Chapter 159: Drizzle

The shrine wasn’t very large.

Besides the outer buildings, the inside was just an empty worship hall.

Because it hadn’t been maintained for many years, it was already quite dilapidated.

“Speaking of which, isn’t it kind of bad to just take things from a shrine?”

“Probably… it doesn’t matter, right? The deity will forgive me.”

Ephnel held up a paper umbrella with a large hole in it, twisting the corner of her mouth.

“Even so, it looks like none of these umbrellas are usable…”

The rain outside wasn’t heavy, but getting soaked because of it really wouldn’t be worth it.

Ephnel used her phone as a light, while Yukina walked off to the side.

Unlike Ephnel, who wasn’t in sync, Yukina didn’t need a light to see clearly in the dark.

She glanced around, stopping in front of the offering box.

She reached out and touched the thick rope.

Ding-a-ling—

The crisp sound of the bell echoed in the rainy night.

“Want to make a wish?”

When she looked away, Ephnel had already come to her side with the broken umbrella, taking out a few coins.

They were the ones left over from the photo booth.

“Is that okay? It’s already like this here…”

“It’s fine… As long as someone makes a wish sincerely, I believe the deity will hear it.”

Ephnel curved her lips into a smile, put down the umbrella, and reached out to wash her hands in the rain.

The bell swayed a few times, making a crisp sound.

Ephnel gently closed her eyes, opening them only a moment later.

“What did Naoko wish for?”

“If I say it out loud, it won’t come true, will it?”

Ephnel tilted her head, a bright smile on her face.

“Do you want to make one too?”

“Mhm…”

Yukina took the coins from Ephnel and, following her lead, shook the thick rope.

(‘I hope Naoko and I can live together happily forever…’)

She chanted silently in her heart, then opened her eyes.

The night wind blew past, making the wind chimes sway gently.

Yukina took a step back and took Ephnel’s hand.

Their ten fingers naturally sought the space between each other’s, then clasped tightly.

“What did Yukina wish for?”

“If you won’t tell me, then I won’t tell you either!”

Ephnel giggled, not minding.

“Come on, let’s go check over there?”

Ephnel took a step, and Yukina followed.

There was no moon in the rainy night, and no stars could be seen.

The light from the phone was the only source of light between them.

Walking in the dark with just Naoko like this made Yukina feel a sense of peace.

She pressed against Naoko’s arm and asked:

“Can this be considered exploring a haunted house?”

“A shrine wouldn’t have something like a ghost…”

“Then we must be the ghosts!”

“The ghosts will cry, you know.”

Yukina giggled.

They went around the side, once again passing the tree with the white, snow-like flowers, and saw that the dried-up pool had once again filled with rainwater.

Yukina’s gaze fell on the white petals that had been washed to the ground by the rain.

She stopped under the eaves.

Ephnel also stopped in her tracks.

“Naoko…”

“Hm?”

“I was actually thinking… I don’t want to go to school anymore…”

“Why?”

“I want to be with Naoko…”

Yukina lowered her gaze.

“Anyway, you stopped going to school a long time ago too, didn’t you, Naoko? I want to stand by your side and do the same things as you…”

“I see…”

Ephnel stood beside Yukina and let out a soft laugh.

“Then how about you come to ‘Headquarters’ with me tomorrow?”

“Can I?”

“I had the same thought. You’re a quasi-Agent now, too. Some things are better to face head-on than to hide from.”

Ephnel’s straightforward answer was a little unexpected for Yukina.

She lifted her eyes to look at Ephnel’s side profile, her expression serious.

“Then… I’ll definitely work hard!”

The autumn night’s rain was fine, carrying the chill of the approaching winter.

Ephnel released her sync and sat with Yukina under the eaves of the dilapidated shrine.

They leaned against each other quietly, looking up at the flickering night view of Seikyo City in the distance.

The light from the phone was the only source of light in the darkness.

“The rain hasn’t stopped yet…”

“Yeah, it hasn’t stopped.”

Ephnel murmured softly.

She had thought it was just a brief drizzle that would soon pass, which was why she had decided to kill some time at the shrine.

But now, it looked like the rain had no intention of stopping.

At this rate, it would be late into the night.

“I should have just called someone to bring an umbrella…”

Ephnel lamented.

Yukina sat beside her.

Raindrops dripped from the eaves, splashing at the tips of Yukina’s toes.

She pulled her small feet back and shifted a little closer to Ephnel.

“Speaking of which, when was the last time I took shelter from the rain with Naoko?”

“You were in middle school, and I was in high school… back then, probably?”

Ephnel also couldn’t quite remember the last time she had faced such a predicament.

She glanced at the time, hesitating.

“How about… we just go back? We only need to get to the roadside to catch a cab! Once we’re in a cab…”

“No.”

Yukina moved even closer to Ephnel, forcing Ephnel to lean to the side, supporting herself with her arm to keep from falling over.

“Naoko, your body hasn’t recovered yet. How can you get caught in the rain? What if your condition gets worse?”

“But it looks like this won’t stop for a while. It’s not a solution to just keep waiting… Besides, it’s just a little rain. My injuries can heal quickly now…”

“No means no.”

“Yukina is so strict…” Ephnel didn’t insist.

“So, are we going to wait longer? What if the rain doesn’t stop?”

“What does it matter?”

Yukina smiled, leaning her head gently on Ephnel’s shoulder and lowering her gaze.

She was still hugging that “wishing bottle.”

“If the rain doesn’t stop, I can just go find an umbrella. This is a training area, so the duty office shouldn’t be too far, right? Naoko just needs to wait for me here, and it’ll be okay.”

“How could I do that! I can’t let you get wet… How about we just have Yonomori find someone to bring one over? There should be a duty shift nearby anyway…”

As she spoke, Ephnel took out her phone, but was stopped by Yukina.

She put on a serious face, “Naoko, troubling Miss Yonomori over such a small thing, that would be too pitiful for her.”

“You just don’t want to go back, do you…?”

“It doesn’t matter if we don’t go home right now anyway. It’s not often I get to be alone with Naoko…”

Yukina swung her feet and tilted her chin up, their breaths inches apart.

Her hand caressed Ephnel’s cheek, stopping at the strands of hair below the gauze covering her right eye.

Ephnel gazed into Yukina’s clear eyes.

“…It’s okay if we don’t go back?”

“Mhm… I’ve already decided not to go to school tomorrow anyway, so what does it matter if we’re a little later… It’s also time alone with Naoko. I really like times like this…”

Yukina gently held onto Ephnel and replied in a low voice.

If they “went back,” then today would be over, right?

She suddenly wanted to stay outside a little longer.

This feeling came out of nowhere, just settling in her heart.

“As long as I can be with Naoko, I’m happy no matter what we do…”