斬魔巫女--後日談B

後日談：神己對弈

Epilogue: A Game of Go Between God and Self

御神家禁地深處，時間彷彿被凝結於永恆的春日。院落中，櫻瓣無聲飄落，織成一場靜謐的粉雪，連空氣都浸潤著恬淡的香息。

御神櫻的頭顱懸浮於半空，墨紫色長髮被「統靈結髮『御弊』」整齊束起，露出優美的頸項線條。她的面前有副古老的圍棋盤；雙臂各自懸浮於棋盤一側，纖細指尖分別拈起黑子與白子，正在進行自我對弈；至於她的雙腿，正擔負著黑白兩軍的廝殺——兩個大腿截面貼住了棋盤基座，嚴整著裝的戰士化身這「戰場」沉默的支柱，而蘊涵神力的足袋「白淨」和草履「神征」也成了整盤棋局渾然一體的裝飾。

Deep within the forbidden grounds of the Mikami family, time seemed to be frozen in an eternal spring. In the courtyard, cherry blossom petals fell in silence, weaving a quiet flurry of pink snow, infusing the very air with a delicate fragrance.

Mikami Sakura’s head hovered in mid-air, her ink-purple hair neatly tied back by the Spiritual Binding Knot "Gohei," revealing the elegant lines of her neck. Before her was an ancient Go board. Her two arms floated on either side, their slender fingertips holding black and white stones, engaged in a game against herself. As for her legs, they were bearing the weight of the black and white armies' clash—her two thighs were pressed against the base of the Go board, the fully-attired warriors transformed into the silent pillars of this "battlefield," while the spiritually imbued Tabi "Hakujou" and Zori "Shinsei" became an integral decoration for the entire game.

幾縷銀白的靈魂絲線從她頸項下延伸而出，連接著執棋的雙臂，也感知著那雙因長時間負重靜立而發酸，正墊著腳尖活動的腿足。然而她的意識早已超脫棋盤上的黑白廝殺，也忽略了來自腳掌的無聲“抱怨”。她的目光早已穿透了縱橫十九道，聚焦於更幽微的深處——一場遠比任何祓魔儀式都更為複雜奧妙的假設性推演，帶著幾分謹慎的試探與隱密的叛逆，在她的腦海中悄然鋪展。

「原來如此…」一道思緒如電光般，劃過她的意識深處。「『心』提供『燃料』，燃起動機與意志的火焰；但點燃何種燃料、騰起何種烈焰…卻取決於『腦』，向它提交何種『認知』作為引信。」

這發現宛如在無盡的意識迷宮中長久徘徊後，指尖終於觸碰到一處隱蔽的機關觸發點。思緒以前所未有的速度瘋狂運轉，剖析著自身存在的荒謬架構。

「假設…只是假設，」她在內心謹慎地劃定界限，「若某人腦海裡認知一件行為或想法有『不敬』或『不當』屬性，『心』自然依著腦提交的資料，將其判定為『不敬』、『不當』，」她偷瞄一眼那具散發著櫻色光輝的神體，瞳孔閃爍著光芒，強迫自己將推演的對象維持在一個模糊的「他人」身上。「接著『心』反饋出譴責與不悅的情緒，並命令腦將任何越界的念頭從腦海中『拉下來』，停止思緒運作。那些想法變成冰封的殭屍，雖仍滯留於認知領域的某個角落，卻已動彈不得。」

A few silvery-white soul threads extended from below her neck, connecting to the arms that held the stones and also sensing the legs that were beginning to ache from holding a static, weight-bearing pose, now shifting onto their toes. However, her consciousness had long since transcended the black-and-white slaughter on the board, ignoring the silent "complaints" from her feet. Her gaze had penetrated the nineteen-by-nineteen grid, focusing on something deeper and more subtle—a hypothetical deduction, far more complex and profound than any exorcism rite, was quietly unfolding in her mind, tinged with cautious probing and a secret rebellion.

"I see..." A thought flashed through the depths of her consciousness like lightning. "The 'heart' provides the 'fuel' to ignite the flames of motivation and will. But what kind of fuel is lit, what kind of flame is produced… depends on what 'cognition' the 'brain' submits to it as the fuse."

This discovery was like finally touching a hidden trigger after wandering for an eternity in an endless labyrinth of consciousness. Her thoughts began to race at an unprecedented speed, dissecting the absurd architecture of her own existence.

"Assuming… just assuming," she carefully drew a line in her mind, "if a certain person's brain recognizes an act or thought as having the attribute of 'disrespect' or 'impropriety,' the 'heart' will naturally, based on the data submitted by the brain, judge it as 'disrespectful' or 'improper'." She stole a glance at the divine body radiating its sakura-hued light, her pupils flashing, forcing herself to keep the subject of her deduction as a vague "someone else." "Then the 'heart' provides feedback of condemnation and displeasure, and orders the brain to 'pull down' any transgressive thought, to stop its operation. Those thoughts become frozen zombies, still lingering in some corner of the cognitive realm, but unable to move."

「但是——」思緒猛地轉折，懸浮的頭顱輕微地偏轉，彷彿鎖定了獵物卻又不敢驚動它的鷹隼，透露出全神貫注的謹慎。「如果…能從最根本的源頭入手呢？如果能讓……嗯，這個人的『腦』，一開始就不將某個行為或想法標記為『不敬』或『不當』呢？」她小心翼翼地繞開第一人稱。

「不需要在事後絞盡腦汁，尋找那些蹩腳理由去試著說服『心』，而是在念頭萌芽的最初，就為它鋪好一套完美『合規』的認知基礎……」

「嗯哼，」混合著驚嘆與玩味的氣音從她唇間逸出。「這可就……非常有意思了。」

恍然大悟的瞬間，混合著興奮與背德刺激感的戰慄，如電流般竄過她腦海的每一處。這感覺奇妙至極，就像一個程式員悄悄截取了自身意識的代碼，不僅畫出“自己”的設計圖，更獲得第一把能從內部撬動並改寫規則的鑰匙。

她當然知道她無法欺騙自己的大腦去相信那些違背邏輯和基礎事實的謊言（譬如「一加一等於三」）。然而，在龐大的認知體系中，存在著模糊而具有詮釋空間的灰色地帶，被她瞧見可供她操作與耕耘的廣袤領域。

「多麼奇妙啊，」她幾乎要為這內在的詭異邏輯發笑，「理論上，『心』是主宰，『腦』是僕從。但僕從卻能通過精心準備的『彙報材料』，來巧妙地引導主宰的『決策』…『知識就是力量』，古人誠不欺我！」

更進一步的推論，讓她呼吸為之一窒。

「而這顆『心』…它擁有『自主性』嗎？不，它更像是神櫻力量對外作用的『介面』，一個負責處理動機與情緒輸出給我…巫女的精密儀器。既然是儀器，就必然有其運作規則。那麼，只要我…有某個人能理解它的『演算法』…」

"But—" her thoughts took a sharp turn. Her hovering head tilted slightly, like a hawk that has locked onto its prey but dares not startle it, revealing a state of utter concentration. "What if… one could start from the very source? What if… hmm, this person's 'brain' could be made to not label a certain act or thought as 'disrespectful' or 'improper' in the first place?" She carefully avoided the first-person pronoun.

"Instead of racking my brain afterward for clumsy excuses to try and persuade the 'heart,' what if, at the very inception of a thought, I pave for it a perfectly 'compliant' cognitive foundation…"

"Aha," an exhale, a mixture of awe and amusement, escaped her lips. "Now this… is very interesting."

In that moment of epiphany, a thrill, a mixture of excitement and the illicit stimulation of transgression, shot through every part of her mind like an electric current. The feeling was utterly bizarre, like a programmer who had quietly intercepted the code of their own consciousness, not only mapping out their own design but also obtaining the first key to pry open and rewrite the rules from within.

She knew, of course, that she couldn't deceive her own brain into believing lies that violated logic and basic facts (such as "one plus one equals three"). However, within the vast cognitive system, there existed a gray area, ambiguous and open to interpretation, a vast field she saw was available for her to cultivate and manipulate.

"How marvelous," she almost wanted to laugh at this internal, bizarre logic. "Theoretically, the 'heart' is the master, and the 'brain' is the servant. But the servant can subtly guide the master's 'decisions' through carefully prepared 'briefing materials'… 'Knowledge is power.' The ancients were not wrong!"

A further deduction made her hold her breath.

"And this 'heart'… does it have its own 'autonomy'? No, it's more like an 'interface' for the power of Shin-ou, a precision instrument responsible for processing motivation and emotional output for me… for the shrine maiden. And since it is an instrument, it must have its own operational rules. Then, as long as I… as long as someone can understand its 'algorithm'…"

預期它的反應，引導它的輸出，甚至…在某種層面上，駕馭它的運作？

這個念頭是如此地逾越，如此地褻瀆，甚至擊穿「假設」的平靜偽裝，以至於「心」立刻傳來一陣尖銳的警告波動，像是觸發了某種內建的防火牆。但這一次，御神櫻沒有畏縮。她早已熟練地將這危險的思緒包裹上一層層邏輯與敬神的外衣——「此為對神與巫女之運行機制的深度冥想，意在透過理解奧秘而達至更深層的敬虔，以完美吾之侍奉」——如同最高明的駭客，用合法的憑證繞過安全檢測。

警告波動在層層「正當理由」的緩衝下，未能掀起更大波瀾，只化作她意識深處幾近於無的雜訊。

「自我操控」念頭帶來的前所未有的興奮感攫住了御神櫻。她就像一個拿到自己管理員權限的用戶，開始小心翼翼地嘗試一些…「越權」操作。

而她的實驗場，很快從幽靜的院落，轉移到腥風血雨的前線。

To anticipate its reactions, guide its output, and even… on some level, to drive its operation?

The thought was so transgressive, so blasphemous, that it shattered the calm facade of "hypothesis," and her "heart" immediately sent a sharp warning wave, as if some built-in firewall had been triggered. But this time, Sakura did not flinch. She had already skillfully wrapped this dangerous thought in layers of logic and reverence—"This is a deep meditation on the operational mechanism of the god and the shrine maiden, intended to achieve a deeper piety through understanding the mystery, in order to perfect my service"—like the most skilled hacker using legitimate credentials to bypass a security check.

Buffered by layers of "justification," the warning wave failed to cause a greater disturbance and dissolved into almost imperceptible noise in the depths of her consciousness.

The unprecedented excitement brought by the thought of "self-manipulation" seized Mikami Sakura. Like a user who had just been granted administrator privileges, she began to cautiously attempt some… "unauthorized" operations.

And her testing ground soon shifted from the quiet courtyard to the bloody front lines.

———

濃稠如墨的瘴氣自廢棄工廠地脈的裂縫中不斷噴湧，如同匯聚了萬人低語的嗡鳴聲，沉悶地撞擊著在場每一個人的鼓膜。一股龐大而不祥的妖力正在深處瘋狂凝聚，彷彿隨時會孕育出萬千妖魔。

來自御神家各地神社的數位宮司，正率領高階禰宜與巫女們閉目凝神，低聲誦念，展開巨大的結界，試圖封鎖不斷擴散的邪氣。其餘族人則手持符咒與法器，嚴陣以待，準備捕捉並祓除任何可能從結界縫隙中逃逸的妖物。

依照往例，御神櫻本應指揮離體四肢殺入工廠，與具象化的妖魔展開激戰。但今天，她似乎另作他想，胸有成竹地考慮著激進而高效的瘋狂計畫。

「護衛聽令！」她的頭顱懸浮於保護神體的臨時靈力護罩之上，聲音冷靜而帶著威儀。「將神體——請至吾之雙腿之上。」

A miasma as thick as ink continuously spewed from a fissure in the ley lines beneath an abandoned factory. A droning sound, like the whispers of ten thousand people, dully struck the eardrums of everyone present. A vast and ominous demonic power was crazily condensing in the depths, as if it would birth a legion of demons at any moment.

Several head priests from the various Mikami family shrines were leading high-ranking priests and priestesses in a low chant, their eyes closed in concentration, deploying a massive barrier to try and seal the spreading evil. The other clan members stood ready with talismans and artifacts, prepared to capture and exorcise any demon that might escape through a crack in the barrier.

Ordinarily, Sakura would have commanded her detached limbs to charge into the factory and engage the manifested demons in fierce combat. But today, she seemed to have other plans, a radical and ruthlessly efficient one taking shape in her mind.

"Guards, on my command!" Her head hovered above a temporary spiritual shield protecting the divine body, her voice calm and majestic. "Bring the divine body—and place it upon my legs."

族人聞言一怔，但無人敢質疑神櫻巫女大人。兩位隨侍巫女恭敬地催動靈力，小心抬起流轉著莊嚴光輝的神體，將其安放在結界外靜待的那雙腿上。

那雙腿此刻並未如往常般幻化出骨鞭或靈刀，而是將龐大靈力極度壓縮，收束於 「御祓足袋『白淨』」 與 「破邪草履『神征』」 之中。純白足袋緊裹腿肢，泛起緻密靈光，彷彿某種蓄勢待發的拘束具；神征草鞋則鞋底熾亮，積蓄著驚人的推進靈力，宛如火箭的燃料。神體並未與雙腿進行生理上的完整接合，僅以純粹靈力暫時銜接。

接著一幕詭異至極的景象呈現於眾人眼前：一具無頭無臂、僅有軀幹與雙腿的「人偶」，竟自行邁開步伐，以驚人的速度朝著工廠裂縫方向疾衝而去！

衝刺至工廠邊緣的剎那，附著於「白淨」之上的靈力驟然緊縮，將雙腿力量提升至極限；而「神征」鞋底壓縮到極致的靈力轟然爆發，噴射出璀璨的湛藍色光流——

雙腿猛地屈膝，旋即如強弓勁弩般迸發躍起！如同強大的助推火箭，推動著神體，劃破瀰漫的瘴氣，朝著懸浮於裂縫正上方的巫女雙臂疾射而去！

The clansmen were stunned but did not dare to question their Lady Shrine Maiden. Two attendant priestesses respectfully channeled their spiritual power, carefully lifting the divine body, which flowed with a solemn light, and placing it upon the legs that waited silently outside the barrier.

At this moment, her legs had not transformed into the bone whip or the spiritual blade as they usually would. Instead, they had compressed their immense spiritual power, containing it within the Purification Tabi "Hakujou" and the Evil-Crushing Zori "Shinsei." The pure white tabi clung tightly to her limbs, glowing with a dense spiritual light, like some kind of restraint mechanism building up power. The soles of the Shinsei Zori were blazing, accumulating an astonishing amount of propulsive spiritual energy, like rocket fuel. The divine body was not physically connected to the legs, only temporarily linked by pure spiritual power.

Then, an utterly bizarre scene unfolded before them: a headless, armless "doll," consisting of only a torso and two legs, began to stride forward on its own, rushing towards the fissure in the factory at an incredible speed!

The moment it reached the edge of the factory, the spiritual power contained within "Hakujou" suddenly contracted, boosting the legs' strength to its absolute limit. The power compressed in the soles of "Shinsei" then detonated, jetting out a brilliant, azure stream of light—

The legs bent sharply at the knees and then launched upwards like a powerful crossbow! Like a booster rocket, they propelled the divine body, tearing through the thick miasma, shooting straight towards the shrine maiden’s two arms, which hovered directly above the fissure!

在接近最高點的瞬間，雙腿如同耗盡燃料的推進器般自行脫離墜下。始終待命的雙臂即刻迎上，穩穩接住飛射而來的神體。臂上 「纏神袖衣『鎮靈』」 因高漲靈力而劇烈飄揚，袖擺翻飛如羽翼——

「巫女大人？！您這是——！」一位長老驚駭欲絕的尖叫聲劃破空氣。

御神櫻卻置若罔聞。她的頭顱微微後仰，雙眼緊閉，讓自己的「腦」下達了最終指令：

「認知確認：執行方案『高效淨化』。目標：妖力之源，現世之隙。指令：投擲。」

幾乎在指令即將執行的最終瞬間，她才感受到「心」傳來一陣遲滯卻無比強烈的困惑與動盪——它接收到的認知標籤明明是「高效淨化」，但執行動作卻與所有內建行為邏輯嚴重衝突，彷彿系統突然讀取到一段無法解析的異常代碼。

就是現在！趁著「心」還陷在邏輯判定的混亂泥沼，來不及強制「攔截」指令——

「投下！」御神櫻在腦海中無聲厲喝，執行了這場豪賭。

Upon reaching the apex of its flight, the legs detached and fell away like a spent booster stage. The ever-ready arms immediately met and caught the soaring divine body. The Spirit-Binding Sleeves "Chinrei" on her arms billowed violently from the surging spiritual power, flying like wings—

"Lady Miko?! What are you—!" an elder’s horrified scream cut through the air.

Sakura paid it no mind. Her head tilted back slightly, her eyes closed tight, as her "brain" issued the final command:

"Cognitive Confirmation: Execute Plan 'High-Efficiency Purification.' Target: Source of Demonic Power, Fissure in the Mortal Realm. Command: Throw."

Almost in the final instant before the command was executed, she felt a delayed but incredibly powerful wave of confusion and turmoil from her "heart"—the cognitive label it had received was clearly "High-Efficiency Purification," but the action itself was in severe conflict with all of its built-in behavioral logic, as if the system had suddenly encountered an unparsable line of anomalous code.

Now! While the "heart" was still trapped in the chaotic mire of logical judgment, before it could forcibly "intercept" the command—

"Release!" Sakura roared silently in her mind, executing her high-stakes gamble.

雙臂應聲發力，將那承載家族信仰、至高無上的神聖之軀，像投擲一枚核彈般，決扔進了下方翻滾沸騰的濃稠妖力核心之中！

「不——！！」族人們絕望的慘叫被龐大能量對衝產生的恐怖嗡鳴徹底淹沒。

神體墜入極惡瘴氣的剎那，宛如將冰晶投入熔爐。至聖的神性光輝與至穢的妖力發生了最極端的劇烈排斥！

轟————————！！！

無聲卻足以撼動靈魂的巨響在每個在場族人的意識深處爆裂。神櫻的自動防禦機制被激發，一股浩瀚純粹，足以重塑秩序的櫻色神光，以墜落點為原點，如同超新星爆發般驟然膨脹，輻射向四面八方！

光芒所及之處，濃稠的瘴氣如遇烈陽的晨霧般消散，那尚未成形的妖魔連悲鳴都未能發出，便被這絕對的力量連同妖力源頭徹底淹沒，化為虛無。

這是一場超越任何祓魔儀式的壓倒性淨化。

Her arms unleashed their power, throwing the sacred body that carried the faith of her family, that supreme and holy vessel, like a nuclear bomb into the roiling, boiling core of dense demonic power below!

"NO—!!" The clan's desperate screams were completely drowned out by the terrifying hum of the colliding energies.

The moment the divine body fell into the ultimate evil miasma, it was like dropping an ice crystal into a furnace. The most sacred divine light and the most profane demonic power repulsed each other with the most extreme violence!

BOOM————————!!!

A silent but soul-shattering explosion detonated in the consciousness of every clan member present. Shin-ou's automatic defense mechanism was triggered. A vast, pure, sakura-colored divine light, powerful enough to reshape order itself, erupted from the point of impact and expanded in all directions like a supernova!

Wherever the light touched, the thick miasma dissipated like morning fog in the harsh sun. The unformed demon couldn't even let out a cry before it, along with the source of its power, was completely submerged and annihilated by this absolute force.

It was an overwhelming purification that surpassed any exorcism rite.

然而對御神櫻而言，這過程絕非輕鬆，無異於對自我存在的極限施壓。在神體脫手後的自由落體期間，隨著神體的墜落，她通過靈魂連結清晰地感受到「心」傳來的，如同重力加速度般增長強化的驚恐與斥責，幾乎要將她的意識撕碎。那感覺不像情緒，更像是超載的儀器發出的尖銳警報，戳刺著她的大腦。

緊接著，當神櫻之力徹底爆發，她與神力核心的連結被切斷。不僅維持「御神櫻」運行的神力供應戛然而止，更是存在層面的撕裂與剝離。頭顱與四肢變成了斷線的風箏，不再是「神櫻的巫女」，淪為一堆失去意義的殘骸。極致的虛無包裹了她，遠比死亡更令人戰慄。

這感覺恐怖至極，卻也…刺激得令人上癮。

當族人戰戰兢兢地「回收」回她散落的部件時，看到她的臉上，掛著一個詭異而燦爛的笑容，嘴角咧開的弧度無聲地宣告著“計畫通”的勝利。她的四肢被找回時，仍維持著極度扭曲卻又鬆馳的姿態，彷彿被抽乾了存在，又從中獲得最深刻的解放。

「成功了…」耗竭的頭顱依靠殘存的意念呢喃自語，「…最有效率的…淨化…」

族人們面面相覷，瑟瑟發抖，完全無法理解巫女大人身上發生了什麼。他們只看到她以一種聞所未聞、大逆不道的方式，驅使了神櫻的力量，並因此變得…如同經歷了某種禁忌的儀式，虛脫不堪卻又亢奮異常。

御神櫻任由族人將她的部件拼回神體。在頭顱與頸項接合的「咔」聲響起，力量重新迴流的瞬間，她感受著那那依舊莊嚴、如機械般運轉，卻已被她成功「劫持」並驗證了其漏洞的機制，心底湧起的不是敬畏，而是隱隱的征服感和愉悅。

道路，正在她腳下，以,離經叛道、險中求勝的方式，被強行拓寬。

However, for Sakura, the process was anything but easy. It was an extreme stress test on her very existence. During the divine body’s free fall after leaving her hands, she clearly felt, through the soul link, a terror and condemnation from her "heart" that grew with the acceleration of gravity, almost tearing her consciousness apart. It didn't feel like an emotion, but more like the shrill alarm of an overloaded instrument, piercing her brain.

Then, when the power of Shin-ou fully erupted, her connection to the core of that power was severed. Not only was the spiritual energy supply that sustained "Mikami Sakura" cut off, but it was also a tear, a stripping away at the existential level. Her head and limbs became kites with their strings cut. She was no longer the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou," but a pile of meaningless wreckage. She was enveloped by an ultimate nothingness, a sensation far more chilling than death.

The feeling was terrifying, yet also… addictively thrilling.

When the clansmen timidly "retrieved" her scattered parts, they saw a bizarre and brilliant smile on her face, the curve of her lips silently declaring the victory of her plan. When her limbs were found, they were in extremely contorted yet relaxed poses, as if their very existence had been drained, and from that, they had found the most profound liberation.

"It worked..." the exhausted head whispered with the last of its willpower. "...The most efficient... purification..."

The clansmen looked at each other, trembling, completely unable to understand what had happened to their Lady Miko. All they saw was that she had wielded the power of Shin-ou in an unprecedented, sacrilegious way, and as a result, had become… as if she had undergone some forbidden ritual, utterly drained yet abnormally euphoric.

Sakura allowed the clan to piece her parts back onto the divine body. The moment the "click" of her head connecting to her neck sounded and the power flowed back into her, she felt the mechanism—still solemn, still operating like a machine, but one she had successfully "hijacked" and whose vulnerabilities she had verified. What rose in her heart was not awe, but a faint sense of conquest and pleasure.

The road beneath her feet was being forcibly widened, through a path of heresy and high-stakes gambles.

———

除了神體，御神櫻對其它肢體的“運用”，也越來越不設限，越來越自由自在。

御神家的古老庭院，今日洋溢著與莊嚴神社格格不入的喧鬧的歡笑聲。陽光透過層疊的櫻花葉隙，灑下斑駁的金輝。在這聖域之中，曾只為斬魔而存在的「神櫻巫女」的各個部件，正以荒誕卻溫馨的方式，被御神櫻好好「運用」著。

「快點！再高一點！右腿大人——！」一個膽子頗大的小男孩，興奮地「騎乘」在御神櫻的右腿上，小手緊抱著大腿側，發出銀鈴般歡快的笑聲。那條曾揮出猙獰骨刺長鞭、輕易絞殺妖魔的右腿，此刻正靈巧而富有節奏地進行著「兔子蹦蹦跳」遊戲。包裹其上的 「御祓足袋『白淨』」 泛著柔和靈光，並非用於抵禦攻擊，而是以靈力細緻調節著肌肉與骨骼的連動，讓每一次跳躍都充滿彈性與活力，並穩穩承托著雀躍不已的「小騎士」。

Besides the divine body, Sakura’s "use" of her other limbs also became increasingly unrestrained and free.

The ancient courtyard of the Mikami family was, today, filled with boisterous laughter that was out of place in the solemn shrine. Sunlight dappled through the layers of cherry blossom leaves, casting golden flecks of light. In this sacred domain, the various parts of the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou," which had once existed only to slay demons, were now being put to good "use" by Mikami Sakura in an absurd yet heartwarming way.

"Faster! A little higher! Lady Right Leg—!" a particularly bold little boy shouted, excitedly "riding" on Sakura's right leg, his small hands clinging tightly to her thigh, letting out peals of cheerful, bell-like laughter. That same leg, which had once brandished a menacing bone-spur whip and easily strangled demons, was now nimbly and rhythmically playing a game of "bunny hops." The Purification Tabi "Hakujou" that enveloped it glowed with a soft spiritual light, not to ward off attacks, but to finely regulate the coordination of muscle and bone with spiritual power, making every jump full of spring and vitality, and steadily supporting its gleeful "little knight."

另一側，巫女大人的左腿則展現出截然不同的溫柔。它載著一個年齡稍大而文靜羞澀的小女孩，不進行劇烈跳躍，只由腳掌輕巧地點著地面，帶著孩子溫柔地起伏。腳下的 「破邪草履『神征』」 收斂所有鋒芒，僅在鞋底蘊起一層柔和的靈力護墊，確保每一次「落地」都輕柔無聲，不讓背上的「小公主」受到絲毫驚嚇。它甚至體貼地感應著女孩的心情，時不時停下片刻，讓她能靜靜地欣賞夕陽下染上金邊的櫻花，感受那份無限的美好。

On the other side, the Lady Miko’s left leg displayed a completely different kind of gentleness. It carried a slightly older, quiet, and shy little girl. It didn't make any drastic jumps, but simply tapped the ground lightly with its foot, gently bouncing the child up and down. The Evil-Crushing Zori "Shinsei" on its foot had retracted all its sharpness, now only generating a soft cushion of spiritual power on its sole to ensure that every "landing" was soft and silent, so as not to startle the "little princess" on its back in the slightest. It was even considerate enough to sense the girl's mood, pausing from time to time to let her quietly admire the cherry blossoms, their edges tinged with gold in the setting sun, and feel that infinite beauty.

她的雙臂更是忙碌。左手高高舉起，牽引著一隻色彩斑斕的蝴蝶風箏，讓它在春風中翩躚起舞，劃出靈動的弧線，引得底下三五成群的孩子們雀躍歡呼，追逐著風箏的影子；右手則揮舞著一柄小小的玩具竹劍，有模有樣地與舉著樹枝、大喊大叫的男孩們進行緊張刺激的「劍豪對決」，竹劍交擊的響聲與孩子們的自配的「音效」不絕於耳。

而御神櫻的頭顱，悠然懸浮於這場歡樂風暴的中心。她嘴角噙著溫暖的笑意，時而微調風箏線的方向，時而為激烈的「決鬥」配上幾句俏皮的解說與加油。更重要的是，她還分神傾聽著孩子們七嘴八舌、爭先恐後分享的那些屬於他們世界的趣事——誰家新生的貓崽睜開了眼，誰昨天在田埂上摔了一跤卻沒哭……這些瑣碎平凡的快樂，透過孩子們的純真話語，一點一滴浸潤著她曾經孤寂緊繃的心靈。

玩得有些倦意襲來，她的頭顱輕巧地往後飛，宛若歸巢的飛鳥，信任地飄進一旁靜默守候的少年懷中，後腦輕輕地枕進他因緊張而略顯僵硬的臂彎裡。

「唔…有點累了呢，」她閉上眼，聲音裡浸著一抹毫不設防的慵懶，甚至帶點親暱的撒嬌，「幫我揉揉太陽穴，可好？」

Her arms were even busier. Her left hand was held high, flying a colorful butterfly kite, letting it dance and flutter in the spring breeze, drawing elegant arcs that made the group of children below cheer and chase after its shadow. Her right hand, meanwhile, was wielding a small toy bamboo sword, putting on a tense and exciting "master swordsman duel" with a group of boys who were shouting and waving tree branches. The sound of bamboo clashing and the children's self-made "sound effects" were endless.

And Mikami Sakura’s head hovered serenely at the center of this joyous storm. A warm smile played on her lips as she occasionally adjusted the kite string or added a few playful comments and cheers to the intense "duel." More importantly, she was also listening to the children's chatter, as they scrambled to share interesting stories from their world—whose new kitten had opened its eyes, who had fallen on the path between the fields yesterday but didn't cry… These trivial, ordinary joys, conveyed through the children's innocent words, seeped into her once lonely and tense soul, drop by drop.

As she began to feel a little tired from playing, her head flew back gracefully, like a bird returning to its nest, and trustingly floated into the arms of a young man who had been waiting silently nearby. The back of her head rested gently in the crook of his arm, which was slightly stiff from nervousness.

"Mm… a little tired," she closed her eyes, her voice tinged with an unguarded laziness, even a hint of affectionate coquetry. "Could you rub my temples for me?"

少年彷彿被符咒定住，全身瞬間僵直。臉龐以肉眼可見的速度染上一片緋紅，蔓延至耳根。他懷中所抱的，是「神櫻巫女」的頭顱——那位被全族敬若神明，不容絲毫褻瀆的存在。此刻，這份至高無上的尊貴與神秘，卻被他輕輕攬在懷中，雙手抑制不住地顫抖。

他緊張得幾乎窒息，用盡全部意志力才穩下動作，輕柔地抬起手，指尖微顫地按上她的太陽穴。

就在他努力平復狂亂的心跳，忍不住低下頭，想確認巫女大人是否舒適時——卻毫無預兆地撞入一雙悄然睜開的眼眸。那雙眼睛澄澈如映著天空的秋水，眼底漾著一絲調皮與無盡的溫柔，正靜靜地地凝視著他，彷彿能看透人心。

「哇啊！」少年嚇得驚呼一聲，心跳驟然脫序，險些鬆手。

御神櫻沒有絲毫責怪，反而回贈他一個帶著幾分狡黠的安撫微笑，彷彿無聲地問道：「嚇到你了呀？」

笑容如同陽光穿透雲層，耀眼的光芒佔滿少年的雙眼視野，卻也讓少年的臉紅得幾乎滴出血。他慌張地垂下視線，再也不敢直視，指尖的動作變得愈發輕柔謹慎。

The young man froze as if he had been petrified by a talisman. His face turned a visible shade of crimson that spread to the tips of his ears. In his arms was the head of the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou"—the being revered by the entire clan as a god, not to be profaned in the slightest. At this moment, this supreme, mysterious, and honored being was held gently in his arms. His hands couldn't stop trembling.

He was so nervous he could barely breathe. It took all his willpower to steady his movements. He gently raised a hand, his fingertips trembling as he pressed them to her temples.

Just as he was trying to calm his frantic heart and couldn't help but look down to see if the Lady Miko was comfortable—he unexpectedly met a pair of eyes that had quietly opened. They were as clear as an autumn lake reflecting the sky, and in their depths was a ripple of mischief and endless gentleness, gazing quietly at him, as if they could see right through his heart.

"Whoa!" the young man gasped, his heart skipping a beat, nearly dropping her.

Sakura showed no sign of blame. Instead, she gave him a reassuring smile, tinged with a bit of slyness, as if silently asking, "Did I scare you?"

The smile was like sunlight breaking through the clouds. Its dazzling light filled the young man's vision, and it also made his face turn so red it looked like it would bleed. He hastily lowered his gaze, not daring to look at her directly again, the movements of his fingertips becoming even more gentle and cautious.

這是御神櫻最為珍惜的閒暇時光。甚至那具總是端坐於本殿深處，被無數虔誠目光仰望的神體，也被她換上了一身素雅輕便的浴衣，由雙臂小心「請」出，安放於平整溫潤的大岩石上，靜靜地「曬太陽」，彷彿連神櫻也融入了這片午後的恬靜與嬉遊。

忽然，「噗通」一聲悶響，伴隨著孩子們短促的驚呼，劃破了午後的閒適。

載著小男童的右腿在奮力一躍後，著地時不慎踩上一塊覆著青苔的光滑石頭，失去了平衡，摔倒在柔軟的草甸上。其實並不算嚴重，但小男童臉上卻瞬間寫滿了驚嚇和不安——不只是因為自己摔著了，更是出於強烈的愧疚，生怕自己害得「巫女大人的腿」受傷或疼痛。

御神櫻的右腿似乎與男童的心情共鳴了，細膩而鮮明的情緒，竟與小男童的驚惶與愧疚相呼應，卻又立場相反：那是一種帶著歉意的撫慰，是深怕男孩因此自責，急切想要傳達「我並無大礙」的擔憂。這份彷彿肢體自身萌生出的溫柔，透過共有的連結傳來，讓御神櫻微微一怔。

她下意識地轉動視線，望向那靜默佇立，沐浴在夕陽餘暉中的神體。這份與小男孩心情的共鳴……究竟是真的存在，還是「心」的本質運作，依據現場狀況即時演算，「派送」給她的某種極為逼真的情緒模擬？

她無從分辨；或許，也並不需要分辨。

This was Mikami Sakura's most treasured leisure time. Even the divine body, which usually sat in the depths of the main hall, gazed upon by countless pious eyes, had been changed into a simple, light yukata. Her arms had carefully "invited" it out and placed it on a large, smooth rock to quietly "sunbathe," as if even Shin-ou had melted into the tranquility and playfulness of the afternoon.

Suddenly, a dull "thump," accompanied by the children's short gasps, broke the afternoon's peace.

The right leg, carrying the little boy, had lost its balance after a vigorous leap, landing on a moss-covered, slippery stone. It wasn't a serious fall, but the little boy's face was instantly filled with shock and anxiety—not just because he had fallen, but out of a strong sense of guilt, terrified that he had caused "the Lady Miko’s leg" to be hurt.

Sakura's right leg seemed to resonate with the boy's feelings. A delicate and vivid emotion, corresponding to the boy's fear and guilt but from the opposite perspective, arose: it was a feeling of apologetic comfort, a deep fear that the boy would blame himself, an urgent desire to convey "I'm alright." This gentleness, which seemed to have sprung from the limb itself, was transmitted through their shared link, making Sakura pause for a moment.

She instinctively turned her gaze to the divine body, which stood silently, bathed in the evening glow. This resonance with the little boy's feelings… was it real, or was it the fundamental operation of her "heart," some kind of extremely realistic emotional simulation, calculated and "delivered" to her based on the situation?

She couldn't tell. Perhaps… she didn't need to.

她那條摔倒的右腿並未急於起身，而是以膝蓋支地，安慰性地蹭了蹭小男童的手臂。而原本在遠處揮舞竹劍的右臂也拋下手中玩具，「飛」掠而來，輕輕地摸了摸男孩的髮頂，彷彿在無聲地訴說：「沒事的，別害怕。」

御神櫻感受著胸腔內那顆「心」中湧動的柔軟與暖意，澎湃得幾乎滿溢而出。哪怕它真只是一台「情緒生成裝置」，此時此刻，她也更寧願去相信——神櫻正與她共享著同一份心情，共同沉浸在這金色夕照之下。

這時，那條載著女孩的左腿，也以輕柔的節奏，腳掌輕輕點著地，一蹬一蹬地回到了御神櫻的頭顱邊。坐在上面的小女孩臉頰微紅，眼神卻亮晶晶的。她有些緊張地在口袋裡摸索了一陣，然後鄭重地掏出一株被手帕仔細包裹的四葉草，怯生生地遞向懸浮的巫女頭顱。

「巫女大人，」她聲音輕輕的，卻很認真，「這個…送給您。媽媽說，它能帶來幸福。我希望…您以後永遠都快樂。」

御神櫻又愣住了，目光柔軟地落在那株纖細卻飽含重量的小草上。

Her fallen right leg didn't rush to get up. Instead, it rested on its knee and gave the little boy's arm a comforting nudge. And the right arm, which had been waving a bamboo sword in the distance, dropped its toy and "flew" over, gently patting the boy's head, as if silently saying, "It's okay, don't be afraid."

Sakura felt the softness and warmth surging in the "heart" in her chest, so powerful it was about to overflow. Even if it really was just an "emotion-generating device," at this moment, she preferred to believe—that Shin-ou was sharing the same feeling with her, both of them immersed in this golden sunset.

Just then, the left leg that had been carrying the girl returned to Sakura’s head with a gentle, rhythmic tapping of its foot. The little girl on it had a slight blush on her cheeks, but her eyes were sparkling. She fumbled nervously in her pocket for a moment and then solemnly took out a four-leaf clover, carefully wrapped in a handkerchief, and shyly offered it to the floating shrine maiden’s head.

"Lady Miko," her voice was soft, but very serious. "This… is for you. Mommy says it brings happiness. I hope… you will be happy forever."

Sakura was stunned again, her gaze falling softly on the delicate yet weighty little plant.

還未等她開口，小女孩卻已靈巧地跳下了左腿。她沒有立刻跑開，而是轉過身，伸出小手，極其自然地與那條剛才還承載著她的左腿側面輕輕擊掌，發出愉悅的小小聲響，宛如屬於她們兩人之間的「成功暗號」。那條左腿也彷彿早有預期般，上下晃了晃腳尖，大腿微微彎出柔和的弧度，像在點頭，又像是在微笑，一起慶祝完成了這場小小的共謀。

這些小小的動作，像最後一片悄然落定的拼圖，輕輕地擊中御神櫻內心最柔軟的角落。

啊啊…這到底是什麼感覺啊……

明明是她自己的左腿，此刻卻彷彿成了那個羞澀女孩最親密無間的「共犯」，與她共享只屬於她們兩人之間的溫柔秘密。

這份美好感受，真實得讓她難以置信，甚至產生一絲惶恐，害怕這只是「心」模擬出的完美幻夢。

但是……

御神櫻的眼眶微微濕潤了，夕陽的金光在她眼中折射出璀璨的光暈。她以靈力接過了那株四葉草，彷彿接過了無比真摯的祝福。

無需再懷疑感受的真偽。她知道了，與神櫻在一起，她也能觸摸到純粹的幸福。

​Before she could speak, the little girl had already nimbly hopped off the left leg. She didn't run away immediately. Instead, she turned, reached out her small hand, and gave the side of the leg that had just been carrying her a very natural high-five, making a small, happy sound, like a "successful mission signal" that belonged only to the two of them. The left leg, as if it had been expecting it, bobbed its foot up and down, its thigh curving into a gentle arc, as if it were nodding or smiling, celebrating the completion of their little conspiracy together.

​These small gestures, like the final, quietly settling piece of a puzzle, gently struck the softest corner of Sakura's heart.

​Ah… what is this feeling…

​It was her own left leg, yet at this moment, it felt as if it had become the shy girl's closest "partner in crime," sharing a gentle secret that belonged only to them.

​This beautiful feeling was so real it was almost unbelievable, even creating a faint sense of panic, a fear that this was just a perfect illusion simulated by her "heart."

​But…

​Sakura's eyes grew moist, the golden light of the setting sun refracting into a brilliant halo in her gaze. She accepted the four-leaf clover with her spiritual power, as if accepting the most sincere of blessings.

​There was no longer a need to doubt the authenticity of the feeling. She knew now. Together with Shin-ou, she too could touch pure happiness.

獵魔聖女--後日談B

後日談：聖所與深淵

Epilogue: The Sanctuary and the Abyss

週日的晨光，溫和地灑在東京邊緣社區一座小而古舊的聖瑪利亞堂上。這座隱匿於尋常街巷中的天主教堂，成為神無月結衣與神無月一夢母女每週一次的暫歇之地。這裡沒有總教區那般宏偉肅穆的氣勢，唯有褪色的彩繪玻璃、略顯斑駁的長椅，以及空氣中氤氳著老舊木材、蜂蠟與淡淡薰香交織的溫潤氣息。教友多是附近的老人與孩童，他們的信仰單純而樸實，與教會高層的權謀和異端家族的詭計，彷彿存在於兩個截然不同的世界。

對結衣和一夢而言，這每週一次的儀式，是維繫「神無月」表層人格不可或缺的「信仰充能」。結衣輕挽著一夢的手臂，如同任何一對虔誠的母女，低調地步入教堂，在後排的長椅悄然落座。她們的到來並未引起太多注目，唯有幾位老教友對這對氣質出眾、容貌相似的母女投以友善而溫和的微笑。她們熟練地執起彌撒經本，劃下十字聖號，自然而然地融入這片祥和的敬拜氛圍中。

當唱詩班孩童清亮的歌聲悠然響起，一夢的內心宛如被煦風拂過，唇角不自覺地揚起一抹屬於「母親」的溫柔笑意；結衣則輕輕闔上眼簾，讓熟悉的拉丁文禱詞如涓涓細流般洗滌心靈——儘管她的心靈結構早已複雜得超乎常人所想。教堂內老爺爺、老奶奶們慈祥的笑容與關切的問候，更讓她們尋回了信仰最初的起始點，沒有任何矯揉造作與多餘的親善裝飾。

值得注意的是，總教區在此地刻意布下的神聖之力——表面上是為保護教友，實則暗含著某種伺機而動的意圖——雖非出自純然善意，卻意外地形成了一道屏障，有效隔離了黃前家族的共有意識（由天草四郎的悲願抽象化後轉化的家族行動指引核心）。這股力量壓制了她們底層「黃前」人格單元因教會環境影響而被意外觸發的可能性，陰錯陽差地為母女二人提供了一處罕有的喘息之隙。在這短暫的時光裡，她們得以暫且拋卻沉重的真相，偽裝自己僅僅是神無月結衣與神無月一夢，兩位平凡而虔誠的天主教徒。這份虛幻卻珍貴的寧靜，宛如在驚濤駭浪的命運中，被她們拼命守護的彩色泡沫，脆弱而美麗。

The Sunday morning light fell gently on the small, old St. Mary's Chapel in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Tokyo. This Catholic church, hidden away in an ordinary residential street, had become the weekly resting place for the mother and daughter, Kannazuki Yui and Kannazuki Ichiyume. It lacked the grand, solemn atmosphere of the main archdiocese, possessing only faded stained-glass windows, slightly worn pews, and a warm air imbued with the intermingled scents of old wood, beeswax, and faint incense. The parishioners were mostly elderly people and children from the neighborhood, their faith simple and unadorned, existing in a world seemingly separate from the power plays of the Church's high command and the machinations of the heretical family.

For Yui and Ichiyume, this weekly ritual was an indispensable "faith refueling" to maintain their "Kannazuki" surface personas. Yui gently took Ichiyume's arm, and like any other devout mother and daughter, they quietly entered the church and took a seat in a back pew. Their arrival did not attract much attention, save for a few friendly, gentle smiles from some of the older parishioners toward this pair of exceptionally graceful, similar-looking mother and daughter. They skillfully picked up their missals, made the sign of the cross, and naturally blended into the peaceful atmosphere of worship.

When the clear voices of the children's choir began to ring out, Ichiyume's heart felt as if it had been brushed by a warm breeze, and a gentle smile belonging to a "mother" unconsciously touched her lips. Yui, meanwhile, gently closed her eyes, allowing the familiar Latin prayers to wash over her mind like a gentle stream—even though the structure of her mind was far more complex than anyone could imagine. The kindly smiles and concerned greetings from the old men and women in the church allowed them to rediscover the very starting point of their faith, free of any artifice or unnecessary displays of goodwill.

It is worth noting that the holy power deliberately deployed here by the main archdiocese—ostensibly to protect the parishioners, but secretly harboring some opportunistic intent—though not born of pure goodwill, unintentionally formed a barrier. It effectively isolated them from the Omae family's collective consciousness (the family's core operational guide, abstracted from the sorrowful wish of Amakusa Shirō). This power suppressed the possibility of their underlying "Omae" personality units being accidentally triggered by the church environment, inadvertently providing the mother and daughter with a rare breathing space. In these brief moments, they could temporarily cast aside the heavy truth and pretend to be merely Kannazuki Yui and Kannazuki Ichiyume, two ordinary and devout Catholics. This illusory yet precious tranquility was like a colored bubble in the stormy sea of their fate, one they desperately protected, fragile and beautiful.

當然，世事從難一帆風順。縱有神聖之力隔絕了外部的黃前意識，她們體內流淌的「黃前」卻從未止息。對一般教友而言，聖餐是純粹屬靈的蒙恩時刻；但對結衣與一夢，這卻是一場同時發生於靈魂與身體深處的無聲戰役。

領受聖餐時，結衣與一夢依序排列，面容與其他教友無異，寫滿虔誠與期盼。然而，當神父將那象徵基督聖體的麵餅放入她們口中，當代表寶血的葡萄酒滑入喉間，一場內在的風暴便瞬即掀起。

蘊含正統教會祝福與信仰之力的聖餐，對她們承載黃前血脈的身體而言，不啻為一種極具侵蝕性的「異質存在」。表層人格懷著無比敬虔之心接納這恩典，底層靈識卻即刻啟動最高級別的防禦機制，將這股力量視同必須隔絕、解析並中和的「入侵物」。更為艱難的是，聖體與聖血經過消化與吸收——從前尚可由底層系統直接運作排出，但在知曉一切之後，她們已無法坦然面對被自身軀體排斥而出的「祝福」——最終融為她們存在的一部分，從而引發內部無休的相互否定：這兩條本應指向同一信仰源頭卻截然相悖的路徑，此刻猶如兩條死死糾纏、激烈搏鬥的蛇，爭執不下，直至精疲力竭。也正因如此，她們返回黃前本家進行身體與靈識單元維護的頻率，較以往更為密集。

結衣能感受到雙腿聖力容器處傳來撕裂般的灼熱，聖劍與聖杖的形態幾近壓制不住，細碎的光粒於裙襬之下明滅閃動。她全力克制，額間沁出細密汗珠。身旁的一夢更是身形微晃，容色倏地蒼白，全靠強大意志勉強穩住自己。每一次聖餐，皆是對她們存在本質的一番淬煉與考驗，於無聲處聽驚雷。

Of course, life is rarely so smooth. Even with the holy power isolating them from the external Omae consciousness, the "Omae" flowing in their veins never rested. For ordinary parishioners, Holy Communion was a moment of purely spiritual grace; but for Yui and Ichiyume, it was a silent battle waged simultaneously in the depths of their souls and bodies.

During Communion, Yui and Ichiyume lined up in turn, their faces no different from the other parishioners, filled with piety and anticipation. However, when the priest placed the wafer symbolizing the body of Christ into their mouths, when the wine representing the precious blood slid down their throats, an internal storm would instantly erupt.

To their bodies, which carried the Omae bloodline, the sacrament, imbued with the blessings and faith of the orthodox Church, was nothing less than a highly corrosive "foreign entity." Their surface personas accepted this grace with immense reverence, but their underlying consciousness immediately activated the highest level of defense mechanisms, treating this power as an "invader" that had to be isolated, analyzed, and neutralized. What made it even more difficult was that the body and blood, once digested and absorbed—which in the past could have been directly expelled by the underlying system, but which they could no longer face with equanimity after knowing everything, this "blessing" rejected by their own bodies—would ultimately become a part of their existence. This triggered an endless internal self-negation: these two paths, which should have pointed to the same source of faith but were diametrically opposed, were now like two fiercely battling, intertwined snakes, fighting to a standstill. It was for this reason that the frequency of their returns to the Omae main house for physical and spiritual unit maintenance had become more intensive than before.

Yui could feel a tearing, burning heat from the holy power vessels in her legs, the forms of the Holy Sword and Staff nearly breaking free of her control as fine particles of light flickered beneath her skirt. She suppressed it with all her might, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Beside her, Ichiyume's figure swayed slightly, her face suddenly pale, holding herself steady only through sheer force of will. Every Communion was a tempering and a test of the very essence of their existence, a clap of thunder in the silence.

然而，彌撒後的告解，才是真正試煉的開始。自這對特殊的母女到來後，小教堂的神父便改由總教區直接指派；尋常教眾只隱約感到神父的更替似乎過於頻繁，卻不知其背後緣由。每一位新來者，都彷彿一顆投入她們平靜偽裝之湖的石子，激起深淺不一的漣漪，有時甚至險些引發海嘯——譬如她們曾遭遇的那位，將告解亭視作審判庭的費爾南多神父。

那天，她們走向告解室，迎向那位眼中閃爍著銳利光芒與某種急於證明什麼的費爾南多神父。教區高層雖已對他進行過「行前教育」，告知告解者的「特殊身份」及須保持「謹慎與專業」的態度，但顯然，這位年輕神父將此視為與「異端元首」正面交鋒的戰場，而非施行牧靈關懷的聖事。

結衣率先進行告解。她以「神無月結衣」的身份，陳述著一週以來精心篩選的「罪」：對抗妖魔時是否心存怒氣而非慈悲、信仰可曾有過片刻動搖，以及……為自己體內那與天主教信仰及聖女身份相悖的「異端血脈」與「非我本源」的存在本身，深切哀痛與罪咎。她的告解詞是精心編排的真實，每一字句都同時經過表層信仰與底層邏輯的雙重檢核。費爾南多神父沉默聆聽，空氣中瀰漫著無形的緊繃。

However, the confession after Mass was the beginning of the true trial. Since the arrival of this special mother and daughter, the priest of the small chapel had been directly appointed by the main archdiocese. Ordinary parishioners only vaguely sensed that the priests were being replaced rather frequently, unaware of the reason behind it. Each newcomer was like a stone tossed into the calm lake of their disguised peace, creating ripples of varying sizes, sometimes nearly causing a tsunami—such as the one they had encountered, Father Fernando, who treated the confessional as a tribunal.

That day, they walked to the confessional to meet Father Fernando, whose eyes glinted with a sharp light and a certain eagerness to prove something. Although the diocesan superiors had given him a "pre-mission briefing," informing him of the confessor's "special identity" and the need to maintain a "cautious and professional" attitude, it was clear that the young priest saw this as a direct confrontation with the "heretical leader," not a sacrament for providing pastoral care.

Yui went to confession first. As "Kannazuki Yui," she confessed her meticulously selected "sins" from the past week: whether she had harbored anger instead of mercy when fighting demons, whether her faith had wavered for a moment, and... the deep sorrow and guilt for the very existence of the "heretical bloodline" and "non-self origin" within her, which contradicted her Catholic faith and identity as a Saint. Her confession was a carefully arranged truth, every word and sentence double-checked by both her surface faith and her underlying logic. Father Fernando listened in silence, the air thick with an invisible tension.

輪到一夢時，氣氛愈發凝滯。她溫柔的嗓音微帶顫抖，依循著類似套路：為自己不純淨的存在基礎、為那源自異質信仰的根源、為過去衝突造成的傷害祈求寬恕。她的痛苦真實而尖銳——「神無月一夢」這個人格模組，正被迫譴責構成其存在基礎的「黃前一夢」，這種自我否定幾乎將她撕裂。

突然間，費爾南多神父打破了告解應有的靜默與收束。他的聲音尖銳地穿透木質隔板：「神無月……不，黃前結衣，以及黃前一夢。教會固然寬恕尋求救贖的罪人，但你們黃前家，以褻瀆儀式竊取主的光輝，以怨念扭曲純正信仰，手上沾滿了我無數主內弟兄的鮮血！你們的『存在』本身，就是對神聖公義的挑戰！黃前結衣，你身為現在的領導者，要如何為這一切負責？你當真以為，僅憑這片刻的告解，就能洗淨這血海般的罪孽嗎？」

他的話語如同淬毒利劍，直刺存在核心。告解亭內的一夢瞬間窒息，她的人格模組劇烈震盪，「溫柔母親」的設定根本無力處理這指向其底層本質的龐大指控。彷若線路短路般的輕微嗚咽，從她喉間逸出。結衣自身亦深受衝擊——此刻的她正處在最無防備的「告解狀態」，表層的「神無月結衣」甚至悄然敞開了底層系統的通道，預備迎接來自信仰的寬恕與接納，豈料破門而入的，竟是譴責其存在根基的洪流——而她更清晰地感受到母親靈識瀕臨崩潰的劇烈波動，臉色瞬間沉了下來。

費爾南多神父并未就此罷休，他將矛頭狠狠指向一夢：「還有你，黃前一夢！記錄顯示你參與過三十年前的『澀谷驅魔戰』，至少三名優秀的驅魔司祭因你而殉道！在你此刻這副虔誠悔罪的面具之下，可曾對那些逝去的生命，有過一絲真正的懺悔？」

When it was Ichiyume's turn, the atmosphere grew even more stagnant. Her gentle voice trembled slightly as she followed a similar script: praying for forgiveness for her impure existential foundation, for the root that came from a heterodox faith, and for the harm caused by past conflicts. Her pain was real and sharp—the "Kannazuki Ichiyume" personality module was being forced to condemn the very "Omae Ichiyume" that formed its foundation. This self-negation nearly tore her apart.

Suddenly, Father Fernando broke the silence and finality that a confession should have. His voice pierced sharply through the wooden partition: "Kannazuki... no, Omae Yui, and Omae Ichiyume. The Church certainly forgives sinners who seek redemption, but your Omae family, you stole the glory of the Lord with blasphemous rituals, twisted pure faith with grudges, and your hands are stained with the blood of my countless brothers and sisters in Christ! Your very 'existence' is a challenge to divine justice! Omae Yui, as the current leader, how will you take responsibility for all of this? Do you truly believe that a momentary confession can wash away such a sea of blood and sin?"

His words were like poison-tipped swords, striking at the core of their existence. In the confessional, Ichiyume was instantly suffocated. Her personality module vibrated violently; the "Gentle Mother" programming was powerless to process this massive accusation aimed at her underlying essence. A faint whimper, like a short-circuiting sound, escaped her throat. Yui herself was also deeply impacted—she was in her most defenseless "confessional state," her surface "Kannazuki Yui" having even quietly opened a channel to her underlying system, preparing to receive the forgiveness and acceptance of her faith. But what burst through the door was a torrent condemning the very foundation of her existence. More than that, she clearly felt the violent fluctuations of her mother's consciousness on the verge of collapse, and her expression instantly darkened.

Father Fernando did not stop there. He aimed his spearhead viciously at Ichiyume: "And you, Omae Ichiyume! Records show you participated in the 'Shibuya Exorcism Battle' thirty years ago. At least three excellent exorcist priests were martyred because of you! Beneath this mask of pious repentance you wear now, have you ever felt a single shred of true remorse for those lost lives?"

「夠了！」結衣的聲音並不高亢，卻裹挾著一種壓抑怒火的威嚴與冰冷聖潔的質地，驟然切斷了神父的詰問。她迅速扶住幾乎軟倒的母親，同時在沒有黃前家族共有意識支援的情況下，竭力穩定兩人幾近失控的底層狀態與運作模式。一夢臉色慘白，眼神渙散，彷彿內在的某種結構正在無聲地迸裂。

結衣轉向臉色驚疑不定的費爾南多神父。她的眼神平靜似水，卻深不見底，同時交織著聖女的悲憫與某種屬於「更高存在」的疏離與威壓。「神父，告解聖事的目的，在於領受天主的仁慈與達成和好，而非審判與尋釁。您已逾越了職權，更破壞了教區與我們之間既存的默契。」她的話語清晰而冷冽，直接劃定了界線。「您的行為，可能引發無人願見的後果。現在，請您離開。」

未等神父組織辯駁之詞，結衣已取出專用的加密手機迅捷撥號。她對著話筒另一端，以一種不帶溫度的平靜語調簡短陳述：「東京總教區？我是神無月。費爾南多神父的行為已危及當前狀態的穩定，請立即處理。」不到一分鐘，費爾南多神父身上的手機響起，他接聽後面色驟然鐵青，最終一言不發地低頭快步離去，不敢再投向她們一絲目光。

除了如費爾南多神父的尋釁者，大多數受指派而來的神父，尚能恪守職責，將這位異端首領視同需要牧養的迷途羔羊，謹慎執行總教區交派的任務。然而，其中也存在著如奧貝爾神父這般獨特的存在。

"Enough!" Yui's voice was not loud, but it was wrapped in the weight of suppressed anger and a cold, holy quality, abruptly cutting off the priest's interrogation. She quickly steadied her mother, who had nearly crumpled, while simultaneously struggling, without the support of the Omae collective consciousness, to stabilize both their nearly out-of-control underlying states and operational modes. Ichiyume's face was ashen, her eyes vacant, as if some internal structure were silently shattering.

Yui turned to the shocked and uncertain Father Fernando. Her eyes were as calm as water, yet bottomless, simultaneously weaving together the compassion of a Saint and the detached pressure of a "higher being." "Father, the purpose of the Sacrament of Penance is to receive God's mercy and to achieve reconciliation, not for judgment or provocation. You have overstepped your authority and, more importantly, you have broken the existing understanding between the diocese and us." Her words were clear and cold, drawing a firm line. "Your actions could lead to consequences no one wishes to see. Now, please leave."

Before the priest could organize a rebuttal, Yui had already taken out her special encrypted phone and made a swift call. To the person on the other end, she stated briefly in a flat, emotionless tone: "Tokyo Archdiocese? This is Kannazuki. Father Fernando's actions have endangered the stability of the current situation. Please handle it immediately." Less than a minute later, Father Fernando's phone rang. After answering, his face turned ashen. In the end, he left in a hurry with his head bowed, not daring to cast another glance in their direction.

Aside from provocateurs like Father Fernando, most of the appointed priests were able to adhere to their duties, treating this heretical leader as a lost sheep in need of shepherding and cautiously carrying out the tasks assigned by the archdiocese. However, among them were also unique individuals like Father Aubert.

年輕的奧貝爾神父，眼中閃爍著混合了不安、熱切與過度好奇的神情。他既因母女倆根基中的異端本質而警惕，又為她們表層所展現的虔誠與脆弱感到難以言喻的親近。強烈的「拯救」她們的慾望——在這份衝動之下，更潛藏連他自己也未曾察覺的，對那種複雜性與神秘性的深沉著迷——驅策著他的言行。

他的提問超出常規告解的範疇，像一位手持探針的外科醫師，既渴望治癒病人，又忍不住想解剖，瞧一眼病人內部驚人奇特的運作機制。

「結衣小姐，」他壓低聲音，卻難掩語氣中那種探勘般的興奮，「您的『內部系統』…究竟是如何協同運作的？當您作為『神無月結衣』時，是如何感知、又如何理解潛伏於深處的『黃前結衣』？與您過去一無所知的狀態相比，這種認知帶來了怎樣的差異？」他越說越急切，語速加快，「是否存在某種途徑，能讓『神無月』徹底主宰『黃前』？此外，當您以聖女的身份，向您體內的異端底層提出『建議』，讓它去操控（結衣抗議，是引領）整個黃前家族時，身為天主教徒的您，對那些被您號令的異端成員，又懷抱著怎樣的想法？」

每一個問題，都像無形的手術刀，試圖將構築她存在的核心程式碼逐行抽離、攤開審視；又像她被轉化為精密的機器人，內部零件被逐一取出測試、評頭論足。那種未被視為完整「人」的異樣凝視，令她如坐針氈。她必須極度謹慎：一方面要以「神無月結衣」的立場耐心應對，符合教會對所牧養的信徒的靈性期待；另一方面還需透過「黃前結衣」的底層實時審核每一句回應，確保既不洩露任何可能危及自身或家族的秘密，亦不牴觸整個黃前家族深層的存在邏輯。對話遊走在極高的敏感性邊緣，言語間的細微縫隙不斷挑動、加劇著她體內兩套系統的矛盾。

Young Father Aubert's eyes glinted with a mixture of unease, eagerness, and excessive curiosity. He was wary of the heretical nature at the core of the mother and daughter, yet he also felt an ineffable closeness to the piety and vulnerability they displayed on the surface. A strong desire to "save" them—and beneath this impulse, a deep fascination with their complexity and mystery that even he had not yet recognized—drove his words and actions.

His questions went beyond the scope of a normal confession, like a surgeon with a probe, eager to heal the patient but also unable to resist the urge to dissect, to peek at the astonishingly unique operational mechanisms inside.

"Miss Yui," he lowered his voice, but could not hide the exploratory excitement in his tone, "your 'internal systems'... how exactly do they operate in concert? When you are 'Kannazuki Yui,' how do you perceive, and how do you understand, the 'Omae Yui' lurking in the depths? Compared to your past state of ignorance, what kind of difference has this knowledge brought?" He spoke faster and more urgently. "Is there some way for 'Kannazuki' to completely dominate 'Omae'? Furthermore, when you, as a Saint, make 'suggestions' to the heretical foundation within you, to have it control (Yui protested, it was guiding) the entire Omae family, what thoughts do you, as a Catholic, hold for the heretical members you command?"

Each question was like an invisible scalpel, attempting to extract and examine the core code of her existence line by line. It was as if she had been turned into a precision robot whose internal parts were being removed, tested, and commented upon one by one. That strange gaze, which did not see her as a complete "person," made her feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles. She had to be extremely cautious: on one hand, she had to respond patiently from the standpoint of "Kannazuki Yui," meeting the Church's spiritual expectations for a believer under their pastoral care. On the other hand, she had to have "Omae Yui" review every response in real-time from the underlying layer, ensuring that she neither leaked any secrets that could endanger herself or her family, nor contradicted the deep existential logic of the entire Omae family. The conversation walked a razor's edge of extreme sensitivity, and the fine cracks between words constantly provoked and exacerbated the conflict between the two systems within her.

所幸一旁的一夢始終保持著警覺。她悄然啟動「母親單元」的特殊權限，溫柔地鏈接上結衣的「黃前結衣」底層。如同細心的系統管理員，她輕柔地調節著結衣的底層運作與狀態設定，撫平因外部詰問而產生的紊亂與風暴。她還緊緊握住結衣微涼的手，將穩定與溫暖透過相觸的肌膚傳遞過去，讓結衣的表層人格得以維持維持著波瀾不驚的平靜。

最後，神父嘆息般低語，聲音裡混雜著困惑與敬畏：「我實在無法想像……正統天主教與切支丹，這兩種如此相斥的基督信仰，您究竟是如何在內心同時持守的？更何況，您經歷了那麼多衝擊認知的事件，體會過無數顛覆常理的現實，卻依然選擇相信——甚至是以分裂的方式，在兩條背反的道路上同時前行。即便將您比作現世的約伯，也毫不為過。我……我多麼渴望能真正體會您內心的世界，看看究竟是怎樣的景象。」

結衣聞言，臉上未顯絲毫慍怒，反而浮現一抹染著淒涼與瞭然的微笑。「是嗎……你想體會啊，神父。」語聲輕柔卻帶著重量。她緩緩起身，「那就讓你看看吧。」

奧貝爾神父怔怔地看著她。剎那間，他眼前的現實驟然扭曲——彷彿被無形的力量拽入了一個詭譎莫測的靈識幻境：四周是洶湧奔流、色澤混沌的亂流，腳下四周好似環繞著薄冰，每踏出一步都搖搖欲墜，如臨深淵。結衣的身影靜立於混沌中央，她的面前裂開一道洞穴般的通道，通道盡頭矗立著一尊龐大無比卻佈滿裂痕、質地粗糙而古拙的十字石像。一個模糊的女性身影正死死擁抱著石像，彷彿用盡全身力氣維繫其不致崩毀，又似在向它泣訴無盡的哀傷與盼求。而幻境中的結衣，手中凝出一朵靈力匯聚而成的玫瑰，神情靜穆，正欲將其獻予那幅那幅絕望與堅持永恆角力，宛如薛西弗斯寓言般的沉重圖景。她倏然轉過頭，對神父微微一笑，笑容裡載滿了無盡滄桑，卻又雲淡風輕，彷彿一切皆為尋常。

Fortunately, Ichiyume remained vigilant at her side. She quietly activated the special authority of the "Mother Unit," gently linking with Yui's underlying "Omae Yui." Like a careful system administrator, she softly regulated Yui's underlying operations and status settings, smoothing out the turmoil and storms caused by the external questioning. She also held Yui's cool hand tightly, transmitting stability and warmth through their touching skin, allowing Yui's surface personality to maintain an unruffled calm.

Finally, the priest whispered as if sighing, his voice a mixture of confusion and awe: "I truly cannot imagine... Orthodox Catholicism and Kirishitan, two such mutually repulsive Christian faiths... how do you possibly hold both in your heart at the same time? Moreover, you have experienced so many perception-shattering events, witnessed countless realities that subvert common sense, yet you still choose to believe—even in a divided way, walking on two contradictory paths simultaneously. It would not be an exaggeration to compare you to a modern-day Job. I... I so wish I could truly experience the world within your heart, to see what it is like."

Hearing this, Yui showed no sign of anger. Instead, a smile tinged with sorrow and understanding appeared on her face. "Is that so... you want to experience it, Father." Her voice was soft yet carried weight. She slowly rose to her feet. "Then let me show you."

Father Aubert stared at her, stunned. In an instant, the reality before him suddenly twisted—as if he had been pulled by an invisible force into a bizarre and unpredictable spiritual illusion. He was surrounded by a surging, chaotic torrent. The ground beneath his feet felt like a ring of thin ice, every step precarious, as if on the edge of an abyss. Yui's figure stood silently in the center of the chaos. Before her, a cave-like passage split open. At the end of the passage stood a colossal yet cracked, crude, and ancient stone cross. A blurry female figure was clinging desperately to the cross, as if using all her strength to keep it from crumbling, or perhaps weeping to it of her endless sorrow and longing. And the Yui in the illusion, a rose formed from condensed spiritual power in her hand, her expression solemn, was about to offer it to that heavy tableau of despair and perseverance locked in an eternal struggle, like a Sisyphean allegory. She suddenly turned her head and smiled faintly at the priest, a smile filled with endless vicissitudes, yet as light as a passing cloud, as if all of it were perfectly ordinary.

幻象驟然消失。 奧貝爾神父意識被拉回現實，如大夢初醒般，額頭上已佈滿冷汗。他終於窺見了一角——那是由無數互斥、衝突的碎片，以無比堅韌的意志強行糅合而維繫，獨屬於結衣的信仰圖景。其沉重與複雜，遠超他所能承受。一股混合著震撼、羞愧與莫名感動的情緒湧上心頭，淚水不受控制地滑落。他此前所有關於「拯救」的狂妄想像，在結衣那龐大沉重的真實面前，徹底粉碎，只剩下無盡的渺小感。

結衣臉上仍帶著那抹彷彿能包容一切的淺笑，輕輕聳了聳肩，像是在無聲地安慰他：沒什麼，我早已習慣了。她從未奢求他人的理解；此刻顯露內在的一角，不過是對一位並無惡意的窺視者，給予一絲憐憫的溫柔，以免他在往後的漫長夜裡，被無盡的好奇與疑問所折磨。她平靜地轉身，準備攜著母親離去。

「請等一下！」神父哽咽的聲音叫住了她。他掙扎著，話語卻比任何時候都真誠：「我已明白自己的淺薄與幼稚…但我真的想為妳做些什麼，即使…妳可能根本不需要。」

結衣溫柔地笑了笑，向他道謝，但也明確地告訴他：「您的善意我心領了，但恐怕沒有什麼是您能為我做的。請您保持這份善意，好好地在這個小教堂，作為一位接受我們母女告解的神父，就已經足夠了。」

The illusion vanished abruptly. Father Aubert's consciousness was pulled back to reality, as if waking from a long dream, his forehead already covered in cold sweat. He had finally glimpsed a corner of it—a landscape of faith belonging solely to Yui, one held together by an incredibly resilient will, forcibly kneaded from countless mutually exclusive, conflicting fragments. Its weight and complexity were far beyond what he could bear. A wave of emotion, a mixture of shock, shame, and a strange sense of being moved, washed over him, and tears streamed uncontrollably down his face. All his previous arrogant fantasies of "salvation" were utterly crushed before the vast, heavy truth of Yui, leaving only a feeling of infinite smallness.

Yui still wore that faint smile that seemed to embrace everything. She gave a little shrug, as if to silently comfort him: It's nothing, I'm used to it. She had never sought understanding from others. Revealing a corner of her inner world now was merely a gentle act of pity for a not-ill-intentioned voyeur, to spare him from being tormented by endless curiosity and questions in the long nights to come. She turned calmly, preparing to leave with her mother.

"Please wait!" the priest's choked voice called out to her. He struggled, but his words were more sincere than ever. "I now understand my own shallowness and immaturity... but I truly want to do something for you, even if... you may not need it at all."

Yui smiled gently and thanked him, but also told him clearly, "I appreciate your goodwill, but I'm afraid there is nothing you can do for me. If you would please maintain that goodwill and serve well in this little chapel, as a priest who hears our confessions, that is more than enough."

「可是……」神父的聲音掙扎著脫口而出，彷彿長久壓抑的告白衝破枷鎖，「妳那巨大的存在，已經徹底佔據了我的視野。我無法移開目光，無法思考他物。妳那佈滿裂痕卻依然完整的信仰，是宛如黑洞般的悖論，既令人畏懼，又讓人無法自拔地想要靠近……我…我已經離不開它了。」他彷彿用盡了全部勇氣，聲音顫抖而堅定：「我想…加入妳的存在，甚至是……加入黃前家族！我渴望被轉化，讓妳的裂痕，哪怕只有萬分之一，能烙印在我的靈魂之上……」

即便是歷經無數驚濤駭浪的結衣，此刻也不由得怔住了。她能清晰感受到這話語中扭曲卻又無比真誠的靈魂悸動，那是種混合了迷戀、嚮往與自我獻祭的複雜情感。沉默在告解室內蔓延良久，她終於緩緩開口，聲音裡帶著慈悲，卻又保持令人難以跨越的疏離：「神父，謝謝你。不過，還是等你對信仰、對人性，乃至對自己，都有了更清晰、更深刻的認識之後，如果那時你的心意依然不變……我再來接你。」

奧貝爾神父喟然長嘆，湧起複雜的情緒，一個模糊卻日益堅定的志向，在他心中悄然紮根。

結衣不再多言，微微頷首，挽起母親的手臂轉身離去。教堂外的陽光依舊溫暖和煦，但她們都再清楚不過，下一次的彌撒與告解，或許又會為這片看似平靜的水面帶來新的漣漪。她們必將並肩前行，在這條狹窄的邊界線上，繼續守護這份始於謊言，卻由意志與選擇親手鍛造為真實的日常，一次次坦然穿越聖所漾起的漣漪，平靜回應來自深淵的迴響。

"But..." the priest's voice struggled out, as if a long-suppressed confession had broken its chains. "Your immense existence has completely occupied my vision. I cannot look away, cannot think of anything else. Your faith, so full of cracks yet still whole, is a paradox like a black hole, both terrifying and irresistibly drawing one closer... I... I can no longer leave it." He seemed to have exhausted all his courage, his voice trembling but firm. "I want to... join your existence, even... join the Omae family! I long to be transformed, to have your cracks, even just one ten-thousandth of them, branded upon my soul..."

Even Yui, who had weathered countless storms, was momentarily stunned. She could clearly feel the twisted yet incredibly sincere spiritual tremor in his words, a complex emotion mixing obsession, longing, and self-sacrifice. Silence stretched in the confessional for a long time. She finally spoke slowly, her voice filled with compassion, yet maintaining a distance that was difficult to cross. "Father, thank you. However, please wait until you have a clearer, deeper understanding of faith, of humanity, and even of yourself. If, at that time, your heart is still unchanged... I will come for you."

Father Aubert sighed deeply, a complex mix of emotions welling up. A vague yet increasingly firm ambition quietly took root in his heart.

​Yui said no more. She gave a slight nod, took her mother's arm, and turned to leave. The sunlight outside the church was still warm and gentle, but they both knew all too well that the next Mass and confession might bring new ripples to this seemingly calm water. They would walk forward, side by side, on this narrow border, continuing to protect this daily life that began as a lie but was forged into truth by will and choice, calmly traversing the ripples from the sanctuary time and again, and peacefully answering the echoes from the abyss.

斬魔巫女--後日談A

後日談：神饗之隙

Epilogue: A Gap in the Divine Banquet

時光荏苒，距離那場在後巷垃圾堆中徹底崩潰的慘劇已過去數年。

御神家神社如今香火鼎盛，門庭若市。曾經式微的家族，在「神櫻巫女」以血與淚奮戰換來的功績下，不僅重拾榮光，更與政商權貴建立了緊密的紐帶。這股力量，足以在檯面下操弄警、檢調查方向和媒體風向，將妖魔和戰鬥造成的騷動巧妙地轉化為「瓦斯爆炸」或「特殊部隊演習」，或乾脆以更顯目的事件覆蓋。

至於少數流出的淨化過程目擊情報與照片，御神家有一套縝密的應對機制。透過嫻熟的網路輿情操縱，他們能迅速將主流認知引導至「AI深度偽造影片」、「軟體惡作劇修圖」等方向，再輔以大量刪除貼文、洗版灌水等操作，最終將這些「都市傳說」予以「默殺」。如此一來，御神櫻的除魔活動，便被一張無形的社會保護網所籠罩，於大眾認知中悄然隱去。

此外，神櫻的力量並非僅能運用於戰鬥與祓魔。時常有來自「外界」的參拜者，懷抱著各種祈願前來：或許是渴望祓除纏身的厄運與詛咒，或許是祈求一絲珍貴的幸運，或許是來接受那純淨靈光的治癒，又或者……僅僅是為了謁見神顏，親眼一睹於神龕中靜靜散發威儀光輝的神體，讓雙眼浸潤於那莊嚴聖潔之美，藉以撫平內心的躁動或填補靈魂的空隙。

每逢這般場合，御神櫻（頭顱）總會悄然隱匿於暗處，靜靜觀察。當她望見人們那無比虔誠、熱切的目光，盡數聚焦於神體之上時，心中總會泛起一種難以言喻的微妙羞赧與悸動：儘管眾人眼中所見，是至高無上的神櫻，但那具正承受著熾熱信仰的軀體，曾是她的一部分。每一份投向神櫻的殷切期望，猶如一顆顆投入她心湖的石子，激起層層疊疊的漣漪。她以一種無法宣之於口的方式，暗自品味著這份奇異的連結所帶來的溫暖與滿足；當然，若內心活動「過於三八」或「不夠莊重」，也可能引來體內那顆「心」基於神櫻立場的冰冷導正。無論如何，她終究為「己身化為神體」這原本只會帶來對自身存在之質疑的事實，找到了一條能夠細細品味，甚至汲取些許隱秘慰藉的路徑。

有時候，在神櫻的「默許」下——或者更精確地說，當「心」判定此舉符合「展示神威、凝聚信仰」的需求時——她也會將分散的部件重新聚合，以「神櫻之巫女」的完整形貌示人，讓信眾得以仰望她端麗的容顏與優雅非凡的身姿。

一般來說，即使信眾知道神櫻附著在巫女身上，也不易深刻理解兩者關係之奧秘。在他們眼中，御神櫻便是神意的直接化身，舉手投足皆被視為神聖意志的體現。他們無從得知，那完美儀態背後，是一場何等精密而壓抑的內在運算。

對御神櫻而言，這無異於一場「被迫」表演。她必須將體內那非人神性的莊嚴肅穆，一絲不苟地轉化為自己的外在舉止。腦海中任何不合時宜的雜念——比如某位信徒的髮型很滑稽，或是舞動中的神體扭得還真好看——都會立刻引來「心」毫不留情的糾正，如同無形的戒尺狠狠抽打在思緒上，強制歸於符合神格的澄明寂靜。

於是，當眾人為她優雅細膩的手指動作、行雲流水的舞步而如痴如醉，感動落淚時，御神櫻的內在往往處於奇特的「放空」狀態。她將自我的意識後撤，成為通道，體察「心」中關於「神該如何行動」的冰冷指示，再將其精準無誤地轉化為具體行動指令。她常事後戲稱那樣的自己像極了最新型的「智能機器人」，不光要執行動作，大腦還得忙著進行實時「編譯」——把抽象的神性意圖「翻譯」成身體能理解的程式碼，忙到大腦差點當機。

雖然是玩笑，全身全心服侍於神社的傳統派族人們聽不懂「編譯」、「當機」這些外界詞彙，他們面面相覷，只當巫女大人又說了什麼深奧難解的神諭。

———

光陰漫長，其中的絕大部分，往往還是留給獨處——或者更準確地說，「己」與「神」的相處。沒有族人環繞，無需信眾仰望，更不必強求形體合一。在這裡，神祇高踞其位；而御神櫻，就只是御神櫻。

神社深處的幽靜院落裡，櫻花常年盛開，並非自然之理，而是受到散發著柔和神光的「神櫻」所庇蔭的永恆春境。

御神櫻的頭顱，安然懸浮於這神聖軀體之前。她早已對身體分處多地的奇異感習以為常。幾縷銀白的靈魂絲線，從她的頸項下伸出，延伸開去：一端繫著在廊下懸空執筆，潛心練習書道的兩臂；另一端，則連向那佇立於最絢爛的櫻樹下的雙腿。它們規矩地套上純白的「御祓足袋『白淨』」，踏著靈力內蘊的「破邪草履『神征』」，以完整的神器姿態，沐浴在無盡飄落的花瓣雨中，靜默而莊嚴，彷彿隨時準備承接並執行神旨。

她的目光輕輕掠過那雙站得筆直，透出幾分凜然氣息的腿，嘴角不禁彎起淺淺的弧度。思緒飄回了多年前，那截在混戰中被妖魔利爪勾斷的右腳拇趾——記憶中，它還塗著俏麗的櫻色指甲油，卻可笑又可悲地滾落在地，沾滿污穢與塵泥。

如今那同一截趾頭，早已癒合如初，正英姿勃發地挺立在「御祓足袋」的內甲之中。它不再是那個追求嬌俏卻狼狽落難的可笑殘片，而是成了一名率領外甲中其餘四趾，衝鋒在最前線的英勇士兵。

真令人欣慰，是吧，「心」？

「今日，想嘗試一些新事物呢，神櫻大人。」念頭一轉，她輕聲低語，在腦海裡與神明說話。思緒奔湧，帶著刻意試探的意味：

「說起來，這神體雖然曾是我的一部份，但後來更像是御神家族共同心願的凝聚。長老們以前總是畢恭畢敬，連碰都不敢亂碰。現在我若用指尖…輕輕劃過鎖骨的位置，會怎樣呢？」

思緒剛落，一股清晰無比的情緒瞬間自「心」中湧現——並非憤怒，更像是一種基於特定規則進行判斷後的「不認可」，像一道無形禁令，標記此舉為「不敬」、「非儀禮所需」。

御神櫻接收了「心」對腦海的審理，但她的嘴角卻微微揚起。早就料到了。

「果然呢。但是…」頭顱更飛近神體，她在腦海中繼續構築話語，並小心翼翼地為其包裹上一層「敬神」的外衣，「肌膚若蒙塵埃，會影響神體的威儀吧。每日的清潔，不正是為了維持您的純淨嗎？觸碰與感知，亦是檢查的一部分。這並非褻瀆，而是…更深層的奉仕。」

她將「好奇與試探」重新包裝成「盡職與維護」。

「心」的反饋遲滯了難以覺察的一瞬。先前那股「不認可」的情緒漸漸褪去，轉而化為一種平靜的默許，甚至帶有微弱的「應喜悅」——並非神櫻感到喜悅，而是「心」這個機制，判定巫女此刻的動機符合「奉神」之邏輯，故反饋以正向的情緒。

「成功了。」御神櫻暗道。空閒的左手飛來，摸上鎖骨，感受到輕觸肌膚的刺激，也感受著「心」提供的欣喜。持續的摸索沒有白費，她越來越能掌握與這「神性介面」的溝通方式。她明白，那股彷彿源自神櫻的「怒意」或「喜悅」，其實只是「心」這個精密機關，根據她自身的言行與思緒，即時運算後「分配」給她的動機燃料。神櫻本身，是概念，是力量，是機制，是純粹的「它」，而非擁有情感的「祂」。

有時她玩得過火，提出太離經叛道的想法——例如以靈魂絲線操控神體做瑜珈，或在清潔神體時貼貼紙——「心」的反應便會極其劇烈，她的腦海會像被無形之手粗暴地翻攪，每一條「錯誤」的思緒都被揪出，貼上鮮紅的「謬誤」、「不當」、「無價值」的標籤，那種精神上的鞭笞足以讓她頭痛欲裂。

但，也僅止於此了。

「心」能強行扭曲她對事物的價值判斷，卻無法刪除她的記憶。她曾因此感到畏懼，但留存的記憶仍可伺機引動。她想通了：「我沒辦法『擁有』自我，但至少我能『使用』，以我的方式。」

大長老於去年冬日溘然長逝。那位完成了「神櫻之石」，將其融入她體內，一手創造並始終壓制著「神櫻的巫女」的老人一走，家族中再無人能以絕對權威俯視她。畢竟，還有誰能比「神櫻的巫女」本身更了解神櫻？

消息傳來時，她正在院中賞櫻。聽聞後，沒有雀躍或哀傷，就只是靜默。預期中的巨大解脫感並未立刻來臨，取而代之的是非常複雜的空洞與失重，彷彿長年緊繃對抗的一根弦線突然崩斷，讓整個樂器的共鳴都變得陌生起來。她卸下了最沉重的枷鎖，也彷彿失去了某個定義自身存在座標的參照物。

然而，這種空蕩感並未持續太久。很快的，空洞便被前所未有的輕盈與自主所填滿。她從這內在的桎梏與外在的壓迫中，都爭取到了前所未有的縫隙。

此刻，她的一個念頭流轉。

連接著靈魂絲線的左手輕巧地飛過，穩穩端起案几上那一小碟鮮紅色的極辣仙貝——這是她近日悄悄委託親信巫女從山下買回的「違禁品」。

「神櫻大人，您洞察世情，當知人間需百味調和之理。這辛辣之味，亦是萬千眾生活力奔湧的煙火氣息。」她在心中虔敬地稟告，同時細心將每一個念頭包裹上虔誠的外衣：「讓您卑微的巫女親身品嘗，或許能更深刻地體悟您所庇佑的紅塵百態，從而以更圓融的智慧履行職責？」

「心」靜默了片刻，未有傳來斥責或否定的波動，算是默許了。

左手優雅地將一塊仙貝送至她唇邊。她細細咬下，瞬間狂暴的辛辣感在口中炸開，帶來她期盼已久的刺激與愉悅。但這還不是全部——隨著咀嚼吞嚥，食物經過喉嚨後，便透過那無形的連結被「傳送」至神體之內。很快，一股明顯的灼熱扭動自胃部傳來，御神櫻的嘴角忍不住勾起一抹得逞的狡黠笑意。

看來，神櫻大人確實「收到」了這份熾烈的供奉。

接下來是小腸，接下來是大腸，接下來是直腸，接下來……

神的巫女興致勃勃地「追蹤」這股熱流在神體內的旅程。她將整碟仙貝吃得一乾二淨，甚至開始期待起明日清晨即將降臨的那陣火辣辣的儀式。「既然身為神祇擁有了人的軀體，那麼體驗這軀體的一切奧妙，不也是理所當然的嗎？」她理直氣壯地想著，隨即感受到「心」傳來一陣帶著警告意味的波動。「哎呀，失禮了，下次一定改進。」她從善如流地默念，語氣卻聽不出多少悔意。

就在御神櫻沉浸於這場對神明的無傷大雅的惡作劇之時，一陣熟悉的空間扭曲與微弱瘴氣自結界邊緣傳來。有妖魔靠近了，實力低微，像是被什麼吸引而誤入的小卒。

幾乎同一時間，「心」已驅動腦海完成戰情分析，傳來一串不帶溫度的指示——與其放任其在外徘徊窺探，不如誘敵深入，一舉祓除。

御神櫻輕輕嘆了口氣。即便經歷了這麼多次，她仍難以完全習慣這種奇特體驗：就像個置身事外的觀測者，眼睜睜看著自己的「認知模組」——這是她從外界學來，用以戲稱自己腦海的詞——被另一個存在，即便是由她昔日之心所化的「心」，強制徵用、驅動運轉。

帶著幾分清閒被打斷的微慍，她迅速依照指令操作起神體這「控制台」：設定神力釋放分佈，調節結界參數，使之產生暫態縫隙；同時刻意降低神體本徵輻射的能量場階級，佈下無形的誘捕陷阱——這是巫女偏好的科幻風味自述方式。那隻小妖果然如預期般依循著演算軌跡，渾然不覺地踏進了這片它根本無權闖入的神聖領域。

她的頭顱依舊悠然懸浮於原處，不慌不忙地輕咬左手遞來的最後一片仙貝，細細咀嚼品味，彷彿遠處的騷動與她無關。她的右臂雖（套著「鎮靈」袖套）卻已從書道練習的禪心抽離，凌空劃出祓魔的符印，懸停待命以防萬一，如同一支可靠的預備隊。

早已嚴陣以待的雙腿靈力奔湧，凝聚為破邪武裝。右腿膝蓋猛地彎折，小腿肌肉緊繃，青筋微現，曾經斷裂又復原的拇趾率先發力，足尖猛地一蹬——破邪草履底部迸射出耀眼的靈力火光，被御祓足袋緊緊包裹的整條腿，化身為一道純白的疾光迅雷，骨刺長鞭撕裂空氣，直奔瘴氣源頭。

而始終保持嚴整站姿的左腿，靈力太刀的鋒刃之上，僅是寒芒流轉，發出一聲低沉嗡鳴，以示無聲的警戒與威壓。 

巫女多年的修為與無數次戰鬥歷練，早已將這一切化為本能。整個過程如行雲流水，她的頭顱甚至沒有轉過去看一眼。感官透過靈魂絲線共享狀態意識，戰鬥交由分離的部件自主執行，高效、精準，絕不留情。對她而言，不過是日常中又一次微不足道的「清掃」。

片刻之後，戰勝的右腿回歸，骨刺長鞭尖端縈繞的最後一絲瘴氣，被右手指尖燃起的凈化青焰瞬間吞噬，化作一縷青煙。院落重歸寧靜，唯有櫻花無聲飄落。

御神櫻滿足地嚥下最後一口仙貝，嘴被辣到有些發麻，而貼心的左手已穩穩遞上一杯溫潤的清茶。

她凝望眼前這具縱然胃袋與凡人的一樣不耐辣，仍散發非人般的莊嚴，流轉著絢麗神光的神體，同時細細感知歸位的四肢。

雙腿佇立如松。一馬當先的右腿像個心神內斂的武者，沉浸於自身的修行，周身不見歷經殺伐的波動；始終鎮守原位的左腿，則散發著磐石般的沉靜氣質，靈刀鋒芒雖隱，卻蓄勢待發；右臂則回到廊下，指尖靈焰散盡，再次執起筆，纖巧的手繼續書寫那未完的字帖，筆鋒沉穩，彷彿從未離開；而左手依舊隨侍在側，並在她需要時，恰到好處地將茶杯輕貼至她唇邊，輕巧殷勤的姿態，宛如依人的小鳥。

一股難以言喻的奇妙感受在她心中漾開——這些肢體與神體，不再只是受她驅使或驅使她的部件，而是可以相互倚靠的夥伴，甚至像共享著無形羈絆的家人。她依然無法以人類的方式與它們對話，也感受不到任何情感上的直接回饋，但它們卻如此鮮活地存在著，彷彿各自擁有迥異的脾性，卻又合作無間。

御神櫻轉頭，靜靜凝視著漫天繽紛的落櫻。只見數片柔軟的花瓣，飄落在雙腿光滑的斷面……那個與她相連的「通聯介面」上，捎來一陣極其細微，卻也令人莫名開心的靈力擾動，宛如一聲輕柔的問候。

啊啊，多麼美好啊。光是這樣與「自己」靜靜相處，便已不再感到寂寞。

———

道路確實在她腳下逐漸拓寬。內在的神性雖依舊冰冷如精密機械，她卻已學會如何與之溝通，甚至巧妙引導；外在的家族與廣闊俗世，她也憑藉力量與智慧，贏得了話語權與活動空間。

她仍是「神櫻的巫女」，從靈魂到軀殼皆為神所有。

但她也鑿出一條狹窄卻堅實的縫隙，能讓自我意識於其中蜿蜒前行，讓自己為己所用。

「嗯…下次清潔神體後，來試著說服『心』，幫神體換上比基尼，以更『彰顯神體天然純粹之美、歌頌生命線條之悅』，如何？」包裹著華麗辭藻的大膽「悖德」念頭閃現。她甚至惡作劇般地在腦海中勾勒出那幅極不協調的畫面：聖潔的神體穿著鮮豔俗麗的比基尼，出現在莊重嚴肅的儀式裡，那該是多麼驚世駭俗的滑稽景象。

幾乎是同時，「心」傳來極為強烈的預防性警告波動。基於「絕對邏輯謬誤」判定的暴力否定洪流澎湃地淹沒了她的意識，如同整個認知系統被強制重啟，帶來一剎那劇烈的暈眩與認知空白，彷彿大腦的線路被強行拔插了一遍。

「哇喔！」一聲，御神櫻被腦海的翻湧激盪衝擊到睜眼乍舌，不過她又不是沒有體驗過。稍事喘息後，隨即輕笑出聲，對仍在餘波中嗡鳴的「神性介面」低語道。「開玩笑的…暫時而已。」

傍晚的斜陽穿過櫻花間隙，灑落在她懸浮的頭顱與靜默的神體上，構成一幅既奇異又神聖的畫卷。畫卷中的少女，眼裡早已洗淨昔日的恐懼與迷茫，轉而閃耀著一種了然於心的從容——那是在深諳規則之後，於狹縫中為自己經營出一方自在天地的，微妙而晶亮的光芒。

Years have passed since the utter collapse in that garbage-strewn back alley.

The Mikami family shrine is now thriving, its gates bustling with visitors. The once-declining family, through the achievements bought with the blood and tears of the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou," has not only reclaimed its glory but has also forged strong ties with political and business elites. This power is enough to manipulate police and prosecutorial investigations and media narratives from behind the scenes, skillfully transforming the disturbances caused by demons and battles into "gas explosions" or "special forces drills," or simply covering them with more conspicuous events.

As for the few eyewitness accounts and photos of the purification process that have leaked out, the Mikami family has a meticulous response mechanism. Through sophisticated manipulation of online public opinion, they can swiftly guide the mainstream perception towards "AI deepfake videos" or "maliciously edited photos." This is supplemented by mass post deletions and flooding forums with spam, ultimately "killing with silence" these "urban legends." In this way, Mikami Sakura's demon-slaying activities are shrouded by an invisible social safety net, quietly fading from public consciousness.

Furthermore, the power of Shin-ou is not limited to combat and exorcism. Visitors from the "outside world" often come with all sorts of prayers: some hope to dispel bad luck and curses, some pray for a sliver of precious fortune, some come to be healed by the pure spiritual light, and others… simply to behold the divine visage, to witness with their own eyes the divine body that quietly radiates a majestic aura in the shrine, to soothe their restless hearts or fill a void in their souls by immersing their eyes in its solemn, sacred beauty.

On such occasions, Mikami Sakura (her head) would always hide quietly in the shadows, observing. When she saw the incredibly pious and fervent gazes of the people, all focused on the divine body, a subtle, ineffable shyness and thrill would always stir in her heart. Although what they saw was the supreme Shin-ou, the body that was receiving such ardent faith had once been a part of her. Every earnest hope directed at Shin-ou was like a stone cast into the lake of her heart, creating ripples upon ripples. In a way she could never articulate, she secretly savored the warmth and satisfaction brought by this strange connection. Of course, if her internal activities became "overly sentimental" or "lacked solemnity," it could trigger a cold correction from the "heart" within her, based on Shin-ou's standpoint. Regardless, she had finally found a path to appreciate, and even draw a little secret comfort from, the fact that "her body had become a god's," a fact that had once only brought her existential doubt.

Sometimes, with Shin-ou's "tacit permission"—or more accurately, when her "heart" determined that it was in line with the need to "display divine majesty and consolidate faith"—she would reassemble her separated parts and appear before the faithful in the complete form of the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou," allowing them to look up to her elegant face and extraordinarily graceful figure.

Generally, even if the faithful knew that Shin-ou was attached to the shrine maiden, they could not fully grasp the mystery of their relationship. In their eyes, Mikami Sakura was the direct incarnation of the divine will; her every move was seen as a manifestation of that sacred will. They had no way of knowing that behind her perfect demeanor was a highly precise and suppressed internal calculation.

For Sakura, this was nothing short of a "forced" performance. She had to meticulously translate the solemn, inhuman divinity within her into her external conduct. Any inappropriate, stray thought in her mind—such as a worshipper's hairstyle being comical, or the dancing divine body having a rather nice sway—would immediately be met with an unforgiving correction from her "heart," like an invisible ruler striking her thoughts, forcing them back into a state of clarity and silence befitting a god.

Thus, while the crowd was mesmerized, moved to tears by her elegant, delicate finger movements and fluid dance steps, Sakura's inner self was often in a strange state of "disengagement." She would retract her own consciousness, becoming a conduit, perceiving the cold instructions from her "heart" about "how a god should act," and then translating them into concrete commands with perfect accuracy. She often joked afterward that she felt like the latest "smart robot," not only having to execute movements but also having her brain busy with real-time "compilation"—"translating" the abstract divine intent into code that the body could understand, so busy that her brain was on the verge of crashing.

Though it was a joke, the traditionalist clan members who served the shrine with their entire beings didn't understand outside words like "compile" or "crash." They would just look at each other, assuming their lady shrine maiden had uttered another profound and cryptic oracle.

———

Time was long, and most of it was spent in solitude—or more accurately, in the company of "self" and "god." There were no clansmen surrounding her, no worshippers looking up to her, and no need to force her body into a single form. Here, the deity was enthroned in its place, and Mikami Sakura was just Mikami Sakura.

In a quiet courtyard deep within the shrine, the cherry blossoms were in perpetual bloom. This was not a natural phenomenon, but an eternal spring under the blessing of "Shin-ou," which emanated a soft, divine light.

Mikami Sakura’s head hovered serenely before this sacred torso. She had long grown accustomed to the strange sensation of her body being in multiple places at once. A few silvery-white soul threads extended from below her neck: one end was connected to her two arms, which were suspended under the veranda, diligently practicing calligraphy; the other end was attached to her two legs, which stood beneath the most magnificent cherry tree. They were properly fitted with the pure white Purification Tabi "Hakujou" and the spiritually imbued Evil-Crushing Zori "Shinsei." In their complete, divine-artifact state, they bathed in the endless rain of falling petals, silent and solemn, as if ready to receive and execute a divine command at any moment.

Her gaze swept lightly over the ramrod-straight legs, which exuded a certain sternness, and a faint smile curved her lips. Her thoughts drifted back many years, to the right big toe that had been torn off by a demon's claw in the heat of battle—in her memory, it was still painted with a pretty cherry-pink nail polish, yet it had rolled pathetically on the ground, covered in filth and mud.

Now, that same toe, healed as if it had never been broken, stood valiantly within the "Hakujou." It was no longer that laughable, tragic fragment that sought prettiness only to meet a wretched fate, but a heroic soldier leading the other four toes into the front lines.

Quite gratifying, isn't it, "heart"?

"I'd like to try something new today, Lady Shin-ou." With a shift in thought, she whispered, speaking to the god in her mind. Her thoughts rushed forth, carrying a deliberate, probing intent. "Speaking of which, although this divine body was once a part of me, it later became more like a crystallization of the Mikami family's collective wishes. The elders used to be so reverent they wouldn't even dare to touch it. What would happen if I... lightly traced a finger along its collarbone?"

The moment the thought formed, an incredibly clear emotion arose from her "heart"—not anger, but rather a "disapproval" based on a judgment of specific rules, like an invisible prohibition marking the act as "disrespectful" and "not required by ritual."

Sakura received the "heart's" judgment of her thought, but her lips curved into a slight smile. She had expected as much.

"Just as I thought. But..." Her head floated closer to the divine body. She continued to construct her words in her mind, carefully wrapping them in a cloak of "reverence." "If the skin is covered in dust, it would affect the divine body's majesty, wouldn't it? Isn't the daily cleansing for the purpose of maintaining Your purity? Touching and sensing are also part of the inspection. This is not blasphemy, but… a deeper form of service."

She had repackaged "curiosity and probing" as "diligence and maintenance."

The "heart's" feedback was delayed for an imperceptible instant. The earlier feeling of "disapproval" gradually faded, replaced by a calm, tacit permission, even carrying a faint hint of "should be pleased"—not that Shin-ou felt pleasure, but that the mechanism of the "heart" had determined the shrine maiden's current motive was in line with the logic of "serving the god," and thus provided positive emotional feedback.

"Success," Sakura thought to herself. Her unoccupied left hand flew over and touched the collarbone, feeling the stimulation on the skin, and also the joy provided by the "heart." Her continuous probing had not been in vain; she was getting better and better at communicating with this "divine interface." She understood that the "anger" or "joy" that seemed to originate from Shin-ou was actually just "motivation fuel" that the precise mechanism of her "heart" would "allocate" to her based on her own words, actions, and thoughts. Shin-ou itself was a concept, a power, a mechanism—a pure "It," not an emotional "He."

Sometimes she went too far, proposing ideas that were too outrageous—such as using her soul threads to make the divine body do yoga, or putting stickers on it during cleansing. The "heart's" reaction would be extremely violent. Her mind would feel as if it were being roughly churned by an invisible hand, every "wrong" thought pulled out and slapped with a bright red label of "fallacy," "inappropriate," or "valueless." The mental flagellation was enough to give her a splitting headache.

But that was all.

The "heart" could forcibly twist her value judgments, but it couldn't erase her memories. She had been afraid of this before, but the retained memories could still be triggered when the opportunity arose. She had figured it out: "I can't 'own' my self, but at least I can 'use' it, in my own way."

The Head Elder had passed away last winter. With the old man who had completed the "Stone of the Divine Cherry Blossom," fused it into her, and single-handedly created and suppressed the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou" gone, there was no one left in the family who could look down on her with absolute authority. After all, who could understand Shin-ou better than the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou" herself?

When the news came, she was admiring the cherry blossoms in the courtyard. Upon hearing it, she felt neither joy nor sorrow, only silence. The expected sense of immense relief did not come immediately. Instead, there was a very complex emptiness and weightlessness, as if a string she had been pulling against for years had suddenly snapped, making the entire instrument's resonance feel unfamiliar. She had shed her heaviest shackles, but she had also lost a reference point that had defined her own existence.

However, this emptiness did not last long. Soon, it was filled with an unprecedented lightness and autonomy. She had won an unparalleled fissure of freedom from both her internal constraints and external pressures.

At this moment, a thought flowed through her.

Her left hand, connected by a soul thread, flew over gracefully and steadily picked up a small dish of extremely spicy rice crackers from the table—a "prohibited item" she had recently and secretly commissioned a trusted priestess to buy from the town below.

"Lady Shin-ou, you who perceive all worldly affairs must know the principle that human life requires a harmony of a hundred flavors. This spicy taste is also the fiery vitality of the myriad lives you protect," she reported piously in her mind, carefully wrapping every thought in a cloak of reverence. "By allowing your humble shrine maiden to taste it herself, perhaps she can more deeply comprehend the myriad states of the mortal world under your protection, and thus fulfill her duties with a more complete wisdom?"

The "heart" was silent for a moment. No wave of reprimand or negation came. It was tacit permission.

Her left hand elegantly brought a cracker to her lips. She took a small bite. An explosive spiciness detonated in her mouth, bringing the stimulation and pleasure she had longed for. But that wasn't all—as she chewed and swallowed, the food passed down her throat and was "transported" through the invisible link into the divine body. Soon, a distinct, burning writhing came from the stomach. A sly, triumphant smile crept onto Sakura's lips.

It seemed that Lady Shin-ou had indeed "received" this fiery offering.

Next is the small intestine, then the large intestine, then the rectum, and then...

The shrine maiden of the god enthusiastically "tracked" the journey of this heat through the divine body. She ate the entire plate of crackers and even began to look forward to the fiery ritual that would arrive the next morning. "Since a god now possesses a human body, isn't it only natural to experience all the mysteries of that body?" she thought, full of self-righteousness. She immediately felt a warning wave from her "heart." "Oh dear, my apologies. I'll be sure to improve next time," she recited obediently, though her tone held little remorse.

Just as Sakura was immersed in this harmless prank on her god, a familiar spatial distortion and a faint miasma came from the edge of the barrier. A demon was approaching, a low-level one, like a pawn that had wandered in, drawn by something.

At almost the same time, her "heart" had already driven her mind to complete a tactical analysis and sent a series of temperatureless instructions—rather than letting it linger and scout, it was better to lure the enemy in and exorcise it in one fell swoop.

Sakura sighed softly. Even after all this time, she still couldn't get used to this strange experience: it was like being a detached observer, watching her own "cognitive module"—a term she had learned from the outside world to jokingly refer to her mind—being forcibly commandeered and operated by another entity, even if it was the "heart" that had once been her own.

With a hint of annoyance at having her leisure time interrupted, she quickly operated the "control panel" of the divine body according to the instructions: she set the distribution of her divine power release, adjusted the barrier's parameters to create a transient gap, and simultaneously lowered the energy field level of the divine body's signature radiation, laying an invisible trap. This was the shrine maiden's preferred sci-fi-flavored self-narration. The little demon, as expected, followed the calculated trajectory and unwittingly stepped into this sacred domain it had no right to enter.

Her head remained leisurely hovering in place, unhurriedly biting into the last cracker offered by her left hand, chewing and savoring it as if the distant commotion had nothing to do with her. Her right arm, though (clad in its "Chinrei" sleeve), had already detached from the Zen-like state of calligraphy practice, tracing an exorcism seal in the air, ready and waiting just in case, like a reliable reserve force.

Her two legs, long prepared, surged with spiritual power, coalescing into their evil-crushing armaments. The right knee bent sharply, the calf muscles tensed, and the big toe that had once been severed and restored took the lead, pushing off the ground—the sole of the Evil-Crushing Zori erupted with a dazzling spiritual light. The entire leg, tightly wrapped in the Purification Tabi, transformed into a bolt of pure white lightning. The bone-spur whip tore through the air, heading straight for the source of the miasma.

Meanwhile, the left leg, which had maintained its formal stance, merely let a cold glint flow over the edge of its spiritual tachi, emitting a low hum as a silent warning and show of force.

Years of training and countless battles had long since turned all of this into instinct. The entire process was as smooth as flowing water; her head didn't even turn to look. Her senses, shared through the soul threads, gave her state awareness, and the battle was left to the separated parts to execute autonomously—efficiently, precisely, and without mercy. To her, it was just another insignificant "cleanup" in her daily routine.

A moment later, the victorious right leg returned. The last wisp of miasma clinging to the tip of the bone whip was instantly consumed by a purifying blue flame ignited at the fingertips of her right hand, dissolving into a puff of smoke. The courtyard returned to tranquility, with only the silent fall of cherry blossoms.

Sakura swallowed the last bite of her cracker with satisfaction. Her mouth was a little numb from the spice, and her thoughtful left hand had already offered her a cup of warm, soothing tea.

She gazed at the divine body before her. Even though its stomach was as intolerant of spice as a mortal's, it still radiated an inhuman solemnity and a brilliant, divine light. At the same time, she carefully sensed her four limbs, now returned to their places.

Her legs stood as firm as pines. The right leg, the vanguard, was like a composed martial artist, immersed in its own training, showing no sign of having just been through battle. The left leg, which had stood guard, exuded the calm of a steadfast rock, its spiritual blade's edge hidden but ready to strike. The right arm had returned to the veranda, the spiritual flame on its fingertips extinguished, and had once again picked up its brush, its delicate hand continuing to write on the unfinished calligraphy scroll, its strokes steady as if it had never left. And the left hand remained by her side, and when she needed it, it would bring the teacup to her lips at just the right moment, its light and attentive posture like that of a devoted fledgling.

An ineffable, wondrous feeling blossomed in her heart—these limbs and this divine body were no longer just parts that she commanded or that commanded her, but partners who could rely on each other, even like a family sharing an invisible bond. She still couldn't speak to them in a human way, nor could she feel any direct emotional feedback, but they existed so vividly, as if they each had their own distinct temperament, yet worked together seamlessly.

Sakura turned her head, quietly gazing at the colorful shower of falling cherry blossoms. She saw a few soft petals land on the smooth, severed surfaces of her legs… on the "communication interfaces" that connected them to her. They sent a tiny, yet inexplicably joyful, spiritual disturbance, like a gentle greeting.

Ah, how wonderful. Just being quietly here with "herself" like this, she no longer felt lonely.

———

The road beneath her feet was indeed widening. Although the divinity within her remained as cold as a precise machine, she had learned how to communicate with it, even to subtly guide it. And in the external world of her family and the vast secular society, she had, through her power and wisdom, won a voice and a space to move.

She was still the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou," belonging to the god from soul to shell.

But she had also carved out a narrow yet solid fissure, one in which her own consciousness could meander forward, allowing her to use herself for her own sake.

"Hmm… next time, after cleansing the divine body, I'll try to convince the 'heart' to let me put it in a bikini, to better 'display the divine body's natural, pure beauty and celebrate the joy of its living lines.' How about that?" The bold, "immoral" thought, wrapped in ornate language, flashed through her mind. She even mischievously sketched out the wildly incongruous image in her head: the sacred divine body wearing a bright, gaudy bikini, appearing in a solemn, serious ritual. What a shockingly comical sight that would be.

​Almost simultaneously, a powerful, preventative warning wave came from her "heart." A violent flood of negation, based on a judgment of "absolute logical fallacy," inundated her consciousness, as if her entire cognitive system were being forcibly rebooted. It brought a moment of intense dizziness and a cognitive blank, as if the wiring in her brain had been unplugged and plugged back in.

​"Whoa!" The surge in her mind was so intense that Sakura's eyes flew open and her jaw dropped, though it wasn't the first time she'd experienced it. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she let out a soft laugh and whispered to the still-buzzing "divine interface," "Just kidding… for now."

​The evening sun slanted through the gaps in the cherry blossoms, falling on her floating head and the silent divine body, creating a picture that was both strange and sacred. In this picture, the girl's eyes had long since been washed clean of their former fear and confusion, and now shone with a knowing composure—the subtle, brilliant light of one who, after mastering the rules, has carved out a small world of freedom for herself in the cracks.

斬魔巫女--神與己(7)

終章、神櫻的巫女

Final Chapter: The Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou

返回御神家神社的路途，漫長得如同跨越一整個世紀。夜風裡的蟬鳴與犬吠顯得格外刺耳，街角偶爾閃過人影，低聲驚叫隨即被急忙捂住。幾個孩子本想湊近看，卻被母親死死拉走，留下驚恐的眼神在背後灼燒。那種目光，比斷趾的刺痛更鋒利。

御神櫻的頭顱終於心不甘情不願地回到她的頸項，指揮著勉強拼湊起來的身體蹣跚前行，宛如用廢棄零件打造的破爛機器。失去拇趾的右腳，每一次落地都帶來一陣刺痛和令人心慌的失衡感；被纏死的左臂像一截沉重的朽木，無力地掙扎著，否認自己屬於御神櫻；牛仔褲口袋裡的斷趾晃來晃去，彷彿要逃離。

那件最喜歡的上衣沾上巷子裡的污漬，破爛牛仔短褲邊緣參差不齊，可笑的“襪套”早已褪去，兩條傷痕纍纍的腿像來自地獄。肢體的強行分離還在接合處帶來一圈圈的血痕，讓「御神櫻」比起人類，更像是一具被無形絲線操控著的可悲人偶。

長路終盡，御神櫻終於把她自己挪回了神社的結界入口。

結界入口處，兩名守衛的年輕族人本能地抬手行禮，下一瞬卻僵在原地。瞳孔劇烈收縮，呼吸急促，想開口卻只發出顫抖的氣音。

「巫…巫女大人？！您…您這是……」

其中一人下意識後退半步，另一人扯住他的袖子，卻也隱隱顫抖。他們的視線在宛如一堆破爛的「神櫻的巫女」身上來回閃爍，喉結上下翻動，卻不敢再問。氣氛僵冷得連夜風都停滯。

御神櫻閉上眼睛，連一句解釋的話都說不出口。羞恥感如同火焰般灼燒著她的意識。她只能加快速度，指揮著不想承認的身體，逃竄般地穿過庭院，向著本殿深處衝去。

然而，消息早已傳開。

廊下燈火搖曳，長老們早已嚴陣以待。大長老杵著柺杖，沉聲咳了一下，壓住旁邊年歲稍減的長老急欲開口的衝動。

目光如探針，掃過她她殘破的肢體和狼狽的模樣，並停駐在可笑的斷趾與少了左臂的肩膀。大長老唇線繃緊，眉宇間透出無聲的苛責，彷彿在無聲地質問她為何如此失態，讓御神家的至寶淪落至此等不堪的境地。另一位長老低聲嘆息，卻未上前一步。

當視線轉向穿著髒污破衣的神體時，他們同時靜默下來，神情變得凝重而畏懼，為神體的遭遇無比痛心，愧疚得不敢直視神明。

鮮明的落差，像一把冰冷的匕首，刺入御神櫻的內心。

混合委屈、憤怒、羞恥和不忿的情緒在她胸腔裡翻騰。為什麼？為什麼第一反應是責備她搞砸了「神櫻的巫女」，心疼「神櫻」被傷害，卻沒有人問一句「櫻，你疼不疼？怕不怕？」。

但她什麼也沒說。只是操縱著身體，無聲地低下頭，表示認錯。然後，沉默的她一拐一拐地繞過他們，走向專門用於療愈和淨化的偏殿。

偏殿四周燃著藍白色的靈火，牆壁上映出的影子細長扭曲，像一群無聲的旁觀者。御神櫻的身體再次「解開」，她將神體輕輕安置於鋪著白布的淨台中央，彷如易碎的瓷器。指尖觸到那布滿塵污的衣物時，心頭一陣酸楚——她知道眾人注視並優先處理的，是這副屬神軀體上的「玷污」；至於屬於她的肢體傷處，那就沒那麼重要了。

她的身體分別進行治療，過程漫長而痛苦，特別是淨化左臂。符水灼燒左臂上纏繞的妖蛛網，也燒著皮膚，帶來針刺般的劇痛。接著靈力透過誦咒滲入，清除散佈在左臂的蛛毒。左臂已然被「異質化」，形同吸血鬼的眷屬，哪肯乖乖就範？清除的過程如同對左臂存在設定的重設，被改寫的憤怒指向連結無法切斷的御神櫻——這世上大概沒有第二個人，能被自己的一部分詛咒了。詭異至極的矛盾感攪亂她腦海裡的認知，但冰冷的心拒絕因此難過。

修復右腳斷趾時，那枚可憐的拇趾首先被高階巫女捧起祝禱——感受著自身當下最難堪的部位在地位崇高的叔母雙手中滾動，御神櫻有種難言的羞恥。之後將恢復生命力的斷趾對準傷口，然後由兩位輔助的巫女引導龐大的靈力強行灌入，“熔融”後接合。過程彷彿將燒熔的鉛水灌入神經末梢，傳回頭顱的訊號痛得她要痙攣，牙關緊咬，冷汗浸濕了鬢角。

更艱難的是處理包含頭部的肢體因強行緊急分離導致接合介面的“撕裂傷”。御神櫻的肢體可不能隨意分割，所有介面都是在軀幹化為神櫻前，透過複雜儀式預先建立的。不“合規”的分離扭曲了介面，靈力構造變得紊亂不堪，還有分離未盡的血肉。“修理”這些介面的過程，幾乎是重新定義御神櫻的肢體範圍。她感到部分留滯於神櫻上的頸部再次被劃分進頭顱“部件”中，強烈的錯亂感干擾她的自體定義——而同時進行這過程的，還有其餘四個肢體……如同在風暴中梳理亂麻，稍有不慎就會引來更劇烈的反噬。她的精神承受著巨大的壓力，差點虛脫。

此外，當處理御神櫻肢體的族人頻頻皺眉，彷彿視她的部位為大麻煩時，另一側的神體被靈力洗淨，重新披上潔白衣袍，周圍巫女的神情反而是虔誠中帶著平靜愉悅，如同沐浴在神明的光輝。明明都是，或曾是自己的身體，卻有這種落差，比燒灼、撕裂、錯亂，都更令她窒息。

治療終於結束。身體表面的傷痕已然消失，斷趾接回，靈力也重新歸於平穩流暢。

接下來，是更重要的——整備儀容，重拾莊嚴。

族人皆已迴避，她親自為神體沐浴。用浸潤了靈力的溫水，洗去一日苦戰的凡塵與妖靈，也洗去一場噩夢的殘痕。指尖拂過熟悉的皮膚，心情卻平靜得可怕，沒有了往日的悸動與迷茫，只剩下疲憊的麻木。

然後，她為它穿上層層疊疊、莊重無比的純白襦袢與緋袴。每一個結都打得一絲不苟，每一道褶皺都撫得平整無比。當最後的千早（外袍）披上肩頭時，那具軀幹再次變回了聖潔威嚴，不容侵犯的神櫻之體，靜坐於淨台之上，散發著純淨浩瀚的光輝，照亮偏殿。幾位輔助的巫女同聲低誦祝詞，眼裡滿是敬畏——御神櫻卻在那一刻覺得自己格外渺小。

輪到「神櫻的巫女」了。輔助巫女舉起她光潔的雙腿，以最輕柔的手法套進御祓足袋「白淨」，謹慎地將大腿根部的束帶恰到好處地綁緊；接著她們為兩足穿上破邪草履「神征」。穿好後扶正，威風凜凜的姿儀，彷彿能感受到骨鞭和靈刀除魔的光景。

纏神袖衣「鎮靈」已穿在神體上，但可分離的袖子，則被巫女們套在赤裸的兩臂上，然後輕輕繫上用於固定和辟邪的紅色細注連繩。兩臂升起，漂浮在空，也準備好了。

最重要的頭顱，長髮被細細地梳理，接著被統靈結髮「御弊」圈成最順貼馬尾。巫女捧著頭顱，恭謹地將其置放在雙腿和兩臂形成的“軀體”位置上，靈魂絲線伸出，牽引四肢。

御神櫻感受著自己恢復完美的肢體。缺了核心部位的她，流暢地緩步走到神體面前，動作如同身體完整的人類。雙腿緩緩跪下。靈魂絲線往神體探出，輕柔地連接。

神櫻被納進御神櫻之中。頭顱、兩臂、雙腿，順從地回歸到它們各自的位置上。

“咔。”

嚴絲合縫，完美契合。

所有的不適與痛楚都被瞬間撫平。澎湃而溫順的靈力在她完整的經絡內歡暢奔流，比以往任何時候都要強大、充盈。

她站起身，穿著無比莊嚴的巫女正裝。長髮梳理得一絲不亂，緋袴垂順如瀑，千早潔白如雪。

現在，站在鏡子前的，又是一個完美無瑕的御神櫻，是散發著神威的神櫻的巫女。彷彿後巷裡的狼狽摔倒、斷趾的劇痛、族人的目光、內心的掙扎……一切都從未發生過。

儀式完成。力量充盈，完美無缺。

大長老在一旁看著，嚴肅的臉上終於露出一絲滿意的神色，微微颔首。目光如同一層沉重的網，將她籠罩，讓她幾乎無法呼吸。

御神櫻迎著那目光，心中卻不再有先前的波瀾。她清楚地看到目光之下所有的期望與侷限——他們只需要一個完美的巫女，一個承載神櫻的容器。

御神櫻緩緩抬起手，揪緊了胸口的千早。五指深陷布料之中，指節因用力而發白。動作隱蔽而激烈，彷彿下一瞬就要將這象徵著身份與束縛的華服徹底撕扯下來！

但她沒有這麼做。手指只是揪著，微微顫抖。

神櫻的力量如同溫暖的海洋，豐沛、強大，包裹著她，源源不斷地給予她支持與庇護。這力量足以讓任何修行者狂喜。

然而，御神櫻卻無法開心。她只感到無邊的沉重窒息感。

完美是囚籠，力量是鎖鏈；而莊嚴，是她必須永遠佩戴的面具。

她望著鏡中完美無缺的巫女，眼神深處，只剩下一片荒蕪的平靜。

就在荒蕪幾乎將她淹沒之時，某種悖論般的念頭，卻如同幽暗深水中浮起的細小氣泡，在絕對靜默中悄然萌生。

———

夜幕低垂，本殿重歸莊嚴靜穆。御神櫻靜立於神龕前，體內奔流的力量已平息為深不可測的淵海。

然而，戰鬥永無止息。妖魔的低語仍在世間陰暗角落窸窣作響，御神家的榮光仍須以力量捍衛，神櫻的威儀更是需要她這個「介面」來彰顯於世。她已清晰認知，奉獻給神櫻的，早已不僅僅是一具軀幹，而是她的全部——她的青春，她的自由，她的喜怒哀樂，她作為「御神櫻」這個個體的整個存在。她的生命，已與神櫻的命運徹底纏繞，直至永恆的盡頭。

既然奉獻無可避免，那麼，或許她所能爭取的最大「自我」，便是在這永恆的框架內，尋找到一絲屬於「御神櫻」的印記。

悄然萌生的念頭變得愈發清晰。在她的內心深處，某個部分已經超越了邊界，「神」與「己」的邊界。

既然她整個人都是神櫻的，那麼，讓高踞神座之上的神櫻，透過她這具完整的身心，偶爾也來品嘗一下「人間」的滋味，算不算是另一種更充滿敬意的深層次奉獻呢？

讓神櫻的舌尖，嚐到草莓大福的甜膩； 讓神櫻的指尖，觸摸到流行衣料的柔軟； 讓神櫻的雙足，踏過商業街喧鬧的柏油路面； 讓神櫻的雙耳，聽聞世俗毫無意義卻充滿生機的歡笑…她甚至帶著一絲惡作劇意味地想象，當那永恆平靜的「神意」嚐到草莓大福時，是否也會泛起一絲無人能察覺的微小漣漪？

這並非褻瀆，而是邀請。是將神聖拉入凡塵片刻的膽大妄為，亦是將凡人體驗獻予神明的無上供奉。

不是巫女御神櫻偷得浮生半日閒，而是神櫻於瞬息之間，透過御神櫻的身心，真切地活那麼一刻。

想到這裡，御神櫻那沉寂的眼眸深處，閃過一絲帶著叛逆意味，卻又無比溫柔的光亮。

未來的路依舊漫長孤獨，戰鬥仍將持續。但在時光的縫隙裡，或許能找到更多機會，與她體內那位沉默的神明一起，竊取一些屬於「人」的瞬間。

她緩緩抬起手，這一次，不是揪緊衣襟，而是輕輕按在胸口。那穩定的心跳，既屬於神櫻，也屬於御神櫻。

The journey back to the Mikami family shrine was as long as an entire century. The chirping of cicadas and the barking of dogs in the night wind felt exceptionally harsh. Figures would occasionally flash by at street corners, their low gasps of surprise quickly muffled. A few children tried to get a closer look but were pulled away forcefully by their mothers, leaving terrified gazes to burn into her back. Those gazes were sharper than the stinging pain of her severed toe.

Mikami Sakura’s head, with great reluctance, finally returned to her neck. She commanded her barely pieced-together body to shamble forward, like a broken machine built from scrap parts. Her right foot, missing its big toe, brought a stabbing pain and a heart-stopping sense of imbalance with every step. Her bound left arm, like a heavy piece of deadwood, struggled feebly, denying that it belonged to her. The severed toe in her jeans pocket jostled about, as if trying to escape.

Her favorite top was stained with the filth of the alley. The edges of her tattered denim shorts were ragged, and the ridiculous “socks” were long gone, revealing two legs covered in scars, as if they had come from hell itself. The forced separation of her limbs had left a ring of bloody marks at the connection points, making “Mikami Sakura” look less like a human and more like a pathetic marionette controlled by invisible strings.

The long road finally ended. Sakura managed to drag herself to the entrance of the shrine’s barrier.

At the entrance, two young clansmen on guard duty instinctively raised their hands in a salute, only to freeze in place the next moment. Their pupils contracted violently, their breathing grew ragged, and when they tried to speak, only a trembling hiss of air escaped.

“Lady… Lady Miko?! You… what happened to you…”

One of them subconsciously took a step back. The other grabbed his sleeve but was also trembling. Their eyes flickered back and forth over the pile of wreckage that was the “Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou.” They swallowed hard, daring not to ask any more questions. The atmosphere was so frigid that even the night wind seemed to stand still.

Sakura closed her eyes, unable to utter a single word of explanation. Shame burned through her consciousness like fire. She could only quicken her pace, commanding the body she wanted to disown, and flee through the courtyard towards the depths of the main hall.

However, the news had already spread.

The lanterns along the corridor flickered. The elders were already waiting in stern formation. The Head Elder leaned on his cane and cleared his throat, suppressing a younger elder who was about to speak impulsively.

Their gazes were like probes, sweeping over her broken limbs and pathetic state, lingering on the ridiculous severed toe and the shoulder that lacked a left arm. The Head Elder’s lips were a thin, tight line, his brow furrowed with a silent reprimand, as if he were wordlessly questioning why she had lost her composure so completely, allowing the Mikami family’s ultimate treasure to fall into such an unbearable state. Another elder sighed softly but did not step forward.

When their gazes shifted to the divine body, clad in its dirty, torn clothes, they all fell silent. Their expressions turned grave and fearful, deeply pained by what the divine body had suffered, so filled with guilt that they dared not look directly at their god.

The stark contrast was a cold dagger plunging into Sakura’s heart.

A mixture of grievance, anger, shame, and indignation churned in her chest. Why? Why was their first reaction to blame her for messing up the role of the “Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou,” to ache for the harm done to “Shin-ou,” while no one asked, “Sakura, does it hurt? Are you scared?”

But she said nothing. She simply manipulated her body, lowered her head in a silent admission of fault, and then, without a word, limped past them towards the side hall used for healing and purification.

The side hall was lit by blue-white spiritual flames, casting long, twisted shadows on the walls like a crowd of silent onlookers. Sakura’s body was “disassembled” once more. She gently placed the divine body, like a piece of fragile porcelain, on a purification table covered with a white cloth. When her fingertips touched the dirt-caked clothing, a wave of sorrow washed over her—she knew that what everyone was focused on, what they would prioritize, was the “defilement” of this divine vessel. As for the wounds on her own limbs, those were of lesser importance.

The treatment of her body parts was done separately. The process was long and painful, especially the purification of her left arm. Blessed water was used to burn away the demonic spider silk, searing her skin and causing a sharp, needle-like agony. Then, spiritual power, channeled through incantations, seeped in to purge the spider venom. Her left arm had been “heterogenized,” like a vampire’s thrall; it would not submit willingly. The cleansing process was like a factory reset of the arm’s very existence, and the rewritten part’s anger was directed at Mikami Sakura, to whom it was inextricably linked. She was probably the only person in the world who could be cursed by a part of herself. The utterly bizarre contradiction threw her mind into turmoil, but her cold heart refused to feel sorrow over it.

When it was time to repair her right foot, the pathetic big toe was first lifted up by a high-ranking priestess—her own respected aunt—for a prayer. Feeling the most humiliating part of herself being rolled between her aunt’s honored hands filled Sakura with an unspeakable shame. The revitalized toe was then aligned with the wound, and two assistant priestesses channeled a massive amount of spiritual power to forcibly fuse it back together. The process felt like molten lead being poured into her nerve endings. The signals sent back to her head were so painful she nearly went into convulsions, her jaw clenched, cold sweat soaking her temples.

Even more difficult was repairing the “tearing damage” to the connection interfaces on all her limbs, including her head, caused by the forced emergency separation. Sakura’s limbs could not be detached at will; all the interfaces had been established through complex rituals before her torso became the vessel for Shin-ou. The “non-compliant” separation had twisted these interfaces, throwing their spiritual structure into disarray, leaving behind incompletely severed flesh. The process of “repairing” them was almost a redefinition of the boundaries of her limbs. She felt a part of her neck that had remained with the divine body being re-allotted to her head “component,” and the intense sense of dislocation interfered with her definition of self. This process was happening to all four limbs simultaneously… It was like trying to untangle a knotted mess in a storm; one wrong move could trigger a violent backlash. The mental pressure was immense, nearly causing her to collapse from exhaustion.

Furthermore, while the clansmen treating her limbs frequently frowned, as if viewing her parts as a great nuisance, the priestesses on the other side, cleansing the divine body and dressing it in clean white robes, had expressions of serene, pious joy, as if basking in the god’s radiance. They were all, or had once been, her body, yet this disparity was more suffocating than the burning, the tearing, and the dislocation.

The treatment was finally over. The surface wounds had vanished, the toe was reattached, and her spiritual power once again flowed smoothly and calmly.

Next came something more important—recomposing her appearance, restoring her solemnity.

The clansmen had all withdrawn. She personally bathed the divine body. Using warm water infused with spiritual power, she washed away the dust and demons of a day’s hard battle, and also the lingering traces of a nightmare. Her fingertips brushed across the familiar skin, but her heart was terrifyingly calm, devoid of the old palpitations and confusion, leaving only a weary numbness.

Then, she dressed it in the layered, incredibly formal pure white juban and scarlet hakama. Every knot was tied meticulously, every pleat smoothed to perfection. When the final chihaya (outer robe) was draped over its shoulders, the torso once again became the holy, majestic, and inviolable body of Shin-ou. It sat on the purification table, radiating a pure and vast brilliance that illuminated the side hall. A few assistant priestesses chanted in low voices, their eyes full of awe. But in that moment, Mikami Sakura felt exceptionally small.

It was time for the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou." The assistants lifted her smooth legs and, with the gentlest of touches, slipped them into the Purification Tabi "Hakujou," carefully tying the garters at the top of her thighs just right. Then they fitted her feet with the Evil-Crushing Zori "Shinsei." Once they were on, she stood straight and tall, an imposing figure, as if one could almost see the phantoms of the bone whip and spiritual blade vanquishing demons.

The Spirit-Binding Robe "Chinrei" was already on the divine body, but its detachable sleeves were slipped onto her bare arms by the priestesses, who then gently tied the thin, red Shimenawa cords used for fastening and warding off evil. Her two arms rose and floated in the air, ready.

Most importantly, her head. Her long hair was carefully combed and then bound into a sleek ponytail with the Spiritual Binding Knot "Gohei." A priestess held her head and reverently placed it in the "torso" position formed by her legs and arms. The soul threads extended, connecting to all four limbs.

Mikami Sakura felt her perfectly restored limbs. Lacking her core, she walked smoothly towards the divine body, her movements as fluid as a complete human's. Her legs slowly knelt. The soul threads reached out to the divine body, connecting gently.

Shin-ou was received into Mikami Sakura. The head, arms, and legs obediently returned to their respective places.

Click.

A perfect, seamless fit.

All discomfort and pain were instantly smoothed away. A powerful and docile spiritual energy flowed joyfully through her complete meridians, stronger and more abundant than ever before.

She stood up, dressed in the无比 solemn formal attire of a shrine maiden. Her hair was perfectly coiffed, her hakama hung like a waterfall, and her chihaya was as white as snow.

Now, standing before the mirror, was a flawless Mikami Sakura, the Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou, radiating a divine majesty. It was as if the pathetic fall in the back alley, the excruciating pain of her severed toe, the judgment in the eyes of her clan, the struggles in her heart… none of it had ever happened.

The rite was complete. She was full of power, perfect and whole.

The Head Elder, watching from the side, finally showed a hint of satisfaction on his stern face and nodded slightly. His gaze was a heavy net that enveloped her, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Sakura met that gaze, but her heart no longer felt the earlier turmoil. She saw clearly all the expectations and limitations beneath that gaze—they only needed a perfect shrine maiden, a vessel to carry Shin-ou.

Slowly, she raised a hand and clutched the chihaya over her chest. Her fingers dug deep into the fabric, her knuckles white from the force. The movement was hidden yet fierce, as if in the next moment, she would rip this magnificent garment, this symbol of her identity and her bondage, completely from her body.

But she didn't. Her fingers just clenched, trembling slightly.

The power of Shin-ou was a warm ocean, abundant and strong, enveloping her, constantly giving her support and protection. This power was enough to make any practitioner ecstatic.

Yet, Sakura could not feel happy. She only felt an endless, heavy suffocation.

Perfection was a cage, power was a chain, and solemnity was the mask she must wear forever.

She looked at the flawless shrine maiden in the mirror, and in the depths of her eyes, there was only a barren wasteland of calm.

Just as the desolation was about to consume her, a paradoxical thought, like a tiny bubble rising from the dark depths of the water, quietly emerged in the absolute silence.

———

Night fell, and the main hall returned to its solemn tranquility. Mikami Sakura stood before the shrine, the surging power within her having calmed into an unfathomable abyss.

However, the battle would never end. The whispers of demons still rustled in the dark corners of the world, the glory of the Mikami clan still needed to be defended with strength, and the majesty of Shin-ou still needed her, its "interface," to be manifest to the world. She now understood with clarity that what she had offered to Shin-ou was not just a torso, but her entirety—her youth, her freedom, her joy and sorrow, her entire existence as the individual "Mikami Sakura." Her life was now completely intertwined with the fate of Shin-ou, until the end of eternity.

Since the offering was unavoidable, then perhaps the greatest "self" she could fight for was to find a trace of "Mikami Sakura's" mark within this eternal framework.

The quietly emerging thought grew clearer. Deep within her, some part had transcended the boundary, the boundary between "god" and "self."

Since her entire being belonged to Shin-ou, then, would allowing the enthroned Shin-ou to occasionally taste the flavors of the "human world" through her complete body and mind be another, deeper form of reverent offering?

Letting Shin-ou's tongue taste the sweetness of a strawberry daifuku;

Letting Shin-ou's fingertips touch the softness of fashionable clothes;

Letting Shin-ou's feet walk upon the noisy asphalt of a commercial street;

Letting Shin-ou's ears hear the meaningless yet vibrant laughter of the mortal world… She even imagined, with a hint of mischief, that when the eternally calm "divine will" tasted the strawberry daifuku, would it, too, feel a tiny, imperceptible ripple?

This was not blasphemy, but an invitation. It was the audacity to pull the divine into the mortal realm for a moment, and also the supreme offering of a mortal's experience to a god.

It was not the shrine maiden Mikami Sakura stealing a half-day of leisure, but Shin-ou, in a fleeting instant, truly living for a moment through Mikami Sakura’s body and soul.

At this thought, a light, both rebellious and incredibly gentle, flashed in the depths of Sakura’s quiet eyes.

The road ahead was still long and lonely, and the battles would continue. But in the cracks of time, perhaps she could find more opportunities, with the silent god within her, to steal some moments that belonged to a "person."

She slowly raised her hand. This time, it was not to clutch her robes, but to press it gently over her chest. That steady heartbeat belonged to Shin-ou, and it also belonged to Mikami Sakura.