Yukinoshita-san is definitely secretly in love with me.

Let us turn back time to that morning and shift our gaze to Yahawara Shrine in the Higashiyama District of the city.

Yahawara Shrine was a privately operated, family-owned shrine with a modest reputation across the city.

It was just past seven in the morning. At this hour, there were hardly any visitors or worshippers only the elderly miko was busy by the ema rack.

Ema are a unique feature of Shinto culture in Japan. Wishes and prayers are written on small wooden plaques roughly 15 centimeters wide and 10 centimeters tall, offered to the gods and hung on racks, in hopes of divine protection.

Climbing the stone steps with quick, purposeful strides, high school girl and part-time miko Miko Maeda passed through the torii gate. She stopped at the purification fountain, washed her hands carefully, and then finally slowed her pace.

"Grandma Yahawara, I'm back."

Yahawara Shrine belonged to the Yahawara family, and Miko Maeda was the current generation's part-time shrine maiden. Technically, this role should have gone to the present-day Yahawara daughter, but that young woman had long since run off in pursuit of love and freedom, becoming an unwed mother. She had no time or interest for what she called the "remnants of feudalism."

Traditionally, shrine maidens in Japan were chosen based on their "purity" that is, they had to be virgins. In modern times, the standard has loosened to allow miko to have boyfriends, but even with those relaxed rules, a married woman serving the gods is still considered unthinkable.

With the daughter unavailable and the shrine in danger of being shut down, the family had no choice but to hire an outsider to serve as miko.

Room and board included. With a salary.

Truly a capitalist shrine.

The elderly miko didn't even glance back. "Miko, go organize the ema over there."

Miko sighed inwardly, silently scoffing at the elder's ever-flexible morals when money was involved. "Got it. You mean the ones from that pretty lady?"

Roughly four or five months ago, a stunningly beautiful, wealthy young woman had started visiting the shrine.

She arrived in a luxury car, accompanied by a chauffeur and a secretary absolutely the picture of a high-class socialite.

Though Miko Maeda had worked part-time at the shrine for over two years and seen countless visitors and worshippers, she had never encountered someone so breathtaking. The moment she laid eyes on her, she felt overwhelmed.

Yet despite her looks, the young woman was cheerful, friendly, and kind. In just ten minutes of chatting, Miko felt like she'd met the gentlest, most gracious person in her entire life.

The young lady said she wanted to "reserve" the entire ema rack only her ema would be allowed to hang there.

It was such an absurd request that Miko was certain the old miko, a devout believer who held deep reverence for the gods, would never agree. She might even see the suggestion as a desecration and chase the elegant lady off the premises with her broom.

When Miko tried to dissuade the lady, she only smiled. "Just pass the message to the head of the shrine," she said.

Then, with a wink: "Besides, Lady Yahawara is pretty old. Even if she wanted to hit me, she'd never catch me."

Ah, what a lovely smile she had…

The venerable Lady Yahawara, full of dignity and spiritual gravitas, listened to the young lady's shocking proposal without even getting angry.

"Yahawara Shrine doesn't have much renown. There wouldn't be much promotional value in monopolizing our ema. Why are you interested in reserving ours specifically?"

The young lady replied with a smile, "I was just thinking if gods truly exist, their ears must be filled day and night with countless voices. A million? Ten million? Probably more."

"So if I made it so the only voice they hear is mine… would that increase the odds of my wish being granted?" She laughed lightly. "I'm curious to find out."

Whoa, whoa blasphemy alert!

And who even knows if gods exist in the first place?

You'd be better off throwing money into a pond at least you'd hear a splash!

Surely the old miko would kick her out immediately, right?!

And wow, only a true heiress would think of monopolizing prayers like a trust fund brat hoarding stock options…

But Lady Yahawara still didn't get angry. "The shrine is open to all believers. We can't allow only your ema to be displayed."

Miko relaxed a little, surprised but relieved. Of course. A woman of faith wouldn't be swayed by mere money 

"But if you're willing to make a suitable donation," the elder continued calmly, "we can build additional ema racks. We can't technically guarantee a 100% success rate for your wishes, but with a large enough sample size, we can get close enough."

The young woman nodded. "I'm in talks with other shrines and temples, too."

Miko Maeda: "..."

What the hell?!

First the infinite karma generator, and now a universal wish-granting Holy Grail unlocked.

The lady and the miko struck a deal: one achieved a god-defying act as a mortal; the other secured a generous financial future. Both had a bright road ahead.

Only Miko Maeda was left staring into the spiritual abyss, her worldview in ruins.

Muttering complaints in her head, she headed over to the four-sided ema rack that had since been custom-built for the lady. Every wooden plaque was hand-written by her, each one carefully placed.

May the gods bring Yukino back to me soon.

I want to have another snowball fight with Yukino.

No one made me cry this year… It feels so lonely.

Last year Yukino and I had a fight and she almost cried. But now she's still not here to take revenge and win… That's just like her so unfair.

These lines, more than wishes, read like diary entries scattered, sorrowful thoughts. They began with gentle melancholy but slowly darkened, heavy with despair.

Dear gods, will my sister ever come back?

Even if that person might be innocent… I still can't stop wishing she'd just die. Dear gods, I have sinned.

No one noticed Yukino was gone. No one would believe it even if they did… But I'll keep holding on, even if it's just me.

That's why I must never forget her. If even I let go… then Yukino will truly vanish from this world.

As she took down the last ema, Miko Maeda couldn't help but remember a particular conversation from a day the young lady had come by.

At the time, Miko had asked, almost involuntarily, "Miss Yukinoshita, when you said you were doing all this to test a hypothesis… that was a lie, wasn't it?"

The young lady had merely smiled, quietly confirming Miko's suspicion without words.

"Why not try something more reliable?" Miko had asked.

Because despite working at a shrine, Miko Maeda was a firm non-believer.

Praying to gods and spirits… just wasn't a solution you could count on.

How hopeless would someone have to be to cling so desperately to the divine?

That day, the young lady had looked off into the distance. The ever-present misty smile she always wore faded from her face.

"Because the odds of my wish coming true," she said softly, "are even lower than the odds of gods existing."

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