Miss Riddler just wants to level up in peace.

"Kiana, the older sister, and Yae Suzu, the younger sister, are our only two priestesses."

"To my shame, this outfit is just pretty, and I'm often misunderstood. In fact, I don't have the talent to be a shrine maiden."

Theresa was stunned when she heard the first name.

"Kiana... what an idiot, why did you go to such a dangerous place..."

"Nightingale—wait, what??"

Theresa glanced to the side and her eyes narrowed.

Reflected in her eyes was a beautiful girl dressed in a light blue shrine maiden outfit.

"What, are you stunned?"

Volume 1: Chapter 78 Miss Nightingale, Aren't you going to take your clothes off?

Yae Shrine.

It is the only large shrine within a hundred miles, and people from other places often come to worship there.

At the foot of the mountain, there is a hundred torii gates, and a sacred gate made of redwood leads people all the way to the top of the mountain.

According to the feng shui layout, the shrine buildings are arranged in a well-ordered manner, and the entire Yae Town can be seen from above.

A cold wind howled, and dark clouds obscured the moon.

In a Japanese-style room with an open wall door, a white-haired girl carefully lit a fire in the stove and added medicinal herbs.

The room was filled with a sour and bitter smell, so she added a lot of candied fruit to neutralize it.

"Kiana, it's very late now, please get some rest."

Outside the door, Mei, wielding a sword, was always protecting the girl.

The candlelight flickered and the wind grew stronger.

"Ling caught a cold and needs to take some medicine. I'll go to sleep in a bit."

"She is not your sister."

Mei spoke bluntly, her tone cold, hoping to bring Kiana to her senses.

She hates repeating herself, but she has the patience for it with her closest friends.

"Mei, what are you talking about? Rin is clearly my sister. I've had the impression of a family member since I was little, but I couldn't remember who it was until I came here..."

With someone to protect, the usually carefree Kiana became much calmer.

"...Kiana."

Mei sighed; yesterday's battle had left her physically and mentally exhausted.

"The chief priest told me to tell you not to even think about escaping with the bell. Next time, it won't be as simple as just severing your Achilles tendons."

Yesterday, she didn't kill assassins, but innocent people.

Even though she knew it was an illusion, she still felt somewhat ashamed.

However, she must never show any pity.

Kiana was trapped in this strange consciousness space, and Bronya was also captured.

As the only one with power, she must remain constantly alert.

"Ling is just an illusion; she doesn't exist."

"Let's abandon her and find a way to leave this place."

Mei has said similar things many times, speaking frankly and directly.

Kiana shook her head, convinced that the pink-haired little girl in the next room was her sister.

"I had a terrible dream yesterday. I caused my dad to lose a hand, and it seemed like I was going to kill him..."

The girl's complexion paled slightly as she recalled what had made her uncomfortable.

“…”

Mei remained silent, continuing to stand guard in place.

"Losing family is painful... I don't want to lose Rin, I don't want to lose you Mei, and my friends in the dorm."

"Mei will understand me, right?"

"...We're running out of medicinal herbs, I'll go buy some tomorrow."

Mei closed the door and left the room.

She was a guard for the two priestesses, responsible for their safety.

Rin caught a cold, and Kiana is taking good care of her, clearly taking on the role of an older sister.

Mei could clearly sense that Kiana was being affected by something, but she couldn't find the source.

“————!”

The cawing of crows broke the silence of the night, and a sliver of moonlight shone through the crack.

If the moon is in a favorable phase, the day after tomorrow night will be the day for the sacrificial ceremony.

The light of the sun and moon never favors anyone; it always shines upon the earth without reservation.

The beautiful moonlight fell and shone into a bamboo house outside the town.

"What, are you stunned?"

Ziyao changed into a shrine maiden outfit called Water Moon Flower, the fabric of which was smooth and fit her perfectly.

The girl was like a pure snow lotus, with a hint of alluring pink in her bud, and Theresa was momentarily stunned.

Unexpectedly, Nightingale looked like a completely different person when she dressed up.

"Yes, you are very beautiful. Even girls would like you."

Theresa was lavish in her praise, which even surprised herself.

Yae Sakura agreed, and she rummaged through the wardrobe to get a change of clothes for the two of them.

To refuse would be disrespectful, but to accept would be shameful.

Receiving so much help from strangers is a basic courtesy, and one should naturally reciprocate in some way.

Ziyao took out the wages she received from the ticket shop, totaling five strings of cash, and handed them over to Yae Sakura.

The girl chuckled softly and nodded to accept it.

"The shrine is under martial law for the next few days, and no outsiders are allowed to enter. You will probably have to wait until after the festival."

Upon hearing that Theresa was going to enter the shrine, Sakura immediately shook her head.

Recently, demons and ghosts have been committing evil deeds frequently, causing many people to die as a result. Even the shrine's servants have contracted the black disease, causing panic throughout the entire town of Yae.

Therefore, the shrine has strengthened its defenses, making it not only heavily guarded but also staffed with more than a dozen martial artists recruited from outside, making it extremely difficult to enter.

"What is the solution?"

"This is very important," Theresa pleaded, taking Yae Sakura's hand.

"There is a solution..., but it's not suitable."

"By offering a large amount of cash and rice, one can obtain a minor official position at a shrine, which would grant them free access."

Yae Sakura pondered, "They don't have that much money; it would cost at least fifty kan."

"It's getting late, I'll go prepare the bath flowers, let's discuss it again tomorrow."

After saying that, Yae Sakura left the bamboo house to prepare bath supplies.

"Sometimes it's better to use your own brain than to expect others to come up with a solution."

The white-haired loli's expectant gaze was quite blatant, Ziyao said helplessly.

I thought I'd have to force my way in or sneak in, but it turns out I could just bribe my way in...

"Nightingale, you know I'm not very good at this kind of thing..."

As the headmistress, Theresa blushed slightly as she said this, her gaze fixed on the floor.

She knew she had become too reliant on Ziyao lately, constantly asking her for advice and strategies.

Is there... any way?

"Problems that can be solved with money are not problems."

Theresa was pleasantly surprised and asked in a calm voice, "How do I do it?"

"Help me boil a kettle of water, and you'll see in a moment."

There was a faint orchid scent on Ying's bed, and Ziyao quietly admired the moon outside the window.

A short while later, Theresa returned to the bamboo house and said that the water had been boiled.

She carefully held the hot water, worried that she might accidentally ruin Ziyao's plan.

"Oh, you're just thirsty?"

Upon learning of the girl's thoughts, she was stunned.

"Want to drink?"

Ziyao picked up her water glass and said,

"No need... I'm not thirsty."

Theresa was somewhat disappointed; she had thought there was some better solution.

"Don't rush, look here."

Ziyao magically produced a measuring cup from under her skirt, which she had just redeemed from the system shop.

Use a piece of bamboo that you break off to scrape the bottom of the pot, letting the wood ash fall into the cup as much as possible. Then add water and stir. Finally, it becomes a cup of murky ash water.

"Someone would want this? How is that possible?"

Upon hearing that Ziyao was going to pawn this cup of water at the ticket office to raise funds for an offering at the shrine, Theresa's mouth gaped open in disbelief.

Putting aside gold and silver jewelry, anyone can make those, right?