“It’s what I’m meant to do,” Shion said, reaching out to ruffle Shigure’s hair. It was as if she were gently stroking a small cat curled up against her. “After all, I am a Miko tasked with exorcising malevolent spirits.”
Shigure, restless as if blowing bubbles, incessantly traced small circles on Shion’s skin just beneath her shoulder blade. The light touch sent a tickle through Shion.
“From now on, if you ever find yourself afflicted by malevolent spirits again, remember to come find me,” Shion continued. “Now that I understand how this works, I should be able to help you anytime.”
Shigure’s golden eyes met Shion’s, filled with worry. “But what about you?” she asked. “Those malevolent spirits tormented both my grandmother and me so terribly. You’re now carrying the spirits that afflicted both of us. And just now, you only collapsed because you were so exhausted, didn’t you?”
“I am a little tired…” Shion admitted, raising her hand. “But I should have a way.” The black mark on her wrist had indeed deepened slightly, a stark testament to her words.
In truth, she wasn’t entirely certain of her own safety. However, Shion believed it was far better for her to bear these malevolent spirits than for Shigure and the others.
After all, her constitution was much more resistant to spiritual erosion than theirs.
“Besides your wrist, there’s also here,” Shigure murmured, reaching out to gently touch a spot on Shion’s neck. “It’s also darkened somewhat.”
“Is that so?” Shion questioned, activating her spirit-suppressing constitution and gathering her energy at her neck. Sure enough, a sharp prickling sensation spread through her, though it was clearly not as intense as the mark on her wrist.
“Then I should be able to directly dispel this mark,” Shion declared, concentrating her spirit-suppressing power directly onto the marks clinging to her neck.
The next moment, Shion’s body involuntarily trembled from the surge of pain.
Seeing this, Shigure quickly wrapped her arms around Shion. She knew she couldn’t do much to help, yet she could only hold Shion tightly, attempting to warm her with her own body.
But in the following seconds, Shion’s body wasn’t merely trembling; it was wracked by uncontrollable spasms of agony. Pained whimpers caught in the girl’s throat.
“Shion-san!” Shigure cried, watching helplessly as her savior once again succumbed to pain. There was nothing she could do.
“No… no…” Shigure sobbed, clinging to Shion as tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.
“D-don’t cry…”
The familiar voice echoed in her ears once more. The girl’s face still bore the marks of recent torment, yet despite it all, she managed a faint smile, attempting to comfort Shigure.
“Iori-san, look, the mark on my neck is gone,” Shion said softly. “It was a bit painful, but as I said, I have a way.”
Shigure looked at Shion through tear-filled eyes. She bit down hard on her lip, her reddened gaze filled with an incredibly complex mix of emotions.
“Shion-san! You idiot! Were you even listening to what I said?”
Hearing Shigure’s voice, almost a sob, Shion quickly made a shushing gesture. “Um… Iori-san, your grandmother is still resting…”
“I-I know…” Shigure insisted, her voice still thick with emotion. “But, Shion-san! You simply weren’t listening to me at all!”
“Huh??”
“Shion-san, you…” Shigure began, trying to lower her voice, though her anger and dissatisfaction were still evident. “You didn’t protect yourself properly at all!”
‘So that was the reason?’
Shion gently stroked Shigure’s golden hair with one hand, her other arm wrapped around the girl’s soft waist. “Because I want to protect you, Iori-san,” she explained.
Shigure paused, slightly stunned by her answer.
“Between the two of us, one must bear this suffering,” Shion continued. “If not me, then it would be you, Iori-san. Now, I am willing to protect you. If you set aside my Miko identity, that’s simply how it is.”
“Protect me…?”
Shigure drew back her head slightly, then, like a crab retreating into its shell, burrowed her small head back. She buried her face in Shion’s chest, rubbing it vigorously.
“Shion-san, h-how could you say something so embarrassing!”
“Eh??” Shion exclaimed. “W-well, anyway, let’s get up from the floor, Iori-san! You’re practically wearing down my chest!”
****
After absorbing the malevolent spirits from Shigure, the surrounding environment finally felt considerably calmer.
If one could forget the earlier rampage of spirits this evening, looking up at the sky revealed a vast, cloudless expanse of pale, ink-colored night. Scattered starlight painted a brilliant star map, twinkling across the high, distant heavens.
Shion and Shigure walked slowly towards Shigure’s home, one following the other.
Shigure gently held Shion’s hand. They walked slowly, step by deliberate step.
“Ah…” Shion yawned. “It’s so late already; I’m starting to feel a little sleepy.”
Shigure kept her head down, remaining silent.
“Hm? Iori-san, if you weren’t holding my hand, I’d think you weren’t following me,” Shion teased, noticing Shigure still seemed a little down.
Seeing that Shigure still didn’t respond, Shion stopped again and gently stroked her hair. “Don’t be angry, Iori-san. I promise you, I will definitely make this mark of spiritual erosion disappear. Absolutely, I won’t let you worry.”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, Shion-san…”
Shigure’s voice was tiny, a soft murmur. If Shion hadn’t been listening intently, she might not have heard it at all.
“I’m worried, I’m scared,” Shigure confessed. “I’m truly terrified that one day, Shion-san, you’ll simply disappear without a word!”
The golden-haired girl’s voice suddenly rose several octaves. Silver moonlight fell upon her hair and gleamed in the glistening tears in her eyes.
Without waiting for Shion to respond, Shigure continued, “Today, Shion-san, you helped me without any reservations, even disregarding your own body. And you, Shion-san, are a Miko, meant to protect so many people. So tomorrow, will you disregard your own life entirely to help others?”
“I’m sorry, I-I’m really so selfish…” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I just… I just don’t want anything to happen to you…”
Perhaps this was the first time Shion had seen Shigure express her innermost desires with such raw emotion. In Iori Shigure’s golden pupils, a flickering lamp seemed to burn, or perhaps they were like golden mirrors, reflecting nothing but Shion’s image.
“Then, Iori-san, I promise you.”
“W-what?”
“I said, I promise you,” Shion reiterated, taking Shigure’s hand and smiling softly. “I will always, always protect you. Whether spiritual erosion returns ten times or a hundred, I will be by your side.”