January 1st, New Year’s Day.

Under a crystal-clear winter sky without a single cloud, I stood on the approach leading to a large local shrine.

In my past life, this would have been the time I’d be sitting under a warm kotatsu, beer in hand, watching the ekiden relay, but this year wasn’t going to be like that.

"Happy New Year, Shizuku-chan!"

"Ah, Happy New Year, Nanase-san!"

Running up to the meeting spot in a light jog were Aoi and Anju, both dressed in glossy formal kimono.

Aoi wore a lovely pale pink kimono decorated with large peonies, and in her golden-thread-like hair, the ‘Star Barrette’ I had given her for Christmas shone proudly.

Meanwhile, Anju, as expected of someone from a distinguished family, wore an obviously high-class long-sleeved furisode lavishly adorned with red and gold thread.

The white fur shawl further emphasized her refined young lady aura.

"Yo, Happy New Year to both of you. Damn, you two seriously look like princesses. It suits you really well."

Following the absolute rule I’d learned in my past life as a salesman, ‘when a woman dresses up, praise her immediately and as much as possible,’ I voiced my honest thoughts.

"Ehehe... thank you! I had Mom make me look as cute as possible just so you’d see me, Shizuku-chan!"

"O-Of course! As a woman of the Hojo family, I would never neglect my New Year’s attire! ...B-But, if you say so, then it was worth getting dressed up early in the morning."

One clung happily to my arm with her face lighting up like a flower blooming, the yandere, and the other turned away with her face bright red, the tsundere.

Yeah, starting the year off with such a sight was great for the eyes.

By the way, I wasn’t wearing a frilly kimono today.

After a three-day, three-night bloody negotiation with my mom of ‘I absolutely refuse frills’ versus ‘At least dress like a girl for New Year’s,’ we compromised on a ‘dark navy hakama with a slightly modern boots style.’

Combined with my black high ponytail, objectively speaking, I apparently looked like a young warrior from the late Edo period or a Taisho-era student, an unnecessarily gallant appearance.

"Oh my, Shizuku-chan. You look really cool today too. Just like a prince escorting our Aoi."

Aoi’s mother appeared from behind her and narrowed her eyes with a soft laugh as she looked at my hakama outfit.

"Thank you for taking care of Aoi again this year. Your kimono is really beautiful too, ma’am."

"Oh my! Shizuku-chan, you’re so mature..."

When I gave a light smile and bowed, she placed a hand on her cheek and let out an entranced sigh.

Next to her, my mom muttered with a face like she needed stomach medicine, "...Seriously, stop scattering pheromones indiscriminately even at adults first thing in the New Year. You’re definitely going to get stabbed someday."

"Alright then, let’s go. Whoa, that’s a lot of people."

The shrine path was packed with people visiting for their first shrine visit of the year.

In this insane world with a male-to-female ratio of 1:15, ninety percent of New Year wishes were ‘May I meet a good man.’

The heat from women desperately sizing up the men around them and hoping to benefit from divine blessings was enough to blow away the winter cold.

But their gazes were fixed on the three of us, more precisely, on the ‘abnormally handsome young warrior-looking six-year-old girl’ leading two beautiful girls.

"Wait, that kid... she’s a girl, right? Isn’t she way too handsome?"

"She’s got two girls with her... she’s already too complete at that age..."

Ignoring the surrounding murmurs, I smoothly stepped between Aoi and Anju, who were stumbling in their difficult-to-walk-in sandals.

"Both of you, give me your hands. You’ll get separated in this crowd, and you might trip."

I firmly held their small hands in mine.

To me, it was just a natural ‘escort,’ the same feeling as when I held a tired female friend’s hand while walking on a snowy road after snowboarding in my past life.

"Hya!?"

"Shizuku-chan...♡"

Despite being the hands of six-year-olds, my grip carried a reassuring strength.

Anju turned bright red like a boiled octopus with a pop, while Aoi pressed close against my arm and began sending a smug smile to the surrounding women as if to say, ‘This one belongs to me.’

"...Hey, it’s not fair that it’s always Aoi."

While we were lining up for worship.

Anju, holding my left hand, pouted her lower lip and murmured in a faint voice.

"Hm? Did you say something, Anju?"

"N-No, it’s nothing! It’s just... during Christmas, Aoi was with you the whole time, and she even got such a sparkling hair accessory... I also wanted to, um, be with you..."

The latter half was almost too quiet to hear, but my ‘former top salesman’ instincts perfectly picked up on customer Anju’s dissatisfaction.

I see.

She’d completely built up jealousy toward Aoi from the Christmas incident.

If I didn’t follow up here, another bloody catfight would break out in the classroom next term, and Suzuki-sensei’s stomach would end up with a hole in it.

I gently pulled Anju’s hand closer and leaned in toward her ear so Aoi couldn’t hear.

"...Sorry about that. Actually, next weekend, want to have a sleepover at my place? Mom said it’s fine, and we can keep it a secret from Aoi, just the two of us. We can stay up late, drink hot cocoa, and have fun."

In that instant, Anju’s whole body jolted, and even the tips of her ears turned bright red.

The devastating words ‘just the two of us’ and ‘sleepover’ completely short-circuited her excellent brain.

"A-A sleep... just the two of us!? I-I, as a woman of the Hojo family, cannot behave so lightly..."

"My mom will be there."

"T-That’s not the issue! ...But if you insist, I suppose I could clear my schedule for you."

Though she turned away with a huff, her grip tightened firmly around my hand.

The corners of her mouth were already collapsing into a sloppy grin.

Alright, deal closed, aftercare complete.

"Shizuku-chan? What are you talking about with Anju-chan?"

Aoi, who was pressed close to my right side, looked up at me with slightly damp, deep sea-like dark emerald eyes.

Crap, she’s sharp.

"No, I was just telling her her kimono looks expensive, so she should be careful not to get it dirty. Of course, yours is super cute too, Aoi. That barrette really suits you."

"...♡ Yeah, Shizuku-chan!"

When I patted her head with a salesman smile, the demonic aura flickering behind her instantly turned into a field of flowers.

Simple.

But that’s what makes her cute.

Eventually, the line moved, and we reached the front of the shrine hall.

We tossed coins into the offering box and closed our eyes following the proper two bows, two claps, one bow ritual.

'Please let me go to the snowy mountains a lot this year. Also, please grant peace to Suzuki-sensei’s stomach...'

While I made such peaceful wishes befitting an elementary schooler with a past life as a working adult, the two beside me kept their hands together for an unusually long time.

Watching their serious side profiles, I idly thought, ‘Girls really do look like a picture even when they’re praying.’

* * *

Late that night.

In a room of the Hoshikawa family’s apartment, Aoi had slipped into her bed, breathing softly in her sleep.

Her small hands clutched a ‘certain piece of cloth’ to her chest with affection.

It was the towel blanket from Shizuku’s house that she had secretly retrieved the morning after the Christmas sleepover under the pretense of ‘accidentally bringing it home,’ complete with Shizuku’s scent.

—What Aoi prayed for at the shrine.

‘God. Please let me eliminate all the pests standing beside Shizuku-chan again this year. I’ll personally crush every filthy bug that gets close to Shizuku-chan... so please only accept the marriage registration between me and Shizuku-chan.’

For a six-year-old girl, it was far too bloodstained and heavy a wish to offer to a god.

And the first dream Aoi was having now.

It was a dream of exchanging vows of eternal love with Shizuku in a pure white chapel, Shizuku dressed in a tuxedo.

However, there were no guests, and Shizuku’s limbs were bound by ‘beautiful silver chains that would never allow escape,’ connected by Aoi’s own hands.

"Ahaha... Shizuku-chan, now we’ll always, forever be together... hehe."

Burying her face in the cloth soaked with Shizuku’s scent, the sweet voice she murmured in her sleep carried a dark joy and madness that could freeze the air in the room.

In her hair, the ‘Star Barrette’ gifted by Shizuku glimmered faintly in the darkness like a mark of ownership.

* * *

Meanwhile, around the same time.

In the vast mansion of the Hojo family, inside a luxurious canopy bed.

Anju was buried under a top-quality silk blanket, breathing heavily as if she had a fever.

—What Anju prayed for at the shrine.

‘God! Please let me completely take Shizuku back from that impudent thief cat Aoi! And during next weekend’s sleepover, please let Shizuku become my prince alone...’

Though it was an arrogant wish that treated God like a personal errand runner, her mind was already completely dominated by ‘next weekend’s private sleepover.’

Anju’s first dream.

In a dim room of the Nanase household, two futons laid out side by side.

“Anju... you smell nice. It’s making my heart race.”

Whispering in a husky voice, Shizuku leaned over her.

Caught in those mature violet eyes, before she could resist, their lips overlapped—

"Hyahn... Sh-Shizuku... no, not so suddenly..."

Letting out an outrageously indecent sleep murmur unbefitting a six-year-old, Anju clutched her body pillow as if it were Shizuku and squeezed it tightly.

* * *

The massive poison scattered by unconscious handsome behavior melted the heroines’ emotions and sense of chastity beyond repair under the celebratory New Year night sky.

The next morning, the fact that the two girls woke up having dirtied their pajamas for completely different reasons and caused a huge panic for the Hoshikawa mother and the Hojo household maids is another story.