Book 2: Chapter 106: Sisters of the Moon and Night

Nanako and the ponytailed girl from Takes.h.i.+ta Town were running up a misty trail on the hill.

Senior, please wait a moment. What is it, Miss Nanako?

Nanako looked at the cliff to the side and then at the rugged and precipitous mountain path behind before revealing a deeply worried look.

I wish to return. Eh?

Im worried that even though I left a mark behind Sister Lily and Sister s.h.i.+mizu might not be able to find it in this dense mist. Moreover, I didnt make the mark too obvious because I was afraid that our pursuers would find it. Thats why I wish to return and wait for them at the crossing. If they havent found my mark, they wouldnt rush forward towards one of the paths rashly.

Oh, that makes sense, Nanako. I shall wait for you here, then. Okay? I am dead tired already so I want to rest for a while, the ponytailed girl gasped for breaths while supporting herself by placing her hands on her thighs, utterly drenched in sweat from top to bottom.

She was much weaker than Nanako and the tenseness caused by the thrilling battle coupled with the crazy sprint all the way till here had truly exhausted her.

All right, Nanako replied. Nanako, take the Sakura Parasol with you. Eh, what will you do then, Senior? Ill hide in the bushes behind that rock silently. The mist is so dense, so its unlikely that Ill get discovered. Ill just wait for you here, dont worry. Nanako surveyed the surroundings and nodded, Please be careful then, Senior. Mhm. You too, Nanako!

Mhm! Nanako affirmed and then held up the crimson Sakura Parasol and sprinted down the trail like a pet.i.te mountain spirit before disappearing into the mist.

Lily was looking for marks on both the trails right now, but she failed to find any. However, this wasnt because of the dense mist as Lily had exceptional vision and senses. Unfortunately though, there was no wind when Nanako had pa.s.sed through this area and when the wind current manifested, it blew the piece of cloth that Nanako had tied to a shrub down the cliff. Thus, it was no wonder that Lily failed to find it. As it was a pressing situation back then, Nanako hadnt put much thought into it. Her line of thought was pretty simple, that carving a mark on a fixed spot like a rock would be equivalent to revealing their position to their pursuers, so she thought up this way of tying a piece of her sleeve to the shrub so that Lily and s.h.i.+mizu would find it and get rid of the mark later on. However, it was impossible for her to know that the wind blowing from the Abyssal Rift would be so strong.

At this moment, even Lily felt helpless. She was stuck in a dilemma and her forehead was covered in sweat too.

Do I have to make a guess based on my intuition?

s.h.i.+mizu, on the other hand, hadnt partic.i.p.ated in looking for Nanakos tracks and instead stood silently beside the cliff and gazed at the looming darkness of the night and the bright and desolate moon.

Lily looked at s.h.i.+mizus lonely back and said, Sister s.h.i.+mizu, I couldnt find their tracks

s.h.i.+mizu didnt even turn back as she replied, You neednt worry, Lil Sis. If its that Lil Nanako of yours, she might return to look for us.

Eh?

After all, were much quicker than them. If we havent caught up with her even after a long time has pa.s.sed, she definitely wouldnt abandon us and flee and instead return back here. So, theres no harm in waiting here for a moment.1

Lily felt that s.h.i.+mizus reasoning made sense. There was a chance that Dijon and Mayumi might follow their tracks up to this point, so Lily was afraid that if they chose the wrong path Nanako would end up waiting for them here foolishly and run into Dijon and Mayumi.

Lilys condition wasnt that good right now as the previous move had expended ninety percent of her spirit power. Although she had a good physique, she hadnt rested at all till now even though she had expended most of her physical strength, so it was a bit difficult for her to fight in such a state.

Lily didnt even dare to absorb the animas of the monsters which died from that move lest that sensitive woman, Yuki Mayumi, were to see through her. As such, she was abnormally tired and was in a semi-exhausted state.

Lil Sis Lily, since theres nothing for us to do while waiting here, come, let us appreciate the moonlight together.

Huh? Although Lily was quite tired, she didnt want to disappoint s.h.i.+mizu, so she walked over towards her and stood beside her. The duo stood at the cliffside of the Abyssal Rift fearlessly and gazed upon the moonlit night with unprecedented poise.

Lily, look. The moon is so round and beautiful today Eh? Uhm Say, do you think the moon knows what happened to us tonight? If she does, why is she so calm?

That Sister, the moons gaze spans across millions of years and is omnipresent, so even if she witnessed what happened to us, she may not care about each and every minor lifeform like ours? To her, its just a momentary change, after all, Lilys disheveled hair fluttered within the windy night as a poignant gleam reflected in her moonlit eyes.

You might be right, little sister. How could prideful moon thats ever-present in the nightly sky care about the sadness of common girls like us s.h.i.+mizus dark pupils reflected the cheerless figure of the moon and turned even more depressed.

Sister This made Lily certain that s.h.i.+mizu was still feeling heartbroken after her mirror got shattered, but Lily didnt know how to comfort her, because Lily knew how important the mirror was to her.

Right, s.h.i.+mizu stated in a tender yet cold tone, Lil Sis, can you let me take a look at your mirror?

Eh? For some reason, even though hearing such a request from a sister who knew her secret shouldnt be that unusual, Lily felt a bit restless when she heard it at this moment.

Haha. Dont worry, little sister. Look how full and bright the moon is today. Didnt you say that your mirror can reflect a clear image under the moonlight? I want to experience it too and see just how clear we both appear in the reflection.

s.h.i.+mizus request was quite rational and although the mirror was very important to Lily, in s.h.i.+mizus eyes, it was only an ancient mirror with some spirituality. After considering s.h.i.+mizus current state, Lily decided to comply, as long as it lifted her spirits.

Mhm, Lily nodded hesitantly, and s.h.i.+mizu had taken in this hesitation.

Lily then fished out the mirror that was soaked in her warmth and scent from the depths of the sash cautiously.

Ah! s.h.i.+mizus gloomy eyes lit up when she saw that mirror and she reached out to grab it lovingly with her slender fingers, the sensation making her shoulders quiver.

Come, little sister, s.h.i.+mizu and Lily spun and their feet almost touched the edge of the cliff, knocking down a pebble inadvertently.

s.h.i.+mizu hugged Lilys waist and raised up the mirror together with Lily, slanting it towards their faces under the moonlight.

Ah s.h.i.+mizu moaned from the depths of her heart, So, I look like this in the reflection of little sisters mirror. This is indeed quite unbelievable; the reflection is much clearer than the water mirror spell used by Onmyji. Its just that I look a bit pale in the reflection

No, Sis is very pretty.

How could I be as pretty as you, little sister. You are better than me in this aspect too. You are prettier than me, healthier than me, womanly than me, sociable than me, and even talented than me. Moreover, you even have such a nice mirror, while I have nothing anymore. You are like the bright and pretty moon while I am like the desolate night surrounding the moon2

Robinxen: isnt that too sound?

Silva: I dont know, but Im really scared of s.h.i.+mizu right now, especially after that spoiler Aoi gave me Robinxen: I do not know of this spoiler yet, do not worry. I am in the dark with you fair readers.