it would be even worse if Masumi-nii nodded after understanding."

She turned to Mio, who was most likely to explode, and asked, "What did Mio-neechan say?"

"Masumi herself said, 'I enjoy the time I spend with you'... I'm so happy!"

Mio cupped her cheeks in her hands, her face flushed, and breathed out hot, moist air.

Well, she completely ignored the "everyone" part that followed.

"Haiyue?"

"I love Masumi... and everyone else..."

"Alright, Mami-nee, do you have anything to say?"

"I'm sorry, Chia."

Asami crossed her arms and said in an extremely serious tone:

"Faced with Masumi-kun baring his fangs, we are just prey. If I anger Masumi-kun now, he might spank me so hard that I can't sit up straight."

"This is completely inexplicable! Besides, Masumi-nii doesn't have that kind of sadistic fetish." Chiai frowned.

"Where's Rinne? You're not going to join in everyone's nonsense, are you?"

The childhood friend looked nervously at Rinne, the most composed and calm girl in the Starry Night Cafe, who was always impeccable.

Well, this impression is based on the premise that Chiai has never met Nekorin.

The heiress's expression remained calm as she tied her usually loose black hair into a ponytail with a hair tie, but her tone was full of emotion.

"...The time I spend with each of you makes me feel like I've become important too."

"Ugh! Even Rinne...? Am I the minority...?"

Qian'ai's shoulders suddenly slumped, casting a shadow over her face.

"Although I don't understand why Qian'ai is so disappointed, we should not worry about it too much since we are on a trip."

Masumi gave her a gentle smile, as if to reassure her.

"...Masumi-nii, you must feel very gentle and understanding right now."

After Chiai finished speaking unhappily, Masumi immediately followed up:
"It doesn't matter how that happened, I just want to see Qian Ai happy."

"..."

The young girl, like a seashell trying to close itself up, hunched her neck.

"what happened?"

"No, nothing..."

"—Everyone, let's start by cleaning up."

At this moment, Rinne pulled out the cleaning tools and said.

Qian Ai grasped at a straw, "Um, I'll go clean!"

"Oh……"

Masumi watched as Aome fled in a panic.

Respectfully yours, to my senior, Rugu, who is far away on Miyako Island.

This is what it's like to be used to being with multiple women at the same time.

Next comes the spring cleaning.

Just cleaning the rooms we need to use takes up almost an entire day.

Mop the floors, scrub the bathroom, and clean the coal ash from the stove.

After some tidying up, the old house has finally regained some of its vitality.

Masumi breathed a sigh of relief and threw the twigs she had picked up into the heater.

"...Where's Rinne?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen her since just now."

Asami sat sprawled on the tatami mat, completely lacking in proper posture, and answered him lazily.

"Masumi-nii, I'm done using the bathroom. It's your turn now."

Qian'ai changed into her pajamas, put her hair up in a bun and wrapped it with a towel, and her cheeks were flushed pink.

"Rinne's bathtub is made of cypress wood, and it smells so good."

"...Let Mami and Kaizuki go first."

Masumi stood up from the tatami mat. "I'm a little concerned. I'll go out for a bit."

"Huh? What are you concerned about?"

"Rinne".

Masumi spoke succinctly, and just as she was about to leave the house, she suddenly stopped.

"Oh, by the way, if Mio asks me later, just say I went to find Rinne, I'll be back soon, and I won't do anything."

"okay."

After giving her explanation, Masumi pushed open the door of the house.

He had a gut feeling about where to look for Rinne.

The shrine is dark at night, and you can occasionally hear the calls of crows or wild boars.

The moon was obscured by clouds, causing a deep darkness to envelop everything around it.

The white light emitted by the phone illuminated the path ahead.

Masumi stopped in front of the ancient-style worship hall and, by the faint light of the stars and moon, made out that slender and beautiful silhouette.

She was dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, and her long, straight, radiant black hair was neatly tied in sandalwood paper and then secured with hemp twine.

—So beautiful.

Masumi had no other thoughts besides gazing at the incomparably beautiful girl before her.

It's like a noble and beautiful Sasa lily.

Rinne noticed the gaze, turned around, and walked towards Masumi with a gentle smile.

"The moonlight is so beautiful, Miss Shrine Maiden."

(End of this chapter)