Autumn had arrived. Compared to the oppressive heat of summer, the air had cooled considerably. Beneath a sky of deep azure, the vibrant green leaves of the trees had begun to yield, their edges subtly tinged with gold. A gentle breeze swept through, carrying the crisp chill of the season to the young women.
“High autumn, refreshing air!” Kujou Sakuya stretched luxuriously, embracing the autumn wind. She wore a long-sleeved, pale yellow shirt that day, like a leaf of the season, complementing the light yellow skirt and white leather shoes she had on. The autumn breeze gently lifted the hem of her skirt and stirred the white beret perched atop her head.
“Uh… it’s really cool,” Hoshimori Shion responded, completely devoid of any poetic bone, almost making Hoshimori Ayane burst into laughter beside her.
“Sister, have you ever heard a saying?” Ayane suddenly asked.
“What saying?” Shion leaned forward, a little bewildered.
“As the saying goes, ‘Among three people walking, there must be one idiot.’ First, it’s not me.” Ayane glanced at the two beside her.
Sakuya immediately caught on. “It’s not me either.”
“Then I… hey!” Shion couldn’t help but exclaim, realizing her two companions were shamelessly making fun of her.
Seeing Shion raise her hand as if to strike, Ayane quickly darted behind Sakuya. “Sister really is the idiot!” She stuck out her tongue and made a face at her sister from behind Sakuya.
Shion withdrew her hand, checked her location on her phone, and surveyed their surroundings. They had reached the edge of the town. While the Hoshimori Shrine was already on the town’s periphery, they had now walked from the eastern edge to the northern edge, effectively traversing a quarter of the town. They were currently ascending a mountain path, the town’s houses gradually receding into the distance, dwindling into tiny, grey squares.
Fortunately, this path wasn’t as steep as the one leading to the Hoshimori Shrine, and Sakuya, knowing they would be climbing today, had thoughtfully brought a hiking pole. Otherwise, Shion had every reason to suspect Sakuya might already be utterly exhausted.
Sakuya, perhaps noticing Shion’s concerned gaze, quickly interjected, “I-I’ve been exercising properly these days! Climbing a small mountain is no trouble at all.”
“Oh~” Shion nodded, a hint of understanding dawning on her face. “So, where exactly are we going? And why did I have to prepare so much this morning?” As she spoke, Shion lifted her backpack, which weighed heavily on her shoulders. Inside weren’t textbooks, but the bento boxes and rice balls she had made that morning—which, she noted, were certainly no lighter than textbooks.
“We’re going on a picnic!” Ayane replied with an air of nonchalance. “We discussed it over the past few days, and since there’s nothing much fun to do in town, we figured a picnic would be a much better idea. If we played in town, we’d have to carry everything we bought, which is such a hassle.”
Shion shot Ayane a glare. “So you just made me carry all the picnic items, didn’t you!”
“I brought the picnic blanket and some snacks,” Sakuya said, lifting her handbag slightly. “Because my stamina isn’t great, I couldn’t bring much, just these things.”
“I mostly brought food, definitely enough for the three of us… Ah!” Shion only just realized. “Ayane, you just let Kujou-san and me bring everything, and you brought nothing yourself, right!”
“Uh, hehehe…” Ayane scratched her head sheepishly, meeting the gazes directed her way by Sakuya and Shion. “Anyway, my big sister can handle anything, anyway. And Sister never lets me into the kitchen, so how could I help prepare things? I’m sorry, okay?”
Ayane sidled up to Shion, almost playfully nuzzling her chest. “I’m sorry, Sister! Next time, let me do the cooking, okay?”
“Absolutely not, for the safety of the Hoshimori Shrine’s assets,” Shion refused emphatically.
“Kujou-san, look! My sister won’t let me cook, you can’t blame me!” Ayane seized the opportunity to quickly address Sakuya. “If Sister let me into the kitchen, I’d definitely help, right, Sister!”
“I always thought it was homebodies like me who were bad at cooking, but I guess Ayane-san is too…” Sakuya muttered, pressing a hand to her forehead.
****
The mountain forest grew denser, and the further they walked, the more the small path became increasingly overgrown with vegetation. Clearly, this route wasn’t frequently used. However, the mountain itself wasn’t particularly high, and amidst their laughter and playful banter, the three young women soon reached its summit. Even Sakuya, with her limited stamina, was only a little breathless upon reaching the top, but she was certainly not nearly as exhausted as she had been climbing to the Hoshimori Shrine last time.
The view from the mountain was expansive. Standing at the summit, they could gaze upon the distant sea, and with a slight downward tilt of their heads, the town below lay spread out beneath them. The vast, cerulean sky met the emerald sea at the distant horizon, as sunlight scattered across the water, sparkling with countless diamonds. The sea breeze and mountain wind converged here, playing a rustling symphony through the leaves.
“Wow! To climb so high, to behold such a magnificent panorama!” Sakuya gently held her white beret, her eyes fixed on the distant scenery. Though she was panting heavily, the joy in her heart remained utterly unmarred by her physical exhaustion.
Ayane stood beside Sakuya, saying nothing, but cupped her hands around her mouth in an endearing megaphone shape. She faced the expansive sky and the slightly salty sea breeze, letting out a loud cry. “Waaahhh!”
Seeing Ayane, Sakuya mimicked her, shouting towards the sea. “Waaahhh!”
The girls’ shouts startled a flock of birds from the trees, which swiftly took flight, soaring into the high heavens.
“You two, don’t shout too loudly, you’ll disturb the peace,” Shion admonished them like an elder sister, even as she began to spread out the picnic blanket and arrange the bento and snacks. It wasn’t that she found the scenery unappealing; rather, having lived on a mountain her entire life, such a view was hardly a novelty to her.
Speaking of which, the Hoshimori Shrine was also visible from here, perched on the summit of another distant mountain. The vibrant red torii of the Hoshimori Shrine stood guard, as ever, like its most loyal sentinel, a striking splash of red amidst the verdant green. This mountain was even slightly lower in elevation than the Hoshimori Shrine. Not that Shion would ever utter such a spoilsport comment as, ‘Coming here for the view is pointless when you could just go to the Hoshimori Shrine.’
While Shion was busy, she happened to look up slightly, and at the periphery of her vision, she noticed something dark green. Driven by curiosity, Shion walked closer. The object seemed to be buried in the soil, with only a portion of it visible.
Shion brushed away the surrounding soil with her hand, revealing its entirety.
‘Is this… a sword?’ Its hilt was already rusted, though not yet entirely corroded. Yet, the blade itself still gleamed with a sharp, cold light. Moreover, this sword looked somewhat familiar.
‘This is… Spirit Cutter?’