In an open space, a little girl is waving a wooden sword. The little girl is dressed in a priestess outfit, with a hair ornament that sways with her movements. She appears to be around seven or eight years old, an age when most children would be attending elementary school. However, the little girl cannot enjoy the happiness that children her age should experience, because she has never had the concept of school in her life. Yes, since birth, the little girl has hardly ever left this home. Although she has ventured outside a few times, it was only to the nearby forest. As for what lies beyond the forest, the little girl is completely unaware. Perhaps it is because this home is located in a very remote area, or perhaps there is simply no need to venture out.
In theory, the little girl should yearn for the outside world. However, from the perspective of the little girl, she can only answer with "I don't know." Because... you cannot yearn for something you don't know exists. To the little girl, this house, which is neither big nor small, is her home and also her world.
From the moment of her birth, the girl has been different from ordinary people. Yes, her family, her environment, and the responsibilities she carries are all different from those of ordinary people. And these differences were predetermined from the moment of her birth, things that she cannot change. The little girl is not confused by this, but rather accepts it resolutely. Therefore, she does not complain about her various differences from other people. Rather, she actively embraces everything, so everything she does from now on is for this purpose. Perhaps others do not realize it explicitly, but the burden that has been imposed on the little girl since birth has become her inherent value, a fact that she understands even more clearly than anyone else. And she has always been working hard with this belief.
On this day, as usual, she is practicing swordsmanship. Although it is a bit early for the little girl, she is still putting in her best effort. Despite not being perfect, she has made significant progress. After finishing her practice, she remains calm and composed without breathing heavily, a result of her daily training.
After the little girl finishes her practice, a voice is heard from the side.
"Tired? Come and take a rest."
The middle-aged woman who has been sitting on the side beckons the girl to come over. Although she is not very tired, the little girl still follows the middle-aged woman's gesture and walks towards her.
After making the gesture, the middle-aged woman takes out a teapot that has already been prepared and pours tea into the cups on the floor in front of them. She then picks up a cup of tea and hands it to the little girl, smiling reassuringly.
"You must have sweated a lot."
"Not really."
The little girl accepts the cup of tea handed to her and sits down on the ground, just like the middle-aged woman. As the middle-aged woman talks to the little girl, she pours new tea into the empty cup the girl has just finished.
Day after day, at some point in time, things started repeating almost the same way every day. If there is any difference, it is that the little girl is growing bigger as time passes, while the middle-aged woman is gradually getting more wrinkles. Originally, the girl hoped that this scene would continue forever, at least in her heart. But reality is always cruel, and one day in the future, everything changed, and this scene came to an end.
As if triggered by something, Hiyori suddenly opens her eyes and wakes up from her dream. As usual, there is a little sweat on her forehead, although not to the extent of being drenched.
Hiyori instinctively sits up and looks around. It is still the same as usual. Yes, from a certain point, this dream has been repeating every night, with the same dream followed by waking up. Everything remains the same, whether it's the content of the dream or the waking situation. The only difference is the environment. This time, after waking up, the surroundings are unfamiliar, instead of the familiar environment from before. The best proof is Asuka, who is still sleeping nearby.
After calming herself down through thought, Hiyori gets up without disturbing Asuka. She looks out the window and sees that the sky is already brightening. Although everything has changed, there is one thing that hasn't, and now is the right time.
After that, it seems that Asuka has something to do with the student council, so she hurriedly gets up and washes, then goes out. As for Ryuto, it's too early for him, so he is still asleep.Hiyori was still dressed in a miko outfit, standing in the front yard with her eyes closed and not moving. Even though she was far from home, Hiyori still believed that she couldn't let her guard down. Although it was called training, it was nothing major. It was just practicing the control of magic power, which was only the foundation for an Onmyoji.
Just as Hiyori was focusing her energy, she suddenly felt a killing intent from somewhere. Although she didn't know what it was, Hiyori instinctively dodged to the side. After dodging, she subconsciously looked at the spot where she had just stood and saw several cracks on the ground. Looking towards the attacker, it was a young woman in her twenties wearing a black casual attire with curly hair. The woman was holding two short knives, indicating that she was skilled in dual-wielding. Her eyes were sharp, as if she had already been through the cruelest battlefield. Her expression was cold and she didn't seem surprised by the failed ambush, as if she had already anticipated it. Surprisingly, the woman spoke first before Hiyori had a chance to respond.
"You do have some skills, no wonder you failed yesterday."
"..."
Hiyori didn't answer, but kept a watchful eye on the woman standing on the wall.
"According to our investigation, you seem to be from The Tsuchimikado Family."
The woman directly revealed Hiyori's identity and didn't wait for Hiyori to speak before continuing.
"Our target to kill is Amagi Ryuto. Although I don't know why you're our enemy, I advise you not to get involved in this matter. It's not beneficial for The Tsuchimikado Family either. Our target is just an ordinary high school student, and I'm just the vanguard. There will be more powerful assassins coming. Although you're strong, can you stop the assassins that will come in the future? Moreover, The Tsuchimikado Family has always stayed out of worldly affairs, but now they suddenly interfere. Although I don't know your purpose, if you let go now, according to international treaties, we won't bother you. That's because we only have one target. If you still don't listen, then we'll have to eliminate you."
As the woman spoke, she revealed a vicious look, as if victory was certain.
In response, Hiyori silently took out a talisman paper from her pocket. The talisman paper transformed into a long sword in her hand, and Hiyori took the initiative to charge at the woman, reversing the passive situation from yesterday.
Seeing Hiyori charging towards her, the woman sounded a bit regretful as she said, "After all that talking, you still plan to be our enemy?"
Facing the incoming attack, the woman didn't dodge, but instead countered Hiyori's attack head-on. Hiyori swung her sword horizontally in the air, delivering a slash, while the woman positioned her dual knives in front to block the attack. Although it was just an instant, it was a considerably long time for the two of them. The clash of swords produced sparks, and both swords trembled continuously, as if they were competing against each other.
The next moment, both sides retreated. The woman returned to the wall, then she put away her weapons with a somewhat helpless sigh.
"My purpose for coming here today was just to confirm, and now I have my answer. My mission is complete. Fighting with you is not within my mission scope. I don't like doing unnecessary things, so let's end it here."
After speaking, the woman disappeared in the same manner as yesterday's assassin. Once the assassin vanished, the sound of Ryuto waking up came from the building. Hiyori let out a sigh, put away her long sword, and walked towards the house.
