“…….”
Sasaki felt extremely awkward.
It was no wonder he felt that way.
His childhood friends, Nanami and Hagiwara-senpai, present in the room, were quite close to him. They had started hanging out again this year as if picking up where they left off, and since they met by chance, Hagiwara-senpai had been consistently coming over to chat.
……Although he wasn’t sure if that was close enough for them to go to the beach together.
In fact, the initial plan was for Shii and him to go out just the two of them.
Somehow, he mentioned it to his friends before the vacation, and for some reason, his classmate Nanami got wind of the news. He had no idea how the word spread, but somehow, it even reached Hagiwara-senpai.
And for reasons unknown, both of them naturally ended up included in the trip.
“Hm~”
Sasaki thought to let that slide.
Was Shii taking revenge, or did she invite her friends because she didn’t want him to feel awkward?
But even he hadn’t realized that they would both be from the same school.
Since she referred to her as Shii’s “friend.”
It’s not that he didn’t like it.
Yuuki usually gazed out the window with a dazed expression and didn’t tend to engage in long conversations, disappearing somewhere during lunchtime. But due to his looks, he was quite popular among their classmates.
When Yuuki wasn’t around, his classmates would chat about various things.
It was the same for Kurosawa. Although various rumors circulated, she was still quite popular due to her looks.
So for Sasaki, traveling with those two made his imagination soar in many ways—
“Whoa?”
He hadn’t even known about Kurosawa’s younger sister, Koko, and what she was thinking.
……He wasn’t sure if he should use this type of expression, but Koko seemed, somehow…
Yeah, let’s say pure.
There was a genuinely innocent side to her, Sasaki thought. Naturally, he had thoughts going the other way as well, but expressing it this way felt more comfortable.
When another member joined the group, his feelings were half exasperated. But since they had booked two girls’ rooms anyway, it wasn’t a big issue—
“……She’s not here~”
Nanami mumbled.
She seemed a bit uncomfortable in this situation as well.
To be precise, she had a look that seemed unsure of how to treat Koko.
Kurosawa had asked that since Koko wouldn’t understand if called by her surname, to simply call her Koko. However, frankly speaking, it still felt a little awkward to call a person he had just met by their first name so suddenly.
Even that reason felt, in a way, ‘awkward.’
Though Koko was a good girl, somehow, he felt like he needed to be careful with her.
She had a child-like personality, and them being the same age only heightened this feeling.
“……I’ll check briefly.”
Hagiwara-senpai said that as she stood up.
Was her voice a little stiff for some reason?
Once Hagiwara-senpai briskly left the room, the three remaining felt even more uncomfortable.
“Uuu.”
Watching Koko, who was curled up in the blanket and playing around by herself, the three of them were silent for a moment.
Observing Koko play alone for a few minutes.
“…….”
“……She’s not here.”
Hagiwara-senpai hadn’t come back either.
“……What’s going on? I’m starting to get a bit scared.”
“I-I’ll contact Kurosawa-senpai.”
At Nanami’s words, Shii quickly took out her phone.
Instead of sending an email, Shii made a direct call.
“…….”
In the quiet room, even without putting the phone on speaker, they could hear the conversation.
“……Not picking up.”
“What’s going on? Why is everyone disappearing the moment they leave the room!?”
They had just been sharing scary stories moments ago, and outside, rain was pouring with thunder and lightning striking.
It was an incredibly tense atmosphere.
“They must’ve gone to the bathroom, right? Huh?”
Nanami said this, but no one answered.
“……Should I check?”
“L-Let’s go together!”
As soon as Sasaki rose, Nanami stood up simultaneously.
“Ah, over there!”
Seeing Nanami get up, Shii also jumped up from her seat and shouted.
“…….”
“…….”
There was a brief silence between the two.
“Neither of you can both go out. It seems Koko is….”
“Ah.”
Shii, fidgeting, looked between Sasaki and Nanami before turning her gaze to Koko.
“?”
Koko looked at the two with a puzzled expression as if a question mark floated above her head.
“……I’ll stay here.”
“Thanks.”
Sasaki felt a bit relieved at Shii’s words.
Leaving Koko alone didn’t sit well with him.
“However! Both of you have to come back right away!? Just check if something’s happening, and then come back!?”
“Got it, got it.”
Sasaki said that, giving Shii a slight pat on the head.
“Uuu.”
For some reason, Nanami cast a displeased look at that.
Sasaki took a deep breath, feeling tense, and opened the door.
……The outside didn’t seem too different from the morning.
There was nothing particularly odd about it. In fact, a few people were wandering around the hallway. Everyone seemed a bit bored, probably dissatisfied that it was raining even when they had come to the beach.
“……Um, Nanami?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you, like, scared?”
As Sasaki asked the Nanami who was latched onto his arm, tightly pressed against him,
“Yeah….”
Nanami blushed but didn’t let go.
“Ha… haha….”
Sasaki awkwardly laughed and headed toward the room where the other kids were staying.
There was no reason to hesitate. He had been in it yesterday. He knew it was well-organized inside.
But—
“……No one’s here.”
As Nanami said.
Indeed, there was no one around.
Neither Kurosawa nor Yuuki.
And they couldn’t find Hagiwara-senpai, who had gone a moment ago either.
In case, Nanami checked the bathroom, but it was empty as well. The room was just neatly organized.
Thinking Hagiwara-senpai might be in his room playing pranks on him, the two checked that direction too.
As expected, no one was there.
“Where could everyone have gone?”
At this point, anxiety began to creep in.
As they tilted their heads and moved toward the room they had initially been in—
“Koko!?”
They heard that sound from inside the room.
From the room they had left Koko and Shii alone in.
Sasaki and Nanami exchanged glances and hurried towards it.
Before they could even open the door, it swung open.
“Shii!”
“Brother!”
Shii was so startled that she forgot to use her usual title and called out to Sasaki.
“Koko’s, Koko’s…!”
Shii shouted, trembling.
“Koko’s gone…!”
Sasaki and Nanami gasped simultaneously.
*
How can you say you’ve used a lightning rod properly?
If I’m holding it, getting struck by lightning would be a disaster.
Lightning looks like it’s striking down from above, but in reality, it’s ‘descending.’ First, a path for the current is created, and following that path, the current flows and becomes ‘lightning.’ …At least that’s what I know. Not entirely accurate.
Though I wasn’t precise about it, one thing was sure.
Before getting struck by lightning, I felt like something was happening around me. Describing it as hair standing on end wouldn’t be far off.
Actually, speaking technically, it’s not really feeling the situation just before lightning strikes, but rather a warning I get when a Yōkai uses its powers against me.
Well, what does it matter? What’s important is that I can feel it.
I plunged the long, needle-like lightning rod made out of my own blood into the ground.
The floor, which looked similar to the concrete of our world, sunk in as if penetrating some creature’s flesh when pricked with the needle.
“Kyah!”
Clang! As soon as the part that had sunk in was surrounded, Raiju let out a cry.
Was it displeased that its nest was being destroyed?
I quickly threw my body to evade. As I rolled away from the lightning rod, boom! A lightning bolt struck, shattering the rod. Watching the blood scatter again, I was convinced.
This would work.
I quickly turned my gaze to Yuuki; he had already circled behind Raiju.
Again, I started making another lightning rod and struck it onto the ground.
Again, again, again.
“Ha… ha…”
I was slowly running out of strength. It wasn’t just my stamina, but I had lost quite a bit of blood. Not only the needles, but I was also maintaining the tentacles wrapped around my left arm in case of an emergency.
It was great that I could utilize the flowing blood, but every time that blood spurted out, a proportional amount went back to recovering it.
In my view, my bare arms had turned pale like a corpse; what must my face look like?
…Ah, I wanted to finish this quickly so I could enjoy my vacation.
I felt like I was just instilling bad memories into Sasaki and Shii. Yuuki as well.
How would Koko think seeing me injured?
“Kyah!”
Noticing that my aim wasn’t precise, Raiju let out a lamenting cry, spinning in the air.
Then, it dove toward me from such a high place—
Clang!
But just before the weasel’s claws pierced me, a red blade urgently slid in between.
Yuuki slid in elegantly and with the knife’s tip, he sliced through the weasel’s front paw, creating a crescent arc around him in a brief moment.
And then—
“Gah!?”
Raiju squealed, and it seemed like it wasn’t just because of the pain from the wound.
Though it was raining in the present world, within this dimension of Yōkai and reality — the nest, such rain didn’t fall there. It couldn’t be considered dry weather, but—
—It wasn’t damp enough for the fine mist of liquid spreading in the air to settle.
It was my blood.
Though the blood I had used as a lightning rod burst as soon as it was hit by Raiju’s lightning, during that process, it scattered in all directions like a spray bottle.
And some must have evaporated into the air due to the heat.
That blood, thus, didn’t settle immediately. How many lightning rods had I made?
It was a brief moment of opening, but for Yuuki, that moment was sufficient.
The difference between a hunter and prey was whether they discovered that gap or not.
Thud.
“Cough…!?”
Yuuki pierced the blade made from my blood into Raiju’s neck.
And gently, he sliced through the flesh beside it.
Swish.
“Yuuki…!”
“Yeah!”
As soon as Yuuki heard my voice, he rushed to me, grabbing my collar and pulling me back.
Couldn’t he at least help me with my arms?
But then as I looked at Raiju, sparks exploded around it.
It looked like it couldn’t contain its power— no, it seemed like it was going into a final surge, with lightning striking down multiple times.
“Kyao!”
“Kurosawa!?”
As I stumbled up, looking at the lamenting Raiju, Yuuki tried to stop me, but I pulled the knife from his hand.
Yuuki didn’t resist much.
And I handed that knife to the tentacle on my left arm.
Hmm…
At this time, how far had the story of “Wilhelm’s private novels” progressed?
It must have been quite a while ago compared to twenty years later.
Not that it mattered. After all, what I intended to do didn’t relate much to such stories.
Would ‘Gomu Gomu Pistol’ suffice?
I had no intention of shouting out techniques. No matter what, I wasn’t that childish.
I was just following along a bit.
“……!”
Yuuki’s eyes followed my hand.
To be precise, they were on the tentacle reaching out that was pointed toward the knife.
Though the tentacle was a bit short, the knife’s tip was still fairly precise despite the amount of blood spilled.
Thud.
The knife accurately embedded itself into Raiju’s forehead as it seemed like it was going berserk.
“……”
Raiju froze, mouth agape, staring this way, his eyes rolling up towards the sky.
Thud.
Then he collapsed sideways.
“……Kurosawa….”
As I swayed, Yuuki quickly grabbed my shoulder.
Tap. Tap. The tentacles on my arm fell to the ground as if having given up. A pool of blood formed beneath me.
Guess I’ll have to throw away another outfit.
I should have packed a raincoat or swimsuit.
As the wound on my wrist began to heal, the surroundings slowly changed. The colors, which had been somewhat dull, slowly returned, and water began to fall from the sky. The sound of rain poured in, swoosh—.
And what came into my view—
—was the expression of a girl who was kneeling blankly on the ground.
Next to her sat Sasaki.
They were staring blankly at us, who had appeared out of nowhere in the air.
…….
Oh dear.
*
Sasaki, Shii, and Nanami thoroughly searched the hotel, but Koko was nowhere to be found. Even though they wanted to check the rooms in case, it wasn’t easy. Naturally, those who opened the door at the knock looked at the three suspiciously. A few offered words of consolation, but it didn’t help.
“What should we do? What are we going to do… it’s all my fault….”
Shii said she had only taken her eyes off for a moment. She had just rummaged through her bag, and she hadn’t heard the sound of the door opening or closing.
Sasaki believed her. Nanami seemed to as well.
Shii was nearly in a state of panic.
“No, Shii. It’s okay. We’ll find her.”
“Right. The police have been called—”
Just as Nanami said, the police quickly arrived at the hotel entrance.
Shii spoke, and Sasaki added explanations next to her. Panicked, Shii was hardly in her right mind, so simply speaking made it hard for the police to understand.
After hearing from the three, the police exchanged looks.
“Is it a girl with black hair tied in a ponytail? Is she perhaps a year younger than you?”
Sasaki’s description made the police ask.
“Have you seen her!?”
“Yes, I did. Earlier, she was headed that way, and we told her to come back— she hasn’t returned yet.”
The expression of the middle-aged officer who seemed to be in his forties stiffened. Sasaki thought he might have a daughter around that age as well.
Perhaps because of that, the officers nodded to each other.
“You kids stay here. We’ll check again.”
“Why did you go there when the utility pole fell over and it’s dangerous? The other kid next to her—”
“What!?”
Shii nearly screamed.
“Anyway, just wait here for now. The storm outside is severe. If something goes wrong, it could be dangerous.”
Shii’s body trembled at the word ‘danger.’
Even after the police left, she sat in the hotel lobby shaking, before suddenly standing up.
“……I’m going to find her.”
“Shii.”
Though Sasaki spoke, Shii shook her head.
“It’s all my fault that Kurosawa-senpai came here and that Koko followed. It was all because I suggested to go first….”
“No, Shii.”
Nanami grabbed Shii’s arm and spoke.
“No one could have predicted that. More than that, we still don’t know where the others have gone. If we go out, and something happens—”
“But still…!”
“…….”
Sasaki observed Shii, who was fidgeting.
Biting his lip, Sasaki stood up abruptly.
“……Okay, I understand.”
“Sota!?”
At Sasaki’s words, Nanami gasped.
“Are you crazy!?”
“But we can’t just sit here like this. We need to do something. ……And Shii.”
“…….”
Seeing Shii fidgeting, Nanami placed her hand on her forehead and let out a large sigh.
Then, she sat quietly with her head bowed for a while and finally—
“Okay, let’s go.”
As she stood up with those words, Sasaki tried to stop her.
“No, we will just check the front for a moment—”
“……You don’t know my personality, do you? Although we haven’t seen each other for a while, you haven’t changed at all?”
Nanami tossed that to Sasaki and headed towards the hotel room.
“Let’s just wear something for the rain before heading out. There must be stuff in the hotel convenience store. You’ll come back soaked if you just go out like that.”
Both Sasaki and Shii had no choice but to listen.
“……Sorry.”
As Nanami walked briskly down the hallway without sparing a glance at the quietly spoken Sasaki,
“……It’s just like back then. So—”
The rest of her words were too quiet for even Sasaki standing right next to her to hear.
*
The three discovered Koko almost by accident.
Following the direction the police pointed to, they found a broken utility pole.
Seeing that it was dangerous, the three kept their distance and made their way toward it.
As they passed between the houses, trying to keep an eye on the path—
“……Ah, Koko!”
Shii shouted.
Indeed, in between the houses stood Koko.
She was still wearing the last outfit she had on. However, she was completely drenched from the rain.
Koko was staring vacantly at the sky, tilting her head.
The three didn’t think too suspiciously.
Because Koko—
“Hey, Koko!”
Nanami approached with a somewhat annoyed voice.
Koko turned towards Nanami.
“What are you doing leaving without a word? I was worried—”
As Nanami took Koko’s hand and was about to scold her—
Squeak!
Suddenly, a large black van slid in behind Koko.
Bang!
The door swung open.
From inside, two burly men abruptly grabbed Koko by the shoulders.
“……Ah!”
Nanami exclaimed, trying to pull Koko back.
But the van effortlessly pulled her inside, dragging Nanami along as well.
“Wait a minute…!”
Sasaki sprinted after but to no avail. The van zoomed off as if Sasaki didn’t even matter.
What happened next, he couldn’t remember well.
They must have urgently reported to the police. From what he could recall, the police arrived promptly.
When they saw the skid marks on the ground, they drew lines on their notepads.
They had conversations with Sasaki, who couldn’t get up from the ground, and others who had come to check what was going on—
And in the meantime, Kuroasawa and Yuuki had also joined them.
Both seemed to be drenched to the bone, their clothes soaking wet.
“……”
“……”
The two groups stared blankly at each other for a while, not understanding why they were there, just blinking and looking at one another.
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