The trio of girls strolled through the streets of the small tourist town. Traditional wooden buildings lined both sides of the road, and the cool mountain air carried the scent of freshly prepared food drifting from the street stalls.
Miyu walked in front, holding an illustrated brochure she had bought at a shop near the station. She studied it intently while following the map's directions.
"All right, it's decided! Our first stop will be the sweets shop. According to the map, if we turn at the next corner, we'll find a traditional candy store. Besides, we should take advantage of the Agency covering all the expenses, so we can eat as many sweets as we want."
"And who appointed you leader?" Kotone asked, pointing at the brochure. "Why are you carrying the map? Based on combat rank and lineage, I should be the one leading the way."
Mochi let out such a loud laugh that several passersby turned to look at her.
"Rank? Lineage? It's a map of ice cream shops and temples, shorty!" she said as she walked with her hands behind her head. "If we gave the map to you, you'd get us lost because you can't tell the difference between a street and an alley."
"I do not get lost!" Kotone shot back instantly, her cheeks turning red.
Miyu stepped in with a gentle smile.
"Kotone, I'm carrying the map because I bought it. And Mochi, stop teasing her. Look, we're already here."
The shop was small and cozy. The moment they stepped through the door, they were enveloped by the aroma of toasted sugar, honey, and cinnamon.
The shelves were filled with carefully wrapped traditional sweets, while trays piled high with freshly made treats were displayed behind the counter.
Mochi's eyes sparkled.
"I want three of those! And those ones that look like clouds too! Miyu, the Agency card is going to burn up today!"
The catsith practically threw herself at the counter, pointing at everything that caught her attention.
Kotone, on the other hand, remained near the entrance, examining the products with apparent indifference.
"Aren't you going to order anything, Kotone?" Miyu asked as she approached her.
"Everything looks excessively sweet..."
The sentence died before it was finished.
Her eyes had stopped on a tray of small candies wrapped in decorative paper.
One minute later, Kotone was selecting sweets with the same level of enthusiasm as Mochi.
"And I want those as well."
"Didn't you just say they were too sweet?" Mochi asked.
"I never said that."
"You literally just did."
"You imagined it."
"You said it five seconds ago!"
"There's no proof."
Miyu watched the argument and decided not to intervene.
By the time they finally left the shop, both of them were carrying several bags stuffed with sweets.
They continued exploring the town while sampling their purchases.
Surprisingly, there were no arguments for quite a while.
Miyu, who was walking ahead and leading the way, eventually turned around after noticing the sudden silence.
Then she understood why.
Both Mochi and Kotone had their mouths full of candy.
The two walked in silence, chewing away while clutching their respective bags as if they were priceless treasures.
Miyu had to suppress a laugh.
They were incredibly alike.
If they stopped fighting for five minutes and actually talked normally, they would probably end up getting along very well.
Or maybe not.
Knowing them, they would surely find a brand-new reason to argue.
A little later, they arrived at a small plaza.
Several people were resting there while steam rose from stone pools built in the center.
It was an ashiyu, a public facility where visitors could soak their feet in hot spring water.
Miyu smiled.
"Perfect! Let's take a break for a bit."
Without wasting any time, she took off her shoes and dipped her feet into the hot water.
"Ahhh... this feels so good."
"No way!" Kotone exclaimed, taking a step back. "You expect me to put my feet in the same place where complete strangers have put theirs? It's a breeding ground for infections! It's degrading!"
"Oh, come on, Kotone," Miyu said casually. "It feels amazing after walking so much."
Mochi was already sitting beside her.
The catsith swished her feet through the water, creating small splashes.
"What are you afraid of?" she asked with a teasing grin. "Do your socks have holes in them?"
"Of course my socks don't have holes!"
The response came so quickly that it made Miyu smile.
Wounded in her pride, Kotone kicked off her shoes with quick movements and sat down on the edge.
She dipped only the tips of her feet into the water while maintaining an expression of complete disapproval.
However, after only a few seconds, her body relaxed slightly.
A small sigh escaped her lips.
Mochi noticed it.
"Ha."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You just said something."
"I didn't say anything."
"I heard you perfectly."
"You imagined it."
Kotone narrowed her eyes.
Mochi smiled with complete innocence.
And for the first time all day, Miyu was able to enjoy a few minutes of peace without either of them trying to strangle the other.
The silence lasted several seconds.
Kotone stared at the surface of the hot spring water. The reflection looking back at her seemed smaller than usual, and for some reason, more tired as well.
No one said anything.
Steam drifted slowly upward while visitors chatted around them.
For anyone else, that silence might have felt awkward, but Miyu considered it a huge improvement.
At least they weren't arguing.
After resting for a while, they continued exploring the town.
The streets were beginning to fill with tourists, and the pleasant mountain atmosphere once again surrounded them.
However, everything changed when they passed in front of an enormous traditional residence.
The house stood out even among the largest buildings in town. Tall stone walls surrounded the property, while the dark wood of its exterior conveyed a sense of wealth and prestige.
Then it happened.
BAM!
The sound of a heavy impact echoed through the entire street.
All three stopped at the same time.
The massive front gate burst open.
A man was thrown out from inside.
He tumbled down the stone steps and crashed onto the road, coming to rest only a few meters away from them.
"And don't come back!" a voice roared from inside the residence. "We've already told you! Stop wasting the mayor's time!"
The gate slammed shut with a thunderous bang.
The man remained motionless for only a few seconds.
Then, ignoring the pain, he staggered back to his feet and ran toward the entrance once more.
He pounded on the gate again and again.
"Please!" he shouted desperately. "She's my daughter! Mari is only seven years old! Someone has to have seen something!"
His fists slammed against the wooden gate with such force that the skin began to split open.
Blood stained the surface of the door.
"Please! Help me!"
A cold, indifferent reply came from the other side.
"Just give up already."
The man froze.
"Everyone knows that the victims of the Kamikakushi never come back."
The voice paused briefly before adding:
"Stop bringing bad luck to the town and get out."
Silence returned.
The man slowly rested his forehead against the closed gate.
His shoulders began to tremble.
He looked like someone who hadn't slept in days.
Someone who had exhausted every option available to him.
Miyu was the first to react.
She ran over and knelt beside him.
"Sir."
She gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you hurt?"
Mochi arrived a second later.
Her usual carefree expression had vanished completely.
Kotone remained a few steps behind.
She watched the scene in silence.
She seemed uncomfortable.
Not because she didn't care, but because she simply didn't know how to act in a situation like this.
The man slowly lifted his head.
Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and his face looked gaunt.
The blood vessels in his eyes were so pronounced that it seemed as though he hadn't rested in weeks.
"I'm fine..." he murmured in a broken voice. "It doesn't matter."
His gaze drifted toward some point on the ground.
"My daughter... Mari..."
He had to stop for a few seconds to hold back his tears.
"She disappeared six days ago."
Mochi felt a knot tighten in her stomach.
"I searched everywhere. In the forest, in the abandoned mines, by the river..."
His words came out faster and faster.
"I asked all the neighbors. I checked every trail. I even went to the nearby villages."
He clenched his fists.
"But no one will help me."
Miyu and Mochi exchanged a glance.
They didn't need to say anything.
Both of them were thinking the exact same thing.
"Tell us more about this Kamikakushi," Miyu said gently.
The man opened his mouth to answer.
However, before he could speak, Kotone intervened.
"Talking here will attract too much attention."
All three looked at her.
Kotone discreetly gestured toward the onlookers who were beginning to watch the scene from a distance.
Several people were already whispering among themselves.
"If we really want to hear his story, we should find a more private place first."
Guided by the man, who introduced himself as Yoshida, the three girls walked through several streets until they reached a small house located on the edge of town.
The home was modest and showed clear signs of neglect.
As soon as they stepped inside, the girls immediately felt the heavy atmosphere hanging over the place.
The curtains remained shut, allowing only a few rays of sunlight to filter through. The air felt stale, as if no one had opened the windows in days. Unwashed dishes were piled up in the kitchen, and clothes lay scattered across several chairs.
This wasn't the home of someone who was messy.
It was the home of someone who had stopped caring about everything except finding his daughter.
Yoshida offered them seats before sitting down across from them.
For several minutes, he told them his story.
He had been born in that town.
He had married young, and years later his daughter Mari was born.
However, his life had taken a wrong turn.
He committed a crime and was sent to prison.
When he finally completed his sentence, he chose not to return to the town. He knew perfectly well that the townspeople would never welcome him back with open arms.
For a time, he lived elsewhere.
But about a year ago, his wife passed away due to illness.
He had no choice but to return and take care of Mari.
As he spoke, Yoshida kept his eyes fixed on the floor.
"It wasn't easy..." he murmured. "A lot of people here never forgave me. But Mari did."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"She was always happy to see me come home."
The smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"And now she's gone."
Silence settled over the room.
Even Kotone lowered her gaze.
After a few seconds, Yoshida continued.
He then told them about the Kamikakushi.
"It means 'divine abduction,'" he explained in a weary voice. "It's an old legend in this village."
He pointed toward the mountains visible through the window.
"It is said that the gods live up there. Long ago, every now and then, one of them would descend and take away a child."
Mochi listened attentively.
"And they never came back?"
Yoshida shook his head.
"Never."
For generations, the story had remained nothing more than a legend used to frighten children.
However, eight years ago, something changed.
A child disappeared.
Then another.
And then another.
At first, everyone thought they were isolated cases.
But as time passed, the disappearances continued.
Always children.
Always without a trace.
Always under circumstances that were impossible to explain.
"Mari is number fifteen," he said at last.
Miyu felt a chill run down her spine.
Fifteen missing children.
That was far too many to be explained away as simple accidents.
"And the police?" she asked.
Yoshida let out a bitter laugh.
"They investigate for a few days and then abandon the case."
"And the villagers?"
Yoshida's expression darkened even further.
"That's what frightens me the most."
All three girls looked up.
"They don't seem worried."
The room fell silent.
"Every time a child disappears, people are saddened for a few days... and then they act as if nothing happened."
Mochi frowned.
That wasn't normal.
"It's like they've already accepted it."
"Exactly."
Yoshida clenched his fists.
"Fifteen children have disappeared, and nobody seems willing to do anything to stop it."
Miyu's expression turned serious.
Even Kotone looked uneasy.
For someone as cold and detached as her, the situation was unsettling.
And the fact that Mari was the daughter of an ex-convict only made everything worse.
Many of the villagers seemed to believe that helping Yoshida simply wasn't worth the effort.
When he finished telling them everything he knew, the three girls exchanged a glance.
They didn't need to say it out loud.
Everything pointed toward the possible involvement of anomalies.
"Mr. Yoshida," Miyu said as she unfolded the tourist brochure across the table. "Could you show us where Mari disappeared?"
Yoshida studied the map for a few seconds.
At last, he pointed to a large forested area north of the village.
"Mari liked to play here."
His finger traced several paths.
"A lot of children come to this forest. There are streams, small caves, and plenty of trails to explore."
Mochi immediately memorized the location.
"Was this where you saw her for the last time?"
"Yes."
Yoshida nodded slowly.
"I searched every corner of that forest. Day and night. I checked the trails, the ravines, and even abandoned shelters."
His voice began to tremble.
"But I found nothing."
Miyu folded the map shut.
"Don't worry."
The young girl offered him a gentle smile.
"We'll look for her too."
Yoshida stared at her in surprise.
He probably hadn't expected complete strangers to involve themselves so deeply.
Mochi nodded firmly.
"We'll do everything we can to find some kind of clue."
For the first time since they had entered the house, a small spark of hope appeared in the man's eyes.
And although none of them said it aloud, all three understood the same thing.
Their sightseeing trip had just become an investigation.