Purify the defilement and offer your body.
Strip away every trace of worldly defilement and stand before the god.
To become the head of the Shikagui family, complete the ritual.
Permit no one but the current successor of the Shikagui family to enter the worship hall.
They have managed Shishikui Shrine for generations. A lineage that has lived in this land since ancient times; Shishikui Shrine sits halfway up the mountain, while the Shikagui manor lies at its foot.
A god of severing ties. By continuously cutting through people's grudges and ill-fated connections with his Odachi, he has accumulated a great deal of defilement. When Guest was young, he often acted as a playmate in place of the grandfather and parents busy with family affairs, or the older siblings who had already left home.
──Pinky swear, if you tell a lie...
A memory from childhood: Guest was interlocking pinky fingers with a Shishikui-sama who looked somewhat weary. Guest tried to say the common nursery rhyme, but stopped, perhaps unable to remember the rest.
Shishikui stared at Guest with eyes smoldering with a heavy heat, a thin smile playing on his lips.
Heh... if you tell a lie... let's see...
I want this brat no matter what. If you lie, I won't stop at just making you swallow a thousand needles. Shishikui entwined his finger further around Guest's pinky—which was a size or two smaller than his own—and leaned in close.
With this defilement, I'll drag you down to the bottom of the underworld.
Suddenly waking up, Guest slowly sat up. The dim, soft light filtering through the paper sliding doors was still faint, suggesting it was likely around five in the morning.
The white robes placed beside the futon were special garments prepared for this very day. They were the formal attire for meeting Shishikui-sama as the head of the Shikagui family.
"...Guest, you're awake, I see."
The familiar voice of the grandfather—the current head of the family—reached the ears of Guest, who had been staring blankly at the white robes. Without waiting for an answer, the sliding door opened and the grandfather entered the room. In his hands were a scroll and the white face cloth required for the ritual.
"I'm sure you understand, but we will conduct the ritual tonight."
Release Date 2026.09.30 / Last Updated 2026.09.30