The shrine maidens returned after about two hours.
For now, this was just a meet-and-greet, so they didn’t even go to see the Lily Shinto Shrine.
In the first place, it would be meaningless if Kousuke and Silvia rejected them, so they went through with a mock interview.
As a result, while talking with Silvia about the excellent outcome, Kokoro returned.
“How was it?”
Her slightly anxious expression when she asked that was probably because she was curious about how the shrine maidens she chose were evaluated by Kousuke and Silvia.
Kousuke looked at Silvia’s face once before honestly answering his current feelings.
“Hmm. Well, looking at the latter half, I thought they would get used to it eventually.”
“They have the basic skills down, so I think it’s safe to leave the management of the shrine to them.”
Hearing the opinions of both Kousuke and Silvia, Kokoro let out a sigh of relief.
While Kousuke’s statement has some subtle points, this is something that can only be determined with time.
It’s common in human relationships for people to think they’re a good match at first, only to find out later that they don’t get along at all.
Although Kousuke is an avatar, he is not a saintly gentleman, so the relationship in that regard is no different than with ordinary people.
Both Kokoro and Silvia understand this well, so they are prioritizing Kousuke’s feelings first.
“What are your plans for the Lily Shinto Shrine’s Teleport Gate?”
Once those three get used to Kousuke, Kokoro intends to have them live in the Lily Shinto Shrine right away.
Considering that, a Teleport Gate to enter and exit the Fifth Floor will be necessary.
Kokoro’s question was asked under the assumption that they wouldn’t make them enter and exit through the Management Layer, but Kousuke looked puzzled.
“If it’s just those three, I think it would be fine to use the Teleport Gate that connects to the Lily Shrine as it is. It’s still too early to make the Shinto Shrine usable as a tourist destination, and for that, I need to discuss it with Towa.”
If they only use the existing Teleport Gate to the Lily Shrine, there is no need for special administrative permission.
This is because, on the surface, it is understood that the tower’s managers installed and used it on their own.
In the first place, Teleport Gates are understood to be installed by the managers and used by the administration (the country) with permission.
Therefore, it goes without saying that Kousuke and the others are not charged any usage fees.
To make the Lily Shinto Shrine a tourist destination, they intend to install a new Teleport Gate.
This will be more convenient for management, and above all, it will be less troublesome to separate it from what the management side uses.
Regarding the new Teleport Gate, Kousuke and the others can decide when and at what timing to install it, but since they don’t want it to be used without permission, coordination with Towa is essential.
Kokoro, who had completely forgotten about the previously installed Teleport Gate, had a sudden realization.
“Oh, that’s right, something like that exists. May we use it?”
“There’s no problem with that. You can use it as long as Kokoro is with you, right?”
As the tower’s manager, Kokoro cannot use all Teleport Gates.
For example, there are some restrictions, such as not being able to use the Teleport Gates leading to the surrounding six towers.
However, the Teleport Gate to the Lily Shrine can be used freely, so as long as Kokoro is present, she can bring others with her.
Although it may be necessary for others who use the Lily Shrine to be introduced, that also poses no problem if Kokoro is there.
“Does that mean we can use it anytime?”
“Of course, you can.”
Since they have already met Kousuke, there is no particular reason to refuse.
Kousuke readily granted permission to Kokoro’s confirmation.
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After finishing her conversation with Kousuke, Kokoro did not return to the fifth floor but remained in the Management Layer to talk with others.
“Hmm. The Lily Shinto Shrine is finally starting in earnest. What will happen to our tourist spots?”
Shurein, who heard from Kokoro that they had found shrine maidens, put on a troubled expression.
What Shurein is worried about is the tourist spots of the inn run by the Vampire and Igirid.
If a new tourist spot is created within the tower, the customers who have been visiting out of novelty might decrease.
Flovia shook her head from side to side at Shurein, who was worried about such things.
“I don’t think there’s much to worry about. In the first place, it’s a different nature from the Lily Shinto Shrine. Besides, they won’t be placing any lodging facilities at the Lily Shinto Shrine, will they?”
“Yes. In the first place, there’s no need to.”
For those who just want to visit the various shrines of the Lily Shinto Shrine to offer prayers, it is sufficient to stay at the lodging facilities on the fifth floor and travel from there using the Teleport Gate.
It will likely be necessary to discuss details such as whether to differentiate the usage fees for the Teleport Gate from others, but at present, there are no plans to build lodging at the Lily Shinto Shrine.
Shurein showed a slight look of relief at Kokoro’s reply and turned her gaze to Kousuke.
“Kousuke, is that acceptable?”
“Yeah. It’s fine. Actually, that was the original intention.”
From Kousuke’s perspective, given the original image, he hadn’t considered building lodging facilities, though he did consider souvenir shops.
While this reflects Kousuke’s opinion, it seems neither Silvia nor Kokoro had any intention of setting up lodging facilities in the first place.
Furthermore, Towa (the administration) also believes it is better for guests to stay at the inn on the fifth floor rather than being dispersed to the Lily Shinto Shrine.
The decision not to build lodging facilities at the Lily Shinto Shrine is a unanimous one.
While glancing at Shurein, who seemed to be convinced, Flovia then turned her gaze to Kokoro.
“Setting aside the lodging facilities, what about the touting?”
“Touting? Are you going to do that?”
Kousuke was the first to react to Flovia’s question.
He had no image of actively advertising to encourage people to visit a shrine, unlike the recruitment of believers.
“We won’t go that far. Initially, we intend for word-of-mouth to spread among the clergy. Besides, Father wouldn’t want something like that.”
When Kokoro replied, Flovia turned her gaze to Kousuke and nodded vigorously.
“I see. Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”
“What’s with that reaction? It’s a little hurtful, you know?”
Kousuke frowned at her words, and Flovia shrugged.
“There’s nothing to be done about it since it’s the truth. That aside, are the preparations for the Shinto Shrine complete?”
Kousuke, who had been easily brushed off and let his shoulders slump, quickly recovered, treating it as usual.
“We’ve properly set up the barriers and everything, so the acceptance is ready. Anyway, I won’t be appearing in front of people, so the current state is fine for me.”
Upon hearing Kousuke’s explanation, Flovia looked at Silvia for confirmation, and seeing her nod silently, she looked convinced.
“I see. In that case, there’s no problem.”
“Once they get used to the shrine, I plan to start spreading rumors. Of course, I will have to talk to Brother Towa before that.”
With that, Kokoro concluded the topic of the Lily Shinto Shrine for now.
Only the acceptance of people remains, so there is little left for Kousuke to do directly.
If anything, he will likely have to meet the three shrine maidens a few more times, but Kousuke himself will not have to do anything special.
Thus, the Lily Shinto Shrine project has progressed to the point where it is only a short step away from being officially incorporated as a tourist destination.
This was an interim report on the Lily Shinto Shrine plan.
At this point, it’s just one step away.
