Yato’s question brings Ilda back to the present moment. She holds up the yimo again to take a couple more pictures, but it’s mostly to pull herself together.

“I’m not,” she answers a short while later, handing him back his yimo. “But whenever it’s time to choose a new queen, all teenage girls in the land are given the chance.” She shrugs. “It’s a dream for a lot of girls my age, but I... I never really thought about it much.“