This is my new series. I hope you enjoy!

---

“Nice to meet you. I am Ohana.”¹
“… Yes?”
“I’ve come here to you to become your wife, my Lady. I may be inexperienced when it comes to it, but I look forward to spending with you many years to come.”

It was a scene shrouded by rain, falling softly from clear blue sky.
Within noiseless precincts of the sacred Shinto shrine, engaged in dialogue were a woman of casual appearance and a maiden clad in pure white.
The former, however–being so ill-suited for that solemn atmosphere as she was–looked stupid enough, as she stood still in place, with her mouth wide open.

♢

This was a mysterious place. The expanse with rising abreast Shinto shrine, erection akin to the Imperial Palace, and immediately after, a skyscraper which seemed about to break through the sky.

Therein, lonely maiden was kneeling in front of a solemn shrine.

“Ren-shi-sama.”
“You are here, Ohana. Rather behind the time.”
“Pardon me. Preparations took me longer than expected…”

When maiden called Ohana​ apologised, a lady emerged from inside the main hall of shrine building. Upon an attractive bearing of high, slender stature, she wore kimono adorned with gorgeous ornament. Lady smiled at apologetic Ohana.

“No, I’m not blaming you. Rather, this sort of attitude and readiness is much desirable.”

The lady’s name was Ren-shi.² By appearance, she was a beautiful agent of fair sex, only for her distinctive features: the vixen ears, prominent upon her head, and nine large tails, growing out from her bottom part.
As she approached Ohana, she knelt down before her, and doing so, she joined their line of sight. Having gentle look in her eyes, as one would watch their own child, she put her hand upon miniature head of her associate and slowly stroked it.

“Fu-wah—…”

Just like Ren-shi, upon Ohana’s head might be found a pair of vixen’s ears, too. She had only one tail, but bushy and big one, one that seemed truly cuddlesome. She lowered her eyelids, feeling good to be patted on the head.

“Before I could notice, Ohana, you are already a hundred years, indeed…”
“Yes! I was able to grow up this healthy thanks to Ren-shi-sama!”
“Not only me, I imagine, it’s thanks to everyone here. And yet, I still can’t believe you are about to go to your first wedding… Time flies. Are you nervous?”
“I am… a little. But… But I am all right! For I’m sure I will do my best!”
“Ohana, you are going to be all right. Have faith in yourself.”

These ladies were ethnic group commonly referred to as Youko.³ By legend, they excelled in bewitching people, committing all sorts of wrongdoings throughout Japan, and eventually having been vanquished by the human of power.
Amongst a group, these ones were slightly unlike the rest. They engaged themselves in no evil, and instead, they made their calling to keep close to human and spend their lives jointly.

One of them, Ohana, had just turned one hundred years of age, and now she has to descend to inhabited by human land, to get married; so according to the custom of her group.
Today, she came round the shrine where resided Ren-shi to bid her farewell.

“Now, Ohana. I have only one question, before sending you off.”
“Yes, what is it!!”

Ren-shi sighed, looking at the piled up furoshiki⁴ wrappings behind Ohana.

“I was just wondering, what is that luggage might be…?”
“This is my trousseau! You see, there is this basin for laundry chore, a clay pot for cooking chore, and then this here, and this——”

Whereas Ohana, who loves household chores, happily presented an explanation, Ren-shi returned regretfully.

“Ohana. It was settled, was it not, that bringing personal possessions into the land of the human is forbidden as a rule?”
“Eh, was it so…? Th-then what about these? The items I have here so neatly prepared…”
“… You shall leave them behind.”
“It-it can’t be!”

Ren-shi hoped to send her off cheerfully; after seeing Ohana prattle on before her eyes, however, a tiny shade of anxiety had crossed her.

◆

In all fairness, life of Fuyuka Hiiragi could not be considered very successful.
She went through compulsory education and a commonplace high school, whereafter drifted with the tide to the university. She, then, consumed mediocre time as a most typical​ student, and alighted at employment of a certain company.

“I will be leaving first.⁵ Good work today.”

The company have also been average, neither big nor small, and yet there were plenty of lengthy overtimes on daily basis which did not make any sense. What is more, it was an enterprise that was not much in tune with the flow of the world today, as during the time which considered busy season, most of the days they spent going home with sunset.

Sparsely there were any people by the time she finished her work. It was past nine in the evening when Fuyuka left the office. Now, she has to walk to the station, take the train, and then trudge on to her flat. It takes roughly an hour, and she should make it home by ten.

“Ha-ah—.”

Breathed under the murky sky Fuyuka. Her full of sombreness visage was not inferior to the murky sky above. The reason for that were not prolonged, laborious overtimes, however.

“It’s difficult, eh—. This love.”

She was jilted by girl, just a few days ago.

---

I should be happy to receive your bookmarks, ratings, and impressions, if you like!

1. [Hana] – flower; but preceding [o] gives the word formal ambience—something like the flower, but also it gives the word a bit cuteness and character, I think. And she use this prefix “o” in her speech too; back

2. 任氏 – Ms. Ren; back

3. 妖 [Yō] – attractive, bewitching, 孤 [Ko] – solitude, orphan; back

4. wrapping cloths, Furoshiki - Wikipedia; back

5. literally: “Pardon me for leaving first from the work”; back