Chapter 884 - 12: Did You See It?
The shopping street was lined with long queues.
However, this lively scene only existed at those few shops with signs reading "-50%" or banners. These shops don’t seem to get the marketing methods right, as the discount signs aren’t green, so they mostly only attract girls.
—After all, it’s a dessert shop...
—Naturally, girls are more interested; that’s quite normal.
"Half-off on donuts..."
"Are there this many people in line? It’s unbelievably popular..."
"Oh dear, why isn’t the line moving? Don’t tell me they’ve sold out in front."
Her friend looked worried and couldn’t help but tiptoe in the queue, frequently looking ahead, seemingly genuinely worried that by the time it’s their turn, the desserts would be sold out. The girl with long black hair could only helplessly keep up, moving along slowly with the line.
Fortunately, nothing that bad happened.
The shop was well-stocked, and they got the desserts they wanted and contentedly headed back.
"Did you buy so much to eat it all?"
On the way, Yatsugaya Miko glanced at her friend from the side, watching as the latter held a box full of desserts in her arms, her face radiating genuine happiness, and couldn’t help but ask. She thought her friend was too easily pleased—it takes just a simple happiness like this.
"Of course not... I’ll give you one, Miko."
Yurikawa Hana replied joyfully, hugging the box, walking with a kind of jumpy joy, like a delighted little deer.
"These are quite high in calories..."
"I know, eating them will make one’s breasts grow bigger too..." Yurikawa Hana nodded earnestly, answering matter-of-factly.
"..."
Miko’s mouth twitched immediately; she subconsciously glanced at her friend’s voluptuous chest, despite not really believing her friend’s nonsense, she couldn’t help but mind it.
But really, they’re the same age, so why does her friend have such a big bust?!
Where did the part she was supposed to grow go?!
Of course, these little frustrations weren’t enough to sink the friendship, and the two of them continued chatting happily on their way back. Miko’s mood also improved somewhat, as today this street seemed devoid of any evil presence, as if it had been completely cleansed.
On her way there, she instinctively looked around carefully, scrutinizing for any signs—
But she found out there was nothing to worry about; there wasn’t even a situation where "one wrong move and you might lock eyes with an evil entity." Even if she deliberately searched, she couldn’t spot a trace of anything evil.
This discovery naturally made the girl with long black hair let out a big sigh of relief.
As they were happily chatting, she happened to lift her head and out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a white figure not far ahead...
"Huh?"
Yatsugaya Miko was momentarily stunned.
—Wasn’t this the figure she saw on the bus last night on her way home?
—Since it left a deep impression, she recognized it right away.
Just like last night, the young man in white clothes and black hair walked down the street with a somewhat absent-minded air, reminiscent of that evening stroll in the rain under gloomy skies, now illuminated in the slanted afterglow of the setting sun, giving off the same feeling.
"What’s wrong?"
Because of the sudden silence, Yurikawa Hana, next to her, looked at the girl with long black hair in confusion. She didn’t know why her friend stopped talking suddenly.
Was it because she joked about only giving her one dessert, that she became sulky?
"It’s nothing..."
After all, she had only seen that person once on the bus, so if she showed too much interest, it might appear a bit odd. So Yatsugaya Miko withdrew her gaze, shook her head gently, and steered the conversation back: "Speaking of which, should we go buy some Buddhist beads or something now..."
"Buddhist beads?"
Yurikawa Hana paused briefly, then seemed to remember: "Oh, the one you mentioned this morning, I thought you were just saying. Are you seriously going to buy some?"
"Mm, I want to get to know more about it, a protective talisman works too... Or we can visit a shrine later to take a look?"
The girl with long black hair nodded slightly. She hoped those items might have some effect, like the pile of salt in her room, which seemed necessary to have on hand in the future. If ghosts exist, logically, gods and Buddhas should too, right?
So if that’s the case, maybe praying for divine protection could be a way out?
"Miko... are you really going to become a Witch?" The short-haired girl blinked her large eyes.
"I’m just trying to understand a bit more," the girl with long black hair replied noncommittally. She knew her friend was teasing her with the pun on her name’s reading, but had no particular thoughts about it.
Though she hadn’t set a life goal yet, she indeed hadn’t planned on becoming a shrine maiden...
Well, at least not before now. But considering what she had encountered these past couple of days, perhaps it’s worth considering? If shrines indeed have no evil spirit disturbances, if she could get the protection of the Lord God...
Her thoughts drifted uncontrollably, hardly surprising given how terrified she had been these past few days.
Even though she had managed to pass several tests in succession, the feeling of fear and weak legs afterward was something only she, as the person involved, could truly understand. If in her future life, evil spirits were to follow her like shadows, appearing in various places, then she truly didn’t have the confidence to constantly endure.
After all, walking along the riverside often will inevitably lead to getting wet shoes; encountering problems is only a matter of time.
She was very clear about this, so she couldn’t help but think if life were always like this, would becoming a Witch be a better path?
"Hehe, then let’s take a look. After all, it’s still early now, and it’s not raining today..." Yurikawa Hana said with a smile, though she didn’t know why Mikko suddenly became interested in these things. But she naturally wouldn’t oppose accompanying her friend for a walk, to buy what Mikko wanted.
Yatsugaya Miko smiled and nodded, then subconsciously glanced forward.
While they were talking, the two had already reached the end of the shopping street.
Ahead lay an intersection, and what caught her eye was the silhouette of a figure in white clothes and black hair.
Moreover—
The individual had their head down, seemingly lost in thought, as if distracted, attempting to cross the road.
However, on the streets, cars were still streaming past, and clearly, it wasn’t the time for pedestrians to cross...
"...!!"
In that instant, the black-haired, straight-haired girl’s pupils slightly contracted!
"...Mikko?!"
Laughing and chatting, Yurikawa Hana felt her friend’s arm suddenly loosen, then saw black silk-like long hair swaying, like a beautiful butterfly fluttering, leaving her temporarily unable to react.
After all, everything happened so suddenly!
It happened suddenly! Ended suddenly!
—But thankfully, there was no danger.
Cars on the road roared by, their speed and the air current they created felt clearly, as Yatsugaya Miko tightly held the young man’s hem, slightly gasping for breath, grateful her action was decisive and fast enough, pulling the person back before they unwittingly stepped onto the road.
Glancing at the endless stream of cars on the road, the black-haired, straight-haired girl exhaled deeply.
Only then did she turn her head to look at the person whose clothes she was instinctively still clutching.
"So it’s you..."
The person seemed completely unperturbed, closely observing her, then nodding thoughtfully, and, in a casual tone, subtly wriggled away from her arm while asking:
"Why in such a hurry, is there something going on?"
Their expression appeared calm, showing neither the typical shocked response from being suddenly pulled back from danger nor any sense of relief after being saved from absent-mindedness. In other words, neither fear nor getting relieved after realizing the situation.
"You..."
Yatsugaya Miko was momentarily stunned, the person’s response left her confused, wasn’t her rush because of him?
Yet—
The person seemed to remember her?
However, before she could speak, her friend quickly caught up.
"Mikko, what were you just doing..." The short-haired girl Yurikawa Hana hastened forward, grabbing her arm tightly, sounding both shocked and fearful, "There are still a lot of cars, you shouldn’t cross without waiting for the traffic light, I was really scared by you..."
"Sorry, Xiao Hua..." Yatsugaya Miko softly replied, looking at her friend.
"You really scared me just now, rushing out without a sound, don’t joke like this!" The short-haired girl pouted, earnestly admonishing the black-haired, straight-haired girl.
"Eh..."
Yatsugaya Miko was suddenly puzzled, wasn’t it clear what she did? Why would her friend think she was playing around? Although she tended to be naïve, not to this extent?
"Yes, you shouldn’t mess around, it’s really dangerous on the road..."
"Exactly..."
At that moment, people waiting for the traffic light at the intersection, who had witnessed just happened, also spoke, advising the black-haired girl not to do such dangerous things.
"You... I..."
Yatsugaya Miko’s thoughts were chaotic, she instinctively glanced at the young man with white clothes and black hair opposite her, a terrifying thought emerged in her mind.
Just like the encounters from the past two days...
"You guessed correctly, they can’t see me." The young man on the opposite side smiled slightly, displaying a hearty smile, using an equally hearty tone, affirming the black-haired, straight-haired girl’s suspicion.
"..."
"..."
For a brief moment, eternity seemed to overlap with the instant, as the black-haired, straight-haired girl’s expression froze entirely.
Her friend’s and the voices around her felt both nearby and distant as if echoing at the horizon of time, her mind blank, only feeling as though a shard of ice had pierced through her heart, freezing her blood with fear.