The streets were full of people when Sumire and Natsuno descended the stairs of the shrine. Many of them worked together plowing the snow from the streets, while some of the older ones handed over hot soup. There were children too, throwing snowballs at each other while their parents watched over them carefully.

It was such a lively scenery, a stark contrast from the hour before, when Yuki Onna’s blizzard had still raged on.

Sumire had never seen such a beautiful sight

As Sumire and Natsuno walked through the street, some of the people plowing the snow began to notice them and — bizarrely enough — started applauding them. Their cheers attracted the attention of the rest of them, and soon enough, the whole street was full of people cheering on them.

“Did you two defeat the yokai?” a granny walked up to them and asked. “Is that why the blizzard stopped?”

“Ah, I didn’t do anything! The credit’s all hers!” Natsuno answered, pointing his thumb to Sumire. “She’s the one who sent the yokai to Yomi.”

Natsuno’s choice of words didn’t escape Sumire’s attention, but she was distracted when the people started thanking her.

“I couldn’t have done it without his help”, Sumire said, overwhelmed as people bowed and shook her hands gratefully. “Really, I only did my duty.”

Before she knew it, people were handing hot soup to her and Natsuno. The bowl was warm against her freezing hands, and she thanked the lady who handed it before taking a grateful sip of the soup. It was a plain miso soup, rich in sliced tofu and seaweed. Yet, it was the most delicious miso soup she had ever tasted.

Children gathered around them in a semi-circle, so Natsuno cheered them up while recounting the battle between Sumire and Yuki Onna. It was highly exaggerated, but it was enough to entertain the children and some of the adults hanging back.

“Ahhh, so you’re an heir to the Kazahana Family”, an old man said to Sumire. “We are grateful for all the things your family has done to our humble neighborhood, but we’ve never faced a yokai-related disaster to this scale. Not since that mighty earthquake all those years ago.”

Something pierced at Sumire’s chest, and she could only thank the old man before she came to Natsuno’s side. She hated feeling like this. She was never a conversationalist, unlike Natsuno.

“Something the matter?” Natsuno asked curiously. His eyes scrutinized Sumire’s face.

“Mm”, was all Sumire could answer, shaking her head slightly. She was silent for a moment, before adding, “You’re good with children.”

Natsuno let out a surprised laugh.

“Really? That was all you could say?” he asked. “All I did was tell tall tales about your heroic deed.”

“You were good with Yuuko too”, Sumire pointed out.

“Hmm”, Natsuno hummed, but said nothing else.

—

They were resting at the street by the shrine when Tamamo no Mae arrived. She looked haggard despite the expensive-looking fur-lined winter kimono she was wearing. Natsuno saw her and immediately hid behind Sumire’s back.

Despite this, Tamamo no Mae still reached behind her and pulled at Natsuno’s ear.

“You stupid, reckless brat!! I told you not to chase after that Yuki Onna!” she scolded Natsuno, hissing in an almost-vulpine way.

“Ow-ow-OW!! Let me go, you old hag!” Natsuno cried out when Tamamo no Mae’s fingers twisted at his ear. “I was helping her, I swear!”

“In that outfit, seriously?!” Tamamo no Mae asked.

“What’s wrong with my outfit?!” Natsuno asked back.

“Oh, I can give you several reasons”, Tamamo no Mae hissed, but she let go of Natsuno’s ear and crossed her arms. “He didn’t give you too much trouble, did he? I really apologize for his behavior.”

Sumire flinched when Tamamo no Mae addressed her directly, her eyes seeming to bore into her soul.

“He was helping me”, Sumire repeated what Natsuno said.

“Hmph!” Tamamo no Mae grunted, but then her eyes seemed to catch something in the distance, and she slipped away before Sumire could say anything else.

Sumire turned and found her grandfather and a few elders of other yokai hunter families arriving at the street by the shrine. Their presence attracted the attention of people still on the streets, but the elders paid them no mind. Kazahana Fuyuta approached Sumire, before stopping in front of her.

“Granddaughter”, Fuyuta greeted.

“Grandfather”, Sumire bowed slightly. Brief silence stretched before her grandfather cleared his throat.

“Well done”, he praised Sumire.

Suddenly, she was filled with shame instead of pride. She recalled what she’d done to Yuki Onna and her son, and decided to keep it a secret. She wasn’t sure if her grandfather would have approved of her method, even if she did succeed in her task.

“Thank you, Grandfather”, Sumire said instead, trying to hide her shame. Her grandfather observed her, but said nothing for another moment.

“We from the Yokai Hunter Association want to thank you for your service”, an elder from the Katsuragi clan spoke up, bowing slightly. “Defeating the Yuki Onna is not a small feat. You have proven your mettle in succeeding with your task.”

“Thank you, Elder Katsuragi”, Sumire said, bowing to him.

The elders gave her a slight nod before taking their leave.

“Let us go home. Your sister worries for you”, Fuyuta said, already turning to go with the elders.

But not you, Grandfather? Sumire wanted to ask, but her words died in her throat.

She gave the streets another glance, noticing that both Tamamo no Mae and Natsuno were nowhere to be seen. They had slipped away before the elders had noticed — without her grandfather noticing. That was quite impressive, if she wanted to be honest.

Eventually, Sumire followed her grandfather. She didn’t mention Natsuno’s contribution in all of this.

It was for the best, after all.