Chapter 119: In the Typhoon

---

“Look this way! One, two, three, good!”

After the group photo at Kiyomizu-dera, the group of boys and girls in school uniforms began their activities in class units.

Itomi Yuki walked with three other girls from her class, her eyes scanning the surroundings, wondering if she would see her sister.

But she knew her sister wouldn’t appear in a place like this.

She then wondered if Kiyomizu-dera had a secret realm like Hakusan Shrine.

Did practitioners live in the bright red three-storied pagoda?
Among the demon-quelling arrows for sale, could a careless shrine maiden have placed one with divine power?

Were there shikigami hiding in the corners, peeking at the tourists?

Compared to these magical fantasies, the maple leaves and architecture, the original attractions, lost their color in Itomi Yuki’s eyes.

Her gaze shifted, and she saw another school on a trip to Kyoto. Unlike them, they wore sailor uniforms instead of Western-style ones.

The two groups secretly compared their uniforms.

After the comparison, the girls in Western-style uniforms walked with their heads held higher and their laughter grew louder.

The girls in sailor uniforms could only shrink back, admitting the other uniform was better-looking.

Of course, this was a matter between the girls. The boys from both schools thought the girls from the other school were prettier.

At the Otowa Waterfall, Itomi Yuki saw Shima and Takanobu from another class. The two were sharing a wooden ladle to drink the waterfall’s water.

Noticing her gaze, Shima became shy, then, blushing, waved to her.

Itomi Yuki raised her right hand and waved back with a smile.

Her two best friends had become a couple. This way, even if she suddenly left, they wouldn’t be lonely, right?

Listening to the sound of the Otowa Waterfall, in that moment, Itomi Yuki realized she was ready to leave.

Whether it was to live with her sister, or to follow Minamoto Kiyomoto through one life-and-death trial after another.

If only the three of us could be together.

No, if my sister is there, it’ll be too annoying. It’s better if we’re separate.

“Yuki, do you want a drink?” a girl from her group asked, holding a water ladle.

Itomi Yuki shook her head.

The Otowa Waterfall was split into three streams, said to represent longevity, health, and wisdom, possessing magical powers.

But she had already seen through it. It was just ordinary spring water, with no divine power whatsoever.

According to Minamoto Kiyomoto, the nine-headed dragon spring water at Hakone Shrine did have a little divine power. If you drank it every day… it could quench your thirst—those were his exact words.

Thinking about the serious expression she had while listening back then, Itomi Yuki wanted to stomp hard on Minamoto Kiyomoto’s foot.

Unfortunately, at that time, they were still in a brother-sister relationship. She had only replied coolly, “Brother, that joke is very boring.”

As she was reminiscing, she suddenly heard a commotion.

“Wow, it’s the Otowa Waterfall! Let’s go line up too!”

“I already have wisdom and health. What was the other one? I’ll just drink that one.”

“Saying something like that proves you need to drink a little more wisdom.”

Itomi Yuki pressed a hand to her forehead, her small, beautiful, snow-white face filled with helplessness, and couldn’t help but sigh.

What on earth are my sister’s subordinates trying to do?! She felt a headache coming on.

After spending two hours at Kiyomizu-dera, the next stop was an hour and a half at Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, followed by Yasaka Shrine, and finally, Gion.

Walking along the stone-paved path of Gion, Itomi Yuki consciously looked for the restaurant called “Tsutano.”

She actually found it, but the door was closed, and she didn’t see the Miss Sachiko who had caused nobles and samurai to fight over her.

I wonder who she ended up with.

Gion was the last stop. As they approached their scheduled inn, Itomi Yuki sent a message to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

◇

Mount Atago in Arashiyama is the highest mountain in Kyoto, said to be the dwelling place of the god of fire.

At this moment, Kamibayashi Miko, dressed in a shrine maiden’s attire, stood at the summit.

Beside her was Minamoto Kiyomoto, wearing a black yukata, a white haori, and a laurel crown on his head.

In such a quaint and ancient scene, Minamoto Kiyomoto was holding a mobile phone.

“Miss Kamibayashi, it’s time,” Minamoto Kiyomoto put away his phone and said to Kamibayashi Miko. “Let me witness the Divine Medium’s wind-praying spell.”

“Relying on the Dragon King’s charity to make a few drops of rain fall… you really need to learn properly.”

“…Do you know that times have changed? I’m not the same person I was before.”

“Watch closely,” Kamibayashi Miko ignored his words.

Under Minamoto Kiyomoto’s gaze, Kamibayashi Miko formed a seal with her hands.

A golden, mist-like divine power illuminated her, making her look like a goddess.

The wind began to blow.

Her wide sleeves rustled, and her waterfall of lustrous black hair was blown behind her.

In the blink of an eye, the wind turned into a gale. The trees bent almost to the ground, and the white clouds, as if in a fast-forwarded documentary, sped towards the horizon.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s eyes turned red. He could clearly see the streets and alleys of Kyoto, people’s hair being blown up, their clothes clinging to their bodies, and they were disappearing from the streets at a visible rate.

“Increase the wind speed slowly, give them time to get home,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s long hair danced, his clothes rustled, but his feet didn’t move an inch. His voice carried clearly to Kamibayashi Miko.

He watched everything before him, feeling the gap between them.

Even in his demon form, it would be impossible to affect the entire city of Kyoto so easily, yet Kamibayashi Miko did it with ease.

But these were minor details.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s gaze shifted to Kamibayashi Miko, who was enveloped in golden divine power.

Because of the strong wind, her shrine maiden’s attire became very form-fitting.

Beneath the white ‘Y’-shaped collar was a chest that wasn’t large but was firm. Within the red hakama were long, straight legs.

A gust of wind blew, and Minamoto Kiyomoto subconsciously closed his eyes and turned his face away.

“Did you do that on purpose?” he asked.

Kamibayashi Miko let out a huff, a hint of a smile in her voice.

Minamoto Kiyomoto rubbed his eyes, feeling like he had gotten sand in them.

He opened his eyes, and a terrifying red heat ray shot out from them. The rock he was looking at instantly turned into a pool of lava.

Minamoto Kiyomoto blinked again, and the strange sensation disappeared.

◇

“Ah!”

“Jerk!”

A girl held down her short skirt, which was almost blown up by the wind.

The gale, like a flood, surged into the streets and alleys of Kyoto. The noren curtains of many izakayas flapped loudly.

Itomi Yuki didn’t have the trouble of holding down her skirt. She never rolled up her school skirt, and its length reached her knees. Unless the wind came from the ground, she was in no danger of being exposed.

Even if her skirt were to be blown up, she still had safety shorts on.

However, just the act of having one’s skirt lifted, even with safety shorts underneath, still made some girls feel ashamed and some onlookers feel excited.

“Let’s hurry back to the inn,” she said to the female teacher leading the group, who was standing there dumbfounded, frantically trying to fix her hair.

“Yes, right. Everyone, don’t get lost! We can take a bath once we get back to the inn!”

Sakuragi High School quickened its pace. They weren’t far from the inn to begin with and arrived in a few minutes.

Hiding inside the inn, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

“What’s going on? Why did the wind suddenly pick up?”

“And it’s such a strong wind.”

“Hey? Everyone, look! The Kyoto Meteorological Agency just sent out a message: ‘There will be a typhoon and heavy fog today and tomorrow. Everyone is prohibited from going outside!'”

“I got it too! ‘All companies are to close immediately, all stores are to close, and public transportation will stop in an hour and a half.'”

“What about our school trip! This is so annoying!”

A class of girls crowded into a large common room, charging their phones and talking loudly.

Itomi Yuki looked out the window. The leaves of the roadside trees were all bent in one direction.

Some small flower pots placed outside were blown over. The pots shattered, and the black soil briefly held the shape of the pot before being quickly blown away.

The howling wind, even through the thick glass, still felt cold.

She found it strange. Minamoto Kiyomoto had told her to notify him when she reached the inn, and right after she did, the typhoon came.

A yokai? Or something else?
Itomi Yuki took out her phone and sent a message to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“It’s nothing,” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied. “I’ll wait for you at nine tonight, at the intersection to the left of the inn’s entrance.”

Itomi Yuki was a little dissatisfied, not understanding why he had to hide this from her.

Is there danger? Like the trip to Hokkaido in September?
The dissatisfaction vanished, and she began to worry.

Amidst this worry, she ate dinner with her classmates and took a bath. It was only seven o’clock, still a full two hours until nine.

At seven o’clock in October in Kyoto, the sky outside was already dark. The howling of the wind grew louder, and it seemed that fog was setting in.

Occasionally, she could hear the clattering sound of an empty can being chased by the wind, frantically scurrying and crashing through the streets.

“Sigh, let’s stop playing on our phones and chat.”

“Okay, what should we talk about?”

“…The person you like?”

“Who talks about that! To use Natsume Soseki’s words, you can’t just say ‘like’. We should talk about ‘who you think is handsome, which guy is nice’.”

“Hahaha!” The large common room was filled with the delicate laughter of sixteen-year-old girls.

Some were lying on their stomachs, their young buttocks in the air; some were sitting cross-legged, their young feet fidgeting; some had their legs bent, their knees pressing against their young chests.

Slipped collars, exposed thighs.

This heavenly scene, yet no one cared to appreciate it.

“Then let’s talk about who we think is handsome, which guy is nice.”

“I think… Kajiwara is nice.”

“Kajiwara, huh? Don’t you think he’s too loud?”

“Then you must like Takahashi!”

“I do not! That bookworm!”

“Then who do you like?”

“I like—no! I think Inoue is nice~”

“Yuki! Yuka says she likes you!”

“Eh—, Yuka, huh? Even though we’re both girls, you have big boobs. I could try dating you for a week.”

“Wow!”

“Haha! Yuki is such a player!”

“Get lost!” Yuka threw the pillow in her hand at Inoue Yuki. “I was talking about Inoue Haruki!”

“Oh, Haruki-kun. He is very handsome.”

“Sigh, don’t you guys know? Haruki is dating Rina from Class Two.”

“Really?!”

“I saw them holding hands, coming out of a movie theater in Shinjuku when I went to Tokyo with my mom.”

“Why is everyone focused on Haruki? If we’re talking about handsome, I think Itomi-san’s boyfriend is the most handsome. Haruki is nothing compared to him.”

“Itomi-san has a boyfriend?!”

“You didn’t see? They were hugging at the school gate!”

“Oh my god! Tell us, tell us!” Many girls subconsciously hugged their blankets or pillows, looking at the speaker with anticipation.

“It’s better to let Itomi-san tell us herself.”

“Itomi-san, tell us~~”

“Yuki!”

All the girls in the class were looking at Itomi Yuki.

“He is…” Itomi Yuki started to speak but hesitated.

She wasn’t interested in this topic and just wanted to explain their relationship, but once she opened her mouth, she didn’t know what to say.

What is he?
Brother-in-law? That’s fake.
Brother? Not that either.
Friend? That doesn’t seem right either.

“I’m going to buy some drinks,” she stood up and walked out of the room.

“Did we make her angry?”

“Maybe she’s just shy.”

“Probably just a rich girl’s temper. Acting all high and mighty, like she’s better than everyone else.”

Putting these voices behind her, Itomi Yuki walked alone in the hallway.

Without the chirping of the girls, the sound of the wind became clear again, even sounding a little scary.

Itomi Yuki went to the first-floor lobby. Because of the meteorological agency’s order, the inn had already closed its doors, so the receptionist wasn’t at the counter.

Outside the inn’s thick glass doors was the deep darkness of the night.

The lobby lights seemed to be afraid too, cowering by the door, not daring to venture further.

Itomi Yuki bought a bottle of green tea from the vending machine. As she twisted the cap, she glanced at the wall clock. It was 8:13.

She sat on the sofa, taking small sips, and waited quietly.

At 8:30, she finally couldn’t wait any longer. Thinking that Minamoto Kiyomoto might arrive early, she left the inn.

The locked main door was no obstacle for her, who now possessed divine power.

The moment she stepped outside, the gale didn’t just feel like it was blowing; it was hitting her in the face, making it hard to breathe.

A mountain-mist-like divine power swirled around her, and Itomi Yuki felt much more comfortable.

Looking at the raging wind, the dark and empty streets, and the thick fog, she hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the range of the lobby lights and into the night.

Just as she left, Shima and Takanobu came down from upstairs and entered the lobby.

“Looks like the plan can’t proceed smoothly,” Shima threw herself onto the sofa, in the exact spot Itomi Yuki had just been sitting.

“It can’t be helped. Who would have thought a typhoon would suddenly come,” Takanobu bought two hot drinks and handed one to Shima.

“Thanks,” Shima took it, and at the same time, scooted over to let Takanobu sit beside her.

Shima held the drink with both hands and said, “If the typhoon doesn’t stop, tomorrow’s free activity will definitely be canceled. I won’t be able to cheer Yuki up.”

“I think she’s been in a good mood lately,” Takanobu shrugged and took a swig of his drink.

“But,” Shima stared at the tightly sealed cap of the drink, “I always feel like she’s drifting further and further away from us, like she’s walking a path that’s far, far away from us.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know, I just have this feeling.”

“You just like to overthink things. Don’t worry.”

“…Mhm,” Shima smiled, twisted open the cap, and took a sip.

The warm liquid slid down her throat, dispelling the unease from her heart.

The two changed the subject and began to chat shyly.

◇

The dimly lit place in the distance was the appointed intersection.

This intersection was small, formed by the convergence of small residential streets.

The four corners of the intersection were a house, another house, a flower shop, and a small private bookstore called ‘Shinzan’.

Itomi Yuki walked under a streetlight, next to the flower shop’s entrance.

“Yuki?!”

“Too slow…” Itomi Yuki’s clear eyes widened as she looked at the trio emerging from the fog.

The slender Yuka; the gentle-faced but strong-willed Rabbit; and the housewife-like Koi.

The three of them had no divine power. Although they were bundled up, they were still shivering in the wind.

“You guys…” This time, Itomi Yuki’s words were cut short again.

A great white shark had spotted them. It poked its head out of the fog and slowly, tentatively approached.

A great… great white shark?!
A shark, floating in the air, was slowly swimming towards them? On a street in Kyoto at night?!

The four of them froze on the spot.

In that instant, the shark lunged.

Before Itomi Yuki could even take out the divine artifact Minamoto Kiyomoto had given her, Rabbit released a chestnut-colored divine power, splitting the shark in two.

It wasn’t too disgusting. They saw raw fish almost every day, and the fog was very thick.

“Don’t be afraid, we’re your sister’s friends!” After a simple explanation, Rabbit grabbed Itomi Yuki, and together with Yuka and Koi, they left the streetlight and fled into the darkness.

Not long after the four of them left, a dark, oppressive cloud surged towards the spot.

Looking closely, it was a school of over a thousand blacktip sharks. The scene was enough to send chills down one’s spine.

The blacktips frantically fought over the great white’s corpse. At a certain moment, they suddenly scattered—no, they fled.

Minamoto Kiyomoto, twirling the ‘Laurel Crown’ on his fingertip, descended from the sky. He saw the bloodstains on the ground and the cloud-like school of sharks, and was stunned for a moment. His expression changed, then relaxed.

Placing the Laurel Crown on his head, he chased after the direction Itomi Yuki had disappeared.