Vol 5 Epilogue (1/2)
Epilogue
The sun was already high overhead in a wide azure su busily in both directions by the tii home The town had come to life in another perfect midsummer day
They had soed to h Nari with thee of the chaos to slip away unnoticed near the end of the battle When the dust settled, he was already nowhere to be seen
Naoe parked in front of the house Nagi, still in her pajamas, climbed out, and the others followed suit
Nagi looked up at Chiaki and said in a s now, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Chiaki replied, nodding “Don’t worry, you’ll be all right now You should hurry up and forget about all the scary things that happened”
“But”
“Hey hey, coo and change”
“P-please stop changing the subject! I—”
Chiaki grinned nonchalantly He crouched down and peered into Nagi’s face “You can just think of everything as a bad dreaet all about it in no ti blithely “There won’t be anyfrom now on”
“”
Nagi had not understood anything that had happened She still knew nothing about they were, what the Dragon God was
“Chiaki-san,” she began resolutely, “youwhat in the world are”
“”
Straightening, Chiaki answered, “I told you, I’ht?”
That last he directed at the two people standing behind him Takaya looked away, unaround
“Nagi-san,” Naoe spoke after a moment, “there is one final question I would like to ask you What did you ask Kuuhachi-san for? What did you wish for in your hundred shrine pilgries?”
Nagi’s face stiffened Takaya pulled on Naoe’s sleeve warningly But after a e”
“What?”
“So that I will be able to live on even if er here Even if there is no one to protect on God could grant any wish”
“”
“Because I’ happens, I i So I wanted to be braver I wanted to walk forward before I started crying”
All of them looked surprised
“Then”
“Does that i looked at Chiaki earnestly “A like that make me weird?”
The three of thei silently for a ly, “That’s not weird at all”
“”
“It’s all right, everything’s going to be fine Your ill definitely couarantees it”
“Chiaki-san”
“But of course I knew that Since we are the Dragon God’s servants Don’t worry He’s heard your prayers You’re a strong girl, and you’ll definitely pull through,” Chiaki stated alingly “Right?”
“”
At that ate Twoover, their faces pale
“M-Miss Nagi!”
It was shi+ohara’s secretary, Yamamoto, and his driver, Aoki
“Where did you go?! We ere so worried!”
“I-I’m sorry”
“When I heard that you were staying in the house by yourself, I got worried and called early thisBut no one was here, and the as open and everything was a mess”
“That’s right, but we’re so glad you’re all right!”
Aoki hugged Nagi, on the verge of tears Chiaki, Naoe, and Takaya looked at each other and smiled wryly
Chiaki laid a hand on Nagi’s head
“See you, Nagi”
“Chiaki-san”
“I don’t think anything else’ll happen, but if anything does, callover wherever I am”
Nagi looked straight at Chiaki “Really? You’ll really come?”
“Yeah, I proer out of his pocket and handed it to Nagi
“He’s my stand-in Call me any time”
“”
“Even if you’re just lonely, okay?”
Chiaki patted Nagi’s head before heading back to the car Nagi called to his back, “Chiaki-san!”
He turned, and Nagi shtly
“Thank you!”
Chiaki smiled back at her and waved They clii stood in the garden, watching as the Presia drove away
She stood there until the car was out of sight
“I guess it was just a malicious rumor after all that she cursed her stepfather to death,” Naoe murmured from the driver’s seat “I wonder if it’s also a lie that she hated shi+ohara?”
“Who knows?” Chiaki coh she didn’t wish for his death, I still think that she did really hate him If not, then she wouldn’t have been possessed by Hisahide’sonryou”
“So Hisahide’s hatred s will probably be hard for her now, too”
“She’ll be all right,” Chiaki replied, sounding ainst the seat “Whatever people say, she’ll be all right as long as there are people who care about her that h” He added, “She’ll be so forward to it”
Naoe sighed in amazement Takaya, who had listened in silence, spoke froer seat
“Hisahide didn’t show himself at all I wonder where he is Shouldn’t we deal with him as quickly as we can?”
“That’s true Since he was controlling the ‘Hiragumo’ remotely, we haven’t discovered his true whereabouts, but he’s probably somewhere around here, near the old capital”
“But if he’s allied hi “Still, that Mitsuhide’s got soo tear him to pieces as soon as wakes up?”