The train today wasn't too crowded. At least, the three of them had plenty of space to stand together.
"The thing you need to do, it's about Hiratsuka Shizuka."
Natsuo leaned against the train door, reaching into his bag.
After a moment, he pulled out a glass jar of sweet potato sticks, opened it, popped one into his mouth, and chewed thoughtfully. "You're not a bad person. Not cold or heartless. But the only person you really wanted to see was your daughter. Me running into you happened because your soul unconsciously followed her."
"It's your lingering attachment that's affecting you. There's a connection between you two. What you need to do, it's tied to her."
"Is that so?" Yū looked troubled for a moment, then sighed. "I honestly don't know what it is. I'm sorry for putting you through all this trouble."
Natsuo glanced at her but didn't say anything else. He just chewed on his sweet potato stick, watching the scenery change outside the window.
Once they passed through one more tunnel, they'd be in Kamiyama Ward. Rice paddies and vegetable fields as far as the eye could see, dotted with small hills.
Summer had just arrived. The late rice planting would be starting soon. Eru would probably be thrilled to run around the fields, and he'd likely get dragged along.
Yukino stood beside them, listening to the exchange, quietly absorbing and processing.
When it came to interactions between the living and the dead, and the matter of reincarnation, all she could do for now was learn. The only one with any real experience here was him.
…
Yukino thought about the information she'd gathered from their conversation that afternoon, and finally couldn't resist asking. "Hiratsuka-san, what exactly is a 'Heavenly Officer'?"
Yū glanced at the boy walking ahead and answered in a low voice. "The hereditary shrine keeper of Miyagawa Shrine in Kamiyama Ward. That's what they're called."
Yukino's brow furrowed slightly. "I mean… what does it represent?"
This time, Yū was quiet for a moment before answering. "If a shrine maiden acts on behalf of the gods, then a Heavenly Officer acts on behalf of Heaven."
Yukino turned to look at her. That explanation was… a bit vague.
Yū gazed at the small hill at the end of the fields, a nostalgic look in her eyes. She reached out and ruffled Yukino's hair. "My teacher used to tell me that Heavenly Officers handle everything from exorcising evil, protecting the land, guiding souls, and even commanding the rain and clouds."
Yukino's eyes widened slightly as she listened.
She instinctively looked at the boy walking ahead.
If that was true… then didn't that make him some kind of incredibly good person?
"Don't pin weird labels on me. I'm not a Heavenly Officer." Natsuo glanced back briefly before continuing forward. "Sending you to reincarnate was just luck."
Yū leaned closer to Yukino's ear, lowering her voice further. "Yukino, when you want to understand someone, don't listen to what they say. Watch what they do."
Yukino thought about that, then leaned in to whisper back. "But even that isn't always enough to judge someone accurately."
"Then look at their eyes."
Yū gently stroked the girl's soft hair and spoke softly. "Look into their eyes. Eyes are the one thing that never lie."
Yukino blinked, uncertain. Was that really reliable? Judging someone's true nature just by looking into their eyes?
Natsuo didn't turn around. He just clapped his hands lightly. "Oh yeah, great idea. Judge people by looking into their eyes."
Yū smiled at the figure ahead. "My teacher taught me that, you know."
Natsuo was quiet for a moment, then looked up at his house. "She tricked you. She had bad eyesight."
He stepped into the yard, and the first thing he saw was someone sitting on the porch bench, staring off into space.
Chitanda Eru's eyes lit up. She jumped up, ran down the steps, and grabbed his hand. "brother! The TV arrived this afternoon! It's huge!"
Natsuo let her pull him along, glancing toward the living room. "How huge?"
Eru struggled to find the words, thinking hard.
While thinking, she noticed another person walking into the yard. "Eh?"
"Yukinoshita-san?"
She let go of his hand, took a few steps forward, and gave a gentle smile. "It's been a while, Yukinoshita-san."
Yukino straightened her posture. "It has been some time, Chitanda-san."
Natsuo glanced at them, shrugged, and headed into the living room.
A daughter of a big family, and another daughter of a big family. Actually, no only Yukino was from a big family. Eru was farming class. Her family just happened to own a lot of farmland.
He stepped into the house and looked at the TV across from the sofa.
It really was huge. Probably good for gaming.
He walked a few steps, picked up a cucumber from the coffee table, and took a bite.
"Is it good, brother?" Eru had followed him into the living room, asking at the perfect moment.
"Good , really fresh, was it picked today?" Natsuo took another bite.
"Mhm. The first batch of the season." She picked up another cucumber from the coffee table and handed it to Yukino. "Here, Yukinoshita-san. Give it a try. It's really refreshing."
"Alright. Thank you." Yukino glanced at Natsuo, who was still munching away, and took a bite without hesitation.
Eru watched her, eyes crinkling with a smile, then grabbed one for herself.
Yū sighed quietly and settled onto the sofa. Under these circumstances, it was better for her not to eat. She might end up startling little Eru.
"Oh, no!" Eru hurriedly swallowed her bite and looked at Natsuo, visibly conflicted. "These cucumbers were supposed to be for cooking, elder brother."
"It's fine. A few eaten won't matter. And cooking with that tall stove is a pain anyway." Natsuo waved it off.
He sprawled out on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. "School is exhausting."
Eru walked over, sat beside him, and started rubbing his arm with a serious expression. "Then let me give you a massage, elder brother. Mother says this helps chase away tiredness."
"Thanks, Eru." Natsuo didn't stand on ceremony.
Yukino watched from the side, eating her crisp cucumber, a look of disdain in her eyes. Exhausted? You didn't pay attention to a single lesson all day.
She was slightly surprised by how comfortable the two of them were with each other.
She'd known he had some connection to the Chitanda family, but she hadn't expected them to be this close. There was none of his usual prickliness. He seemed completely at ease, a completely different person from what she usually observed.
She turned away from them and started taking in the living room instead.
A large sofa with a coffee table in front, the TV beyond that, and a smaller sofa off to the side. Simple and minimal.
This area was for entertaining guests. The kitchen and dining table were through that way, and the hallway in the middle led deeper into the house. It was a fairly spacious place. He must feel pretty alone here, living by himself.
As she was looking around, she heard voices from the other side.
"What brings Yukinoshita-san here today?"
Yukino answered smoothly. "I was invited to come see the area. He and I are in the same class."
"I see. That's nice. I wish I could be in class with elder brother too." Eru looked a little disappointed.
Yukino hesitated for a moment. "I think if you talked to your parents about it, they'd probably let you."
Eru shook her head firmly. "I can't. I'm the only daughter of the Chitanda family. There's a lot I need to learn about agriculture. Staying in Kamiyama makes it easier to help out and study after school."
"I see." Yukino nodded softly.
It's not so different, she thought. I have to study hard too, to follow in my sister's footsteps, and my mother's. Because I'm a daughter of the Yukinoshita family.
Eru glanced at Natsuo, still sprawled on the sofa. She stopped massaging his arm, got up, and led Yukino to the smaller sofa to sit down. Her eyes were bright with curiosity. "How did you meet my elder brother?"
Yukino glanced at Natsuo, still lying there like a starfish, then looked down at her hand, which Eru was still holding. With certainty, she said, "I helped him catch the person who was stealing his indoor shoes. We got to know each other after that."
Eru's eyes went wide. "Eh? There are people at school who steal elder brother's indoor shoes?"
Yukino nodded. "More than one. All boys."
"Ah…"
On the larger sofa, a boy and a ghost shifted their gazes lazily toward the two heirs of prominent families, now huddled together and chatting.
Natsuo rolled his eyes. The facts weren't wrong, but the meaning was completely twisted.