Chapter 14: The Ocean and the Girl by the Sea

“Sister, sister?”

Still enveloped in the hazy embrace of sleep, Hoshimori Shion faintly registered a voice calling out to her.

Who else could it be? Besides her silly younger sister, she could think of no one else who would call her ‘sister’.

“I’m hungry! Get up already…”

Shion smacked her lips, mumbling, “I know, I know,” as she tried to roll over.

A sudden weight pressed down on her, preventing her from turning. A persistent force continued to push and sway her.

“Get up, you silly sister, and make breakfast!”

Finally unable to endure the relentless prodding, Shion abruptly sat upright, only to feel a sharp, painful jolt as her head collided with something.

She finally opened her eyes.

“You silly sister! You hit me!” Hoshimori Ayane, still perched on Shion’s lap, clutched her head and lightly thumped Shion’s chest.

A throbbing pain resonated in Shion’s own head, though still semi-conscious from sleep, it didn’t feel too severe. She glanced at the alarm clock; her set alarm hadn’t even rung yet. It was just past seven in the morning.

“Stop hitting me, you’ll actually break something.” Shion caught Ayane’s hand. “Why are you up so early? Isn’t today the weekend?”

Hoshimori Ayane replied, “It’s our class’s turn to clean the pool today, and if you don’t get up and make breakfast, I’ll be late!”

Upon hearing this, Shion forcefully rolled over, causing Ayane, who was precariously perched, to tumble onto the bed. In an instant, their positions reversed, with the older sister now above the younger.

“S-sister? What are you doing?” Pinned beneath her, Ayane instantly panicked.

“Waking me up so early on a weekend,” Shion declared, adopting a stern expression, “requires a little punishment for my naughty little sister.”

Ayane’s voice softened immediately. “Today? …I-I’m not ready yet…”

Then, Shion snatched the blanket and covered Ayane, wrapping her up like a zongzi (TL Note: A traditional Chinese glutinous rice dumpling, often triangular or cylindrical, wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, used here to describe someone tightly bundled up).

“Huh?!” Ayane watched her sister’s actions, utterly bewildered.

Having successfully bundled her sister into a zongzi, Shion climbed out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. “I’m going to make you breakfast now. Today, I’ll specifically allow you to sleep in a little longer.”

“Silly sister! I want to watch my morning drama!”

Ignoring Ayane’s shouts from behind her, Shion yawned and proceeded to the bathroom to wash up.

****

An hour later, after watching Ayane, her stomach full from breakfast, skip down the shrine steps with her bento box towards school, Shion stretched luxuriously.

‘What should I do this weekend?’

Shion opened her wardrobe and changed into her casual attire: a white top adorned with a pleated shawl, a knee-length beige skirt, and a pair of small brown leather shoes. Glimpsing her reflection, she thought she looked cute, yet a little vacant. The vacantness stemmed primarily from the realization that there was no particular reason to dress up today, given her lack of plans.

A sign displaying “Free Omikuji” (TL Note: Japanese fortune-telling paper slips) was already placed at the shrine’s entrance. Apart from the living quarters, the shrine’s main doors were almost always open, a practice that had continued for the past few mornings. Yet, whenever Shion returned from school, the omikuji box remained untouched.

‘Perhaps I should go for a walk outside…’ Shion mused to herself.

She opened the shrine’s main doors once more today, the omikuji box still offering free fortunes. ‘I hope… at least one worshipper comes to pay their respects today…’

Shion, too, descended the shrine steps, her light leather shoes tapping crisply against the stone.

The small town was not vast; the walk from the forested Hoshimori Shrine to the coastal beach likely took only about half an hour, a shorter journey than her route to school.

It was Saturday morning, and for this seaside town, the day’s work had yet to truly begin. The entire town seemed to bask in a leisurely, unhurried atmosphere. On the not-so-wide roads, hardly any cars were visible, only the occasional bicycle leisurely passing by.

Shion walked past the restaurant run by Igarashi Rie’s family, noting only its tightly closed doors, a sign indicating opening hours from eleven in the morning.

Shion took out her phone. Last night, both Rie and Shigure had been chatting with her. Shigure, somewhat introverted and shy, clearly yearned to initiate conversations about various topics, like Shion’s miko (TL Note: A shrine maiden or a priestess in Shinto shrines) duties or any classes she had missed. However, being unskilled in conversation, she would typically run out of things to say after a few sentences on any given topic. Yet, the emojis Shigure sent were always exceptionally cute, evoking a desire to playfully ruffle her small head.

Rie, on the other hand, was far more outgoing, discussing all sorts of things with Shion—popular idols, films, and TV dramas trending in the city. It was evident that Rie deeply yearned for these urban trends, effortlessly listing whatever was popular in the big cities.

Moreover, while Shigure had gone to bed early, Rie, even after Shion had said goodnight, continued to enthusiastically share the latest movie trailers, celebrity performance announcements, and even documentaries about city life…

“Igarashi-senpai only slept at half past one last night?!” Shion couldn’t help but exclaim upon seeing the timestamp of Rie’s last message.

The salty scent of the ocean was already perceptible in the air.

After passing the final building, the vast, azure ocean finally unfolded before Shion’s eyes.

The sea and sky blended seamlessly, their distant horizon an indistinct line where the cerulean waters met the heavens. A cool sea breeze swept in from the vast expanse, carrying the cries of gulls to her ears, all bathed in the gentle morning sunlight.

Shion settled onto a bench by the sea, gazing at the scenery before her.

It was a sight she had never witnessed before; even in her real world, she had only ever seen the ocean through online images. Now, despite this being merely a game world, the boundless sea stretched out directly before her eyes.

Shion closed her eyes.

Then, she felt the light before her eyes suddenly obstructed by something.

“Miss, we’re setting sail on a fishing boat. Care to experience it?” A lively voice rang out before her.

Shion opened her eyes to find a captivating smile, framed by hair as blue as the sea itself, less than ten centimeters from her face.

“Huh?!” Shion was startled. She instinctively tried to lean back, only to realize the solid bench behind her offered no escape.

Before her stood a lively and adorable girl with twin ponytails, her aqua-blue hair as beautiful as the ocean. The girl’s skin was a healthy, sun-kissed tan, though several stark white tan lines were visible, suggesting her skin was originally quite fair but had darkened to a warm wheat color from frequent exposure to the sun. She was also wearing a school uniform.

“Ah, you’re…” Shion began, looking at the girl’s school uniform. The girl quickly caught on. “Are you a classmate? Even better!”

“I’m Kazama Nanami from Class 1-C. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”