The late afternoon settled slowly over Hoshimiya.
The station was no longer as crowded as it had been in the morning, but there was still a steady flow of people heading home after a well-spent Sunday. Slanted sunlight streamed in through the sides of the structure, tinting the concrete in shades of orange and casting long shadows across the ground.
Isagi and Marin were sitting side by side on one of the platform benches. She had dropped her backpack at her feet, her legs swinging lightly, still carrying that residual energy that always lingered after a day too perfect to end quickly. Her blonde hair caught the light of the setting sun, and though her face looked a little tired, it bore a clear satisfaction — almost as if she had fulfilled a dream…
For a few seconds, Marin simply watched the movement of the tracks. Then she turned her face toward him, leaning in just a little closer, as though the question she was about to ask was far too important to be spoken from a distance.
"So… Isagi-kun," she began, trying to sound casual but failing just a bit. "Did you have fun today?"
Isagi slowly turned his face toward her. His blue eyes met hers without hurry.
"Yes." He answered simply, but without hesitation. "A lot."
She blinked, surprised by the quickness. Then a small smile appeared — the kind that starts at the corners of the mouth and slowly grows.
"Really? Like… for real? You're not just saying that to make me happy, are you?"
Isagi lightly scratched his cheek with his index finger — that slightly awkward gesture he made whenever he didn't know quite where to put his sincerity.
"No. I thought… it was cool. The whole event. The people, the energy. And you…" He paused briefly, looking forward toward the orange horizon. "…as Shizuku. Besides looking incredibly beautiful, you were perfect in the role — it was like you had completely become her. It was really impressive!"
For half a second, Marin felt the world stop.
He had complimented her before, but never this directly. He didn't say "your cosplay was good" or "you looked like her" — he admitted it felt like she had actually become Shizuku, and on top of that, he called her incredibly beautiful! Her heart raced in an absurd, almost embarrassing way. Inside, it was as if something had silently exploded. A wave of heat rushed up through her chest, spreading to her face, her ears, the tips of her fingers.
"Ahhhh, Isagi-kun thinks I'm super beautiful! What do I do, what do I do… What do I even say?! He looked so handsome too in those casual clothes that show off his muscular, sexy body, and I didn't even compliment him! Ahhhh, what would Shizuku-tan say in this situation?!"
She wanted to scream, jump, hug him right there — all at once — but the most she managed was to blush violently and look away, bringing one hand to her mouth in a useless attempt to hide both her joy at being praised and a certain embarrassment at not knowing how to respond in a moment like this. Even she didn't fully understand the whirlwind of emotions in her heart; she had never been this "shy" about compliments before, but this time she had been praised by her Isagi-kun, so it was different!
"Th-thank you…" was all she managed to murmur, her voice coming out much softer than intended. "I'm… really happy you liked it, Isagi-kun…"
She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.
But inside, there was no control left.
"Ahhhh, I really love Isagi-kun! I love him. I love the way he listens without interrupting. I love that he doesn't laugh at my excitement, he just goes along with it. I love that he came with me today even knowing it would be a completely different world from his. I love how he blushes a little when he gives a compliment and tries to hide it by scratching his cheek. I love that he's strong and gentle at the same time… Ahhhh, this is unfair, you know?! Playing with a maiden's heart like this is cruel, Isagi-kun!"
The mental list only grew longer. Each new thought seemed to add more weight to the feeling, until it felt like it would overflow. Marin gripped the strap of her backpack tightly, breathing deeply through her nose.
"Isagi-kun…"
"Hm?" He turned his head toward her.
Marin swallowed hard.
"…Nothing. Just…" She hesitated, then smiled — small and sincere. "Today was the best day. The best day ever. Thank you for coming with me!"
He watched her for a few seconds. Then, in that low, calm voice that seemed made to soothe any storm: "No problem, Kitagawa-san. I needed to do something different, and going out with you was fun. You don't need to thank me. I should be the one thanking you for inviting me…"
"Isagi-kun…"
Marin felt something warm and sweet spread through her chest, as if someone had turned on a tiny light inside her. She didn't need anything more right now. No dramatic confession, no sunset kiss, no grand words. This was enough: him sitting there, saying the day had been good for him too, that it had been fun for him too — just as much as it had been for her. It was enough to know that, in some quiet and honest way, he felt at least a small piece of what she felt.
Isagi stayed silent for a few more seconds, watching the tracks as the sky grew a little darker. Then he slowly stood up from the bench and stretched his arms above his head, letting out a short sigh — like someone who had finally remembered something important.
"Ah… before I forget," he said, adjusting his jacket after stretching. "I'm taking the train to Sukisugi, not Saitama."
Marin blinked.
"Huh?" The sound came out automatically, small. "To Sukisugi?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "I still have something to take care of there today."
She tilted her head slightly, curious, but didn't ask right away. Isagi looked away for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck — it almost looked like an advance apology.
"I'd invite you to come along…" Isagi continued, sincere, "…but I'm meeting a friend. He's kind of… grumpy. Not really the type who likes surprises."
He paused briefly, then added:
"Sorry about that."
Marin blinked again.
This time more slowly.
"Ah…" She smiled — too quickly, as if wanting to show everything was fine before she even felt it. "No, no! It's okay, really!"
She waved her hand, trying to look carefree.
"Everyone has their own things to do, right? And grumpy friends are part of life too!" she added, laughing lightly.
But inside, it was inevitable.
"Ah… so we won't be going home together…"
The little sting was small, almost silly, but it was there. Marin felt her shoulders relax a bit more than she intended and looked away for a second, hiding the disappointment before it could show on her face.
Isagi noticed.
Maybe not completely, but enough to hesitate for a moment.
"We'll talk later…" he said then. "Later tonight. Message, call… whatever you want."
Marin lifted her face immediately.
"Really?" she asked, her eyes shining again.
"Really."
That was enough.
"Alright, then!" Marin replied, more animated than she had been just moments before. "Don't forget to text me when you get home, okay? And if your grumpy friend is being really annoying, you can tell me all about it so I can comfort you later!"
Isagi gave a half-smile.
"Alright."
The announcement for the Sukisugi train echoed across the platform. Isagi turned toward the sound, then looked back at her.
"So… see you later, Kitagawa-san."
"See you later, Isagi-kun."
He walked away with calm steps, blending into the small group of people approaching the train door. Before entering, he raised his hand in a short, simple wave.
Marin waved back.
And stayed there.
Standing.
Watching as the train began to move, his silhouette growing more distant until it disappeared completely.
The bench beside her suddenly felt a little emptier.
Marin let out a slow breath, sat down again, and hugged her backpack close.
He's gone…
"But he said he'd talk to me later."
One thought pulled another. And another. And another.
"Grumpy friend… I wonder if it's someone from soccer? He gets so different when he talks about those things… Did he really have fun with me? He said he did… he said it for real. He thought I was beautiful. Really beautiful."
Her face heated up again.
"Ahhh… seriously…" she murmured to herself, burying her chin in her scarf. "What am I supposed to do with this heart…?"
The Saitama train arrived shortly after. Marin stood up, boarded the car, and sat near the window. As the train began to move, she rested her forehead against the cold glass, watching the scenery pass slowly.
Sunday was ending.
But the feeling it left behind… that showed no sign of leaving anytime soon.
.
.
.
.
.
The trip to Sukisugi was short.
The train barely had time to pick up speed before it started slowing down again.
Isagi stood near the door, looking out the window as the urban scenery gradually changed.
Sukisugi was different from Saitama.
The houses were lower, many still made of wood, with sloped roofs and simple front gardens. Small family-run shops lined the area near the station: an old grocery store, a traditional sweets shop, a café that looked like it hadn't changed its facade in decades. The streets were clean, narrow, and the pace was far too calm for a late afternoon.
When Isagi stepped onto the platform, the loudest sound was the distant chirping of cicadas.
After asking an elderly woman for directions to the shrine the taxi driver had mentioned, he walked for a few minutes along a gently sloping street that led away from the station. As he continued, the presence of the city grew thinner, replaced by tall trees and an old stone staircase partially covered in moss.
He had arrived at Sukisugi Shrine.
It was a simple place.
A slightly faded red torii marked the entrance, creaking softly in the wind. Stone lanterns lined the path — some visibly cracked, others leaning from the weight of years. The courtyard was wide but strangely empty, as if few people actually came here regularly.
Isagi climbed the steps calmly.
There was no one else around.
He stopped in front of the small main hall, rang the bell by pulling the rope, clapped his hands twice, then brought them together and closed his eyes for a moment.
Isagi kept his hands together for a few more seconds, breathing deeply before speaking. At first, he thought of saying something simple and generic, as he always did at shrines. But perhaps because of the excessive silence of the place, or perhaps because of everything he had been holding inside, the words ended up coming out more honest than he intended.
"Kami-sama, if you're listening…" he began, voice low, echoing faintly in the empty courtyard. "I don't really know what I'm doing."
He opened his eyes slightly but kept staring at the altar.
"I don't want to hurt anyone, but I also don't want to lie to myself. I'm having a lot of problems with the girls I'm in love with, and I'm selfish enough to want all of them." His hand tightened against the other. "And I don't know what the right path is. I just know running away isn't an option."
He hesitated for a moment, then added almost in a whisper:
"So… if you could help me not ruin everything… I'd appreciate it."
The wind passed through the trees.
The bell swayed gently, even though no one touched it.
And then—
"Don't worry about that."
The voice came out of nowhere.
Isagi's eyes widened instantly, his body tensing.
"Huh?"
He quickly turned in every direction.
Nothing.
The courtyard remained empty. The stone lanterns, motionless. The trees, silent.
"…Hallucination?" he murmured.
"I'm right here," the voice said, now carrying a slight tone of impatience.
Isagi frowned and looked around again — until, on instinct, he lowered his gaze.
And froze.
Protruding through the wooden offering box, as if it had no concept of physics or common sense, was a face.
An extremely old face.
Deep wrinkles. Stern eyes. A long, disheveled beard emerging first, followed by a hooked nose and a forehead marked by time. The wood of the box seemed to pass right through him as though he were made of solid smoke.
Isagi took a full step backward.
"Gah!" he exclaimed, instinctively raising a hand in front of himself. "A… an offering thief?!"
The old man's eyes widened.
"What?" He made a deeply offended grimace. "What kind of offering thief would appear by passing through the box like a ghost, you insolent brat?!"
"I-I don't know!" Isagi shot back, still in shock. "Maybe a new type?!"
The aged face twisted in anger.
"Show some respect!" he growled. "I am the god of this shrine!"
Heavy silence fell.
"…What?"
Isagi blinked. Once. Twice.
"What kind of god appears… like that?" he asked in disbelief, pointing at the half of the body still stuck inside the offering box.
The old man let out a deep sigh, like someone who had heard that complaint far too many times.
"Humans…" he grumbled.
Then, with a slow motion, he simply stepped completely out of the box.
Now standing before the blue-eyed boy was a bald man with a long white beard that reached his chest. He wore simple, clean traditional white robes. Behind his back, large, clearly real wings extended, folding naturally. Above his head floated a soft-glowing golden halo.
Isagi swallowed hard.
"…Ah."
Any solemn, distant, majestic image he had ever had of a god was completely shattered in that instant.
Even so, it was impossible to deny the obvious.
That old man was not human.
It was just what was missing. It wasn't enough that his world already had "powers" even in sports — now there was a whole hidden supernatural world too?
"See?" the god said, crossing his arms. "Now stop looking at me like I'm some kind of supernatural beggar."
Isagi opened his mouth, closed it, then took a deep breath.
"Sorry…" he said at last. "But… this is all very unexpected."
"Hmph." The god turned his face away. "You're not the first to say that."
Then he looked back at Isagi, eyes serious.
"Anyway, you don't need to worry about those romantic complications anymore."
Isagi blinked again.
"…Come again?"
"You've already met most of your soulmates…" the god said casually, as a kind of staff materialized in his hand. "From today onward, those problems simply won't exist anymore."
Isagi frowned.
"…That sounds… hard to believe."
"Hard to believe or not, it's the truth…" the god replied. "Soulmates do exist."
Isagi remained silent.
The god continued:
"When two soulmates meet, they form a powerful connection. A direct impact. Something like an electric shock." He lightly tapped his own chest. "A bond that cannot be ignored."
Isagi felt a strange shiver, not quite understanding why.
"From today onward…" the god added, "…you will feel it."
"Me?" Isagi pointed to himself.
"Yes. Though men usually take longer to notice," he said with a critical look. "Women feel it first."
The god cleared his throat.
"Previously, there were… some administrative issues on my part."
Isagi looked up immediately.
"Administrative?" he repeated. "What does that mean?"
"…Not relevant…" the god answered, looking away far too quickly. "The important thing is that you won't have to worry about any complications with your destined lovely girls anymore…"
He stared at Isagi again, now serious once more.
"From today onward, everything will flow as it should. When you touch your soulmate, you will know. And she will know too — most likely she's already in love with you, and if not, it will happen naturally in record time."
Isagi's heart gave an involuntary leap.
"Not everyone has a soulmate," the god continued. "But you…"
He paused dramatically.
"…are exceptionally fortunate."
Isagi felt a bad premonition.
"You are destined to meet ten."
"…Ten…?"
"Ten soulmates…" the god confirmed, nodding.
The world seemed to tilt.
Isagi remained silent for several seconds, trying to process it.
It was absurd.
But… if it was true…
His treacherous mind started working on its own: Alya, Maria, Kaguya, Marin, Yuki. Five names surfaced almost automatically, accompanied by faces, voices, specific moments. His heart beat harder just thinking about them… But who were the others?
The god stayed quiet for a few seconds, watching Isagi's completely bewildered expression as if evaluating whether the impact had been sufficient. Then, with absurd naturalness considering everything he had just said, he reached into nothingness… and pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses.
He put them on with a sharp click, adjusting them on his nose with the tip of his finger.
"Well then…" he said in a carefree tone, as if ending a trivial conversation. "My work here is done."
"What— wait!" Isagi stepped forward, his brain still trying to catch up with the rest of his body. "You can't just—"
The god was already turning sideways.
"If you don't believe everything will go smoothly…" he continued, walking calmly toward the side wall of the shrine, "…you can come back here anytime and take whatever measures you think necessary."
With that, without any effort, the god passed straight through the wall as though it were made of mist. His body disappeared first. Then the wings. Finally, the halo was the last thing to vanish, leaving only the distant sound of footsteps that shouldn't have existed… and silence.
Isagi stood frozen.
The wind blew through the trees again. The cicadas sang as if nothing had happened. The shrine remained exactly the same.
"…"
He blinked.
Once.
Twice.
"…Huh?"
Isagi slowly turned his body, looking around as though expecting someone to jump out from behind a stone lantern and say it was an overly elaborate prank. But there was no one. Absolutely no one.
"…This…" He ran his hand through his hair, messing it up. "This really just happened? What kind of god shows up like that…? And what kind of god says those things like he's handing out flyers?"
Even so, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, something inside him couldn't simply dismiss it all as imagination.
A shiver ran down his spine — this time clearer.
"This is insane…" he concluded, taking a deep breath. "Completely insane."
Pushing the thoughts aside, he decided to leave, walking down the stone steps of the shrine. There was something different in his steps now. A new weight, but also an uncomfortable anticipation pulsing deep in his chest.
If it was a lie, nothing would change.
But if it was true…
Isagi pressed his lips together, casting one last glance at the red torii before walking away.
His romantic problems… were over?
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