Kays Translations

Chapter 3-17: The Name Holder

"What's wrong, Itsuki-kun?"

Looking at Aya-chan's perplexed face, I blinked and glanced around.

I was standing in the forest where we were just a moment ago.

The mysterious village and strange voices were nowhere to be found.

But only our hands remained connected, which I held out to help Aya-chan when she was about to fall.

When I let go, a scattering of rainbow light dispersed and disappeared.

There was no doubt. Aya-chan and I were resonating again.

And the last thing I heard was the name she introduced herself as, "Ice Snow Princess."

It was something that Momoka-san, Aya-chan's mother, had mentioned. Named monsters, like Ice Snow Princess, were all "Sixth Rank."

In other words, they were on par with Raiko douji, a monster with a name.

Such a being was residing inside Aya-chan.

Why did it possess her?

And why didn't Ice Snow Princess take over Aya-chan completely?

...Could it be that she was accumulating power within Aya-chan?

For instance...this is just a hypothesis, but perhaps Ice Snow Princess was injured in a battle with other exorcists and took refuge within Aya-chan to heal?

No, if that were the case, she wouldn't have introduced herself.

If she were injured, she wouldn't voluntarily take on any additional risks.

Then why? I couldn't figure it out.

I tried considering various possibilities based on the information I had, but each hypothesis would emerge and then disappear.

And as I was lost in thought, my cheek was pinched by two hands.

"Itsuki-kun?"

I raised my head quickly, and there was Aya-chan, tilting her head with a puzzled expression. She seemed like she wanted to ask, "Are you okay?"

I pushed aside all my thoughts from earlier and smiled at Aya-chan.

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Okay then, let's go. This way!"

"Oh, wait a minute!"

"...?"

Facing Aya-chan's questioning eyes, I reached out my hand.

"I need your help."

"Huh? Sure, what is it?"

I hoped that the "rejection" had been lifted and held her hand. Unfortunately, we didn't resonate again.

"No, it's nothing. Just make sure you don't trip again."

"It's okay! I won't fall anymore!"

Aya-chan said that and walked ahead. I followed her from behind.

...It's probably better not to tell her about this story.

I should share it with Dad, Renji-san, and Shirayuki-sensei once we get back.

But Aya-chan should at least know what happened one month ago.

"Hey, Aya-chan, there's something I want to ask."

"What is it?"

"You told Shirayuki-sensei that you made friends when you went to work with Renji-san. What kind of person was she?"

Perhaps that girl is Ice Snow Princess.

With that thought in mind, I asked Aya-chan, and she replied, "Um, well... her name was..."

Aya-chan paused and mumbled.

Then she placed her index finger on her forehead and contemplated, saying, "Hmm..."

"Oh, I can't remember her name..."

"Maybe you forgot."

"Yeah, that's possible! But I remember what she looked like. She looked just like me."

"...Huh?"

Thinking about the girl whom Aya-chan described as a look-alike, I recalled the scenery I saw during our resonance.

A girl who looked just like Aya-chan.

"Also, she's hardworking. Even though she's the same age as me, she takes care of her younger brother. She has three younger siblings, and since their parents both work, she does the housework. She's amazing, right?"

"Housework?"

"Yeah! She cooks meals instead of her mom. Isn't that great?"

Aya-chan's eyes sparkled as she spoke, showing her genuine admiration for that girl.

But a girl who looks just like Aya-chan and helps with housework and child-rearing...hmm.

I recalled the scenery I saw during our resonance.

...Where was that place?

It's likely Aya-chan's mental world, but if that's the case, it means the place where Range-san and Aya-chan went for work was a village living such an outdated lifestyle.

Well, there are various people in Japan...but in this day and age, are there really people living in houses with thatched roofs, washing clothes without using a washing machine?

...I suppose there are.

I can't deny the fact that there are all kinds of people in the world.

But still, people nowadays don't call Kyoto "Kyo no Miyako."

And who the heck is Benihoushi? I've never heard of them.

Hmm, no use. No matter how much I think, I can't find an answer.

While I was pondering, a voice echoed from somewhere.

"...Hey."

It was a faint, small voice.

Someone was calling.

I searched around for the source of the voice, but there was no one nearby.

Could it be the voice of another exorcist participating in this?

"Yeah, Aya-chan, don't you hear that voice?"

"Yes, I feel like someone is calling."

Seems like we didn't mishear.

So we stopped and listened carefully, and the voice echoed again.

"Hey!"

This time, it was louder than before.

It was close.

Where could it be? As I looked toward the sound, there was a big mouth.

Just a mouth.

It was about 50 centimeters in size.

A thick leg protruded from behind its thick lips, standing between the trees, not trying to hide. No, it wasn't hiding. It stood out.

The mouth moved with a muffled sound, opening wide.

Yellowed teeth and a tongue thicker than its lips protruded.

"Hey!"

As if calling out to someone.

...It's a monster.

"Itsuki-kun, look."

"Yes, I know."

Since Aya-chan couldn't use magic, I extended silvate, shooting at the monster.

The monster turned into black mist without any resistance.

In terms of resistance, it was probably a "First Rank."

But why would there be a monster in a place like this?

This is an exorcist facility, after all... I was thinking about it when Aya-chan, who was standing next to me, murmured while looking at the black mist.

"...Hey, could this be what Itsuki-kun's dad mentioned as a 'small accident'?"

"Yeah..."

Now that she mentioned it, I vaguely remembered something like that.

It was originally a training to learn the importance of exorcists working in pairs.

So the best way to put it into practice is to face real situations.

...It's like a Spartan training.

With that in mind, I decided to continue walking with Aya-chan towards the goal.

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