It wasn’t a delusion, absolutely not! Hoshimori Shion distinctly heard Iori Shigure’s voice, emanating from within her own home. And it was unequivocally Shigure’s voice, a desperate cry for help!
‘W-what should I do?’ A wave of panic washed over Shion the moment she realized she had to save Shigure.
Shion pushed against the main door of Shigure’s house with all her might. The wooden door felt as unyielding as a titanium alloy vault door in a bank, refusing to budge an inch. After repeatedly slamming into the door to no avail, Shion’s gaze darted towards a nearby window.
‘I hope I don’t get arrested for this,’ Shion murmured inwardly before vigorously attempting to climb the window. Despite her utter lack of athletic prowess—a girl whose ‘sports cells’ were practically non-existent—scaling a window shouldn’t be too much of a… problem, right?
‘This window! Why is this window so high?!’ Shion strained with both hands, desperately rising onto her tiptoes, but her strength was simply too meager. Even lifting her body onto the window ledge proved an arduous task.
Her small mind raced, her brain, feeling on the verge of overheating, finally conceived a solution. She grabbed a small brick from nearby, likely used as a plant pot stand, and placed it beneath her feet. With the brick’s ‘boost,’ Shion could now reach the window. She pushed up onto her tiptoes, propelling herself onto the sill, attempting a sideways flip. Fortunately, the window was wide enough, and Shion’s frame was small enough, allowing her to squeeze through… at least for now.
As Shion tumbled down from the window, the young woman landed in an ungraceful heap, face-first onto the floor.
‘Ugh, seriously…’ Though she’d landed face-first, mercifully, Shigure’s tatami mats weren’t overly hard. Her face throbbed, but at least there was no blood.
Concern for Shigure overriding her pain, Shion immediately scrambled to her feet and called out, “Iori-san, where are you?!”
“I-I’m… here…”
Shion faintly heard Shigure’s voice, barely a whisper. Her heart pounded with a fiery urgency, yet Shigure’s house was quite large, making it difficult for Shion to pinpoint her location immediately. Just then, Shion closed her eyes, and a chilling sensation crept into her heart. That particular chill was one Shion knew all too well. It was the unmistakable aura of an evil spirit.
While Shigure’s exact whereabouts were hard to discern, Shion could never mistake the location of an evil spirit’s aura! Activating her spiritual sight to detect evil spirits, Shion instantly located the cluster of malevolent presences. She immediately dashed in that direction.
As the Miko pushed open the door, Shigure lay agonizingly on the floor, struggling in vain to rise. All strength had abandoned her. Moreover, wisps of dark aura emanated from her body, a clear sign that evil spirits were attempting to possess her, much like what had happened to Iori Grandma. The moment Shion appeared, a flicker of light returned to Shigure’s almost vacant eyes. She bit down hard, barely able to utter a sound, yet Shion clearly discerned the shape of her lips.
“Save me…”
Shion rushed to Shigure’s side. At this moment, the need to maintain secrecy from ordinary people was completely forgotten. She knelt, unleashing the power of her spirit-calming constitution. Wisps of white light coiled around the dark aura clinging to Shigure, causing the forces of black and white to annihilate each other in mid-air.
Watching the dark aura slowly dissipate from her body, Shigure’s expression shifted from profound surprise to one of immense relief and relaxation.
“Don’t be afraid, Iori-san. I can handle this,” Shion reassured her, gently stroking Shigure’s hair to calm her, while carefully channeling her abilities.
Shion made a quick assessment: the evil spirit’s aura on Shigure was similar in nature to the one that had afflicted Iori Grandma, both primarily aiming for ‘attachment.’ However, since Shigure’s exposure to the aura was likely brief, her body showed a strong rejection of it. Even though this particular aura wasn’t potent, the torment and suffering it inflicted upon Shigure were undeniably real. Thankfully, Shion, the shrine Miko burdened with the duty of exorcism, sat behind her in class. The evil spirit’s aura had not yet merged too deeply with Shigure’s body, granting Shion the full capability to complete the exorcism without causing her any harm.
Shigure nodded, a slight movement, but a sign that she could now move a little more freely. Shion helped her up and settled her against the wall, then resumed channeling her powers.
Shigure looked up, her gaze fixed on Shion’s eyes. When concentrating, Shion had a habit of gently biting her lip, and faint lines now creased her usually smooth, fair face from the continuous exertion of her abilities. Tiny beads of sweat trickled down her nose. Shigure yearned to reach out and wipe them away, but she lacked even the strength to lift her hand.
As the last rays of the setting sun fell upon Shigure’s face, the final wisp of dark aura was at last vanquished.
Shion collapsed onto the floor with a soft thud, narrowly avoiding falling right beside Shigure. The intricate manipulation of her powers without the aid of the Spirit Cutter had left her breathless. As the evil spirit’s aura was completely exorcised from Shigure, the release of tension was so profound that Shion almost couldn’t stand, nearly toppling over entirely.
“It’s alright now, Iori-san. Don’t be scared, don’t be scared…” Shion struggled to lift her hand, gently pinching Shigure’s cheek. Though her own strength was nearly depleted, she managed a faint smile.
The next moment, she felt herself enveloped in a tight embrace.
Shigure wrapped her arms around Shion, holding her fiercely, as if she had almost, *almost* lost her just moments before. She buried her head deep into Shion’s chest; Shion could only see the cascade of her golden hair and hear her soft, muffled sobs.
“Shion-san, thank you… thank you…”
Shion took a deep breath, allowing a fraction of her strength to return, and gently stroked Shigure’s back. “It’s okay, don’t cry, Iori-san. You won’t look pretty if you cry, you know~”
“I-I thought I was going to die today! I was so scared, Shion-san, truly terrified…”
Shigure’s words still trembled, imbued with the raw terror of her near-death experience. Shion nuzzled her cheek against Shigure’s, reassuring her, “You won’t, Iori-san. I’m here. Don’t be afraid~”
Shion looked up, watching the day’s final wisp of sunset filter through the window lattice, scattering like golden shards across the rice-colored tatami mats.