Ai tilted her head slightly, her usually sharp eyes clouded with curiosity. “You saw the dragon…?” she repeated, her tone carefully measured, as if trying to make sense of my words.

  Meanwhile, Yuzu, deep in thought, furrowed her brows before coming to what was probably the worst possible conclusion. “Dragooner bery inside Mashiro stomach?” she asked, tilting her head as if that was a completely normal thing to say.

  I choked on air. “What?”

  Yuzu nodded sagely. “Mashiro bery say dragon disappear… but dragon bery big! Only way to disappear bery inside Mashiro!”

  I facepalmed so hard that I saw stars. “No, no, NO! That’s just silly! Do I look like I can eat something that big?!” I gestured wildly with my arms, trying to emphasize just how impossible that was.

  Yuki, who had been silent up until now, hummed thoughtfully. “I dunno. You were asleep for a while. Maybe you got a little snackish in your dreams?” Her smirk was practically glowing with mischief.

  I shot her a glare. “I did not a eat dragon!”

  Ai sighed, rubbing her temple as if this entire conversation was giving her a headache. “Miss Mashiro, please ignore them. Just explain what actually happened.”

  Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I began to recount everything. I told them about the strange void-like world, the shallow water that didn’t feel wet, and the eerie purple glow. I described the dragon, lying still beneath the silver moon, and how it stirred when I spoke. And, most importantly, I told them about the mysterious voice, the one that had spoken in a language I shouldn't have understood, and how it had referred to two people.

  As I spoke, Ai’s expression grew serious, her usual detached demeanor replaced by deep thought. Yuzu, despite her earlier nonsense, was now listening intently, her ears twitching as she absorbed every word. Even Yuki, who usually had a quip for everything, remained quiet, her fingers absentmindedly playing with a strand of her white hair.

  When I finished, silence fell between us.

  “…Okay, but if the dragon isn’t in Mashiro's stomach, then where did it bery go?” Yuzu asked, blinking innocently.

  I groaned and flopped onto the grass. “Why do I even bother…?”

  I stood up and stretched my arms as I dusted off my clothes, shaking off the last remnants of the weird dream, or whatever that experience had been. As I glanced around, my eyes landed on the small tent that Catherine had set up near the shrine. The sight of it made me pause.

  Right… Catherine. She wasn’t here right now, but she’d gone through the trouble of setting up her tent. It felt wrong to just leave her stuff outside, especially with the unpredictable weather and wild animals that might come snooping around.

  I turned to the others and clapped my hands together. “Alright, let’s move Catherine’s stuff inside the shrine. No point in letting it sit out here.”

  Yuzu saluted with an enthusiastic “Bery aye, sir!” before immediately dashing off to grab something, only to pick up an item that was clearly too heavy for her tiny frame. She let out a strained grunt before stubbornly trying to waddle forward, her ears twitching in pure determination.

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  Ai, on the other hand, simply gave me a nod before efficiently getting to work. Unlike Yuzu’s chaotic approach, Ai carefully assessed what needed to be moved and lifted everything with precise, calculated movements, as if this were just another everyday task. Meanwhile, Yuki? She was supervising, from a comfortable spot under a tree.

  “You could help, you know,” I said flatly, giving her an unimpressed look.

  Yuki stretched her arms lazily, letting out an exaggerated yawn. “I am helping. Look, I’m making sure none of you slack off.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “So you’re just watching us work.”

  “Exactly.” She grinned. “See? You get it.”

  I sighed, shaking my head as I picked up one of Catherine’s bags and followed the others into the shrine.

  Ai’s soft footsteps echoed through the quiet shrine as she carefully carried some of Catherine’s belongings inside. Though her small frame made the task seem almost too much for her, she moved with her usual quiet determination, never hesitating, never showing any signs of struggle. It was almost mesmerizing, the way she handled the task with an eerie sense of ease, as if she were born to tend to this place, as if she had already accepted that this was where she belonged.

  “When will Miss Catherine come back to get her stuff?” Ai asked, her voice calm and even, as if she were merely inquiring about the weather. There was no frustration in her tone, no complaints about the sudden responsibility we had all taken upon ourselves. She was simply curious, nothing more.

  I shrugged, shifting the weight of the three thick tomes I was holding. They were heavier than I expected, and I could feel my arms already growing sore. “I don’t know… probably a few centuries,” I answered, half-joking.

  Ai nodded as if that was a perfectly reasonable response. There was no skepticism, no disbelief, just quiet acceptance. “I see,” she murmured, placing down another of Catherine’s belongings with care. Then, without hesitation, she added, “I’ll make sure to protect these things inside this shrine.”

  I paused mid-step, nearly dropping the books in my hands as I turned to give her a bewildered look. “No, no, you don’t need to wait for her,” I clarified, adjusting my grip to keep the tomes from slipping. “If these things were important, Catherine would probably hurry to get them. So if they’re not, there’s no need to guard them.”

  Ai, however, simply shook her head, her snow-white eyes filled with quiet resolve. “Well, this shrine needs someone to take care of it,” she said firmly, her delicate hands placing a small pouch on the shrine’s wooden floor. There was no hesitation in her words, no doubt, just an undeniable certainty that this was her duty, her purpose. I stood still for a moment, letting her words settle in my mind.

  “I…” I hesitated, my throat suddenly dry. “I and Yuzu are going to Vulprithal,” I finally said, the thought solidifying the more I spoke it aloud.

  Ai barely reacted. She simply nodded, as if she had already known. “Well, that’s the fox kin’s home, I guess,” she said, her tone distant, almost detached.

  Something about the way she said it made my chest tighten. I furrowed my brows, the question forming before I could stop myself. “…Are you not gonna come along?”

  Ai didn’t answer right away. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze lowering as if she were deep in thought. Her fingers traced over the fabric of the pouch she had placed down, a quiet moment passing between us. Then, after what felt like forever, she gently shook her head.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Mashiro,” she finally said, her voice soft but unwavering. “But I’m part of this shrine.”

  The words hit me harder than I expected. I swallowed, suddenly feeling a strange sense of loss. I had known Ai for only a short time, and yet… the thought of leaving her behind felt wrong. Even if she wasn’t the most expressive, even if she didn’t speak much, her presence had been comforting. And now, she was staying behind.

  Ai looked up at me, her usual unreadable expression now holding something gentler, something… reassuring. “However,” she continued, her tone as steady as ever, “I’m still your guardian spirit. So, whenever you need me, or whenever you feel lonely, I’ll appear right beside you.”

  Her words carried a warmth that made my chest ache.

  But they also carried an unspoken goodbye.