I have an unlimited number of shikigami

Kasahara Fukaeri shrugged.

In the gentle, moist sea breeze, her everyday little movements appeared fluid and graceful.

Fujiwara Izaya glanced at the bow of the ship and asked her, "Would you like to do something a little childish, but something that you'll never forget?"

"What?" Kasahara Fukaeri asked with rare curiosity.

"Hmm, you stand on the bow of the boat, open your arms and close your eyes, and I'll hug you from behind..."

“I…I won’t.” Kasahara Fukari immediately protested.

But Fujiwara Izaya still had a smile on his face.

It's the kind of smile that you insist on, no matter what, even if the ship is about to sink.

Kasahara Fukae hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly went along with his wishes.

She stiffly stepped onto the bow of the boat, opened her arms, took a deep breath, and slowly closed her eyes. Her last vision was of the endless blue sea and sky, stretching out to the water in all directions.

The autumn sunlight cast her delicate eyebrows and long eyelashes swaying gently across her fair face. Her long orange hair fluttered in the wind, becoming the most striking color on the sea.

Fujiwara Izaya jumped onto the bow of the boat and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

Kasahara Fukari trembled.

Soon after, she gradually softened and leaned her back against his chest.

"You're giving me a feeling that the ship is going to sink," she whispered.

"With you by my side, I'd be content even if I died." Fujiwara Izaya hugged her waist tightly, burying his face in her shoulders and neck. "Are you ready?"

"what?"

"three two……"

"Hey, wait, you need to..."

"I am the king of the world——"

The roar, unleashed with demonic power, echoed throughout the entire cruise ship, drifting towards the azure and surging sea. White waves were blasted into bursts of spray by the sound waves.

Several people strolling around the deck stared in astonishment.

Kasahara Fukaeri blushed with embarrassment.

Immediately, an even greater riot broke out from inside the ship's cabin.

"Hurry up!" Kasahara Fukari suddenly grabbed Fujiwara Izaya's shoulder.

Fujiwara Izaya grabbed her and jumped off the bow of the boat.

In the midst of the weightlessness, Kasahara Fukari unconsciously tightened her grip on the only thing she could hold onto.

Just as she was about to fall into the water, her pure white wings unfurled, and with a whoosh, she soared straight into the sky.

※※※※※

"I am the king of the world——"

Mrs. Hoshimi and Rinko Hoshimi were having breakfast in their room when these words came. Upon hearing the voice, she raised her index finger, as if listening intently: "Rinko, did you hear something?"

The wind rustled the curtains.

Opposite her mother, Hoshimi Rinko held a glass of iced lemonade, her gaze shifting to the sea outside the cabin.

"Who does Mother think it is?" the witch, whose eyes were as beautiful as jewels, asked knowingly.

In the sea breeze, Mrs. Hoshimi's voice was clear and melodious: "I guess it's a great tengu."

Hoshimi Rinko covered her mouth, but a smile spread across her face.

With her cheeks slightly flushed, she looked remarkably intelligent, befitting her status as a lovely shrine maiden. When the boy she admired suddenly became entangled with demonic powers, she acted as if she hadn't noticed, casually spreading butter on her mother's bread.

"Rinko, you really don't mind?" Mrs. Hoshimi was bewildered by her daughter and didn't quite understand the situation.

“Of course I mind.” Hoshimi Rinko leisurely sipped her lemonade, her gaze searching the blue sky. “If he doesn’t kneel down and beg for forgiveness, I won’t forgive him.”

Mrs. Hoshimi scolded, "You're too soft-hearted. You're letting him off too easily..."

The mother and daughter exchanged a glance and laughed at the same time, then continued eating their breakfast, enjoying the sea breeze in peace.

In the next room, the Kasahara family mother and daughter were still sleeping in.

The mother lay sprawled on her back, while the daughter lay on her side, one hand on her mother's lower abdomen, one leg draped over her mother's legs, and her cheek buried in her mother's neck.

Upon hearing the sound, the mother and daughter simultaneously opened their eyes in a daze.

"I am the king of the world——"

Under the influence of demonic power, the sound echoed several times before slowly dissipating.

"Ah~"

Mrs. Kasahara yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"He's so reckless! Does he think he's invincible? He really needs an elder to discipline him..." She scolded Fujiwara Izaya, her stern yet beautiful face turning to her bewildered youngest daughter: "Did you hear who it was?"

"do not know."

Kasahara Asuka shook her neck a few times with a cracking sound.

Then, she crawled into bed, biting her lower lip, and muttered, "It's none of my business if I die..."

Mrs. Kasahara also crawled into bed and gently hugged her youngest daughter.

"Xiangxiang~" she called affectionately.

My daughter's body is smooth and her skin is very delicate, as smooth as a baby's.

Kasahara Asuka didn't speak, she just quietly bit her lip.

Suddenly, a suffocating silence enveloped the surroundings. There was no sound, no waves, no gusts of wind; all was still.

"Mom~"

"what?"

Kasahara Asuka asked in a hoarse voice, "Is it really you, senpai?"

Mrs. Kasahara smiled faintly, reached out and touched her youngest daughter's hair, which was covered in sweat. She said gently, "You'd better take a shower; you're sweating quite a bit."

I don't want to do anything for now.

“You have to know eventually, wouldn’t it be better to know sooner?” Mrs. Kasahara retorted.

Kasahara Asuka turned her back, crawled out of bed, and stood naked on the floor to put on her pajamas. First, she bent down to put on her pants, then her top. Buttoning them took her a long time; her fingertips seemed weak. But her mother didn't help; she just quietly watched her daughter's back.

The daughter suddenly turned around, her eyes a little red: "It's not true, is it?"

Mom shook her head slowly but firmly.

The daughter went back to bed, lay down on the inside, and didn't move.

Mom bent down and touched her cheek to hers.

Her cheeks felt damp and warm, and she thought her mother had whispered something in her ear. But the voice was too soft to hear clearly, and she didn't want to ask anymore. All she wanted to do now was sleep, even if she never woke up.

※※※※※

Soaring into the sky.

Surrounded by clouds that resembled ancient gods, Fujiwara Izaya flapped his wings, holding Kasahara Mieri in his arms. They floated above the sea, just like the clouds.

Looking down, the cruise ship sails through the waves, leaving a long trail behind it, and you can hear the distant sound of its horn.

Fujiwara Izaya snapped his fingers.

"Hashihime, come out!"

A bridge emerges from the layers of clouds.

He folded his wings, landed on the bridge, and put Kasahara Fukaeri down from his arms.

As soon as her foot touched the bridge surface, the bridge swayed, and Kasahara Fukari's body swayed along with it.

"Be careful." Fujiwara Izaya quickly supported her waist.

Kasahara Fukaeri tilted her head, staring at him intently.

Those eyes were so clear they were almost transparent, as if they could pierce straight into a person's heart.

"Was I more handsome than young Leonardo DiCaprio just now?" Fujiwara Izaya asked smugly.

“Boring and reckless!” Kasahara Fukari glared at him and walked toward the other side of the bridge.

The wind was much stronger high up than on the ground, tousling her long orange hair. She had to use one hand to hold the flowers and the other to tuck the stray strands of hair that brushed against her cheek. As she reached the end of the bridge, the beginning of the bridge immediately spun around, catching the light of another white cloud, turning the end of the bridge into the beginning.

Fujiwara Izaya took her hand again.

Holding the yellow roses in her arms, Kasahara Fukae listened to his explanation while smelling their fragrance.

"The reason I yelled like that is because I suspect that Chairwoman Kasa deliberately took me to see Chairwoman Hoshimi last night. On the surface, she wanted to tease me and make me suffer in this chaotic situation, but in reality, she wanted me to take this opportunity to confess to her best friend so that she could repair her relationship with her best friend."

The two walked on clouds.

His smile was as bright as the sun, and his voice seemed to come from the heavens.

"She knew I was very imaginative and loved to make connections, and she was convinced I would learn something from this. She also knew I was bold and would definitely take action once I learned something. Since she was so cunning, I had no choice but to do as she wished and tell everyone on the ship that I was a monster. Especially Xiangxiang... I had originally planned to tell her when Xiangxiang grew up, but since she didn't think so, I had to try it earlier. In the end, hiding it was a mistake in itself."

When her younger sister was mentioned, Kasahara Fukae's heart immediately clenched.

“Himeko’s mother is so smart. She knows better than anyone that it’s not just me who needs to be honest, but you too, Eri.” Fujiwara Izaya squeezed her hand. “And the entire human community, and your sister… one day, you’ll have to face it too. Since you don’t know how to move forward anyway, let me scout the way for you in advance. That’s what Himeko’s mother thinks, and I’m willing to do it.”

“What should we do about Asakusa Shrine…” Kasahara Fukari lowered her gaze and looked down at her feet.

This place is too far from land; even from high in the air, all you can see is the endless sea.

"That depends on how much of a commotion Chestnut can cause." Fujiwara Izaya gently stroked her cheek with his other hand.

Kasahara Fukari raised her face and looked into his eyes.

"I have a very bad feeling... My aunt went to great lengths, even risking the future of the entire Xiaxi Consortium, perhaps to push me to my limits. Do you remember what I said, 'A celestial dog is born to soar in the sky'?"

"Ah."

“My aunt thinks so too, so she might force me… to stop following the rules set by humans. She really dares to do that.”

As he spoke, his lips slowly approached.