Ai let out a soft moan as she stretched her tiny arms outward, her fox ears flicking slightly as she took in the sight of the now spotless shrine. The air around us felt lighter, as if the once-dormant building had finally been allowed to breathe again. She exhaled in satisfaction, her tail swaying gently behind her.

  “That being said,” she began, her voice taking on a more serious tone, “now that the shrine is functioning again, we do need manpower to take care of it.”

  I blinked, tilting my head slightly. “Functioning? What does a shrine even do anyway?”

  The moment those words left my mouth, Ai and Yuzu both turned their heads toward me in unison, their fox ears twitching to the side in sheer disbelief. Their expressions were a perfect mix of shock and judgment, like I had just asked if water was wet.

  “Mashiro bery fox girl and bery notto know?” Yuzu asked, her eyes narrowed in pure confusion.

  “Miss Mashiro, how do you not know?” Ai added, her tone much gentler but no less baffled.

  I hesitated, an awkward chuckle bubbling up as I rubbed the back of my neck. “Ahaha… well, you see…” I trailed off, avoiding their expectant gazes. My eyes wandered, landing on Yuki, who was still lounging lazily under the tree. For a split second, I considered blurting out amnesia as an easy excuse, but I quickly realized that was a terrible idea.

  I let out a sigh and finally admitted, “Actually… I’m from another world, so I have no idea how anything in this world works.”

  Silence.

  Then, the two of them sighed in perfect sync, their ears drooping slightly as if the weight of my ignorance was simply too much to bear.

  “Mashiro bery bad at lying,” Yuzu muttered, crossing her arms. “Yuzu bery heard from red witch that Mashiro bery shut-in princess, but Yuzu notto expect Mashiro bery this shut-in.”

  I winced. Et tu, Yuzu?

  Before I could protest, Ai simply smiled and reached out, taking my hand in her small but firm grip.

  “The Inari shrine is important because,” she said gently, pulling me along with her as she led me back to the main shrine building, “it can teleport a fox-kin to another shrine they’ve been to.”

  Ai’s fingers curled gently around my hand, her small yet firm grip guiding me toward the center of the shrine. The cool wooden planks creaked softly beneath our steps, the faint scent of incense still lingering in the air from some long-past offering. Despite the shrine’s age, it now had a certain warmth to it, as if Ai’s care had breathed life back into its sacred halls.

  She finally stopped in front of the offering box, turning to face me with a serene expression. “Miss Mashiro, before you can use the shrine’s teleportation ability, you must first show respect to the Inari deity,” she explained, her snow-white eyes calm but expectant. “I will teach you the proper way to pray.”

  I hesitated, glancing between Ai and the offering box. “Uh, is it complicated?”

  Ai tilted her head slightly, the corners of her lips curving into a soft smile. “Not at all,” she reassured me. “Just follow my lead.”

  She released my hand and took a step forward, positioning herself in front of the shrine. Yuzu, standing to the side, watched with quiet enthusiasm, her fluffy tail swaying slightly as if this was a normal part of her daily life.

  Ai reached into a small pouch at her waist, producing a single coin. With a graceful motion, she tossed it into the offering box, the soft clink echoing in the still air. Then, she clapped her hands twice, the sound sharp yet oddly soothing. Bowing her head slightly, she closed her eyes, her hands pressing together in a prayerful pose.

  A moment of silence passed. The air around us seemed to hum faintly, as if responding to her quiet devotion.

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  After a few seconds, Ai slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes. She turned back to me, her expression warm and patient. “Now, you try.”

  I swallowed, suddenly feeling a little nervous. Was there a right way to pray? Some kind of ritual I had to follow exactly? What if I messed up? What if I clapped too many times or bowed at the wrong moment? Would the Inari deity smite me with divine fox lightning for bad etiquette? I wasn’t even sure what ‘fox lightning’ was, but in my mind, it sounded both adorable and terrifying.

  I took a deep breath, trying to push my unnecessary worries aside. The process itself wasn’t unfamiliar to me. This seemed like the same way people prayed at Shinto shrines in Japan. I had done this before, though mostly on school trips, or when I got dragged along by friends who were way more into tradition than I was. Even then, I’d always followed along absentmindedly, never really thinking about what I was doing beyond the basic steps. Toss a coin, bow twice, clap twice, say a prayer, bow once more. Simple.

  Pushing my worries aside, I took a step forward, mirroring Ai’s stance in front of the shrine. Reaching into my inventory, I fished out the silver coin I had gotten from selling the magic stones Catherine had given me in the village. I turned it over in my fingers for a moment, noting its smooth surface and unfamiliar markings before tossing it into the offering box.

  Clang!

  The sound was way louder than Ai’s soft, delicate coin drop. The metallic echo rang out in the otherwise peaceful shrine, making me stiffen. It wasn’t my fault, okay? My coin was bigger! But Ai and Yuzu both turned to look at me, Yuzu’s ears twitching in barely contained amusement.

  I cleared my throat and forced myself to focus. Alright, just follow Ai’s example.

  Taking a deep breath, I clapped my hands twice. The sound wasn’t as crisp as Ai’s, but Yuzu’s approving nod told me I hadn’t completely embarrassed myself.

  Then, I pressed my hands together and closed my eyes, trying to focus. Uh… hi, Inari deity. Nice shrine you’ve got here. Please don’t be mad if I get teleported and immediately break something by accident. Thanks.

  After a few moments, I slowly opened my eyes, expecting nothing more than a sense of spiritual fulfillment, or at least a vague feeling of accomplishment for not messing up the prayer. Instead, an interface flickered into existence before me, its glowing text hovering in the air like a message from some unseen system.

  [Waiting for the dead to return.]

  [Waypoint set.]

  I blinked.

  That… didn’t sound ominous at all.

  For a long moment, I just stared at the words, half expecting them to change or clarify themselves. But they didn’t. They simply remained there, glowing faintly before slowly fading out of existence. The second message, Waypoint set, made sense. I assumed it meant the shrine could now act as a teleportation point for me. But the first one? Waiting for the dead to return? What was that supposed to mean?

  I turned my head toward Ai, who was still standing beside the shrine with her usual calm and composed expression. Her hands were folded neatly in front of her, her fluffy tail swaying slightly in the breeze. If she noticed my growing unease, she didn’t show it.

  “Uh, Ai?” I said, my voice coming out a bit more cautious than I intended. “Is this… normal?”

  Ai’s fox ears twitched slightly, her snow-white eyes meeting mine with quiet curiosity. “Did you receive something?”

  I nodded slowly, my fingers absently curling and uncurling at my sides. “Yeah. It said, ‘Waiting for the dead to return’ and ‘Waypoint set.’”

  For a brief second, Ai’s expression shifted, just a flicker of something in her usually unreadable gaze. But then, just as quickly, she smiled, that same soft, knowing smile she always wore when she had an answer but wasn’t sure if she should give it all away.

  “That means the shrine has acknowledged you,” she said smoothly. “It will now act as a waypoint you can return to.”

  Okay. That part? That part I understood. That was normal gacha game logic. Place shrine, set waypoint, teleport. Easy. But the first message? The one about the dead returning? That was the part making my skin crawl.

  “…And the whole ‘dead returning’ thing?” I asked, my voice dropping slightly.

  Ai tilted her head, her long silver hair catching the light as she considered my words. “Who knows? The shrine’s messages are sometimes vague.” She paused for a moment before continuing, her voice carrying a weight I couldn’t quite place. “Perhaps it’s waiting for someone lost to come home.”

  That definitely didn’t make me feel any better.

  Before I could press her further, Yuzu suddenly let out a delighted gasp, her golden eyes sparkling with excitement. She bounced on the balls of her feet, her fluffy tail wagging behind her. “Mashiro bery special! Shrine bery like Mashiro!”

  I pursed my lips, not nearly as enthusiastic about this development. “Or the shrine just put me on some supernatural waiting list for something I really don’t want to be involved in…” I muttered under my breath.

  Ai chuckled softly, as if she found my unease amusing. “Perhaps.”

  I didn’t like that answer one bit.