Shion woke to a sky that had completely darkened.The seaside air had grown considerably cooler, the once refreshing breeze now carrying a distinct chill.
Shion hadn’t woken naturally; instead, she had been roused by Nanami, who was vigorously patting her.As for why Nanami had been so forceful, startling Shion from her slumber, the reason was obvious…
“Shion-chan! Your phone has been ringing non-stop!” Nanami exclaimed, her hand still patting Shion’s head with considerable force.
“Huh? What?” Still a little dazed from her nap, Shion jolted at Nanami’s words.Just then, the sea breeze swept up a spray of seawater, and a few icy drops landed on Shion’s face.
A sudden chill washed over her, instantly clearing much of her drowsiness.She picked up her phone, which lay beside her, its screen still brightly lit.
Thirteen missed calls.
The numbers and icons on the screen nearly sent Shion’s heart into arrhythmia.
Shion didn’t even need to look; every single call was from Ayane.
The number thirteen is considered highly unlucky in Western culture.While people in the East generally didn’t subscribe to such superstitions, for Shion, at this very moment, that number certainly felt…
No, it felt incredibly ominous!
“Um, Kazama-san,” Shion began, her grip on Nanami’s arm having loosened, allowing her to hold her phone.She hadn’t checked the exact time, merely judging by the darkening sky that it was already quite late.
“What… what time is it?” Shion’s voice trembled.Even though it was only late summer, and the seaside wasn’t particularly hot, Shion felt as if she had plunged into an ice cellar.
This was far more terrifying than having an evil spirit nearby!
“It’s already half past seven.Shouldn’t you be heading home to make dinner, Shion-chan?” Nanami replied, releasing Shion’s hand and checking the precise time on her own phone.
Half past seven… heading home to make dinner… Each word in that sentence was perfectly normal on its own.Yet, when combined, especially when applied to her current situation, the phrase became utterly dreadful.
Normally, by this time, Ayane wouldn’t just be done with dinner; she’d have finished ages ago and would already be settled on the living room sofa, engrossed in her favorite evening drama.
“Um, Kazama-san, are you sober?…” Shion asked, her voice wavering, much like an elderly woman with silver hair asking for directions.
Nanami nodded. “I wasn’t drunk, not even a bit dizzy.Why do you ask?”
“Could you… give me a ride home on your motorbike?” Shion pressed on.
Once upon a time, not long after school had started, Shion had ridden Nanami’s motorbike home to the shrine during their first meeting.Ever since that day, Shion had secretly vowed never to ride Nanami’s motorbike again.
And yet, Shion’s previous vow to never ride any vehicle driven by Nanami had been made barely half an hour before, when she was still aboard Nanami’s Capybara-go (TL Note: A humorous nickname for a small, slow vehicle).Despite her severe motion sickness, she had resolutely gotten into the vehicle then, all to avoid a lecture from her sister.
Faced with the choice between being scolded by her sister and preserving her own life, Shion had, without hesitation, chosen the former, then secretly resolved never to make such a choice again.
Now, confronting that very same dilemma once more, Shion still wished to avoid her sister’s disapproval…
Ah, humanity’s sole lesson from history is that humanity learns no lessons from history.
To Shion’s surprise, even though she had mentally prepared herself to vomit on Nanami’s motorbike, Nanami shook her head.The reason she gave was utterly unassailable.
“Even if I’m not drunk, I can’t drive after drinking,” Nanami said, poking Shion’s head.”It’s for safety.I’m not some reckless ‘ghost fire girl’ (TL Note: A slang term for young, often delinquent, female motorcyclists who drive dangerously).”
“Then what am I going to do?! My sister is going to kill me!” Shion wailed, on the verge of tears.
Nanami placed a finger on her chin, pondering for a moment.
“Actually, I have a bicycle.It’s faster than you running like they do in TV dramas.”
Shion rolled her eyes. “You really have a lot of vehicles, don’t you? Bicycles, motorbikes, even a boat.”
“Uh… actually, there’s also an old classic car.My family used it for deliveries back in the day,” Nanami admitted, scratching her head.”Alright, I’ll give you a ride on my bicycle.”
After walking along the beach for a short while, they spotted a sky-blue bicycle, a color remarkably similar to Nanami’s hair.This bicycle, free of any rust spots, appeared quite new.
However, it also had… a helmet hanging from it.
Shion felt a surge of foreboding.This feeling intensified when Nanami handed her the sole helmet and casually remarked, “Make sure to hold on tight to me later, okay?”
‘Why didn’t I bring motion sickness medicine?’
Three minutes later, Shion sat on the back seat of Nanami’s bicycle, watching the scenery rapidly recede.She felt as though the Earth itself was swiftly pulling away from her…
‘Ah, no, it’s just Nanami riding too…’
As this thought formed, a violent surge of nausea rapidly traveled from her stomach to her mouth.This sickening sensation abruptly cut short her train of thought.
Kazama Nanami possessed a peculiar magic: whenever Shion boarded one of her land vehicles, motion sickness would inevitably strike, followed by an overwhelming urge to vomit.This theory had yet to be tested with Nanami’s classic car, but Shion had no desire to subject herself to that experiment any longer!
“Kazama-san… could you…” The two words Shion desperately wanted to say, “slow down,” were caught in her throat, pushed back by the overwhelming wave of nausea.
“What?! Shion-chan, what did you say?!” From the front seat, Nanami pedaled with furious speed, as if her feet were generating wind, swiftly weaving through the town’s streets and alleyways.The roaring wind made it impossible for Nanami to hear Shion’s voice clearly.
“Slow down… I said…” Shion managed to force out the two words she most desperately wanted to say, but they were instantly swallowed by the wind.From the front, Nanami could only hear the rushing wind and Shion’s muffled murmurs, not a single word of what Shion actually said.
“Shion-chan, speak louder! The wind is strong!” Nanami shouted, raising her voice.
In truth, Shion could hear even if Nanami didn’t shout.
“Kazama Nanami, are you deaf?!” Shion finally couldn’t hold back, yelling out loud.
“No, of course not, I can hear perfectly clearly.We’re here!” Nanami exclaimed, coming to an abrupt stop.Shion, who had been holding on tightly, nearly tumbled off.
Nevertheless, she scrambled and stumbled off the bicycle, then proceeded to vomit into the nearby bushes.
This scene felt eerily familiar.
Even the spot where she was vomiting was the same…