“Hanami Yuki… Are you Kazama-san’s…?” Shion pressed a hand to her forehead, murmuring the name. She recalled that this was the very name Nanami had mentioned—her vanished best friend.
Yet, for some reason, the name felt indistinct, always just out of reach. Even as she repeated it aloud, it struggled to leave a clear imprint in her mind. It was like a tiny star in the night sky, veiled by clouds, flickering faintly and difficult to discern.
“That Nanami… she actually still remembers,” the girl named Yuki chuckled softly. “I truly didn’t expect her to remember me. After all, no one else does—not even Guardian Lady, or rather, Shion-san, you don’t either.”
“Huh? Me? Have we met before?” Shion stared at Yuki, utterly surprised.
Extending her hand, Yuki gently placed it over Shion’s.
Her hand was incredibly fair, a stark, almost lunar pallor that differed entirely from the healthy translucence of Shion’s skin. If an unsuitable comparison were to be made, Yuki’s skin possessed a deathly paleness.
Moreover, the moment her hand touched Shion’s, a jolt of pain shot through Shion’s fingers, as if she had brushed against an icy nail. Despite winter not having fully arrived, Yuki’s hand was frigid as a cellar, utterly unlike a normal person’s body temperature.
Yet, in that instant of contact, Shion felt a flood of memories rush back.
She remembered a summer night, shrouded in black, where even the moon’s glow was obscured. It was the first time Shion had exorcised the encroaching evil spirits by the sea. On that very night, she had also sensed an unusual aura—one bearing a distinct similarity to the evil spirits, yet also profoundly different.
By the shore that day, Shion had encountered the very girl standing before her now. Yuki had been seated on the same large rock where Shion and Nanami had once sat, holding the strawberry fruit wine Nanami had hidden beneath it. The evening breeze, cool and gentle, stirred Yuki’s azure hair and carried the sweet scent of the wine towards Shion.
Her memories seemed to click into place at that moment.
“Ah, I remember now! Hanami… Hanami Yuki-san?”
“That’s me~” A hint of laughter laced Yuki’s voice. Shion recalled how Yuki had twisted open the bottle cap and immediately gulped down the wine that night. Ha, in that regard, she was truly similar to Nanami. Shion herself wasn’t much of a drinker, but Yuki could effortlessly produce Nanami’s hidden fruit wine and drink it heartily.
“Speaking of which, Kazama-san has been searching for you,” Shion recalled, her words tumbling out quickly. “She’s been looking for you constantly. She misses you very much.”
At the mention of Nanami, a glimmer of light seemed to flash in Yuki’s already somewhat shadowed eyes, only to swiftly fade away.
“Of course, I know. I… I miss her too. But perhaps it’s better if I don’t see her.”
As she spoke, Yuki forced a strained smile. “I haven’t seen her in a year, you know. If I suddenly appeared before her now, I’d be worried she’d get angry. Guardian Lady, you probably haven’t seen her angry, have you?”
Shion shook her head, but then she bit her lip and said, “Hanami-san, you and Kazama-san are truly alike in this regard.”
“Oh? In what way?”
“It’s just… you both are clearly very unhappy about this matter. But I feel like both Hanami-san and Kazama-san are the types to bury those unhappy feelings deep inside, hoping not to make the other person unhappy because of their own troubles,” Shion took a deep breath before continuing. “But it’s so obvious! Your emotions are written all over your faces! If there’s something wrong, just tell her properly!”
Although the intense battle had left Shion utterly exhausted and nearly collapsing, the pitch of her final few sentences had noticeably risen.
Yuki froze for a moment, then scratched her head. “Ah, am I really that obvious…?”
“And, Hanami-san, you still need to tell me what you meant by that sentence when we first met!”
It was a phrase Yuki had uttered during that initial encounter—words that should not have been forgotten.
“Then, Shion-san, I beg you, use that sword to kill me…”
****
“Why would you say such a thing?!” Even now, recalling it made Shion angry. “I… I can sense that you’re special, and you even call me ‘Guardian’ like my senior, so you must know about my identity as a Miko. But Spirit Cutter is meant to protect everyone, not to harm others, especially someone so important to a friend!”
Yuki lifted her head, about to speak, when suddenly, Grandpa Butler’s voice echoed from behind her.
“Young Lady! Guardian Lady!”
“I’m sorry, Shion-san, this matter is very complicated. I’ll tell you at the right time, and…”
At this, the girl took a step back, her body melting directly into the shadows cast by the swaying tree branches under the moon’s pale glow. Shion could feel Yuki’s aura completely vanish within the darkness.
“I… don’t want to make Nanami sad again.”
Yuki’s final words seemed to dissipate with the evening breeze.
“Hanami-san, wait!” Shion’s words caught in her throat. Within seconds, Grandpa Butler, dressed in his suit, appeared before them. Several women in medical attire followed him. Shion recognized a few of them as staff from the Akifuu Onsen Ryokan.
“Thank goodness, it’s good that you two are alright,” Grandpa Butler visibly exhaled in relief upon seeing them. He immediately directed the medical personnel to begin checking Shion and Rie’s wounds and bandaging them.
Fortunately, due to Shion’s enhanced self-healing abilities after her power increase, and the therapeutic effect her energy had on Rie, Rie was merely exhausted and asleep. Shion’s own injuries were already barely noticeable.
“This situation was also very critical. I will discuss it with the Young Lady when I return. Guardian Lady, would you like to rest at the manor? The Akifuu Onsen Ryokan also has a dedicated medical team,” Grandpa Butler asked Shion after ensuring Rie was taken care of.
Shion glanced at Rie, who was now lying on a stretcher. She shook her head. “Grandpa Butler, please just take good care of my senior. I need to return to the shrine. This surge of evil spirits also exceeded my expectations, and I need to go back and check on things.”
With that, she stood up with effort, walked over to Rie, and gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. “It’s good that my senior is okay…”
“Oh, by the way, Guardian Lady, your phone seems to have been ringing continuously,” Grandpa Butler added just before leaving with the injured Rie.
“Eh, my phone?…”
Shion pulled out her phone. It was a call from Shigure. Habitually, she pressed the answer button.
“Shion-san!!” Shigure’s tearful voice erupted from the other end.