Chapter 937

The New Year's pilgrimage season at Meiji Shrine has just passed. The two or three million people who surged here in the first three days of January have already withdrawn, like a tide covered by a heavy snowfall, leaving only damp ground and scattered footprints as proof they were ever here.

The camphor and camphor trees lining the approach path stand quietly in the winter sky, their branches dusted with thin snow that has not been stepped on, completely covering every twig as if meticulously painted with a fine brush by the famous painter Pablo; Diego; Jose; Francisco; de; Paula; Juan; Napomuceno; Maria; de; Los; Remedios; Cypriano; de; la; Sancti Sima; Trinidad; Luis; Picasso.

A layer of unmelted crushed snow lies on the stone path, crunching softly underfoot with each step.

As Uesugi Muneyuki walked along the approach path, he hardly encountered anyone else. Only a distant couple was taking photos—the woman in a light pink down jacket, the man holding his phone to adjust the angle, both laughing happily, not looking like office workers.

From the direction of the southern approach path came a few caws of crows, not loud, as if reminding passersby that something else was watching them here. Uesugi Muneyuki did not disturb them, or they might think an incident had occurred.

Passing through the first torii gate, he entered the side path of the Kagura Hall, went around the main hall, and headed toward a secluded courtyard deep within the shrine grounds. The courtyard was small, surrounded by several tall beech trees, with thick snow laid on the stone pavement as if no one had walked here for a long time. He pushed open the wooden gate of the courtyard, and the hinge emitted a soft, unusually crisp sound.

"timeaftertime" meeting you is a miracle~" Uesugi Muneyuki hummed softly.

In the courtyard lay a pond covered with a thin layer of ice; beneath the ice, several koi could be seen swimming slowly, their red forms flickering beneath the surface like flames trapped in amber.

Snow piled onto the stone lantern beside the pond, completely covering its originally gray-white stone, leaving only a small exposed tip at the top, untouched by snow and worn smooth by the wind like a sharp corner.

Peace and tranquility—Uesugi Muneyuki had not enjoyed them for a long time. Arriving here, he did not rush inside but instead stood in the courtyard observing for a while.

Life is like a journey; it doesn't matter where you end up, only the scenery along the way and the mood with which you view it.

Seven Stars, let the soul go traveling.

"Huh?" Uesugi Muneyuki glanced and realized she was already there.

Shirakawa Mai stood on the stone bridge opposite the pond.

Today, Senior Student Mai wore a red-and-white shrine maiden outfit, but it was completely different from the ordinary uniforms worn by shrine maidens during New Year's visits. This one was meticulously tailored, more luxurious and complex than standard shrine maiden attire, with a hem much longer than usual, dragging across the stone pavement, its edges embroidered with fine floral patterns.

Her slightly dark brown hair was simply tied back at the nape with a red thin cord, a few strands of loose hair hanging by her ears, swaying gently in the winter breeze.

Senior Student's skin was as white as the snow covering this courtyard, appearing even more translucent between her white robe and red hakama skirt; her thin lips were a pale pink, like a natural hue frozen by the winter's low temperature, untouched by any pigment.

Her eyes followed Uesugi Muneyuki as he entered the courtyard gate, her mouth curling into an indistinct arc.

Beneath her long skirt, Senior Student wore a pair of large red slim-heel high heels, the heels slender and upright, stepping on the stone slabs of the bridge, the metal tips catching the post-snow light and flashing a fine, needle-like gleam.

A pair of long, beautiful legs were wrapped in white Venus-patterned silk stockings, the intricate brocade extending up to the base of her thighs, those fine patterns glimpsed through the gaps in the skirt hem, distributed with bellflower, lotus, and rose motifs.

At first glance, that face and that outfit combined indeed resembled some lofty, inviolable shrine maiden, but the light in her eyes—something deep in the pupils flashing with a sly "I know what you're thinking"—instantly shattered that distance. Beside her stood Xiao Ying, wearing a similar shrine maiden outfit but less ornate than Shirakawa Mai's, with simpler colors: white robe and white hakama, only a touch of pink on the sash.

Blushed by Uesugi Muneyuki's gaze, Xiao Ying had delicate features, fair and radiant skin, a slender figure, standing there like a willow just beginning to bud but not yet fully grown, her hands hanging at her sides, standing half a step behind and to the side of Shirakawa Mai, her eyes on her own toe tips, then lifting to glance at Uesugi Muneyuki, then dropping again, and then a faint, almost imperceptible red blush rose along the edge of her ear.

"Oh, you're here? Junior Student?" Mai Xuejie smirked at Xiao Ying beside her: "I told you, he can't take it! This guy's Seishokurin is shattered, he can't function normally () anymore! Ahaha!"

"Hehe" Mai-sama, you shouldn't say that either—Muneyuki can't take it, so we can just...?" Xiao Ying instantly transformed into a credit-seeking brat: "Besides... besides I've already tried really hard, Mai-sama! I even sneaked into the enemy's secret base at great risk!"

"Yes, yes, our Sakura is the best!" Mai Xuejie laughed, patting her little head.

Uesugi Muneyuki glanced at Xiao Ying, nodded, but said nothing.

You can't understand the pain of not being able to be a normal man!

Mai Xuejie's eyes gleamed with even greater arrogance, the indistinct curve at her mouth now clearer, as if she had finally heard the words she'd been waiting for: "Indeed serious. Repairing it will take considerable time and must be done in a specific environment. I've already had them prepare the restoration ritual, over there."

She turned her head, gesturing toward the deeper part of the courtyard.

Deep in the courtyard lay an open space surrounded by trees, with a small platform paved with white gravel at its center, where a lotus pool built of blue stone stood, several deep-green lotus leaves floating on the water, still maintaining their extended posture despite the winter cold.

Two young shrine maidens, Tomoko Ono and Eisa Ikeda, were preparing there.

Uesugi Muneyuki looked at the lotus pool: "What do I need to do?"

"Nothing. You just need to go in. I'll handle the rest." Mai Xuejie gestured for him not to rush, then led him and Xiao Ying to sit down in the courtyard, where a brazier and pastries had already been prepared. She sat in the main seat, began warming a bowl and adjusting the dessert tea for Uesugi Muneyuki and Xiao Ying. From appearance, Mai Xuejie now looked exactly like an icy, aloof, arrogant celestial maiden in gauze: "Just wait a moment, still preparing—sit down and have a cup of tea."

"Great, great!" Xiao Ying bounced up and down, her small face flushed with excitement.

I finally infiltrated the most private sacred inner circle of Uesugi Shiro!

Hmph! Uesugi Shiro, no secrets, only loyalty!

Repent! Today is your day of death!

Uesugi Muneyuki felt somewhat restless, but for now he could only pause temporarily.

He soon found himself chatting with Mai Xuejie and Xiao Ying about Asō Kōta.

"Shorty?" Xiao Ying exclaimed upon hearing: "The son of former Prime Minister Asō's family? Wait, why do you sometimes call him a close relative of the Asō clan and sometimes a distant one, Muneyuki?"

"Simple enough: if he does well, he's close kin; if he does poorly, he's distant." Mai Xuejie lifted her teacup, smiling: "Former President Asō, famous numbskull, speaks without filter, says whatever comes to mind, and personally he's from a political dynasty, wealthy and privileged, so he can't possibly understand the people's suffering."

"Exactly, just like former Prime Minister Hatoyama." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded: "But Hatoyama's spectrum leans left, while the Asō family is iron right, like Tanaka Kakuei—you say he's not right and he'll get angry."

"Shorty? How short?" Xiao Ying asked curiously.

"Not as tall as you, reportedly only 162cm, but he stubbornly claims 163." Uesugi Muneyuki complained.

According to a survey by Tokyo University, the average height of Japanese men is about 170cm; men over 40 average 169.3cm, those aged 18–40 average 171cm, and boys aged 15–18 average 170.4cm. Even among Japanese men, 162cm is considered quite short.

After all, this isn't the Warring States period—160cm would be tall then: Uesugi Kenshin 157cm, Tokugawa Ieyasu 156cm, Toyotomi Hideyoshi 140cm, Date Masamune 159cm, Oda Nobunaga 166cm, among whom the eight-Hachiman Hōjō Tsunashige at 170cm was already a giant, while Toyotomi Hideyori at 15…… so the claim of Hideyori's non-paternity is too strong. After Japan's postwar economic boom and improved nutrition, average height rose generally, but in recent years the younger generation's average height has slightly declined, mainly because Japanese people aren't having enough children and lack sufficient elimination mechanisms; if anyone remembers the 60s and 70s, within their ancestors' social circles there would certainly have been more than one multi-child family with one or two children they couldn't raise, eliminated by nature. Modern medicine has improved, so every child can be raised, but without survival of the fittest, this situation naturally arises, plus the post-boom adjustment is normal operation, and theoretically although males are basically fully sexually mature by 17, they may still grow a bit more after that age.

"His family's political spectrum is too far right. I don't want the Special Mission Division to become a tool for any faction, nor do I want a child of a political dynasty to use the Special Mission Division as a tool to whitewash the family image." Uesugi Muneyuki sighed helplessly: "But the viewpoint put forward by Father-in-Law convinced me—after all, sometimes we might need a Napoleon who betrayed the Legal Reform to guard its achievements, and besides, he's young, only 25, so change might still happen."

"Conservatism is human nature. Things before eighteen are naturally given, innate, the way the world ought to be. Things appearing between eighteen and thirty-five are this world's greatest inventions, belonging to this era's great reforms. Things after thirty-five are heresy and sorcery, clever tricks. That is the most natural law." Mai Xuejie laughed: "You still have ten years!"

"How are you all in the Special Mission Division such divine beings?" Xiao Ying couldn't help but complain, puffing her cheeks.

"Actually, this is just because Japanese society is an extremely repressive place for individuality." Uesugi Muneyuki shook his head: "Everyone's heart holds a wild prairie and their own Picasso, but it depends on whether they have the chance to release it."

Japanese society has already evolved into the third stage of postmodernity: after the baby-boomer collective generation dissolved in the first stage, Japanese society developed into large corporate family culture and large autonomous juridical person association culture, and after the bubble economy completely burst in 1996, Japanese society evolved into subculture association culture and niche hobby group culture, and now, atomization has penetrated so deeply that even Japanese people are unwilling to participate in niche club activities and secondary culture hobby groups.

So we need one—Banda Donoriraku era! Everyone can play girl bands! With or without thorns! Lonely rock! Bass trumpet! Light music girls!

"Alright, almost done." After chatting a while longer, Mai Xuejie stood up and walked toward the lotus pool.

Her red skirt swept across the snow, leaving a faint trace like ink soaked into fabric.

Uesugi Muneyuki immediately rose and followed her behind, stepping into the center of the open space surrounded by white gravel, the lotus pool's surface shimmering in the afternoon sunlight with a fine, silver-like gleam.

Shirakawa Mai stood by the pond's edge, untied the sash of her outer robe, took off the luxurious shrine maiden coat and draped it over a nearby blue stone. Beneath she wore a white, sheer, gauze robe, its edges embroidered with fine silver thread, shimmering in the sunlight like flowing water. She turned her head to glance at Miyawaki Sakura standing beside her, still unconsciously twisting the tassel on her obi: "You come down too." Miyawaki Sakura's ears flushed completely red at that moment.

"Me? Do I have to go down too?"

"Restoration requires two people working together. My strength alone isn't enough. With you here, we can form a complete cycle.

Didn't you say you'd help with anything that needs you?"

Miyawaki Sakura lowered her gaze to her red shoe tips, then lifted it, her eyes moving from Shirakawa Mai's face to Uesugi Muneyuki's face, then back to Shirakawa Mai's face.

Her voice was a little softer than before, carrying a tone that lay somewhere between shyness and anticipation, fine as a thread of silk.

"I... I know. I'm going down too." She untied her belt, folded her outer garment neatly and placed it on the blue stone, barefoot, stepping on the slippery edge of the blue stone, preparing to walk into the lotus pond.

But just then, Mai Xuejie suddenly gave a wicked smile and said: "Junior Student, you know what you should do, right?"

"?" Uesugi Muneyuki was stunned: "What does this mean?"

"Oh? You can't remember? Well, let me tell you—if I'm in a bad mood, I might not help you restore things!" Mai Xuejie grinned mischievously: "We are a shared entity bound by fate, after all."

Uesugi Muneyuki understood, he immediately lunged forward, grabbing Mai Xuejie's hand: "Oh na gai! If I can't () properly, then Wadashi! Whatever I can do, I will do it all!"

"What kind of resolve are you speaking with when you say that? Junior Student, you really have nothing but yourself on your mind!" Mai Xuejie said coldly: "But it's just a snail cricket's worth of Sōsetsu's words—if you can't manage ten times in one night, do you have the ability to bear me and Sakura?" Miyawaki Sakura:.....

Sakura......

Ms. Xiao Yinghua.........."

You two lovebirds had enough fun—can we start now?

"Oh right, the stockings don't need to come off." Uesugi Muneyuki said.

"Got it!" "Don't need you to remind me!"

Shirakawa Mai was already standing in the center of the pond, the water just reaching her knees, her gauze clothing soaked through and clinging to her body, outlining the curves of her waist, abdomen, and chest.

The red high-heeled shoe stood on a stone at the bottom of the pond, the heel sunk into the moss. She turned to face Uesugi Muneyuki, reaching out her hand: "What are you spacing out for? Come down."

Uesugi Muneyuki took off his trench coat and draped it over the blue stone, then walked into the lotus pond.

The water was warmer than he had expected. Shirakawa Mai's arms wrapped around his shoulders, her body pressed against his, and through the thin, soaked gauze, her body heat clearly transferred to his skin.

Miyawaki Sakura approached from the other side, somewhat awkwardly imitating Shirakawa Mai's movements—first lightly touching his arm, then, as if confirming he wouldn't pull away, slowly leaning in.

The three of them formed a tight triangle in the center of the lotus pond.

Shirakawa Mai turned her head slightly and, speaking close to his ear, said softly: "The restoration process takes time. Don't rush. When you feel a change, just don't resist."

Ripples spread in small circles around the three of them, reaching the edge of the lotus pond, striking the stone-built walls, then bouncing back, carrying a faint, echo-like sound of water.

But just then, Sakura discovered that Mai Xuejie had pulled her into the space between herself and Uesugi Muneyuki!

"Wait, what's going on?" Sakura panicked a little—she was sandwiched between Uesugi Shiro and Mai Xuejie!

"Don't make a fuss—we're giving you an empowerment!" Mai Xuejie said, the corner of her mouth slightly raised: "This is double the joy!"

Uesugi Muneyuki also nodded: "Sakura, you're one of us, aren't you?"

"Although that's what you say..." Sakura still felt embarrassed, but she soon found she could no longer struggle.

"Have a cup of good tea, shake it~shake it~"

"Good fortune and prosperity, shake it~shake it~"