The past few days had been rather peculiar. As Hoshimori Shion swung her Spirit Cutter, vanquishing yet another malevolent spirit, she stumbled, losing her balance completely, and collapsed to the ground.
However, her spirit-suppressing physique, enhanced by her abilities, prevented her from losing consciousness entirely. Instead, she lay there, gazing blankly at the countless stars scattered across the vast sky and the brilliant, pristine moonlight.
A sense of bewilderment washed over Shion. She could only cover her face with her hands, allowing the moonlight to bathe her form. Closing her eyes, she felt the surrounding evil spirits dissipate.
Lately, for reasons unknown, the surge of malevolent spirits had become exceptionally frequent. How many days had it been now? Shion spread her hand and counted on her fingers. Was it… the fourth day or the fifth?
What was more, the evil spirits that had appeared these past few days were all those particularly troublesome samurai spirits she had encountered before. While their numbers were fewer than when the colossal samurai spirit had emerged from their fusion, these entities remained incredibly formidable for Shion. Moreover, her recent exorcisms had been without the aid of that wisp of white, a veritable Sword of Damocles. Shion had been left to rely solely on her Spirit Cutter, cleansing these malevolent entities on her own.
Days of continuous, high-intensity combat had pushed her body to its absolute limit. In fact, on several occasions recently, even if she collapsed on the battlefield during an exorcism, she would wake up the next morning to find Ayane already pummelling her for half the day in her own bed. Ayane had even taken to proactively switching off her alarm clocks.
‘Ah, seriously, even the game’s settings couldn’t change the fact that she was utterly exhausted.’
“Dummy big sister~ Aren’t you going to get up and make breakfast for your cutest little sister? Look at what time it is! The morning drama has already started, you know!” Ayane sat astride Shion, her legs straddling her, as she kneaded Shion’s shoulders with her hands, her head repeatedly brushing against the exposed collarbone above Shion’s pajamas.
‘Though it was just her collarbone, the sensation of their “peaks” rubbing together was what Shion truly couldn’t bear… Thankfully, she was a girl now; if she were a boy, it would be utterly disastrous…’
“Dummy Ayane…” The exhaustion etched on Shion’s face practically screamed, ‘I don’t want to get up.’ “Just let me sleep a little longer! I’m so sleepy! You can go watch the morning drama now; you’ll still make it!”
“Big sister said the exact same thing yesterday, only to fall right back asleep and go to school on an empty stomach this morning!” Ayane retorted instantly, shaking Shion’s shoulders with emphasis.
“No, I won’t! I-I’ve even set three alarms!” Shion tried to turn over, but pinned beneath Ayane, she couldn’t budge.
Seeing that her sister still refused to get up, Ayane tilted her head playfully, then began unbuttoning her freshly donned school uniform. After two buttons were undone, Shion, despite her hazy, sleep-filled eyes, clearly saw Ayane’s chest seem to jolt, as if freed from a constraint.
‘Has her nutrition been too good these past few days…’ Shion inwardly grumbled.
“Big sister, you haven’t claimed your academic test reward yet! Get up, quick!” Ayane pulled Shion’s hand, intending to place it on her own chest. “Hurry up and make me breakfast after you’ve kneaded them!”
“I know!” Shion finally broke free from her sister’s hold and scrambled to sit up.
Still perched on Shion, Ayane tilted her head. “So, big sister won’t knead them anymore?”
Despite the vast disparity, Shion still puffed out her chest with conviction. No matter what, she absolutely couldn’t lose face. “I have my own; I don’t need yours.”
Ayane playfully stuck out her tongue at Shion. “Then, big sister, can I knead yours?”
“No, you can’t. Don’t you have your own?” Shion refused unequivocally.
‘While she proclaimed she wouldn’t lose face, the reality of their “strength” showed a significant gap… A fact that still needed to be accepted.’
Ayane rubbed Shion’s hair once more, then slid off her, humming a little tune as she leisurely went to watch the morning drama.
Watching Ayane’s retreating back, Shion lay back down and pulled the covers over herself again.
‘Anyway, just ten more minutes of sleep. I’ve set an alarm; I’ll get up, as long as I start cooking on time…’
In a hazy daze, Shion seemed to drift off to sleep once more.
Ayane, realizing what was about to happen, suddenly poked her small head through the doorway, her gaze fixed on Shion, who had once again lain down. “I say… Dummy big sister? You’ve gone back to sleep?”
Hearing Ayane’s voice, Shion jolted upright as if struck by electricity.
‘Alright, though she was still very tired, she wasn’t sleepy anymore, at least.’
Thus, these past few days, Shion had reverted to her old habit of succumbing to exhaustion and sleeping during class.
Shigure, sitting behind her, didn’t bother to remind her. After all… Shigure herself also slept in class.
Yet, that didn’t change the fact that Shigure was an academic ace… And it seemed she could still absorb the lesson even while napping at her desk.
‘What an… enviable skill!’
Even when Shion tried to listen attentively, the moment she heard that adorable snoring from behind her, she would immediately feel drowsy.
Sleeping with Shigure, it felt remarkably easy to drift off. Her soft, gentle snores were incredibly conducive to sleep. Listening from the front row, Shion felt as if she were experiencing ASMR.
Finally, they endured until school was dismissed. Tomorrow marked a long-awaited short holiday. If she didn’t have to cook dinner for Ayane after returning home this afternoon, Shion would have loved nothing more than to collapse into bed the moment she stepped through the door.
“Dummy big sister, remember to make dinner for your cutest little sister before you go to sleep~” Ayane, upon returning to the shrine, burrowed into her room, leaving that remark just before closing the door.
‘Alright, it looked like she was planning to finish her homework before the evening drama started, then enjoy dinner and watch the show without a care.’
–Can I copy your homework?
–No. Ayane refused quite brusquely, though perhaps feeling her refusal was too blunt, she added, “But I can.”
–Hey!
****
The usual prayers, the usual… dangerously high concentration of malevolent spirits, with the system providing no warning whatsoever.
Shion, inwardly cursing these evil spirits for their recent unruly behavior, gripped her Spirit Cutter and swiftly made her way towards the area with the highest concentration of surging spirits as night fell.
Why, oh why was this happening?! The system offered no hints, yet these evil spirits kept emerging ceaselessly, and their combat prowess was remarkably high.
Shion sighed, but still dutifully shouldered her mission of exorcism.
****
“Young Miss, as per Master’s instructions, this ‘pressure release’ has now commenced. We are simply awaiting the arrival of the Guardian Miss.” Grandpa Butler bowed to Rie, speaking in a deep voice.
Rie remained with her head bowed, clenching her teeth tightly.
“In the end, we still have to rely on this ‘pressure release,’ relying on *her* to resolve it… You claimed to be searching for a permanent solution, but in the end, are you only looking at the numbers in the account?!”
“If we continue this ‘pressure release’ for just one more month, the seal can be guaranteed safe for five years. That is what the Master said.”
“And have any of you considered the Guardian Miss?!”