The Rakshasa and the Corpse

There must've been a kind of scary place in your town, isn't it?
No matter where you live, I think you've already heard of something like that once.
About a kind of spooky place that no one should come to.
Or a kind of scary place where no one should be near to it.

Well, right now, I'm heading to a kind of place like that.
It's a graveyard, bluntly speaking.
It's a quite well-known graveyard for the people around the town.
And most of the people buried their relatives there too, as much as I heard.

Putting that aside, frankly speaking, I've heard of rumors here and there about that place.
The rumor itself started not so long after I moved to this town.
Most of the rumors are about giants and man-eating corpses wandering in that place.
As much as I don't enjoy spiritual-related stuff, I can't help but getting curious as well.

I have my own reasons of why I'm thinking like that.
But that would be a story for another time.

Doing something like this would probably be the best way.
The best way to find out about the truth of the so-called haunted place.

---

I wrapped my scarf a little tighter around my neck as I walked along the street.
Gazing here and there before giving a small sigh and eventually gazed up.

"Tonight is full moon, huh?" I muttered, mostly to myself before eventually giving a shrug and once again sighed, "No wonder it's so cold today."

I stopped slightly along my way to rub my hands together before exhaling my breath upon it.
I'm not really good with cold to be honest.
And bluntly speaking, it'd probably be better if I choose to stay home at this time of the night.

No one's around anymore.
The shops have been closed.
And there's hardly anyone who'd be around at this time of the night.

I remained silent.
That makes it easier for me to investigate.

It takes around ten minutes walking from the place where I stopped until I reached that place.
And right now, I'm standing in front of the front gate of the graveyard.

There's a really uneasy and chilling atmosphere there.
But I'm not really surprised.
It's always like that in this kind of place, so I'm not really bothered by it.

My attention, however, shifted when I caught the sound of a cat.
I switched my gaze and I found a black cat sitting not so far from where I'm standing.
It looks like a normal cat at the start, before I eventually noticed that it's missing a leg.

"…………"

Yeah, one of its hind legs is missing.
The more I look towards that cat, I then noticed something else.
There's something like a red string tied around the cat's neck.
And the other side of the red string is nowhere to be seen.

The cat remained silent and meowed at me.
I too, remained silent as I gazed at the cat.

"…………"

---

---

"Do you want to go to the other side?"
"…… nah, I don't wanna."

---

---

I explored deeper into the graveyard.
And there are always gravestones here and there no matter where I look.
I stopped slightly before giving a small sigh.

"…………"

What am I worried for?
Haven't I gotten used to this already?
Why am I getting so uneasy even though I've already gotten used to it?

I placed a hand upon my forehead and held my breath.
Before eventually shaking my head slightly.
I need to calm myself down before I continue to explore deeper.

Eventually, I came to a stop when I caught the side of another person.
That other person is kneeling in front of one of the gravestones not so far in front of me.

"…………"

A girl.
That person is a girl.
Judging from her posture, it seemed that she might be a little bit older compared to me.
But that's not what I should worry about.

The fact that she's here on her own at this time of the night…
That's something that I should worry about.

I walked closer and even closer towards her.
Stopping the moment when she finally noticed that I'm actually approaching her.

The closer I get, the more I could see regarding her appearance.
Just like what I said before, it seems that indeed she's older than me.
By a year or two, I suppose.

As she looked at me, I need to admit too that she's quite a beauty.
She has nicely curved body and it's also matching with her long straight her.

"…… I didn't expect that I'd meet someone at this time of the night," she started, "Especially in this kind of place."

I remained silent and blinked once.
On a further look, I noticed that there's a school bag along with a Shinnai beside her.

"… me too. I didn't expect that I'd meet someone at this kind of place at this time of the night."

She remained silent as she gazed at me.
Taking a moment before switching her gaze back to the gravestone.
As she closed her eyes and joined her hands together in a praying motion, I remained silent.
I noticed that there's a bouquet of flower there too.

"…………"

She must be here to give a visit and pray.

"… are you here to give a visit and pray too?"
"Not really. I have my own reasons of why I'm here."
"…… I see, is that why you're bringing your little sister along?"

I arched an eyebrow.
What does she mean by me bringing my little sister along?

"…… I don't have a little sister."
"Then who's that girl standing behind you?"

I widened my eyes before almost immediately.
And that instant, I turned around.

I found a smaller and seemingly younger girl standing behind me.
Just from her looks, I'd bet that she's around twelve or thirteen years old.
However, there's another thing that caught my attention aside from her sudden appearance.

The way she dressed like a junior high school student would definitely pass.
But the fact that there's a pair of cat ears on top of her head…
And there's a cat tail swishing behind her…
That's not something that I could simply ignore.

"…… she's not your little sister?"
"…… as I was saying, I have no little sister."

In fact, I don't even know if I have one.
But that would be a story of another time.

The older girl stood up and walked past me.
Stopping when she's right in front of the cat girl and asked.

"May I know your name?"

I narrowed my eyes as the cat girl seemed to hesitate and looked away.
There's a moment of pause before she eventually answered.

"…… Frea."
"Then, Frea… how did you get here?"

I noticed Frea's sight moved from the older girl in front of me.
And it stopped upon me.

For a brief moment, it reminded me of something from the back of my mind.
Almost instantly I narrowed my eyes because of that.

"…… so it's a symbolism, huh…" I whispered in an almost inaudible voice.
Mostly to myself.

"I was lost… and then I caught the sight of that Onii-chan over there," Frea spoke, once again her eyes moved from me back to the older girl who asked her that and then back to me again, "That's why I'm here."

"Ah, so you followed him here… I see," the older girl answered with a nod before eventually turning around and facing me; her expression remained the same as she continued, "Then it'd be better if we get acquainted first, don't you think so?"

I remained silent.
But eventually I nodded.

"Shinra," I started, "My name is Shinozaki Shinra."
"Yamazaki Yuna," she replied.
"…… I'm Frea."

I know that.
But despite that, there's one thing that's still bothering me.
The fact that Frea followed me without me even noticing…

I shook my head slightly before eventually shrugging it.
There's no use forcing myself to think about something like that.

"You said that you're lost and because of that, you followed me here, right, Frea?" I started, switching my gaze from Yuna towards Frea before continuing, "If that's the case, then how about I help you? That should solve the problem, right?"

Frea remained silent upon hearing my offer.
But she eventually gave a nod.
I noticed Yuna's sight upon me, but I remained silent nonetheless.

"You're on your way back too, right, Yamazaki-san?" I added as I gazed at Yuna, earning her attention as well along the way, "How about we go back together? The more the merrier, right?"

Yuna remained silent as she kept her gaze at me.
And I too, returned the same gaze towards her – waiting for her answer.
Eventually she give a nod as she walked past me again to get her school bag and Shinnai.

"I don't particularly mind."

As I turned towards Frea, I then offered her a hand.
She seemed to be hesitating for a moment before eventually taking my hand and nodded.

When I shifted my sight towards Yuna, I could see her giving one last sight to the gravestone.
Eventually turning towards me, closing her eyes for a brief second and then re-opening it.
Finally giving a small nod along the way.

I nodded back in return.
And as I took Frea's hand in mine, we made our way towards the entrance of the graveyard.

---

"It seems that we've been walking for quite a while, isn't it?"

I remained silent upon hearing Yuna's remark.
Before eventually narrowing my eyes upon hearing that.
So I'm not the only one who realized that something strange is happening to us here.

"... yeah, I suppose you're right," I started, stopping on my way as well -- still holding Frea's hand as I switched my gaze towards Yuna, "Something might be preventing us from getting out of this place."

"…… something?" Frea asked hesitantly.
"…what do you mean by something, Shinozaki?"

I remained silent for a moment.
A part of me wanted to tell them of what I suspect to be happening this time around.
But another part of me suggested that it'd be better if I just handle it all by myself.
However upon noticing Yuna's sight upon me, I paused before eventually shrugging.

"I've been feeling that something must be a little off the moment I entered this place, though I'm not really sure because this is also the first time I'm visiting this place," I replied as I turned towrads Yuna, noting the fact that Frea is shivering slightly as well; causing me to pull her a little bit closer towards me before eventually continuing, "However, if that's really the case, the best thing we could do is getting out of this place quick before something even worse could occur."

I noticed Yuna's sight upon me.
Her gaze's making it as if she's trying to look through me.
And that in itself caused me to arch an eyebrow.

"Those who does not reach their destinations will interfere with the return of others," Yuna replied after a moment, "Is that what you're trying to say in this case, Shinozaki?"

"… yeah, more or less," I replied.
After I said that, I remained silent briefly.
And I could feel that Frea is moving a little bit more, as if trying to hide behind me.

As I shifted my sight back towards Yuna, I noticed her silence.
But as I was about to say something, I came to a stop as I noticed her sight upon me.

"But that's exactly why I have to apologize to you, Shinozaki."
"…… w-wait, Yamazaki-san, what do you mean-"
"For the time being, please let me explain myself."

I remained silent as I gazed at her.
Gritting my teeth for a moment before eventually giving a small nod.
It'd probably be the best thing to do as well.

"First of all, please allow me to state that I meant no harm and I didn't do it on purpose," I could hear her voice as I gripped Frea's hand a little tighter, "To be perfectly honest, I'm sure I was wrong."

For some reason, it's as if I know what she's about to say.
And because of that, I could say that my uneasiness was increased by one level.
It couldn't be the case, right?
She has nothing to do with all of the strange things that's been occurring…

"Shinozaki…"
"Wait… just wait a second…Yamazaki-san…"

I could see her pausing for a bit.
And I could feel Frea is completely hiding behind me now.
As I shifted my sight to her then to Yuna again, I caught her sight upon mine.
And because of that, I chose to remain silent.

"To summarize, Shinozaki… the reason of why you've been feeling uneasy ever since we arrive here, not to mention all of the 'strange things' you claimed has been happening," Yuna continued before eventually pointing at Frea, "The reason behind all of it is her."

I narrowed my eyes.
Yuna is pointing towards me with her Shinai.
No, she's not pointing towards me.
She's pointing towards Frea.

In response, almost immediately I shifted my gaze towards Frea once again.
Frea is looking back at me, her brows furrowed.
It's clear that she understand completely nothing of this matter.
I could see it from her face.

I switched my sight back towards Yuna.
She's still looking both me and Frea.
And at that, I can't help but frowning slightly.

That doesn't make sense.
If Frea was the cause, then I'd be able to tell.
I'd be able to see through her attitudes.

But no, it's not like that.
Could it be that I'm really missing something?
Did something just went without me realizing it?

"…………"

Think, Shinra.
What're you missing?

The cat that's missing one of its hind legs.
The red string that tied around the cat's collar.
The unnatural eerie atmosphere that's surrounding the whole place.
What is it? What am I missing?

"………………"
"… Shinozaki?"

I widened my eyes almost immediately upon hearing Yuna's voice.
As an addition, I gritted my teeth as well.
What is it? Just what am I missing?
Just what went without me realizing it?

The cat with one of its hind legs missing…
The red string that's tied around its collar…

I narrowed my eyes once again.
How come I realized it just now?

"……… I get it now."

No… it's not like that.
Just how come I realized it just now…
The source of all the things that's been happening…
It's not Frea.

No, it's all a false lead from the very start.
Something is leading both Yuna and me to think that Frea is the cause.
Frea wasn't the one who caused all of these misfortunes.

"Those who do not reach their destinations," I started, "Will interfere with the return of others. I recall you said something like that, isn't it, Yamazaki-san?"

"Indeed, I said that," I could hear her reply in return, "What's wrong with it?"

"If I tell you that someone such as Frea who has no idea of who and where she is couldn't be the wandering pilgrimage that's keeping us from getting out of this place," I continued, "…… would you believe me then?"

"…… what made you so sure, Shinozaki?"
"Take a look around you, Yamazaki-san."
"……………"
"What do you see?"
"Countless graves surrounding the two of us."

I gave a small nod before frowning slightly when she gazed back at me.

"There's always something more than what meets the eye," I started tapping my chin with my free hand as I caught Yuna's sight upon mine, "It's my mistake for not realizing it even earlier and causing us to get caught in all of this trouble."

"…… are you saying that Frea is really not the cause?"
"As I was saying, there's no way Frea could be the cause."

I tried to focus all of my energy upon my free hand.
As I took my hand away from Frea as well at the same time.
Getting into one of my knees at the same time, I then tapped the ground.

"…………"

There was a sudden flash surrounding us a few seconds after I tapped my hand upon the ground.
And Yuna almost immediately widened her eyes upon noticing our current surroundings.

"…… can you see it now? They are the reason of why we can't get out of this place."

Corpses.
Countless of living corpses could be seen surrounding the three of us right now.

In an instance, I tapped the ground once again and a yin-yang symbol appeared below us.
It's keeping the corpses from getting closer.
Though it seems that it's not enough to drive them away.
To put it in short, we're still surrounded by them.

"I placed a spell-counter to keep them from getting closer and getting us," I said upon noticing Yuna's frown after I created the symbol below us, "Though I suppose it's still not enough to drive them away."

There was a moment of silence.
But then I furrowed my eyebrows upon hearing Yuna's voice.

"But how come? If such thing could really be the case, then how come I didn't notice it?"

"…… I too didn't realize it earlier," I replied with a small sigh as I got up and straightened my body once again, "And I should say that it's a real shame considering the fact that I'm actually an Onmyouji."

Yuna looked at me in disbelief.
Well, she might find it hard to believe that I'm actually an Onmyouji.
But that could be something to worry about later.

"The reason of why none of us noticed it earlier, I think I could explain about it as well," I continued, taking Frea's hand with mine before pulling her and making her stand in front of me; just between myself and Yuna, "Even though I said that Frea couldn't be the cause, I wouldn't deny the fact that she's also the main reason of why we didn't realize it."

Yuna remained silent.
But so does Frea.

"…… Yamazaki-san, when you entered this graveyard, what did you see?"
"… what do you mean?"
"Did you see a cat that's missing one of its hind legs?"

Yuna paused upon hearing my question.
And I couldn't define her expression even one bit.

"…… I did."
"Is there a red string tied around the cat's collar?"
"… there is."
"What did the cat do when you saw it?"
"It does nothing, but I remember it meowed at me."

I can't help but giving a small smile upon hearing that.

"…… I too saw that cat. The very same cat like the one you saw. And though I didn't notice it at the first time I saw it, at this moment I realized that the cat was charmed," I said after a moment of silence, "We were brought to this situation because we saw it and we heard its voice. That's the reason why we didn't realize it up until now."

Yuna arched one of her eyebrows.
It seems that she get what I'm trying to say, but it doesn't seem that she understand it fully.

"To charm an opponent, you need to at least control two of their five senses. The first sense that was caught by our so-called 'opponent' was our sights," I started, "We saw the cat that's missing one of its hind legs."

I remained silent for a moment.
Before eventually deciding to continue.

"And the second sense that was caught was-"
"The voice… we were caught because we heard the cat's voice."

"Indeed. Most of the people tend to solely rely upon their sight and their hearing," I smiled upon hearing her answer, "And because those two are placed the nearest with our brain, the moment we were caught by it, we wouldn't be able to realize it as the 'opponent' would already get a full control of our brains."

Yuna's expression didn't change.
The most noticeable change came from Frea.
From her reaction, I'm guessing that she didn't expect I'd be able to guess this much.

"Regarding the red string that's tied around the cat's collar, if you observe it closely, you wouldn't be able to see the other end," I continued, "That in itself, is an indirect clue that there's 'something else' that's ordering the cat to charm the people that's coming to this graveyard to visit and pray."

I remained silent for a moment after that.
Before slowly moving my hand away from Frea's hand.
And eventually placing it upon her neck.

"…………"

I could feel something that seemed odd with her neck.
It's as if there's an invisible fabric that's tied around her neck.
And as I grabbed to that fabric, countless of red strings could be seen tied around her neck.

I remained silent as I followed the trail of the red string.
And that moment, I noticed that one of the strings was stretched.
It was stretched towards the group of the living corpses.

I narrowed my eyes briefly as I followed the trail of the string with my eyes.
And I can't help but gritting my teeth upon noticing what's holding the other end of the string.

"…… Rahksasa."

I could feel Frea flinched when I mentioned that name.
And because of that, I know that indeed we're dealing with that thing.

"Yamazaki-san," I called.
"… what is it, Shinozaki?"

"I could propose a way to get the two of us out of here," I said to her, pulling my hand away from Frea's neck to place my full attention towards Yuna, "But in order to do that, I'd need you to help me."

Yuna remained silent and arched an eyebrow.
But upon that, I simply smiled.

"I'd need you to purify the wandering pilgrimage that's keeping us from getting out of this place," I continued, rubbing the back of my left hand with my right hand at the same time, "Once it has been purified, it'd be possible for us to get out of this place."

"……… I don't really mind," Yuna answered, her expression remained the same as she gazed at me, "But how do I purify it?"

"I'd need you to use the creation cycle of the elements in order to purify it. Though it would be easier to use the destructive cycle, I figured that it'd be too dangerous," I replied, "Because of that, it'd be safer to purify it and then I'd use my ability to drag it back down to where it belongs."

Upon hearing my words, Yuna simply frowned.
And I can't help but arching an eyebrow in return.

"What's wrong?"
"… what do you mean by the creation cycle and the destructive cycle?"

I remained silent briefly.
Before catching the sight of the Shinnai that she's holding with one of her hands.

I blinked several times before eventually smiling.

"Yamazaki-san, if I tell you to just attack the holder of the other end of the red string that's tied around Frea's neck," I said, "Would you be able to do it?"

Yuna remained silent briefly.
Her sight moved from me towards Frea.
Then towards the red strings that's tied around Frea's neck.

Her sight then followed the trail of one of the stretched red strings.
And her sight stops at the holder of the other end of the red strings.
The dark figure that's towering among the man-eating corpses that's surrounding us.
The Rahksasa.

"…… it cannot be helped then."
"I'll be counting on you then."
"I understand."
"Well then, we'll start on my signal."
"Anytime you're ready."

I took a deep breath.
And Yuna placed her school bag upon the ground before preparing her Shinnai.

There was a moment of silence between the two of us.

"…………"

And that very moment, I pointed the palm of my left hand forward.
Closing my eyes at the same time as I shouted,

"Open! Kimon Fuuji!!"

I could see a large steel gate forming upon the ground below us.
There's a large cracking sound coming from it.
And in an instant, the Gate motions itself and set straight right in front of the two of us.

Just from the aura coming from it, I could tell it.
This must be the Gate connecting two worlds, the Gate that Gramps mentioned.

"You don't have to worry regarding the cycle of the elements as I will be the one handling it and then passing it towards your Shinnai," I shouted towards Yuna, trying not to break my own concentration so the summoning of the Gate wouldn't be in vain, "Just focus on the elements upon your Shinnai and attack the enemy!!"

Yuna gave a nod upon hearing my words.
And right after that, she took her stance.
Before almost instantly, charging towards the large shadow by the other side of the Gate.

"Wood fuels fire," I started.
"Fire creates earth," Yuna added.
"Earth bears steel,"
"And steel carries water!!"

With each elemental changing, I could see Yuna forcing her way through the group of corpses.

The first element would change her Shinnai into a flaming sword.
The second element would change her flame sword into a mace made from clay.
The third element would change her clay mace into a katana.
And the last element would change her katana into a water sword.

In all honesty, I didn't expect that she'd be able to force her way through just like that.
Three swings of her swords and she already made her way through.
And the last swing from her was given to Rahkasasa.

The Rahksasa gave a loud whine.
And that very time, I know that it'd be the right moment.

"With the power bestowed upon me," I called as Yuna focuses herself on attacking the Rahksasa that's been preventing us from getting away, I raised my left hand for a moment before finally slamming it upon the ground, "Shinra Banshou!!"

The Gate that I summoned gave a large cracking sound before it started to shake.
And all of the sudden, the doors swung open.

A dreadful atmosphere started to fill the whole place.
And from the door emerges countless chains adorned with protective talismans.

"Yamazaki-san, move back now!!"

Yuna shifted her sight towards me briefly.
Before jumping back to get a safe distance from the Rahksasa.
Just in time before the chains from the Gate started tying the Rahksasa at the same time.

The Rahksasa gave a howl of pain as the chains started pulling it back towards the Gate.
Only stopping once the Rahksasa is inside of the Gate.
And allowing the doors to close.
Before vanishing into thin air.

I fell upon my knees almost immediately after that.
Placing my right hand upon the upper arm of my left hand.
There's a strange twist of unbearable pain upon my left hand right after the Gate vanished.
The pain moved straight to my head and I can't even think straight.

"Argh…"

Is this the price of summoning the Gate of two worlds?
I didn't imagine that it'd be this painful…
It's as if it's trying to severe my left hand from my body while destroying it at the same time…

"Shinozaki, are you alright?"

I shifted my gaze to the side.
I could see Yuna standing beside me, still holding the watery sword upon her hand.

I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head at the same time.
And after a few seconds, I could feel the pain easing.
It's must be because of that.
Yeah, that could only be the reason.

"Yeah… I'm fine… no need to worry."
"You seemed to be in a lot of pain earlier."
"…… I'm just a little dizzy because it's the first time I summon that Gate."

I gave a small sigh as I pushed myself up, straightening my body at the same time.
Shaking my head slightly to gather my wits together as well.

"Putting my condition aside, let's get ourselves out of here," I said to her, still placing my hand upon the upper arm of my left hand as I continued, "The condition has been fulfilled so we'd definitely be able to get out of this place instead of just wandering around like before."

Yuna gave a small nod upon that.
And I simply smiled before gazing around.
Only to arch an eyebrow at the very end.

"… wait, where's Frea?"

---

"Where could she be, I wonder…"

I said that mostly to myself regarding Frea.
I took a few minutes to look for her around, but she's nowhere to be found.

Yuna herself said nothing about Frea.
That could only mean that she didn't see Frea as well.

Could it be that she was pulled into the Gate as well?
That's impossible.
The Gate could only pull the target that was marked with the creation cycle of elements.

I remained silent before eventually giving a sigh.
In the very end, there's no use worrying.
I could just hope that Frea would be alright.

"Shinozaki…"

My train of thought paused upon hearing Yuna's voice.
And because of that, I shifted my gaze towards her.

"What is it?"
"I remember you mentioned something like you used that move for the first time."
"Mhmm… and what of it?"

"If you don't mind explaining it to me," she continued as I looked at her, "What was the Gate you used to fend them off earlier?"

"Well… how should I explain it, I wonder…" I started, scratching the back of my head with one hand before eventually arching an eyebrow and looking at her, "You already know about the creation cycle and destructive cycle of the elements, right?"

"…… yes, the creation cycle was the one we used before."

"You see, it's something like a purifying spell-breaker. Kimon Fuuji refers to the Emperor's Gate or otherwise known as the Gate of Hell, the thing that connects this world and the Underworld. The 'Ki' means energy, the 'Mon' means gate," I explained it slowly, wondering if she'd be able to understand it all at the first try, "The 'Fuu' means Seal, and finally the 'Ji' refers to the Seal of the Emperor. That's why it's used as the purifying spell-breaker to summon the Gate that leads to the Emperor of Hell."

As I gazed at her, Yuna simply remained silent.
And at that, I simply gave a small sigh as I scratched the back of my head.

"And the term 'Shinra Banshou' that I used earlier, you might be wondering, but obviously it's not referring to the 'Shinra' inside of my name. It's just a coincidence that my name is the same as the move," I added as I tilted my head slightly, "'Shinra Banshou' in itself refers to the connection between all of the creations. It's an essence that allows me to use a tiny bit power that came from the Gate."

I remained silent, not really sure what else to explain.
And because of that, I switched my sight towards Yuna.
Only to find her looking back at me at the same time.

"…… I see. It's a well done, managing to use it successfully even though it's the first time you use it," her words widened my eyes slightly, and I simply remained silent as she continued, "And for helping me, you have my words of gratitude."

I blinked once upon hearing those words.
Before giving a small chuckle as I smiled towards her.
And eventually replying, "… I'm glad I could be of help."

It doesn't take us really long to reach the front gate of the graveyard.
However, I can't help but widening my eyes upon seeing a cat already sitting there.
It's licking its front paw when we arrived and it simply meowed at us before walking away.

I remained silent for a moment before giving a small sigh of relieve.

"None of its body parts missing, huh…" I whispered to myself, audible enough to let Yuna hear it as well.

"Shinozaki…"
"Nah, it's not there to wait and charm us. It's just giving its thanks to us."

Yuna remained silent upon hearing that.
And I simply chuckled.

In the very end, we stopped right outside of the graveyard.
Standing side by side before eventually looking at each other.

"Well, I'll be going this way," Yuna said.
"… I'll be heading that way," I replied.

Yuna gave a small bow and I simply smiled at that.
Of course, I took no time to bow at her in return.

"Well, I suppose you'll see me around quite often if you're lucky enough," I said to her, "Well, would it be lucky or not, it depends entirely on how you look at it, right?"

Yuna didn't answer and at that, I simply chuckled a bit.
I'm not really good with words, but that's probably the best thing I could say.

In the very end, we bid farewell to each other.
And as Yuna gave a small nod towards me, I simply smiled in return.

"Be careful on your way," I said to her.
Yuna said nothing, but she replied with another nod.

When Yuna's already nowhere to be seen, I gave a small sigh of relief.
Eventually pulling my right hand away from my left shoulder.

There's a small 'thud' sound and at that, I shook my head slightly.
As I gazed to my left, I could see my left hand laying idly upon the ground.
And eventually, I simply gave a small sigh as I get upon my knees.
Before picking up my severed left hand with my right one.

"……… I'd need to re-sew my left hand back to my body once I get back home."

---

I made my way towards the row of houses in silence.
Looking to the left and to the right every now and then to make sure that I'm not lost.

After around ten minutes of walking, I came to a stop in front of one of the houses.
I shifted my sight towards the address.
Just to make sure that I won't get into the wrong place, really.

As I get to the front door, I then placed my backpack upon the ground beside me.
Taking a moment before extending my right hand towards the bell and pressed it.

There was the sound of footsteps and I waited.
However I can't help but widening my eyes upon recognizing the one who opened the door.

"…… Shinozaki?"
"Yamazaki-san?"