"Ha?! Yu, you're really staying with a girl?! For seven days?!"
In the room, Yotsuba was speechless after hearing Nakano Yu's explanation. Her already large eyes now widened to an incredible size.
Next to her, Katsura Kotonoha, who was drinking tea, also trembled slightly, her gaze fixed on Nakano Yu. Although she didn't say anything, complete chaos already reigned in her heart.
"Calm down, Yotsuba. If you keep making a fuss, the hotel staff will come to see what's going on."
Having already anticipated their reaction, Nakano Yu remained very calm. He took Itsuki's chips, put them in his mouth, and spoke.
Since he was quite bored in the room, and the TV in the room was very old, completely incomparable to the smart TV at home, and Miura Yumiko had gone to bathe in the hot springs, he, out of boredom, came to Yotsuba's room on the same floor.
"How can I calm down?! Yu, you're going to stay with a girl we don't know for the entire week! What if that girl has bad intentions and uses the night to do something, Yu..."
But Yotsuba couldn't calm down at all. She stood up and waved her hand, speaking in a serious tone, with an expression as if she was genuinely worried about Nakano Yu.
While Yotsuba spoke, Katsura Kotonoha trembled even more in her hand, and the wooden tea cup in her grip creaked as she held it tightly.
Yotsuba enthusiastically spread the alarm, but she didn't expect Nakano Yu to quietly step behind her and deliver a light blow to her head.
"Bang!"
"Seriously, she's a classmate, and you're talking like that, Yotsuba. Besides, you're overthinking. How could I possibly be manipulated?"
Nakano Yu said wearily. Yotsuba had a carefree character, studied diligently, and her grades weren't very good, but her mind was truly powerful when it came to inventing strange things.
Nakano Yu didn't think Miura Yumiko could "push him around" as Yotsuba said. That wasn't realistic. Miura Yumiko only appeared strong on the surface, but in reality… her crying that rainy night said it all.
"Ugh! Yu, really, you can never be too careful! Yu is soft and fragrant!"
Having received a blow to the head from Nakano Yu, although it didn't hurt, Yotsuba still playfully held her head.
"If Yotsuba jokes again, when we get home, I'll make you boiled green peppers."
Returning to the small table and sitting down, Nakano Yu took a sip of tea and said calmly.
Hearing that, Yotsuba immediately sat next to Nakano and stopped talking about the matter, although she still occasionally stole glances at Nakano Yu.
"Katsura, are you okay? Your tea is all..."
Not paying attention to Yotsuba, Nakano Yu looked at Katsura Kotonoha, just as he wanted to start a topic, when he suddenly noticed her hand trembling violently, and the tea even spilling from the cup.
"No, I'm fine, Nakano-kun, don't worry, haha, hahahaha…"
Shaking her head, Katsura Kotonoha forced a stiff smile. Then she placed the cup, which still had a little tea, on the table and took out a handkerchief to wipe it.
"You don't look well."
Glancing at the cup, Nakano Yu's expression was complex. The tea wasn't hot, so he wasn't worried. He just didn't know whether Katsura Kotonoha's current state was due to [Ape Dream].
It shouldn't be… right.
Earlier, when he used [Shonen] to protect Katsura Kotonoha and help her escape from the dream world, he should have cleared the negative effects that [Ape Dream] left on her body, right?
"No, don't worry. Actually, Nakano-kun, are you planning to ask sensei to change rooms?"
Katsura Kotonoha shook her head, obviously calming down. She took the teapot to pour more tea and asked.
"Hiratsuka-sensei said there are no other available rooms in the hotel, so I can only stay with Yumiko during this period."
Nakano Yu felt there was nothing to hide and responded very openly.
"Squeak~"
"Yumiko, ah, so Yumiko. Miura, right? She's even more than me…"
Katsura Kotonoha gripped the handle of the teapot tightly, her finger joints even turning slightly white. The tone of her voice was somehow inexplicably teasing. She was clearly Nakano Yu's fiancée, and although Nakano Yu hadn't officially confirmed it yet, it was already a settled matter!
"Eh~ already calling each other by first names. Your relationship is progressing really fast, crunchy."
After hearing Nakano Yu's words, Yotsuba said with a surprised expression, then didn't forget to put chips in her mouth. She had planned to eat before Itsuki reacted, because Yotsuba had been craving those snacks for some time. Itsuki never gave them to her, and the ones she bought herself always felt like they were lacking something.
"I'm not really a fan of surnames and formalities, Yotsuba, you all know that. If Katsura is willing, she can call me Yu from now on. Always calling me Nakano-kun feels a little strange."
Nakano Yu puffed his cheeks and said, looking at Katsura Kotonoha. Earlier, Katsura Kotonoha didn't know the Five Sisters, so it was fine to call him Nakano-kun, but now that she knew them, calling him Nakano-kun was a bit confusing.
Besides, he also knew about Katsura Kotonoha's feelings, so too much distance wasn't good. He really quite liked Katsura Kotonoha.
"Eh?! O-Okay! Then, Na… Yu can also call me by my name, just call me Koto or Kotoha…"
Katsura Kotonoha, who had just been racking her brain and constantly guessing what kind of relationship Nakano Yu and Miura Yumiko had, immediately regained her expression after hearing this, and even appeared slightly shy, her speech becoming fragmented.
"Mm-hmm, Kotoha, do you want some chips?"
"…Yes."
"Open your mouth."
"No, you don't have to feed me! I'll… crunch."
…
"Hey! I'm saying, with such a big mountain, where on earth do we find Merumaru Shrine?"
On the stone steps on the other side of Mount Nejireme, Nura Rikuo and his group were climbing the mountain out of boredom. Seeing that they had been climbing for almost an hour without yet finding the so-called Merumaru Shrine, Maki Saori, feeling extremely bored, asked Seiji Kiyotsugu, who was leading the way.
"Well, um… I'm not really sure either."
Seiji Kiyotsugu, who had been enthusiastically leading the way until then, scratched his head awkwardly when asked. It was his first time on Mount Nejireme, and he didn't know it well.
"Ha? Seiji, man, do you even know what you're talking about?!"
Hearing that, Maki Saori was left speechless, but since they had already come this far, she didn't know what else to say.
"Alright, alright~ We'll find it along the mountain path."
Seiji Kiyotsugu waved his hand and smiled, then turned to continue leading the way, but noticed the onmyoji girl in the group, Yura Keikain, looking into the mountain forest, not knowing exactly what she was observing.
Without knowing why, Seiji Kiyotsugu also looked toward the mountain forest and saw a dappled play of light and shadow among the trees, and in the distance, faintly, a small stone shrine.
"There, it looks like a small shrine dedicated to Jizo Bodhisattva. Too far away, I can't see clearly."
Squinting, Yura Keikain said.
While the girl spoke, everyone looked in that direction, but in the next moment Nura Rikuo's quiet voice came:
"Merumaru…"
"Eh?"
Hearing those words, Yura Keikain turned to look at Nura Rikuo, her eyes full of confusion.
Her physical constitution was much stronger than ordinary people, but even she couldn't see what was written on it, so why could he…
"On the stone shrine, it says Merumaru."
Pulling back his gaze, Nura Rikuo's words were extremely confident.
But as soon as he finished the sentence, Nura Rikuo noticed that everyone around him was looking at him with strange expressions, except for Iori's gaze full of admiration.
Only then did Nura Rikuo realize, from such a distance, why he could see those letters.
"Shuush~"
While the scene was completely silent, a rustling suddenly came from the forest, drawing everyone's attention. The bushes in the forest shook, as if some terrifying monster could jump out at any moment!
"Haha~ I didn't think you'd actually find this place. Oh, you really live up to the name of the Kiyotsugu Detective Team!"