Search Party

“Hey, Shin, open up! Everyone is missing!” Rentarou continued to knock on the door after he spoke. When Yukimura heard the knocks, she immediately lifted her head off of Shin’s shoulder.

“Is that Rentarou?” Yukimura asked while beginning to stand up.

“Unfortunately,” Shin grumbled. Things were just getting good. “We could just ignore him.”

Before Yukimura could get a word in, the pair heard the doorknob turning. “Oh, it’s unlocked? I’ll just wake him up real quick before we go look for the others.”

As the door creaked open, Shin turned to Yukimura. “What should we do? It looks like we’re… You know.” However, when Shin looked at her, Yukimura was beet red, and her body was stiff like a statue.

“We’re not doing anything. Just… act normal, Shin.” This time, it was Shin who didn’t have any time to speak before Rentarou opened the door.

“Shin! I need you to wake up so—” Rentarou stopped shouting after seeing Shin and Yukimura awkwardly standing next to each other in the room. “Oh, Yukimura, this is where you were. Well, that doesn’t matter, Hinako is gone!”

“What do you mean she’s gone?” Yukimura asked as her face returned to its normal stoic expression. I know he may be an idiot, but he doesn’t play around when his sister is involved.

“She’s gone, Yukimura! She’s not in the onsen! She’s not in our room! I don’t even think she’s in the hotel!”

“Rentarou, calm down,” Shin said as he approached Rentarou. “Did you ask Takeda for help?”

“I tried him first, but he’s also gone! Please, you gotta help me look for them!”

“What do you mean, gone? Takeda doesn’t leave out of nowhere.”

“Yeah, neither does Hinako! She normally tells me before she goes somewhere without me, but this time she didn’t at all. Please, you two, I need your help!” Rentarou was on the verge of tears as he shouted. He was also being so loud that Yukimura and Shin could hear the doors of other people on this floor unlocking. This only left Shin with one choice.

“Rentarou, we’ll help you, but… can you please stop crying?”

“R-Really?” Rentarou sniffled as he spoke, and Yukimura reaffirmed him.

“Yes, we will.”

“Okay, then let’s go!” Rentarou grabbed both of them by the arm and, with staggering speed and strength, dragged the two along with him. He only let go of them once they were well outside of the hotel.

“Rentarou, couldn’t you have given us time to put on a jacket?” Yukimura asked as the cold autumn winds blew past her.

“Or enough time to close my door at least?”

“Nope! No time! We have to hurry in case Hinako is in trouble! We—”

“Is that her right there?” Shin asked as he pointed toward a short girl with equally short blonde hair.

“No! That’s not her, are you blind?”

“How can you tell? You didn’t even go up to her and ask.”

“Because we’re siblings, obviously! We can tell one another apart from the crowd with a simple glance. Plus, that girl’s hair is dyed, both Hinakos are natural blondes.”

“Then is that her over there, walking down the street?”

“No, I told you, she’s not just any— It is! C’mon, let’s go get her!” Rentarou was about to sprint toward the girl he believed to be Hinako and the man walking beside her. However, before he could, Yukimura grabbed the edge of his shirt. “Let go of me! I need to make sure my sister’s okay!”

“Fine, but let’s follow them for now. And she won’t be in any danger; Takeda is right next to her.”

“That’s Takeda?” Shin asked while squinting. “I couldn’t tell from how dark it was. But are you sure that’s a good idea, Yukimura?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I have a horn on my head. If one person sees it, they’ll think I’m some half-human, half-goat. It’s not exactly a small bump like it was a week ago.”

“Oh, that’s easy to fix,” Yukimura said as she reached toward Shin’s head.

“H-Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Hold still.” After she said that, Yukimura held on to Shin’s horn. “Hide.”

“Did you cast a spell on me? I don’t feel any ice.”

“That was a basic spell, not an ice one. It was the same one that was used to hide your grandma’s house. I only used it on your horn so others won’t see it.”

“T-Thank—”

“Guys, stop flirting and let’s get a move on! Takeda and Hinako turned the corner!”

“R-Right!” they both said as they followed Rentarou’s footsteps.