'So… Here I am, in Akita.'
Isshun leaned against the side of the small, old-fashioned Japanese truck, the engine rattling steadily beneath him as cool wind rushed past.
The air smelled faintly of grass and soil, with a hint of fertilizer carried in from the nearby fields.
He looked out at a view that would probably make the average Japan glazer lose their mind over the aesthetics.
The classic Japanese countryside… which, honestly, kind of looked like any other countryside.
Nejire, on the other hand, was half leaning over the truck bed, pointing excitedly at everything they passed.
"That hill there? I used to sled it down during winter!"
"And that field? There's so many frogs at night!"
"Oh! And that's the path that leads to—ah, never mind, I'll just show you later!"
'...It seems this vacation only made her more hyper,' Isshun thought.
'It's more hilly than I thought. But then again, it is Akita.'
The village itself was a flat farming settlement, but it was hemmed in by mountains on both sides, with only a single, slightly out-of-the-way road leading in and out.
"Sooo, what do you think?" Nejire asked, sliding back to his side, her eyes shining as she waited for his opinion.
"Well…"
If there was one undeniably good thing about the countryside, it was probably the air, right?
"I guess the air is kind of nice?" Isshun shrugged.
Nejire froze for a moment, then puffed out her cheeks dramatically. "Eeh?! That's it? You're supposed to talk about the view, not the air!"
"The view is nice too." Isshun added belatedly.
"That doesn't sound sincere at all," she said, leaning closer, clearly trying to peer into his face for a reaction.
"Caught."
"Hey!"
He wasn't really upset about Nejire's outburst back then about "being partners for life."
She was young, and with the pressure his mom had unintentionally put on her, something like that happening wasn't surprising.
What was mildly troublesome were the even weirder looks their parents had started giving them afterward, especially whenever he and Nejire played together before summer break.
It felt less like concern and more like they were watching some painfully sweet romance drama unfold in real time.
Nejire had gotten a spanking when she went home that day, but she seemed to have accepted that outcome as long as it meant she could still get Isshun to come visit during summer vacation.
Not long after, Kako had apparently explained Nejire's little stunt to Shiori, who then rather enthusiastically agreed to the Shunkan family's sudden vacation plans despite Nejire's punishment.
Unfortunately, due to how tiny the population of Nejire's hometown was, there were no hotels or inns to speak of.
Instead, Nejire's grandparents, who were basically regarded as the village chiefs, had generously offered to let the Shunkan family stay at their home.
At the moment, Nejire and Isshun were hitching a ride with a kind neighbor to the nearest convenience store, which was a few kilometers away.
It was the sort of community where everyone knew everyone else, so when Nejire spotted the neighbor earlier, she'd asked without hesitation, and he'd agreed just as easily.
'...When Nejire said she lived in the countryside, I didn't expect this much of a countryside,' Isshun thought.
Looking around at the sparse traditional buildings, with no obvious hero presence or modern amenities in sight, Isshun couldn't help but wonder how Nejire had kept herself entertained before moving away.
'With a place like this, it almost feels like the whole "future century" part of the MHA world doesn't exist here.'
Isshun's gaze suddenly snagged on something out of place.
'...Is that a Lawsons?'
A single modern convenience store stood among the traditional buildings like it had been dropped there by mistake.
"Oh, Shun-chan, I see it!" Nejire pointed excitedly as they approached the convenience store.
'So I wasn't imagining it.'
--<>--
The uncle had only been headed in their general direction, so after dropping them off, he couldn't take them back.
Isshun and Nejire bowed deeply and waved until he disappeared down the road.
Isshun briefly glanced at the uncle's hands, which were oddly shaped, almost like chicken feet.
'I'm more surprised that I'm not surprised,' he mused, bowing again.
They walked back along the dirt path, each holding a snack they'd picked out.
"Hmm… what should we do first?" Nejire wondered aloud, practically vibrating with excitement.
There were so many things she'd always wanted to show Isshun if he ever came to her hometown, and now that he was actually here, the list felt endless.
The creek near her house.
The abandoned shrine.
Her secret hideout.
So many things to introduce!
"Well, I came because you wanted me here," Isshun said, adjusting the too-large wide-brimmed hat perched on his head. "I'll just follow your lead."
"Mhm! Then let's go… to the creek first!"
"Sure. Let's tell our parents first though."
"Yep!"
--<>--
When they returned to the relatively large Hado home and stepped inside, the atmosphere immediately felt… off.
It was too quiet.
"Grampa?" Nejire called out, her voice echoing in the silence.
No answer.
She glanced toward the entryway and noticed several pairs of shoes missing.
"…Huh?"
Nejire hurried through the house, checking room after room, her steps growing faster. "Grandma? Mom?"
Nothing.
"Weird… where'd everyone go? They wouldn't leave without telling me anything…" Nejire muttered, turning around to ask Isshun, only to realize he wasn't behind her.
'…Did I move too fast?'
"Shun-chan?! Where are you?!" she called out, panic creeping into her voice. If Shun-chan was gone too, what was she supposed to do?!
"Relax, I'm right here," Isshun replied tiredly.
He was lying on the living room floor, staring up at the open courtyard, a folded note in his hand.
"Oh! Shun-chan!" Nejire rushed over and dropped beside him with a relieved sigh. "You scared me…"
She leaned over to peer at the note. "What's that?"
"Just a note left by my mom."
On the note read:
[Shun-kun,
One of the nearby uncles seems to have gone missing in the mountains.
Since Genzai and I wanted to help, we followed after him along with the Hado family. He apparently has frequent memory loss, so it doesn't seem too serious. If we don't return in a few hours, please call the police!]
'…That's absolutely a death flag,' Isshun thought.
"Shun-chan, we have to help!" Nejire said immediately, already on her feet.
"Sure," Isshun replied easily. He'd been planning on helping anyway.
Leaving Nejire alone wasn't an option, and as long as she stayed within a hundred-meter radius of him, she couldn't really be any safer.
With his newly dubbed Omniscient Domain, Isshun felt fairly confident.
They'd only left recently, so they couldn't have gone too far.
"This is the debut of the Blueberry Vanilla Duo!" Nejire declared excitedly as she filled two water bottles and handed one to Isshun.
"Yeah."
'…She's not wrong.'
--<>--
A/N: Some might have noticed i changed the name, some people complained about getting clickbaited so just decided to change it