A short tale began as the cicadas sang.

A presence approached a mountain slope blanketed with stones. While a few people could be seen, he saw no familiar face until he reached the base of the stairs leading to an elevated part of the land.

"Hey," Issei called out, waving at his friends who had gone ahead by themselves. "Sorry I kept you two waiting, Sonoko-chan. Tougou-san."

The two girls turned around and met his gaze. Both the girl with dirty-blonde hair and the girl with long black hair tied by a green ribbon smiled and greeted back in their own way. One of the two was holding a bouquet of flowers.

"We have just arrived too," Tougou said as her white and blue sundress fluttered in the winds. "Have you finished your work, Issei-san?"

The boy nodded. "Somewhat. The newbies are treating me lightly, but at least Harunobu-nii is helping me."

The two heard Sonoko laughing and they turned to look at her with wonderment in their eyes.

"Han-kun is rising in ranks rapidly," the Heiress of Nogi family said. "So, Han-kun. Has anyone confessed to you, yet?"

Issei blinked, approached Sonoko, and removed her hat before rubbing her hair roughly with a wide smile that did not quite reach his eyes. The girl instantly flailed around her arms as she begged for forgiveness.

"Did I hear that right? Has your personality become even worse than before, huh? Huh? Huuuuh?"

"Owwie! Give up! Please, have mercy!"

After the girl pleaded for the third time, Issei finally complied and returned her hat back to its place. It still didn't stop him from giving Sonoko an exasperated look, and Tougou chuckled a few times which made him sigh out loud.

"I've been meaning to ask this, but why do I get the feeling Sonoko-chan is getting wilder and wilder as days go by?"

"It can't be helped…" Tougou's gave a soft and thin smile full of understanding. "Why don't you let her do as she pleases for everything she has gone through, Issei-san?"

While that might be true, this and that are two entirely different matters.

The boy sighed and placed a hand on his waist. He looked to the side, observing the rows of houses, buildings, and the sea that continued to sing by producing sounds of crashing waves.

A mild summer breeze blew by. The trees outside the cobblestone path rustled.

"Summer is here again," Issei said. "It sure feels nice."

"There were too many things going on last year, so it was difficult to enjoy the season to the fullest." Tougou stepped aside and brushed her hair as she followed his gaze. "Then again, we are having a rendezvous. I wonder what the others would say."

"Yuuna-chan is probably crying for not being invited along." Issei nodded at the thoughts.

He merely gave his honest opinion, so the boy didn't expect to draw out a few laughs from Tougou.

Even so, at least that entertained her.

He counted it as a good thing in his book, but suddenly the scolded girl behind them approached and stood between the two while holding their arms together.

"Today, I got Wasshi and Han-kun all for myself!" Sonoko exclaimed.

"That's because you won the rock-paper-scissors match, Sonoko-chan…" Issei sighed.

"Mu! Why are you unfazed!? Han-kun, this is a date, you know! You have two ultra-pretty flowers on both hands, you Casanova!"

I'm not sure calling yourself ultra-pretty is a good way to raise your points, the boy considered. Plus, I'm living out my fantasy almost every day; can you blame me for getting used to this constant happiness I'm granted?

Issei feared he would grow numb to being so happy, but that meant he needed to strike a balance somewhere.

While it was true that he had learned a lot ever since he moved to Shikoku, he thought that as a person and as a man, he's still lacking in many ways.

I'm still not where I want to be, so I have to work even harder from now on.

"…Han-kun?"

Hm? "Ah… What is it, Sonoko-chan?"

The girl he had made a promise to smiled and shook her head. Was that her way of saying 'Nothing important'?

Even though he had become an existence close to an Arahitogami, Issei could only guess.

I guess not even the Shinju's great vault of wisdom can help me understand girls.

Naturally, he had no complaint on that front. Why bother trying if he could do anything? Issei was fine being the way he was and he achieved a lot of things despite his flaws and weaknesses. He didn't need godly power and knowledge.

Well, maybe besides the power to change the world and win in a war against numerous gods, but hey, everything will work out if everyone keeps on trying.

Settling his internal musing with such line, Issei smiled back and looked up the stairs.

"Come on, you two. Don't we have a promise to fulfill?"

Tougou smiled and entwined her hand with Sonoko's. At the same time, the blonde went ahead and started pulling both her best friend and the boy she made a promise with.

The three climbed the stairs and talked about their days. Issei started it first by reporting his summer homework was finally finished to Tougou. The black-haired girl responded with a simple nod and a kind look. She even praised him and promised to treat him with homemade sweets!

"Eeeh…! That's unfair! I also want sweets, too!" Sonoko pouted.

"Oh, then you should finish your summer homework first, Sonocchi," Tougou muttered. "I won't help, though."

"W-Why!?"

Issei mumbled with a hand pressed on his chin, "Well, Sonoko-chan is a prodigy, after all… Not that she has much motivation to work hard."

"I can hear you, Han-kun! I can totally hear you!"

Oops. It seemed he had blundered. Issei coaxed the girl dressed in light blue frilly clothing by patting her head. It was super effective.

She even purred like a cat. I didn't know Sonoko-chan likes being petted on the head…

However, it didn't seem like the trick worked for long. Sonoko exclaimed 'Hah! I'm letting my guard down!' and ran off by herself; leaving behind both Issei and Tougou in an instant.

"Aaah… there she goes," Issei sighed and formed a bitter smile. "Well, since it's really hot today, we should just take it easy, right?"

"Un. I still don't have the stamina to run for a long while, too…"

Really? Issei recalled that Tougou took the least time to recover from her disability. He figured her persistence and diligence had been at play, but then again, he still doesn't know everything about the girls he was close with yet.

Building relationships would always require time, but that was what made them all the more precious.

In that case… "Tougou-san, have you remembered everything?"

The girl in a sundress hummed as if in thoughts. "...Yes. I suppose you can say that. However…"

"...Memories are different than feelings… huh?" Issei cast his gaze down. "...So it's still not enough…"

Issei felt his shirts being pulled. Looking to the side, he saw Tougou tugging on his sleeve, pulled the boy to the side and made him realize that a group of people was passing through from up ahead.

He accepted Tougou's wish to let the entourage walk past them, and he glimpsed their expressions.

…I guess… that should be for later.

After he decided that, both the girl and the boy resumed their walk. Soon they reached the second checkpoint. As expected, the number of the people was growing less and less.

Issei knew that the whole region was managed by Taisha, but the higher they climbed, the more he felt he was treading into a sacred ground.

Even so, when he looked over the few visitors, he wondered.

Were they family? Were they friends? Did they have some history with each other? Were they visiting just because? Or were they visiting because they wanted to settle with the past and look ahead to the future?

"…People really are complicated."

Issei couldn't help but give a comment like that. Walking by his side, the black-haired girl hummed as if in thoughts.

"While it's true that everyone is born equally weak, many factors will shape their lives and guide their paths," Tougou muttered as if giving clarification. "Did something happen at work, Issei-san?"

…Sharp as always. Issei realized that he could never lie in front of the people he had bonded with, so he could only exhale and told himself that there was no need to mind his pride. She even minded her words so as to not raise suspicions, so…

"The same, I guess." Issei shrugged. "Everyone is working hard, but some people still wanted to create a ruckus."

"…I see," Tougou said. "I'm sorry, for being of no help to you, Issei-san."

The boy waved. He appreciated the concern but he had been prepared to do his part. I am, after all, a part of the Shinju now.

"If I can change something, that means I'm heading in the right direction." Issei raised his head and stared at the cloudless summer sky. "You don't need to feel guilty, Tougou-san."

"…Even so…"

The boy sighed. As always, there was no way in stopping her, huh? Issei wasn't one that could stand seeing a person depressed, especially a girl he was close with.

But what should I do…?

"…Hmm. Say, Tougou-san, can I ask for a reward then?"

The girl made an 'Eh?' sound as she turned her head. That caused her to meet his gaze, but Issei grinned and took the chance by linking their arms to entwine their hands.

"Ah, huh, eh…?" The girl stuttered as her cheeks turned red. "I-Issei-san…?! What are you—"

"If you feel you've done something you regret very much, then you can apologize or redeem yourself, right?" Issei's grin widened. "Until we reached that place, stay like this to redeem yourself, Tougou-san."

The black-haired girl in a sundress stared for a bit. Issei saw her exhaling, but her grasp tightened a little and the boy knew what he was about to hear next.

"...Issei-san, have you learned nothing at all after what Fuu-senpai taught you?"

"Well, I wouldn't be like this if I'm not with you or the girls from the Hero Club," Issei replied. "Didn't I tell you, Tougou-san? If you want to do as you please, then I too will do as I please."

So…

"You'll have to make me yield first if you want to win."

Tougou didn't respond at first. But as seconds passed by – the girl sighed again before she met Issei's gaze with her own brand of determined looks.

"Very well. I will strive to tame this womanizing dragon."

Issei felt a chill running down his back when he saw the grin directed towards him. A-Am I subconsciously expecting something from that grin…?!

Sonoko realized that there was something slightly off with one of her friends when they arrived at their destination.

She tilted her head. "Did something happen?"

The brown-haired boy shook his head furiously while the black-haired girl merely giggled with a hand close to her lips. Huh, looks like Wasshi has leveled up her strictness into something else…

Since that sounded fun, the heiress of the Nogi family took a mental note and stored it in the story materials folder inside her head. Being a bit more adventurous might open up a wider range of possibilities, after all.

"…S-Somehow, I feel like there's a cold wind blowing past this place." The boy hugged his arms and looked around frantically. "But the grasses and trees aren't bristling! Why!?"

Sonoko's best friend beamed. "That must be your imagination, Issei-san."

"Or maybe a spirit is passing by," Sonoko pointed out with a sly smile. "Maybe when Obon arrives, we're going to see a lot of spirits and youkais~"

The boy retorted 'Hyakki Yakou doesn't appear in broad daylight!' but Sonoko seriously believed he was exaggerating it now. Then again, it wasn't like she would want to see actual ghosts too, but the potential of gathering story materials would be amazing!

Still, Han-kun sure has become sensitive.

It must be because he was acting more and more like a proper guardian deity.

While she still couldn't understand the details, the boy – Hyoudou Issei – had taken a few authorities from the Shinju and made them his own. While they were not things that could assist him in changing the world in a meaningful way, he was now capable of partially managing the Hero System and change the level of divinity flowing into the Heroes linked through the Terminal.

Normally, that would be a scary thing to consider, Sonoko thought. But Han-kun is someone I can trust completely.

He was working hard. Even though he had regained his daily life, the boy decided to pursue his dream even if he had to start early. He had taken a part-time job at Taisha ever since he had fully recovered, and Sonoko knew that he had been assisting in the new project Taisha had officially launched at the beginning of this year.

For all this, I wonder…

Would she receive divine protection if she tried offering prayers to the dragon standing before her?

Somehow, I have a feeling Sonoko-chan is scheming something again…

For his own safety, Issei stepped back.

However, he noticed what lied ahead and stopped what he was about to do. Aah… looks like we should stop playing around, then.

He wondered if they had been rude.

Looking back a bit, the three of them were practically treating this visit as if going on a picnic. There was no tension and they happily enjoyed every moment of their travel from the beginning.

She's probably going to complain about that again…

Sighing lightly as if thinking 'it couldn't be helped', Issei marched forward. Tougou followed behind him while Sonoko walked a little ahead of him.

It took them fifteen steps to reach the promised place. It took them a brief moment to acknowledge the facts laid out before them, and Issei looked past a stone object to gaze at the scenery beyond the mountain slope facing the town and sea.

A gust of wind carrying the scent of salt brushed past him.

It feels nice, Issei honestly thought. I should find more windy places like this next time.

However, his thoughts were interrupted when he felt Sonoko tugging on his sleeve. The girl pointed at a well nearby and handed him the bouquet of flowers she had been carrying around.

Ah, looks like it's my job this time.

Issei obeyed the order. He went to the well and discovered it was abundant with water. Probably, it was a spring remodeled to have the appearance of a well. At least that makes this less tiring.

The boy grabbed a wooden bucket near the well. He filled it with water until it was half full and placed the flowers in it. After that, he grabbed a ladle and returned to his friends.

"Thank you, Han-kun." Sonoko smiled, placed the wet flowers in front of the stone tablet and arranged them in place.

Once she was done, she clapped her hands together and stayed still for a minute or so. As if finished, Sonoko lowered her arms and retreated so that Issei could do his next job. The boy put a ladle into the wooden bucket, took out a cup-full of water, and then finished by slowly pouring the content down on the stone.

The tablet showered with the summer sunlight absorbed the water and let excesses of it slide down its rough weathered surface. The scent of watered soil permeated, and the cicadas continued to sing as if to fill the air with music that would never end.

The boy followed Sonoko's gaze. He read the words engraved on the stone object. It was a name he knew all too well—

"…Mino-san," Sonoko muttered. "It's been two… three years, hasn't it?"

The question she had raised did not receive an answer.

Of course, no one was going to answer. After all, what existed there was merely a tombstone, a grave meant to honor the deceased. The person Sonoko was trying to talk had passed away, and today was the date of her passing.

On a certain day during the summer, Minowa Gin fought against three Vertexes and drove them away at the cost of her life. Today was that fated day.

"…I can finally see you again," Sonoko said with an unfaltering smile. "I've been working hard, you know? It was all thanks to you and Wasshi. And Han-kun as well. I wouldn't be here if I gave up~"

The sound of inhalation could be heard from the girl with dirty-blonde hair. Sonoko's shoulders rose and sank, but the girl continued to smile.

"I won't cry," Sonoko said. "I've… already cried, after all. I don't even know how many times I've cried after you went ahead by yourself. The last three years have also been tough, so… I think I've had enough of crying."

The girl nodded a few times before she stepped back to stand side-by-side with Tougou and Issei, swept her gaze at her friends and looked back to the tombstone.

"Don't worry. I'm not alone." Sonoko linked her arms together with Tougou's and Issei's."Wasshi is here with me. Han-kun is here, too. I heard you helped him, but it's unfair that you only looked after Han-kun alone without greeting Wasshi and me."

Issei exchanged glances with Tougou.

The black-haired girl shrugged noncommittally, which made him roll his eyes and shake his head. Man, looks like these girls can also hold quite a grudge…

It seemed he still hadn't known enough about his friends if he didn't expect even something like that. However, nobody asked. Why was that so difficult to accept?!

"But, well… since this is a special day, let's set all that aside." Sonoko heaved. "Mino-san, you said that you want to hear our stories, right? I want to tell you a lot of things, too."

The boy nodded. "It's more like a status report, though. I mean… I'm sure you want to know how your family is doing too, right?"

"And I as well," Tougou added, a gentle smile forming on her face. "Everything that has happened ever since that day. I… I wish to tell you about it all… Gin."

Issei heard her words and felt Sonoko's grip tightened. He wanted to look to the side, to see what sort of expression the girl had, but he chose not to do that.

I already know anyway, the boy thought. Sonoko-chan, you're a terrible liar.

He returned the gesture by closing the distance. He sensed the fragrance of a flower, the soft strands of hair with his arm, and he felt Sonoko's warmth transferring through the linked arms. Then…

"…It's alright," Issei whispered. "I'm here with you. Tougou-san is here too, so… I'm sure you can do this."

The girl perked up and met his gaze.

The exchange lasted only for a few seconds, but Sonoko closed her eyes, breathed in, and nodded. When she reopened her eyes, there was a renewed light shining brightly in her eyes, and a smile bloomed on her face.

"…Thank you, Han-kun."

As the trees rustled from a blowing wind, Issei nodded and looked up at the summer sky.

"You're welcome, Sonoko-chan."

With that, the three children began spinning their tales. Words were exchanged. Emotions were conveyed, and time passed as white clouds traversed through the blue canopy of the world.

Those children would visit their beloved friend again. To celebrate, to tell stories, to pour out their feelings, and to accept what they had lost and gained.

And someday in the distant future, at the place where they could gather together and meet each other again...

...I hope I can hear your stories too, Gin-chan...

- - End of Chapter One: Hyoudou Issei - -

~To be Continued on: Scales and Flower Petals - Chapter Two: Age of Heroes~