Led by Yachiyo, Kozue, Red Ponytail, and Tsuruno set out together to search for the Word Spirit Shrine. Along the way, they learned some things about the Word Spirit Shrine from Yachiyo, including the story behind it—but none of that helped them find the shrine.
"Are you sure it isn't Mizunashi Shrine?"
After wandering the streets all day without finding anything, Tsuruno began to complain. Mizunashi Shrine was the largest, most famous, and only shrine in the area. In fact, whenever people here mentioned a shrine, Mizunashi Shrine was the first thing that came to mind. But Yachiyo clearly did not think so.
"Impossible. Mizunashi Shrine gets so many visitors every day, and most of them go there to pray for good luck in love. In that case, plenty of people would have written down the names of those they loved. If that were true, there should have been quite a few disappearances, and the police wouldn't have overlooked such a clue..."
As she said that, Yachiyo seemed to remember something, and her voice gradually dropped.
"Yachiyo?"
Seeing Yachiyo suddenly stop, Kozue and Tsuruno looked at her curiously. Yachiyo, meanwhile, raised her head.
"What a blunder. How could I forget something so important?!"
"Huh?"
"I need you to help me with something!"
"Ah, okay!"
Seeing Yachiyo's serious expression, Kozue hurriedly nodded. Yachiyo then quickened her pace and headed forward. The others followed closely behind her, all the way to a—supermarket.
"Here, hold onto this. Remember, two bags per person. Tsuruno, go get the canned goods. Kozue, you two come with me."
"..."
Clutching the discounted items in her arms, Kozue blankly followed behind Yachiyo, utterly bewildered.
"Um, Miss Yachiyo, what exactly is this...?"
"Discounted pasta keeps for a long time, and more importantly, there's ten times the cashback today. Do