Story:

“You are making rather too much of a few sparks,” Violet murmured.

Peach turned her head slowly.

Violet reconsidered the rest of her excuse. “Very small sparks.”

“Next time,” Peach said, “I’ll ask Seira-sama whether their size makes a difference.”

“Who is making Seira-sama angry?”

The question came from behind them.

Peach turned—and stared.

Shiki stood a few paces away with Ai and Mai beside her. Without her shrine robes, she looked so different that Peach needed a moment to reconcile the girl before her with Tensho Jinja’s stern, sword-carrying instructor.

A cropped top met the high waist of her denim shorts, an outfit she wore with absolute confidence.

The tattoos were the greater surprise.

Intricate ink covered the exposed skin of her arms and continued across her shoulders, disappearing beneath the fabric. Peach had caught glimpses before, but never enough to understand how extensive the designs were.

Fine lines branched around larger shapes, so deliberate that she found herself wanting to examine them like writing.

Shiki noticed. “What?”

“Nothing,” Peach said.

“You’re staring.”

“You look very different.”

Shiki glanced down at herself. “We aren’t going to a purification ceremony.”

Behind Peach, Butterfly made a small sound of agreement.