Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Widow Clings Sweetly!
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Climbing the stairs of Yagitsune Shrine, I gazed at the worshippers.
Yagitsune Shrine had managed to recover its visitors thanks to my sponsorship.
It still wasn't packed to the brim, but it was more than enough to keep the shrine afloat as a business.
As long as no more unexpected expenses cropped up in this situation, they wouldn't starve even if I cut off the sponsorship.
"Welcome to Yagitsune Shrine~."
At the top of the stairs, a shrine maiden part-timer greeted the visitors with a smile.
Another part-timer was handling fortune slips for the crowd nearby, while a cleaning staff member swept the grounds with a broom.
Instead of heading to the offering box like the worshippers, I made my way to the residence where the Yagitsune mother and daughter lived.
I rang the doorbell with a ding-dong and waited a moment.
"Yes~? Who is it... Oh! Lord Rubelt!"
Unlike our first meeting, Yagitsune Ayame greeted me with skin glowing smoothly and her hair neatly tied back in the middle with a white cloth string, preventing any stray strands from escaping.
Though tightly wrapped in her shrine maiden robes, her voluptuous figure was still unmistakably prominent.
Who would believe this woman had a grown daughter just by looking at her?
Maintaining such beauty was only possible because Ayame had once been a hunter, just like Kagura—someone who could wield mana.
But back in her day, she was only average.
No, slightly below average as a hunter.
Stronger than a regular person, sure, but not reliable enough to safely hunt monsters in dungeons and make steady money.
That's why, even when the shrine was struggling, she couldn't risk heading into a dungeon just to earn quick cash.
Dungeons required an entrance fee for non-academy students, after all.
She might break even on the fee but have no guarantee of big hauls, and if something went wrong, Kagura would be left alone.
That fear kept Yagitsune Shrine trapped in its financial crisis, unable to escape easily.
"Hello, Ayame."
"Come on in! What brings you here today? Oh, are you here to see Kagura? I-I'm sorry... Kagura's out on training right now..."
"Training?"
"Yes. With Kagura starting at the academy in March, she wanted to sharpen her skills more, so she left for another shrine."
"Not here at Yagitsune Shrine?"
I would've thought training at her own deity's shrine would be more effective.
"Oh, well... Kagura worries a lot. I thought if she trained here, she'd get distracted trying to help with the shrine, so I suggested she go elsewhere."
"I see."
"She'll be back in a month. I'm really sorry you came all this way for her."
A whole month of training.
That left just Ayame at the shrine.
A shame Kagura wasn't around, but perfect for focusing my efforts on Ayame.
"No, I didn't come for Kagura today. I have business with you, Ayame."
"With me?"
"Yes. Ah, may I come in?"
"Of course! Please, do."
I entered the Yagitsune mother and daughter's home and sat in the reception room for guests.
A moment later, Ayame returned from fetching tea and snacks, placing rice cakes and green tea on the table.
"This is nothing compared to what you're used to, Lord Rubelt, but if it's all right, please have some."
"No, I like this sort of thing too."
I nibbled on a rice cake and sipped the green tea.
Not bad once you get into it.
"...So, what business do you have with me, Lord Rubelt?"
"Ah, yes. I took a look around Yagitsune Shrine on my way up. It's really thriving now. Seems like you've hired more part-timers, and the visitors are flowing in nicely."
"Hee-hee, it's all thanks to your sponsorship, Lord Rubelt."
"Yeah. I'm really proud to support this shrine. So..."
I paused for effect, smiling at Ayame as I continued.
"I think you can probably get by without my sponsorship now. I'm relieved."
"...Pardon?"
Ayame's smile froze.
"W-Without sponsorship...? What do you mean?"
"Just what I said. When I first came here, the shrine desperately needed support. But now that it's running like this, you don't need mine anymore."
"W-Wait... P-Please hold on, Lord Rubelt. S-Suddenly saying something like..."
"Of course, I'm not cutting it off right away. I'll keep it up for another two months or so."
"T-Two months... only?"
Ayame's face was growing paler by the second.
"After that... I'll have to look for other shrines or facilities that need help. I'm so glad Yagitsune Shrine has recovered..."
"L-Lord Rubelt!"
Ayame shot up from her seat, rushing to my side in a panic.
"P-Please wait! Just a moment! I beg you! Don't cut off the sponsorship!"
I knew exactly why Ayame was so desperate.
But for now, I feigned surprise.
"Ah, Ayame? What's wrong?"
"It's...! If you really stop the sponsorship, we'll be in trouble! It'll go back to how it was before!"
"What? What do you mean?"
"T-The truth is... Lately, we took out a loan to erect a statue for Lady Yorugitsune. We still have two years left to pay it off. If your s-sponsorship ends, we're really in danger!"
Stammering just like when we first met, her face full of urgency.
Trembling with tension and fear, she clung to my arm, her ample chest enveloping it.
Ah, so soft.
"You took out that much of a loan? What were you thinking...?"
Of course, I already knew about the loan.
"We were counting on your continued sponsorship. If it stops, we'll have to fire all the part-timers and the cleaning staff too! So please...!"
"It's okay, Ayame. Even so, customers won't dry up like before. You could let go of one shrine maiden part-timer and still manage the operations fine."
Quality of life would drop, though.
"B-But... Th-Things can change in this world, Lord Rubelt! Like when our shrine first fell into crisis! What if it happens again...!"
Ayame squeezed my arm tighter.
Ah, that soft, squishy pressure... feels great!
The arousal and joy tinged my cheeks pink.
Perfect timing.
"Ayame! Please let go!"
I shook her off with a bit of force.
"Ah, aaah...!"
From her perspective, it must have felt like I'd grown cold and forcibly pushed her away—a real shock.
To that Ayame, I dangled a sliver of hope.
"I understand what you're saying, Ayame. I'll... think more about the sponsorship."
"R-Really?!"
As she joyfully tried to grab my arm again, I gently dodged.
"Huh? L-Lord Rubelt?"
"Um... Ayame. I'll reconsider, so please don't cling so close."
"Ah...! S-Sorry. I-I was too rude, wasn't I? You've lost affection for me, right? I'm truly sorry! But please, the sponsorship...!"
"No. How could I lose affection for you, Ayame? It's just..."
"Just?"
As Ayame looked at me questioningly.
I averted my gaze slightly, letting her see my flushed cheeks clearly.
"I-I'm an adult now, not just a student anymore. What you did just now was... a bit too stimulating."
"Pardon?"
Ayame didn't grasp my meaning at first.
But moments later, her face turned slightly red.
"Eh?! Huh? No way? To an old lady like me...?"
"Ayame... you don't seem to realize it yourself, but you're plenty young and beautiful. People might even mistake you for Kagura's older sister."
"What!?"
"So, even if you were desperate, please hold back on hugging my arm like that. I'm a man too, so that kind of thing... is troublesome."
"Ah... Um... S-Sorry, Lord Rubelt."
Ayame's face flushed bright red.
"Y-You're right. You're an adult like Kagura now, and a m-man... I wasn't thinking with actions like that. And calling a granny like me b-beautiful... Th-Thank you."
"No need. Khm, just stating facts."
"F-Facts..."
Good, Ayame's embarrassed too.
She must realize now that her looks work on me.
I stood up amid the awkward atmosphere.
"This isn't the mood for more talk today. I get your situation now, Ayame. We'll discuss the sponsorship tomorrow morning. That okay?"
"Y-Yes, yes! Tomorrow... I'll be waiting, Lord Rubelt."
"Then I'll be off..."
I bowed politely and left Yagitsune Shrine, heading straight home.
"Welcome back, Young Master."
"Yeah, Rize."
Rize greeted me inside the mansion.
"So, how'd it go with the Yagitsune mother and daughter?"
"I said I was laying the groundwork. I did. Oh, Kagura's away training for a month."
"I see. So... did the groundwork go well?"
To Rize's question, I flashed a confident smile.
"Of course."
I'm really looking forward to seeing how Ayame acts tomorrow.