Everything had gone just as he had planned, and just after she changed, they both found themselves strolling through the marbled street.
They had both grown closer after yesterday's encounter. She just found him interesting, and surprisingly her attitude towards him didn't change one bit even after she found out who he was.
"Hey," he said, calling her attention, "have you ever heard of an exorcist's first demon hunt?"
She simply nodded her head, shifting her gaze slightly towards him.
"No. What exactly is that?"
He looked at her with a solemn gaze, brushing past the side of his hair with his fingers.
"Oh, never mind. I overheard my mom talking about it yesterday and was hoping that you might know about it."
She kept quiet after that and simply continued to walk by his side with her right hand firmly fitted into her right pocket while she stayed a good distance away from him.
She already knew where they were headed since he had told her beforehand, and it was the only reason why she hadn't turned around and walked back home before they could even start walking.
Being from the Fujiboma household, he surprisingly couldn't find much about her family. There weren't many records on her family either, just that her mom had close ties with his mom until five years ago. That was around the same time they were both born.
While he was interested in her because of the benefits she hoped to gain, she was also close to him due to similar reasons. She was eager to learn from him as much as she could.
They both soon came to a halt, looking forward at a depression in the earth that loomed ahead of them. Megumi quickly walked closer, moving to the side, towards an old bridge that lay ahead.
Yuki followed behind him, her gaze fixed on the ancient cuts streaked on the walls of the depression. They both quickly got onto the ancient bridge. It arched over the void, spanning a glimmering blue stream that lay below.
The stream glittered like a dropped shard of sky—blue, pure, and alive with the sound of miniature waves. The waters sang, tumbling against boulders kissed by pine shadows.
At the very end of the bridge, there were tendrils of fog pooled up, swallowing the path that lay ahead of them. Upon reaching the thick fog, Megumi hesitantly stepped forward into the thick darkness of the fog.
Soon, though, he came out rubbing his eyes vigorously. He was completely blind inside the convoluting fog, and it wasn't just that; his senses also seemed to dull the moment he went inside the fog.
He chuckled awkwardly, slowly drawing his gaze towards the clear blue stream that was flowing beneath the antique bridge.
"I heard that when the moonlight gazes on the moonlight temple, it looks especially breathtaking … enthralling. And the blue lake glimmers with an incandescent hue."
He paused for a moment, now turning his gaze upwards. His ears went past the pillars, quickly peering at the sky. The sun was slowly retreating, the sky was painted orange as shadows stretched, and the bridge formed a dark silhouette over the grateful stream.
Taking a quick breath, he continued:
"Under the gaze of the clear night sky, that's the best time to visit this breathtaking view. The fog disappears along with the gaze of the sun as well."
Yuki quickly turned her gaze towards him, her attention instantly piqued by his last words. Her solemn look had now turned into amusement, with a slight glint of shock.
"Is this a date?"
"No," Megumi answered blatantly, continuing after drawing a quick breath.
"I'll make sure to bring a few flowers with me next time."
He chuckled slightly, turning around. He walked forward, past her and then past their way to the bridge, stopping just a few feet away from the edge of the great ravine.
He looked over at the walls of the cliff, their magnificent weathered walls, and slowly his eyes trailed downward towards the blue stream. It seemed like a resonance of a clear sky in the afternoon—blue, pure, and lively—water sweeping endlessly across boulders.
However, the sky wasn't blue at that moment. The sun was setting, and it was slowly getting darker, and yet the water still shone with a graceful blue radiance.
He kept forward along the edge of the deep depression until he finally caught sight of it—narrow steps leading towards the shore of the beautiful stream.
"Hey!" he called out, turning his gaze towards her.
Having caught her attention, he quickly signaled for her to come where he was. With her short, nimble legs, it had taken her a little while to get there, but regardless, she still made it.
'If it wasn't for how little we were, I'd probably forget that we're both still five.'
Their journey along the edge of the ravine began as soon as she arrived, and after a long walk, they finally arrived at the designated place.
The steps were narrow, much narrower than he had thought. Steep, cramped stone slabs worn slick by time. Fit single file; roots were gripping the edges like veins, dusk shadows swallowing them whole.
Looking down from this angle looked slightly scary now that he could get a good view of how deep the gorge actually was. It would take at least eighty stacks of him to match the height of the steep walls.
His gaze shifted to Yuki, who, strangely enough, was actually enjoying the view. They were planning to descend to the shore of the gorge, but having gotten to the narrow steps, he was really starting to reconsider.
What were they even going down there to do? Their destination was the moonlight temple that was just at the end of the road that spanned across the ancient bridge. It was going to be nighttime soon, and with it, the fog would clear out. Why waste their time…
Before he could finish the thought, Yuki walked past him, stepping onto the first stone slab that lay before her. Putting her hands and legs to good use, she quickly began scaling down the stairs.
The wall of the gorge was more than ninety meters high, which meant that it was going to take her a while to get to the floor.
He gritted his teeth, desperately resisting the urge to slap his palm across his face as he stared down at her. She was fast, having scaled down the first five meters of the steep, sloping steps in the short while.
He descended as well, and after a few minutes, they finally made it to the floor of the ravine, the clear blue stream sweeping against their feet.
Without wasting any time, she bent down, scooped as much water as she could with her hands, and immediately splashed it on his face as she let out a loud giggle. It was quite cute.
Giggling slightly, he ran forward into the shallow edges of the stream. Bending down, he scooped his hands into the water and splashed her with as much water as he could manage.
Their little fun game continued for a while, and before they knew it, the sun had completely vanished, and the moon had now settled in the middle of the sky, bringing forth the end of their little fun game.
It had taken them much more time to scale up the steps of the ravine, but they soon reached the bridge after that. They continued their journey past the bridge and into the narrow path that led to a temple ahead.
The path was a narrow stone trail, winding uphill. There were what seemed to be identical cryptomeria slightly closing in like guardians. At the end of the path lay the temple gate, winds echoing as they blew past.
They both walked through the narrow path, moving uphill past the gate. The moonlight shone brightly, lighting their way. They soon reached the temple, the magnificent building casting a shadow over them.
The moonlight temple was a wooden marvel—weathered cypress, roofs curved like praying hands. At the foot of the temple, hung on ancient statues, were lanterns, incense seeping from them. The statues were magnificent sculptures of praying monks adorned with flowers.
Under the gaze of the moonlight, the view was breathtaking. Taking it in for a while, they both continued forward, ascending the stairs of the ancient temple, and pushing past the doors that lay at the end of them, they entered simultaneously.