In Those Deep, Starry Eyes, I See Cherry Petals Depressed but breathing

Chapter 27: Family

"If you wind up in a tight spot again and you need some advice, please come again. I’ve heard that the head miko here has a soft spot for people who come around more than once, so she’ll definitely help you out then!” Her gloved hands folded politely on the table as she looked the young man in the eyes. Scenes of his spiraling depression and slowly dissipating friend group flashed once more in her eyes, but she took it in stride.

“Thank you so much…” the teen looked like he was almost on the verge of tears. The amount of stress weighing on his shoulders was not healthy in the slightest. It warmed her heart to see that his mindset was slowly beginning to get on the right path. “Ah, how much is the service again?”

She knew the prices like the back of her hand, but she’d be damned if she were to be a stinge about this. It’s not like the boy was all that financially stable, either. Outwardly, she simply said, “Don’t worry about that. If you need to come back again, we’ll talk about it then, alright?” She hoped her voice conveyed an air of safety to it.

The teen bowed his head deeply. “Thank you! I, uh… I was actually a bit concerned since I’m low on money right now…”

“That’s quite alright. Now run along and don’t let your situation get any worse, you hear?” She made a waving gesture with her hand, like the matter of the money was simply something she could look past.

“Yes! Thanks again!” With that, the young man stood before quickly exiting the shrine grounds at a brisk pace.

She sighed, another client helped as best as she could in the measly amount of time she had to work with them. Deep in her heart, she really hoped his situation would get better. At least his eyes had lost that dark edge to them since he’d arrived. She raised her arms above her head, letting her back bend slightly and loosening a particularly irritated muscle. As she did, she felt a pair of arms sneak around her.

“How’s it going, Sui-chan?”

“About as good as I can manage. I'm not as good as you, but I think I helped a boy out.” She felt a kiss place itself on the back of her head.

“Nonsense. You’re plenty good at offering your own advice. I couldn’t have asked for a better assistant.”

Suisei laughed at her wife’s reassurance. “Well, I’ve gotta live up to my name, right? Taking on the name of Sakura has a lot of weight in this town of ours.”

Miko hummed in agreement. “It’s a shame you’re absolutely useless when it comes to taxes and legal papers, though. Here I was thinking I barely knew how to struggle through it, and then I see you not even using the right documents. Crazy, huh?”

“Oh, hah hah. Laugh it up, Mikochi. I messed up one time and you banned me from ever stepping foot into the tax room. If anything, I lucked out cuz now I don't have to waste away doing all that boring paperwork!” She delighted in the light giggling, gentle like the sun in the sky, washing over her. An idea sprouted in her head and a smirk crawled onto her face. “How long are you gonna stay behind me, huh? Don’t wanna look me in the face?~”

Miko, as she’d done many, many times before, took the bait. She grabbed the comet and spun her out of the chair, taking in the visual bliss that was the beautiful woman. No matter how many years passed, those starry sapphire spheres would still snare her and drag her in. That gorgeous hair, long and wavy, would always take her breath away, even more so when it framed the idol-turned-miko’s face the way that it did. Even with age, she still maintained pretty good shape from her days as an idol.