Two days have passed since Cocoro learned of Kōsuke’s change.
A shrine maiden (candidate) who manages the shrines at Lily Shinto Shrine has come to the management layer.
Cocoro brought three people this time, and they are of various ages.
Lily Shinto Shrine has four shrines, and the three of them will manage one of the surrounding three shrines.
It has been decided that Cocoro will be in charge of the central shrine’s manager.
By the way, Ririka seems to maintain her position as Cocoro’s assistant and will not become a shrine manager.
Since she is already busy working as the external interface for Razek Amamiya, she doesn’t need any further positions (?).
Furthermore, she is now enthusiastically raising her successor.
Putting that aside, three shrine maidens were sitting in front of Kōsuke, looking so nervous that it was pitiable to watch.
In the first place, the three of them were nervous from the moment Kōsuke entered the meeting room.
More accurately, as soon as Kōsuke entered the room, their faces suddenly turned pale.
Seeing that, Kōsuke thought, “This is bad,” but he couldn’t just leave without even saying hello, so he introduced himself by name and suggested they sit down, which led to the current situation.
Thinking about what to do next, Kōsuke glanced at Silvia, who was sitting next to him.
Silvia, who fully understood the meaning of his gaze, nodded slightly and proceeded.
“At the moment, it seems difficult to talk, so I will ask Kōsuke-sama to leave for now.”
Kōsuke thought, “It doesn’t have to be just for now,” but he nodded back to Silvia with as solemn an expression as possible.
After confirming that, Kōsuke quickly stood up from his chair and left the meeting room.
Then, when Kōsuke went outside the meeting room (into the corridor), Shurein and Mia were waiting with smirking faces.
“That was quick?”
“Were you able to make a judgment at a glance? You’re amazing.”
Judging by their faces, it was clear they were eager to tease him.
Kōsuke knew this and decided to play along. He wanted to distract himself from the reactions of the three shrine maidens earlier.
“No, you know I know that’s not true? …I was kicked out anyway.”
When Kōsuke replied, Shurein nodded with a look of understanding.
“Well, that was an obvious answer. Facing Kōsuke right now, there aren’t any shrine maidens who can respond properly.”
“He’s indiscriminately releasing his Divine Power~”
Mia nodded with a knowing look, following Shurein’s words.
At their words, Kōsuke slumped his shoulders.
“Like walking, indiscriminate magic…”
“You say that quite well.”
“An accurate expression.”
“That’s cruel.”
Kōsuke answered their follow-up remarks like that, but inwardly, he was relieved. It wasn’t because he was an M or anything, but because he felt reassured by the lighthearted exchange. Although he understood that the attitude of the shrine maidens earlier was the correct reaction, he still had various thoughts about it.
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As Kōsuke was having a casual conversation with Shurein and Mia in the Lounge Space, Silvia entered.
“Kōsuke-san, is everything okay?”
“Hmm? What’s up?”
To Kōsuke, who tilted his head, Silvia nodded slightly.
“I’ve spoken to them thoroughly, so could you please meet with those three again?” Silvia said apologetically. Kōsuke, who had already calmed down, replied without changing his expression.
“That’s fine, but are you sure it’s alright?”
“It might not be alright, but we can’t leave things as they are forever.”
Kōsuke seemed to understand Silvia’s wording and nodded.
“Ah. So, you’re saying there are no problems with their abilities.”
“Yes. There were no problems at all.”
Silvia stayed there to assess the abilities of the three. Of course, she couldn’t know everything from a brief interview of just a few minutes, but she had received some information from Cocoro. Based on that, she had asked questions to confirm if there were any mistakes. Naturally, she also confirmed their personalities.
After conducting these, she had judged there to be no issues, but the only concern was their attitude when they first met Kōsuke. Since they would be working at Lily Shinto Shrine, they would have many opportunities to meet Kōsuke directly in the future. If they continued to react that way every time, Kōsuke himself might start avoiding Lily Shinto Shrine. With the fairy Yuri residing in Lily Shrine within Lily Shinto Shrine, it was something Kōsuke wanted to avoid as much as possible when operating the tower.
“Hmm… Well, if Silvia says I should meet them, I suppose it’s fine.”
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I’d appreciate it. If this doesn’t work, it probably won’t work out in the future either.”
Kōsuke returned a bitter smile to Silvia, who stated this so clearly.
“I think that’s a bit too decisive, though.”
“It’s the truth, so there’s nothing I can do about it. Besides, if it continues for too long, it will be a burden on you, Kōsuke-san.”
“I see. …Thank you.”
Kōsuke, realizing she was concerned about him, thanked her. Silvia didn’t reply with words but simply offered him a smile.
When Silvia and Kōsuke headed to the meeting room and knocked on the door, an immediate reply came from inside. From the voice, they knew it was Cocoro. When Silvia responded and opened the door to enter, she and Cocoro, along with the other two, suddenly bowed their heads.
“Thank you for coming all the way here.”
“We apologize for earlier!!”
Just a few tens of minutes ago, they were stiff and couldn’t even speak, but now they responded properly. Although they seemed a bit too enthusiastic and loud, it was within acceptable limits.
Kōsuke wondered what kind of conversation they had, but he decided not to pry, as it might be like stirring up trouble, and gave a safe reply.
“Ah. You don’t need to worry about it. Also, I’ve already gotten the message, so you don’t need to apologize any further.” Kōsuke added this, judging that if he remained silent, they would continue apologizing indefinitely. One of the shrine maidens’ faces twitched slightly at Kōsuke’s words, perhaps because she was about to continue apologizing or because she felt his emphasis was a reprimand. Both Kōsuke and Silvia noticed it but didn’t comment. Rather than being constantly tense and stiff, it was enough for them to be able to express something, even if it was a negative emotion, honestly (?).
“As I mentioned earlier, Kōsuke-sama is currently leaking his Divine Power. Normally, I suppress it properly, so you wouldn’t feel this much pressure.” Silvia clearly explained Kōsuke’s current state. However, she didn’t mention that he was unable to control it due to the ritual. “Nevertheless, since you will be working as the leading shrine maidens at your respective shrines, you must get used to things like this.” Although it might have sounded repetitive, the three shrine maidens nodded with solemn expressions. Being told this while actually feeling Kōsuke’s Divine Power had a completely different weight than just hearing the words. It was precisely for this reason that Silvia had gone to the trouble of bringing Kōsuke here.
Kōsuke’s second conversation with the shrine maidens lasted about five minutes, and it proved to be somewhat fruitful for both sides. Although the names of the three shrine maidens were not mentioned this time, they are expected to appear later.
