"Hey, hey, let's go have lunch together. Tachibana-kun, do you want to come with us?"
"No, thanks, I'm going to have lunch with You-chan."
"As expected, following your fiancée. Then we'll go first."
"Mhm, bye-bye~"
During lunch, Tachibana Marika had obviously already blended in well with her new classmates. After seeing off all her new classmates, Tachibana Marika turned around and looked at Nakano Yu.
"Hey, hey, Yu-chan, are those two girls who just came in with you your girlfriends?"
Leaning over Nakano Yu's desk, Tachibana Marika asked curiously. Earlier, she had noticed that Nakano Yu returned to the classroom with two girls. Although she didn't know what their relationship was, Tachibana Marika felt that something was going on.
This was Tachibana Marika's female intuition!
Moreover, as soon as class ended, those two girls left the classroom as if they had arranged it beforehand. If that wasn't to make space for her and You-chan to be together, Tachibana Marika wouldn't believe it; after all, she had read so many romance manga, she knew such things~.
"You're talking about Kotonoha and Yumiko? Kotonoha is my official fiancée; we got engaged a few days ago. Yumiko is my girlfriend."
Opening his bento box, Nakano Yu said calmly. At present, Nakano Maruo had said that he and Katsura Kotonoha didn't have any engagement. Although he didn't know what Uncle Tachibana would say, it should be roughly the same.
"Kotonoha... that's the young lady from the Katsura family? But Yumiko... I haven't heard of her. Yu-chan really is a womanizer. Even though you have me, you still go and get engaged to other girls."
However, faced with Nakano Yu's shocking statement, Tachibana Marika reacted calmly, without surprise or agitation. Instead, she began to think about the identities of Katsura Kotonoha and Miura Yumiko.
"Marika, it seems we are not engaged, right? And... your body... didn't your family forbid you from going to school?"
Seeing Marika's calm reaction, Nakano Yu was somewhat surprised. He wanted to understand Marika's current situation and asked.
He remembered that since middle school, Tachibana Marika had been sent abroad. Due to her weak body, she had been treated in specialized hospitals overseas and had only recently returned.
Nakano Yu had thought about helping her treatment back then. The warrior who wields the golden sword in Eastern God of War actually possessed healing abilities, capable of cutting away pain and injuries, but not removing illness.
Just like with Nakano Reina, Nakano Yu could only use the Holy Sword Joyeuse to temporarily relieve her pain. But the Holy Sword Joyeuse, which can cut through everything, could not cut through death, nor completely cut through illness.
"My body is much better, and as for school... since I happened to find a photo of my mother from her high school days, she allowed me to go to school."
Seeing that Nakano Yu still cared about her, Tachibana Marika smiled and said, quickly taking the chopsticks from Nakano Yu's hand.
"Yu-chan, aa~"
Lifting a small sausage, Tachibana Marika wanted to feed Nakano Yu. Nakano Yu didn't hesitate; after all, having known Tachibana Marika for so long, feeding each other was nothing special.
"So, how long do you plan to stay? Your mother won't allow you to stay in Tokyo for too long, right?"
Chewing the small sausage, Nakano Yu looked at Tachibana Marika and asked.
"Honestly, Yu-chan, don't say such sad things right after we meet. Anyway, I'll be relying on You-chan to take care of me during this period."
Avoiding the young man's gaze, Tachibana Marika bit the chopsticks she had just used to feed him, thought for a moment, then smiled and waved her hand, telling him not to worry about such things.
"Forget it, I'll go home with Marika later."
Seeing Tachibana Marika like this, Nakano Yu sighed helplessly and suggested.
"Eh?! You-chan is already so impatient? This... the first night after we meet... it's a bit embarrassing. I'm still a first time, tonight You-chan..."
Hearing that, Tachibana Marika looked surprised, covered her mouth with her small hand, then blushed and said shyly. But before she could finish, Nakano Yu lightly flicked her forehead.
"No, I wasn't aware of any engagement with Marika. So I need to see Uncle Tachibana. The last time we met was really the last time. I wonder if his hair has grown back."
The young man said somewhat annoyed, then pulled the chopsticks out of Marika's mouth.
Glancing at the chopsticks in Nakano Yu's hand, Tachibana Marika licked her lips with her tongue, exaggerating her acting, and said:
"Hmm, it's obviously already over, but You-chan still doesn't want to accept it. What a sad, cold man."
"Gugu~"
But as soon as Tachibana Marika finished speaking, her stomach made a disobedient sound.
"You didn't have breakfast?"
Hearing the sound, Nakano Yu raised his head and asked.
"Hehehe~ I planned to lose weight."
Holding her stomach, Tachibana Marika scratched her head awkwardly. Although she really wanted to show a ladylike appearance in front of Nakano Yu, she felt so relaxed sitting beside You-chan.
"Eat quickly, I made it."
Hearing that Marika really hadn't had breakfast, Nakano Yu simply pushed his bento box in front of her.
"No... You-chan made it, then thank you, You-chan, but I want You-chan to feed me."
Shaking her head, Marika wanted to refuse, but when she heard Nakano Yu's next words, her refusal immediately changed. She said this while pushing the bento box between them with her hand.
Closing her eyes and putting her hands behind her back, Marika looked as if she wouldn't eat unless Nakano Yu fed her.
"Open your mouth."
Unable to do anything about Marika, Nakano Yu had no choice but to pick up a piece of broccoli and bring it to her mouth.
Slightly opening her eyelids, Marika's face immediately brightened when she saw that Nakano Yu was feeding her. She immediately took the broccoli and chopsticks into her mouth, and while chewing, she didn't forget to praise:
"Mmm~ Yu-chan's cooking is getting better and better. It's sweet, but unfortunately the taste is a bit light. If Yu-chan could just add a little more..."
As Marika spoke, her gaze fell on the young man's lips, but how could Nakano Yu indulge her in such things? He directly pulled out the chopsticks and handed them to Marika.
"Marika, eat. I suddenly remembered I have something to do. Make sure to finish your lunch."
After saying that, without waiting for Marika's reaction, Nakano Yu stood up, messed up her hair like before, and turned to leave the classroom.
Watching Nakano Yu's departing back, Marika fixed her slightly messy hair and said with a smile:
"He's really the same as before."
As she said that, Marika's expression suddenly changed. She took out a handkerchief she carried with her and covered her mouth and nose:
"Cough, cough!"
Coughing, Marika's condition visibly worsened.
Looking at the crimson stain on the handkerchief, Marika smiled sadly, carefully folded it and put it away.
On Nakano Yu's side, as soon as he left the classroom, he saw Miura Yumiko and Katsura Kotonoha returning to the classroom together.
Seeing the two of them, Nakano Yu wanted to greet them, but Miura Yumiko, holding Katsura Kotonoha's hand, made a face at him and led her back into the classroom. Katsura Kotonoha, as usual, only looked at Nakano Yu with a faint smile without saying a word.
Nakano Yu was somewhat confused by this, not knowing what was wrong with Miura Yumiko. Before he could think further, a girl approached him.
"Na, Nakano-kun, mo, can I ask you for a favor?"
Looking at Yotsuya Miko standing in front of him with a visibly nervous expression, Nakano Yu raised an eyebrow:
"Let's go. It's not a good place to talk here."
He waved his hand and walked toward a quieter corner of the hallway.
"Mhm!"
Miko nodded and followed him.
When they reached the corner, before Miko could speak, Nakano Yu asked first:
"Is it about Mitsue Shrine?"
"Na, Nakano-kun, how did you know?!"
Seeing that Nakano Yu had accurately guessed what she came for, Yotsuya Miko was shocked. Could it be that Nakano Yu already knew about that place?
Of course, Miko was overthinking it. Nakano Yu knew about it only because he knew the course of the story. He guessed that Miko had already reached that part.
However, this girl was really stubborn. After learning from him that there was no way to solve the problem with her eyes, she went to pray at a shrine?
Or was it because of Yurikawa Hana from the original story?
Nakano Yu couldn't quite remember. In any case, the current Miko was connected to the great ogre from that shrine. However, Nakano Yu was also curious about what kind of existence that shrine actually was.
Of course, not because of the great ogre pretending to be a mountain god, but because of what that ogre was suppressing. It was a pity that the manga ended abruptly, so Nakano Yu didn't know what that enormous being being suppressed actually was.
"I guessed."
Looking at the shocked Yotsuya Miko, Nakano Yu said.
"Hmm... the thing is, after we left Takeda-bāba that day, Hana and I went a few more times. Since Hana saw that Takeda-bāba was usually alone, she went to help her, but that day a strange man named Rom came and said something to Takeda-bāba, and then she said she was going to that shrine."
"That shrine... inside is a mountain god, but Takeda-bāba said it's a great ogre. After that day, she didn't let us come to the shop anymore. I have a feeling... that she decided to die!"
Nodding uncertainly, Yotsuya Miko stood beside Nakano Yu and explained the whole situation.
She had also been to that shrine. After praying, a golden, shining monster appeared, but it didn't do anything to them. When they were going down the mountain, they also saw that strange man named Rom. That was their first meeting with him.
"So, Yotsuya-kun, you're asking me to deal with the great ogre in the shrine?"
After listening to Yotsuya Miko's story, Nakano Yu looked somewhat surprised. Maybe because of his presence, the spirit that should have been connected to Yurikawa Hana disappeared, so Miko went to the shrine, and the great ogre did not remove the spirit, but proposed a deal?
"Mhm! Takeda-bāba is a very good person, so I can't just watch her go to her death."
Miko nodded firmly. During the time she spent with Takeda Mitsue, she had learned a lot. At least she had ways to drive away some minor spirits and monsters.
Although she couldn't kill them, Miko was already satisfied with being able to drive them away. At least she was no longer completely helpless.
"You have my LINE. Just send me the time and place."
Since Yotsuya Miko said that, Nakano Yu did not refuse. For him, it was something incidental, and with his previous promise to help her once, it just canceled out. Miko probably thought the same.
However, the Shrine of the Valley of Three Foxes, interesting. What is being suppressed under that mountain... a god?
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