Story:

Beside the white hair woman, Shiki closed her eyes for one brief, suffering instant.

“Seira-sama.”

“Hmm?”

“Please maintain your composure.”

“I am perfectly composed.”

“And refrain from saying every thought aloud.”

Seira looked mildly offended.

Violet stared at her. This is their grand authority?

Kicho shifted closer to her sister, ropes creaking. “I dislike her,” she whispered.

“I noticed.”

“I dislike her a great deal.”

Seira sighed, apparently deciding that ceremony was an obligation she could no longer avoid. She straightened, tucked her hands into her sleeves, and regarded the four strangers with regal detachment.

“I am Kannagi Seira,” she announced in a flat, bored voice. “Grand Master of Tensho Jinja.”

Ai’s head lifted sharply. Mai turned toward her sister at the same instant.

“Kannagi?” Ai repeated. The twins exchanged a look.

At Yamato Shrine, that name belonged to the succession of shrine masters. To Chitose. To the authority beneath which they had been sheltered, treated, and raised.

And here it was again, spoken by a stranger in another world.