"Warm", I thought. Just earlier I can still feel the cozy wind breeze.

"I didn't noticed, when did I doze off?", I asked myself while still half-asleep. I was too comfortable to wake up.

"-sama! Land deity-sama!", An unfamiliar high-pitched voice echoed in my ears. The tone sounds it is urgent so I slowly opened my eyes.

...but a bird! A talking hat-wearing white sparrow!

"I am a familiar of my Imperial Priestess, I came to deliver a message", it said. "Tonight, the priestess of the lake will come to the shrine to greet and pay respect for the new land deity.

"Eh?" (O﹏o)‽

I was so shock that it left me speechless while watching the messenger bird fly away.

Anyways, I need to tell this to Tomoe and Mikoto!

"Onikiri! Kotetsu!", I hurriedly called the onibi children and the two wisps immediately flew towards me.

"Yes, Nanami-sama?" they asked me with obvious worries in their faces probably because they hinted the panic in me.

" ( つ＞＜)つ I need to see Tomoe. Where is he?"

"In the worship hall with Mikoto-dono", they replied and willingly accompanied me.

From the corridor, the only thing I could hear is my fast footsteps and Mikoto's voice that's been chanting something.

"HI FU MI YO.. I MU NA YA KO TO MO... TSU..."

"CHI", corrected Tomoe.

"CHI RO RA NESHI KI? RU YU...", unsurely continued by Mikoto.

"Huff, stop. You should have confidence with this nori-"

BAMM!

The yokai familiar failed to finished his sentence because of my interruption. Well, WHO CARES!? What I need to say is more important than their gibberish that I can't understand.

"Tomoe! ლ(¯ロ¯"ლ) There's something you need to hear from me", I stated the reason of my sudden intrusion.

I saw Mikoto looked at me with her grateful eyes as if I just saved her life.

Even though Tomoe was unhappy with my actions from earlier, he still patiently listened to me and agreed when I asked him if we could talk while I hurriedly walk back to my room.

I scurried inside my room while telling the event to Tomoe who was sitting outside my room.

I'm in total panic because I NEED to change clothes! A formal one!

Unfortunately, Mikoto and I only found kimonos and yukatas which I don't know how to wear by myself and obviously, I can't depend to my foreign friend here. In the end, I decided to just wear my uniform. It's formal anyway.

Tomoe sighed after I finished telling him what I needed to say.

" (＠_＠) T-The bird talked like it's normal. It's talking really fluently, you know?" I pointed out while fixing and tightening my bow tie.

ﾉ\_ﾉ\ " (¯ . ¯٥) The one who sent him is the master of the lake called Tatara", Tomoe entered the room while he told us. "Originally, she was the incarnation of a catfish".

But even while he's explaining, I was still so flustered that I keep repeating what I saw.

"You know, a bird-"

"A bird.."

Mikoto who can't stop giggling hugged me, still full of laughter. " ⊂( ' ▽ ' )⊃ Nanami, it's just normal. You mentioned the bird said he was a familiar right? Also, we have here a yokai fox as a familiar", she reminded me.

Only after that I managed to calm down. "Oh, yeah you're right Mikoto"

I recovered and remembered I'm not living the ordinary life now.

The fox obviously didn't liked Mikoto's comment but we just ignored his reaction.

"Why is she going to visit here, anyways?" I mumbled.

"Isara lake is a part of the land which the Mikage shrine protects", Tomoe started to fill me in for details but Mikoto stole the familiar's limelight again intentionally or by chance.

"Then that makes sense. After hearing that a new land deity came here, it is only natural for her to come here and greet you", she said as she automatically picked up the logic for me.

"Oh (・・)ゞ ", I understood and I sat infront of my mirror and started brushing my hair.

"A catfish princess this time, huh?" My imagination wandered to picture out our guest for tonight.

"I'm almost nervous about her coming to meet me", I unawarely thought loudly.

ﾉ\____ﾉ\ " σ(￣、￣〃) Why are you tidying up?"

"Huh?" I was confused with Tomoe's question and stated the obvious. "Well, I need to look proper when greeting guests, don't I?"

"You don't have to show up at all", the yokai fox's reply was unexpected. His cold eyes pierced through my heart and left me stupefied. "An incompetent brat like you would only screw up. Even if you show up, you'll just only be a nuisance".

I was so speechless as I watch my familiar slowly closing the door of my room. "Listen up, Nanami. Don't leave the room until everyone left", he commanded me then looked at my shrine maiden's direction who was currently resting carefree on my bed. "And you Mikoto, you're going to help me arrange everything we need to welcome the guests".

"Huh? Σ(°ロ°) " Mikoto jolted and almost fell from her resting position. "And I'm expecting you'd lock me here too!"

"Don't be lazy, you're a shrine maiden. Hurry up and prepare yourself!"

The door was shut close and I was still petrified.

"Did he just indirectly said that I was just a shame of Mikage shrine?" T'was the emotion swelled inside of me.

I suddenly felt Mikoto's warm hands gently hold mine and looked at me with her gentle and comforting smile.

"Don't misunderstood him", she said with full of wisdom. "Tomoe is just worried that if they knew that new land deity is you, a human young girl, they might not keep quiet about it and might bully you".

My faithful friend wiped my eyes that were unawarely swelling with tears. "I will come back after Onikiri, Kotetsu and I helped in the preparation, okay?"

I decided to trust Mikoto because even though she loves teasing me sometimes, I knew she always have unexpectedly good reasons to cover up and side with Tomoe whom she always argue with.

It was already almost sundown when the onibi children came into my room and accompanied me. Night fell and there's still no Mikoto knocking on my door which made me feel more upset.

"Nanami-sama, please cheer up soon", Onikiri and Kotetsu still continued to make me feel better. "Tomoe-dono only said that because he's worried about you. It was for your own benefit."

"No, (ಥ﹏ಥ) that's called "putting a lid on things that stinks"", I sulked.

But they're right, Even if I were to attend, I wouldn't know what to do.

"Is it really alright?" I can't helped but to asked my inner self.