Climb the Stairs, Eat by Mind Power, and Prepare the Wedding 〔Filler〕

【POV: Tetsuya】

6:00. Fushimi Inari-taisha.

The early morning air here was damp and thick with the scent of moss. Thousands of vermilion Torii gates were lined up closely together, creating an endless tunnel leading toward the summit of Mt. Inari. Faint morning sunlight tried to squeeze through the gaps between the wooden pillars, casting dappled patches of light that danced upon the stone-paved path.

Riku was right about one thing: it was actually deserted at this hour. There was only the sound of birds chirping and the rhythmic crunch of our footsteps.

「You two flirting all night totally killed my vibe for sleeping.」 Riku moaned. 「All that "Tetsu, I'm cold", "Tetsu, gimme a hug" crap... Dammit, I was in the bed right next to you and it felt like I was lying in the middle of a PDA battlefield!」

I let out a soft laugh. 「What's the big deal? We were just keeping each other warm. The hotel's AC was a bit chilly.」

「The smooching sounds were echoing all the way to my side!」 Riku clutched his head.

Right then, Yuria brushed past us. She looked surprisingly alert today, holding a cup of iced black coffee she'd grabbed from a vending machine at the base of the mountain. She stopped and turned her head toward Riku with a gaze of pity mixed with slight contempt.

「You're so naive, Riku.」 Yuria clicked her tongue before taking a loud slurp of her coffee.

「What now?」 Riku grumbled.

「You think they only flirt at night?」 Yuria jerked her chin toward Mari, who was waiting at the bend up ahead. 「For someone able to bend reality like Mari, the concept of "privacy" was rather flexible.」

Yuria stepped closer and patted Riku on the shoulder, her tone becoming grave as if she were revealing a state secret.

「They could be messing around right in the middle of class, during Math, right under your nose, and you'd never even know.」

Riku's jaw dropped, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose.

「In your eyes, the two of them are listening intently. But in reality? Maybe they're... tch tch.」 Yuria continued, making vague gestures in the air.

I looked at Yuria and couldn't help but burst into laughter. This girl had quite the vivid imagination.

「Hey, don't go slandering us.」 I spoke up in a (weak) attempt to defend our honor. 「I'm very serious during class time.」

「Oh, and what about recess then?」 Yuria shot back instantly.

I stayed silent, only giving a mysterious smile before turning to keep walking.

But before I could act cool for even two more steps, Mari's clear, high-pitched voice drifted down from the higher steps, cutting through the banter.

「I heard it all!」 She stood on a mossy stone step, hands on her hips, looking as stern as a school matron.

「This is a thousand-year-old sacred shrine.」 Mari glared down at us, pointing at the massive Torii gate behind her. 「Discussing your lovey-dovey antics in a holy place like this... watch out, or you'll offend Lord Inari.」

Riku hurriedly began bowing frantically toward the summit, muttering under his breath. 「I'm sorry, Great Fox Spirit, I didn't mean to—it's just Yuria and Tetsuya's big mouths...」

「Wait a minute...」 Yuria narrowed her eyes, stroking her chin as if in deep thought. 「Here's another Japanese oddity... wait, no, a cosmic oddity...」

She pointed a finger directly at Mari's face. 「What did you just say? "Sacred shrine"? "Offend"?」

Mari blinked at that. 「So?」

「So?!」 Yuria cried out, being as theatrical as possible. 「Just yesterday, you were asking "Who the hell is Amaterasu"!」

Yuria stepped closer and poked Mari's forehead.

「And now you're worried about offending Lord Inari? Since when did the biggest narcissist in the universe become so well-behaved?」

I was curious too, so I crossed my arms and watched. She was indeed acting all tough yesterday, acting like she could take on the entire Japanese pantheon. Why so mellow now?

Mari swatted Yuria's hand away and let out a long pout.

「Hmph!」 She tossed her hair, her face full of dissatisfaction. 「Yesterday was just too sunny! My head was splitting, sweating all over! How awful!」

Mari clenched her fists, waving them in the air.

「How dare Amaterasu burn my face with her rays when I'm upset? She'll pay for it! You think I'm a pacifist?」

Yuria and Riku were stunned.

「Back in the day...」 Mari lowered her voice, looking as ominous as if she were telling a ghost story. 「I've smacked Ra down in Egypt so hard he was toast for three days straight. Darkened the whole place. Try to compete with me?」

「Holy crap...」 Riku muttered, pushing up his glasses.

「Exactly!」 Mari smacked the wooden pillar with a loud thud. 「It's nice and cool and the scenery is all pretty, would respect the host a little. But if Inari messes with me? This fox pack turns to ashes!」

I laughed and shook my head. 「Alright, alright, my feisty little goddess.」 I reached out and rubbed Mari's head.

Yuria watched her walk away, muttering. 「What kind of deity acts like a kid...」

「She literally is a kid now.」 I called back. 「Deal with it.」

【POV: Mari】

Gion at noon: golden sunlight spilled over jet-black roof tiles and reflected off the gently flowing Kamo River. We chose a small eatery tucked away in a cobblestone alley, marked by a weathered red paper lantern.

Inside, the shop was fragrant with the aroma of dashi broth and charcoal-grilled fish.

Riku slumped onto a tatami mat, his hand flicking through the menu with lightning speed, aided by Proxima. 「Proxima says the Unagi Don here is rated 4.8 stars, but the price is steep... I'll probably just stick with cold Soba.」

Yuria and Tetsu were huddled together, whispering about something regarding the fat-to-meat ratio of Wagyu beef.

As for me? I was having an existential crisis.

This handwritten calligraphy menu looked artistic as hell, but the names of the dishes were like encrypted codes. "Summer Kyō-kaiseki", "Northern Snow Crab Miso Soup"... They sounded fancy, but what if I ordered something that didn't suit my palate? Eating a terrible meal would be like setting my money on fire.

「Mari? Finished picking?」 Tetsu looked up, meeting me with his usual patient gaze.

「Hold on! Still loading!」 I snapped, scratching my head in frustration.

Looking at the Hamo plate on the next table, it seemed appetizing. But what if it had too many small bones? Should I go for the Yudofu? If it turned out bland, I'd be devastated.

Fine, I couldn't gamble with fate. I'm the Lord; I play for the sure win.

I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a small sphere about the size of a fist, made of dozens of shimmering golden metallic rings in constant motion. On each ring were hundreds of tiny, blinking eyes, staring blankly into the void.

A pocket Ophan.

「Hey...」 Yuria caught sight of it. 「How can you still have an appetite after looking at that?」

「Shut it, I need a consultation.」 I shot her a glare and placed the Ophan on the polished wooden table.

Immediately, its eyes began darting around, scanning every line of calligraphy on the menu. A surge of information streamed directly into my brain. It wasn't about reading the words; it was a direct experience.

「Check the taste of this "Salt-Grilled Ayu Fish" for me.」

The Ophan vibrated slightly.

Pop.

In an instant, my taste buds exploded.

The briny tang of coarse sea salt, the elegant sweetness of fresh Ayu fish caught straight from a stream, the smoky aroma of charred skin grilled over Binchōtan charcoal... It all manifested vividly in my mouth. I could feel the crispness of the skin and the juicy texture of each flake of white meat.

「Hmm... a bit bland for my mood today.」 I muttered, shaking my head. 「Check the "Kabayaki Eel" next.」

Pop.

This time, it was the rich sweetness of a secret heirloom tare sauce, the fatty, melt-in-your-mouth texture of charred eel, perfectly harmonizing with the chewy, fragrant grains of Niigata rice. Yummy!

「And this "Kobe Beef Shabu-Shabu"?」

Pop.

Oh Lord Me... The beef was as soft as butter, the broth clear and sweet from the kelp... But I'm just testing this for fun; don't have the money for it.

I slammed the menu shut with a loud thud, my face full of satisfaction. 「I'll take the Kabayaki Eel set.」

「Riku, want a go?」 I tossed the Ophan to Riku like a tennis ball. Riku caught it like he’d struck gold, excitedly held the eye-covered sphere up to the menu. "Feeling that fat content... that thickness..."

While Riku was getting high off neural-tasting his food, a real war was unfolding across the table.

Yuria tapped her chopsticks lightly against her dipping bowl, her face contemplative.

「Hey, Tetsuya.」 She turned to him, her voice as serious as if she were presenting a major project. 「True deliciousness must be a shock to the system.」

Yuria brandished her chopsticks. 「Like Wasabi! A direct hit to the nose—that's what eating is! You have to stimulate the senses to their limit, shattering the boring normalcy of the palate!」

Tetsu sat opposite her, raising a cup of green tea for a sip, looking infuriatingly calm, and handsome.

「Basic flaws of Hedonism.」 He set the tea down, giving a slight shake of his head. 「A shock is merely a fleeting sensation. True deliciousness must be harmony.」

He pointed at the steaming bowl of Miso soup. 「The saltiness of the miso, the sweetness of the tofu, the aroma of the green onion... everything blending together, with nothing overpowering the rest. When eat it, you feel soothe and peace. That is the highest realm of gastronomy.」

「Harmony is just another word for bland! For poverty!」

Tetsu sighed, but his gaze remained resolute. 「Easy to say when you're loaded. Harmony is an artwork, one that gets better the more you dwell on it.」

「Yeah, yeah... "Art", typical elitist rhetoric.」 Yuria argued, her neck veins practically popping.

Riku, having finished choosing his meal, was busy slurping his tea. He turned to mock them. 「Nice, you guys arguing in a place this noisy fits right in. Sounds way less shrill this way.」

I rested my chin on my palm, watching the two of them bicker.

「I find things yummy when I'm hungry.」 I shrugged, picking up a piece of pickled radish with my chopsticks.

Riku nodded frantically. 「How true! Even instant ramen taste like a feast when you're starved!」

「Shut up, you two pragmatists!」 Yuria and Tetsu yelled in unison, then immediately turned back to their debate.

I shook my head, crunching on the radish. Man, so much for a relaxing lunch.

【POV: Riku】

Shijō-Kawaramachi at 15:00 is a black hole that drains both your stamina and wallet.

Akari-sensei was marching ahead of us, her hands cluttered with paper bags from various cosmetic brands. She claimed that breaking the curfew just to crawl into that haunted Kiyotaki tunnel at midnight would be a waste of resources. Thus, she decided to confiscate our free afternoon and turn us into porters—I mean, have us walk the streets with her.

I pushed up my glasses, glancing around the bustling shopping center.

The aesthetics of 2041 are something truly hard to describe. Architects seem to still be obsessed with the minimalism from the previous decade. But instead of using the depressive cement gray or the bland beige of the old century, every surface is now coated with smart optical materials.

The result? A mess of minimalist shapes that glow in gaudy rainbow colors, shifting constantly according to the crowd's rhythm. It's like forcing an ascetic monk to wear a full LED RGB suit to a rave. My eyes hurt.

「Proxima, drop the saturation by 40%. I'm about to get vertigo.」 I muttered.

「Acknowledged. Saving your vision.」 Proxima's voice chimed smoothly.

「Hey Riku! Come look at this for me!」 Akari-sensei's call yanked me toward the tech counter of a high-end electronics store. I sighed, lugging the mountain of bags over.

She was holding a paper-thin AR headset with a sleek titanium alloy frame. Her eyes sparkled. 「Check out this Acceleron Gen 4! Ultra-thin frame, aerodynamic design, and Cyber-Pink. How gorgeous! Should I buy this to replace that outdated monitor at home?」

I picked up the headset, flipped it over a few times, let out a long pout, and dropped it onto the velvet cushion on the counter like a rotten potato.

「You've fallen victim to their marketing algorithm.」 I crossed my arms, acting the expert. 「Acceleron is thin, sure, but the cooling system is garbage. Wear this thing watching a movie for 30 minutes and the frame will roast your temples. Plus, their OS is completely closed... Hold on... Aerodynamics for what???」

Akari-sensei's face fell. 「Then what?」

「Be pragmatic, Sensei.」 I lightly tapped the glowing logo on my temple. 「Meta's Orion or Google's Aura. Orion has an ultra-wide camera and open-source AI that's a breeze to tinker with—just like my Proxima here. If you just care about high performance, solid battery life and security, go for the Aura.」

Standing nearby, Yuria, who had been watching the drama with arms crossed, suddenly got curious. She reached for an Aura demo unit on the shelf and curiously slipped it onto her face.

Her silver cross swayed. Yuria blinked a few times as the AR interface booted up.

「Whoa...」 Yuria muttered, her hands swatting at virtual menus in the air. 「This interface is automatically scanning and analyzing the nutritional value of this water bottle. Terrifying...」

I smirked. 「Welcome to 2041, you cavewoman. If you like it, just pull the trigger; I'll install an ad-blocker for you.」

Akari-sensei sighed, scrutinizing the Orion. 「Alright then, I'll trust the expert. I'm taking this Orion. By the way, where did those other two go?」

Akari-sensei looked around. I narrowed my eyes through my polarized lenses. Indeed, I hadn't seen a trace of tiny Mari or lanky Tetsuya for a while. Those two had split from the group ages ago.

「Guess they're over in the fashion corner.」 Yuria said, putting the demo unit back.

Ping.

Suddenly, Akari-sensei's phone, Yuria's, and my glasses all received notifications from the Class 2-A group chat simultaneously.

「Boss, we have a situation.」 Proxima reported. 「Image sent from Tetsuya's account. Caption: "Just closed the deal".」

「Open it.」

A faint AR frame appeared before my eyes.

In the photo was a fitting room with a shimmering infinity mirror system. Standing in the center was Tetsuya. My buddy was wearing a milk-white tuxedo, hair slicked back with gel, standing straight like a movie heartthrob.

But that wasn't the shocking part.

Holding his arm, with a smug smile stretching from ear to ear and a raised V-sign... that’s Mari. She was wearing a spectacular wedding dress, with layer upon layer of pristine white lace trailing across the floor. Though the dress seemed a bit baggy for her 1.5-meter height, the jewel-encrusted tiara made her look truly... absurdly stunning.

Below the photo, comments from our classmates were jumping up at light speed:

『EH?! A wedding?!』
『Oh my god, Shushō! That was fast!!!』

『Class funds won't cover the wedding gift envelope!』

Akari-sensei's eyes suddenly narrowed mischievously. She looked at the two of us.

「Hey, you two...」 Akari-sensei clapped her hands, her voice full of dangerous suggestions. 「I think you two should just get on with it as well, just to balance out the team formation.」

This sounds like a bad idea... 「Huh?」

Akari-sensei giggled, lightly nudging my shoulder toward Yuria. 「Look! Pairing you two together would make the perfect anime couple, no? You're both single anyway, so why not try that no-nails approach I was talking about yesterday?」

Simultaneously, Yuria and I jumped back two steps as if we'd been hit by 220V. Both our faces contorted, looking at each other like we were staring at a pile of trash in desperate need of recycling.

「NEVER!」 Yuria shrieked, her arms crossed in a giant X-shape. 「My tastes aren't that salty, sensei!」

「Hey! Who are you talking about, Heretic?」 I wasn't backing down either. 「Look again, sensei! Yuria as my missing piece? Hard pass! Hardest pass ever!」

「My boss is right, Akari-sensei.」 Proxima added. 「My logic does not allow him to pair with a subject possessing such low psychological stability as Kanda Yuria. The chances of things blowing up are too high.」

「What did you say, you damn AI?!」 Yuria was about to pounce and punch my glasses, but Akari-sensei caught her by the collar just in time.

She let out a booming laugh, looking utterly satisfied at our explosive reaction. 「There! See? Look at that great friction! Just like Kanda said, you need some clashing for the wood to hold together!」

「THIS KIND OF FRICTION WOULD CAUSE A FIRE, SENSEI!」 Yuria and I screamed in unison, creating an irony of synchronicity so loud that the entire electronics store turned to stare.