“Iori-san, don’t— don’t cry! What’s wrong?” Hearing Shigure’s sobs, Shion quickly spoke.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry, I’m here.”
“Shion-san, you scared me half to death!” Though Shigure was still crying, the excitement in her voice was undeniable. From Shigure’s side, the voices of Nanami and Sakuya could also be heard.
“Iori-san, did Shion-san answer the phone?”
“Oh, it certainly looks like she picked up.”
“I just…” Shion’s not-so-clever mind began to piece together what had happened. The battle that had consumed nearly half the evening had indeed taken a considerable amount of time.
She had originally agreed to perform the Kagura dance, but had to entrust it to Ayane. ‘Oh heavens… Ayane couldn’t possibly have just sung on stage without dancing, could she?’
It was no wonder Shigure and the others were worried; after all, she had been missing for several hours. The surge of evil spirits had been far too urgent, and if they had poured into the main venue, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
She had no choice but to stop them herself. Yet, she couldn’t possibly tell Shigure the full truth.
Shion quickly glanced at her still unhealed wounds, then hastily declared, “I— I twisted my ankle in the woods and bumped my head. It took me a while to wake up after resting.”
Nanami and Sakuya were listening nearby. Although Shigure knew about the existence of evil spirits, Shion couldn’t reveal the details in front of the other two.
Moreover, regarding Yuki’s matter… While it was something Nanami definitely needed to know, Shion resolved to understand it herself first. Yuki’s aura bore similarities to evil spirits, and she had even appeared amidst the surge of evil spirits earlier.
If Yuki were to directly interact with Nanami, who knew what might happen?
Though these thoughts flashed through Shion’s mind in an instant, they were immediately interrupted by Shigure’s anxious voice from the other end of the line.
“Shion-san, where are you? We’re coming right now!”
“Eh? No need, I’ll just rest a bit and then…”
“Tell me where you are, quickly!” Shigure’s voice on the phone was practically a shout.
“I— I’m in the woods below the Autumn Festival venue, there… there’s an open space there.” Shion flinched at Shigure’s words, then, like a child caught misbehaving, obediently revealed her location.
Before the three girls could arrive, Shion, to prevent suspicion, even tore off the bandages that Rie’s family medical team had wrapped around her head and foot. Her wounds were mostly healed anyway.
Shion even considered temporarily suppressing her healing ability. ‘Please, don’t heal so quickly, alright? I’ll be scolded to death by Iori-san…’
Barely ten minutes later, under the moonlight, three figures appeared at the shrine stairs on the outskirts of the woods. “Shion-san! Shion-san, where are you?!”
Shion quickly tucked the bandages into her pocket and called out, raising her voice, “I— I’m over here!”
“This way, this way.” She heard Nanami leading the way into the woods, Sakuya’s breathless gasps, and Shigure’s unending sobs.
The moment Shigure saw Shion, she rushed forward, throwing herself into her arms. “Shion-san, you scared me to death!”
“Oh, you two really are… I’m exhausted… I told you Shion-san would be fine.” Sakuya, breathless, leaned against a tree and squatted down.
“Don’t lecture us. At first, you ran faster than anyone else; you only fell behind because you ran out of stamina, didn’t you?” Nanami also squatted down, beginning to examine Shion’s injuries.
Shion gently patted Shigure’s shoulder, softly saying, “There, there, Iori-san, I’m fine.”
Shigure’s tears dampened Shion’s Miko outfit. She lifted her head slightly, her golden eyes brimming with tears. Gritting her teeth, she whispered in a voice only Shion could hear, “Don’t try to hide things from me, Shion-san. I know your work is dangerous.”
Shion offered a wry smile. “Yes, but Iori-san…”
“Hmm? What is it?” Shigure wiped away her tears.
“Iori-san, you’re quite heavy… I’m a little breathless from the weight…”
“I’m sorry, Shion-san!” Shigure quickly stood up, but then, seemingly catching the hidden implication in Shion’s tone, she pouted. “Shion-san, what are you saying? I’m not that heavy!”
“Alright, alright, Shion-san, it looks like you… bumped some places, but they seem to have healed?” Nanami said, continuing her examination.
‘Heh heh… I can hardly tell them these are my special abilities,’ Shion thought. “Does Kazama-san know how to treat injuries? I thought you only knew how to cook, since you’re in the cooking club.”
“Sometimes we get injured when fishing at sea. If you don’t know some basic medical knowledge, you might not come back one day after going out.” Nanami stood up, hands on her hips, and retorted, “Speaking of which, Shion-san, you were clearly injured today, so why is your tone so lively?”
“Quite aggressive,” Sakuya, who had finally caught her breath, summarized from the side.
“Actually, I wanted to tease Kujou-san a bit too… No need to rush if your stamina isn’t good.”
“Don’t expose my weaknesses,” Sakuya said succinctly. “Alright, if Shion-san isn’t badly hurt, then we…”
“I’ll take her.” Without waiting for Sakuya to finish, Nanami crouched down, signaling for Shion to get on her back so she could carry her.
“I can walk by myself,” Shion protested, but Sakuya and Shigure, one on each side, took her arms and supported her thighs, gently pushing her onto Nanami’s back.
Nanami lightly nudged Shion’s thighs, then rose to her feet with a strong push, steadily walking step by step towards the shrine stairs outside the forest.
It was surprising. Although Nanami didn’t look particularly strong, her steps were firm and her shoulders broad. Her hair carried a somewhat mysterious scent—a blend of a maiden’s natural fragrance and the smell of the sea.
Shigure and Sakuya walked ahead and behind, clearing a path for Nanami through the woods.
Shion relaxed, resting her head on Nanami’s shoulder and breathing softly. Her warm breath tickled Nanami’s neck.
The moonlight spilled onto her face, and the forest breeze was cool, yet Nanami’s body felt wonderfully warm.
Shion felt a pang of worry. How should she tell Nanami about Yuki?
“Speaking of which, it’s a bit of a shame I twisted my ankle at this year’s Autumn Festival and couldn’t perform the Kagura dance,” Shion mused aloud, hoping to initiate a conversation through casual chatter.
“Ayane-san danced wonderfully, you know,” Sakuya, walking behind, commented. “It felt just as good as when Shion-san dances.”
“Eh?!” Hearing Sakuya’s words, Shion couldn’t help but show a shocked expression.
Ayane, she could dance the Kagura?!