It was mid-December and the area around the shrine was calm and quiet. A thick layer of snow had covered the mountainside like a down blanket, and even the noise of the bustling city below couldn't penetrate it.

Usagi shuffled aimlessly down the long hallway that ran through the center of the shrine. It seemed eerily silent at first, but when she stopped and listened hard, she could pick out signs of life, such as Akari's voice coming from her bedroom. She was on the phone with one of the artists Inara had commissioned. Both the wooden ranma carving and the fox statues were nearing completion, and it kept Akari busy coordinating their shipment.

From another room, Usagi's keen ears detected the gentle tapping of fingers on keys as Hebi worked on her laptop. The snake spirit was likely managing the shrine's finances, or coordinating future collaborations with other shrines now that she'd taken over the digital side of that job. Akari's involvement was still required for voice or face-to-face communication, since normal humans couldn't see or hear Hebi without Inara's help.

And every few seconds, a distant CLUNK echoed down the hallway; Inu was training again. It was too snowy outside for a jog so she had her weight bench set up, and by the sound of it, she was doing leg lifts. Ever since that confrontation with the rogue deer and mouse spirits, Inu had been more committed than ever to her training, both physical and spiritual.

Usagi shuffled past Seshi's door, but heard nothing from inside. If Seshi had been home, she'd likely be listening to her old albums or napping lazily, but she was down in town again, checking in on Shika and Nezumi. Either that or she was taking advantage of her new freedom to socialize with humans and win more fans for Mori Musume, more followers toward her own ascension.

Usagi stopped before the large, sturdy door to Inara's room. "Mistress Inara? May I come in?"

"Yes, of course!" the Goddess called back.

Usagi entered and found Inara lounging on a large cushion with her bare feet in the air and a tablet propped up between her splayed kimono sleeves. The tablet's screen was filled with pictures of idol groups, costume diagrams, and photos of cute hairstyles. One fluffy tail swayed through the air.

"Great timing, Usagi. I'd love your opinion on these spring-inspired costumes. Mori Musume will wear them for two or three shows in the spring, including one during Hanami, if Hebi can swing it with the shrine association."

Usagi smiled at the mental image of all five girls performing on stage, dancing through swirls of falling cherry blossom petals. And in her mind's eye, Inara was right at the front of the audience, looking up at them with a look of pride and satisfaction.

She approached and knelt by Inara's side. "I'd love to help. I've been looking for something to occupy myself."

Inara had been about to hand the tablet to Usagi for her opinion, but she set it down instead. She gave Usagi her full attention and said, "You sound frustrated. What's wrong, my dear?"

Usagi sighed. "It seems that everyone else has purpose, while I'm just waiting for time to pass me by."

Inara sat upright, facing Usagi. Her single tail split into five as her mood switched from curious to caring. "How about a hobby?"

"I already have some. But I can't garden in the winter, and cooking can only fill so much time." Usagi paused, then shook her head. "And that's not even the real problem. It feels like everyone's drifting apart. Even when we're all here in the shrine, it feels empty because everyone's pursuits are pulling them in different directions. We hardly feel like a family anymore."

Inara pondered that, ears twitching. "Hmm, that's fair. I do hope that this Mori Musume stuff can bring us a little closer together, but there's no reason to stop there. Maybe you can plan a dinner or a party here at the shrine?"

"A party? Like a festival? We already have Hatsumode coming."

Hatsumode was the popular tradition of visiting a shrine at the beginning of the new year. Visitors would pray for the future and retire their old omamori charms, and they usually bought new omamori or paper fortunes called omikuji. Some of the largest shrines in Japan received millions of visitors over the first three days of the year, and even the smaller shrines like Mori-jinsha could expect hundreds.

Inara shook her head. "Not a public festival. Something for us, rather than for the people of Shinjō."

"Huh. Okay. But I don't want to take everyone's time while they're all so busy. And we still need to clean the shrine for Hatsumode and—"

With a kind smile, Inara took Usagi's hand and said, "I'm sure we could all use a little break."

"Alright. I'll start dreaming up a fun party." Usagi peered at Inara's tablet. "But before that, you wanted my opinion?"

"Yes! Do you like these pink miko outfits, or is that too much pink with the sakura petals too?"

Seshi pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead and let out a long breath. "You got fired… again?"

Shika looked up, her eyes puffy and red and her makeup all smudged from crying. She was still wearing her former work uniform of a white blouse and a long black skirt. "How was I supposed to know not to insult the customers? Nezumi and I insult each other all the time! It's a sign of familiarity, and my boss told me to act familiar."

Seshi blinked slowly, trying to process that. She chose to address it indirectly. "Didn't you get an employee handbook that covered stuff like that?"

Shika nodded. "Yeah, but Nezumi told me to skip to the end and click accept."

"Huh?" Seshi slowly turned to face the mouse spirit at her desk. "Why?"

Nezumi didn't look up from her work. She was hunched over a disassembled cell phone, and dressed in just a blue tank-top and boyshort panties. "I figured it's like those software terms of service. None of that stuff can really affect us spirits, so we just skip them."

"This obviously affects you!" Seshi blurted.

Shika pouted, "I see that now…"

"Whatever, just do better next time. And maybe go for something less public-facing than waitress, at least until you get better at interacting with humans." Then Seshi approached Nezumi. "How's the cell phone repair gig going? Can you start paying my shrine back for all those charms we let you keep?"

Nezumi frowned at the interruption, then she set her soldering iron down in its holder and leaned back from the phone she'd been repairing. "The first two went great, but the third guy threw a fit when I couldn't restore all his photos."

Seshi didn't even try to hide her grimace. "So what did you do?"

With a shrug, Nezumi answered, "I did the only thing I could: I gave his money back so that he wouldn't trash my reputation."

Seshi sighed. "I guess that's okay. But you gotta start using a contract so you don't get screwed over again. I'll see if Hebi can write one up for you."

Shika let out a cute squeal that made Seshi's thoughts go to lewd places. "Oh, you'd do that for us?!"

Seshi ran a hand through her hair, trying to distract herself. "I'll ask, yeah, but no guarantee she'll agree."

In between heaping spoonfuls of curry rice, Inu said, "Hey Seshi, can I pick your brain after dinner?"

Seshi looked exhausted from her new job shepherding the rogue spirits. There were dark circles under her eyes, her ears sagged, and her black hair had lost its sheen. "Ugh, why? I just wanna sleep."

Inu set down her spoon and clenched her hands into fists. "I want to become stronger. I want to become a superior spirit."

Akari's eyes went wide. "Ooh, you can use the name Michi! I'll name you whenever you want."

Seshi's tails bristled. "Oh, she can be named whenever she wants, but I wasn't allowed to?"

Inara answered firmly, "You were a criminal serving time."

"I feel like I still am," she whined. "Managing those girls sucks! They have no idea how to act like humans. Shika keeps getting fired from her human jobs like an idiot."

"But she keeps trying," Inara said, "so she must be really determined. I respect that."

Usagi cut in, trying to change the subject before Inara could heap any more praise on other women. "I have an announcement to make. The first few days of the new year are going to be busy here at the shrine thanks to Hatsumode celebrations. The holiday is all about looking forward, so it's particularly important to Mistress Inara's new foresight domain. We need to do it right, and that won't be easy. So before we get buried in all that work, I want to end the year with a relaxing celebration here at the shrine. I'd like to throw a little party here with food and drink and games. Without the huma— err, public."

Hebi was following along intently, the gears in her head turning on how the shrine might be able to turn a profit from the event, right up until that final sentence about not inviting the public. Then she tuned out and went back to inhaling her dinner.

Akari's face lit up with a cheerful smile. "Oh, that sounds like so much fun! I'll pick up supplies and help you cook!"

Usagi beamed. "Thanks, Akari."

Seshi waved her spoon in Usagi's direction. "Oh, can Shika and Nezumi come? It'd do them good to see how all of us interact. They've been alone so long they have no clue how to cooperate with anyone else."

Usagi glared daggers at the cat spirit. "This was meant for just us, as a way for us to grow closer together. To be a better family," she said firmly, each word ringing out like a hammer striking an anvil.

Seshi recoiled from the unexpected intensity. "Whoa! A simple 'no' woulda been enough."

"No, it wouldn't have," Hebi said, now that her plate was clear. "You don't usually take no for an answer."

Inara raised a hand. "Hold on. I think Seshi's onto something here."

"How so, Mistress Inara?" Usagi asked through clenched teeth.

"We're going to be swamped during Hatsumode, to the point that we probably need to hire help. Those spirits could work off some of their debt to us."

Usagi's face was turning red as she tried to maintain composure. "That doesn't require them to intrude on our family event."

Inara blinked. "I was thinking we could invite them over to get to know them better before hiring them. But if you want to keep the party to just us, that's fine, Usagi. I'm sorry for not understanding what you had in mind."

Seshi bowed her head. "Yeah, sorry Usagi. I didn't mean to step on your toes."

"Uh, it's okay." Usagi visibly calmed, then tried to smile. "Well, I'll try to make the 30th a fun and relaxing day for all of us. Let me know if you come up with any ideas."

"Will do, Usagi," Inu said.

Hebi said, "Come to me if you need anything ordered online. If we're quick, it should arrive in time for the party."

As the women returned to eating, Akari turned to Seshi and asked, "So how have Shika and Nezumi been? They seemed like nice people, other than all the stealing."

Seshi's ears perked up. "They're total idiots when it comes to some things, but yeah, I guess they're nice. Nezumi is real clever, but she's got no fashion sense. She just sits around in her panties all day, and not in a sexy way. Shika knows how to look great, but she's kinda a ditz."

Inara smiled and leaned close. "I can't help but notice how much you focused on their appearance, Seshi. Are you attracted to those ladies?"

Rolling her eyes, Seshi answered, "I'm attracted to a lot of people. But yeah, I'd be down to bone if they are. I ain't gonna be the one to ask, though. It wouldn't be right when I'm sorta their boss, and they really care about each other."

"Seshi grew a conscience!" Inu marveled. "Inara's self improvement domain is working!"

"How about her foresight domain?" Seshi asked. "Think your snark is hurting the chances of me helping you become a superior spirit?"

Giggling, Akari said, "I can take a peek and see!"

Inu brought her hands together and bowed her head. "Sorry, sensei. Please forgive me."

Later that evening, Akari visited Inara's bedroom to give an update on the art commissions. Akari had a calendar pulled up on her laptop screen, and she was pointing to dates as she spoke.

"Tetsuhiro's ranma carving is being shipped on December 22nd, and Kasumi's statues are shipping on the 29th. The 30th is Usagi's party, and the 31st is set aside for preparing the shrine for Hatsumode. We can probably spare the time that day to install the ranma over the main entrance so it will be ready for the New Year's Day visitors. The fox statues most likely aren't going to make it until after the 3rd."

"What about the 24th?" Inara asked.

"Nothing's planned. Why?"

Inara smiled knowingly. "Isn't Christmas Eve a romantic holiday in your culture?"

Akari nodded. "Yeah. Couples go out on dates, or stay warm inside and eat fried chicken and Christmas cake." She was drastically simplifying her explanation, but it wasn't really inaccurate either.

"Would you like to spend it with me?" Inara asked.

Akari's jaw dropped and a thousand thoughts ran through her head like a stampede. Christmas Eve with Inara. Me? She chose me? But won't the other girls be upset? Maybe they don't care about human traditions. And do I even want—

"Yes", Akari said, interrupting her own thoughts. She didn't really care what the other girls thought, or about anything else. Not when compared to this. "I'd love to spend Christmas Eve with you."

"Wonderful! Do you have time to plan out the evening? It doesn't need to be fancy. Just whatever you want to do."

Akari felt the smile on her lips, wide and vibrant. "I've got this."