Even though Shion was embracing her, Nanami remained unresponsive.
Her hands were still tightly gripping the steering wheel, driving relentlessly towards the malevolent spirits, showing no signs of slowing down.
‘What in the world is going on here!’
Why was Nanami completely unresponsive?
Why had malevolent spirits appeared here?
Why was Nanami utterly drawn to them?
Shion was overwhelmed by a torrent of questions, finding herself utterly unable to comprehend the situation.
However, this was hardly the time for contemplation.
‘What else could she possibly do!’
‘With her small, weak frame, she’d struggle to catch a puppy without her Spirit Cutter (TL Note: A spiritual weapon or ability).’
‘Her Spirit-Calming Physique (TL Note: A body type that naturally attracts spirits) was a complete detriment at this moment, only serving to draw the malevolent spirits closer.’
‘She couldn’t even budge Nanami by pulling her, so if that was the case…’
Shion hesitated for a few agonizing seconds.
Yet, the dire circumstances left her no room to consider any other course of action.
If she didn’t pull Nanami back soon, both of them would be devoured by the malevolent spirits, plummeting straight into a bad ending!
‘Garbage system, give me a hint!’ Shion screamed inwardly.
‘What good was this system, other than announcing that the surge of malevolent spirits had reached a critical point!’
There was no other way.
After a bitter internal struggle, Shion grasped Nanami’s face and kissed her forcefully.
It was salty, tasting of the sea.
In that fleeting moment, Shion imagined herself as the prince in Sleeping Beauty, saving the princess.
This time, she had to play the role of the prince, or else the wicked witch would seize them both and hurl them from a tall tower.
‘Wait, was this Sleeping Beauty or Rapunzel?’
The surging sea breeze around them seemed to soften ever so slightly.
Nanami’s face felt a little rough, likely due to her constant presence at sea.
The girl, weathered by sea winds and sunlight, didn’t possess skin as fair and delicate as Shion’s, but rather a healthy, sun-kissed tan and a slightly coarse texture.
‘What did the prince think about when he awakened the princess with a kiss of true love?’
Shion neither knew nor cared to know.
Perhaps the prince was genuinely in love, or perhaps he was simply captivated by beauty; Hoshimori Shion, however, merely wished to save her own life.
‘So, Nanami, could you please turn the steering wheel back now!’
Approximately one second passed.
This single second stretched into an eternity.
Fortunately, Nanami’s eyes seemed to clear.
She then turned, staring at Shion beside her with a look of utter shock and disbelief.
“H-Hoshimori-chan! What are you doing!” Nanami’s shriek completely drowned out the engine’s roar.
“Quick, turn the wheel! Where are you driving!” Shion urgently tried to take the steering wheel from Nanami’s hands.
She could see that they were now less than a few dozen meters from the malevolent spirits, which were hissing and roaring!
Besides the Capybara (TL Note: The name of the boat) that Nanami was recklessly steering straight towards them, the malevolent spirits were also steadily closing in on Shion and her.
Seeing that she had been driving straight into the vast, open sea, Nanami quickly wrenched the wheel, turning back towards the coastline.
‘Nanami probably can’t see those malevolent spirits,’ Shion thought.
At the very least, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief; today’s bad ending had been averted.
Suddenly, Shion felt all the strength drain from her body.
The tightly coiled tension she had held moments before snapped, and she collapsed onto the boat.
The still-moving vessel jolted abruptly as Shion unexpectedly sat down.
“Hoshimori-chan, be careful,” Nanami said, a hint of shyness in her voice, the lingering sensation of that kiss still humming in her ears.
If anyone else dared to sit so carelessly on her boat, Nanami would likely have kicked them overboard.
Shion gasped for air, her disheveled white hair clinging to her sweat-soaked face.
Her heart rate must have been soaring past one hundred and twenty beats per minute.
“I… Kazama-chan, do you know you almost…”
Shion hesitated, realizing that mentioning malevolent spirits wouldn’t be appropriate; it would only cause panic in the town.
“Almost hit a reef! We nearly fell into the sea and drowned!” Shion quickly amended, shouting.
“Is that so?” Nanami’s gaze dimmed as she looked, somewhat disappointed, at the sky now enveloped by night.
Noticing the shift in Nanami’s mood, Shion quietly asked, “What’s wrong, Kazama-chan? I wasn’t blaming you, you know.”
Nanami shook her head.
“No, I should be the one apologizing.
Taking you out sailing today already led to one mishap; if something else happened because of me, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”
Shion nodded, falling silent as well.
She watched as Nanami steered the boat, Nanami herself much quieter now, silently navigating towards the harbor.
Along the coastline, lights flickered on, one by one.
The glow from each household illuminated the dark expanse of the sea, allowing Nanami to clearly discern the coastline’s silhouette.
Nanami slowed the boat a little, and Shion took the opportunity to admire the surrounding lights.
“Kazama-chan, I have a question.”
After a prolonged silence, Shion was the first to speak, breaking the quiet.
“Hm? Go ahead.”
“Hanami… who is that?” Shion asked.
Nanami visibly froze for a moment.
The next instant, her voice trembled slightly. “How does Hoshimori-chan know about her?”
“It was the name you kept murmuring when you… drifted off just now,” Shion said, carefully choosing her words.
She couldn’t mention anything about Nanami being enchanted by malevolent spirits; ‘drifting off’ was likely the only plausible explanation.
Nanami took a sharp breath.
“Was I… drifting off just now?”
“Yes,” Shion nodded.
“I couldn’t wake you up no matter how much I called, so I had to resort to special measures – yes, just special measures.”
Shion quickly omitted the part she wished to hide.
“I heard the name you were murmuring when you were drifting off.”
“So that’s how it is…” Nanami sighed, a trace of resignation in her voice.
She then gazed out at the boundless sea before them, as if burdened by a heavy stone.
The ocean was now cloaked in dim, inky blackness, making even the waves near the shore difficult to discern.
“Are you cold? There’s a blanket here.”
Shion, sensing Nanami’s reluctance to discuss the topic, picked up the blanket she had used earlier from the boat and draped it over Nanami.
“Thank you, Hoshimori-chan. You and Hanami… you really are quite similar.”
Nanami managed a small smile.
“Both of you are a little bit meddlesome, even when you yourselves are cold.”
“Meddlesome or not, I can’t just watch you catch a cold, can I? I’m quite warm now, so I don’t need this.”
Shion smiled helplessly.
“No matter what, you must live well.”