Saving Touma

Chapter 1.K - Mountain Spirits

"No matter what happens, stay on the path. Don't believe anything you see in the forest," Tsumu advised, which took the boys aback.

"What do you mean, Tsumu-san?" Ryo asked.

"This forest is old, and the mountain spirits are becoming restless," Tsumu replied.

"Souka. We'll keep that in mind," Ryo acceded, relieved that the old lady was talking about some superstition, something he didn't believe in.

"But don't worry. I already prayed for your safe journey last night," Tsumu continued.

"Prayed?"

"Yes, a little offering to the gods."

Yukimura's eyes widened upon hearing those words. He felt a burden lifted as he realized he was wrong and there was nothing to fear about. He felt guilty for misjudging the old lady who had been so kind to them from the start.

Ryo's team began their descent before sunrise, and about an hour later, they reached the junction Tsumu had told them about. Indeed, to the right was a path that led to a temple. 

They could see the top of what appeared like a pagoda from far away. In front was a continuation of the road that bent to the right, which any spatially aware hiker would recognize as going downhill instead of uphill. 

And to their left was an almost unrecognizable path that led into the mountain. It sloped down a shallow valley and ascended up a ridge. Beyond that ridge was anyone's guess. 

But judging by the topography of the area, it was likely the other side would have thicker vegetation and was harder to cut through.

The top of the mountain was still visible from their current location, which only meant they hadn't gone far from the foothill. 

Ryo's instinct also told him that they needed not to ascend further because it would be impractical for a village to be built high up on a mountain and too far from civilization. 

And should he get confused, he'd simply heed Tsumu's advice to stay on the path. Although the path was almost covered with weeds, they could still recognize the trail, and they hadn't encountered any fork yet.

After about five hours of uninterrupted trekking, they finally reached their limit. They took a break on a less dense section of the trail, keeping vigilant of their surroundings. 

Even though Tsumu's advice had sounded extreme, they thought it wouldn't hurt to take it a little bit seriously.

"Hey, what is it?" Koji asked Noboru, who appeared to be staring at something deep in the forest.

"Do you see that?"

"What?"

"Someone's standing there."

"Where?"

Noboru pointed toward a shadowy area down a gorge.

"I don't see anything."

"Look there, beside that tree. Do you see that round thing poking out of the susuki?"

"Heh?"

"Look closely."

"I don't see it. You're tripping, Noboru-san."

Koji rejoined the group while Noboru kept staring at the same spot, firm in his belief that something was lurking down there. Suddenly, the round thing he claimed he saw ducked down. Noboru was shocked, almost falling to the ground.

Yukimura was the only one who noticed Noboru's abrupt reaction. He could see genuine fear in Noboru's face.

"What is it, Noboru-san?"

Noboru panicked. He thought of telling Yukimura about what he had seen but the fear of being laughed at for almost shitting in his pants overcame him. He immediately composed himself and thought of a good excuse.

"Nothing. I just stepped on a thorn."

"Souka. Did it pierce through? Are you hurt?"

"No, it didn't. I'm fine."

Their strange exchange was quickly interrupted by Ryo's signal to continue with their journey.

"Alright, break's over. We need to move."

Everyone got up and went back on the line. As the second oldest member of the team, Noboru volunteered to stay at the rear. In front of him was Yukimura.

"Noboru-san, what are your children's names?" Yukimura asked, trying to break the ice, but he kept his face straight ahead.

"Riku and Hinata."

"Woah, you have a boy and a girl."

"Yes, I'm lucky."

"Do you plan on making another one when we get back?"

"Absolutely!"

"What's your wife's name?"

Noboru didn't reply. Worried that he might have offended the older team member, Yukimura turned around to check on him. That was when he realized Noboru wasn't there. He had disappeared.

"Noboru-san?"