Sally
Fujishima Estate: Sawako’s Household
“Don’t provoke me, Sawako. You know what I can do to them.” Sally looked and the wound over her face began to remind Sawako of what she did to the beast almost kill her. Without Sally, she already died and would not be able to have beautiful kids even though they were irritating sometimes. She still loves them.
“Argh! Fine, just don’t use it again with me. I still planned on teaching her about advanced skills but since things changed, you have to be there. She’s going to activate all the gates that she could open.” Sawako groaned but she calmed herself before she turned her heels and went inside the house to prepare their lunch. It was nearly lunch and decided to cook easy meals for them.
“Don’t worry; I am not leaving her side.” Sally reassured Sawako about protecting her at all costs since Mikage was giving her something that she does not want to lose ever again.
“Mika, don’t skip your training and keep meditating because whatever your mother was going to teach this time was not written in any maiden’s adventures book.” Then she turned her attention to Mikage before she seriously informed her not to neglect her training on being a shrine maiden. She needed to take it seriously because things can get out of hand and Sally need to prepare Mikage to use her strength well.
“Sounds frightening.” Mikage reacted since she never thought that being a shrine maiden was that serious since all she did back then was to seal and exorcise some possessed items and not deal with beasts as her mother does.
“It does that’s why you need to be serious in your training. Dealing with beasts was not just what you usually do like sealing, taming, or exorcising them. Some of them could inflict monsters that will stick in you that’s why there’s a battle between mental and spiritual well against monsters. In short, your fears.” Sally was still being serious and she was not scaring her. Mikage could sense that. Sally was just caring for her well-being because Mikage was indeed strong and without proper training, she could fall either into a fallen beast or die.
“That’s fuck up.” Mikage reacted and Sally only nodded at her before she looked over the beasts lounging in the garden.
“I know, that’s why I am being honest you with when I am telling you these. But always remember, I will be with you, so no need to fear things. Always find the light within you.” Sally smiled genuinely at her and Mikage felt suddenly warmness from the bottom of her heart. She just smiled back before she straightened herself up and went to the spider in human form.
Mikage
When Mikage was standing before it, it immediately went back into the first form that it showed to them. Then there was a binding seal immediately appeared beneath the spider’s spot and another to where Mikage was standing still. Mikage stretched out her arms with a fist in the air that the spider touched it then a binding seal happened between them. The strong wind swirled around them and the malice around the household of Sawako began to vanish instantly.
‘I might hate to admit but welcome aboard, Creepette.’
“Pardon Soul, Creepette.” Mikage was being polite to the new beast that she managed to make a binding contract with.
‘I hate the name but it was soothing when you say them, milady.’
“Thank you then.” Mikage thanked it and then she dismissed her beasts and went back to their respective realms.
As soon as the binding seal happened, Mikage sighed but her stomach started to complain as well which exactly the smell of the omurice invaded her nose. She loves her mother’s omurice.
Getting inside to get something to fill her stomach, she was totally excited about the food that her mother prepared for them. But before she could even take her seat, she noticed that her crush, Sally was not yet inside the house. She went back to check on her in the garden and Sally was tell lost in her own thoughts.
“Sally?” Mikage carefully called her name and her crush looked back at her. She was not sure how Sally could make her heart hit like a sledgehammer.
“Don’t worry, I am just checking the airflow and it seems it was going to rain later tonight.” Sally smiled genuinely at Mikage as she get inside the house as well.
Mikage just watched her get inside and even sat where she was supposed to seat but she does not mind it. She just choose the chair beside her and they started eating what Sawako just prepared to them. They were in the middle of their late lunch due to the passing of the beast when Sawako speak.
“Okay, Mikage take this seriously since you will have to be prepared for taking advanced skill training with me.” Sawako turned her attention to her daughter across their table and talked about her advanced training.
“Okay, what about it?” Mikage nodded and asked what will be included in her training that will be different from the usual training that she’s been through.
“You have to master your meditation before you could open the gates of your energy flow. Once you mastered that, you’ll have to meditate in the small shrine house behind our house. It was for meditation that will open your energy gates. Opening energy gates have its own dangers and skipping the flow can kill you in the process or before you even start.” Sawako began by explaining to her daughter the flow of her training which was going to start with meditation.
“That’s why it was not being taught to anyone unless they surpassed certain tests, am I right?” Mikage managed to guess which her mother nodded as she swallowed the food in her mouth.
“You might be already a shrine maiden but you are still not there yet. On advancing your skills, you must have to muster what you’re usually good at. Expand them than they usually can.” Sawako added to her explanation which made Mikage sigh.
“I’m good on exorcism of things that possessed.” Mikage already knew what she was good at but her mother wanted her to do much more than it.
“Not every time you’re going to be exorcising things but sometimes, animals or humans.” Hiroshi added as he went on enjoying the meal before him.
“But before you could even do that, you have to start from the basics like from exorcising small things you had to make it right without making side effects or returning of possession. Just then, we could proceed on leveling things up for you.” Sally added to Sawako’s explanation since she noticed something around Mikage’s aura already.
“Can my familiars help me with it?” Mikage asked Sally who finished her food and nodded.
“Only if you know how they work. You need to know their backgrounds I think you preferred Sally to teach you that, am I right?” Sawako was the one who answer for Sally while smirking at her daughter.
“Yeah, I preferred her.” Mikage immediately answered that almost making her father jump from that sudden response.
“Like I thought you would say that. But before I would let you train with her, you need to pass the meditation gate.” Sawako chuckled and Sally shook her head because she knew that she was teasing her own daughter.
“Argh…can I just do training with Sally?” Mikage started whining while she was finishing her food.
“Mikage.” Hiroshi warned his daughter.
“Mikage, do you want to kill innocent souls or beings when you neglect basic training? Mostly knowing the basics and mastering the basics had different outcomes whenever they were being performed. I am strictly advising you to not just know the basic skill of being a shrine maiden but master them. From doing that, you will know some things that the other maidens didn’t know and you might surpass your mother from doing that.” Sally cleared the intention of her mother and it made Mikage go into her thought for a moment there.
Mikage really wanted to be strong since she wanted to not just to protect the family but Sally as well. They were might be mates but what she strongly felt for her was something that was not just a pull of being mates.
“Can she do that Sally? Surpass me?” Sawako asked directly Sally which caught the attention of her daughter.
“If she’s willing to.” Sally honestly replied with her neutral voice before she glanced at Mikage who immediately blushed like a tomato.
“Then I better be hard on her.” Sawako smirked slyly which made Mikage roll her eyes when she saw that smile from her mother.
“Since when you’re not?” Mikage sighed heavily since her mother was so strict with her whenever they were training.
“You are the most stubborn child than your siblings.” Sawako pointed out that made Mikage huff as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“So unfair.” Mikage pouted like a kid.
“Mikage, I’ll be waiting for our training.” Sally cut that reaction off and Mikage sighed before nodding.
“Argh! Fine, when we’ll train?” Mikage might be groaning when she asked that but she really wanted to grow strong as soon as she could.
“Do your everyday meditation in daylight and at night time. Then we’ll proceed to the meditation gate.” Sawako suggested the time she has to do her first and basic meditation.
“Alright, I’ll do them later before sleeping.” Mikage sighed as she took the glass of water to finish off her lunch.
“Do it around ten to eleven then the next one will be three to four.” Mikage glared at her mother’s timeline suggestion and she did not like it.
“What the?! An hour for meditation? Seriously, Mom!” Mikage whine upon hearing them.
“I did more than that when I was in your age.” Sawako compared what she does when she was the same age as her daughter.
“That’s why you’re mother was the youngest shrine maiden back in those times.” Hiroshi added that made Mikage feel more pressure and she does not like being put in the hot seat.
“Argh, fine. I will do it In my chosen timeline since I’m the one who’s doing it. And if you excused them I will be in my room.” Mikage immediately excused herself since she was feeling that she was being on the edge already.