I bowed my head to the departing Principal Yaga, a single thought racing through my mind.
'No missions today? What a godsend.'
Lifting my head, I immediately spun around and headed back toward the dorms. I hummed a light tune, my steps airy with excitement, only to run into Shoko Ieiri on my way back to my room. She was already dressed in her school uniform, making her way down the stairs.
"Yo. For someone who just went out for a stroll, you were gone for quite a while, weren't you?"
"Was I? What time is it now?"
"It's past seven. It was around six when we saw each other earlier. Didn't you say you were just going for a walk?"
'Has that much time passed already? I suppose we did cover quite a bit of ground.'
"Actually, I ran into Principal Yaga while I was out. I thought we were just going to chat, but he suddenly grabbed me and told me to run with him. I got caught up in his pace and ended up doing ten kilometers."
Upon hearing my explanation, Shoko couldn't contain herself. She burst into a fit of laughter.
"Pffft... Hahaha! Are you a complete idiot? Principal Yaga runs every morning. If you wander into his path, obviously he's going to make you join him. So you basically went for a run the moment you finished washing up? Phew... hahaha!"
I simply offered a smirk in response to her look of utter pity.
"Heh... Doesn't matter. I'll just shower again. The most important thing is that I don't have a single mission assigned to me today. Hehehe..."
"...What? You're acting weird. You're laughing like a total creep right now."
"That's cold. I'm just in a good mood because I finally get some rest, and you call me a creep?"
Shoko looked at me with dead eyes and took a step back to widen the distance between us. I feigned a look of deep emotional hurt, which elicited a small chuckle from her.
"Good for you, then. If you've got nothing to do, stop by the infirmary. Give me someone to talk to so I don't die of boredom."
Surprised by her invitation, my eyes widened before a wide grin spread across my face.
"So you do enjoy it when I visit the infirmary after all, don't you?"
I teased her, playfully nudging her shoulder. Shoko stared at me in silence for a moment before looking genuinely annoyed. She gave me a sharp shove and started walking away.
"Forget it! Don't bother coming. You're annoying. I'm leaving."
I watched her retreating figure with a small smile and continued toward my room.
"Shoko really struggles with being honest. Though I suppose that side of her is quite cute in its own way."
As I climbed the stairs to the dormitory, my mind began to wander.
'What should I do with my day off? Just lounge around the room? Or should I strike while the iron is hot and head out with Sister Utahime? I'll need to make sure she doesn't have a mission first. I'll ask her in a bit.'
Just as the thought crossed my mind, I encountered Utahime Iori descending from the floor above. I immediately approached her.
"Sister Utahime. Good morning."
Utahime spotted me and greeted me with a warm smile.
"Good morning, Touya. Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah. I was pretty drained yesterday, so I turned in early."
At my mention of yesterday, Utahime's expression suddenly stiffened, seemingly remembering my outing with Mei Mei.
"Ah, speaking of yesterday... how was it with Mei-san? Did you have... fun?"
"Was it fun? Well... yeah, I guess? It was interesting. Exhausting, though. Trailing after her while she shopped was quite a workout."
"I see... You had a good time..."
The light seemed to be draining from Utahime's eyes as she stared at me. Sensing a dangerous shift in the atmosphere, I quickly moved to the main point.
"Sister, wait! More importantly, I wanted to ask—if you don't have a mission today, do you want to go to the city with me?"
The transition was instantaneous. Utahime's face lit up with brilliance, and she beamed as she grabbed my hand.
"What? Really? I'd love to! But... I'm not sure if I have a mission yet. I was actually on my way to ask the teacher."
"Then let's go ask together. If you're free, we can get ready and head out immediately."
Utahime leaned into me, her voice filled with excitement.
"Mhm. Let's go. I'm really looking forward to this. Hehe."
I walked in step with her toward the staff room and waited outside while she went in to check her schedule. A short while later, she emerged, but the radiant expression was gone. She looked so dejected I could tell the result without asking.
"Do you have a mission?"
"Yeah... What should I do? I can't go today. And I was so excited..."
Seeing her look like she was on the verge of tears, I felt a surge of protectiveness.
"Sister. Look, if you finish it quickly, we can still go. I don't have any missions for the rest of the day."
Utahime snapped her head up, but then sighed and lowered it again.
"I don't know if it'll end quickly... It's a solo mission..."
"Then I'll go with you. We'll finish it in record time and go have fun. Where is the location?"
"What? Truly?"
Stunned, Utahime looked at me for a beat before throwing her arms around me in a grateful hug.
"Touya, thank you... Let's finish it fast and play. I've already thought of everything I want to do!"
I patted her back a few times before she pulled away, only to immediately grab my hand and start tugging me along.
"Sister, where are we going?"
"Eh? To the mission. The sooner we finish, the more time we have to hang out."
"Wait, hold on. I haven't grabbed my wallet or anything. Let me get ready first. You go grab your things too, and let's meet in the first-floor lobby."
Reluctantly letting go of my hand, Utahime nodded and ran off toward her room.
'She's really energetic today. Is she that happy? I mean, I'm excited too, but...'
After returning to my room to collect my wallet and essentials, I headed downstairs to find Utahime already waiting, fully prepared.
"Let's go! The Assistant Director is waiting outside."
She seized my hand once more, practically dragging me toward the main gate at a near-run.
"So, where exactly is the mission, Sister? Is it nearby?"
"Yeah. I think they said it's about thirty minutes away. Come on, hurry! Hehe..."
Seeing her giggle to herself as she glanced at me made me chuckle as well.
"Are you really that happy to go out with me?"
"Of course! This is our first time going into the city, just the two of us! We've only ever gone to festivals together. I liked those too, but since this is a first, I've been waiting for a chance like this for a long time."
Driven by her enthusiasm, we soon reached the Assistant Director's car and climbed into the back seat.
"Oh? Wasn't this supposed to be a solo mission for Iori-san? I see Touya-kun is here as well."
"Yes. That was the plan, but we decided to go straight to the city together once the mission is over. Hehe."
Utahime sounded almost boastful. As I gave an awkward smile, the Assistant Director chimed in.
"Oh, a date? You certainly look excited. Well then, I'll head out. I'll get you there as fast as I can so you don't waste any time."
The car sped off. Between my chat with Utahime and the short drive, we arrived at the site in no time. We stepped out of the vehicle and headed toward the site in the mountains, where faint residuals (zanyei) were already visible on the ground.
"Seems like it's around here. Let's wrap this up."
As we ventured deeper into the woods, we found the cursed spirit exactly as described by the Assistant Director. The moment it came into view, I summoned the Round Deer (Madoka). Even from a distance, the curse was instantly neutralized and vanished into nothingness.
"Is it finished already, Touya? I didn't even see you touch it."
Utahime approached me, her voice laced with shock. I simply nodded.
"The Round Deer is a bit like a cheat code, so I don't use it much, but speed is the priority today. Let's go back."
Leaving a stunned Utahime behind, I took her by the arm and headed back to the car. When we arrived, the Assistant Director stared at us, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.
"Wait... Are you telling me you're finished already?"
"Yes. Also... I'm sorry to ask, but if you don't have any other schedule, could you give us a ride?"
"Ah, yes. I can certainly do that. If it's nearby."
I turned to look at Utahime.
"Where are we heading, anyway? Do you have a place in mind?"
"Yes. I want to go to Shibuya. Would that be okay?"
At Utahime's request, the Assistant Director gave a friendly nod.
"Certainly. It's not far from here. I'll drop you off."
""Thank you very much!""
When we both bowed our thanks, the Assistant Director let out a hearty laugh and waved his hand dismissively.
"You two are... how should I put it... a bit different from the sorcerers I usually deal with. You're quite pleasant to be around."
Utahime and I looked at each other, confused by his remark.
"Is that so? I suppose Sister and I are quite similar in temperament. We've been close since we were kids, so maybe that's why?"
"Exactly. I have so much to learn from Touya. Even though he's younger than me, I've looked up to him for a long time. Hehe."
The Assistant Director winced slightly as he looked at us, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Good grief... Just get in the car and stop being so lovey-dovey. I'll take you there. I shouldn't have asked."
We laughed awkwardly and hopped in. About twenty minutes later, we reached our destination.
"This is the spot where all the young people hang out. Is this where you'd like to get off?"
"Yes! Thank you so much!"
"Thank you!"
We stepped out of the car, bowed one last time, and finally set foot in Shibuya.
'So this is the famous Shibuya? Just looking around, everyone looks so stylish. This is going to be fun.'
I had a feeling my outing with Sister Utahime was going to be more entertaining than I had imagined.