The lingering warmth of the bonfire night still remained somewhere in the air. The sensation of that cold hand wouldn't leave Souichi's fingertips. That moment when Gintsuki had silently placed her hand over his—the confusion and warmth mixed together in a strange sensation he couldn't quite name. Unable to find the right words for it, Souichi gazed at the shelves of the morning dew grass shop. The Dantanzan Mountain Range—a massive mountain chain that divided the Bankaida Continent east and west, with Kouyenbuchi said to lie beyond it. There were three routes to cross it. Even the most common one, the Lament Strait, took four days to pass through. In any case, gathering information at Watase Station would be the priority. "I'd like a bit more intel before we cross the mountain range," Souichi murmured as if to himself, picking up bundles of medicinal herbs from the shelf. Gintsuki beside him was already carefully examining about three bundles. Her selection method was always precise, but Souichi still couldn't figure out what criteria she was using. At that moment, a voice came down from above. "Mountain range crossing, you say! Man, you're lucky—I know all about it!" A young man was leaning out from the upper shelf, near the top of a stepladder. Around seventeen or eighteen years old. Wavy chestnut-brown hair, round eyes with a friendly look, small dimples on his cheeks. He wore a canvas apron around his waist, so he must be the shop clerk or owner. His smile was less about being friendly and more like his lack of caution had simply spilled outward. "I've got a pretty good grasp of the Kurenkan Sect's patrol patterns too. The Suishou Cavern—a shortcut near the western foot of the Dantanzan Range, a detour route around the Lament Strait—I've got info on that place too. I'm Serizawa Tougo, the owner of this dew grass shop. I also buy magical beast materials. I know everything!" He puffed out his chest. From atop the stepladder. The next instant, his foot slipped. *Crash.* Bundles of medicinal herbs cascaded down from the shelf like an avalanche, and Tougo's face plunged directly into the center of them. Tsukisou grass—a medicinal herb with thin white leaves, worth five silver rings per bundle, an expensive item—struck him directly in the nose. "Achoo!" Once. "Achoo-achoo-achoo!" Three times in a row. The leaves stuck in his nose wouldn't come out, and Tougo writhed in the mountain of tsukisou grass, his face turning bright red. Souichi laughed. Out loud. It might have been the first time he'd laughed like that since coming to this other world. Then, beside him, something shifted. Gintsuki walked over wordlessly and, with an expressionless face, smoothly pulled out a single leaf of tsukisou grass stuck in Tougo's nose. Tougo froze. Souichi froze too. Gintsuki simply placed the leaf she'd pulled out on the counter and returned to the shelf with a face that suggested nothing had happened. "...Thank you very much." Tougo said it in a hoarse voice. His cheeks were red, and it didn't seem to be entirely from the medicinal herb allergy. ＊ "The condition is priority purchasing rights for magical beast materials. I'll buy them at fifteen percent off the quest reward. I can teach you a shortcut that saves two days compared to the Lament Strait, and I know the patrol times of the Kurenkan Sect. I'll even guide you." Facing them across the counter, Tougo laid out his conditions with a calm expression, as if his earlier mishap had never happened. His tone was quick to switch, oddly practiced. Souichi crossed his arms. There was room for negotiation. Saving two days was significant. The fact that he knew the Kurenkan Sect's patrol patterns seemed almost too convenient, but it wasn't unnatural for an information broker to have information. However— *(Where did he get information about the Kurenkan Sect?)* As Souichi's gaze drifted sideways, Gintsuki glanced at Tougo. Just for an instant. A needle's-point span of time. Gintsuki's brows drew together slightly. That was all. The next moment, her expression was already back to its usual blankness. But Souichi saw that change clearly. Eyes that had spent over a decade reading the minute movements of students' bodies in the dojo didn't miss it. He'd have to confirm later. "Wait a moment," Souichi said that to Tougo and gently pulled Gintsuki's shoulder. They stepped behind a shelf and lowered their voices. "Does something about him bother you?" Gintsuki paused for a moment. She shook her head. But—immediately after, Gintsuki's fingertips gently grasped Souichi's sleeve. She didn't let go. The coldness transmitted through the thin fabric brought that bonfire night back to Souichi. *(She's sensing something. But she's not trying to stop us—that's what this means.)* The value of information and an unshakeable unease. Neither won out in Souichi's mind. Still, he made his decision. A journey without information would expose Gintsuki to even greater danger. If that was the case, bringing Tougo along was the better choice. "Come with us." With those words, Gintsuki's fingers quietly released his sleeve. It was tacit approval. ＊ The next morning, before dawn, the three of them left Akanagi Town. Tougo immediately wedged himself between Souichi and Gintsuki as they walked. He was about as tall as Souichi's shoulder, and his pace was quick. His mouth was quicker. "So what's the relationship between you two? Master and student? Parent and child?" "Travel companions." Souichi answered, and Gintsuki took half a step closer to his side before he could say more. It was a gesture that seemed to seal the answer. "Then lovers?" "No." He said it while turning slightly red. He was aware of it. Aware that he was turning red. This was the worst. Gintsuki neither denied nor affirmed. She simply stared at Tougo. Her silver eyes, unreadable in emotion, fixed on him directly. Tougo's mouth snapped shut. After about three seconds of silence, Tougo suddenly cleared his throat and began explaining the cavern's structure. It had two levels, the first made of limestone, the second of suishou stone—a special rock with a greenish tint—and the passages left behind by former miners served as the actual route, he explained. Souichi listened to Tougo's explanation with half his attention, while his awareness remained fixed on the distance between him and Gintsuki. Half a step. Just half a step, but closer than before. That single fact was oddly loud in Souichi's mind. The cavern entrance came into view before noon. The Suishou Cavern—a natural passage utilizing mining excavations, opening into the rock face at the western foot of the Dantanzan Range. The entrance was wide enough for about three people to walk side by side, and greenish mineral veins ran through the rock surface. Air was leaking from the cavern's mouth. Souichi narrowed his eyes. *(The wind flow is strange.)* In a natural cavern, convection would form from the temperature difference between outside and inside air. But the flow he felt now was being pushed out from the depths at a steady rhythm—as if something was moving. "Let's go in." Tougo stepped in first. Souichi hesitated for a moment. His instinct was trying to say something, but Tougo's light voice cut off its continuation. "Don't worry, I've been through here before." Souichi met Gintsuki's eyes. Gintsuki walked ahead without expression. The three of them entered the cavern. ＊ The depths were dark. The oil lamp Tougo carried illuminated the rock walls, and the green veins of suishou stone glowed in the flickering flame. The ceiling was low, and voices echoed strangely. Since entering the second level, Souichi had felt an extra set of footsteps. When Souichi was about to speak, Tougo stopped. The darkness beyond the lamp's reach moved from all directions. Five shadows. They had human shapes, but horns outlined their backs. Demons. And their equipment was heavy—chain mail under leather breastplates, short swords and hand axes, two of each, at their waists. The Kurenkan Sect's elite were stationed here. The retreat was cut off. Tougo slowly turned around. "Sorry about this, old man." The friendly smile was there. Except his eyes weren't smiling. "I was always a tool of the Kurenkan Sect. We had a contract—I'd hand over Gintsuki." Something inside Souichi shattered with an audible crack. The trust he'd been trying to build since arriving in Akanagi Town—the unfamiliar sensation of laughing at Tougo's clumsy mishap, judging there was room for negotiation, bringing him along. It all tore apart in an instant. "Yeah, sorry about that. But hey, information brokers eat by trading information, right? It's just business." Tougo shrugged as he spoke. He didn't seem bothered at all. He moved through this moment of serious betrayal with a lightness that seemed out of place. A casual air hung in the cavern. Souichi drew his sword. He positioned himself in front of Gintsuki. Gintsuki's fingertips gently grasped the fabric of his back—she was preparing for incantation. He could feel that from behind. But large-scale word-weaving in a confined space would cause a collapse. The ceiling was low, and suishou stone was vulnerable to vibrations. Gintsuki would know that too. "Come on." He said it low and quiet. The elite moved. ＊ The first one came straight at him. Magical barrier—a thin shield demons deployed over their skin, physical protection—enveloped its body. A normal sword would be deflected. But Souichi's blade somehow passed through the magical barrier. He still didn't know why. Why did a swordsman without magical power cut through a demon's barrier? Not understanding, Souichi trusted it and swung through. The first demon slammed into the rock wall and stopped moving. Without pause, the second and third came from both sides. The enclosed space was disadvantageous for Souichi. Sword technique required space for distance management. With a low ceiling and walls closing in, the directions he could move his body were limited. Gintsuki chanted. Briefly. Minimal word-weaving. Thin ice spikes formed, pinning the third demon's feet. The suishou stone above creaked slightly. Not the sound of breaking rock, but the unpleasant noise of responding to volume changes. She couldn't cast anything stronger. After pushing back the second demon, Souichi misjudged what was behind him. The fourth demon had circled from the shadow of the rock wall. A short sword slashed across his back. Deep. Below the shoulder blade, diagonal. He could feel the skin and muscle opening clearly. Souichi lurched forward, his hand hitting the rock wall. His vision went white for an instant. The heat spreading across his back consumed his entire body. Blood dripped down the rock face with a sound that was oddly clear. His knees buckled. At that moment. "Souichi!!" Gintsuki's voice shook the cavern. Souichi stopped moving. Until now, whenever Gintsuki used her voice, she always economized. She was constantly aware of her word-weaving capacity—the risk of losing her voice from overusing incantations. That was this woman's iron rule. Now it was a scream. A shout that wrung everything from her throat. Trembling. Calling Souichi's name. More was packed into that voice than any words he'd heard from her before. *(She ignored her word-weaving capacity.)* Gintsuki began her incantation. It was long. An incantation of unprecedented length echoed through the cavern. A succession of ancient language words reverberated off the rock walls, layering and overlapping. The ceiling groaned. Cracks appeared in the suishou stone veins. The entire space trembled slowly, deeply. Souichi gritted his teeth and pushed himself up. Avoiding the collapsing rocks, the elite demons stopped moving. A sudden cold enveloped the entire cavern—the temperature dropped dozens of degrees in an instant. Breath