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Chapter 6—Siege of Gold
part II
The school yard felt smaller after Kazuna's words. She hadn't meant for it to sound like an emergency anyway. But the way Itsuki's face shifted told her it did.
"I'm not sure..." Itsuki said. "He's usually with Tanaka—"
"Let's go find them."
Itsuki hurriedly followed Kazuna behind her after she packed up her bento box.
The afternoon sun was high and unforgiving. Kazuna's shadow stretched behind her as she walked, thin and fragile, like it might snap at any moment.
They walked side by side anyway. Both didn't say anything. They were way too focused on searching for Riku—and probably Tanaka too. Well she hoped not.
After a while, they stopped at their classroom first, putting their own lunchbox before continuing searching.
Then, they walked to Riku and Tanaka's classroom. Empty.
Someone said they went to the gymnasium. They went there—empty. Kazuna said they were probably at the library. And, nothing.
It took a few minutes until they eventually stopped at the hallway for a moment, catching for air. Kazuna leaned on the wall behind her. Hot. Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
Not only that, her head felt like it was being pierced by an arrow straight through her head.
Damn it. Should've taken it slower...
"School tour. Huh." she said sarcastically.
Itsuki—also getting worn out from the whole walk. "...I have no idea where they are—"
Just as they said that—
BAM.
A door slammed open behind him.
And there he was…
Tanaka. Shougo.
With that usual damn smirk on his face.
"Heh—what are you two doing here, huh?" He said with full of pride.
"Looking for you, idiot." Kazuna snapped back.
"Ohoho—" He tugged his hair back. "Looking for this handsome b—"
Kazuna hit him with her elbow.
Double hit. From Riku earlier.
"Tanaka, do you know where Riku is?" Finally, Itsuki asked.
A sharp sigh. "—Rooftop,"
"Oh, okay."
The two of them left Tanaka alone. Left with no words.
Tanaka just stood there, barely moving. Only a short chuckle escaped his lips.
"...Not even a thanks—"
———————————————————
Riku was exactly where Tanaka said he'd be.
Leaning against the fence—staring at the sky, with half-empty water bottle dangling from his fingers. He didn't turn when the door opened.
A soft sigh left her mouth, walking past Itsuki without a word.
And she stood just a few meters from him. Gazing upon him before she stopped beside Riku. Didn't say anything at first.
"You're looking for me?" Riku broke the silence.
Kazuna didn't answer immediately. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the beads. Then pulling out her necklace too.
Held them in her palm.
Riku looked down.
Froze.
Familiar. The beads.
"...The same beads—" Riku was fully interested. "Is that Itsuki's?"
"Yeah,"
She held out the beads in front of him. "Where did you get this?"
Riku was quiet for a moment, seeming to be digging through old memories. Then, "Someone gave it to me, a long time ago—"
"Who?"
"I'm not sure." He shook his head.
Kazuna stared at him for a moment. Looking down at both beads again.
Riku noticed that.
"When I visited a shrine," he continued. "Someone gave it to me, I don't know the reason. So I just kept it. That's all I know."
The rooftop door creaked open again.
It was Tanaka, stepping through. Squinting against the sun while holding a can of drink.
"There you all—"
He paused. Noticed the tension.
"What's this? You guys talking about something without me?" He continued to walk forward. An arm hooked around Itsuki's shoulder from behind.
"Oi—you're heavy...!" Itsuki protested.
While Kazuna still stayed in silence, turned the charm over in her fingers. What she saw only the antlers curled so majestically. She couldn't see the face of the deer.
She let out a long, soft breath.
"Maybe just a coincidence..." She murmured.
Even though she wasn't fully sure. But that was just a maybe. Then she put the necklace back on and walked to Itsuki, giving the beads back.
"Thank you," She looked down at the beads one more time. "...and the sandwich too."
Itsuki nodded.
Then there they are. The four were just standing, looking at each other with no words. As if they were communicating with eyes and their minds.
But at least, the quiet wasn't so bad.
"Are we... going to discuss about yesterday?" Itsuki asked, or suggested.
Riku nodded in agreement, "But first—Inoue, is your head feeling better now?"
"A little."
"Don't push yourself if it hurts," Tanaka replied, hands in his pocket. "You can rest in the infirmary, you know?"
Kazuna crossed her arms. "What if I don't want to?"
Tanaka glared at her. Kazuna glared back.
Meanwhile, the two brothers were just standing in the middle. Looking at each other.
"Okay, you guys... let's all calm down..." Riku tried.
But it seemed like it was pointless.
And, just right when Tanaka opened his mouth—
The bell rings.
"Awh shucks... I was just about to get popcorn." Itsuki was disappointed.
Riku sighed, "Alright, let's just continue this later, okay?" he suggested.
The three of them nodded in agreement.
——————————————————
Kazuna was on her way to the classroom. But it was irritating—why… Tanaka was walking beside her.
She knew that he was following her. Because his classroom was supposed to be in the hallway they've walked past before.
And if he was really walking to his own class, he was supposed to be with Riku, and not her.
Kazuna stiffened. "What are you doing?"
"Walking you to class," he said, grinning like an idiot. "What does it look like?"
"Do I look like I need a guard?"
"With that thing on your head? Yeah."
Kazuna clenched her fists until her knuckles almost turned white. "Quit nagging me, go mind your own business."
"Nope, not gonna happen." He leaned his head back, arms crossed behind his back.
"What if someone suddenly throws a ball at you? Who's going to protect you?" He said, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Don't make it dramatic."
Tanaka just smirked, that damn smirk again.
"Besides..." He added. "I need to tell you something. Important."
Kazuna stopped. Tanaka also stopped.
She turned her head towards him, and he was already looking at her. Seriously.
A sigh escaped her mouth. "What is it?"
And for a second. The hallway felt quieter behind her, and colder.
Tanaka dragged Kazuna under the stairs. Looked around, making sure no one was listening.
"Can you just tell me what you want to say?" Kazuna tapped her foot.
His gaze locked on her. He didn't answer her right away. But instead, he pulled something from his pocket.
A folded paper. He handed it to her.
Kazuna opened it. A single sentence, handwritten: "We warned you."
Her blood went cold.
"Where did you get this?" Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the paper.
She looked up. Tanaka's face was serious this time.
"On the doormat," A pause. "...After I walked you home."
Then he asked, "Do you notice something strange? Someone watching you?"
Kazuna thought. The eyes at the gate. The whispers. But that was just the students... right?
"...I don't know."
He was about to say something, but failed anyway.
For a moment, they just look at each other. Silent. But then he let out a soft breath.
"Alright, just... keep an eye out—please."
He looked at her head. The bandage really stood out.
A hand. Soft one. Placed on her head.
She was about to protest. But the only words that came out were: "I will..."
The atmosphere felt tight.
But she tackled his hand anyway, then handed the letter back quickly.
"I'm gonna be late," She was already turning away.
He scoffed. "Then go," He slipped the paper, including his hands into his pockets. There's no meaning behind those words.
"...be careful." He muttered.
And she went running. Almost slipped.
Even though her head throbbed like crazy. She didn't stop. She didn't look back.
There's no time for that.
...What a joke.
Finally, she slammed the door open. A bunch of eyes turned at her. But she didn't care. Thankfully, there was no teacher, yet.
Still, she quickly went back to her seat. And as she walked, she saw Itsuki already there—sitting at his seat.
But she didn't say anything, just stayed still.
Not that it was awkward. But there was just nothing to talk about. And the fact that the class never felt too loud like this.
Thankfully. The teacher caught all the students who left their seats and got scolded immediately.
Kazuna watched Itsuki giggling because one of his friends got scolded. It was fun to see, but she wouldn't admit it out loud. Just seeing people smile, it kind of made her heart calm down a bit, didn't know why.
But as the lesson started, her mood dropped instantly. Just because it wasn't her favorite subject, science.
She couldn't complain anyway. This was her responsibility as a student. Out of respect, her adoptive parents were the ones who chose this school for her.
At least she was trying to make them proud. Well, she hopes so.
The class felt slowed. She could hear the birds chirping outside, the laughs from other classes, or even a pen clicking rapidly. All at once, making her head start to twist as if playing the world around.
But she had a strategic way to make it feel faster.
Autopilot mode.
She just needed to zone out like usual, and then let the body move automatically without her senses at all. This way, her body and her mind were actually not in the same place.
Void in her eyes. Her body moved slowly, lazily as if she was infected by a zombie. Well, not really.
But anyone could notice quickly that her mind was absent.
Thankfully, no one said anything about it. Simply, they just didn't care. Of course. Who was she to anyone anyway?
Seconds, to minutes. Minutes to hours. The clock kept ticking. And the chalk kept written on the board.
It was getting boring. Even though the class had been changed. There's still no difference between them.
She groaned quietly. A tear dropped from the corner of her eyes.
Seriously…
If she could, she would just sneak away and go home immediately.
Then.
A crumpled paper flew. Just right to her head.
Thankfully the teacher wasn't paying attention, busy writing the lesson with chalk that slowly got smaller.
She opened it.
"Hey,"
"Boring, isn't it?"
Of course it is.
She examined the handwriting on the paper. It's cute, she thought. The handwriting was a bit messy and not quite big.
Kazuna looked around for a second and noticed Itsuki had been watching her in the corner of her eyes.
Oh…
Then she wrote the reply: 'Absolutely. Why?'
And when she was about to throw it back to him—
The bell rang.
The iconic Japanese school bell rang slowly. Some said that it sounded kind of creepy. Well, not gonna lie, it did sound a little bit creepy for her. But on the other hand, that bell hit like a victory at the end of a game for her.
Well, she pocketed the crumpled paper away.
Soon after, students started to flood the place. Many of them rushed to the exit and some of them argued about who could get out first.
They were too noisy and it almost made her eardrums hurt. Or is it too dramatic?
Kazuna decided to slow down for a bit. Waiting for the crowds to leave first.
But even so, she also waited for Itsuki to get ready while he also greeted everyone else. She didn't really know why her body instinctively waited for him.
Luckily, it didn't really take a long time for her to wait—and maybe Itsuki noticed Kazuna was waiting because she had been staring at him the whole time. He cut off their friends by leaving first and immediately came towards her.
"You've been waiting?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, I'm sorry to make you wait then." He smiled—it was too vibrant for her to claim his energy. "Let's go then!"
He clung around like a puppy. He always greeted their friends along the walk in the hallways. That thing is impossible for her to do. But thanks to him, she could pass and dodge people effortlessly.
However, she slowed down as she spotted a group of girls up ahead. She recognized them immediately, and then looked around to find another way to go.
Shit…
"What's wrong?" Itsuki's voice snapped her back.
"...N—Nothing…" Her grip tightened on the strap of her bag.
He smiled. "Then let's go."
Itsuki led the way, and Kazuna was just following behind him. Fortunately they didn't notice her presence as she walked past them.
That way, the long walk to the front door felt so much quicker than she expected. And of course, she changed her shoes first before leaving.
And once again, the sun shone right at her face. But this time the sun felt too invading. If she stands too long, maybe she could melt from the hot radiance.
Kazuna squinted against the light. While Itsuki stood beside her, also shielding his eyes.
"Rooftop?" she asked.
"He said he'd meet us at the gate," Itsuki replied. "...Tanaka too."
She sighed. Almost like a disappointment.
Then, she spotted them before they spotted her. Riku leaning against the fence, Tanaka kicking a pebble. Two seniors waiting like bodyguards. The other students gave them a wide berth.
Popular = trouble, she thought.
Tanaka waved. She didn't wave back.
"You ready?" Itsuki asked.
She glanced back.
For what? A walk home? A conversation about kidnappers and secret organizations? Or a matching bead that might mean nothing?
"...No," she said. "But let's go anyway…"
Itsuki giggled at her response. Then he gave a light bump before he ran towards them.
Her chest slowly rose and fell. This is going to be a long day.
Then she finally walked, following Itsuki from behind.
As they finally got together, they moved forward—walking past the gate. And the school faded away slowly.
No one started the conversation. Instead, they were just looking around the place. Each of them looked at something different.
And they took the usual route. Not the alleyways. Not the shortcuts. Just pavement and shadows growing longer.
Riku walked ahead with Itsuki. Tanaka stayed beside Kazuna.
But then—
"...So," Tanaka started. "The note—"
"Are you going to move somewhere else?" Riku asked.
"What? No…"
Riku glanced back at them over his shoulder, "You're not scared?"
She thought about it. The note. The eyes at the gate. The way Ravel said her name like he'd known her for years.
"Well, I can't just… leave my house like that. My brother hasn't come home anyway—"
"Talking about your brother—" Riku cut him off. "I never knew you had a brother before…"
"He…" Tanaka hesitated. He didn't seem to realize that he was scratching his head.
"He's my cousin, actually…"
Riku widened his eyes. And it turned out Itsuki also widened his eyes.
Of course. They'd known Tanaka for so long. While Kazuna just stared at them, dumbfounded.
Kazuna blinked. "So you're… actually an only child?"
Tanaka didn't answer. Just kept walking. His shadow stretched ahead of him, thin and alone.
Quiet. And that quietness wasn't supposed to be his character trait.
But then— "...Yeah."
She gulped down. Didn't really know why she felt so anxious about this.
Or either way, she didn't know what to say after that.
"Are you… an only child?" Tanaka broke the silence.
Riku exchanged a glance with Itsuki. Neither of them spoke.
Even the walk felt slow.
Kazuna slightly shook her head, "No, I have a younger brother."
He just smiled at her. It seemed like he was glad about it.
Why, though? She thought.
But at least this quietness didn't feel like in an interrogation room. Just calmness. Birds singing in the background, filling the air.
"Anyway—" Riku shifted the whole mood. "Wanna use a different path this time?"
"Where?" Kazuna asked.
Riku stopped walking immediately. Turned toward the side of the school building where shadows were longer.
"Let's go this way," He led the group. "Behind the school. Go around the long way."
"This isn't the usual route," Tanaka said.
"I know." He glanced back at them. But he didn't explain. Just walked.
"Why?" Tanaka followed up.
Riku glanced back—at Kazuna. "There's something I want to show you."
The path behind the school—narrower, older. But it seemed lively.
Kazuna looked at Riku. She didn't comment. Just nodded.
Along the way, the path didn't seem… haunting. It was rather calm. Peaceful. And they could actually see almost the whole city around, because the land was slightly higher than the surrounding area. There were also a few residential areas near the school.
People who lived here—especially for a student, who went to school there—must have had an easier life. Their school was right in front of their house.
And, she never knew this path actually existed. Maybe she needed to go out more.
She took her flipped phone from her pocket. And… noted.
They simply followed the main road Riku pointed out. And before they even knew it, they already had spent several minutes walking.
"Hey," Tanaka started. "Is your head… feeling okay? You've already walked this long…"
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."
Not really.
"Why do you always lie?"
Kazuna fell silent.
Tanaka waited. He already knew from the start all this time.
And the silence stretched even more. She kept her eyes on the path ahead.
But instead, he didn't push her further. At least, he just wanted to let her know that it's pointless to lie.
Then Riku stopped. The rest followed.
They stopped just right in front of where the path was getting narrower. Trees almost surround them. The path was on the edge of a slope, it was kind of steep.
She didn't realize that it began to feel quieter than the road behind them.
"There," he said, pointing.
An entrance, only a few steps ahead. There was a stair that led somewhere down. Moss on the stone steps. A rope draped across the entrance.
Riku didn't hesitate to walk down the stairs. While the others… staring at each other silently, before they finally followed him.
Kazuna already forgot about Tanaka's question, or maybe she tried to forget it. The conversation about lying gets buried—for now.
None of them spoke. Even Tanaka had stopped joking. All their attention was caught off by the place they never heard of. Because they know the air itself felt different.
The city noises that had been following them all the way here drifted away. The air only filled with leaves swaying above them and a bell hummed softly carried by the winds in the distance.
"Never knew this place exist," Tanaka broke the silence while observing around.
"Cool find, right?" Riku replied.
Kazuna's interests were practically on everything. Birds, bamboos, a bell, stone lanterns, and every single one of them. Her grip on her flipped phone unconsciously loosened.
When she was about to walk again, a leaf suddenly fall right in front of her face. SHe stumbled backward.
And as she examined it closely, the leaf looked oddly perfect. The way it was green more than the rest. How eye-catching.
She took it immediately and spun it a little. It's perfect for journaling, she thought.
Then, "Inoue—!" Itsuki waved.
She finally snapped back out of it. She didn't realize that she was left behind. "...Coming!"
Kazuna put the leaf away into the bag and went into the group quickly.
They continued to walk forward. The step by step forward and the stairs recede behind them.
A small shrine stood between two old trees from afar. It looked forgotten—but not abandoned. Just… waiting.
They kept walking, until they reached the first gate, Riku stopped.
They noticed it, if it was really an old shrine in a place like this, at least there would be something that marked it. But not with this.
Instead, the tori gate (Ichi no torii) was still in a good condition, there was no moss around it, no chips, and even the red colors looked very vivid and almost looked like it was new. It was pristine.
The gate looked newer than the railings at school, somehow…
The three of them were standing still behind, as if waiting. Then, Riku bowed, not deeply, just enough.
The rest didn't know what to do. But then, Itsuki followed, bowing but awkwardly. Tanaka copies him, but hurriedly. Meanwhile, it took Kazuna a few moments to take her eyes off the place around and bow.
Kazuna caught up, breath slightly uneven. The others were already walking up ahead towards the shrine, almost leaving her behind.
The stone path they stepped on after they walked past the torii gate was surprisingly in good condition, perfectly maintained.
They walked silently on the side of the path, almost too carefully. And they even lined up.
At this point they looked like ducklings who were following their mother.
On the left, there was a stone basin. Supposed to be the purification fountain (Temizuya). And to their surprise, the water was clean and clear too. Water trickled from a bamboo pipe, slow and steady. Maybe there was still someone looking after this place.
Riku walked towards it.
"Let's purify ourselves first," He said in a low voice.
He picked up the ladle. Poured water over his left hand, then his right. After that he poured the water on his right hand to rinse his mouth, then tipped the ladle upright so the remaining water washed down the handle.
Itsuki and Tanaka just stared at each other. She watched Riku carefully, making sure that she remembered it step by step.
Later they followed too, Itsuki, Tanaka, and then Kazuna.
"Now what?" Itsuki asked, not sounding rude, but out of curiosity.
Riku didn't immediately answer. He just stood there, staring at the main hall. His jaw tightened.
Kazuna followed his gaze. Something about the place felt… heavy. But not threatening. As if the air itself was paying attention.
"...We pray there." Riku smiled, just faint.
They stepped back to the main path, going closer to the worship hall that was called Haiden.
She looked down, and noticed it. There were no fallen leaves, yet the forest around it was full of them.
Strange.
While on the way there, Tanaka stayed beside Kazuna. He opened his mouth. Then closed it again. For the first time she saw him hesitating.
"We… have been walking for long enough. Are you feeling okay? Any discomfort?"
"...Yeah, don't worry." She answered slowly this time.
Tanaka glanced at Kazuna. He noticed her expression—not annoyed, not worried, or anything else. But he was relieved.
"...Good to hear that then."
Then, they finally arrived. Standing just right in front of the worship hall.
But there was one thing she had been paying attention to.
There was no dust.
Riku stepped once, then twice. Took something from his pocket, a five yen coin.
He gently tossed it into the wooden offering box in front of him. After that he rang the bell, shook the rope just enough. Bowed deeply two times, and clapped two times.
Then he prayed. The three that were behind him just watched. Until for a few moments Riku was done and bowed once again, they followed right after him.
Itsuki copied him stiffly. Tanaka copied not so badly but also not good.
In the middle of that she just watched silently, until she was distracted by something—a raven.
The raven perched on a branch. Tilting its head slightly as its eyes followed her. Kazuna followed, tilting her head too.
Strange…
Then came her turns. She snapped out of it and stepped forward. She did every single thing that Riku had shown. The coin, the bow, the clap, and finally the prayer.
She was a bit hesitant as she prayed.
I… Thank you for everything, all things you have given upon me. I wish for everyone's safety and health. And may I seek the truth within me—
And last, she bowed.
However, as she raised her head, something caught her attention, just right in front of her.
A faint shadow, rising from the darkness—something stood behind the wooden door, but she was sure it wasn't a human.
There was a silhouette.
Like… roots? But upward. Maybe branches? Antlers? She could hear a small creak closer.
She blinked. Looked at it again. Gone.
Kazuna tried to ignore it, maybe she was wrong. But she told nothing to others either.
She went back to the others waiting. All of them were still saying nothing. Only the sound of wind filled between them and nothing else. Not even leaves.
"...Doesn't it feel quieter?" Itsuki said to everyone.
They froze. Nobody answered.
Then—
The bell behind them rings. Once. By itself.
Tanaka looked around. "...Wind?"
Silence. A second later…
Birds suddenly burst out from the trees. And everything felt back to normal again.
The leaves moved again, the wind felt harder this time.
Tanaka let out a small laugh.
"Okay that was a bit creepy."
And Riku just smiled. "...It happens sometimes."
From then, the smile on their faces came back again. There was no more awkward silence, words being held back, and it felt lighter.
They went back to walk on the main path again, but bowed once before they left.
It took faster to walk forward the exit than before. The shrine behind them gradually looked smaller and smaller. As if the forest eats it whole. Maybe that's why they didn't even know that shrine existed.
One by one they reached the stairs. The city sounds returned, it felt closer just right in front of them.
Kazuna felt the big difference between the two, almost like a whole different world. One was filled with everything, and the other was forgotten by the world.
But—
Something, she caught in the corner of her eye.
Far away. Beyond the treeline. Beyond the stairs.
A figure stood still. Too still.
A fox mask.
She stopped walking.
She squinted her eyes. She couldn't see it clearly with this distance, and with the sunlight shone too brightly.
A… Miko?
And then—the figure shifted. Just slightly. A tilt of the head.
A soft, warm smile, under the fox mask.
"...Inoue?"
Tanaka had already taken several more steps before noticing she was motionless. "Is there something wrong?"
She didn't answer.
Her eyes remained fixed on the treeline. Her lips parted—
The figure was still there. Watching.
"Didn't you guys see that…" She faced Tanaka.
But, there was no one there as she turned around again.
She blinked.
She swore she saw someone there.
"...Nevermind—" Kazuna shook her head slightly.
It was nothing.
Nothing…
None of them ask about what happened. Good thing for Kazuna.
The four of them were back on the main road again. The sound of the city buzzing around, the sun shone directly at them, welcoming them.
But the feeling… She couldn't move on after entering that shrine.
Houses lined almost too close to one another, maybe they were built that way to make people keep interacting with their neighbors, but Kazuna rarely sees one. Maybe people were just too busy with their own business, she thought.
Somewhere far away there was a train passing, and cicadas screaming from the trees. Those cicadas somehow made every walk feel nostalgic.
Shoes crunching over loose gravel. The street was quiet, but it felt familiar. Unlike the four students walking beneath the evening sky. This was new for her.
Riku waits for all of them at every corner without saying anything. Itsuki couldn't let his glance off the sky above, he almost bumped into an electric pole. And Tanaka was… throwing laughs and jokes like a clown. Really.
While Kazuna, just watching them silently, or more like… observing almost every single detail. It kinda made her mind dizzy.
And, after more than a hundred steps, they had finally arrived.
The house stood just in the middle of a narrow street, the farthest block away from their house. Its roof was weathered, tiles darkened by years of rain, but only the wooden frame held steady.
Through the window, a warm light glowed slightly. Someone was home.
Kazuna paused at the gate. Her hand hovered over the latch. But she turned around before she even touched it.
"I… Thank you, for walking me, again…" She hesitated.
They all just nodded. "Alright, tomorrow's weekend, I hope you recover quickly." Riku said warmingly.
Itsuki waved his hand while walking away. Tanaka stood silently for a moment, both his hands were shoved in his pocket. Before then he raised a hand with that irking smirk again.
"See 'ya!"
Kazuna just watched him leave. It took a moment until she approached the gate.
That smile of his felt a bit different from the last one. She didn't really know what changed, maybe a lot lighter?
Anyway… The gate clicked shut behind her as she entered. Taking her time slowly as she stepped through the front yard, she was scared that her mother would scold her because she came home late, again.
As soon as she arrived at the front door, she held the knob cautiously while pushing the door open.
Glad there was no one in sight, it was somewhat quiet too. Maybe they were upstairs right now. So now she just needs to take off her shoes and…
"...Kazuna?"
Her mother's voice breaks the silence. Standing right behind her.
She turned her head, slowly. "...I—I'm home, mom."
"Why did you come home so late?"
"I… uh…" She murmured. "...I'm with my friends, earlier,"
She quickly took off the shoes away and stood up with her hands trying to support on the knees.
"They showed me something, a shrine—nearby. In the middle of the woods, I think?" She wasn't so sure.
"Shrine?" Her mother tilted her head? "What do you mean you go to a shrine?"
"Yes, I know—it sounds crazy, right?" She took off her hoodie away. "I also didn't expect there was a shrine eithe—"
"Because there is no shrine nearby."
Kazuna paused.
What?
"There is no shrine right in this area, Kazuna," Her mother sounded worried.
Meanwhile her body stiffened as if she just saw a ghost.
"Let me take a look at you," Her mother stepped forward. Tilting Kazuna's chin right and left. Then her eyes lingered on her head.
"You're maybe imagining things after your head gets hurt, you need more rest."
Her eyes stared blankly at her mother's.
There is no way.
She swore it was real. She still could feel the vibes, the way the air felt cold that it lingered on her skin way too long. But there was something else, since she stepped out of that shrine area, her memory began to fade as if that shrine didn't belong to be remembered.
How could it be?
"...Yeah, maybe you're right, mom." Her shoulders dropped. "I should get some rest now…"
She walked past her mother without saying anything else. Almost staggered herself.
Yeah. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was just her imagination.
After all that chaos last night and so, it must be very tiring.
But, there was one thing that she could make sure of.
Her pace sped up as she stepped onto the stairs and went off to her room. Meanwhile her mother was all confused and worried looking at her from behind.
She shut the door behind her and slumped forward onto her bed. Placing her bag on her lap.
Her hands lingered for a moment, before she took a deep sigh and finally opened it up.
And, there it is. The leaf she picked up. Still in a good condition, same as before.
Now she got her answer. She did experienced the whole thing.
But more questions popped up in her head. Was the shrine real? Does her friend remember what happened? And so on.
The more she thinks harder while looking directly at the leaf, the more her head started to feel dizzy.
She groaned, letting herself fall back behind.
What the heck is this puzzly thing and why do I have to think so hard about it?