Crossover: The Problematic Deity of Arcadia

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About ten minutes had passed when Ryo Yagami, standing by the back door of the Butterfly House, twitched his ears slightly and turned toward the door.

Just then, Kanae Kocho stepped out, dressed in a soft pink kimono embroidered with delicate floral patterns. She was holding a folded men's kimono in her arms.

"Mr. Ryo, if you're going to the festival, you really should change into—"

She didn't get to finish her sentence. Her eyes landed on Ryo, already standing there in a sleek black Shinigami uniform, smiling at her.

"Oh? You've already changed?"

Kanae blinked in surprise, then gave him a once-over, setting the clothes aside and adjusting the collar of his uniform with practiced ease.

"The color's a bit serious... but it looks good on you. Very handsome."

"Big sis, Mr. Ryo—huh? Wha—?!"

Just as she stepped out holding Kanao's hand, Shinobu saw the two of them and immediately turned away, her face flushing bright red.

Kanae looked at her sister, puzzled. "What's wrong? Why're you freaking out all of a sudden?"

"I— It's just..."

Shinobu's ears turned red. Fixing a guy's collar? Wasn't that something a wife does for her husband? At least, that's what you told me, sis!

Kanae had already walked over to Kanao and wrapped her arms around the girl.

"Ohhh~ Kanao, you're wearing the same kimono as your big sister! You look adorable~~"

Kanao blinked her wide eyes, quietly observing everything around her.

Meanwhile, Shinobu let out a sigh and muttered helplessly, "Big sis, seriously... if you keep spoiling her like this, she's going to be totally ruined."

Kanae just ruffled Kanao's hair without a shred of guilt. "Let her be spoiled. She's just too cute!"

"Ugh..." Shinobu pinched the bridge of her nose. Then, after thinking for a second, she handed Ryo a small lunchbox.

"Here. Some dango. Snack on the way to the festival so you're not starving."

Ryo accepted the box, opened it, and found six beautifully arranged dango inside.

"You're thoughtful."

Then his eyes caught the maple-leaf embroidery on Shinobu's brown kimono. He smiled. "That kimono suits you. You look beautiful."

"Huh? I— I do?" Shinobu tugged at her sleeve, flustered.

Kanae, curious as always, leaned in with Kanao. "Ooh, dango? Is there one for me?"

"Nope!" Shinobu's shy demeanor vanished in an instant as she rolled her eyes. "And let's be honest—it's your fault Ryo's skipping dinner tonight because you insisted on dragging him to the festival."

Kanae immediately went into drama mode, clinging to Kanao. "Kanao, did you hear that? Shinobu's being mean to me again..."

"Stop trying to brainwash Kanao!" Shinobu snapped, clearly exasperated.

Seeing the situation about to escalate, Ryo quickly cut in, "The festival's already started. Let's get going."

With that, he took the lead and headed toward the festival grounds.

Kanae finally stopped goofing around and grabbed Kanao's hand with a smile. "Hold on tight, okay?"

Kanao nodded obediently.

As they walked, Shinobu caught up to Ryo, her voice soft and a little hesitant. "There are probably going to be a lot of people at the festival. I'm a little worried Kanao might get lost in the crowd..."

She trailed off, clearly unsure how to continue.

Ryo raised an eyebrow. "You want me to hold her hand?"

"Ah—uh, yeah." She glanced at Kanae before nodding. "Please."

"That's the best I can do for you, sis," Shinobu sighed internally.

Ryo took a step back and extended his hand to Kanao.

The girl looked up at him, eyes wide and blinking slowly, unsure of what to do.

It was a bit awkward.

Ryo had taken care of kids before in his community, but those kids were independent and outgoing—not nearly as quiet or hard to read as Kanao.

Sensing her hesitation, Kanae leaned over and gently nudged her. "Kanao, hold Mr. Ryo's hand and mine, okay? Be good and don't run off."

"Mm." Kanao nodded and slowly reached out to grab Ryo's hand.

Feeling her tiny fingers wrap around his, Ryo asked, "How old is she?"

Shinobu let out another sigh. "She just turned thirteen last month... but she still has no opinions of her own."

She sounded genuinely troubled.

Then she glanced at the box of dango in Ryo's other hand, then at his hand holding Kanao's, and blinked.

Kanae chuckled. "Ryo seems a little... overwhelmed. Looks like you've got your hands full~"

Suddenly, a mischievous idea sparked in her mind. She grinned. "Hey, why don't you feed him, Shinobu?"

"Wha—?!"

Shinobu was instantly flustered.

"I mean, he's got no hands free, right?" Kanae continued teasing with a smile, sending her sister very obvious looks. 'This is your chance, girl. Don't waste it!'

"W-Well... I guess there's no choice then," Shinobu mumbled, taking the box from Ryo.

She opened it, picked up a piece of dango, and shyly held it up to his mouth.

Ryo raised an eyebrow. He was well aware of the weird tension between the sisters—but he said nothing and simply leaned in to take a bite.

Shinobu let out a quiet sigh of relief.

If he'd refused, I might've had to disappear into the mountains out of embarrassment...

Soon, the group reached the main street and began walking up the slope toward the shrine.

The crowd thickened, and passersby began to notice the little group—especially the sight of Ryo holding Kanao's hand, Shinobu at his side, and Kanae happily chatting.

"Aww, look at that cute little family outing! Holding hands and everything~ Is that the sister-in-law over there?"

"Wait a sec... why is the sister-in-law feeding the husband? Mrs. Hayakawa, don't you think that's a little weird?"

"Hold on—who is the wife in this situation?"

Shinobu overheard the whispers and immediately ducked her head, cheeks burning. She quickly closed the lunchbox and clutched it tightly.

Meanwhile, Kanae turned to Kanao with a mischievous smile.

"Kanao, between me and Shinobu, who do you think looks more like a mom?"

Kanao blinked slowly, then pulled her hand free and took out a coin.

Kanae froze.

...Wasn't that the method she taught Kanao this morning to help her make decisions?

Shinobu was even redder now. "Kanao, you don't need to flip a coin for something like this!!"

Kanao looked honestly distressed by the situation.

Kanae's heart instantly melted. "Alright, alright! Go ahead and flip the coin."

Ryo, on the side, was speechless.

Seriously? Flipping a coin to decide who's my wife now?

These sisters sure know how to play games...

Kanao nodded solemnly and declared, "Heads for Kanae-nee, tails for Shinobu-nee."

With a flick of her finger, the coin soared into the air.

Kanao reached to catch it—but missed. The coin clinked to the ground, rolled a bit, and then got stuck perfectly between two stones.

"Eh?"

Both sisters stared, frozen.

"It's not heads or tails... so... who's in the middle?" Kanae murmured.

Kanao tilted her head, thought about it carefully, then softly said—

"The middle... is me?"

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