"...Senior?"

"nothing."

Look, he's just an ordinary boy, nothing to be afraid of.

Sugawara Kyoko looked at the road that was divided into two parts in front of her, showing a bit of the coldness and majesty she had when she first saw him.

"Fuun Shrine is ahead."

...

The road bisects at the foot of the mountain and extends to both sides, with a huge red torii gate facing the intersection.

The stone tablet erected nearby is old and mottled, with the four characters "Fuyun Shrine" engraved on it.

Behind the torii gate, there are tall and dense cedar trees on both sides, with a long staircase in the middle. Fuyun Shrine, located halfway up the mountain, is hidden behind the steps and cedar trees.

Soya would follow Sugawara Kyoko here, partly because she was obsessed with Asagiri Suzu, and the latter said it wouldn't hurt to come over, and partly because she wanted to inquire about the movements of the peerless evil spirit.

But looking at the long steps in front of him, he couldn't help but start to consider whether it was worth it.

Of course, the thought flashed by, and it was just a thought.

Climbing up the steps, Zonggu quickly felt the chill in the forest. The dense cedar trees blocked the light, and I am afraid that in summer, the temperature here will not be too high.

There were hundreds of steps, and at intervals there was a platform two or three meters long and wide, with stone lanterns standing at the four corners, only reaching his knees;

Climbing the steps was really hard work, so the platform became a short resting place for the three of them, decided without any discussion.

In the quiet woods, except for the sound of the soles of feet running over the stone steps, there was only the sound of Soya and Sugawara Kyoko's heavy breathing one after another. Only Asagiri Suzu was as calm as ever.

When the three of them stopped for the last time, the main hall halfway up the mountain was already vaguely visible.

Soya rested while holding the stone lantern, his eyes swept across the ground of the platform, towards Kyoko Sugawara who was standing alone on the side, and then quickly glanced back.

"..."

There are some strange patterns carved on the ground.

He changed the angle and discovered that the content of the pattern was some dancing people, which was probably a record of some kind of ritual.

"The Returning Dance."

"What……"

Soya looked up at Sugawara Kyoko who suddenly spoke, "Is this some kind of festival at Fuun Shrine?"

"Not only Fuun Shrine, but also shrines in the Kinki area will perform this kind of dance during worship."

"Yeah."

"Legend has it that this is a dance taught by the gods from Takamagahara."

"It seems like it has a long history."

While the two were talking, Asagiri Suzu just looked down.

After almost resting, the three of them continued to climb up. After climbing dozens more steps, Soya finally saw the complete main hall of the shrine.

"Huan, welcome..."

He looked at Kyoko Sugawara, who was also out of breath, and suddenly understood the reason why she quickened her pace at the last moment and walked in front of him even though she had no strength left.

"Welcome to visit Fuyun Shrine..."
Chapter completed!