The next day, Yusei, Hina, Kaguya, and her little shadow, Hayasaka, once again boarded the Shinomiya Family's private jet bound for Hokkaido.
Hina pressed her face against the airplane window, curiously looking at the sky outside.
It might sound laughable, but she truly had never flown before, never experienced soaring above the clouds.
She was bundled up tightly today in a thick down jacket and a heavy, snug scarf… all things Yusei had instructed her to wear properly.
They were going to Hokkaido, where it was very cold. It would be easy to catch a chill again and get a fever if she wasn't careful.
"Boss, thank you so much... This is my first time on a plane."
Hina looked outside for a while longer before sitting properly next to Yusei, thanking him with a smile.
Yusei slowly opened his closed eyes, a smile appearing on his face.
"Don't thank me. This was arranged by that young lady over there. I'm just a freeloader riding on her coattails. Thank her instead."
Following Yusei's words, Hina looked towards Kaguya, who was drinking black tea, and thanked her sincerely.
"Thank you, Kaguya-sama."
"You're welcome... After all, this guy asked me to." Kaguya stole a glance at Yusei, who was resting with his eyes closed, her mind already made up.
'This time, I must follow him all the way.'
'If it's truly dangerous, then it's even more reason for me to protect him. How could I possibly just stay on the periphery?'
After a morning flight, the plane slowly landed at the Shinomiya Family's private airport in Hokkaido, where specialized attendants were already waiting to receive them.
They arrived at the hotel prepared by the Shinomiya Family, had lunch, and then Yusei, Kaguya, and Hina set off for the remote, deep mountains they had visited before.
Hayasaka was left behind by Kaguya.
Originally, Kaguya should have been left behind too, but because of her stubborn insistence, Yusei couldn't dissuade her and had to bring her along.
Holding Nameless, Kaguya looked at the deep mountains with roads blocked by heavy snow, hesitated, and looked at Yusei.
"Are we really driving up the mountain in this weather? Also, where did you learn to drive? Are you sure you have a license?"
Yusei gripped the steering wheel and chuckled lightly, "Someone with a license probably isn't as good as me."
Unnoticed by anyone, his eyes had already changed into complex, snowflake-like patterns, entirely crimson, possessing a uniquely eerie beauty.
However, because Yusei was facing forward while driving, Kaguya didn't pay special attention to his eyes and didn't notice the change in their color.
The car moved quickly and soon reached the previous location.
This time, because they hadn't notified anyone in advance, the village entrance was unguarded. So, Yusei drove the car directly inside.
He parked inside the village, but strangely, no one came out.
After a long while, an old man wearing a down jacket finally emerged, squinting his eyes.
It was the village chief Yusei and Kaguya had seen before.
"Village Chief, how come it's only you this time?" Yusei looked at the tightly closed doors of the houses and asked casually.
"In such cold weather, naturally, everyone stays indoors. You must be here to see Haruko-sama, right? Please, come up. I will lead the way."
The old man smiled, but his eyes swept over Hina standing behind Yusei, inadvertently revealing a trace of excitement.
Yusei naturally noticed but paid him no mind, simply following him up the mountain to that shrine.
Inside, Haruko, dressed no differently from last time, had a face full of smiles. Especially when she saw Hina behind Yusei, the smile on her face grew even wider.
"Young man of the Shinomiya Family. It seems you have kept your promise and brought her to me."
"Kept my promise? You could say that." Yusei smiled, though he added mentally, 'Only the promise to cure Hina, that is.'
Haruko looked at Hina and nodded in satisfaction, which made Hina shrink back fearfully behind Yusei.
"Very well, young man from Shinomiya Family. State the reward you desire."
Yusei smiled lightly, "I'd like to know the method to solve her gradually disappearing body."
"I will help solve that problem, but not today. If you haven't thought of anything else for now, you can call me again once you have. For now, you may leave. This girl, connected to me by fate, can stay here." Haruko's voice carried a slight tremor, and one could tell she was somewhat excited.
"That won't do... My promise to her was to help her resolve this issue. Leaving just like that isn't acceptable." Yusei said calmly.
The smile on Haruko's face stiffened. She wasn't a fool, so she understood the implication in Yusei's words now.
Her smile faded slowly, her expression turning slightly unfriendly, "Then, young Shinomiya, your meaning is...?"
Yusei grinned, "Cure Hina, and then I'll take her away from here."
Haruko was startled, her pupils contracting as she looked at Yusei. It was then she noticed the other's eyes had already changed into beautiful, snowflake-like patterns, so eerily captivating.
Before the 'What?!' could leave her lips, Haruko had already lost consciousness. Her expression became utterly vacant.
The Mangekyo Sharingan's pattern in Yusei's eyes spun slowly. The other party was already under hypnosis. Now, all that remained was to ask the questions to get the answers.
"How do you resolve the Curse of the Weather?" Yusei asked calmly.
Both Kaguya and Hina looked at Yusei in confusion, 'Why was he questioning so aggressively? Would the other party even pay attention to us? And he had already laid all his cards on the table.'
But what they didn't expect was that the old woman opposite actually began to speak.
Haruko's expression was wooden, her tone dull, "Generally speaking... there is no way to remove the curse."
Hearing this reply, Hina's expression darkened. Yusei also frowned slightly but continued asking, "'Generally speaking'? That means there is an unusual method?"
Haruko answered numbly, "The body parts that turn transparent and disappear when using the weather power... have already been 'taken' by [Heaven]. To retrieve them, one must take them back from Heaven."
"However, the body parts already taken will not be allowed to be retrieved. The place where the taken body parts are stored... is the [Heaven's Seat], located ten thousand meters above the ground. Unless the one with the curse personally reaches it, the [Heaven's Seat] will not open. Therefore, wanting to snatch the body back from there is impossible."