NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
Under the soft light of a wooden Japanese-style wall lamp, the girl slowly opened her eyes.
She expected to feel pain from her wound as she sat up, but nothing happened. Instinctively, she looked at her arm—
Her skin was as smooth and unblemished as before she became the chief priestess, as if time had rewound to the days before her duties began.
This was eerily strange.
The girl felt a sense of déjà vu about this scene. She furrowed her brows slightly, sifting through memories in the vast sea of her mind, but could only trace back to one evening.
At that time, enduring the pain in her left arm, she was doing a final check before the exorcism ritual, and then…
Suddenly, a voice outside her bedroom door interrupted her thoughts: “Airi, how are you feeling?”
Huh? Is that Susa-kun? Doesn’t he usually call me “Miss Somezaki”? Why is he so intimate today?
However, the girl didn’t dislike this change. On the contrary, she thought the young man had been too formal before.
She got up to open the door, poking her head out to greet him: “Susa-kun, do you need something?”
For some reason, a hint of bitterness flashed across his face.
He cleared his throat, looking down, and said in a deep voice:
“It’s nothing. Miss… Airi, you’ve been unconscious for over ten days due to excessive blood loss. I came to visit you specially.”
The girl remained silent.
Uh, he’s back to being formal again, what’s going on… Wait a minute, I’ve been unconscious for more than ten days?
In such an awkward atmosphere, her tone became inadvertently respectful: “May I ask… what’s today’s date?”
“It’s August 17th. School starts in a few days. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
That’s odd, what happened to him during the time I was unconscious? The girl’s heart skipped a beat.
2.
Seeing Airi dressed in a white gown, her long hair cascading like a waterfall, just like the night she “returned,” Genji’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
No, I must control myself.
Mikawa-senpai had said that Airi’s memory had been wiped; she didn’t remember anything that happened after the night of July 31st, nor did she remember our relationship confirmation.
Genji’s heart raced, and he had to look away.
Airi tilted her head in confusion, noticing the young man’s flushed face and rapid breathing: “Susa-kun, are you not feeling well? Come in and sit down.”
The young man hesitated. He was worried that once he entered her room, he might not be able to resist entering her body as well.
Moreover, the administration office of Cicada Hiding Shrine had assigned him an extremely difficult task the day before. It was not the time to indulge in romance.
Smelling the faint fragrance emanating from the girl, he held his breath and shook his head.
“Uh… I wish you success in your studies.” She lowered her gaze and said no more.
I’m sorry, I’ve made Airi sad again. Genji felt a pang of regret.
After pondering for a moment, he took a deep breath, reached out to steady her shoulders, and looked into her eyes with determination:
“Wait for me, everything will get better.”
Airi was stunned. Time seemed to stand still, and the air stopped moving. By the time she reacted, she was already in his embrace.
I feel like… I can’t refuse him at all. What a strange feeling, when and where have I experienced something similar?
She closed her eyes, silently accepting the kiss he leaned in to give. Soon, as if remembering something, she gently pushed him away:
“Your breath is sweet. Have you been using the decompression spray too much?”
Genji was filled with remorse. Airi had warned him not to abuse the spray, but he had ignored her advice in his grief.
“Uh, I did use it for a few days, but I haven’t touched it since the 16th.”
Airi sighed softly, chiding him in a gentle voice:
“It’s only been a day or two, the effects haven’t worn off yet, right? You’re getting bolder, not even afraid of the Divine Descendant anymore… daring to lay hands on his fiancée…”
“Actually, Airi is the Divine Descendant, right? I’ve known for a long time.”
You even cried that night, really. Genji thought to himself.
“…?”
“So, does the Divine Descendant wish to be my fiancée? I’m serious, it’s not because of the drugs.”
“Susa…”
“Just call me by my name.”
“Gen… Genji-kun, aren’t you curious about my past?”
Why are you suddenly stuttering, is calling my name that
embarrassing? Genji chuckled softly:
“If Airi wants to tell me, I will listen attentively. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask.”
3.
Eventually, the two shared their hearts and souls, not just their bodies.
“My brother had meningitis when he was young, leaving him with complications. Back then, many priests, priestesses, and staff at the shrine were assigned from outside the island. Father suspected someone among them had harmed my brother. After a thorough investigation, he found the culprit—a doctor who had transferred from the town center hospital to the shrine—and executed him on the spot.
“Due to the complications, my brother developed a severe mental illness. Many people, unable to bear it, chose to leave. Father then dismissed all outsiders and adopted many orphans from the inner ring as a reserve force.
“Probably thinking my brother couldn’t become a suitable successor, my parents had me later. But shortly after I was born, my mother died. Father, already busy with shrine duties and caring for my brother, became even more exhausted and soon fell ill.
“Just after clearing out a bunch of people, it was hard to find a trustworthy wet nurse. Shejia Town was full of the old, weak, sick, and young, who couldn’t help. Coincidentally, the village chief of Goryeo Village came for relief grain. Father heard from him about a family in the village that had lost a baby girl and secretly sent me there under the pretext of ‘an unlucky year’ and ‘child-selling ritual.’
“The Yun family, who adopted me, is a well-known hereditary shaman family in Goryeo Village. For a long time, I lived as Yun Dongji, believing myself to be Korean. Life in the inner ring was much harder than in town, but with the support of the palace officer, our family managed to live decently.
“At 7, I got the opportunity to study in town, staying with the Kasahara family during school terms and only returning to the inner ring during long holidays. That’s when I became good friends with Ryuka. When people at school bullied me, calling me Chon and laughing at the kimchi smell on me, it was Ryuka who stood up for me and chased them away.
【Note: “Chon” is derived from Chōsen (Korea) and is a derogatory term used by Japanese racists towards people of Korean descent.】
“When I was 12, the palace officer summoned me to the shrine and publicly announced my betrothal to his only son—the next Divine Descendant. Only then did I learn that the palace officer was my biological father and that my real brother was seriously ill and didn’t have much time left.
“I asked my father: why give me the false identity of ‘Divine Descendant’s fiancée’? Why not acknowledge me as your daughter openly? He said that if I were made the new ‘Divine Descendant,’ outsiders would know my brother was about to die. Once I came of age, the main shrine might not approve my succession as palace officer because they were strict about gender. Then, some villains might force a dangerous husband on me, stealing my wealth, power, body, and mind, destroying our family.
“After that, my father trained me according to the standards of a Divine Descendant—archery, swordsmanship, painting, poetry, etiquette… I had to learn everything and wasn’t allowed to cry.
“I really hated him then, for bringing me into the world as a replacement for my brother, but sending me away because he had no time or energy to raise me. Just as I formed deep bonds with my adoptive parents, siblings, and Ryuka, he suddenly took me back and tasked me with heavy responsibilities. The Divine Descendant family was terrible. So, I refused to call him dad, only addressing him as the palace officer.
“But I didn’t know he was running out of time—due to long-term blood loss, Divine Descendants don’t live long. Before he died, he secretly appointed me as the next Divine Descendant, holding my hand on his deathbed and saying, ‘Cicada Hiding Town needs our protection, I really can’t anymore. If only Airi were an ordinary child.’ Finally, I called him dad, but he passed away.”
Airi recounted her story with unusual calmness, without sobbing, just tears.