By the time Shigure, her body heavy with weariness, reached the hospital, the sun had already begun its descent. Golden rays of the setting sun poured through the glass panes and into the hospital room.
Upon returning home from Hoshimori Shrine, she retrieved the meal she had prepared that morning and swiftly warmed it in the microwave. Packing the more generous portion for her grandmother, Shigure then quickly ate a few hurried bites of her own before grabbing the bento and rushing towards the hospital.
As Shigure pushed open the door to the hospital room, a faint, unsettling chill brushed past her.
Shigure softly sighed. “At least, for now… this will have to do.”
Her gaze turned to her grandmother, revealing a somewhat forced smile. “Grandma, dinner’s ready~”
“Thank you, little Shigure.” Iori Grandma coughed slightly, but still offered Shigure a gentle smile.
Yet, to Shigure’s perception, her grandmother appeared to be shrouded by tendrils of cold, black mist.
It was as if the more she interacted with Shion, the more vividly these dark mists manifested before her.
Shigure no longer harbored the desire to question the doctors about her grandmother’s prognosis. As long as that oppressive black mist continued to cling, she felt an undeniable certainty that her grandmother’s illness would never truly abate.
“Grandma, I went to the shrine to play today.” Shigure sat by her grandmother’s bed, pretending the black mists weren’t there, forcing a smile as she shared her experiences at Hoshimori Shrine that day.
Iori Grandma ate the dinner Shigure had prepared, nodding with a smile. “Little Shigure, you should make sure to get along well with your classmates.”
“Mm-hmm, Grandma, you also need to take care of yourself and get better soon~”
Despite her words, Shigure, her back to the setting sun, had her face obscured by the golden shadows. Yet, the subtle, forced quality of her smile was a strain that even the encroaching dusk could not fully conceal.
“Little Shigure, I’ve finished eating.” Iori Grandma handed the bento box to Shigure. Shigure packed it away, intending to take it home to wash.
Before long, a nurse, clad in white, entered the room. The nurse offered Shigure a slight nod, and Shigure, understanding that her grandmother needed her medication and clothes changed, discreetly excused herself from the ward.
Shigure leaned against the door, sinking weakly to the floor. The vibrant energy she had exuded at Hoshimori Shrine moments ago was entirely absent. She rested against the cold, iron door of the hospital room, her gaze fixed blankly on the white ceiling. The old incandescent light had already flickered to life, bathing the ceiling in a stark, sickly white.
‘How much longer will days like this continue?’ Shigure didn’t know, nor did she want to think about it, or even know.
The funds in her account would inevitably dwindle to nothing, and she still had her schooling to attend.
Shigure pulled out her phone, her gaze lingering on Shion’s profile picture in her contacts. She debated whether to confide in Shion about her predicament. After all, Shion was a Miko of the shrine; surely, she would possess some means to address such inexplicable occurrences…
Yet, Shion was merely a girl in her own grade, someone who often seemed a bit clumsy with unremarkable academic performance. Her position as a Miko of Hoshimori Shrine was likely a burden placed upon her solely by her family name, a responsibility she was compelled to accept.
After all, in this current world, how many people truly believed in the existence of deities? Shigure thought to herself.
Nevertheless, even with such reservations, she found herself bereft of other alternatives. Confronted by her dire circumstances, she could conceive of no other recourse than fervent prayer to the divine.
“Grandma, you *must*, you *must* get better soon…”
Shigure closed her eyes, her lips silently repeating words of fervent prayer. With her hands pressed together over her chest, she earnestly beseeched the divine beings whose names she didn’t even know.
****
The next morning.
‘Yesterday’s events were truly heart-stopping,’ Shion mused. Recalling the incident with Shigure in the shrine’s main hall, she couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of relief. ‘If only that clumsy younger sister of mine had taken one step further, or if I hadn’t heard Ayane’s voice…’
Shion glanced at Ayane, who was still mid-yawn. The languid morning sun, falling upon her equally languid sister, only served to accentuate the sleepy haze in her foolish sibling’s eyes.
In stark contrast to Ayane’s perpetually unrested demeanor, Shion, despite her ‘guilty conscience,’ had enjoyed a remarkably sound sleep the previous night. Perhaps the repeated Kagura dances had exhausted her, or perhaps the tension that had gripped her nerves during yesterday’s tumultuous encounter with Shigure had finally dissipated, allowing her to slumber peacefully.
Realizing Shion’s gaze was on her, Ayane tilted her head slightly, meeting Shion’s eyes, her voice carrying the lingering laziness of someone not fully awake. “What is it, big sister?”
Shion quickly shook her head. “Nothing at all. I just thought your face looked exceptionally clean today, so I couldn’t help but stare a little longer.”
‘My foolish younger sister is indeed easily fooled…’ Ayane puffed out her chest proudly. “Of course! I always make sure to get properly dressed up before going out. If I had cosmetics, I’d definitely spend time putting on makeup every morning!”
Shion, well aware of her sister’s penchant for watching makeup tutorials, sighed softly. “If we manage to make a success of the Autumn Festival this year, then we’ll have enough money to buy you some of those things you’ve been wanting, Ayane.”
Ayane reached out and poked her sister’s cheek. “Don’t worry, big sister! With me around, it’ll definitely be a success!”
Seeing a puzzled expression on Shion’s face, Ayane proudly put her hands on her hips and said, “What’s wrong, big sister? You have to believe in me—your little sister is a business genius!”
‘Hmph, a business genius, indeed.’
That morning, as Shion entered the Class A classroom and made her way to her desk, she noticed the seat behind her was empty. The golden-haired ‘little sun’ wasn’t there today to greet her with a radiant, sun-like smile, wishing her a “Good morning, Shion-san.”
“Iori-san isn’t here today?” Shion scratched her head, a hint of confusion in her gesture. A while ago, Shigure had mentioned that her grandmother’s condition had improved, so she could see her almost every day. Today, however, was a rare day when Shigure was absent.
Initially, Shion didn’t give it much thought. Settling into her seat, she pulled out her phone and sent a message to Shigure.
[Iori-san, do you need me to bring your homework back for you today?]
That morning, Shion was once again the student desperately attempting to pay attention in class. Yet, after a strenuous battle (or rather, a not-so-strenuous one), she ultimately surrendered to the insidious demon of sleep lurking within her.
When she next stirred, the sun had already climbed high into the sky, signaling the start of the midday break.
Still, Shigure’s reply to her message remained conspicuously absent.