Date Ruined, Genji Clan Lineage, Nothing Special

Kyoto nights were exceptionally prosperous,

The streets were packed with voices and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds,

Even livelier than Konoha had been at night in the past,

Probably.

After all, Arata had rarely lived in Konoha's main district, much less wandered around for leisure. What he remembered most clearly was Izumi taking him for a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen after he passed his graduation exam.

"Where are we going next? Is it really all right to just wander around like this?"

The girl tightly gripped her companion's hand at her side, their shoulders pressed together, as though she feared getting lost in this unfamiliar yet bustling metropolis.

"Mm, it's fine."

"By the way, is there anything you want? I'll buy it for you."

Unlike Izumi's nervous unease, Arata appeared perfectly at ease in this unfamiliar environment.

Perhaps because he had visited so many secret realms, the people and scenery around him were merely shifting backdrops in his eyes.

The only thing that mattered to him was the girl at his side.

"No."

"We came here to do something, didn't we? Just like over there."

"Let's go settle it now. We don't have much time."

Izumi stopped walking and shook her head. Her gaze met Arata's squarely. She felt nothing toward the surrounding prosperity and commotion; all she wanted was to help the one she loved grow stronger with everything she had during this dwindling time, so that he could overcome the coming calamity.

"Eh, what kind of outfit is that?"

"It's not a yukata or a haori. It looks a little like samurai clothing."

"But it looks so dashing on that girl!"

"That same fan crest... Could she be from an Onmyoji family outside Kyoto?"

"..."

Whispers from Kyoto's residents drifted into their ears.

For a moment, they were all drawn in