Ahead of them was a fork in the road with three paths. The arrow on the left pointed toward the stream along the route, the center arrow led toward a hill, and the right path led deeper into the forest.
Three choices, but they would definitely have to investigate all of them, since they had no idea where the Dango Milk was hidden. Logically, there should be three chests with one correct answer among them, but no one could rule out unexpected circumstances. After all, these items had been prepared by the Grand Narukami Shrine.
"Let's take the left path..."
Seeing that Ayaka was still hesitating, she decisively made the suggestion herself.
"All right..."
Ayaka agreed without hesitation. She would simply follow Shogun-sama's decision. She had no intention of objecting to anything.
And so, the two of them proceeded along the stream on the left. After reaching the downstream area, they held hands and stepped across a narrower section of the river before entering a place resembling a shrine alcove.
However, the shrine beside the large rock was not built in any standard style. It looked almost as though it had been made from stone, round and plump, with a straw rain cape and straw hat draped over it. Though it seemed unremarkable at first glance, it stood out conspicuously in this area, and there were even candles properly arranged beside it as offerings.
"This place... seems to have... quite a heavy demonic aura."
Ayaka was least skilled at dealing with this sort of thing, so she adorably pressed close behind the Shogun and spoke in a muffled voice.
"Mm, indeed."
Although she could not sense any demonic aura at all, she still cooperated and answered in a somewhat grave tone.
"Huh? R-Really? I-I was only saying that casually. I didn't expect it to actually... come true."
The instant Ayaka heard her agree, she became even more nervous, tightening her grip around the Shogun's hand as she shrank closer.
"Of course not. I was teasing you."
Suppressing a laugh, she turned back and playfully clarified things for the girl.
"Mm... Shogun-sama, p-please don't tease me. Ayaka... can't handle it///"
Ayaka blushed faintly, lowered her eyes, and gently poked the Shogun's waist with a finger while speaking in a soft voice. Fortunately, this was in front of Shogun-sama. If an outsider saw her behaving this way, she truly would be bringing shame upon the family.
"...You've teased me so many times before. Now I finally get to return the favor, and you're already complaining about fairness. Hmph~!"
She was not actually angry. Instead, she deliberately turned her head away with an aggrieved expression, like a sulking little girlfriend.
"Although this may be somewhat inappropriate to say, Shogun-sama, please choose another way to get revenge on me. Anything except this... anything at all. O-Of course, even that kind of thing would be fine. Ayaka wouldn't object///"
Ayaka deliberately steered the conversation toward something rather strange, and even she began blushing as she spoke. Her voice grew softer and softer until it became a shy whisper. Naturally, the person at the center of that suggestion reacted even more strongly.
".../// W-What are you saying...? How can the Shirasagi Himegimi utter such indecent things? You're being naughty."
Her face turned even redder than Ayaka's, and she immediately lost her composure, adorably puffing out her cheeks as she complained in a quiet voice.
"But... doesn't Shogun-sama know about those things too?"
Holding back her laughter, Ayaka deliberately asked the question in return.
"You—/// W-What a foolish question. Th-This body isn't completely ignorant, you know. Haa... forget it. I can't win against you..."
She speechlessly looked away.
Pfft~
As expected, this kind of topic was Shogun-sama's weak point. The moment Ayaka touched upon it, she became especially adorable and especially innocent... Her flushed, rosy face at this very moment was proof enough.
That already breathtakingly beautiful face became even more captivating when colored by such embarrassment. After knowing her for so many years, this was the conclusion Kamisato Ayaka felt most certain about.
"I~ hate~ this~ so~ much~!"
At that moment, a resentful wail drifted from somewhere nearby. To the Shogun, however, the speaker's tone sounded completely wooden, devoid of any sense of immersion whatsoever. In fact, the deliberately forced voice was almost comical.
"Eek... W-Who's there—"
Ayaka, however, reacted very differently. Already poor at handling such things, she instantly jolted and wrapped herself around the Shogun's arm, pressing her face against her body. A faint trace of fear appeared on her icy, beautiful features. Naturally, that fear was not enough to make her unleash elemental power. After all, this was only a game. Even though she knew it was fake, she was still frightened.
"Shogun-sama, did you hear something?"
Ayaka asked softly.
"Shh~"
She raised a finger in a silencing gesture, and Ayaka nodded obediently and stopped speaking.
"I hate this so much—I'll drag anyone who passes by~ down here to keep me company—"
That comical voice rang out again. This time, they heard it clearly.
"Could it be... a vengeful spirit... still lingering here?"
Ayaka's voice was trembling now, and she looked utterly helpless. It was the first time the Shogun had ever seen the usually proactive girl reveal such a pitiful expression in front of her. Even when Kayo had passed away during Ayaka's childhood, she had never seen her like this.
But she would not add fuel to the fire by frightening her further. She was not that kind of person. If anything, she felt a little heartache.
"Haa... Wait here. I'll go take a look."
She gently patted the back of Ayaka's hand and comforted her in a warm voice.
"Don't... please don't go... too far away from me..."
Ayaka immediately grabbed the sleeve of her furisode and pleaded pitifully.
"Don't worry. I'll only go over there, less than three meters away. How does that sound?"
She negotiated patiently. After all, she could not force Ayaka to face it directly.
"Mm... Be careful."
Ayaka even specifically reminded her to take care.
"Mm..."
She tried to release Ayaka's hand so she could leave, but perhaps out of instinct, at the exact moment their palms separated, the girl reluctantly hooked her index finger around the Shogun's thumb. Once she realized what she had done, she awkwardly let go.
The Shogun gave the girl a reassuring smile and walked straight toward the source of the voice. After thinking for a moment, however, she chose not to approach from the front. Instead, she circled around and emerged from the other side of the shrine.
What entered her view was a young man completely unaware of her presence, draped in leaves and crouching comically inside the bushes as he "hunted" for victims.
"..."
She narrowed her eyes speechlessly before chuckling inwardly.
"I hate this so much~ I hate this so much... I'm going to drag all of you—"
At that moment—
A hand gently came to rest on his shoulder.
"Do not move."
Then, a deliberately lowered voice suddenly spoke in her "Raiden Shogun mode."
"Aaaaaah—!!!"
The young man immediately let out a humiliating scream, but fortunately, he was dedicated enough to his job that he instantly clapped a hand over his mouth. Slowly turning around, he found himself staring at a purple-haired woman.
"What happened? W-Why did someone scream?!"
Ayaka called out worriedly from the distance.
"It's nothing..."
The Shogun stood up and reassured her.
"Is that Miss Kamisato?!"
The moment the young man heard Ayaka's distinctive voice, his face went pale, and he hurriedly asked the Shogun in a frightened whisper.
"It is. Why?"
She looked puzzled.
"Shh—! I'm begging you, please don't make a sound. If Miss Kamisato discovers I'm not doing my job properly, they might dock my pay."
The young man hurriedly made a silencing gesture.
"Not doing your job properly?"
"Of course! A ghost whose true identity gets discovered obviously isn't doing his job properly. Haa... Please don't tell Miss Kamisato. I'm begging you~!"
The young man pleaded desperately.
And what if he frightened Miss Kamisato into a bad mood and she fired him on the spot? Absolutely not! That could never happen!
"Haa... Fine. I understand. But next time, find a more concealed hiding place."
Once she understood, she turned around and left, returning to Ayaka's side while pretending she had seen nothing.
That said, even if Ayaka discovered the truth, she would never do anything like that. After all, if the girl truly had that sort of personality, she would not be Kamisato Ayaka.
"How was it, Shogun-sama...? Did you see anything?"
Ayaka asked with concern.
"Haa... Not a single clue. Perhaps it already left."
She shook her head and told a small lie.
"But... mm... all right..."
Ayaka wanted to ask about the scream from earlier, but after thinking about it, she decided not to pursue the matter. After all, she had no desire to go looking for something that would frighten her.