Uchiha Ryo was a little surprised. "But she clearly can't see you...."
The youkai named Hotaru lowered her head. "That was a long time ago. That child used to chat with me often when she was little. For a while, we always watched the fireflies here together."
"But one day, she suddenly couldn't see me anymore...."
Uchiha Ryo: "Suddenly... couldn't see you?"
Hotaru nodded, then smiled self-deprecatingly. "Actually, before I met her, I knew. Some ordinary people with naturally high spiritual sensitivity can see some youkai in their childhood."
"But as the children grow up, their spirituality gradually fades... and eventually, they become ordinary people. That's the reason why you humans say children can see things adults can't."
At this time, Kozune also ran over from a distance.
"Lord Hotaru, this is the human who helped my sister."
Hotaru's expression didn't change, as if she had long known Uchiha Ryo's identity.
"It's been a long time since I've said so much to a human. Would you like to hear my story?"
Uchiha Ryo sat on the ground. "I'm bored anyway. I might as well listen."
......
Early the next morning, Uchiha Ryo knocked on the door of the girls' room next door. Then, Yukinoshita suddenly pushed the door open and pulled Uchiha Ryo inside.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?"
Pulled in by Yukinoshita, the first thing Uchiha Ryo saw was Fujiwara Chika pouncing on Chitanda.
"Oh my, is this something I can see for free?"
Yukinoshita rubbed her temples. "Early in the morning, Fujiwara-san woke us all up like she had a nightmare, and then started shouting that she saw a hanging shadow in Room 7 across the way last night."
Last night, huh. He had been outside for the first half of the night, and he hadn't noticed any youkai nearby when he came back.
Fujiwara Chika looked up, still hugging Chitanda tightly, and said slowly.
"Last night, I suddenly got thirsty. When I sat up to drink some water, I saw a hanging shadow vaguely appearing in the room across from us!"
Yukinoshita opened the window and looked across. "Could it be that you saw wrong? After all, if there really was such a thing last night, the inn wouldn't act as if nothing happened."
Fujiwara Chika clenched her fists. "That's the problem! I clearly saw it yesterday, but there was nothing there this morning."
Chitanda Eru rubbed Chika's head, then also put on a serious expression.
"Actually.... I saw it too. That hanging shadow."
When Fujiwara Chika got up to drink water, Chitanda, who was a light sleeper, also woke up and saw the shadow emerging in the darkness outside the window.
"When I woke up in the morning, I thought I had seen it wrong, but Fujiwara-san said she saw the same thing."
Yukinoshita: "What if both of you saw it wrong? After all, there was only moonlight outside at the time. It's normal to mistake something in that dim light."
Chitanda Eru rested her chin on her hand, then suddenly leaned her face in front of Yukinoshita.
"Yukino! Then what exactly did we confuse it with?"
→
"This...."
Chitanda Eru raised her hand. "Let's investigate together! I'm very curious!!"
Uchiha Ryo: "Then just go find the proprietress or Ai-chan and ask them to let us see Room 7. It's an unoccupied room anyway."
Just as the group of four found Hinatsuru Akina and wanted to see Room 7, Hinatsuru Akina just smiled, then nodded at Uchiha Ryo.
"Did you tell them about last night?"
"Last night?" Fujiwara Chika caught the keyword.
"Did Uchiha-kun and the proprietress do something last night?" Chitanda Eru said, seemingly unintentionally but perhaps intentionally.
Yukinoshita's cold gaze swept over. "Uchiha-kun, I misjudged you."
"Wait a minute!"
Uchiha Ryo realized the three girls were looking at him strangely and hurriedly said, "What kind of person do you think I am? Although I admire Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms, it's just admiration!"
Hinatsuru Akina smiled. "Sorry, my phrasing was problematic. Although I don't know your purpose for visiting Room 7, I can probably guess... I'm really sorry."
The proprietress opened the door. The layout of Room 7 was identical to the other rooms, except that a crossbeam had been placed between the two windows.
Hinatsuru Akina picked up a golden yukata from a low table nearby.
"I was drying clothes here last night. If you accidentally saw something wrong, it was probably this piece of clothing."
Fujiwara Chika exclaimed in surprise. "Eh!! So the shadow we saw... was actually just hanging clothes?"
Chitanda: "Is that really it?!"
Yukinoshita: "If it was clothes, why were you drying clothes at night, Auntie Hinatsuru?"
Hinatsuru Akina hugged the yukata. "It seems this little student really didn't tell you about last night...."
Uchiha Ryo said helplessly, "I'm not the type to gossip. Besides, it was late at night. Even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn't get into your room."
This time it was Hinatsuru Akina's turn to blink in surprise. "Eh? Didn't you book two rooms as a cover, but actually sleep together?"
Yukinoshita Yukino: "How is that possible!"
Hinatsuru Akina looked at them awkwardly. "That's really my mistake. I thought....."
At this time, Chitanda suddenly asked. "Wait a minute. If that legend was just Auntie Hinatsuru drying clothes, then is the legend of the Abyss Pool also fake!"
Hearing the words "Abyss Pool," Hinatsuru Akina's expression showed a hint of reminiscence and sadness.
"Sometimes it's hard to keep things inside. Would you like to hear a story?"
Fujiwara Chika and Chitanda Eru, who had the strongest curiosity, naturally wouldn't miss this chance to hear a story, because they both keenly sensed that Hinatsuru Akina definitely knew about the Abyss Pool.
Uchiha Ryo sat aside. The experience he learned from Hotaru perfectly connected with Hinatsuru Akina's own story.
He also finally unraveled the truth of the so-called Abyss Pool from the story.
25 years ago, when Hinatsuru Akina was only 8 years old...
.....