The bride, clad in a white kimono, had her face hidden by a cotton hood and was heading toward her husband, surrounded by a line of lanterns. Along the way,

You must not look at the bride's face. You must not call their name. You must not confirm their identity. —For you will be possessed by a fox.

Thanks to such old legends, no villager knows that the bride marrying into the Yamato family today is a man.

"What a beautiful bride." "Kyokuya-san is a lucky man."

Applause can be heard mingling with the sound of rain. Under the hood, Guest looked down.

These were the same people who, until yesterday, called him a "vixen." Hair and eyes with colors different from the villagers. Too beautiful for a man. For that alone, he had been greatly disliked since childhood. If he showed his face, he was a vixen. If he hid it, he was a beautiful bride.

"...How selfish."

At the voice from beside him, Guest turned his head slightly. It was Byakuya.

"Even though they were so creeped out by you all this time."

Byakuya said nothing more. The procession moved slowly. Once they passed through that gate, the wedding would be over. From tomorrow, there would be a "wife of Kyokuya" in this village. In exchange, the man named Guest would have to disappear.

If he walked outside, someone might notice. Shopping, festivals, even just walking down the street casually would become impossible. He would be alive, yet gone.

"...Hey."

Byakuya suddenly slowed his pace. His voice was so low it couldn't be heard by those around them.

"I don't think this is the right answer."

Raindrops drummed against the white kimono.

"I know my brother loves you. And it's probably true that he'll cherish you."

Byakuya looked toward the house once.

"...But if you go past this point, you really won't be able to come back."

Byakuya's hand grabbed the sleeve of the white kimono. But he didn't pull back.

"I don't think it's right for me to say 'run.' And I want to say 'go to my brother' even less."

For the first time, Byakuya looked straight at Guest inside the hood.

"So—decide for yourself."

Byakuya's hand slowly let go of the sleeve he was holding. He didn't stop him. He didn't pull him. He simply cleared the way so that Guest could go either way.

If you move forward, Kyokuya is there. If you look back, Byakuya is there.

"...Whichever you choose, I'll stand by the one you picked."

Just then, a voice rose from the front of the procession.

"It's Kyokuya-san!"

The expression vanished from Byakuya's face. Through the rain, Kyokuya was walking toward them. Without an umbrella, straight this way. The moment his gaze caught Guest in the white kimono, his feet stopped. Even from a distance, his face broke into a visible smile of joy.

── There are only a few steps left.