“Fathe—your father? Huh? Your father!?”
“…That’s something else.”
As Arisa kept asking for confirmation, Hijiri let out a quiet murmur of astonishment.
Meanwhile, Chiharu looked thoroughly pleased with Arisa’s reaction.
“Y-your father… which father are you talking about?”
“My father, of course. In the Uenishi family, we conceive a child by our father, and pass that blood down to our daughters.”
At that, Arisa noticed something odd and questioned her.
“…Are you teasing me? That doesn’t make sense. Because… if that were true, your father would have to be two thousand years old, right?”
The Uenishi conceive children by their father.
Which would mean that Chiharu’s “father” would also be her mother’s “father”… and her grandmother’s “father” as well.
There is only one father—
And if the Uenishi history truly spanned two thousand years, then that “father” would be over two thousand years old.
“I am teasing you—but I’m not lying.”
Chiharu grinned.
At her words, Hijiri let out a quiet “Ah…”
It seemed he’d figured it out.
“Well, he is a god. It’s not strange for him to have lived for over two thousand years, is it?”
Only then did Chiharu reveal the trick.
Yes—Uenishi Chiharu was a demigod, a living deity.
For generations, the Uenishi had borne the child of the god they worshipped, weaving their lineage through time.
“Huh? …An actual god?”
“As if. It’s just part of the faith.”
Chiharu said it plainly.
Despite being the daughter of a shrine—and supposedly a living deity—her personal faith was rather thin.
“Well, in practical terms… we receive ‘seed’ from somewhere. The Uenishi family register does not include men. That’s to preserve matrilineal succession.”
Because they bear children with a god, they cannot marry.
That was, in essence, a system the Uenishi devised to prevent a husband from taking over the household.
Of course, children cannot be born without intercourse, so there is effectively a partner—a man who plays the role of a husband.
However, he is not recorded in the family register, nor treated as family.
That was how it worked.
“The Uenishi are a clan made up entirely of women. Interesting, isn’t it?”
“I see… so that’s how it works. It is interesting.”
Arisa’s eyes sparkled slightly.
Seeing that reaction, Chiharu proudly puffed out her ample chest.
It was a bit much to look at.
“Hm? Isn’t that odd? You’d have sons too, wouldn’t you? It’s not like you’re Amazons.”
Hijiri interjected.
Chiharu was, biologically speaking, a perfectly normal human—so naturally, boys would be born as well.
“Ah… these days, yes. But we give them up for adoption—strictly speaking, they’re registered under the father. The ‘practical husband’, that is.”
“…These days?”
“Apparently, in the past, boys weren’t born.”
At that, Hijiri gave her a look that clearly said, what on earth are you talking about—
But then—
“…Ah.”
He fell silent.
“Huh… I guess strange things do happen.”
Arisa, meanwhile, didn’t seem to catch on.
She appeared to genuinely believe that no boys had been born in the past.
“Eh? What’s wrong, everyone?”
“No, it’s nothing, Arisa. Yes… quite mysterious.”
Yuzuru played along, smoothing things over.
There were things she didn’t need to realise.
There was something endearing about Arisa’s innocence.
“Come to think of it, doesn’t that mean Chiharu-chan’s mother is basically her older sister?”
Ayaka said, as if struck by the idea.
If they all shared the same “father”, then all Uenishi women would be sisters.
“Well, that would be the case. Which means I’ll be giving birth to my younger sister.”
“That’s… mythology. No, wait—it is mythology.”
Amaka muttered to herself.
“More importantly, if we go by that ‘setting’, the Uenishi line is essentially reproducing within itself forever… genetically speaking, that would make you and your ‘father’ almost identical, wouldn’t it? Ninety-nine percent, at least.”
“Well, that’s true. As generations pass, the original bloodline would dilute, and the ‘father’s’ would become more dominant.”
As Hijiri and Yuzuru said that, Chiharu puffed out her chest again.
“You may call me God Chiharu.”
“…So in effect, you’re reproducing with yourself.”
Soichiro muttered.
At that, Ayaka’s voice rose slightly, almost excited.
“Then that’s basically mastu—what? Soichiro-kun?”
“We’re eating.”
He cut her off before she could finish.
But then, Chiharu cheerfully declared—
“It’s basically masturbation!”
“You’re really just going to say it…”
Yuzuru couldn’t help but sound exasperated.
Arisa, meanwhile, let out a small, awkward laugh.
“Well… the Kojiki has some rather intense stories too.”
There was no discomfort in her expression or tone—
If anything, she seemed slightly amused.
…Apparently, she could handle this kind of humour.
Then again, thinking about it, Arisa wasn’t inexperienced with men so much as she simply wasn’t used to them.
Jokes, at least, were within her tolerance.
Though if it turned into something more explicit, that might be a different matter.
(…I avoided jokes like that because I didn’t want her to dislike me, but maybe it’s actually fine?)
Perhaps he’d test her limits next time.
That night—
Thank you for today.
Arisa spoke her gratitude over the phone.
The person on the other end was… Tachibana Ayaka.
Don’t worry about it. I just like meddling, that’s all.
Just as Yuzuru was troubled over his feelings for Arisa—
Arisa, too, was struggling with her feelings for him.
And if they were to become a couple, it was only natural she would worry about how others saw her.
Unlike Yuzuru, she would be directly affected.
So her concerns ran deep.
Anyway, if anything comes up, just tell me. I’m sure Chiharu-chan and Amaka-chan will help too.
…Yes. Thank you.
Ayaka’s bright tone was met with a small, polite nod from Arisa.
To be honest, Arisa had begun to feel uncomfortable within her current “group”.
Going along with conversations she didn’t care about, offering empty responses, replying to meaningless messages—
She’d grown tired of it.
It wasn’t that she’d ever liked it much to begin with—
But after growing closer to Ayaka and the others, she’d realised just how little she enjoyed her own group.
Especially the subtle jockeying and restraint around relationships and romance within that group—
She found it rather tiresome.
Back when she didn’t have anyone she liked, it hadn’t bothered her much.
But now, it felt like nothing but an obstacle.
That was why she wanted to distance herself.
…But she was afraid of being bullied.
Even if it didn’t go that far, being talked about behind her back or isolated was still frightening for someone as timid as Arisa.
So when Ayaka and the others offered their support, it gave her reassurance.
From my perspective, earning a favour from the future Takasegawa-sama is a good investment. You can pay me back later.
Ahaha… that’s a bit soon, isn’t it?
Arisa couldn’t help but laugh.
Sometimes, she found herself thinking—
Compared to her, Ayaka and the others were far more mature.
Or perhaps, more detached.
They didn’t engage in vague, surface-level relationships like her group did—
Instead, they were clear about interests and benefits.
At first, it had been confusing.
But once she got used to it, it felt comfortable.
It was easier when things were clearly defined.
…I don’t even know how much Yuzuru-san actually likes me.
…
There was a brief silence.
Then Ayaka spoke.
The scheming family.
…Pardon?
That’s how the Takasegawa family is seen. They’re good at groundwork—laying plans, pulling strings. Their methods can be… quite unpleasant.
Taken at face value, it sounded like criticism.
But her tone didn’t carry malice.
They can suppress their emotions in the moment. Whether that makes them skilful or clumsy, I’m not sure—but they can do it. That’s why they seem cold. Calm, calculating, even ruthless. …They prioritise reason and planning over fleeting feelings. So it might be frustrating, but… be patient with him.
…Yes. I understand.
There was a deep sense of understanding—and trust—in her words about Takasegawa Yuzuru.
Arisa found herself feeling just a little envious of that.
Of course, she already knew there were no romantic feelings between them.
Um, Ayaka-san…
Mm?
Do you think… marriage is too soon?
The question had been on her mind.
Arisa already felt that she wouldn’t mind marrying Yuzuru—no, that she wanted to.
But for a high school student, that was hardly typical.
And yet, Ayaka didn’t seem to find the idea strange at all.
Too soon as in, while you’re still in school? That would be too early.
No, of course not… I’m not thinking of registering a marriage while we’re still students. …At the earliest, after graduation. But even thinking about that while still in high school—I wonder if that’s too soon…
Most high school couples probably didn’t think that far ahead.
…Though some might simply not think at all.
I don’t know about what’s normal, but…
Ayaka answered.
Both I and Yuzuru will have to have children someday—to continue our family lines.
…
I’ve been thinking about that since I was old enough to understand.
That made sense.
At the same time, it was a bit of a culture shock.
Their awareness of “marriage” was fundamentally different.
Ayaka-san… um…
Mm?
Is it… Satake-san?
After a short silence, Ayaka replied.
‘Who knows… Soichiro-kun is the eldest son of the Satake family.’
I see… um, I’m sorry if that was—
‘But he’s more passionate than he looks. He once told me he’d give up his inheritance for my sake.’
That surprised Arisa a little.
To her, Satake Soichiro was… frankly, someone hard to read.
Well, you see… I’m the only daughter of the Tachibana main family. So in the end, I can only hope he’ll be the one to give things up for me…
There was a trace of resignation, acceptance—and perhaps a hint of longing—in her voice.
Then, without waiting for a reply, Ayaka added—
Yuzuru’s in a similar position to me. So Arisa-chan… you should prepare yourself. For a lot of things.
Those words weighed heavily on Arisa’s heart.
