Under the interplay of flickering firelight and shadows, the fierce battle in the shrine lasted for a full three hours before drawing to a close.
In the main hall, atop the red hakama, Yuu Hoshimiya and Kimie Shimabukuro embraced each other tightly.
Kimie Shimabukuro rested her head against Yuu's chest, listening to his heartbeat that sounded like a heavy drum. Although her body was completely drained of strength, she felt incredibly at ease.
Yuu gently stroked the shrine maiden's somewhat messy, silky long hair and said, "Pack your things tomorrow morning and come back to Tokyo with me!"
Hearing this, Kimie Shimabukuro felt immense joy in her heart, and her eyes became even softer.
A smile floated onto her beautiful little face. She struggled to lift her head to peck Yuu on the lips, then shyly hid back in his arms.
A muffled voice came from his embrace.
"Hoshimiya-kun, I will listen to you for everything. Please look after me in the days to come!"
Hearing this, Yuu chuckled lightly, "Please look after me too!"
The two cuddled for a long time until the night grew deeper and a chill appeared in the air.
Yuu picked up Kimie, who had no stamina left, and walked towards her room in the side hall.
After entering the room, Yuu held her and lay down in the same futon to rest.
Perhaps knowing that a new life was about to unfold, even though she was exhausted mentally and physically, Kimie Shimabukuro couldn't fall asleep easily.
"Hoshimiya-kun, what if I don't have the aptitude? Aside from going to school, I've always been a shrine maiden; I don't know how to do anything else..."
"Don't worry. If you don't have the aptitude, just do what you like."
Thinking for a moment and worrying that Kimie might feel bad, Yuu added, "If you insist on helping me, you can also join the Suzuki Group."
With a goal and direction, Kimie was no longer confused about her future new life. She hugged Yuu's arm, closed her eyes, and slowly drifted into dreamland.
The shrine, which had been lively for most of the night, returned to its usual cold serenity.
The shrine maiden was indeed a wonderful person; Yuu liked her personality and values very much.
So, upon discovering that the conditions for the Contract were met, he simply proceeded with the Contract directly.
Even if they returned to Tokyo and the test showed that Kimie had no magic aptitude, it didn't matter. He had just expanded his quota recently and had plenty of slots available.
The fact that Kimie Shimabukuro could adapt so quickly and fall asleep peacefully in Yuu's arms was also related to the effects of the Contract.
For the shrine maiden who was now all alone, Yuu was currently her most important and intimate person.
Coupled with the fact that her revenge had just ended, she didn't have any particular wishes in her heart.
The combination of these factors allowed the Contract to proceed so smoothly.
The next morning, Yuu was woken up by the chirping of birds outside the shrine.
The morning light was faint; it was only just past six o'clock.
He perceived that what his hands were grasping was all softness, looking at the shrine maiden still sleeping soundly beside him.
Her pretty face inspired pity and love; her pure white skin was as fair as snow and as silky as satin, and one of her beautiful legs was draped over him.
Leaving quietly wouldn't be appropriate; girls are exceptionally sensitive at times like this.
He couldn't leave, but he couldn't sleep either, so Yuu decided to do some morning exercises.
Yuu's large hands began to roam over the shrine maiden's soft body, scaling the peaks and ridges.
Soon, Kimie Shimabukuro was startled awake.
She opened her sleepy eyes, "Hoshimiya-kun, what are you doing again?"
Yuu smirked and pecked Kimie's lips, "Of course, I'm waking you up for morning exercises."
The shrine maiden reacted instantly and exclaimed hurriedly, "No way, how can you still go? I'm going to die!"
Her small hands hurriedly tried to stop Yuu's hands, and her body struggled, a blush quickly rising on her pretty face.
Yuu, who was as strong as a bull last night, made Kimie think she was going to die. After sleeping for only three or four hours, he was starting again; he was completely an animal.
"Don't worry, I'll be very gentle this time."
An hour later, a refreshed Yuu walked on the road leading to the inn.
The air on Mermaid Island in the early morning was very fresh and invigorating.
However, Yuu didn't admire it much; after buying the boat tickets, he returned to the shrine.
Not long after returning to the shrine, Heiji Hattori's voice rang out in the courtyard.
"Teacher Hoshimiya, are you there?"
Hearing Heiji Hattori's voice, Yuu was very puzzled.
He thought Heiji had left with the police yesterday, but unexpectedly, not only did he not leave, but he also ran over to find him early in the morning.
He walked out of the living quarters, came to the main hall of the shrine, opened the door, and walked into the courtyard.
"It's Hattori-kun. Is something the matter?"
Seeing that Yuu was indeed at the shrine, although Heiji Hattori was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but sigh.
Such a beautiful and dignified shrine maiden was indeed obtained by Yuu in the end.
Heiji suppressed the jealousy and emotion in his heart, shook his head, and said, "Nothing, I just wanted to ask Teacher Hoshimiya to pass a message to Kazuha after returning to Tokyo, asking her to go home early."
After witnessing Yuu's ability to hook up with women, his heart, which had just settled down, became anxious again. However, he still couldn't lower his pride to go find Kazuha Toyama personally.
In the end, he felt his face was more important than Kazuha.
However, even if he went to Tokyo personally to win Kazuha back now, it was already too late.
There is no medicine for regret in this world; Kazuha Toyama, the energetic ponytail beauty, had already been molded into Yuu Hoshimiya's shape.
Yuu gave Heiji a meaningful look, then nodded in agreement.
Heiji's young master temper was troublesome; Yuu couldn't be bothered to create side issues, not wanting to ruin his good mood early in the morning.
Moreover, the two were childhood friends, and the Hattori family and the Toyama family were friends for generations. Once their relationship was exposed, there might be a series of troubles.
So Yuu and Kazuha had agreed long ago not to make their relationship public for the time being.
The same went for Aoko Nakamori; before she became an independent adult, she would hide it from Ginzo Nakamori.
In fact, not many people around them knew about Yuu having many girlfriends except for themselves.
It was just that most of the close beauties had been dragged down by Yuu, creating the illusion that everyone knew.
Like the men around him, such as Conan and Kogoro Mouri, they only knew that Yuu and Ran were boyfriend and girlfriend, and that his relationship with Sonoko was ambiguous.
At most, they added that his luck with women was strong and he was popular with girls.
But Ran and Sonoko were best friends, and the two girls didn't say anything themselves. Apart from envy, the men didn't gossip much.
Heiji Hattori had a preconceived notion, thinking Yuu was a scumbag who provoked girls everywhere, but he didn't know specifically which women Yuu was involved with.
Even regarding Kimie Shimabukuro, it was just his guess.
However, as a detective, he was confident in his deduction and felt that Kimie had been taken by Yuu.
His deduction this time was indeed correct, but it was useless.
After Yuu dealt with Heiji, Kimie had also prepared breakfast.
After the two finished breakfast, they simply packed their luggage and rushed to the pier.
As for the shrine and the other assets of the Shimabukuro family on the island, someone would come to handle them later.
Yuu went early specifically to buy boat tickets and chose the earliest shift, but the news that he was taking Kimie Shimabukuro off the island still spread.
After all, the island was only so big, and Kimie Shimabukuro was related to the interests of everyone on this island; basically, everyone was paying attention.
When Yuu and Kimie arrived at the pier, a group of people had already gathered there.
The villagers blocked the way in front of the two, especially surrounding Kimie, who was wearing a black suit skirt, completely.
One bald man spoke up: "Kimie, why don't you reconsider and stay!"
Another middle-aged woman also spoke, "Yes, the village needs the Elder. This is the place that gave birth to you and raised you; how can you be so heartless, girl!"
"You've always been a shrine maiden in the village; you won't be able to survive outside. It's better to stay here obediently and hold the Dugong Festival!"
Another middle-aged man also tried to dissuade her, "Kimie, everyone has wronged you, but what will we do if you leave?"
Hearing these words, Kimie Shimabukuro's expression was very cold, completely different from the expression when she was intimate with Yuu in the morning.
Yuu's face sank even more, and he stepped directly in front of Kimie.
Looking at Yuu's back, a trace of warmth finally appeared in Kimie's eyes.
"What? Do you dare to imprison someone's freedom?"
Yuu's voice was flat, but not a single villager dared to look him in the eye, let alone trouble him.
Even if he intended to abduct the only shrine maiden on the island.
Not only because the villagers were in the wrong, but also because the balding police officer's attitude yesterday let them know that Yuu's background was not simple.
Bullying the weak and fearing the strong, seeking only profit—these were the best descriptions for the villagers present.
If the Shimabukuro family had been tougher, if Kimie had been tougher, perhaps the so-called Elder would have disappeared long ago, and the subsequent series of tragedies would not have happened.
Although they didn't dare to do anything to Yuu, the villagers didn't intend to give up their petty calculations and continued to plead with Kimie Shimabukuro one after another.
Several of them with nasty personalities even used various sarcasms to belittle Kimie.
Yuu didn't have much patience for these people. He looked at the middle-aged woman with the foulest mouth and said, "This island indeed needs an Elder, but it doesn't have to be Kimie. I think you are quite suitable!"
While speaking, he secretly used magic.
The next moment, the woman knelt uncontrollably on the ground, unable to get up no matter what.
She felt her knees were about to shatter. She wanted to scream, but found she couldn't even speak, as if her mouth had been sewn shut with thread.
She looked at Yuu in horror, cold sweat pouring down.
Mental magic is very subtle, and Yuu only used suggestion; bystanders seeing this scene couldn't find any traces at all.
They just felt it was inexplicable, thinking this middle-aged woman suddenly had a seizure.
Yuu smiled maliciously, then said, "Eh, you knelt down. This height really resembles the Elder quite a bit. I understand what you mean."
He looked at the other villagers around, "You should understand too, right? Anyway, the Elder is fake; anyone can play the role. Let this one be Kimie's successor."
The surrounding villagers looked at each other, but seeing the middle-aged woman who seemed possessed, no one dared to say a word.
At this time, the woman kneeling on the ground, unable to get up or open her mouth to speak, had tears streaming down her face, her eyes full of regret.
She didn't know what was wrong with her, nor did she truly regret her actions, she just knew her future days would be miserable.
The magic Yuu used actually wouldn't last too long; it would automatically lift in about a month.
He didn't want the so-called Elder to continue; otherwise, sooner or later, an incident like the Shimabukuro family's, or even more tragic, would happen again.
He mainly just wanted to deter these selfish villagers and teach the foul-mouthed woman a lesson.
But if after a month, the villagers still forced this middle-aged woman to continue playing the Elder, that was none of his business.
At this time, the ship returning to Tokyo docked. Yuu turned around, held Kimie's small hand, and walked straight forward.
The golden morning sun shone on his face, making him look like a god.
The villagers subconsciously made way, daring not to block them anymore.
The dignified and beautiful shrine maiden followed beside Yuu, her smile as beautiful as a flower.
The last trace of attachment and reluctance in her heart was completely shattered by the villagers' behavior. Whether a shrine maiden or a witch, she now only wanted to stay by Yuu's side forever and serve him forever.