Upon re-entering the hospital, Shion noticed the lights had become noticeably brighter. Earlier that day, consumed by her anxiety over Shigure’s condition, she hadn’t registered that the hospital’s lighting fixtures had been entirely replaced. Now, the newly installed lights cast a warm, yellow glow, reminiscent of fireflies’ tiny suns.
“Iori Grandma, are you awake?” Shion gently rapped on the ward door.
A nurse opened the door, her gaze sweeping over the two girls before she spoke. “The patient is still awake. If you wish to visit, please do so promptly; it will soon be too late.”
Shion and Shigure exchanged nods, then stepped into the quiet ward.
Iori Grandma, reclining in her bed, registered their presence with a flicker of surprise.
“Little Shigure and Little Shion? It’s quite late already,” Iori Grandma murmured, her voice still faint.
Shigure stepped closer, a hint of apology in her tone. “Grandma, I had some matters to attend to this evening. Have you had your dinner yet?”
Iori Grandma nodded. “Yes, I ate a little. Don’t you worry, Little Shigure, Grandma isn’t hungry.”
The bento Shigure had prepared for her grandmother had been completely ruined during their recent skirmish with the evil spirit. While it was a relief that no one had been harmed, there was simply no time to prepare another meal now.
Shion glanced out the door, and only after ascertaining no one else would disturb them, did she gently close it. She moved to Shigure’s side, and the two girls’ eyes met. Shigure’s gaze brimmed with guilt and apology, while Shion’s seemed to convey, ‘Rest assured, trust me.’
“Little Shion, Little Shigure, is there something you both wish to discuss today?” Iori Grandma, sensing the unspoken words hanging between the two girls, prompted them gently.
“Iori Grandma, I am here to free you from the evil spirits you have borne,” Shion declared, taking a steadying breath.
“Evil spirits? What…?” Iori Grandma’s composure wavered upon hearing Shion’s words. “Little Shion, please don’t speak such nonsense. Little Shigure might misunderstand.”
“Grandma, I’ve been able to see those evil spirits for quite some time now.” Shigure reached out, taking her grandmother’s hand and gently resting her own atop it, hoping to soothe her worries. “What’s more, Shion-san just helped me deal with the evil spirits that had been trying to cling to me.”
“What?! Those evil spirits have already latched onto Little Shigure?! You’re only—you’re only fifteen! Cough, cough…”
It was the loudest Shion had heard Iori Grandma’s voice since they first met. Shigure quickly patted her grandmother’s back, then offered her a sip of water. “Grandma, please don’t get so agitated. I’m perfectly fine; Shion-san has already taken care of it. See? I don’t have a single scratch.”
Iori Grandma fixed her gaze on Shion, realizing then that there was no longer any point in concealing anything from the two discerning girls before her.
“Little Shion, can you truly make these evil spirits vanish? They have roamed freely within the Iori family’s nightmare for four centuries now… It feels like a curse that has stretched across four hundred years…”
“The Divine Being has assured me that this nightmare can finally end,” Shion said, settling beside Shigure with a gentle smile.
“It can truly end?…”
Shion gently lifted Shigure’s hand from her grandmother’s, then placed her own upon it.
“Shion-san, please, please don’t overexert yourself…” Shigure clasped her hands together, silently offering a prayer.
The night breeze whispered past the windowpane, gently lifting the sheer white curtains and allowing the moon’s ethereal glow to spill into the ward, a room that had long been devoid of life.
A dark, ominous aura began to seep from Iori Grandma’s hand, slowly flowing into Shion’s.
The corrosive touch of the evil spirit’s aura made Shion’s hand tremble involuntarily, as fine beads of sweat beaded on her forehead. Though she desperately wished to conceal any hint of distress from Shigure, her tightly gritted teeth were enough to send a pang of anxiety through Shigure’s heart.
Shigure, unsure if interrupting Shion would cause her harm, could only press her palms together in silent prayer, hoping Shion wouldn’t succumb to unconsciousness once more.
The malevolent aura within Iori Grandma’s body circulated ceaselessly, gradually converging from her entire being into her hand, and then flowing into Shion’s. It seemed that when Shion refrained from actively using her Spirit-Suppressing Constitution to purge the evil spirits from *her own* body, they proved to be considerably less agitated within her.
What surprised Shion, however, was that despite Shigure’s assertion that Iori Grandma had been afflicted by evil spirits for a considerable time, the amount of malevolent energy Shion was now drawing from her was actually less than what she had just absorbed from Shigure. This implied that Iori Grandma’s profound physical frailty was solely a consequence of prolonged spiritual erosion.
“It is done…” Shion murmured, releasing Iori Grandma’s hand. Her own arm fell limply to her side.
A full half-hour had elapsed since she began absorbing the malevolent aura. Shion’s school uniform was entirely drenched in her perspiration.
It was only after witnessing Iori Grandma finally succumb to a deep, peaceful slumber, her breathing now calm and steady, that Shion allowed herself to finally relax.
Shion had barely leaned back against the chair, intending to rest, when her profound weakness from absorbing the malevolent energy caused her to lose her balance. She tumbled directly to the floor.
“Shion-san!” Shigure instantly rose. Though she yearned to steady Shion, her strength proved insufficient, and both girls collapsed onto the ward floor.
Fortunately, neither girl hit their head; the blonde’s head merely bumped against her chest.
Though it was merely a minor collision, Shion mused that it probably wasn’t the first time she’d wished for her chest to be a *tiny* bit more cushioned… if only to lessen the impact the next time Shigure tumbled into her.
“Shion-san! Are you—are you alright? Did you injure yourself anywhere?”
“No, no… it just feels as though this exact scenario has unfolded before…” Shion managed a weak smile. “Allow me to lie here for a moment; absorbing these malevolent auras is quite the physical endeavor.”
Shigure nodded, then tentatively extended a small hand to trace faint circles on Shion’s school uniform, her face a vivid crimson.
“Shion-san, I think… I can hear your heartbeat. It’s so cute…”
‘It would be even better if Iori-san couldn’t hear it,’ Shion thought, feeling a mix of amusement and despair. ‘What’s the difference between this and outright calling me flat-chested?!’
“Say, Shion-san. How can I ever thank you?”
Shigure shifted forward, and in the gentle friction, the two girls’ school uniforms loosened slightly, revealing Shigure’s pale stomach and delicate waistline. Shigure then leaned her head against Shion’s shoulder, utterly unconcerned by Shion’s profuse perspiration after absorbing the evil spirits. Instead, she allowed her hair to naturally brush against Shion’s neck, the dampness from Shion’s sweat wetting Shigure’s golden strands and causing one small lock to cling tightly to Shion’s skin.