The Autumn Festival, the Autumn Festival…
Ever since Ayane had mentioned it last night, Shion had spent the entire day consumed by thoughts of the Autumn Festival, specifically how to arrange it so that the two sisters might manage to keep their stomachs full for the coming year.
As usual, she entered the classroom and settled into her usual window-side seat. The sunlight today was particularly inviting, casting a warm glow that seemed perfectly suited for an afternoon nap during class.
“Iori-san, good morning,” Shion said, greeting Shigure, who sat just behind her, out of habit.
Today, however, Shigure had simply stared at Shion in a daze from the moment she entered the classroom. It wasn’t until Shion greeted her that she seemed to snap awake, responding with a stutter, “G-good morning, Shion-san.”
Turning her head, Shion noticed the pronounced dark circles beneath Shigure’s eyes. “Iori-san, you must be exhausted,” she murmured. “It seems you haven’t been sleeping well these past few days, taking care of your grandma.” As she spoke, Shion instinctively reached out a hand, intending to gently ruffle Shigure’s hair.
To her surprise, the moment Shion’s fingers brushed her hair, Shigure involuntarily recoiled, taking a half-step back like a startled kitten.
Shion gasped, a sharp intake of breath.
‘Iori-san, was that half-step back truly intentional? Such a small movement, yet it stung…’
Realizing her reaction had been inappropriate, Shigure immediately leaned back into Shion’s hand, nuzzling her head against Shion’s palm.
“Um… Iori-san, is something wrong?” Shion asked cautiously. ‘Has something happened recently to make Shigure dislike me?’ Shion’s mind raced, frantically searching for any recent actions that might have caused offense.
‘There really doesn’t seem to be anything.’
Just as Shigure was about to shake her head and utter a dismissive, “No, nothing,” she bit her lip, appearing to steel herself with a significant decision.
The moment Shigure opened her mouth to speak, the school bell chimed, signaling the start of class.
“Um… Shion-san,” Shigure murmured, her voice barely a whisper as she lowered her head. “I’ll tell you during break. I also have something I want to ask you…” In that moment, she seemed to transform back into the shy, introverted girl Shion had first met.
Despite a flicker of anxiety, unsure of what might have transpired, Shion still managed a reluctant nod.
‘Alright, truthfully, it’s mostly this class I genuinely don’t want to listen to… And it’s not like exams are looming, so perhaps a quick nap wouldn’t hurt…’
‘No, no, that won’t do! If I sleep now, I’ll be facing another “carpet-bombing” review session when exams draw near again, and I absolutely dread that!’
With that thought, Shion forced herself to remain alert. Even though the first class of the day was mathematics, a subject she found utterly unbearable, she still rallied her spirits, attempting to pay attention to the teacher whose bald head shone so brightly it could reflect light.
“To determine the area of the shadow cast by such a cone, we must draw auxiliary lines downwards from its cross-section…”
Hoshimori Shion, striving to listen intently. Her eyelids waged a constant battle, and the formulas scrawled across the blackboard proved even more soporific than counting sheep late at night…
****
“Shion-san, Shion-san, class is over. Wake up now…”
Shigure’s soft, gentle voice drifted into Shion’s ears, prompting her to reluctantly open her eyes. To have enjoyed such a sound sleep amidst the crisp, slightly cool autumn weather, basking in the warm sunlight—it truly had been…
‘Wait! How did I fall asleep?!’
Shion rubbed her eyes, and upon realizing she had indeed drifted off, she promptly buried her head in her arms, attempting to escape the mortifying reality.
“Shion-san, honestly!” Shigure said, gently tapping Shion’s shoulder and pouting. “I still have questions for you! Get up!”
Hearing Shigure’s words, Shion immediately sat upright, meeting Shigure’s gaze. Shigure was leaning against her chair, her eyes holding a slightly wronged expression.
“So… Iori-san, what exactly is it?” Shion asked, picking up her water bottle and taking a sip.
“Shion-san… are you and Igarashi-senpai dating?”
Shion nearly choked, almost spitting out a mouthful of water.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Despite managing to suppress the urge to spray the water, she couldn’t avoid choking on it.
Seeing her distress, Shigure quickly moved closer, gently patting Shion’s back. The morning sunlight caught in the girl’s golden short hair, making it shimmer.
“I-I’m so sorry! Shion-san, are you alright?”
“No! Iori-san, where on earth did you hear that?!” Shion exclaimed, nearly slamming her hand on the desk. “I *did* go out with Igarashi-senpai a couple of days ago, but it’s certainly not to the point of dating!”
At this reply, Shigure’s expression became a complex mix. On one hand, she felt a profound sense of relief that the rumor wasn’t true. Yet, on the other, a subtle undercurrent of worry and pressure began to build. After all, Rie had indeed managed to invite Shion out, while Shigure herself had only managed to ask Shion over for tutoring just once…
Noticing there was still a little time before the next class, Shigure promptly returned to her seat, pulled out her phone, and began furiously typing messages. Shion realized she’d never seen Shigure type so quickly before.
“Iori-san, please tell me quickly, where did you see that I was supposedly dating Igarashi-senpai?” Shion pressed, her urgency evident.
“Yesterday, Igarashi-senpai posted photos of you two hanging out on her Twitter, and someone uploaded them to the school’s forum,” Shigure explained. As she spoke, she quickly navigated to the forum thread and presented it to Shion.
Shion scrolled through the post, observing the numerous photos Rie had shared on her Twitter. There were shots from the giant Ferris wheel at Palette Town, from the Tembo Galleria of the Tokyo Skytree, and even from Shibuya Crossing, right in front of the Hachiko statue. Several pictures, and without exception, every single one was a selfie of her and Rie.
Rie had even added a caption to her tweet, a single, short sentence: “Had a fun trip to Tokyo with that girl!”
“According to the comments, those places are all popular dating spots for couples in Tokyo…” Shigure grumbled, stomping her foot in frustration. “So, a lot of people were asking in the comments if Shion-san was dating Igarashi-senpai.”
Finally, Shigure cast a lingering, somewhat mournful glance at Shion. “So, Shion-san, are you *really* not dating Igarashi-senpai?”
“Really, I’m not!”
However, Shion and Rie were indeed standing on the same side now, at least when it came to exorcism.
Shigure still seemed unconvinced. “After I saw that post last night, I sent you several messages, Shion-san! Why didn’t you reply to me?”
Cornered by Shigure’s relentless questioning, Shion felt a bead of sweat trickle down her back. It was as if Shigure were confronting a cheating spouse…
“Last night, senpai and I had just returned from Tokyo…” Shion explained. “I was so exhausted after making dinner for Ayane that I just fell asleep without even checking my phone…”
Shigure pouted, her gaze fixed on Shion with a hint of resentment. “But I waited for your message for ages last night, Shion-san.”
‘So, Shigure’s ridiculously prominent dark circles today—they’re because she didn’t sleep a wink last night over this?!’