Volume 20 - Grand Finale, Chapter 150 - What a Week!

After a warm and teary-eyed goodbye, Kazumi returned home to Tokyo and Yuisu refocused her attention on business. Thanks to Ski Lodge Kobold's supernaturally perfect powder and its welcoming diversity, the town of Okayado was experiencing a skiing boom and the Mountain Lily Inn directly benefited.

Reservations at the Inn had been steady all month, but the last two weeks of the December were something else entirely. The Inn was booked to maximum capacity for the 24th to the 1st of January, since people often traveled over the holidays as tourists or to visit family, and Christmas Eve was a romantic holiday in Japan, and the Inn had a genuine Shinto goddess as a new tourist attraction.

On the 23rd, the day before most of the guests would arrive, Yuisu awoke to a wonderful and intimate kiss. Haru had a knack for sensing when Yuisu was waking, and she liked to swoop in and deliver a dive-bomb of love at that moment. But this morning's kiss had a little extra reason behind it.

"Happy birthday, love," Haru said, kneeling over the bed in an oversized t-shirt and plain white panties. There was a soft look on her face that she never really showed anyone else. It was unguarded and innocent and out of sync with her predator nature.

Yuisu rubbed the sleep from her eyes and smiled at the sight. As domestic and familiar as it was to see Haru wearing skimpy sleep clothes, Yuisu still found it erotic. She was more than a little disappointed that she didn't have any time to spare, because she could really have gone for some morning sexy-times.

"Thanks," Yuisu said, half-yawning. "And g'morning, Haru," she added as she climbed out of bed. Like Haru, she was wearing a simple white t-shirt over panties, but she also had on some fuzzy green socks to fight off the winter chill. Haru's hardy feet didn't need such protection.

Yuisu stepped up to her dresser and picked out some clothes to wear for the busy day ahead. As always, she wanted to look professional yet welcoming, and she needed the outfit to be warm for her trips outside to visit the cabins. She settled on a blue heavy-knit sweater and a long grey swishy skirt, with black leggings beneath that. As for underthings, she picked the simplest, most comfortable ones. In the past, she had occasionally worn scanty or lacy underwear while she worked so she could feel privately sexy, but it just wasn't worth the discomfort.

Yuisu tucked the bundle of clothes under one arm then made for the bedroom door. She stopped with her hand on the handle and said, "Want to join me for a bath? No time for fun, but I'd like the company."

Haru's golden eyes sparkled. "That sounds wonderful. Let me grab a change of clothes and I'll be right along."

Yuisu nodded, then shuffled lazily down the hallway to the bathroom. She took the shorter path, passing the living room rather than the kitchen, but she could still hear cheerful voices and the clink of silverware on dishes. Having eight women in the house created some vibrant and lively common spaces, but the constant presence of other people could be tiring.

Thankfully, Yuisu made it to her destination without crossing paths with anyone. She dropped her clothes on the laundry room counter, paused to use the restroom and brush her teeth, then crossed back through the laundry room to the bathing room. She stripped and tossed her dirty clothes in a hamper before opening the frosted-glass door.

Haru was already inside, fiddling with a water spout. The large levers were very wing-friendly but the temperature controls were a bit finicky regardless. It was something Yuisu had been planning to improve, up until the hot spring had been built and took over as the premier place to soak and relax.

Yuisu bit her lip as she saw Haru's naked form, sitting on a small wooden stool. Her lustful eyes lingered over Haru's toned thighs and butt and the wonderful curve of her generous breasts. Maybe this was a mistake, she thought. I don't have time for Yuri-su right now.

But stronger than that thought, a memory rose to the surface. It was of a time that Haru had been sitting just like that in the same room, and she asked for help washing her back. Yuisu had been happy to comply, but she got carried away and grabbed Haru's perky butt. The two women ended up in a tangled pile on the floor. More importantly, it forced them to talk about Yuisu's attraction for Haru and they'd started dating shortly after.

"Can I wash your back?" Yuisu asked with a wholesome smile on her face and no ulterior motives in mind. For all the sway Yuisu's 'Yuri-su' side had, her love for Haru was far stronger, and that made it easy to control herself.

"That'd be nice. Thanks," Haru responded.

At 6pm on December 24th, Yuisu was doing paperwork at the front desk when she was ambushed by a tiny creature. The 15-inch-tall gremlin leapt onto the desk from somewhere out of sight, then stood in a determined stance with her arms crossed. Before Yuisu could really react, Rem spoke.

"Hey Boss, I can take it from here. You've got a date to get to," Rem said, grinning from ear to catlike ear.

"Huh? What date? I never planned one," Yuisu said. Then she frowned. "I never got around to planning any holiday events…"

As an Exchange Program host, Yuisu felt that it was her responsibility to share human traditions with her homestays. Earlier in the month, she had hoped to put on some winter holiday events for them, but the time flew by and she never had the time to properly plan anything.

"The one Haru planned for you," Rem said with a smirk. "Now get going to your private dinner. Uh, it's in your bedroom, since privacy's hard find anywhere else in this house."

Yuisu raised an eyebrow at that. Private dinner in my own bedroom, huh? But she did as told and left the remaining inn-related work to Rem. Yuisu's confidence in Rem had only grown in the months she'd been working as a live-in maid for the Inn. Hiring her and Sya had been some of Yuisu's best decisions in recent memory.

She made the very short trip down the hallway to her bedroom door, wondering how they'd managed to set up a surprise dinner right behind her back. Then again, the ones plotting the surprise were the ever-stealthy Haru and the magical Rem, whose cleaning magic could hide things from even superhuman senses.

Not knowing what to expect, Yuisu slowly opened the door. The room inside was barely recognizable, due to the dim orange illumination and the addition of a tiny round table in the middle. The blinds were closed and the room was lit only by a candelabra on the table. It held five tall candles, their flickering light casting long shadows onto the walls, posters, and shelves of manga.

Haru stood off to the side of the table, wearing a low-cut silver dress that showed off the wing-shaped engagement necklace nestled within her cleavage. Her wings were folded neatly in front of her, a bit like a fancy party guest clutching her handbag. She smiled and her eyes sparkled in the dim light. "Happy Christmas Eve, Yuisu."

Yuisu was slow to respond because she was still taking in the atmosphere. It was romantic, of course, but it was intensely intimate to a degree she'd never experienced before. It was their shared bedroom, the place they'd shared hundreds of sensual nights, where they'd comforted each other in hard times, and where they'd crashed after a few wild nights of drinking and dancing. And now it was the site of a surprise romantic candlelit dinner, carefully planned and perfectly executed.

"Happy Christmas Eve," Yuisu responded, fighting back the emotion that was gathering in her eyes. "This is beautiful."

Haru gave a cheesy grin. "Not as beautiful as you."

"Bah, I'm just wearing work clothes, and you're over there in a slinky silver dress."

Haru shook her head. "I wasn't talking about your clothes. But if you want to get dressed up, go ahead. Dinner will stay warm a few minutes longer."

With a smile, Yuisu said, "Nah, I'm pretty hungry, and I'm excited to see what you prepared."

Haru waved Yuisu closer and pulled a chair out for her. Then she stepped around to the other side of the small table that held their dinner. To the left and right sides of the candelabra were two metal covers that were keeping the food inside warm.

As they sat down, Haru said, "Now, I'm not going to pretend I cooked this." She wiggled her wings for emphasis. "But I did order it way in advance." Then she hooked one thumb under each cover's handle and revealed the entire dinner.

One side held a box filled to the brim with fried chicken, the KFC logo visible on the side. The other was a partitioned serving tray holding a variety of sides, both American and Japanese. Delicious fragrances poured forth and Yuisu couldn't help but smile. It was such an elaborate presentation for what was essentially just a silly Japanese tradition started years prior by an unusually successful marketing campaign.

"It smells wonderful," Yuisu said, making eye contact over the flickering candles.

"Agreed," Haru said with a smile. She would know better than most, with her heightened sense of smell. "Could you serve some up for us?"

"Of course," Yuisu said, but her thoughts caught on a worrisome thing. "Um, did you light these candles?"

Haru quickly shook her head and said, "No. Fire and feathers do not mix." Then she smiled. "Rem helped with that, among other things."

"I'll make sure to thank her properly."

Yuisu dished up chicken and sides onto their plates, they said itadakimasu, then they took their first bites. The conversation fully paused while Haru and Yuisu savored the flavor and relaxed. There wasn't anything they needed to say to each other, because this wasn't some first or second date full of attempts to impress the other or learn more about them.

Then Haru put a picked-clean chicken bone down and looked Yuisu in the eyes. "I love you, Yuisu."

"I love you, too."

The next morning was no calm or private affair. Everyone in the house, including a very sleepy Chione, gathered in the living room. A fire was roaring in the fireplace and a massive pile of presents occupied one corner. Every seat was taken, with Aluru and Tsuen comfortable on the carpeted floor.

Aluru had enough control over her flower's pigmentation to do a decent impression of a poinsettia, and she was wearing a red flannel pajama top that matched. The other girls were used to seeing her in a bikini or even less, so her cleavage-baring PJs seemed surprisingly conservative in comparison. Though on closer inspection, she didn't seem to be wearing a bra under the oversized shirt, or bottoms of any sort.

In contrast, Tsuen wore yellow polar-fleece leg warmers, a matching fleece hoodie, and black full-coverage centaur shorts. She looked comfy and warm, and proud to be modeling some of Mara's custom creations. Mara never could stay on one hobby long enough to make a living of it, but her crafting skills remained and got use from time to time.

As Yuisu sat down in the recliner next to the pile of gifts, she smiled and shook her head. "I swear there are even more presents than last year. And this is without Pwess's stuff." She wore a fuzzy green robe over white PJs of the same feathers-and-snowflakes pattern as Haru's. Now that they were engaged to be married, wearing matching outfits felt only a little cheesy.

"Ah, that'd be my fault," Rem said from her seat on Tsuen's hip. The gremlin was wearing a festive forest-green outfit, complete with a little stocking cap and green shoes. She looked so much like an elf from Santa's workshop that it must have been intentional. "I got something for everyone, and a few extra things for my girls."

Mara was sitting on the couch behind Tsuen and Rem, and she wore a fleece hoodie like Tsuen's except in black. She leaned forward and grinned, "And that's not counting the romantic stuff we opened last night."

Hakuto had enough understanding about what Mara considered romantic to know that she didn't want to hear anything else on that topic. She cut in with, "I bought some too! Shopping for gifts is such a fun tradition, and I get to put the cash offerings people leave at my shrine to good use."

One holiday tradition that Hakuto didn't have a handle on was festive clothing. She was in the same red and white miko outfit she always wore, oblivious to the amount of skin the short skirt revealed.

Haru raised a wing, a concerned expression on her face. "Now, don't go spending too much, Hakuto. You should save some of those donations for your future."

Hakuto wiggled her nose and smiled. "It's okay. I still have a hundred thousand yen, plus my house-fund of about 50 million yen."

Haru's jaw dropped and her eye twitched. She hadn't heard about Hakuto's $500,000 gold bar donation from the wealthy dragoness Horo. "Bwuh?! How in the…?"

Yuisu quickly said, "Uh, it's a long story." Then she leaned over and whispered to Hakuto, "Be careful about mentioning your wealth. It can make people feel bad."

Hakuto nodded innocently, but a gleam in her eye suggested she had enjoyed getting a rise out of Haru. Their rivalry still thrummed under the surface, now more good-natured teasing than elaborate or mean pranks.

Mara didn't feel bad at all. Instead she said, "Ooh, that's awesome, Hakuto. Thanks in advance for the gifts, and feel free to buy more for us whenever you want!"

"Yeah, yeah," Aluru grumbled, waving a hand in a hurry-along gesture. She wasn't a particularly generous person, and she seemed to be feeling at least a little guilty about that fact. "Let's just get this show on the road."

Chione nodded, sending the little ornaments tied to her horns swinging. They were all stars and moons, so it was an easy guess that Actia had been involved. "That'd be nice." She tried and failed to stifle a yawn, then continued, "I could use some sleep."

Yuisu reached over and picked up a present from the top of the pile, a small cube in red paper, then passed it towards the recipient on its tag. "This one's to Rem from Sya. She dropped off a couple presents last night, and she'll be back on shift tomorrow if you wanna tell her thanks."

There were so many presents and people that it didn't make sense to wait and open them one at a time, so Yuisu kept passing them out and everyone just opened their presents as they got them. The sounds of tearing paper, happy gasps, and constant thank-yous filled the room for nearly an hour. When the pile of presents had been successfully chipped away to nothing and all the discarded wrappings had been gathered up and thrown out, the girls all shuffled towards the kitchen for some breakfast. The exception was Chione, who beelined for her bedroom, shielding her sensitive eyes from any bright sunbeams on the way.

"Aww, Chione's asleep?!" cried a slightly echoey voice, cheerful despite the whiny tone. The voice carried to the rafters of the living room and down the hallways to the south and east.

"Yes. She's nocturnal, Pwess. You should have remembered that," answered another voice with just a hint of that distinctive watery echo.

Pwess balled her fists and planted them on her hips, where they merged with her frilly Christmas dress made of slime. "I remembered, but I was hoping she'd wake up for the holiday… and to see me."

Quess let out a slow breath and said, "Maybe she'll wake up before we leave. Sunset isn't that far off." It was 2pm, and Pwess had already opened all her presents at home with her mothers.

"Yay! You heard the lady! We're staying 'til Chione wakes up!" With that, Pwess ran off toward the kitchen, leaving her mothers sputtering in exasperation and the three other women in the room giggling in amusement. Hakuto in particular seemed to love Pwess's antics, and she encouraged them more than she probably should have. Haru and Yuisu were just happy that Pwess wasn't their responsibility.

"That's not what she said!" Iormu called out after the little slimegirl, but it was no use. Pwess was effectively eight years old now and had developed an intense stubborn streak. Sometimes it was just easier to go along with her wild ideas and save energy from the truly problematic ones.

Quess, who was reclining against Iormu's coiled body, sipped some hot tea then said, "So, Yuisu, how's business?"

"Oh, it's been wonderful. We were booked up most of the month with skiers, and totally full for the holidays. I'm charging a special 'Shinto shrine experience' rate for the night of New Year's Eve, twice the normal price, but it sold out instantly all the same."

Quess nodded along, looking a little jealous. Unlike the Inn and the ski resort, her flower stand's sales had not been helped by all the recent snow.

"How about you?" Yuisu asked.

"Um, not bad," Quess lied. Then she added, "My Christmas Eve sales were pretty good. Lots of pheromone orders, some delivered directly to love hotel rooms."

"Mom, what's the difference between a love hotel and a regular hotel and an inn?" asked Pwess. She had returned at an inopportune moment, something she seemed to have a supernatural knack for.

Pwess used to say 'Momma' and 'Mommy' to refer to Iormu and Quess respectively, but the fickle child had recently decided that those names were too childish. Now when Pwess said 'Mom', her mothers just had to guess who she meant. In this case, it was probably Quess, but Iormu answered instead, "A love hotel is specifically for couples that want a romantic place to stay. Regular hotels and inns are available for anyone. Inns are more rural than hotels, and tend to be a bit more romantic."

"Romantic? You just mean they're good places to have sex?"

Hakuto gasped and held a paw over her open mouth. She had no interest in sex in the best of times, and she definitely didn't like the thought of a young child talking about it.

Quess took over and said, "That's part of it. But remember that the best sex is from a loving relationship. And remember that you aren't allowed to do anything like that until at least your third birthday."

As a Queen Slime, Pwess had reached toddler-level maturity almost instantly, then she aged about four times faster than a human girl. At three years of age, she'd be effectively 14. That was still younger than most parents wanted their child being sexually active, but Pink Slimes were different: they needed sexual energy for survival. Pwess was getting by on ambient energy and flowers for now, but that wouldn't always be enough.

"Huh, alright," Pwess said, unfazed at the age restriction. "I know you said I'll need to start eating sexual energy some day, but it's still pretty gross to me. Oh, can I have some flowers? I can smell some tasty ones somewhere in the house."

Quess took a deep breath, both to find the scent Pwess had mentioned and to steel her nerves, then she said, "You're probably smelling a person named Aluru. She's an alraune that lives here."

Pwess's eyes went wide. "Ooh, like a grown up Cissu? Can I meet her?"

"Sure, but I need to speak to her about something else first." Quess turned to Yuisu and added, "If that's alright?"

Yuisu knew of the past drama between Aluru and Quess, and she really hoped that they could work it out somehow. Maybe Christmas was the right time. "Yep. I'll go ask if she's up to it," Yuisu said as she unwrapped herself from Haru's wings and stood up.

Iormu reached out with her tail and scooped Pwess up and pulled her close. Then she said, "In the meantime, you can sit quietly with me while I socialize, or you can visit one of your Aunties."

Pwess oozed between Iormu's coils and danced away. "I'm gonna show Auntie Mara my Pokemon! I caught two more on the drive up here!" She retrieved her brand-new console from a bag by the couch, then zipped off to Mara and Tsuen's open bedroom where she was welcomed with cheers and giggles.

Things were quieter around the inn for a few days, until New Years Eve. In Japan, the end of one year and the beginning of the next were major cultural and spiritual events, and that brought a lot of people to Hakuto's little shrine.

Some visitors had hoped to ring in the new year with 108 bell chimes, with the last one just after midnight, but Mara was quick to point out that that was a Buddhist thing and Hakuto was a Shinto goddess. Mara had become a minor expert on Shintoism, pursuing it with almost as much passion as her videogames. Whether she'd stay with it longer than her past hobbies remained to be seen.

Something that Shinto shrines did do was Oshogatsu, a celebration of the new year and a chance for visitors to ask the kami of the shrine for good luck in the year ahead. And in Hakuto's case, the resident kami had a physical presence and could actively engage in conversation with visitors. The demand for such an experience was incredibly high.

In addition to the guests of the inn making use of their 'Shinto shrine experience' packages, several hundred people from Okayado or even further away came to see Hakuto. Neither the little shrine nor the inn's small parking lot could handle the volume, and soon a line of cars trailed down the dirt road nearly all the way into town.

While Mara acted as a shrine maiden and managed the visiting people, Yuisu asked Tsuen and Haru to go down the mountain to deal with the cars. They put up signs explaining the issue, gave curious visitors a rough estimate of how long they'd be waiting, and mentioned that they could turn around and visit Ski Lodge Kobold across town instead. Rosty was also a Shinto goddess and her massive shrine could handle many more visitors than Hakuto's. Many of them insisted on waiting, since it just felt right to pray for luck and guidance at the shrine of an Inaba Hare.

Mara roped in the other girls to help as shrine maidens. She dressed Sya, Rem, Aluru, and even Chione in red and white miko outfits that she'd sewn herself, and when Haru and Tsuen returned she ambushed them with costumes as well. They all stood along the shrine path and guided visitors in an orderly line to meet with Hakuto. Chione would have liked to be asleep but her natural desire to protect people kicked in and she switched into peacekeeper mode.

"Um, I wish this shirt wasn't quite so revealing on the back," Chione said with a frown, glancing over her shoulder at the expanse of bare skin.

"Sorry!" Mara said, bowing deeply. "I didn't have your exact measurements and working around your wings was tricky. If we do this again, I can make you a better-fitting top."

Aluru on the other hand was as radiant as a sunflower. "I love this tiny skirt you made me, Mara. It's so sexy!" The skirt in mention was bright red and barely eight inches from hip to hem, since Aluru didn't have much skin to cover before her legs disappeared into her flower.

Mara said, "Ah, yeah. Try not to bend over when any children are around. I thought about making it longer, but I figured it'd be annoying to have the cloth brushing against your flower petals."

Aluru shrugged. "My plant half can barely feel anything, so it would've been fine, but it looks much better this way."

Hakuto was the undisputed star of the day, but the liminal shrine maidens got a lot of attention too. Families, couples, and no shortage of single men all lined up to get their photos taken with the exotic miko. Needless to say, the single men who made advances were quite disappointed. A couple liminal women ended up with Aluru's phone number, whether they'd expressed interest or not.

By the early afternoon, word about the temporary maidens got out and a local newspaper reporter arrived to cover the situation. Mara wisely directed the man to Yuisu at the front desk.

"Miss Yuisu Nakahara, correct?" the man asked. He had short black hair, a camera around his neck, and a pad of paper in his hand.

"That's correct," Yuisu said with her warmest smile. "I'm the owner and operator of the Mountain Lily Inn."

"I'm Hide, and I'm here from Okayado Daily News. Would you care to answer some questions about the festivities outside, for an article? I'd also like to take a couple photos."

Yuisu had heard of reporters with anti-liminal agendas causing trouble in the past, and if this man was one of those, she didn't want to give him free reign. She narrowed her eyes and gave the man a closer look. He was dressed in a grey suit that looked nice at a glance, but was a little worn at the edges, like it had been through a lot of physical activity. His eyes were tired with a kind look to them. He handled himself in an awkward, genuine way and Yuisu got a feeling of honesty from him.

"That's fine," she answered. "What would you like to know?"

From there, Yuisu and Hide talked for about fifteen minutes. His questions were mostly simple and easy to answer, like the name of the shrine (Yuriyama Shrine), whether the shrine was open to non-guests (Yes, including a free picnic area. The hiking trails and hot springs require purchase of a day pass), and if the liminals were part of the government Exchange Program (all except for Rem, who already graduated).

There was only one question that stumped Yuisu: "Will this be a recurring event, for this holiday or others?"

Yuisu hummed in thought, then said, "I'm not sure, actually. Many of the participating women will be graduating from the Exchange Program soon, then they'll most likely move away. I'm certainly open to the possibility of doing this again, maybe by hiring other locals."

"Local liminal women, you mean?" Hide asked. He was a quick one, and instantly understood the unique appeal of this shrine.

Yuisu nodded. "I do realize that's a narrow pool to draw from, but there are already hundreds of shrines with human shrine maidens. I think we can stand out more by holding to the tradition that we set today."

Hide finished writing down Yuisu's response on his notepad, then smiled and bowed his head. "That was my last question. Thank you again, Yuisu, for taking the time to talk to me. I'll go snap a couple photos then be on my way. You can look for this article in the newspaper tomorrow morning." Then he waved and left through the front door, heading up the path to the shrine.

Yuisu hadn't meant to create a new holiday routine, but it was sure to be good for business. And she felt relieved for another reason: it was nice to have plans for after the girls started graduating and leaving. The thought of her future had been quite worrisome before, with so much still undecided, but now there might be a stable anchor in the distance to work towards.

Yuisu jotted down some ideas for future festivals, including some improvements that could be made. She was a little surprised at how much she was looking forward to next time.