NOTICE: EVENTS IN THIS EPISODE DO NOT HAVE ANY RELATION WITH THE PLOT OF THE MAIN STORY. Let’s call this episode fanservice!

In this special episode, Ryou and Minami have an established and mutual relationship.

“Welcome back, Jirou-san!” Minami was passing through the main gates when he noticed monks going up the stairs. He stopped and bowed, waiting for them to enter the shrine.

Jirou, as the high priest of their shrine, traveled to a big town to hold a small ceremony for local people and collect offerings, prayers. Ryou’s shrine was set on a hill, surrounded by forest. They had access to a few villages and smaller towns, but a trip to the nearest big town could take more than a day, depending on the travel conditions. Trips like that one happened rarely since it was required for the high priest to leave the shrine and could take days before he returned. Yet students were excited about them. Jirou would always bring back something unseen and exciting for them as a gift for taking care of the shrine and the God, while he was away.

“Minami…” Jirou smiled, placing one of his hands on the youth’s shoulder. “How is the shrine?”

“Don’t worry, Jirou-san. Ryou-sama made sure we are all safe.” Minami straightened his back, smiling for the elder man, and other monks at the back who accompanied him. “How was your trip?”

“Long… I missed my bed. But everything is alright. We got a lot of offerings and even more prayers.” He talked as they both slowly walked through the main path. Other students also came out to greet monks.

“Thank you for your hard work, Jirou-san.” Minami nodded. “We prepared you dinner and drinks in the main hall.”

“Oh, you remind me… I do have something for everyone to share.” As soon as Jirou spoke about the gifts he brought for them, students came closer excited.

One of the monks gave Minami a small box. Students surrounded the boy to see, encouraging him to open. That was the moment they waited for days. The inside of the box was filled with long thin sticks.

“It’s a new popular sweet snack in the town. I think it’s from overseas, so we wouldn’t find something like this here.” Jirou explained, with a content smile as the students started gasping around. To get something from overseas where the world was completely unknown for them, was beyond their expectations.

“Thank you very much, Jirou-san!” Students sang in chorus while taking handfuls of the sweet snacks. Since Minami was the one holding the box, once everyone went separate ways there was only one stick left at the corner of the box.

Minami wasn’t sad that he didn’t get more, one was completely enough for him. When Jirou and the monks went to have their dinner, Minami was again alone. The boy was about to enjoy his snack, but suddenly he remembered something and stopped his hand, before getting to try it.

Minami then turned around and ran towards the God’s chambers. When the youth opened the door, he found Ryou just like he left him - reading one of his scrolls with the most bored expression, one hand supporting his head, another holding the paper.

“Ryou-sama, Jirou-san has returned!” Minami happily announced, as if the God didn’t feel when they entered his shrine or heard what was going on outside.

Yet, when Ryou noticed that Minami came back, his expression drastically changed. Face filled with warmth, and a smile set on his lips. He happily raised his eyes from the scroll to look at the boy. The God didn’t answer anything, only stretched his hand, inviting Minami to come closer.

The boy stepped forward, taking Ryou's hand and kneeling next to him. The God then turned his head, placing his lips on Minami’s forehead, his white fluffy tails surrounded both of them, and Minami snuggled closer into his God’s embrace. The youth was gone barely for an hour, maybe even less, but Ryou held his hand tightly as if they were separated for much longer. Minami couldn’t help but smile, he felt safe, loved, and needed. He couldn’t ask for anything else.

“What do you have in your other hand?” Only when Ryou asked after a long moment, Minami remembered he was still holding the sweet snack.

“Oh right!” He even jumped in the spot, “Jirou-san brought us souvenirs from the town! It’s a sweet snack, he said it’s from overseas! I brought one for you, Ryou-sama.”

“Mmmm…” The God glanced at Minami’s hand and then back at the boy. “Did you try it?”

“Y-y-es, of course.” Minami stuttered and then cleared his throat. He was always bad at lying, but especially when he was asked unprepared. No matter what, the boy wanted for his God to try it. And he didn’t mind not having a taste.

Ryou took the snack between his fingers with his free hand, but instead of taking it into his own mouth. The man gently pressed the end of the stick next to Minami’s lips. He then gently rubbed them, without words, asking for Minami to open his mouth. The youth’s cheeks flushed as he understood that the God wasn’t bought by his innocent attempt to lie.

Minami took the stick between his teeth, his lower lip slightly shivering and eyes widening as Ryou took the other end of the snack between his own lips. The God leaned a bit forward, taking more of the snack into his mouth, and Minami did the same until there was only a small gap left between their lips. The youth's heart pounded in large jumps, his fingers were pressing Ryou’s hand even harder than before.

“How was it?” His God asked, after biting the snack. The stick broke in the middle before their lips touched.

Minami’s eyes wandered around Ryou’s face, he laid fingers on his God’s cheek, lips still a bit opened. The boy barely felt the taste of the snack, his mind was focused on something else.

“Swe-et…” The youth murmured an answer, as his fingertips on Ryou’s face gently brushed through the soft skin.

“How about something sweeter?” His God suggested, breathing out hot bubbles of air on Minami’s lips, before closing the gap between them.