Let It Go

As Rentarou saw Shin and Yukimura fall, he realized it was too late for them. So he shifted his attention to the closest entity, the Yuki-onna. He was about to expand his fist, but he noticed ice on it. That must’ve been from the attack just now. Eh, screw it! Rentarou slammed his fist down on the snow, breaking the ice, before continuing to expand his arm to deliver a blow to the Yuki-onna.

However, his fist didn’t come close to touching it. The Yuki-onna flew above his abnormally large arm, causing it to be directed at Hinako instead. Crap! Retract! Retract! Retract! Rentarou tried to stop it, but the reversion to normal size wasn’t instantaneous, and at the speed his fist was going, Hinako was bound to get hit.

“Hinako, get out of the way!” Rentarou shouted, but she didn’t have time to react. And she didn’t need it. Before his fist touched her, it was stopped by a talisman with a symbol of a shield. It generated a force of mana strong enough to stop Rentarou’s fist in its tracks.

Seeing that she was safe, Rentarou ran over to his sister, embracing her. “Hinako, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to punch you. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. You’re smothering me.” Rentarou’s back was turned while hugging Hinako, so she was the only one who could see the Yuki-onna stretch her hand out toward them. “Rentarou, look out!”

Without letting go of Hinako, Rentarou rolled over to the mountain’s wall. As his back collided with the mountain, he could feel a strong, cold wind passing by them.

“Hinako, are you okay?”

“Yes. But stop squeezing me, it’s starting to hurt.”

“Sorry.” Rentarou shifted his gaze back to the Yuki-onna, who was smiling at the siblings’ struggle. Then he focused on the Yukinko underneath the Yuki-onna. “Let’s see how you like it!” Rentarou expanded his left leg at an explosive rate so it could collide with the Yukinko, who was still standing where the Yuki-onna left it.

The Yuki-onna noticed this attack and swiftly scooped the Yukinko up in its arms. She turned toward Rentarou, screaming, before promptly flying up the mountain trail. Rentarou immediately picked himself up to chase after it, but stopped as he felt Hinako tugging at his leg.

“Stop, Rentarou. Let it go.”

“But Hinako, if I let it be... who knows what it’ll do?”

“Nobody knows what it will do!” Hinako’s grip on his leg tightened. “It can be lurking around a corner, waiting to blast you off the mountain as it did to Shin and Yukimura.”

“That won’t—”

“It might! And-And I don’t want that to happen…” Her eyes started to swell with tears as she spoke. “I can’t lose you, too.”

At the sight of his sister crying, Rentarou knew there was only one thing he could do for her. He hugged her, once again embracing her with the warmth of his jacket.

“I’m sorry. I lost my cool there for a second. Takeda did say I needed to work on that. Sorry.”

“Yeah… you do… Also… that was a stupid pun.” Rentarou chuckled to himself as he clung to Hinako, waiting a few seconds before he asked the important question.

“What do we do now?”

“I’m not sure. But for now, let’s continue with the mission. We should try to follow the Yuki-onna. Quietly!”

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Rentarou knew Hinako was throwing a jab at him. “What about those two who fell?”

“Ozeki Rentarou, I’m not sure about Shin, but we both know that fall isn’t enough to take out Yukimura.”

“Yeah, that’s true. And if Shin dies, who cares?” Hinako gave death stares to Rentarou after he said that. “My bad. Are you ready to tail that yokai?”

“Yeah, let's go and hope that those two are safe.”