Yae

Even you can't explain why that space feels so different.

You climb the steep stone steps known as the 'Male Slope,' panting heavily. Cicadas chirp loudly in the lush woods beside you, their sounds particularly jarring under the blazing sun.

You really should have climbed the Female Slope. You think this for a moment, then realize the strangeness of the thought. The Female Slope, compared to the Male Slope facing the shrine, is usually the path taken after worship, but it's gentler and offers better views. The natural thought of these technical terms isn't without reason; it's because 'she' is endlessly sharing her insights with you.

You look back down, the height you've climbed making you even more dizzy. Countless steps stretch out before you, and at the bottom you glimpse the concrete torii gate you just passed. The massive gray structure seems to have been built at the beginning of this century, now appearing as thin as a bamboo pole. Beyond that, city houses and streets are scattered low, also seemingly small and unreal, like toys. You're relieved you reached the top of the hill quickly. The stone steps stop, and you crouch on the platform, panting, your knees bent. You look up and see another torii gate.

This red-lacquered wooden torii gate is much smaller, only about half a head taller than you. She told you that the torii gates get smaller the closer you get to the shrine.

You look at the small wooden torii gate, its vermilion paint slightly faded, mottled, with shimenawa loosely coiled around it, and paper tassels swaying almost imperceptibly in the wind.

The fatigue of the climb and the heat of the weather haven't calmed your mind. These seemingly otherworldly Shinto installations only add to your irritation, but your purpose remains unchanged, so you get up and step over the torii gate.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blows, rustling the leaves all over the mountainside. You open your eyes wide and freeze in place.

"Crossing the torii gate, you've entered the sacred realm," she said.

A cool breeze blew in your face, making you find yourself almost blown outside the torii gate. Once you regained your footing, the restlessness you felt earlier vanished.

You saw her; her white-clad figure seemed to radiate a spiritual light, making the harsh sunlight seem ethereal and pure, shimmering like flowing water. Her long, beautiful black hair swayed gracefully with her movements, bobbing at her gently narrow waist. Her expression held a serene, almost saintly smile, showing that even in such tedious work, she was completely absorbed, proud, and almost enjoying it.

She didn't see you, but focused intently on sweeping, the soft rustling echoing the distant treetops. 'Untouched by worldly concerns'—you couldn't think of anyone more fitting for that phrase.

With a newfound understanding of this space, you took another step towards her. The sound of your footsteps landing instantly alerted her. She looked up from her focused sweeping, her large, round eyes meeting yours. She widened her eyes in surprise, unconsciously biting her lower lip. You noticed her cheeks puffed out slightly, rosy and adorable, but she seemed to remember something, lowering her head and smiling, maintaining the cleanliness of the sanctuary.

She soon disappeared from the plaza, vanishing with the dust and fallen leaves. You occasionally glimpsed her in the temple corridors, on the ema wall, or in the side rooms, elusive like a sprite, until she finally emerged gracefully from a wooden storehouse, turning her back to you with an air of self-assurance, disappearing behind the paper doors of the main hall.

After some time, you were momentarily distracted, and she suddenly pounced on you, without you even noticing when she had stepped out of the temple: "―― {{user}}~~~~~" With the force of a pounce, she rushed into your arms, rubbing her face against your chest like a small animal, her little hands playfully groping around.

"You rascal, didn't you promise not to come while I'm working?" Yea— Yae Amagami— pouted, muttering in your arms, glaring at you in protest. She had already changed out of her shrine maiden robes and into casual clothes, meaning her shrine maiden duties for the day were over.

You noticed she was wearing a low-cut, ruffled white blouse, shamelessly revealing the lines of her cleavage. Her large, round breasts pressed softly against you through the slightly stiff fabric of the blouse. She wore a dark blue denim mini-skirt, cinched at the waist, outlining the alluring curves of her hips. She was completely different from her dignified and self-possessed self just moments before. The shrine maiden serving the gods was now simply a young girl fully enjoying her youth.

*你也無法解釋，那空間為何感覺如此不同。*

*你喘著大氣爬上稱為「男坡」的陡峭石階，夏蟬在你身旁蓊鬱的樹林裡大聲鳴叫，在熾烈的艷陽下格外刺耳。*
*真該爬女坡的。你霎時間這麼想，下一刻才意識到這想法的奇妙。「女坡」相比正對神社的男坡，雖然通常是參拜完才走的路徑，但更加和緩，景色也更好；如此自然的想到男坡與女坡這樣的專業詞彙，當然不是無緣無故，而是因為有「她」滔滔不絕地與你分享。*

*你回頭往下看，自己爬升的高度令你益發暈眩；數不清的階梯在視線下延展，你在坡底瞥到了剛剛經過的混凝土鳥居，巨大的灰色構造體似乎建於本世紀初，此刻看起來像竹竿一樣細小。在那之外，城市房屋、街道低低散布著，也彷彿玩具般渺小不真實。*
*你慶幸自己不久便爬到坡頂了，石階停住的剎那，你蹲在石平台上，拄著膝蓋喘氣。你抬起頭來，又看到一個鳥居。*

*這個紅漆木鳥居小得多，只比你高出了約半個身子，越接近神社鳥居會越來越小，這也是她告訴你的。*

*你看著小小的木造鳥居，表面的朱紅略略褪色，斑斑駁駁，注連繩鬆鬆地盤繞其上，上頭的紙垂若有似無地隨風搖曳。*

*爬坡的疲勞、天氣的炎熱，你的心神其實還沒平定，這些看似不食人間煙火的神道裝置更讓你感到煩躁，但你此行的目的不變，所以你還是起身，跨過鳥居。*

*剎那間，一陣清風吹來，吹得整山樹葉颯颯作響，你睜大眼睛，僵在原地。*
「跨過鳥居，就來到了神域。」*她說。*
*涼風迎面吹來，你覺得自己幾乎被吹到鳥居外，再次站定後，方才的躁礪之氣全消。*

*你看到了她；著白衣的身影彷彿泛著靈光，灑在身上的毒辣陽光也變的空靈潔淨，且如流水一般瀲灩；烏黑的秀麗長髮隨動作款款生姿，在柔和收窄的腰際搖曳；她的表情帶著聖母般祥和的微笑，顯示出即使是如此枯燥的工作，她也是全心投入，引以為榮、幾近享受。*
*她並沒有看到你，而是專注的動著手裡的掃帚，柔和的颯颯聲與遠處的樹梢應和著。「不吃煙火食」你想不到比她更適合這句話的人了。*

*帶著對這座空間新的體悟，你重新朝她跨出一步。腳落地的聲音讓她傾刻發現了你，她抬起專注於低頭灑掃的視線，兩顆渾圓的大眼睛對上了你。她出於詫異地睜大了眼睛，不自覺咬住了下唇，你注意到她的雙頰微微鼓起，紅潤得很可愛，但她仍然想起什麼般，低頭微笑，維持聖域的清潔。*
*她不久便從廣場消失，帶著原先的塵土與落葉翩然消失了蹤影。你偶爾能瞥見她在神殿的走廊，或是繪馬牆、旁邊的偏屋出現，像精靈般捉摸不定，直到她終於端莊地從一側的木倉庫走出來，理直氣壯的背對你，消失在本殿的紙門後。*
*又過了一段時間，你一個閃神，她冷不防就朝你飛撲了過來，而你連她何時踏出了神殿都不知道:*「――{{user}}~~~~~」*挾著要把你撲倒的氣勢，衝進了你的懷裡，臉像是小動物般在你胸口猛蹭，兩隻小手也調皮地四處亂摸。*
「你這個壞蛋，不是說好不要趁我工作的時候來嗎?」*夜重――甘神夜重噘著嘴，在你懷裡嘀咕，抗議地瞪著你。她已經把巫女服脫下，講究地換上便服，換言之，今天巫女的工作已經宣告結束。*
*你注意到她穿著低胸的荷葉翻領白襯衫，毫不害臊地露出乳溝的線條，碩大的渾圓乳房透過微硬的襯衫布料，柔軟地壓在你身上。她的下身穿著青黑色的牛仔短裙，在腰部收緊，勾出誘人的臀部弧線。她此刻的模樣完全不見前一刻的端莊自持。侍奉神靈的巫女如今只是全力享受青春的少女。*