"Miss Yuuko, are we really going like this? We don't even need to bring a gift?"
"Oh come on, what's the point? Akira is a very wealthy man, and he hates meaningless formalities.
Bringing him something he doesn't need and can't throw away would just make him unhappy."
As dusk approached, the scorching sunlight had somewhat mellowed. Under this fading light, two people were walking down the street.
Miss Yuuko wore a stylish, pale blue long dress and adjusted the brim of her white sun hat.
With a smile, she said, "Besides, who said there's no gift?"
Watanuki Kimihiro let out a sigh of relief. "So you did prepare something after all, Miss Yuuko."
"I didn't. And I didn't need to—because the two of us are the best gift today."
"Eh? Eh? Ehhhh?? Us? What does that mean??" Watanuki was instantly thrown into confusion.
Miss Yuuko narrowed her eyes, her smile taking on a sharper edge.
"The wording Akira used when he invited me today is nearly identical to the one I used when I invited him before. His intentions couldn't be clearer, don't you think?"
Speaking in a way Watanuki couldn't fully grasp, Miss Yuuko then returned to her usual cheerful tone.
"Ah, anyway, it's nothing you need to worry about. Akira's dinner tonight will surely be a feast.
You just need to eat and drink to your heart's content. The rest is up to us 'grown-ups.'"
That only confused Watanuki even more. He was about to ask something when his next step suddenly halted.
"Huh?"
He stepped back two paces, trying to confirm what he had just felt. Between those two steps, it seemed like there was an invisible barrier.
Miss Yuuko stopped and turned around, watching him sway back and forth in that spot. With a soft laugh, she asked, "You felt it?"
"Yeah, it feels like… something's there…"
"That's right. From this point onward, we've officially entered Akira's 'field.' Haven't you noticed? There's not a single spirit around here."
Watanuki looked around and finally realized how "clean" the area was.
Especially after stepping into the barrier—it was clearly still in a bustling city, but if you closed your eyes, it felt as serene as nature itself.
Of course, this tranquility wasn't something the average person could sense. Only those attuned to the supernatural could detect the subtle difference.
"Come on, Watanuki. It's our first visit. We shouldn't keep the host waiting."
"Oh, right! Coming!"
At Miss Yuuko's call, Watanuki hurried after her.
After walking another block, Miss Yuuko stopped in front of a lush, green courtyard. While admiring the plants inside, she stood quietly, waiting.
Watanuki looked toward the intercom with a keypad and call button by the gate. He hovered his finger over the button and asked, "Shouldn't we press it?"
Just as he finished speaking, the gate clicked open, startling him.
"Let's go in," Miss Yuuko stepped inside, still focused on the plants, her eyes showing a rare glint of attention.
"Stay close. Don't get lost."
Watanuki followed her in, mumbling, "Miss Yuuko says the weirdest things… It's just a garden. No matter how dumb I am, I couldn't get lost here."
"Oh really? Then why don't you guess how many people it would take to 'fill' this garden?"
Still not understanding, Watanuki followed her quietly.
But after spending enough time with her, he'd learned to sense danger hidden in her words. He made sure to stick close behind.
Just like what had happened to Hayasaka Ai before, the two of them followed a stone path that curved around a hedge.
As they neared the side wall of the garden, they passed through a hairpin turn and entered a space where the surrounding plants seemed to close in around them.
Suddenly, the sky dimmed, and the air grew still.
"Eh?" Watanuki looked at the straight tree-lined path ahead and glanced up. "Did it just turn cloudy?"
"It's not cloudy. We just stepped inside."
As she spoke, Miss Yuuko suddenly turned back as if she were leaving, retracing their steps through the sharp curve.
Watanuki paused, confused. "Huh? Aren't we going in?"
"We are—but not that way. This way."
Her figure was half-hidden among the plants, but not completely out of sight. "Come on, stay close."
Watanuki, still puzzled, followed her and turned the corner they had just passed.
To his surprise, it no longer led back to the gate and wall. Instead, it opened up to an identical, straight, tree-lined path as before.
"Wha—what the?! Huh?"
"It's a formation. Akira's house isn't the kind of place just anyone can enter."
Miss Yuuko strolled ahead leisurely and explained,
"According to the theory he follows, the number of the Great Expansion is fifty, with forty-nine in use.
No matter how powerful a formation is, it won't be completely sealed—there will always be one path of survival."
"And since this is set up in his home, anyone who enters without the host's token is considered an uninvited guest.
Among such guests, that single path of survival is left for those who stumble in by mistake or harbor only mild malice and retreat early."
"That's why the first thing we must do—is go back the way we came."
Watanuki followed her, a little distressed. "But we were invited guests today, weren't we? Not uninvited intruders."
"That just means Akira doesn't think this formation can keep me out. Even though he knows I don't have a token, he couldn't be bothered to come greet me."
When they arrived at where the main gate should've been, Miss Yuuko stopped.
"Since he's allowing us in, the escape path won't be too deeply hidden.
The most likely place is where we started. Then it splits into two to represent yin and yang. The world outside is yang; the house must be yin. Watanuki, stand on my right."
To her left was the direction of the original gate. Naturally, her right pointed toward the residence.
Feeling a bit anxious, Watanuki stepped to her right.
Before he could even steady himself, Miss Yuuko placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle push toward the hedge.
"Wah!"
Watanuki stumbled, shielding his face to avoid getting scratched, but after a few shaky steps, he realized he hadn't touched anything at all.
He had passed straight through the greenery.
Cicadas chirped again.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating speckled shadows on the ground. In front of him stretched a narrow, winding path lined with shrubs on both sides.
Miss Yuuko also emerged beside him, striding forward and narrowing her eyes as she studied the path with interest.
Everything looked back to normal, and Watanuki let out a breath of relief. But curiosity got the better of him. "What if we hadn't gone back?"
"If someone charges forward without permission, they're likely a true intruder.
By moving forward, they abandon that one path of survival. What awaits them ahead is certain death."
Brushing aside a long green leaf, Miss Yuuko stepped onto the winding path.
"Let's go. That was just a little warm-up. The truly interesting part lies ahead."
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