The Shrine Maiden
Without any warning, Beatrice wrapped herself around my left arm.
Before I could even ask what she thought she was doing, she pointed at Alice.
"Ryuzaki-kun, who's that cute girl? A friend of yours?"
Beatrice, who always called me "you" or "Target," had just spoken my name for the first time. It was her way of saying that out here, we weren't supposed to look like we had anything to do with the organization — just ordinary acquaintances.
I was all for that. The stares we were already drawing were ugly enough; standing out even more wouldn't do us any favors.
That said, I really needed my arm back. Alice's gaze, flicking back and forth between Beatrice and me, was growing colder by the second. I had a feeling that if I didn't extract myself right now, things were going to get messy later.
I gave a wry smile and tried to pull my arm fr—
Wait. Why was she this strong?
It took a real effort before I finally managed to wrench myself free.
"Tch."
Beatrice clicked her tongue under her breath. Terrifying girl.
Then, as if none of that had just happened, Alice beamed and introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Hiragi Alice. I'm in the same class as Ryuzaki."
At a glance, it was nothing more than a bright, cheerful smile. But she couldn't quite hide the faint tremor at the corners of her mouth.
"...Cute."
Whether Beatrice had caught that little tremor too, she let out a quiet snicker and murmured — so softly that only I could hear.
"Well, hello. I'm Beatrice. So you're our Ryuzaki-kun's friend?"
"...Our?"
"Mm-hm. Is that a problem?"
Alice was smiling. Beatrice was smiling too. But the air hanging between them didn't have a shred of warmth in it.
The reason wasn't hard to guess. Beatrice was making a point of advertising how close she was to me, and Alice was clearly not okay with it.
Beatrice's reaction I could understand. A female friend of her Target was a potential variable in the mission. Being wary of that was only natural.
Alice, on the other hand, was harder to figure out.
She's got plenty of friends, doesn't she?
To Alice, I was just one friend among many. And anyone with a lot of friends knows better than most that even your close ones can have relationships you know nothing about.
Not that Beatrice and I were anything like friends, anyway. A little discomfort I could understand.
"......"
"......"
But staring at each other like they were about to eat one another alive? That was overkill no matter how I looked at it.
Two possibilities. One: she was just in a particularly bad mood today. Two:
She thinks of me as more than just a regular friend.
Alice... and me? Come to think of it, had I ever seen her hanging around with other guys at school?
No. Wait. There was exactly one.
Me.
Alice was an attractive girl, so guys approached her all the time. But she always smiled just enough, drew a line, and ended the conversation. With me, though, it was different. She was the one who came over first. She never hesitated to spend time with just the two of us.
...Maybe. Maybe she really did see me as something more than a friend.
The thought left me feeling strangely unsettled. That same electric jolt I'd felt when we shared an umbrella came rushing back through my chest, and the nameless sensation left me weirdly off-kilter.
"...Beatrice?"
"Hm? What's up?"
"You mentioned which school you go to, didn't you?"
"Seichi High School. I told you yesterday."
"Then shouldn't we be parting ways around here? We're headed in different directions."
Beatrice looked up at me for a moment. Then she flashed a grin.
"Look at you, using that brain. Well, I don't particularly want to be hated, so I'll play along."
She brushed past Alice and walked on ahead.
The instant Beatrice was out of earshot, Alice scurried over and glued herself to my back like a wary little hamster, then pointed.
"...Who is that girl?"
I was about to answer her timid question when—
"Ah, I forgot to mention."
Beatrice turned back with a smile.
She gave a little wave, and with that, Beatrice strode off down the street.
Squeeze. Alice's grip on my arm tightened.
"...Who. Is. She."
Same question, but her voice had dropped a full register, and the temperature had gone with it. Was I imagining that?
We started walking side by side again. The only difference from a moment ago was that my walking companion had switched from Beatrice to Alice.
With Beatrice gone, Alice's expression seemed to soften a little. A little being the operative word — she was still a long way from her usual bright self. In other words, she was still thoroughly unamused. I had a feeling things would get messy if I didn't give her a proper answer.
"Ryuzaki."
"Yeah."
"Didn't you... didn't you say I was your first friend?"
"Ah, that? Don't get the wrong idea. She's not my friend."
"...She's not?"
"Absolutely not."
Alice tilted her head, looking confused for a moment. Then she suddenly stopped walking.
"......"
"What's wrong?"
She blinked a few times at my question, then opened her mouth hesitantly.
"Th-then... is she your girlfriend?!"
"Are you kidding me? Move — someone's coming through."
What a ridiculous thing to say. I let out a hollow laugh and pulled Alice toward me. A burly older guy walked right through where she'd been standing.
For a split second, her shoulder pressed against my chest. Alice's body gave a tiny shiver. She gave a little shake of her head, then looked up at me with a prim, sulky expression.
"...Really?"
"Would I lie? Beatrice is... an acquaintance. Someone I just happen to know."
"She just said she was your friend a second ago."
"She's kind of a loose cannon. I think she was just messing with you. Don't worry about it."
"You mean it? I'm trusting you."
At those words, Alice's expression visibly relaxed. Crisis averted... maybe.
"...So. What did she mean by 'don't come home too late'?"
Ah. Spoke too soon.
Now what. I didn't want to lie, so I might as well just be honest.
"The truth is, I got kicked out of my house yesterday. So I'm staying at Beatrice's place for a bit."
"......"
Huh. Why isn't she saying anyth—
"WHAT!?!?"
Ow. My ears.
Time passed, and Saturday morning arrived. Normally I would have holed up at home and poured the hours into self-improvement, but today I stepped outside.
I need some healing.
And on top of all that, I still had to plan out the plot of my novel.
It's a bit much.
Lately there had just been too much going on. Sure, none of it compared to my previous life — but I couldn't keep measuring everything against those days forever. I made an objective assessment. What I needed right now was rest.
So I headed out for a walk, just to catch my breath for a little while. Wandering aimlessly around town would have been fine, but since I was already out, I figured I might as well go somewhere I'd never been.
Which is how I ended up heading for a small shrine nestled along a nearby mountain path. I remembered reading online that it was a beautiful place, where traditional architecture sat in quiet harmony with nature.
What I liked most, though, was how empty it supposedly was. There was a much larger, more famous shrine a little farther up the mountain, so most people headed that way instead. For someone who didn't particularly enjoy crowds, it was the perfect spot. No matter how scenic a place was, jostling with other people killed any sense of actually resting.
"...Ugh, it's hot."
...Yeah. Maybe coming out was a mistake. It was way hotter than I'd imagined.
I shielded myself from the morning sun with a workbook and trudged along. The moment I hit the uphill stretch, beads of sweat started forming on my forehead. Still, the heavier my steps got, the more my anticipation grew.
Working through a problem set while looking out over a quiet shrine. How healing was that going to be?
Lost in that pleasant expectation, I walked on — and before I knew it, I'd arrived.
It wasn't a large shrine, just as the photos had suggested. But the lush greenery and that distinctly Japanese sense of quiet, understated architecture blended together into something that looked like a painting unto itself.
And there, in the middle of that scenery, a shrine maiden was sweeping up fallen leaves and twigs with a broom. Maybe it was the traditional clothing you so rarely saw in everyday life. She looked almost otherworldly — mysterious enough that reality itself seemed to thin around her.
Wow. And she was wearing something that looked that sweltering without even breaking a sweat. I felt a weird flicker of respect.
That was when it happened. The shrine maiden seemed to sense someone nearby and turned her head in my direction. Then she smiled brightly and called out a greeting.
"Welco—!"
Or rather, she tried to.
The instant she saw my face, her expression froze solid. Like she'd just laid eyes on someone she was never supposed to see.
I was no different. The moment I recognized her, my feet stopped of their own accord.
It was a familiar face. Of course it was.
"...Junior?"
She was the person I'd run into after school yesterday.