HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

Remembering this young man's past exploits, everyone clenched their jaws and forced themselves to say through gritted teeth, "If we're given time, of course we can do it."

For a brief moment, Cyr felt like a client who had just demanded a rainbow-colored shade of black, and the group before him were poor contractors forced to bow just to keep the job.

"Well then, do your best." Cyr beamed with a cheerful smile.

Only then did he turn his attention to something else nearby.

"…And these two? What are they?" he asked, pointing at two little girls.

They really were little girls—only about five or six years old—dressed in the traditional shrine maiden outfit: white top, red hakama, fair skin, and long black hair down to their waists.

Since they were still young, they hadn't yet become the kind of ghostly-looking priestess Cyr found hard to look at.

You know, the ones with lead-white faces, exaggerated blush, pitch-black brows, and teeth painted black.

These two just looked like delicate little girls from noble families.

They weren't energetic or reckless—instead, they looked quiet and refined… maybe even a little melancholic.

Five- or six-year-old girls with a melancholic aura? It was honestly kind of... ridiculous. Cyr couldn't help but want to comment on it.

But then Cyr remembered that in the Heian period, twelve was already considered adulthood…

So it wasn't all that strange for them to be so composed at such a young age.

The two girls Cyr had pointed at seemed a little nervous, but still offered a very proper greeting—a full kneeling bow.

Then, calmly and confidently, they introduced themselves.

"We are twins of the Fujiwara family. Sent by our father to serve you."

Even the way they spoke was perfectly in sync.

"Please grant us names."

After kowtowing, they lifted their heads and said this as well—no idea who taught them that.

Cyr wasn't in the habit of naming people. He only named pets or things that belonged to him.

But humans weren't his pets, and five- or six-year-old kids definitely couldn't be considered his possessions. That would just be… wrong on so many levels.

"...Just use your original names," he replied perfunctorily.

"…But the Fujiwara family has given us to you. We belong to you now, so we should no longer bear the Fujiwara name…" The girls' voices were soft and clear.

Cyr was starting to get a headache.

Children. Girls. Both were just… trouble to him.

He didn't really like dealing with kids, nor was he good at handling girls.

His only real experience interacting with women was with his mother. Or maybe Neon, if she counted?

"Use your original names—or I'll have someone send you back. Pick one." Cyr said bluntly, giving them two clear options.

"…We understand. Then… call me Noriko, and her Rinko," the twins replied.

They gave up the Fujiwara surname and used only their given names.

"…What can you two do?" Cyr asked leisurely.

Hopefully, they weren't going to be the kind of burden that needed him to take care of them.

"We can handle any kind of work," said the one who called herself Noriko, obediently awaiting his decision.

"…Fine. Let's leave it at that for now," the white-haired youth said indifferently. "If you're useless, I'll send you back."

"Thank you very much," Noriko said respectfully, pulling Rinko into a bow. The tension in her shoulders finally relaxed.

"That's great, Noriko… this means we…"

Rinko's voice trembled as she murmured.

"Shh."

Noriko quickly covered her sister's mouth.

"You mustn't say it."

No one could know.

---

"…What's their deal?" Cyr turned and asked the walking encyclopedia of Heian-kyo—Gojo Haru.

He wasn't interested in troubling little girls, but he was genuinely puzzled. Why would the Fujiwara family send him two such young shrine maidens?

So he chose to bother Gojo Haru instead.

"Ah, those two princesses…" Gojo Haru said, waving his folding fan and thinking for a moment.

"Oh, I remember now—those are the cursed twins of the Fujiwara family," he said, tapping the fan against his palm.

"Twins are considered an ill omen. And as for the two of them, neither has any remarkable talent. Honestly, their spiritual power is negligible—about the same as regular people."

"And the curse surrounding twins… there's only one way to break it: one must die, and the other live."

"Once one dies, the survivor's spiritual potential will awaken and begin to grow."

"The Fujiwara family's plan may have been to raise them to adulthood, then keep whichever turned out to be better…"

"Or maybe they were planning to just raise them like ordinary girls and marry them off to some household."

Gojo Haru offered his analysis like a detached observer.

…So basically, they'd be married off at twelve?

Well, it was the olden days…

"Still, I don't get it. I mean, I don't mind letting them stay, but why would the Fujiwara family send me two talentless little girls to be my shrine maidens? Aren't they afraid I'll think they're brushing me off?" Cyr complained.

"Well… who knows, maybe it was a gamble," Gojo Haru replied with a grin.

"They?" Cyr raised an eyebrow and gave Haru a long look.

This guy… he definitely knew something more.

"You probably wouldn't be interested if I told you," Haru said, feigning disinterest.

"I still want to know."

Whether it was interesting or not didn't matter—Cyr just wanted to know.

Honestly, he was a bit annoyed. They'd sent him two tiny girls with no spiritual potential whatsoever. What was he supposed to do with them?

"…Alright then," Haru sighed, and finally began to explain.

About half a month ago, he'd attended a small meeting at the Fujiwara estate. Representatives from several noble families were there. The topic?

How to choose a shrine maiden that would please Cyr.

They'd invited Haru specifically to consult him about Cyr's preferences.

Haru, being fairly familiar with Cyr's tastes, had given a straightforward answer: "Send him two cute little youkai. He likes that kind of thing."

"And make sure they're good-looking," he'd added helpfully.

Haru had long figured out that Cyr had a soft spot for beautiful non-humans.

But the moment he suggested it, the whole room rejected the idea.

Two youkai as shrine maidens? Were they crazy?

And good-looking ones at that? Those were rare. The more attractive the youkai, the stronger they usually were—and the scarcer.

It was more practical to find two pretty human girls instead.

Just then, the two Fujiwara girls had stepped forward.

"We are willing to go to the shrine and serve the Moon God for the rest of our lives," they said.

At first, the Fujiwara family's minister had been firmly against it. He feared Cyr would see it as a joke—an insult.

But—

"Please let us go. Even if it's just a trial. We'll do everything we can to make His Highness accept us."

The girls prostrated themselves completely, their foreheads pressed to the floor, speaking every word with solemn clarity.

"…If he sees you two, he'll probably be so furious he'll kill you on the spot!" the minister had shouted, whipping his sleeves angrily.

"Even if we die, we will have no regrets."

The girls never lifted their heads. Their voices never wavered.

At that moment, Gojo Haru had found them… interesting.

Maybe—just maybe—they were the kind of people Cyr could tolerate.

Because Cyr wasn't as inhuman and bloodthirsty as the rumors made him out to be.

So Haru turned to the others and said:

"Why not let them try? I have a feeling He will keep them."

"And if he does, we won't need to worry about finding any gifted shrine maidens anymore, right?"

°°°

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