"Hey, Sunao... You didn't have to tag along y'know? With your current state, you should've stayed at the shrine."
"... I'm fine. A mere hunting trip is nothing compared to running away from that ghost."
"Oh... Right, I forgot... I forgot that you didn't arrive at our village from the get-go. Sorry. Didn't mean to undervalue you."
Two people walked in silence for a while, it's clear that the shrine maiden felt deeply ashamed for his trivial blunder and didn't want to continue the conversation to avoid any further humiliation.
"... Why do you keep apologising? I mean I get it - you don't really know my story, but still. I won't get mad."
"... Sorry, a force of habit."
Two continued to walk through the forest, wandering in their own thoughts, and in that moment Sunao finally asked the question that has been on their mind ever since they got settled in that shrine
"What's the deal with your brother? Why... Does he keep treating you like this?"
"Like what?"
"Belittling you, sabotaging, controlling. That kind of thing."
"Well... It's simple, so I wouldn't get haughty, my brother is much more valuable than me despite his young age."
"But that... Doesn't make any sense! He doesn't treat you like a brother, he treats you like a rag!... Siblings shouldn't treat each other like this..."
The young shrine maiden falls silent. On one hand, he doesn't see why this person would be mad about his brother, but on the other... Deep down he knew that his situation wasn't... Normal. He misses that one innocent time period when he and his brother were truly like children... Like brothers.
A lump forms in his throat and soon he breaks for a brief moment.
"I... I... I miss him. A lot."
"What do you mean by that" Sunao asked, caught off guard by his wording.
"There was a time when we... Were a lot nicer to each other. It was before he-- no, everyone had discovered his powers and I was still in the position of the next successor of Amenaku priests. He viewed me as a sort of role model and he would always cling onto me. He... Hah... Loved me very much. That would change though when we did discover his powers and now he became the heir to the position. Admittedly it did hurt me a little, but then my brother became much more cold towards me. He saw me as an inferior being to him and my parents told me to suck it up and serve as his servant and confidant in all of this."
There was some suppressed bitterness in the shrine maiden's voice. Despite him trying to convince himself that it was the right decision, he couldn't help but feel cheated. But not for him losing the position... It's for him losing his dear brother.
"I'm... Sorry." Sunao apologized and the shrine maiden continued
"You know, I wasn't always like... This. Before that, I looked pretty masculine; short hair and more... Um... Appropriate attire and all. But then my brother forced me to wear the shrine maiden outfit one day. He said it looked good on me, so I kept dressing like that, growing my hair to look more feminine; I... I actually like this way. Still a man though, that's why I am taking on more physically taxing jobs."
"Hmm... Still that's awful."
"Hah, guess I got too used to obeying my younger brother."
And so they continued wandering around the forest. It didn't even feel like a hunting trip anymore and more of two people talking to each other without any stray glances.
"By the way, what's the deal with the turtleneck?"
Now the shrine maiden feels like he's doomed. Showing the wounds will definitely make Sunao upset... Yet not showing will definitely upset Sunao in a different way. After thinking some things through, he asked-- no, begged Sunao not to tell anyone about this, especially to his younger brother. Sunao nodded, and so the shrine maiden revealed everything by showing Sunao his neck.
"!!!"
Those were rather brutal scars likely caused by iron branding or extended friction. And those seem to not have been healed properly as they have a rather sickly pigmentation here and there.
"Was that... Tatarigami?..." Sunao gasped, though given Tatarigami's way off attacking, they perhaps already know the true answer
"No. It was my brother." He confessed "One day, he was in a rather foul mood, and so, to relieve his stress, had started to brand me. It was quite painful and he was laughing quite a lot, saying that it was my punishment. Perhaps if I left him alone that day, that... Wouldn't have happened."
Sunao was clearly disturbed when they heard this and the shrine maiden was embarrassed, pulling his turtleneck back up "... Sorry. I shouldn't have said it."
"N-No!... That's okay... In fact, I commend you for your willingness to speak up about this, Tsurikaze. Amekari must be a really awful person then."
---
Route A:
"... Perhaps you're right."
"I am right." Sunao pouts and two of them again walk in silence.
"... Perhaps I could start everything anew, without my brother holding me back anymore.
Perhaps... I could travel the world with you, Sunao"
---
Route B:
"No-no-no. Despite what you have heard, Amekari is a good boy deep down. After all, he does protect our village after all."
"Hmm..."
"Please promise me that you'll watch over him for me, ok? He seems pretty fond of you, you know?"