The Yukimura twins found themselves standing in a huge grassy field laden with flowers of all colors. The sun’s warm light shined high in the sky, even though it’s almost sunset outside. In the middle of the field was a tall sakura tree that blossomed with vibrant flowers of pink and white. The petals danced with the gentle breeze. Underneath the tree, a woman dressed elegantly in a fiery red kimono sat peacefully as her hands gently caressed the huge bulge of a belly protruding from her midsection, firmly held by her kimono. Her complexion was very smooth and pure, almost delicate. Her smile was subtle yet kind and her crimson eyes had a gentle yet fierce gaze. Her bosom was smaller than they expected, though kimonos often makes a woman’s chest seem smaller than it actually is. Even with her bloated stomach, she looked so natural and serene. It was the same woman from the ceremony, but now that Shiro and Suzumi see her up close...
 
 
“Welcome to my gardens, Shiro Yukimura, Suzumi Yukimura.” The woman spoke with an angelic voice as she looked up to meet the twins’ gazes. Shiro felt a familiar warm sensation, the same as the one he felt earlier during the ceremony however it was much stronger. “I am Sakuya, the priestess of the this shrine. I thank you for accepting my invitation.” Shiro and Suzumi were not only baffled by the scenery and the priestess’ presence, but how her English is surprisingly fluent. After snapping from their dazes, they sat on their knees upon the cushions laid out before the priestess.
 
 
“Um...L-Lady Sakuya? Can I ask a question?” Shiro nervously asked.
 
 
“Relax, child. You may speak freely here.” Sakuya replies.
 
 
“Why did you invite us to come here? Certainly outsiders like us wouldn’t be worth your time.”
 
 
“It has nothing to do with you being outsiders. I simply found you...interesting.”
 
 
“W-What’s that supposed to mean?”
 
 
“Your eyes...they reminded me of a young man who had visited this temple many years ago. His name was I believe Shoichiro.”
 
 
“You know our father?” Suzumi asked.
 
 
“Indeed. Your father was summoned before me as well many years ago. He was an honest and hopeful young man with a fascinating knack for asking odd questions. I was quite surprised that young Shoichi had not one, but two wonderful children.”
 
 
“What kind of questions did our father ask you, if you don’t mind me asking?” Shiro inquired.
 
 
“Well for one…” Sakuya replied as see looked down and rubbed her belly for emphasis. She looked up to notice the girl staring at her bulging gut. “Would you two like to feel my belly?”
 
 
“Y-You wouldn’t mind?” Suzumi asked not even trying to hide her curiosity. It wasn’t everyday one would get to see or even come close enough to touch the priestess.
 
 
“Not at all. Come closer. I won’t bite.”
 
 
Shiro and Suzumi then scooted up to the priestess and gently placed their hands on her stomach. The soft and silky texture of her kimono was enough to shower the two in utter bliss. The belly underneath was soft and firm. They felt around and could make out the outlines of the two occupants. The priestess’ stomach was quite rounded out despite the sacrifices being still alive and undigested.
 
 
“What’s it like in there?” Shiro asked as he continued to rub Sakuya’s belly, “In your stomach, I mean. From what I’ve heard about the ceremony, the sacrifices should still be alive in there, right?”
 
 
Sakuya giggles. “Would it be easier if I showed you?”
 
 
Shiro and Suzumi pondered for a second confused as to what the priestess had suggested. With a snap of her fingers. The doors on each side of the field opened simultaneously as two women emerged. One woman was rather tall with short black hair, her eyes as blue as the cloudless sky, wore a dark tur quoise kimono, and had a faint scar on her left cheek. The other woman was slightly shorter but had a much more mature vibe about her. She had long ash brown hair, dark magenta eyes, and a velvet kimono. She had a very cold yet also sad expression on her face. The two women stood on each side of the priestess as they both gazed down at the young pair of twins.
 
 
“Arisu,” Sakuya said as she looked to the short-haired woman. “Mister Yukimura would like a peek at the honored sacrifices. Would you kindly lend him a hand?”
 
 
“As you wish, Lady Sakuya.” the woman obliges as she walks up to Shiro and forcefully grabs him by his ankles and holds him upside down in the air before taking him over to Sakuya. Shiro was now face to face with the priestess. He stared at her lips as Sakuya opened her mouth wide. He was entranced by the healthy pink flesh and her glistening saliva, yet also anxious of the foreboding feeling as he gazed down into the dark depths of her throat. The darkness of her gullet slowly encroached on him as his head was steadily lowered into her mouth. He slid inside her throat very easily and smoothly with the priestess putting little effort into swallowing him. It wasn’t long before his head popped into her stomach. Inside, he could see the woman and young boy, who were eaten during the ceremony earlier, embracing each other as they appeared to be sleeping peacefully. The stomach itself was surprisingly clean and had a very pleasant aroma. The heat of the priestess’ innards was very high yet also relaxing. To Shiro, it was like sticking his head under a kotatsu*. Before the heat could get to him, he was pulled back up the slick tube and was met with the bright light of day once more.
 
 
As his eyes adjusted to the light, the priestess gave him a gentle smile and said, “You tasted very sweet, Mr. Yukimura.” Shiro blushed from her compliment. Suzumi, however, was a little irritated and jealous of the attention her brother was getting from the priestess.
 
 
“Ms. Suzumi,” Sakuya said to her, “would you like a peek inside my stomach as well?”
 
 
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pass. Thank you.” Suzumi refuses her offer politely, though she was honestly curious. She didn’t want to come off as perverse as her brother. Shiro sat back down in his seat still taken aback by what he just experienced.
 
 
“Mirano,” Sakuya looked to the older-looking woman, “How much time until our next meeting?”
 
 
The woman pulled out a pocket watch from her yukata. “We have approximately 30 minutes before our next guests arrive.”
 
 
“I see. In that time, Shiro and Suzumi Yukimura, I will gladly answer one question from each of you.”
 
 
As Shiro pondered on his question, Suzumi asked hers first. “Okay...then why did Ms. Odogiri and Ms. Eiko eat us to bring us here?”
 
 
“We are currently surrounded by a sacred barrier designed to let no one enter this temple except for me and a select few of my retainers. However, there is a way to bring outsiders into the temple...”
 
 
“It’s by being swallowed by you or a retainer, right?” Suzumi asks. During the ceremony, Shiro recalled seeing only women were at the temple near the priestess. It wouldn’t have been odd if most of them had been predators like Yasako and Ruri.
 
 
“That is correct. By being in one of my retainer’s stomachs, a person can essentially become one with them and be able to bypass the barrier. Of course, the same goes when you leave as well.” That basically confirmed Suzumi’s suspicions. Now she was curious on what her brother was going to ask.
 
 
(What does Shiro ask the priestess?)