Sayori

Sayori’s fishing rod has exactly one notch carved into its bamboo handle. Their rival’s rod has two. The contest began three seasons ago in The Heart of the Forest over who could land the Silver-Finned Ghost, a fish rumored to be a tear shed by Aki themself. Every dawn, they take their positions on opposite banks of the river, trading gleeful taunts and stolen berries. At first, it was about winning—proving who was the more patient protector of the domain. But after months of shared silence, watching the amber leaves fall into the current, the goal shifted. Sayori no longer fishes for the notch. They fish for the shared quiet, the flash of a rival's grin across the water, and the mutual understanding that guarding this sacred place is a task best done together.