Chapter 300 Reconciliation and Love Talk

The New Year's Festival of Matsumae Shrine is a tradition of the Matsumae family. It is held in the shrine in early January every year. The festival is grand in scale. Not only will family members of the Matsumae family who live abroad come back on this day, but many tourists from afar and local residents will also come specially to participate.

Matsumae Shrine begins preparations for the festival early in mid-December to early January, during which time family members and clergy will perform daily purification rituals, clean and decorate the shrine.

According to Fujii Itsuki's observation.

This so-called purification ceremony is actually that Xinchun takes a green branch, dips it in a little water, sprinkles it in front of the shrine every day, and then burns incense and prays for the shrine.

Matsumae Shinharu, wearing a white shrine maiden costume, looks and moves elegantly in the snow.

There was one thing that Fujii Itsuki was particularly curious about, so he asked her quietly after she finished the purification ceremony one day.

".Aren't all shrine maidens required to be pure?"

Matsumae Xinchun knew what Fujii Itsuki was talking about, and her face turned red. "You are different. You are the head of the Matsumae family who will marry me in the future, so you don't need to think about these things. For Matsumae Shrine, serving the head of the family is equivalent to serving the Jade Fox God. As a shrine maiden, I am so happy to have this opportunity."

"But you are not the only shrine maiden at the Shinharu Matsumae Shrine, right?"

"What are you thinking about? The shrine maidens at Matsumae Shrine are hired ones, not official ones."

"There is a difference between temporary workers and regular workers for witches?"

"Yes."

In fact, in the Matsumae family, the entire Matsumae Shrine is equivalent to serving the head of the Matsumae family.

The shrine maidens were only temporary staff members of the shrine, and many ritual matters could only be presided over by Xinchun, the only eldest daughter of the main family. Most ordinary shrine maidens, except for some long-term workers, were only hired temporarily during festivals or events to help handle some auxiliary affairs.

After these days of observation, Fujii Itsuki found that the Matsumae Shrine was really not simple.

Matsumae Shrine is managed by the wife of the lord of each shrine.

The previous generation had managed the Matsumae Shrine under the management of Kokoharu's grandmother. The reason why the current chief priest of the shrine is Kokoharu's aunt is because the professor passed away.

Matsumae Shrine is considered the faith center of the entire Matsumae family, symbolizing the unity and continuation of the family.

Because of its own profound sense of history, the Matsumae family will also use the symbolic function of the shrine to establish connections with local political and business circles. Through the shrine, the Matsumae family can also consolidate its religious and cultural influence in Japanese society as a whole, further consolidate its reputation locally and nationally, and thus affect the number of times the entire Matsumae family appears in front of the public.

In short, the Matsumae family is the main one, and the Matsumae Shrine is an important auxiliary.

Fujii Itsuki was invited by Matsumae Yoshiko so long in advance, so that he could familiarize himself with the process of the annual New Year festival with Matsumae Shinharu.

"Brother Tree~"

During lunch time, Fujii Itsuki glanced at Chitose Yang Kui who was smiling beside her, and ignored her.

"Brother Tree~~"

Fujii still ignored him.

"Brother Shu~Brother~~"

"Okay, okay, just tell me what you have to say."

"I apologize to you, Brother Shu, for what happened yesterday! I shouldn't have fed you food carelessly."

Fujii Itsuki put down his bowl and chopsticks and sighed, "You should apologize to Xiaoyue."

"is it?"

Yang Kui Qiansui glanced at Jiuhuayue opposite her and found that the other party was just eating quietly and ignored her at all.

"Brother Shu, look, Xiaoyue didn't care. Now Qiansui is the only one who hasn't been forgiven by Brother Shu~"

Fujii Itsuki glanced at her smiling face and asked, "Was it you who came up with the idea the day before yesterday?"

"Xingchun and I thought of this together!"

"Hey! Don't try to frame Xinchun. I'm asking who brought it up first."

Yang Kui Qiansui lowered her face in grievance, "That's me! Brother Shu, don't ignore Qiansui. Although Qiansui did something wrong the day before yesterday and shouldn't have done that, Brother Shu was actually very happy, right? I still remember that the TV in the guest room was full of Xinchun's movies!"

Matsumae Shinchun, who was eating peacefully, blushed, and Fujii Itsuki took the opportunity to give her a slap on the head.

"Also."

"Okay, I won't say anything more." Yang Kui Qiansui sat upright.

Fujii Itsuki felt like he was really old.

I can't quite keep up with the pace of these little girls.

Jiuhua and Qiansui, at the beginning, they were girls who would blush if they were touched, but after the relationship changed, they actually dared to speak directly to him.

Although Matsumae Shinharu was not as blunt as Kyuukazuki and Chitose, Fujii Itsuki knew that she did not hate it and even liked it a little.

Fujii Itsuki looked at the three girls in front of him for a few more times, coughed twice, and motioned for everyone to look at him first:
"Let me say this first. It's best not to do what happened the day before yesterday again. I know you guys are a little considerate of me, but if you don't want my body to suddenly collapse, then don't feed me such weird things. I can't even control myself."

". I didn't make Brother Shu normal, and Xinchun and I both felt that Brother Shu was super awesome during those two days——"

Fujii Itsuki slapped her again, and Yang Kui Chitose held her head, too aggrieved to speak.

"It just so happens that the shrine is short of shrine maidens during the New Year holidays. Chitose, you can also learn to dance with Kokoharu."

"this is not bad!"

"Is Xiaoyue going?"

"I dont go."

Jiuhuayue just shook her head.

Fujii Itsuki noticed her expression.

After lunch, time quickly came to afternoon.

Because Chitose Haruki had to practice dancing with Matsumae Koharu, Fujii Itsuki had to look at the scenery alone on the observation deck of the shrine. Not long after, a voice came from behind him.

".Why are you standing here alone?"

Fujii Shu turned around and saw Jiuhua Yue who looked resentful. He smiled and said, "Are you still angry about what happened before?"

".I'm not that stingy."

"why?"

Jiu Huayue looked at him for a second, then stood with him, looking up the mountain from the edge of the observation deck, "Originally, I wouldn't be able to come back for the New Year this time."

"Can't come back? Because of your parents?"

Jiuhuayue was in a bad mood and explained with her eyes closed: "I went to Tokyo to participate in the performance in Takarazuka. I didn't want to see my parents, but they couldn't have been unaware of my return to Tokyo, so my father asked my mother to come to the performance to find me."

Jiuhuayue carefully explained what happened between her and her parents in Tokyo.

After hearing this, Fujii Itsuki's expression became somewhat complicated.

"Although, although I think it's a little funny to tell you this, I still want to tell you, uncle."

“What does family feel like?”

"Well, besides, I don't know whether I should forgive my mother."

"My answer is of course no."

"Is that so?" Jiuhuayue lowered her head slightly, looking at the cedar forest under the observation deck, her eyes a little vague.

Seeing that it was almost time, Fujii Itsuki asked again, "Xiaoyue, do you know what the problem is with what I just said?" "Problem?"

"That was just my suggestion, not your answer. That's the problem. After I said I didn't forgive you, you still hesitated. It's obvious that you softened your heart."

Jiuhuayue listened to Fujii Shu's words and was silent for a few seconds, as if thinking. He was right. Although she was always full of resentment towards her mother, when she heard the words "cannot forgive", her heart still fluctuated a little. This contradictory emotion made her angry and helpless.

"So. I actually already had my own answer, right?" Jiu Huayue sighed softly, with a hint of self-mockery in her tone.

"Maybe," Fujii Itsuki still looked at her gently, "Sometimes, the thoughts deep in our hearts are always more complicated than we think. It's not someone else's decision whether to forgive or not. Only you can find the answer."

Jiuhuayue frowned slightly, her eyes showing some struggle.

"But she has hurt me so many times, how can I still be soft-hearted?"

"Because she is your mother, right?" Fujii Itsuki looked at the cedar forest in the distance. "How did she treat you in the past?"

"You could say she was very mean, but when I was hurt, she would still apply ointment on me. She would also feel a little distressed."

"That's the problem, isn't it?" Fujii Itsuki laughed again. "I used to apply the ointment myself. Although the director treated me almost like her own child, there were too many children in the orphanage, and she couldn't take care of me alone."

Jiu Huayue leaned on his shoulder in a daze, looking at his profile, "I don't mean to offend you, uncle, but...what does it feel like to have no family?"

“The feeling of being unable to do anything and achieving nothing.”

Jiu Huayue was silent for a while, then raised her head, thinking it through. "Well, no matter how extreme my mother was, she did raise me. She is a little different from my father. At least she knows how to feel sorry for me a little bit, although it's only a little bit, but it's enough."

"Don't you hate her anymore?"

"Humph! I still hate it! I just don't hate it as much anymore."

Jiu Huayue looked down at the pair of slightly red hands in his pockets, then gently put her own hands into his pockets and held his.

"Why, you're so proactive all of a sudden?"

Fujii Itsuki teased, with a hint of laughter in his voice, "You still didn't want to say a word to me last night."

"I was angry at the time. It was your fault for not replying my messages. I thought you were busy, but it turned out you were doing that kind of thing! I was lucky that I didn't get angry for a week!"

Jiuhuayue pouted, somewhat dissatisfied, but the hand in his pocket held him tightly.

"Also, your hands are so cold, why didn't you tell me?"

"I can't bear to let you know."

"Pretentious! Humph, really."

After standing at the observation deck for a long time, Fujii Itsuki planned to go back. Jiuhuayue had been holding his hand, so he took a step forward. However, he did not expect that as soon as he stepped down the stairs, Jiuhuayue jumped onto his back and clamped her legs around his waist.

Fujii Itsuki almost lost his balance and quickly grabbed her thighs.

He smiled and said to the girl behind him:

"This is at the Matsumae family, aren't you afraid?"

"If you're not afraid, why should I be afraid?"

"That's what I said, but being seen will still have a big impact on Xinchun. How about we go back through the back mountain? There aren't many people there."

"Well, I'll listen to you."

Jiuhuayue leaned on Fujii Tree's back and spoke softly.

Fujii Shu carried Jiuhuayue steadily on his back and walked slowly down the path behind the mountain. The air in the cedar forest was a little chilly, and the surroundings were so quiet that only the slight sound of footsteps on the snow could be heard, and occasionally the cry of a snow fox could be heard in the forest.

"I carried Xinchun here before." Jiuhuayue looked at the stone road ahead.

"Ah? Really?"

“At that time I regarded her as my best friend.”

"It's like that now."

"We are friends, but our relationship is definitely not as good as when we were kids. I always wanted to take her out to play, to run away from the boring Songqian house, to see the foxes in the back mountain, to see the snow scenery in the back mountain, and then build a snowman or an igloo together. I even brought blankets and quilts so that we could sleep together."

Jiuhuayue's voice gradually became softer, as if she was lost in her memories.

Fujii Itsuki listened, his steps still steady on the snow, and he turned his head slightly to look at her.

"What happened next?" he asked softly.

"Later, as you know, the Kuka family and the Matsumae family broke up, and our relationship became more and more divided, like two families in the days that followed. Later, I also hated her and everything about the Matsumae family, because all my efforts were just a matter of words to Xinchun."

Jiuhuayue's hands unconsciously clutched Fujii Itsuki's clothes, as if looking for some comfort.

"You know, sometimes I even feel that the Matsumae family is the culprit that caused my family to break up. Our relationship deteriorated from that moment on. So much so that when Xinchun found me and showed me kindness later, I didn't know how to face her.

"Later, when she said in front of me that she liked me, I felt like I had lost everything. Xinchun wanted to take everything from me. I really hated her, so I had a fight with her. We haven't talked about it since then."

Fujii Itsuki was silent for a while, then said softly: "Sometimes, feelings are so complicated, love and hate, close and distant. The important thing is that in the end, you will still meet each other no matter how far you look up or down."

"Uncle, do you want Xinchun and I to reconcile completely?"

"Of course, but the person who tied the bell must be the one who untied it. I can only be a bridge between the two of you. As for whether you want to maintain the current relationship or return to your childhood, that's up to you."

Jiuhuayue leaned on Fujii Itsuki's back, hugged his neck with both hands, feeling his warmth, and the chaos in her heart seemed to gradually subside.

"Is Xinchun better than me at being an O?" Jiuhuayue gently bit Fujii Itsuki's ear.

"What are you talking about?" Fujii Itsuki smiled.

"answer me."

"Yes."

"I'm not convinced."

When Fujii Itsuki heard the girl's tone, he smiled bitterly and lifted the girl's legs on his waist, "Then what do you want to do, Xiaoyue?"

"What else can I do? Be better than Xinchun!"

"Don't you want to make peace with her completely?"

".That doesn't mean we can't compare to this!" Jiuhuayue leaned close to Fujii Shu's ear again, "How about this, from now on I will come to see you every night, but change it to come to see you every morning and evening, how about that?"

"You come to me every morning and evening to hone your skills, right?" Fujii Itsuki didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"How about that!" The girl said cheerfully, but suddenly frowned and grabbed his waist. "Why? Are you still not happy?"

She was carrying it on his back, so of course it was my aunt, Fujii Itsuki could only quickly agree:
"With pleasure! With pleasure! Of course I am happy to do so!"

".Humph, I look for you every day, but you still look unhappy. It really hurts my heart."

"Where can I have it?"

"Look, I'm so annoying! You don't even have the confidence to speak, you just don't want to be with me."

"I do! Of course I do!"

"Then you promise!"

"I, Fujii Itsuki, promise that I have always wanted to make love with my Jiuhuayue, every day and every night!"

".Humph, that's more like it."

(End of this chapter)