Dasha’s face turned pale at the words of Kokoro, who was to become her superior.
“Um, Lady Kokoro. Does that mean we will be meeting the Avatar soon?”
Dasha’s wish for it to be a lie was in vain, and Kokoro, who possessed wonderful abilities despite her young age, nodded slightly.
“Yes. The timing is just right. Above all, we cannot fulfill our original duties without meeting the Avatar.”
Dasha thought that she shouldn’t say it so casually, but judging from Kokoro’s expression, she didn’t seem to have any intention of changing her opinion.
As Dasha replied, “Is that so?”, she subtly glanced at her two colleagues standing beside her.
Both Viola and Nera had similar expressions to Dasha.
It was understandable, as they were about to meet their main god directly as shrine maidens. However, unfortunately, Dasha knew that once Kokoro made up her mind, she wouldn’t change it at all.
If there was anyone who could change her mind, it would be Ririka, who had been watching Dasha and the others from a distance, but she was just smiling, so there was no hope. In the end, the three of them accepted Kokoro’s opinion and met the Avatar that same day.
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The three of them, Dasha, Viola, and Nera, sat on chairs in a room explained as a meeting room, with tense expressions. It was only a moment ago that Kokoro had guided them through a Teleport Gate in a room within the Royal Castle, a place they would never normally enter, to the Management Layer (as explained by Kokoro). It was already common knowledge that the Avatar resided in the tower, but the details were not widely known to the public. Although Amamiya Tower had more Teleport Gates than other towers, Dasha had never imagined that they would travel to the Avatar’s residence via a Teleport Gate. She didn’t know if the Teleport Gate Kokoro used was exclusively for traveling to the Management Layer or if Kokoro had performed a special operation. Nevertheless, it was undoubtedly true that they had arrived at a place Dasha didn’t know using a Teleport Gate.
The meeting room they were guided to was also an extraordinary place. Not only the chairs they were offered, but also the office supplies and furnishings were made of materials of unimaginable quality. It was likely that only a select few, including the royal families of various countries, could afford to gather such materials. This alone was enough to make Dasha and the others nervous, but what was even more overwhelming was the God’s Presence that enveloped the surroundings.
After all, Dasha and the others were shrine maidens who had trained to serve the Avatar as their main god. The three of them, who had passed through a stringent selection process, possessed considerable skill. Therefore, they could clearly sense Kousuke’s Divine Power permeating the area. However, this time, it proved to be a disadvantage. There was no way they wouldn’t notice the incredibly concentrated Divine Power, which unequivocally made them recognize that they were in the place where the Avatar resided.
Seeing the state of the three, Kokoro inwardly thought, “Perhaps this was a mistake.” If merely the Divine Power in the room could make them this tense, she could only imagine how they would react when faced with the Avatar in person. She also thought that perhaps she should have stopped at coming to the meeting room, without actually meeting Kousuke directly today, but Kousuke had already been informed, so there was nothing she could do about it now. Even if she were to suggest canceling the meeting, Kousuke himself wouldn’t mind, but if it became known that they had changed the God’s schedule for their own convenience, the three would likely struggle with guilt. Resigned, Kokoro began to think about what to do next.
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In the meeting room that Kousuke had left, Silvia and Kokoro let out a sigh at the same time. “The Avatar’s shrine maiden. I apologize.” Silvia was generally known as the Avatar’s shrine maiden. She was often shortened to ‘God’s shrine maiden’ or simply ‘shrine maiden’. However, since everyone present was a shrine maiden, to avoid confusion, it was customary to add “God’s” before it. Silvia, to whom Kokoro bowed her head, shook her head from side to side. “It is not your fault. Forgetting the general populace’s reaction and easily granting permission was also a contributing factor.” Silvia knew that Kousuke was currently unable to control his Divine Power and was scattering it around. The members of the Management Layer had become accustomed to it, so she had inadvertently forgotten how ordinary people would react. It was an unusual lapse for Silvia, but there was nothing she could do about it now.
“More importantly,” Silvia began, and turned her gaze to the three of them. “What will you do? Considering the nature of your duties, you will have many opportunities to meet the Avatar in the future. You cannot maintain such an attitude every time! Rather, I will not permit it.” Silvia had noticed that Kousuke, though he hadn’t shown it outwardly, had been somewhat hurt by the current encounter. Therefore, if they continued to behave in the same way, she would not permit them to become managers of the Lily Shinto Shrine, for Kousuke’s sake. Even if Kousuke gave his permission, Silvia herself would not allow it.
Dasha, whose face had turned pale from Kousuke’s Divine Power, took a deep breath at Silvia’s words and looked at Silvia with strong determination. “I apologize for my immaturity and for causing trouble. However, I am confident that I have undergone a certain amount of training. If you would grant me permission, would you allow me another opportunity?” She knew that what she was saying was selfish. Nevertheless, her perseverance forged through difficult training drove Dasha. More importantly, having directly met the Avatar, she had become accustomed to the Divine Power permeating the room. At this point, she had regained a degree of composure.
When Silvia turned her gaze to the other two, Viola and Nera, they had similar expressions. Seeing this, Silvia judged that it would be alright and nodded. “Understood. Then, we will have the Avatar come again. But before that, I will properly inquire about what is necessary.” Silvia had not met Kousuke since their separation earlier. Since she wasn’t sure if it would be alright for the three of them to be together for a long time, she decided to meet with the three of them herself first. For better or worse, Silvia was always a pushover when it came to Kousuke.
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After meeting the Avatar for the second time, Dasha let out a big sigh. “Was that alright?” Since the person (god?) directly told them that an apology was not necessary, they couldn’t apologize any further. However, Dasha and the other two didn’t think it was entirely alright. Silvia had already left the room, so it was Kokoro who replied. “It’s fine. If it had continued any longer, we would have had to cut you down on the spot.” Kokoro believed that, given Kousuke’s personality, stopping there was the best outcome. Although the three of them might not be able to accept it, if they couldn’t get used to it, they would never be able to continue working by Kousuke’s side.
The encounter with Kousuke, which had initially been worrying, had resulted in a somewhat satisfactory outcome for both Kokoro and the three shrine maidens, as they had managed to achieve a passing grade. This was the story from the shrine maidens’ perspective when they met the Avatar. They were extremely nervous. Still, achieving a result was a cause for celebration, wasn’t it? Although it put a lot of burden on Kousuke.
