C³ Vol 9 Chapter 2

Now was not the time to be deliberating whether to chase down Chihaya and Isuzu or not. What was stolen must be recovered—Given it was something so precious, demanding its return was absolutely imperative.

Haruaki's group decided to split up in search of Chihaya and Isuzu. For them to be dressed as shrine maidens and appearing in this kind of place on New Year's Day, they were highly likely to be affiliated with the shrine. In any case, having decided on a time to meet up again and to call one another if any new developments arose, they headed off on their separate ways. Since Haruaki had no combat ability and could not handle things even if a situation arose, he acted with Fear as a pair.

Alone with Fear, who had lost her voice, they returned to the shrine's territory.

"..."

Fear pulled Haruaki's sleeve. Haruaki followed her gaze to see the place where shrine maidens were selling talismans.

"True, might as well check it out just in case."

Fear nodded. But once they approached the vendor area to have a look inside, there were no signs of the delinquent shrine maidens, obviously. Even when Haruaki asked some of the part-timer shrine maidens, they only looked at one another helplessly and answered: "Are there girls matching those descriptions...?"

After thanking them, Haruaki and Fear turned and left. Grand festivities were scheduled for dawn on New Year's Day. Although there was still some time before sunrise, the surroundings were quite noisy. Even so, Haruaki still found things too quiet and felt a little lonely.

(Clearly it's just because this girl isn't talking...)

Was he feeling this because up until earlier, she was more noisy than usual, such as during the New Year's calligraphy and mochi rice cake making activities?

Suddenly, Haruaki recalled the scene while they were strolling in the forest. The quiet forest. But Fear instantly made the scene liven up beyond compare. He had taken hustle and bustle for granted as part of Fear's natural presence.

Clearly it was so natural...

He had once thought that "there was nothing wrong" with such hustle and bustle...

He felt that such hustle and bustle was only natural...

Yet now it was missing.

Appearing behind him was a extremely desolate emptiness. He could not settle his thoughts. Something was missing. It filled him with unease.

"...Eh, Fear?"

Perhaps due to being immersed in his thoughts, when Haruaki suddenly turned his head to look back, he was surprised to find Fear missing without any signs of her. He frantically traced his steps to seek the silver hair amidst the crowd. Luckily, he quickly found Fear who was looking this way and that in worry.

"Ohoh, thank goodness. You're here."

"...!"

The corners of Fear's lips moved down as she charged straight at him. Without slowing down, she attacked Haruaki's stomach with the crash of a headb.u.t.t.

"Woah! Hey, you almost knocked my stomach out! After using it on the superintendent last time, is this move growing on you now!?"

"..."

Fear opened her mouth wide and said something silently. Probably some kind of scolding, but Haruaki could not hear anything.

Soon after, Fear realized with surprise and hung her head with an incomparably helpless and dejected expression while she tightly gripped Haruaki's coat above where she had just attacked him with the headb.u.t.t.

One could hardly blame her. Haruaki had forgotten.

Unable to settle down, feeling unease, he was not the only one. The victim herself, who had lost something precious to her, would naturally experience these emotions as well, probably to a further extent than him. The pain of not being able to say what she wanted. The pain of losing something she had always taken for granted. She was currently suffering.

None of her words could be transmitted instantly.

Whether the joy, sadness, loneliness or pain she was suffering.

All these were very distant. Because they were distant, they were impossible to transmit. Because they were impossible to transmit, a sense of distance was produced. Feelings of emptiness, solitude and isolation were created. But if even these feelings could not be instantly transmitted to a certain someone she wanted to share them with—

(That's... right... I must help her.)

Since she felt distant... Since feeling distant was making Fear suffer—

Then he had to approach her on his own initiative.

"Hmm... Okay, Fear, lend me your hand."

"...?"

Haruaki caught her little hand and led her towards his palm. Although it felt a bit embarra.s.sing, there was no other way.

"So—Come, try writing with your finger. This will allow me to know what you want to say. But please spare me the complicated kanji."

Finally, Fear understood what he wanted her to do. Still bowing her head with a sense of loneliness, she used her index finger to slowly write on Haruaki's palm.

Character by character, she wrote using simple hiragana.

Haruaki deciphered the sentence as: 'Don't leave me behind'—

"...Yeah, I'm really sorry."

Haruaki apologized honestly. Perhaps relieved that she could transmit her words, Fear's tense face relaxed slightly. Haruaki looked back at her and said in jest:

"I'll be more careful from now on, so please forgive me... Would that be agreeable, my lady?"

Fear's finger moved slowly over his palm.

'Very well.'

"Thank you for your boundless generosity."

After Haruaki said this with a wry smile, Fear's expression became a lot more gentle.

So—Haruaki pondered to himself. Although it was going to be embarra.s.sing as well, now that things had developed to this point and he had promised not to leave Fear behind by herself—This was surely the most effective solution.

"Since it'll be troubling if I received another of your headb.u.t.ts because I didn't keep my promise... This is for the sake of my abs' protection. Hence, it can't be helped either."

Fear's index finger was still on top of Haruaki's palm.

Hence, very easily, Haruaki held Fear's little hand. Then holding her hand, he began to walk.

Fear showed surprise on her face for only an instant before switching to a pout and using her free hand to hammer Haruaki's shoulder. She was probably protesting: "Don't treat me like a child, I'll curse you!" However, Fear did not persist in her attack. Neither did she shake off his hand. Sensing her body warmth transmit through her hand, Haruaki instantly felt as though the sense of emptiness had shrunk slightly.

However, this definitely could not be allowed to persist. Absolutely not—

Haruaki looked around in the shrine's confines and resumed his search for Chihaya and Isuzu. Originally stuck with only the option of tugging Haruaki's clothing timidly, Fear was now starting to write on his palm whenever she had any questions to express her thoughts.

'Is that her?'

"What, over there!? Oh, it's just someone with black hair as well. Not Isuzu."

'What a shame.'

"I know right... Okay, let's check out that place over there this time."

Making rounds everywhere, they still could not find any signs of Isuzu or Chihaya. To be honest, Haruaki was starting to feel exhausted.

At this moment, Fear suddenly gripped his hand tightly while pulling on his sleeve with her other hand.

Forced to confront this silence, Haruaki looked into Fear's eyes. She seemed to be communicating something with her eyes as though insisting there was no need to write on his palm. Even without words, her thoughts were coming through vaguely. This was perhaps quite invaluable.

"Yeah... Let's take a break."

Fear smiled faintly, proving Haruaki's hunch correct.

After buying nostalgic marble soda[1] at a nearby stall, they headed to the resting zone which had been occupied by noisy drunks earlier, finally finding seats for two with some difficulty. Fear tilted her head back and gulped down the soda. Viewed from the side, she was displaying far less of her usual domineering airs.

Haruaki did not intend to let this situation continue for long. Although Isuzu's motives in stealing Fear's voice were unknown, this behavior was absolutely unacceptable and action must be taken. Whether convincing her verbally or otherwise, Fear's voice must be returned to settle the matter. That said—Something needed to be done to relieve the current boredom.

(Letting her write words with her finger is not a bad solution... But is there a better way to communicate to each other more easily...?)

Haruaki wondered in distraction as he finished drinking his soda. How much time had pa.s.sed since they started searching? Only when he took out his cellphone to check the time did he suddenly realize. This method also existed.

"By the way, Fear, although we're in the middle of this situation, let's have our first lecture of the new year on basic everyday knowledge."

"...?"

Fear tilted her head in puzzlement and reached out with her index finger, tickling Haruaki's palm as she wrote: 'Now is not the time for this kind of thing.' Haruaki smiled wryly. This could very well be the last time for him to experience this sensation from her finger... This thought prompted an unbelievable reluctance to part with the feeling. This was because he had come up with a better solution for communication.

Haruaki waved his cellphone lightly.

"This lecture will teach you how to type on a cellphone. Email and texting are basically the same... If you memorize it all, I don't mind lending my cellphone to you, at least for all of today."

"......!"

Fear pondered for a moment then smiled radiantly. Then her finger moved to write:

'That's wonderful! Not a bad idea but it'll be really time consuming and bothersome╤§♨☂÷♪ζ√☠！'

"You're writing too fast towards the end so I can't figure it out at all! Calm down, I'll teach you slowly."

Fear shook her silver hair and looked at the cellphone as though saying: "Then hurry up and start!"

It was very quiet for quite a long while.

At a distance close enough to feel each other's breathing, above the cellphone, their faces were pressed tightly together.

Under this silence, Haruaki taught Fear how to type, character by character.

The emptiness created by panicking unease seemed to shrink substantially. Surely it would shrink even more once Fear memorized how to type. However—

It will definitely not vanish completely. So long as this continued, it absolutely will not.

(Isuzu and Chihaya, I will definitely find you...)

Haruaki steeled his determination once more and clenched his fist. During this time, he finished explaining how to enter text. He could feel Fear taking the cellphone in apprehension and beginning to tap the b.u.t.tons using just her index finger.

Finally, Fear looked up with a grin and brought the cellphone close to Haruaki's face.

On it was written:

'By the way, delicious. If only eaten with crunchy food.'

"...No matter what, a shrine like this one isn't going to sell rice crackers. Is eating all your can think of on New Year's Day!?"

Haruaki knocked the silver-haired head lightly.

Fear pouted with displeasure and entered her usual catchphrase into the cellphone.

As the words implied, the back of the shrine's mountain was literally her own backyard.

After escaping from the interlopers in the forest, Chihaya pushed her gla.s.ses while exhaling deeply. Having sprinted all the way, her body was red from heating up but her exposed thighs still felt rather cold. Of course, even so, she still could not possibly approve of this outfit. As usual, she was simply agitated and impatient.

"...Why did you do that?"

"By that, you mean~?"

"Of course the kiss. If you don't get what I'm saying, let me put it another way. In other words, kissing, smooching, exchanging saliva through lip to lip contact and entangling each other's tongues. Pick any description you want."

"Oh, you mean exchanging saliva through lip to lip contact and entangling each other's tongues just now~"

"Are you toying with me?"

"What~?"

Isuzu smiled and tilted her head while Chihaya clicked her tongue. Whatever, who cares what she wants to call it. "Continue explaining!" Chihaya urged using her gaze.

"Because it is a necessary act~ If it made you unhappy, let me apologize here~"

"Why is it necessary? Will your body heat up from arousal without end or something like that? ...Whatever, I've absolutely no interest in your s.e.xual orientation. Anyway, I've decided. From now on, you'll stand outside the room whenever I'm changing. So—an oracle appeared before that. What did it say?"

"Well... Yes..."

Pressing a finger to her lip, Isuzu pondered for a while. Then tilting her head again, she said:

"Please allow me to say in fear and trepidation, I hope you'll permit me to keep it a secret~"

"Are you kidding me?"

Chihaya pinched Isuzu's ear and twisted hard, completely mercilessly, because Isuzu was absolutely forbidden to hide anything from her. Isuzu was probably in enough pain to feel as though her ear were about to fall off, yet she maintained her smile. This further aggravated Chihaya who proceeded to grab her other ear.

"...You're still not telling?"

"Please allow me to say in fear and trepidation, ouch... But I still can't tell you~ This is for your sake, Chihaya-sama, do please understand~"

What do you mean, for my sake? This girl is my tool. Errand girl, flunkie and slave all in one. Insubordination cannot be tolerated at all. Did I fail in her training? Or ear twisting alone is not enough? Maybe I should simply pinch those tips of her excessively large b.r.e.a.s.t.s as well?

Chihaya entertained the thought half-seriously but did not put it to action in the end. With one forceful twist, she released Isuzu's ears.

"Seriously... Whatever, it doesn't matter now. After all, we did lose those people for sure. It's not like they can intentionally search the entire mountain for us."

"...True, so long as that is the case!"

Isuzu nodded calmly as usual. Somehow, Chihaya felt as though her reply held further meaning but could not read Isuzu's true thoughts. However, Chihaya did not let herself be bothered and simply dismissed it matter-of-factly with "so be it, in any case."

After all, ever since meeting this girl, Chihaya had never been able to guess her true thoughts at all.

After reaching the appointed meeting location, Haruaki and Fear converged with Konoha and the rest of their group inside the shrine's confines. Judging from the fact that n.o.body called the cellphone he had lent to Fear, Haruaki knew that no one's search succeeded.

'Did you search properly!?'

Typing these words on the screen with an impatient look, Fear thrust the phone in front of Konoha's face. Sighing as though saying "when did you learn how to enter text on a cellphone?", Konoha replied:

"I did search properly. I know that being unable to speak is very serious, but trying to vent your frustrations on me won't help... Ah, hey, hold on!"

As though saying "Did you search properly!? Did you!? You didn't!", Fear rubbed the cellphone hard in Konoha's face. Not satisfied with that, Fear even went as far as to shove the cellphone together with the "Did you search properly!?" message in between Konoha's cleavage.

"Kyah... Hey, stop it right now! U-Ueno-san and Kuroe-san, how did your searches go?"

"We came up emptyhanded as well. Unfortunately, the search area is too wide."

"Yeah, if only we had some sort of clue... Haru, did you try asking the shrine maidens who are selling the talismans?"

"I did, but none of them recognized the descriptions."

At this moment, Fear dropped her gaze and stared at the cellphone, typing something. The screen she then showed to everyone said:

'bcuz they r jst smallfry! shrine maidenz boss shld no!'

"What excessive typos, I've never seen anything like 'shld no' before. Say, do shrine maidens have a so-called boss...?"

While saying that, Haruaki suddenly realized. Although a so-called shrine maidens' boss probably did not exist, there was someone in charge of managing the shrine maidens. They probably should try asking that person.

"Yeah, anyway, let's first try to find that person. But who knows where?"

Even if they conducted an undirected search all over the place, Haruaki did not think that would bear fruit. Hence, he tried his luck by asking one of the shrine maidens at the talisman vending area: "We have important matters to discuss." As it so happened, it was the shrine maiden's turn to have a break and she was willing to pa.s.s the message along. After a short wait—

The person who appeared was—naturally—this shrine's chief s.h.i.+nto priest.

"I am Hayakawa, this shrine's chief priest... Are you the people who wanted to discuss something with me?"

The man was over fifty with a fair amount of white hair. His slender physique was clad in a white outfit. Haruaki gulped and inquired as politely as he could because this man might be completely unrelated to the two girls.

"Yes, we're really sorry to make you come out specifically for us. Uh, what I'd like to ask about is... Umm, is there a shrine maiden here called Chihaya with dyed hair? Also, is there someone else named Isuzu?"

Hearing these words, the s.h.i.+nto priest instantly frowned. Then after glancing at his surroundings, he lowered his voice and said something exceedingly relevant.

"My daughter... Chihaya, has she caused you any trouble?"

Leading Haruaki's group, the s.h.i.+nto priest brought them to a j.a.panese residence somewhere behind the shrine office. Apparently, the priest's family lived there usually. After smelling the same tatami scent as in the Yachi residence, Haruaki could not help but feel more relaxed.

"Please have a bit of tea, I hope you don't mind its crudeness."

"Oh, we're the ones who are sorry for intruding... Thank you for your hospitality."

Haruaki drank the tea the priest brewed for them. As expected, this calmed his mood somewhat. At the same time, a sense of sleepiness suddenly arrived but now was not the time to sleep yet.

After drinking tea in silence for a while, sitting opposite to Haruaki's group, the priest spoke up:

"So... About Chihaya... did she really...?"

"Yes."

Haruaki gazed straight into the priest's eyes and answered. Before they were invited into this house, he had already explained.

"Chihaya has stolen something very precious from us... Yes, extremely precious."

The priest exhaled and slumped his shoulders with a pained expression. Seeing this, Haruaki was at a loss what to do. No, they were not trying to make this person bear responsibility. Neither did they have any desire to punish Chihaya for her mistakes.

"No, umm... Although it's stolen... We do want her to return it, but well... It definitely doesn't make your daughter a criminal. This incident is more like an unfortunate accident that resulted from many misunderstandings. I think once we get to discuss with her properly, she'll return it to us."

After hearing that, the priest looked up.

"May I ask what exactly she has stolen...?"

Haruaki instantly hesitated. It was not like he could push Fear forward and say "it's her voice," right? That said, he could not think of another excuse. Even if he made up something like saying Chihaya had stolen a wallet, it would only make this father even more depressed.

"Due to some extenuating circ.u.mstances, we're not in a position to disclose... But in any case, it is something extremely important."

"..."

"Umm, of course you may find this very suspicious! But—"

Just as Haruaki frantically tried to explain, the priest finally showed an exhausted smile.

"No, I'm not doubting you. I can tell that you've told me the truth... So, since you must be facing some kind of difficulty, I don't intent to force you to tell me."

"Y-Yes... Thank you."

"Then your daughter—her name is Chihaya, right? Do you know where she is right now? Just as mentioned earlier, we would like to meet her again and talk to her."

The priest shook his head at Konoha.

"I'm really sorry... When I was brewing the tea just now, I took the opportunity to check Chihaya's room but she's not here currently."

"Is that so? Then would you be so kind as to tell us her cellphone number?"

"I'm really ashamed to say, I don't actually know her cellphone number."

Hearing this, Haruaki's group looked at one another. A father not knowing his daughter's cellphone number, was this possible?

Perhaps noticing Haruaki's groups' doubts, the priest sipped hot tea with an even more exhausted expression.

"Sigh, I'm really ashamed. Since she already stole your belongings, trying to hide things wouldn't help. Chihaya is a daughter who causes me a headache in all sorts of ways... To be honest, our relations.h.i.+p can't be described as good. As much as I'd like to treat it as simply her rebellious phase—She's further distanced herself from me ever since my wife was hospitalized."

"Your wife is currently hospitalized? That really is... quite a predicament."

Kirika concurred with a calm expression. She probably thought that they should chat further even though Chihaya's current whereabouts were unknown. Haruaki agreed. This was a rare opportunity and he wanted to ask about certain things. Regarding Chihaya as well as Isuzu who accompanied her. Did the priest know about curses and that Isuzu was a cursed bell? Was he aware that his daughter was working as a curse expert?

"Sigh, I'm already quite used to it. She's been living in the hospital for many months now... Although there's no immediate threat to her life, it's a type of illness that's hard to cure. Oh dear, how sorry I am, I've gone on a tangent. We're currently talking about Chihaya."

"Just now, you mentioned that she's causing you headaches in all sorts of ways... Is there some sort of problem? To be honest, it's our first time meeting her today. We are simply curious so it's okay to ignore us."

"No no, I don't mind. However, perhaps there's nothing special about her problems. Since you've all seen her, I'm sure you can understand. Currently, she's always foul-mouthed, dyeing her hair, and I've heard from school that she's occasionally absent... Also, she wanders outside in the dead of the night like today."

After listing examples, the only conclusion one would inevitably make was "what an ordinary, rebellious teenage girl." Haruaki secretly wondered, since the priest did not seem like he was lying, most likely he did not know about his daughter's work—as a "curse expert."

Someone tugged at Haruaki's pants beneath the table. Taking a look, he found Fear by his side, typing orders on the cellphone: "Hurry up and ask about that girl!" Naturally, they also needed to ask about the other person. Rather, this was actually the main point.

"Oh... About the other person named Isuzu, the shrine maiden accompanying Chihaya who looks older, who is she?"

"Ah, Isuzu huh... Probably Chihaya's friend. Even after I asked Chihaya, she refused to tell me so I'm not too sure either. It started roughly a month ago, I'd see the two of them appear together occasionally at home or the shrine. She even greets me when we meet so I don't think she's a bad kid."

"Friend... huh? But she's dressed as a shrine maiden?"

Konoha tilted her head in puzzlement, to which the priest replied:

"Chihaya probably lent the outfit to her. The only thing we have in abundance at our home is a mountain of shrine maiden outfits. Because this shrine used to be quite prosperous in the past... But it has declined greatly now. Only through various means do we still manage to attract visitors and pilgrims."

"Such as innovating your own o-mikuji types?"

"Exactly."

Konoha smiled and gave off an aura saying "just because of that, I experienced an unnecessary sense of defeat." Luckily, the priest did not notice the dangerous aura she exuded.

In any case, the priest seemed to be completely ignorant of Isuzu's true ident.i.ty. All Isuzu needed to do was return to her original form as a tool and others would think that she did not hang around Chihaya all day. Hence, it could not be helped that the priest's understanding of her was limited to just "a friend who frequently came to play."

"That said, what a sudden appearance. Mr. Priest, although this is completely unrelated to the conversation, did you buy any antiques a month earlier?"

Pretending to be an ordinary child with a blank expression until now, Kuroe suddenly posed such a question. The priest tilted his head, facing the extremely child-like Kuroe, still replied in a polite tone of voice:

"...? You're interested in antiques? Well... Chihaya is always busy in front of the computer, so I wouldn't be surprised if she ordered stuff over the internet. But I myself haven't come into contact with any. Oh right, although I think it'd be weird to list them as antiques, we did hold a joint ritual last month with another shrine that we generally keep in touch with... And the other shrine gave us all sorts of tools. However, most of them were already put away in the storeroom."

"Oh... In that case, there could very well be bells among them. Understood, Mr. Priest, thank you~"

"Y-You're welcome...?"

Kuroe bowed her head in thanks, causing the priest to bow his head in return according to etiquette. Next, he also bowed to Haruaki's group to express his apologies.

"Anyway... I don't know where Chihaya is right now. I'm truly sorry that I wasn't able to help everyone."

"No, please don't say that."

Haruaki bowed his head in return. At this moment, the priest spoke up as though remembering something:

"Umm... If you don't mind, would you like to have a look at Chihaya's room? After all, she's not here herself and it's possible that what she stole from you might be kept in the room."

Impossible. 100% impossible. But knowing more about Chihaya as a person might be helpful. For example, her relations.h.i.+p with Isuzu and why would Isuzu steal Fear's voice? Or how can they take it back? Although the situation was developing into deceiving the priest, giving Haruaki a guilty conscience, he still decided to accept the suggestion gratefully in any case.

"Then excuse our intrusion, we'll have a look... However, is it really okay? If she finds out that you casually allowed others to enter her room while she was absent, umm, wouldn't—"

"Don't worry." The priest said lightly and—

Smiled with incomparable loneliness. Then he continued:

"That child already seems to hate me with a pa.s.sion. By this point, she can't possibly hate me any further."

While the priest was leading Haruaki's group to the room, his cellphone happened to ring. Apparently, one of the part-time shrine maidens was calling him to ask for a.s.sistance. "Excuse me, I need to give them directions while looking at some reference materials... Please don't hold back and feel free to look inside the room." Saying that, the priest returned to the living room without stepping into Chihaya's room.

Haruaki could not help but think: "Clearly it's his daughter's room. Is it really okay to leave a bunch of strangers like us unsupervised?" However, this meant that he really trusted them. Trying not to waste time, the group accepted the kind offer and decided to enter the room and investigate without the priest's company.

The interior s.p.a.ce, six tatami in area, was extremely messy. Although it was probably a j.a.panese-style room originally, it was currently almost impossible to see its former appearance.

A futon was stuffed into a blob. Closet. Steel desk. A bookcase with many difficult looking books. A pile of devices of unknown purpose. A tangle of electrical cords ran all over the floor, easily tripping anyone if they were not careful. Instead of posters, the wall was occupied by stuff resembling hanging power bars(?). Many cords extended from over there. Of the many devices in the room, the only type with known purpose was the computer. However, there were four computers with flas.h.i.+ng power supplies, with the side covers dismantled, exposing the internal components. On the other hand, there were three monitors. Why would anyone need to use more screens than they had eyeb.a.l.l.s? It was inconceivable for Haruaki who never used computers outside of cla.s.s.

"Woah! How should I put this? This really has a mad scientist kind of feel..."

"It really resembles those junk shops in science fiction films. Like 'we sell infra-red prosthetic eyes!' or something like that~"

"The computers... Locked with pa.s.swords. That's expected, of course."

Kirika, the member of the group who seemed to have the broadest knowledge, operated the mouse but immediately shrugged and gave up. Looking around, Fear picked up a certain black ma.s.s of plastic from a wooden shelf, tilting her head in puzzlement. Kuroe's blank eyes gazed at it and said:

"Oh Ficchi! That could be a little dangerous. It's probably a stun gun."

"That's not just 'a little.' It's very dangerous!"

Speaking of stun guns, Haruaki recalled their suffering at the hands of Bivorio in the past. Fear probably remembered too. Frowning with disgust, she returned it to the shelf.

"Hmm, this shelf seems to be a self-defense item corner... Hmm, what's this tray?"

"...Those are probably materials for a flash grenade. As much as I'd like to forget, I've seen them before during my time in the Lab Chief's Nation. Over there are the finished products."

"Oh, that thing just now. I remember her saying it was handmade."

Kuroe nodded, half surprised, half impressed. Self-defense items plus handmade flash grenades... Why did Chihaya collect these things? Simply as a hobby? Or perhaps—Working as a curse expert meant that she often ran into situations where she needed to protect herself?

In any case, Chihaya's room did not offer any clues to her whereabouts. All they found out was that she seemed to like computers and technology. Returning to the living room, they found the priest looking up just as he finished his phone call:

"How did it go?"

"Uh, umm... We didn't find it."

"Really?" The priest nodded with deep regret as he cleaned up the doc.u.ments scattered over the table. Honestly speaking, Haruaki's group did not have any further reason to stay, but if they were to say "We'll be on our way!" and leave, it would make them feel like robbers who had just ransacked someone's home. In any case, at the priest's urging, the group sat down on the seat cus.h.i.+ons again. Then the priest said: "Umm... Since you're similar to Chihaya's age, I'd like to ask what are your opinions after seeing her room?"

So, what should they say? After secretly exchanging glances with Konoha and the others, Haruaki felt another tugging feeling at his pants. Glancing at the cellphone screen that was thrust beneath the table, he read the words: 'Something wrong with her brain.' Excuse me, Fear, I'm looking for a more tactful opinion.

Konoha ended up taking the responsibility of answering. Since she looked mature, composed and the calmest, she was best suited to the role of the communicator. In any case, Haruaki decided to leave things to her for now.

"Frankly speaking, her room cannot be considered normal. Even if she has an interest in computers, perhaps one could call it a little excessive."

Konoha spoke with a courteous smile, causing the priest to relax his expression with a wry smile.

"Well said... Because I don't understand technology, I'm not too sure myself. But I was thinking, if it's something that could be understood, I should try to understand it."

"Including your daughter?"

"...Of course."

After pausing for a few seconds, the priest spoke quietly as though to himself:

"I can't understand what that child is thinking, what she wants... But I don't think she is a bad child at heart. Uh, since she already stole something from you, perhaps this might not be appropriate to say to you..."

"I've already mentioned earlier, this incident is more like an unfortunate misunderstanding. We just want to have a good talk. She'll surely understand. Also, it's our first time meeting her today, so we don't know what her true character is like... We won't deny your a.s.sertion. Besides, there are also children who still help out at home despite straying on the wrong path."

"Haha, if everyone has already met her, you probably should understand, but as for the home... I guess the shrine's work probably counts, but she doesn't help out at all. I've never seen her dress up as a shrine maiden properly either. However—Ah, I remember now."

"You remember something?"

The priest looked up to glance at the clock in the living room. It was approaching 4am soon.

"Chihaya seems to be practicing dancing recently. At dawn, wearing a shrine maiden's outfit, together with her—the child called Isuzu. I've only ran into them by chance a few times and even when I asked her, she won't answer me, so I don't know the details. But from my perspective, I'm a little happy at the thought that Chihaya might be taking some interest in s.h.i.+nto..."

Konoha turned to look at Haruaki. This information was quite unexpected. "Let's ask him more." Haruaki motioned with his eyes so Konoha spoke up next:

"She does it every day? Do you know where?"

"Probably every day. As for the location... When there's no one around, she'll be at the main shrine, but I've also seen her dancing in front of the shrine in the back of the mountain. Since there are many people at the main shrine today, I expect she'll be at the back of the mountain."

"Could you tell us the precise location? In other words, as long as we get there before sunrise, we should be able to see her?"

"I can't guarantee it, but the chances are quite high."

According to the priest, there was a large pond in the back of the mountain. The shrine was built in front of it. After memorizing the priest's directions, Haruaki exhaled. Finally, some progress was made in the matter.

"I understand now, thank you very much for the help. We have absolutely no intention of harming Chihaya-san. Neither do we plan on catching her to hand over to the police, so please don't worry."

"No, I'd like to thank you all instead... My unworthy daughter has caused you trouble. By the way, what are your plans during this time before dawn?"

"There are roughly three hours still. Haruaki-kun, what should we do?"

"Oh~ What should we do? This isn't enough time to make a trip home, but it's a bit too long to spend within the shrine's confines or at a convenience store... Hmm~"

Perhaps excited at the prospects of finally being able to catch Chihaya and Isuzu, Fear vigorously pressed the cellphone's b.u.t.tons: 'Too laid back! Go there now! I'll wait!' However, Haruaki dismissed the suggestion. Staying outdoors for three hours straight, they could very well freeze.

Just as Haruaki was pondering—

"In that case, why don't you just stay here and have a nap? It's also fine if you want to do other things here. After all, I plan on taking a break from now until just before dawn."

A most welcome suggestion. However—

"I-Is this really okay...? Letting us, strangers who suddenly bothered you with a request, stay in your home..."

"You don't look like bad people. Besides, my daughter seems to have caused quite a lot of trouble for you all, so this serves as a kind of compensation. Although I don't have anything to serve you, please don't be formal and feel free to stay here and rest."

Although it felt like intruding too much on the priest's kind intentions, a fight could very well break out again once they encountered Chihaya and Isuzu. Furthermore, they had not slept all night since New Year's Eve. The temptation of a nap seemed both gratifying and attractive.

"Well then... I guess we'll respectfully take up your kind offer."

Haruaki nodded at Konoha and bowed towards the priest.

"S-Sorry to bother you, Chief Priest... Thank you for your hospitality."

"Pardon the intrusion~"

"Sorry for adding to your troubles."

Kuroe and Kirika proceeded to bow and express their thanks. Fear followed suit, her silver hair waving as she lowered her head. Haruaki secretly praised her: "This girl actually knows her manners." But upon further examination, he realized she was simply bowing her head to operate the cellphone. Appearing character by character on the screen was the message:

'By the way, does this house have snacks or rice crackers—'

Haruaki reached out from the side and silently held down the cellphone's delete key without letting go for a long time.

Haruaki opened his eyes and woke up to someone's cellphone alarm clock. Wrapped in the blankets provided by the benevolent priest, the group had squeezed together and slept in the living room. At this moment, everyone began to get up from the tatami floor with a rustling sound. Naturally, it was not exactly comfortable but no one had any complaints. Besides, having heating was much better than staying outdoors for three hours.

"Hwa..."

"Good morning, Haruaki-kun."

"Oh, good morning. Although it was just a brief nap, I feel like I'm well rested. I'm really thankful to the priest."

"Yes. He mentioned that he would get up at roughly the same time as us. We really must thank him again."

"Mmm... Muuunnn..."

"Kiririn~? Ohoh, this is a getting up crisis. If you don't get up, I'm gonna take a photo of you still hugging the blanket with your b.u.t.t in the air~! Then I'll add a caption along the lines of 't.i.tle: Imitation of a Steamed Bun~'"

Perhaps p.r.o.ne to falling back to sleep in the mornings, Kirika continued to hug her blanket without moving. Kuroe raised her hand and patted Kirika on her bottom... Haruaki really wished she would pat Kirika's shoulder or back instead.

"By the way, the priest said we can also use the washroom. Then let's accept his kind offer and wash our faces. Besides, Ueno-san still hasn't gotten up yet."

"Sure." Just as Haruaki nodded in agreement, Fear, who had been lying on the tatami, suddenly got up with a grim expression.

"Good morning, Fear. I know you're all fired up to catch those girls, but go wash your face first—"

"...!"

"Woah! Why are you using your fists to turn my face as soon as you got out of bed!? Is there some kind of misunderstanding!?"

...Right—Fear seemed to be saying. Suddenly, with a serious expression, she took out the cellphone from her pocket and tapped away to enter a brief message on the screen:

'You shameless brat!'

"I'm not asking you to attack me with the cellphone! What did I do to you?"

Haruaki grabbed Fear's arm to stop her from pressing the cellphone against his cheek, finally escaping her attacks. Completely inexplicable. Fear pouted and shook off Haruaki's hand, then typed on the cellphone again.

'I had a dream.'

"Aha... The first dream of the year. Then let me ask, what did you dream about?"

'Before going to sleep, you mentioned that dreaming of Mount Fuji, a hawk and an eggplant would be very lucky.'[2]

"Now that you mention it, I think I did."

It's all your fault! Fear seemed to be complaining while baring her fangs, pressing the cellphone b.u.t.tons with greater fervor. Perhaps getting used to the process, Fear's typing speed was much faster than when she first started, although there were a few missing characters occasionally from typing too impatiently.

'You all appeared. Kuroe used a remote control to transform Mount Fuji into a giant robot then Kirika shrieked with laughter as she cracked her whip and sat on top. Meanwhile, a completely nude Cow t.i.ts shot down a hawk with an exorcism arrow then proceeded to take giant bites as she ate it raw.'

"What kind of chaotic dream is that..."

"Rather than chaotic, why is my image so weird!? I-I can't believe how this child would treat me in this manner right at the very start of the new year...!"

Peering from the side at the cellphone in Fear's hand, Konoha frowned and groaned. With trembling shoulders, Fear continued to type:

'Then there's the shameless brat! You were holding an eggplant while going "Don't worry, shove it in! Shove it in!' and approaching me with a lewd grin! Totally shameless!'

"Blaming this kind of dream on me really bothers me!"

While the group was in a clamor, the priest returned to the living room. "Looks like everyone slept well." He commented without any intention of irony, causing them to feel embarra.s.sed. At this moment, Kirika also got up so the group went to the washroom together.

One after another, they used cold water to wash their faces. First was Kirika who looked the most sleepy, then came Fear followed by Haruaki. While casually watching Konoha wash her face, Kirika spoke up, apparently completely awake at last:

"It ended up developing into a completely unexpected start for the new year."

"...Yeah."

Haruaki nodded lightly and looked towards Fear. Fear originally wanted to type on the cellphone but immediately stopped. After pressing the delete key a good many times, she wrote something new. Finally, with a slightly lonely expression, she held out the cellphone before Haruaki and the rest.

'Sorry, it's my fault for being too careless.'

"No, that's not what I meant. I was just thinking how unexpected the situation is. This isn't your fault, Fear-kun, I'm not trying to blame this on anyone."

"Yeah, so you should relax. We'll immediately help demand the return of your voice... Oh, but just as always, I'm not sure if I'll be able to help, that's all."

Haruaki spoke with a wry smile. Fear bowed her head slightly, her fingers hovering over the cellphone's keys—Then she ended up not typing anything.

"What's the matter?"

Only after Haruaki asked did Fear begin to type. Very slowly, she smiled with a bit of loneliness.

'Even if I remember how to type, it's not enough. There's clearly so much I wanna say, but typing cannot keep up.'

Then she immediately pressed the delete key.

The words disappeared.

The words, which Fear had devoted her full effort to say, easily disappeared just like that.

But Haruaki was not going to forget. This was even less likely to forget compared to actually listening to her words by ear. The words just now were Fear's true thoughts. Her current expression was Fear's true feelings. Hence, he could not forget. Furthermore, he must brand them into his heart.

(Yes, that's right... We must demand the return of her voice.)

With that, an ordinary New Year would surely return instantly. Joyous and lively, irreplaceable everyday time together would start to flow again as usual.

Hence, Haruaki stroked Fear's silver hair vigorously as he said:

"Oh right, people do say that first dreams will come true. Although that chaotic dream of yours can't possibly come true literally—in a certain sense, it will be fulfilled, right?"

"...?"

"Like right now, the feeling of everyone together, noisy and lively. In other words—This year will be no different from usual, so there's nothing to worry about."

Fear smiled lightly then shook her head as though embarra.s.sed, shaking off Haruaki's hand that was on her head. Next, as though with renewed vigor—or rather, pouting with slight displeasure—she began to type on the cellphone at the same time:

'Shameless brat, in other words, what happened earlier basically means this. Because first dreams will come true, you very well might really try to shove eggplants into my body in the future. Then you'll force me to obediently accept—'

"Shove eggplants... into...?"

Looking at the cellphone screen from the side, Kirika instantly glared viciously at Haruaki. He frantically explained:

"Y-You were still sleeping just now, Cla.s.s Rep, so you may not be aware, but we're talking about her first dream! This has absolutely nothing to do with me in reality. The content of her dream was completely inexplicable!"

'In the past, you have said inexplicable stuff like "It'll fit! Let's just put the front end in first!"'

"Oh... To think that such specific words have appeared, how concerning. Such specific dreams usually appear as the result of certain memories from reality. In other words... Yachi, perhaps you have spoken such words in the past indeed...!"

'That's right! Every time an incident ends, you say that kind of thing while shoving it in! Shoving into my most embarra.s.sing spot!'

"That's something else, right!?"

"S-Something else? Th-That's even more... A-A-Absolutely ridiculous!"

"Cla.s.s Rep, you should already know about the Indulgence Disks, right!? Could it be that you're still not awake?"

Amidst the usual voices, there was indeed one person's share missing.

But this noisy clamor did indeed allow one to predict that the usual times were about to return very soon.

After a while, they reached the forest's limits and arrived at a wide open s.p.a.ce. Before them was a pond roughly the size of a school swimming pool, filled with clear and pristine pond water. In front of the pond was a small shrine with a miniature torii roughly the size of a fox G.o.d Inari statue. There should be no question that this is the place described by the priest.

There were currently no signs of Chihaya and Isuzu. Haruaki's group hid themselves among the trees growing behind the pond, holding their breath for the two girls to appear. Then—

(...They're coming!)

A gla.s.ses-wearing delinquent shrine maiden with dyed hair, dressed in a t-s.h.i.+rt and a hakama whose side slits offered glimpses at her thighs. In contrast, there was also a black-haired shrine maiden dressed impeccably in her shrine outfit. Chihaya yawned from lack of sleep while Isuzu smiled serenely. Without noticing Haruaki's group in hiding, they slowly walked out of the forest.

Grabbing the collar of Fear who reflexively tried to rush out, Haruaki continued to bide their time. Pouncing on them right now could very well cause them to flee into the forest again. At the very least, they should wait until the two girls reached the front of the shrine.

Just as the two shrine maidens arrived before the shrine, the surroundings suddenly became incomparably bright. Haruaki narrowed his eyes and half-involuntarily looked up at the sky, filled with the warm rays of the sun.

The world was being shrouded by a gentle glow. Covering the sky was a kind of ambiguous color. As though seeping out from the edge of the heavens, the color of brightness was gradually filling up the originally dark sky. Under the cover of the forest, the view of the light source was obscured. Even so, this was undoubtedly the New Year's first rays of dawn. The start of a brand new year.

Splas.h.!.+ The sound of water prompted Haruaki to s.h.i.+ft his gaze away from the dreamy beauty of the sky. He was instantly stunned.

Chihaya had picked up a bucket that was probably kept by the side of the shrine. Scooping up water from the pond, she poured it over her head. Exhaling "phew~", she used her fingers to wipe the water droplets from her gla.s.ses. The ice-cold pond water drenched her entire body. Her hair clung to her face. As always, her thighs were visible from the slits on the sides of her hakama, with beads of water sliding down her bare skin. The t-s.h.i.+rt with its rolled-up sleeves was also clinging tightly to her body, displaying the curves of attractive bulges. More than that, something beneath became overly visible—

"...Haruaki-kun, what are you staring at?"

"I-I'm not staring at anything!"

The voice from behind caused Haruaki to avert his gaze frantically. But if he did not watch, how would he know when to initiate the ambush? In any case, he tried his best to prevent his gaze from focusing on one point, then slowly he turned his head to observe Chihaya's situation—Another sound was heard. The sound of friction from the hakama.

Chihaya stood upright in one spot, gently reaching forward with both arms. Straight in front of her were the shrine, the pristine pond and the gradually rising sun. As though offering a dance to these three ent.i.ties, Chihaya began to move her body. On her face was a lack of expression that transcended solemnity.

Tracing out circular steps, she turned her body towards the right and to the left. Crouching, getting up—Although this series of movements was performed without haste, a unique atmosphere of tension still exuded from the focus displayed by her limbs.

A shrine maiden's perfected dance that one could not help but watch with bated breath.

Was this sense of mystery due to the location? Or because it was during the dawn hours? Or perhaps some other reason? The dance's tempo gradually quickened. Despite not changing very much in actual speed, the differentiation between forceful and gentle movements served to emphasize the contrast between motion and stillness.

Chihaya danced, simply continuing to dance silently.

The pristine and cold water turned into droplets and scattered from her hair, arms, fingertips and body, glistening brightly under the special rays of the rising sun. Her red hakama fluttered slightly, making noises similar to leather-soled sandals as it brushed against the ground. She repeated these movements without pause—

Time pa.s.sed without noticing.

Suddenly, everything stopped. Chihaya exhaled and stood up. Isuzu, who had been watching her dance with a smile all this time, took out and handed her a towel from the bag that Chihaya had entrusted to her before starting the dance. While using the towel to wipe away the sweat and the water droplets, Chihaya also took the cellphone that Isuzu handed over next and began to operate it in a bored manner. Only at this time did Haruaki's group finally realize she had stopped dancing. The period of fantasy and mystery had ended. Finally, they remembered what they needed to do.

"N-Now is not the time to be mesmerized... Everyone ready?"

'Ready anytime!'

"I don't mind starting the operation but what do we do exactly?"

"I really don't think we can make them do what we want through a a calm and peaceful discussion... Looks like a little force needs to be used, more or less. No matter what, it'd be a problem if we let them run away again.'

"Yeah! Anyway, in order to prevent them from running away, let's show them how terrifying we can be. Once they begin to think: 'We can't possibly win~ Please forgive us~', it'll be okay. I guess we could all rush out and surround them at once—Hmm, then Kiririn and I should circle over to the other side of the plaza, then make a entrance like that very active fis.h.i.+ng girl in a certain action game, swinging out with a whoosh just like that."[3]

"I don't really get what you're referring, but I can imagine it roughly. Let's do it."

"If they throw another flash grenade, things could get very tricky... Let's hope that we finish it quickly without wasting too much time. Anyway, don't be too violent since we're indebted to the priest's kindness."

I know that! Fear pouted as though saying that. Then everyone in Haruaki's group exchanged glances with one another, nodded and started the operation in one go.

Fear and Konoha jumped out from behind the trees where they were hiding and made a mad dash forward. A beat later, Haruaki rushed out after them as well. Kuroe and Kirika called out:

"Mode: «Chaotic Tadamori»!"

"«Tragic Black River»!"

Extending their hair and belt respectively, the two girls traversed the plaza in front of the shrine by entangling their respective weapons to the branches of trees on the opposite side. Jumping after a short running start, they simultaneously shortened their hair and belt respectively to pull themselves to the opposite forest, instantly traveling to behind Chihaya and Isuzu.

"What... Why are you guys here...!?"

"Oh dear~"

Chihaya was greatly shocked while Isuzu surveyed their surroundings calmly. It was too late already. The two of them were completely surrounded by the five members of Haruaki's group.

Grim expressions on their faces, Fear and Konoha sprinted side by side, making a beeline for Isuzu. Give it back right now! Fear's eyes were filled with such rage as she transformed the Rubik's cube into a wheel of torture—namely, the «Breaking Wheel of Francia». Continuing to dash quickly, she threw the wheel using the immense momentum of her fearsome charge. However—

"There were many of these wild spirits who would not obey, sometimes they were persuaded, and even then if they still would not obey, they were removed by force. As a result, the stones, trees, all the gra.s.s and weeds, and even each and every leaf that spoke like humans speak, so that it was so noisy then, obeyed the order to be silent!"

Instead of dodging the torture wheel, Isuzu simply chanted a pa.s.sage. After that—

Just in front of Isuzu's body, Fear's wheel was silently deflected.

"!?"

Of course, Fear had not gone all out, but even so, the attack was blocked too effortlessly. Fear showed an expression of surprise while reaching out to catch the wheel that suddenly flew back from her pulling its chain. Immediately, she transformed it into a hatchet for close quarters combat. Meanwhile, Konoha had already circled over next to Isuzu and performed a palm strike towards her head with a mighty shout. But just as Konoha's palm was about to touch her, it was silently stopped.

"Hmm... The air became like a s.h.i.+eld...?"

"It's named the wordless wall~ In order to drive away the rioting spirits, the plants went silent while the G.o.ds ruling j.a.pan descended from heaven~"

"Really, thank you for the concise explanation...!"

Konoha withdrew her palm and distanced herself from Isuzu—Or rather, she pretended to do so but was actually performing a sweeping kick against Isuzu's legs, but this too was blocked by the silent wall. This defensive s.h.i.+eld apparently surrounded Isuzu's entire body. Just as Konoha clicked her tongue—

"But sticking to defense alone will not bring any improvement to the situation~ Well then—And heavenly reeds were cut into bits, and splintering like needles, while instructions were given to read out the great purification ritual!"

Isuzu swung her arms forcefully. Greatly alarmed, Konoha swiftly leapt from her original location and swung her karate chop in midair. Although Haruaki could not see anything tangible, Konoha appeared to be facing some kind of attack. Warily, Konoha entered a defensive stance and said: "Fear-san, please exercise more caution... Just now, something resembling needles of air were flying towards me. Although warning signs can be seen through careful examination of distortions in the air, carelessness must still be avoided."

Fear was originally showing a surprised expression after seeing Konoha's movements. At this moment, she made a grim face and readied her hatchet. Isuzu looked like she had the ability to control natural phenomena such as wind or air. Despite looking totally harmless, she was actually an opponent that required great caution to face.

However—It was not completely hopeless. Fear's voice must be returned, by all means necessary. Even if it meant resorting to a little underhandedness.

"Sorry, but we have to catch you... «Tragic Black River»!"

"Fufufu, time for the mischievous plan of shrine maiden bondage~"

"Kyah... Hey, let me go now!"

While Fear and Konoha were facing off against Isuzu, Kirika and Kuroe had extended their hair and belt respectively, entangling Chihaya's arms. Chihaya thrashed her limbs about madly then reached her hand into the bag she had received from Isuzu, intending to take something out. Naturally, her attempt was thwarted. Haruaki tackled and pinned her to the ground, preventing her from moving. Using this opportunity, the hair and belt tied up Chihaya's body, wrapping many layers over her. Almost caught up in the process, Haruaki frantically jumped away. Had he ended up tightly bound to the shrine maiden in the wet t-s.h.i.+rt, his life would be in danger next.

Noticing the situation on that end, Isuzu frowned:

"Oh dear~ How troublesome, Chihaya-sama has been..."

"Hold on, why are you guys suddenly capturing me!? What did I do? Release me now! My being a curse expert has nothing to do with you guys!"

Chihaya was sitting on the ground like a prisoner, roaring angrily while the only intimidating things remaining about her were her voice and facial expression.

"I don't care about the curse expert issue right now...! That said, I still hope you'll stop doing that! Anyway, hurry up and return the voice that she stole from Fear! Then we'll talk!"

Nevertheless, Chihaya's reaction was different from imagined. Making an expression of utter bafflement, she asked in return:

"Wha...? Voice...?"

How odd.

"Hey... Do you actually not know? That girl—Isuzu—what she's done."

"Like I would know. What are you guys talking about? What voice? Why would I ask her to do that? How would I benefit from her doing that!?"

"But in actual fact, Fear can't talk anymore!"

What on earth? Chihaya was in the dark? Speaking of which, back when Isuzu kissed Fear, Chihaya was apparently roaring: "What the heck are you doing!?" In that case, was this really something that Isuzu had done on her own accord? But for what purpose?

"Hey Isuzu, you imbecile! Are you really responsible for one of them losing their voice? Answer me now!"

"Please allow me to say in fear and trepidation... That is the truth~"

Isuzu nodded and answered with calm composure.

"Y-You imbecile... How dare you do something so outrageous without my permission...!"

"Let me be clear, we have no intention of hurting you two. Also, we've promised the priest—your father—already. In any case, please order that girl to return the voice."

"Wha? Tsk... Oh I see, so that's what happened. That guy told you about this place. d.a.m.n it, totally useless, this p.i.s.ses me off... Everything is p.i.s.sing me off!"

"You can be p.i.s.sed off for all I care, but please heed our request. I don't suppose you enjoy being tied up for something you had no part in, right?"

"Duh! Hey Isuzu, I don't care what it is, just hurry up and give it back!"

Chihaya roared loudly while shaking her bound, upper body. She seemed to be truly angry about Isuzu doing something incomprehensible. Nevertheless, Isuzu still said:

"Please allow me to say in fear and trepidation, Isuzu doesn't want to return it~ Because it's in Chihaya-sama's interest~"

"How... is it... in my interest!? It's all because of you that I'm in this current state!"

Chihaya's eyes, filled with anger, glared at Isuzu. Isuzu simply c.o.c.ked her head in a dilemma. Hand poised for a karate chop, Konoha used this chance of silence to interject:

"If you are absolutely unwilling to return it... We will resort to seizing it back by force."

"Please excuse Isuzu, but Isuzu has no intention of losing~"

"Oh my, is that so? Cursed bell. Rather, please allow me