By the time Miroku reached the Third Festival Rite Room, her arms were completely worn out.
The documents Himeuo had more or less forced into her care weren't particularly heavy one bundle at a time. The problem was how many there were.
After making her carry them from one end of the school building to the other, Himeuo then told her to sort them by type and place them separately: the ceremony schedule, the festival grounds layout, the list of attendants, and the list of sacred offerings.
At this point, it was less helping out and more honest-to-goodness labor.
Miroku set the last bundle on the desk and slowly rolled her stiff shoulders.
"We're really done now, right?"
"Yep. Thanks, Miroku. You helped me sooo much."
Himeuo nodded in satisfaction as she spread the festival grounds layout across the entire desk. She didn't look even slightly apologetic.
Just to be safe, Miroku checked that there weren't any new bundles of documents within reach.
"Then I'm going home."
"To the classroom?"
"...You could call it that."
"Classes are starting soon, after all."
She'd cut her off at the pass.
Miroku couldn't bear the thought of being saddled with even more work. Before Himeuo could reach for another set of documents, she left the festival rite room.
Spring wind blew in through the windows left wide open in the hallway.
The sound of flutes and zithers drifted from somewhere in the distance. Compared to when she'd heard it earlier, it had come together considerably. Even with the occasional breaks, it now sounded like an actual song.
As the Spring Grand Festival drew closer, Shiramine Academy devoted more and more time to festival preparations instead of regular classes.
The students with the busiest schedules were those majoring in festival rites and court dance. They had practice not only during class but also at lunch and after school, so chants and instrumental music could be heard all over campus.
Miroku wasn't entirely unrelated to the proceedings, either.
The Kannagi family played an important role in all four seasonal grand festivals, and on the day itself, the ritual exorcists, starting with her father, would be stationed at the Imperial Palace.
Miroku herself, however, had never liked being in the spotlight.
Checking the festival grounds, inspecting the barriers, and dealing with anything that went wrong.
She had always chosen jobs that had nothing to do with dazzling ceremonial dances.
If the alternative was dancing while dozens of people watched, she'd much rather spend the entire day putting up barrier talismans.
Of course, if someone told her she didn't have to do anything at all, she'd choose that option without hesitation.
On the way back to her classroom, Miroku passed the court dance room.
The door stood wide open.
Inside, about ten girls were practicing a ceremonial dance under their teacher's direction.
Shiramine Academy would perform several dances at the grand festival.
The one drawing the most attention this year was the ceremonial dance performed by the bondmate candidates for Yoshitsune, the next Emperor.
Miroku didn't really understand the appeal, but every year, once the festival was over, people would talk about who had been the most beautiful and whose costume had been the most elaborate.
The girls themselves probably had a hard time of it.
She was about to pass by, treating the whole thing as someone else's problem, when she noticed a familiar figure from behind.
It was Enju.
She wore pale-colored practice clothes and held a fan near the center of the line.
Her arms rose slowly in time with the music.
The open fan traced an arc, followed by the flowing sleeves. Her footwork was quiet, and her upper body barely moved at all.
Enju often looked younger than her actual age, probably because of her adorable features.
But she seemed a little different when she danced.
Everything she'd built up since childhood showed in each and every movement.
At least to an amateur like Miroku, she looked more than good enough.
After watching for a while, Enju noticed her.
For just an instant, her eyes went wide behind the fan.
Then she immediately returned to her dance as if nothing had happened.
Apparently, she had good concentration, too.
Miroku didn't want to interrupt her practice.
She was about to leave when—
"Kannagi exorcist, perfect timing."
The teacher in charge of court dance had spotted her.
Miroku had an unmistakably bad feeling about this.
"What is it?"
"Are you planning to go to the First Festival Shrine?"
"No."
The answer came instantly.
The teacher didn't look troubled in the slightest. If anything, she smiled.
"Then you are now."
The world was full of unreasonable things.
The teacher pointed to a stack of wooden crates piled in the corner of the dance room.
"Those are incense burners for the ceremony. Could you take them to the First Festival Shrine?"
"Ma'am, I have class after this."
"Your next class is Festival Rite Practicum, isn't it? Transporting ritual implements is a perfectly respectable practicum."
Apparently, at school, almost any kind of labor could be justified with the convenient word practicum.
Miroku resigned herself to it and picked up the wooden crate.
It wasn't as heavy as it looked.
A faint scent of fragrant wood drifted from inside.
"Big Sis."
Someone called out from behind her.
Apparently, break had just started. Enju walked over.
A thin sheen of sweat covered her forehead.
"Did they dump something else on you again?"
"What do you mean, again?"
"I saw you carrying all those documents with Himeuo earlier."
"You saw that?"
"I could see you from the hallway. You looked like you wanted to die, Big Sis."
"I haven't reached the point where I find joy in labor yet."
Enju gave a small laugh.
"By the way, were you watching the dance?"
"Just a little. You were good."
Miroku had meant it as a casual answer.
But Enju blinked in surprise.
"...I never thought I'd hear you praise me, Big Sis."
"How rude. I praise people when they deserve it."
"As far as I can remember, this is the first time you've ever praised my dancing."
"Then today is a day to remember."
"You're so casual about it."
Even as she said that, Enju looked a little pleased.
Seeing her expression reminded Miroku of something.
"What day is your actual performance again?"
"The second day. ...Don't tell me you forgot?"
"I remembered the date. I just couldn't remember which day of the festival it was."
"That's the same thing."
Enju let out an exasperated sigh, then lowered her eyes as though she found what she was about to say a little difficult.
"You'll come watch the actual performance, right?"
She'd been asked something similar that morning.
It must have been weighing on her.
"I will. Besides, the whole Kannagi family is going to be there anyway."
"Last year, you went to the food stalls halfway through."
"That was unavoidable."
"You walked there on your own two feet."
"I smelled grilled dumplings. What was I supposed to do?"
"That's what people call making a choice."
She was surprisingly bitter about it.
Miroku adjusted her grip on the wooden crate.
"I'll watch properly this year. At least I won't disappear before your dance is over."
"Really?"
"You don't have to sound so suspicious."
"You have a history of doing this, Big Sis."
"Wow. No trust at all."
"It's based on your daily conduct."
Miroku had no comeback for that.
Even so, Enju looked brighter than she had a moment ago.
Apparently, she was looking forward to it enough to want her big sister to watch.
In that case, Miroku would make sure she watched on the day.
She filed it away in the corner of her mind.
On the way to the First Festival Shrine, Miroku ran into Himeuo again.
An unfamiliar girl stood beside her.
She wore the Shiramine Academy uniform, but a small ornament modeled after the crest of the Ishinagi family adorned her chest.
When Miroku saw her face, she finally remembered.
She was Himeuo's stepsister.
"Miroku. Carrying luggage again, huh?"
"This time a teacher caught me. Apparently, that's the kind of day today is."
"You're so popular."
"You can keep that kind of optimistic interpretation to yourself."
Himeuo laughed cheerfully.
The girl beside her stepped forward.
"This is our first time meeting. My name is Sayo Ishinagi."
She bowed politely.
There wasn't a single flaw in her movements.
"I'm Miroku Kannagi. Nice to meet you."
Miroku gave her a brief bow in return.
The daughter of the Ishinagi family's second wife.
That was the extent of Miroku's understanding of her.
She vaguely remembered seeing Sayo at a few Ishinagi family events, but they had never had a proper conversation.
"What will you be performing at this year's grand festival, Lady Kannagi?"
"Nothing. I'm basically part of the support staff."
Sayo looked a little surprised.
"Even though you're the next head of the Kannagi family?"
"I don't really like being in the spotlight. Working behind the scenes is easier, and Enju has a dance to perform, so she's better suited to anything glamorous, right?"
Enju, standing beside her, furrowed her brows.
"Are you trying to dump it on me again?"
"There's a wonderful phrase called 'the right person for the right job.'"
"Don't use it just because it's convenient."
"Come on. I'll give you the family headship."
"I don't want it."
"The estate and all that come with it, too."
"I don't want it."
"My dad, if you want him."
"I want him even less."
"Isn't that kind of harsh?"
Miroku laughed, and Enju joined her with an exasperated smile.
Of course, Miroku wasn't seriously offering to hand over the family headship.
At least, Enju didn't take it that way.
That was fine.
Miroku had no intention of going out of her way to tell her family what she was really thinking.
Himeuo watched their exchange with an affectionate smile.
Sayo glanced at Enju as well, then smiled softly without saying anything in particular.
"You two are close."
"Aren't we normal?"
Miroku didn't give it any more thought.
By the time they reached the First Festival Shrine, construction of the temporary stage had come along considerably.
Students carried lumber.
Teachers checked the positions of the pillars.
Others stretched ropes across the site.
In the middle of it all, a familiar loud voice rang out.
"Move that over first! And don't put that box under the stage!"
It was Shigure.
With his sleeves rolled up, he was carrying lumber alongside several male students.
His work ethic was hard to reconcile with the man who had been trembling under suspicion of breaking a ritual implement earlier.
When Shigure noticed Miroku, he threw one arm high in the air.
"Miroku! Perfect timing!"
"No."
"I haven't even said anything yet!"
"Whenever you say 'perfect timing,' it's usually nothing good."
"That makes me sound terrible! Just take those ropes—"
"Can't hear you."
"Miroku!"
Ignoring him, Miroku carried the wooden crate inside the shrine.
She handed it over to a teacher and was finally free.
When she returned outside, Shigure was already calling out to another student.
That sort of thing was probably his strength.
He didn't just give people instructions; he moved alongside them, too. He made mistakes with the little things, but the more people there were, the more strangely energetic he became.
Miyabi stood in a corridor a little ways off.
She was the exact opposite of Shigure.
Leaning against a pillar, she was comparing several sheets of paper.
Nearby sat a long, narrow box filled with arrows and archery equipment. It seemed to contain a layout of the range that would be used for the archery ceremony.
Miroku headed over.
"Wow, Miyabi. You're actually doing some serious work for once."
At the sound of her voice, Miyabi raised only her eyes from the papers.
"If you came looking for a fight, I'll give you one."
"I was complimenting you."
"What part of that was a compliment?"
She was as prickly as ever.
Miroku ignored it and leaned against the pillar beside her.
"What are you doing?"
Miyabi lifted the layout a little, looking annoyed.
"Checking the range. Last year, the ritual array overlapped with the firing line and caused a whole mess. I'm dealing with it in advance this year."
"Huh. You really are working."
"Go home. Now."
"I'm complimenting you."
"That excuse isn't going to work twice."
Miyabi lowered her eyes to the layout again.
Miroku didn't leave.
After peeking over the layout beside her for a while, she asked almost offhandedly,
"Are you busy during the grand festival, Miyabi?"
The fingers turning the pages stopped.
Miyabi slowly looked at her.
"...I really hate the way you phrased that."
"I haven't asked you to do anything yet."
"With you, it's scarier when you start trying to reserve my schedule before you even have a specific favor to ask. What are you planning to make me do?"
"I haven't thought of anything yet."
"Then why are you checking only my schedule?"
"I thought that if something came up, you might lend me a hand."
After saying it, Miroku gave the matter some thought herself.
If someone asked her to explain why she'd asked Miyabi instead of anyone else, she wouldn't have been able to give a good answer.
It was simply that when she thought of someone to ask for help if something happened, Miyabi had been the first person to come to mind.
That was all.
Miyabi, meanwhile, was staring at Miroku with an indescribable expression.
"...Can you stop trusting people like it's the most natural thing in the world only when you're in situations like this?"
"Am I not supposed to trust you?"
"That's not what I mean. I'm saying it's annoying how you usually try to handle everything by yourself, then suddenly dump it all on us."
"I won't dump it all on you."
"How many times do you think I've gotten dragged into things because of that?"
"I've never counted."
"I have."
"You're so meticulous."
"That wasn't a compliment."
Miyabi pinched the bridge of her nose.
A moment later, she sighed as if she'd given up.
"It depends on what it is. I'll refuse anything reckless, and I hate troublesome stuff, too. Also, stop trying to handle everything yourself before asking anyone for help. You keep quiet until you're at your limit, which makes things even more of a pain."
"You have a lot of conditions."
"Whose fault do you think that is?"
"But you'll help me?"
"How many times do I have to say it depends on what it is?"
"Thanks."
"I haven't agreed to anything yet!"
That was good enough for Miroku.
As she started to leave, satisfied, Miyabi called after her.
"Miroku."
The moment she turned around, something came flying at her.
She caught it on reflex.
It was a small paper-wrapped package.
When she peeked inside, she found two manju.
"What's this?"
"Enju told me. You didn't eat breakfast?"
"That girl needs to learn when to keep her mouth shut..."
"You weren't planning to eat anything until lunch? If you get sick, everyone around you is going to have to deal with it anyway, so eat."
The way Miyabi said it wasn't exactly sweet.
But Miroku happened to be hungry.
She obediently took one out and popped it into her mouth.
A pleasant sweetness spread across her tongue.
It seeped into her body after she'd been worked since morning.
"Miyabi."
"What?"
"Should we get married?"
"No. I don't want to marry a woman who'd sell her life for two sweets."
"What about three?"
"It's not a question of price."
Laughing, Miroku reached for the second one.
Partway there, she suddenly felt someone's eyes on her.
It was Himeuo.
She was watching the paper package from a short distance away.
Their eyes met.
Himeuo said nothing.
She just looked at the manju.
"...You want some?"
"If you want it, Miroku, I'm fine."
Her eyes never left the manju as she said it.
Miroku thought for a moment, then split the second one in half.
"Half."
"Thanks."
"You only slept four hours last night, so make sure you eat something, too."
Himeuo stared at the manju she'd received, then gave a little laugh.
"When it comes from you, Miroku, it doesn't sound very convincing."
"I just ate."
"The one Miyabi gave you, just now."
"The important thing is that I ate."
"Then I'll eat mine now, too, so I'm fine."
With that, Himeuo raised the manju to her mouth.
Miroku was almost convinced.
Shigure was still rushing around busily in front of the shrine.
Enju must have finished her break, because she'd returned to the dance room before Miroku noticed.
Sayo was nowhere to be seen, either.
The sound of a flute drifted by on the wind.
Miroku gazed absently at the festival grounds, still far from complete.
The stage beginning to take shape.
Brand-new sacred ropes.
Ritual implements being carried in one after another.
People repeatedly practicing their ceremonial dances.
In ten days, a great many people would gather here.
And not just people.
The yōkai invited to the festival and the gods rooted in the land would come, too.
They would celebrate the coming of spring and pray for peace throughout the year.
Miroku wanted no part in the preparation, but simply watching wouldn't be so bad.
"Kannagi!"
A teacher's voice rang out from the back of the shrine.
"If you're free, carry these ritual implements over here, too!"
Miroku immediately turned on her heel.
"Miroku, they're calling you."
"Didn't hear anything."
"They said 'Kannagi.'"
"There are other people with the same name."
"The only family with Kannagi as a surname is yours, isn't it?"
"People who worry about little things die young."
She quickened her pace.
The teacher's voice rang out behind her again.
"Kannagi! Don't run away!"
This time, Miroku ran.
Shigure, carrying a piece of lumber, passed her from the side.
"Miroku, help out for once! I've been working since this morning!"
"That's why I left it to you, Shigure! The right person for the right job!"
"Don't use convenient phrases only when it suits you!"
With Shigure's voice at her back, Miroku increased her speed even further.
Ten days remained until the Spring Grand Festival.
The festival grounds were steadily taking shape.
The fact that her own workload seemed to be growing in proportion was surely just her imagination.
She decided to leave it at that.