“YUZU HELP!” I shrieked, my voice crag as panic fully overtook me. My butterfly wings sputtered erratically, their stamina nearly drained, and I was rapidly losing altitude. The weight of the ailed fox in my arms wasn’t making things any easier, and the sword I clutched in my other hand only added to my sense of helplessness. I was falling—fast—and the ground was ing up way too quickly.

  Below me, Yuzu perked up, her ears flig as she instantly positioned herself to catch me. Her hands tightened around the hilt of her katana as she prepared to act. “Mashiro, fall faster! Yuzu will—”

  I didn’t hear the rest.

  My instincts had taken over, drowning out everything but the overwhelming urge to grab onto something. My frantic eyes darted across the surroundings, searg for anything solid, anything stable—anything that could stop me from crashing into the dirt where those disgusting cockroaches skittered below. My gaze locked onto the closest structure: the shrine’s roof. It wasn’t ideal, but it was something.

  The st remnants of my wing’s stamina flickered out, and just as the translut, glowing appendages faded from existence, my foot made tact with the roof’s surface.

  A sharp jolt shot up my leg as my momentum nearly threw me off bance. I staggered, my tail whipping wildly behind me as I struggled to stay upright. But before I could even process the fact that I had successfully nded, a familiar holographiotification fshed before my eyes.

  [A low level NONO preseected, requesting a spiritual sing…]

  [Accept?]

  My heart pounded violently against my ribs, each frantic beat eg in my ears. My breaths came in short, uneven gasps as pure, unfiltered panic surged through my veins. “DO ANYTHING!” I shrieked, my voice raw with desperation. My arms filed wildly, my grip tightening around the ailed fox in my arms as I teetered on the edge of the shrine’s roof, dangerously close to slipping. My cws dug into the rough wooden surface, but the overwhelming sense of disgust cwed at my sanity, making it impossible to think straight. Every muscle in my body screamed for an escape, but there was o run.

  And then—I felt it. A sensation so profoundly wrong that my breath caught in my throat. Something wriggled against my shoulder, its tiny, spindly legs brushing against my fur with unbearable lightness. A cold shiver bolted down my spine, my entire body log up as realization struck with the force of a thundercp.

  One of them is on me.

  My pupils shrank to pinpricks. My ears fttened against my head. My tail, previously swishing in wild distress, fluffed up like auffed pillow, standing rigid with sheer horror. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to move, get it off, GET IT OFF, but I was frozen in pce, paralyzed by the absolute, soul-deep revulsion of the situation. My mind couldn’t process anything beyond that single, unbearable truth.

  And then—another weight.

  The disgusting, siing feeling of tiny legs skittering against my scalp. The sharp brush of wings twitg against my hair. My breath hitched as my stomach twisted violently, nausea curling in my gut. No, no, no, no, no.

  A third weight tched onto my leg, sending a jolt of pure terror through me. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t move. The cockroaches g to me with an unnatural grip, their grotesque, twitg bodies pressing against my skin, their legs shifting slightly as if preparing to burrow into my very soul.

  I wao scream. I wao die. I wao do anything—anything at all—to get them OFF of me. My entire being was ed by a single, all-enpassio escape, to cw these filthy abominations away before I lost my mind pletely.

  The holographiotification in front of me flickered once more, the glowi shifting and solidifying into something new.

  [Shrine Maiden acquired, Gacha eng…]

  The moment the words [Shrine Maiden acquired, Gacha eng…] fshed before my eyes, a powerful force surged through me. My body tensed as the shrih my feet pulsed with energy, sending waves of spiritual power rippling outward like an unseen shockwave.

  I barely had time to process what was happening befolden light erupted around me, enveloping my entire form. My sword vibrated in my grip, reag to the sudden burst of energy, while the white ail fox in my arms let out a soft, approving purr.

  Then— A massive gust of wind exploded from the shrine’s roof.

  The cockroaches—disgusting, twitchy little monsters—were instantly swept away by the force. I felt the one ging to my leg get ripped off first, followed by the one on my shoulder. The final ohe absolute worst offehat had been sitting atop my head, let out a tiny, horrific screech before flying off.

  I colpsed onto my hands and knees, panting. What just—

  A notification popped up.

  [gratutions! You have acquired the role of Shrine Maiden.][A tract has beeablished with the Abandoned Shrine.][Purification effect activated: Low-level NOies will be expelled upon touch.][Shrine Gacha activated. Spinning…]

  Wait, wait, wait—what?! My eyes darted across the text, my mind struggling to keep up. Shrine Maiden? Purification effect? Gacha?!

  Before I could even begin to uand what was happening, a rge glowing wheel materialized in front of me, floating in midair. It was simir to a slot mae, except instead of numbers or fruit symbols, it was filled with mystical artifacts, ons, and strange glowing talismans. At the very top of the wheel was a golden i beled “???”, while the lower ses dispyed more on-looking charms and scrolls.

  The wheel began spinning on its own, the motion swift and unstoppable. My eyes widened as the colors and symbols blurred together, each rotation faster tha. My stomach twisted with a strange mix of anticipation and dread as the wheel whirred around, every sed adding to the tension that had suddenly seized my body. I couldn’t tear my gaze away, mesmerized by the spinning wheel, w what would happe. The sound of its motion filled the air, a low hum that almost drowned out my frantic thoughts.

  Below me, Catherine and Yuzu were staring up with wide eyes, their faces a mixture of awe and plete fusion. I could feel their gazes burning into me, their bewildered expressions sending a strange chill down my spine. Catherine’s grip tightened oaff, her knuckles white as she tried to make sense of the situation. Her voice, though cautious, carried a hint of as she called up to me.

  “Mashiro,” she said, her voice ced with caution, “what exactly did you just do?”

  Yuzu, oher hand, was boung on the balls of her feet, her tail wagging eagerly. Her wide eyes sparkled with excitement, as if she had just witnessed something fantastical. “Shrine Maiden?! Mashiro is now shrito?!” she excimed, the words tumbling out in a rush of disbelief. Her hands shot up in the air, clearly overwhelmed with the cept. “Gacha is happening?! Yuzu wanna roll too!” Her enthusiasm was almost iious, but I could barely focus on her words as the wheel in front of me tis dizzying spin.

  Before I could even attempt to ahe wheel began to slow, the once-frantic rotations grinding to a gradual halt. My heart hammered in my chest as I watched the pointer inch closer and closer to ahat seemed to glhter than the rest. It was a talisman, its intricate golden markings shimmering against the swirling colors of the wheel. I held my breath, unsure of what the oute would be. My palms were sweaty, and my entire body felt on edge as I watched the pointer e to a stop, nding squarely on the glowing charm.

  And then, with a soft, almost musical chime, the wheel stopped pletely.

  Ding!

  The sound of the wheel ing to a halt was quickly followed by a brilliant burst of light. The air shimmered around me, and for a moment, I could hardly see, blinded by the radiant glow. The light seemed to pulse with divine energy, almost as if it had a life of its own. I squirying to adjust to the brilliance before me. As the light began to fade, a form slowly materialized in the air—a golden paper charm, its edges delicate and glowing softly with ahereal energy. It floated before me, its presence serene, yet undeniably powerful, like something blessed by the Inari themselves.

  The holographiotification in front of me flickered once more, its text shifting to aodate the ge.

  [You have obtained: Divine Banishment Talisman (Rare)][Effect: Instantly exorcises low to mid-level NOies upon tact.]

  I stared at it, my ears twitg.

  "...Huh?"

  From below, Yuzu's excited voice rang out, cutting through my momentary fusion. “Oooh! Shiny!” she squealed, her voice filled with glee, her tail wagging in a blur of excitement as she bounced from foot to foot. Despite the chaotic situation, Yuzu's iious enthusiasm almost made me fet about the swarm of nightmares h in the air.

  Catherine, however, rubbed her temples with an exasperated sigh. "I don't know how you keep getting yourself into these situations, but please, for the love of the spirits, expin ter—just deal with the roaches first!"

  Right. The cockroaches. I gripped the glowing talisman, feeling a sudden surge of fidence. If this thing worked like the description said… I turoward the remaining airborne cockroaches, my tail flig.

  "Alright, you disgusting little nightmares…" I narrowed my eyes, raising the talisman high. "Begone!"

  And with that, I smmed it down.