Fractal Plane: Maiden's Heart

Chapter 9 - Amagi's Decision

1

"So... are we taking the right path?"

Trailing his friend and activity partner was Kazuki, and he brushed aside the lush vegetation in order to keep up with Miki Amagi.

She's taking a far more active role somehow. Are the extra credits so important for her?

Nevertheless, Amagi soldiered on through the bushes and the leaves that blocked their way. Having strayed away from the main path, Kazuki thought that these challenges were to be expected.

"Yep, I am sure that my info is accurate!"

The tone of her voice could have been reassuring, but Kazuki was quite iffy with how far they have gone from the main path. Besides the rustling of leaves that their motions have been causing, silence surrounded them.

After seeing nothing but trees and vegetation in their path for so long, Amagi finally pushed aside the last set of shrubs and revealed a clearing in front of them. A patch of land, surrounded by trees, lay before them.

"Here we are!" said Amagi in an excited voice.

She jumped into the open area and stretched her hands out.

Kazuki followed suit, and as he stepped out of the thicket, his eyes quickly shot to a faraway structure that he did not see from afar.

"Is this shrine in the middle of the forest related to the secret shortcut that you mentioned?"

His childhood friend's smile gleamed in the moonlight. With the light from the moon illuminating her face against the dim backdrop, Kazuki seemingly saw a different side of her.

She was no longer just the childhood friend whose kindness knows no bounds. She was no longer just the one who balanced out their trio of childhood friends.

The form of her wielding her bow in a majestic manner emerged in Kazuki's mind.

Despite that, she was still a girl that he still wanted to protect.

Before he realized it, his mind had materialized the image of the parka-wearing youth. Tentacle arms on one side and a beautiful specter on the other. No matter what he did, he cannot tuck the sense of frustration away. It was a defeat that still stung as hard as it did the first time around.

At this rate, he would not be able to protect Amagi from that monster should he appear once more.

"Arata?" asked Amagi, a curious expression now having set in on her face.

Kazuki blinked repeatedly before he realized that his eyes had gotten a bit strained. As a result, he quickly shut his eyes, trying to hide that side of him in a bout of self-consciousness.

"Yeah, the shrine here is where one of the items was supposed to be. Our schoolmates had to deal with the spooky stuff first," said her, getting back to the topic.

"Well, all the spooky stuff are fake anyway. I'll probably have a bigger blast guessing who's behind which costume."

Having walked to the front of the shrine, Kazuki looked to the sides before directing his attention to the object in front of him.

On top of the stand was a chest, and for Kazuki, the item seemingly called out to him with an enticing air.

He concluded that whatever thing the organizers of the game had hidden would have been inside this chest.

"I guess you could say that, Arata. But do you know, last night, my roommates were talking about legends being passed down in Tenka Peak."

The fingers that were mere inches away from touching the chest stopped in place.