The drive to the hot spring town for sightseeing took about an hour by car.


    Nothing unusual happened along the way or at the hot springs. Unlike Tokyo, there were far fewer instances of monster appearances out here. So, there was no risk of being attacked by a monster while driving along these roads.


    The view from Renji-san''s car window was full of lush greenery. It was a kind ofndscape we wouldn''t see in Tokyo… or so I thought, but then I remembered the bear hunt we went on in Okutama when I was five. So, I guess you can see simr scenery in Tokyo after all…


    "So, where are we going now?" I asked.


    "Oh, I thought we''d go to a winery to pick up some wine as a souvenir. We''ll be heading back the day after tomorrow, after all," Renji-san replied.


    "Oh… I see," I responded, realizing that I hadn''t actually asked about the details of our trip''s schedule.


    A two-night, three-day trip is standard for a vacation, but given how busy exorcists like Dad, Renji-san, and Irena-san are, they probably had to go through quite a bit of trouble to secure the time off. From what I''d seen of their workload, I imagined there''d been a lot of nning and adjusting involved.


    Or maybe Akane-san was considerate enough to arrange things for them. It wouldn''t be surprising if she did.


    Speaking of Akane-san, Dad had mentioned getting a letter from her to give to the swordsmith, but I wondered where it was going to be delivered. Probably the inn, right? There''s no way it would be a convenience store pickup—there aren''t any convenience stores around here, anyway.


    Since we''re going back soon, though…


    "I wonder what will happen with school," I muttered.


    "Hmm," Renji-san responded thoughtfully, and Nina-chan, who was seated to my left, flinched slightly.


    "Kamiarizuki is handling things for now, but I doubt the school will reopen right away," he continued.


    "...So, then…"


    Before I could finish my question, Renji-san went on.


    "I think the Board of Education will handle it, but don''t worry—it won''t be a bad oue. The Board has strong ties to Kamiarizuki."


    "Really?"


    "Otherwise, they wouldn''t be able to dispatch exorcists to the school, right?"


    Renji-san looked serious as he exined this.


    I recalled that when I''d just started elementary school, he had told me, "Monsters tend to gather at schools." Monsters are naturally drawn to ces where people gather inrge numbers.


    So, exorcists are dispatched to protect those ces. Unfortunately, due to the shortage of personnel, no exorcists are stationed full-time at our school… or so Dad had exined to me before.


    "That said, ording to thetest report from Kamiarizuki, it seems some of the teachers and students are slowly regaining consciousness. At this rate, everyone should be back to normal within a month," Renji-san added.


    "Oh, I see…"


    I nodded at his positive news, but I couldn''t bring myself to feel genuinely relieved. Yes, in terms of the school situation alone, it was good news.


    Everyone had survived with only a loss of consciousness, rather than death.


    But knowing what Nina-chan had been through, I couldn''t just say, "That''s great."


    I had seen it, after all—the hellish scene that the Sixth-Ranked Marite had created in Ennd.


    As these thoughts swirled in my mind, I noticed arge parking lot and the winerying into view.


    "Hey, Renji-san, don''t exorcists avoid alcohol? Are you still nning to buy wine as a souvenir?"


    "True, exorcists don''t drink, but we''re supported by many people—cleanup crews, Kamiarizuki… all sorts."


    "...Oh," I murmured, nodding.


    That reminded me of how, in my past life, people who went on vacation during long breaks like Obon would bring back souvenirs to share at work. I guess little gestures like that show a person''s character.


    I, on the other hand, had spent my Obon breaks watching YouTube, barely even stepping outside. In hindsight, my past life seems kind of empty.


    While I was lost in these pointless memories, Aya-chan asked Renji-san with interest, "Hey, Dad, is wine tasty?"


    "Well, it depends on the person. I like it," Renji-san replied as he pulled into the parking lot.


    "You kids can''t have wine, but they do have grape-vored soft-serve ice cream and juice here, so I think you''ll enjoy it," he said with a smile.


    "Really!?" Aya-chan leaned forward, unbuckling her seatbelt in excitement.


    "Looking forward to it, Itsuki-kun!" she said.


    "Yeah, I hope it''s good," I replied, taking off my seatbelt as well.


    I had thought a winery would only have wine, but it seemed they offered a variety of items, which was a nice surprise for a first-time visitor like me.


    If they have grape juice, then Nina-chan will be able to enjoy it too. Maybe she could even manage the ice cream?


    Though solid foods might be tough for her, liquids should be okay. Why hadn''t I considered that sooner? As I stepped out of the car, Dad''s group, who had parked nearby, joined us.


    Together, we entered the winery.


    As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by shelves filled with wine bottles and the faint scent of alcohol in the air. I nced around, wondering if they really had juice or ice cream here, and spotted a small food court in the back where they were indeed selling soft-serve.


    But what about the juice…?


    As I scanned the area, Aya-chan tugged on my hand.


    "Look, Itsuki-kun, there''s juice!" she said.


    "Oh? You''re right," I said, noticing a row of bottled grape juice.


    However, the price was about 1,000 yen. Seriously? And it''s in a ss bottle, not even a paper carton?


    I vaguely recalled Dad bringing back a bottle like this as a souvenir when I was too young to go outside… though I don''t remember it being this expensive.


    Then again,pared to the wine bottles, the price actually seemed reasonable. My sense of value was starting to warp.


    While I was processing the price, Irena-san, standing behind us, took Nina-chan by the hand and said, "They also offer samples here."


    Irena-san handed Nina-chan a small sample cup of grape juice, and I took a sip myself, savoring the rich grape vor and aroma.


    A thousand yen… I guess it''s worth the price. As I mused over the taste, Nina-chan softly muttered, "...It''s delicious."


    "Let''s buy some to take home," Irena-san said promptly, cing two bottles in her shopping basket with impressive speed.


    I wanted to get one for Hina to try as well, so I looked around for Dad, but he wasn''t nearby. After a quick scan, I spotted him with Renji-san, both of them perusing the wine.


    "Akane-san prefers red wine, right?" Renji-san asked.


    "She drinks just about anything," Dad replied.


    "Well, let''s get both, then," he said, picking out a red and a white wine. While he was putting them in the basket, Dad''s gaze fell on another red wine.


    "Red wine is supposed to get better with age, right?" Dad asked.


    "Yeah, it''s true, but you''d need a wine cer to store it properly. Are you nning to buy one?" Renji-san replied.


    "No, I just thought it might be nice to keep a bottle as a family memory," Dad mused.


    "That''s a great idea. A good wine should hold up well over time," Renji-san agreed, and Dad smiled gently.


    "Someday, when Itsuki''s grown up, I''d love to share it with him," he said.


    I wondered how many years it would take for that day toe as I walked over to Dad, holding a bottle of grape juice.


    After we finished checking out, we moved over to the food court for grape soft-serve ice cream. There was also in vani avable, but of course, everyone chose the grape vor. I did too.


    It was my first time having ice cream at a winery, and maybe because of that, it tasted richer than regr ice cream… though I realized my reviews always boiled down to whether something tasted "rich" or "nd." I felt a pang of disappointment at my limited pte.


    Despite my thoughts, Hina, Aya-chan, and even Nina-chan were happily enjoying their ice cream, which was a relief to see.


    Just as we were deciding where to go next, Dad''s phone buzzed slightly.


    "Itsuki, we''ve received Akane-san''s letter," he said after checking his phone.


    It was probably an email or a text.


    I couldn''t help but think it would have been fine if she''d just sent a digital message in the first ce… but maybe that was just my modern mindset.


    "What''s the n? If we''re going today, we''ll have to head out now…"


    "Let''s go now!" I urged.


    "You don''t have to push yourself, you know?" he replied, concerned.


    Ordinarily, I might have postponed our visit to the swordsmith until tomorrow. But now, after what Harunaga had told me about the Immortal Realm, I couldn''t wait. I needed to ask the swordsmith if he knew how to reach it.


    Shaking my head, I replied firmly, "No, there''s something I want to ask him."


    "Something you want to ask… I see. Alright, then let''s head out now," Dad said, putting his phone away and heading over to talk to Renji-san and the others.


    Watching him, Nina-chan, who had been standing quietly beside me, finally spoke.


    "I… I''m prepared, Itsuki."


    Before I could ask "for what," she continued, "If… if they ask me to stay behind again… I''ll… I''ll…"


    I could see her legs trembling, trying to mask her fear.


    Thinking back, Nina-chan had been pushing herself ever since we met. She wanted Irena-san''s approval, her attention, and had decided to be an exorcist, even though the mere sight of a monster could trigger her trauma. Even with her scars, she had resolved to keep moving forward.


    That''s why I had to say it.


    "Nina-chan, I…"


    The situation hadn''t changed. After her memories of the Marite had resurfaced and shaken her goals as an exorcist, she was still desperate to prove her own worth, no matter the cost.


    I had to make my position clear to her.


    "I don''t need a cursed sword badly enough to sacrifice my friend."


    That stance would never change.


    The relic could still serve as a fairypanion, even if we didn''t turn it into a sword.


    But friends are irreceable. I mean, really, what kind of person would sacrifice their friend just to get a weapon?


    Apparently, Nina-chan understood, as she fell silent, her expression rxing slightly.


    Just then, Dad and Aya-chan returned to us.


    "Itsuki-kun, we''re going to see that swordsmith now, right?" Aya-chan asked.


    "Yes, that''s right," I replied.


    "I''ming too. I''m sure Nina-chan is going too," she said, looking at Nina, who nodded in agreement.


    "Well then, I have to go too, don''t I?"


    I didn''t quite understand why that was her logic, but then again, I''d never fully understood girls. So, I just gave a casual "Yeah, I guess" and left it at that.


    And so, this time, we all piled into Dad''s car and set off.


    "We''ll stop by the inn first to pick up the letter," Dad said as we pulled away.


    Of course, he''d had it delivered to the inn, I thought as we drove off.


    Thankfully, the inn wasn''t far from the winery, and we arrived in under an hour. After Dad collected the envelope with Akane-san''s letter, we set out for the mountains. Now, Dad was at the wheel as we retraced the route from yesterday.


    As soon as we entered the mountains, thick fog rolled in.


    Visibility was limited, so I used my magic to form a lens to cut through the fog and cleared my view.


    Dad parked the car at the same spot as yesterday, and we started hiking up the narrow trail again. Along the way, Nina-chan ran out of breath, so we took a break before finally reaching the swordsmith''s hut.


    The first thing that caught my attention again was…


    "Hey, Dad, this is a peach tree, right?"


    "Yes, it is," Dad replied.


    Once again, I found it strange that peach blossoms were blooming at the end of autumn. Aya-chan noticed it too.


    "Huh!? Don''t peach trees bloom in March?" she asked, surprised.


    "This is a ce with strong magical currents. In such ces, nts may bloom out of season, stimted by the abundant life energy," Dad exined as he continued walking.


    It was a logical exnation, but I couldn''t help but recall Harunaga''s tale of the Immortal Realm. Still, I''d have to ask the swordsmith for answers.


    Continue your adventure with empire


    Dad knocked firmly on therge door of the hut.


    "Sensei, are you in?"


    We heard a faint shuffling sound from inside, followed by footsteps approaching the door.


    The door opened, and the swordsmith''s cloudy eyes settled on us.


    "You''vee back sooner than expected," he said. "So, have you decided to leave the girl behind?"