Sunset Ghost

Chasing the Sun

サンセットゴースト
Sunset Ghost
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第15章
太陽を追いかける
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Kageyama's breath tore through his lungs in harsh gasps as he and Yachi sprinted towards Madoka's shop through the frigid, dark streets. The sun had sunk below the horizon by then, rendering the surrounding landscape pitch black, the moon blocked out by angry gray clouds. The scent of coming rain lingered in the air like invisible smoke.

After a few more minutes of running, Yachi came to a rough stop at a traffic light and pulled Kageyama's sleeve to halt his progress too. "Wait." She panted heavily, trying to catch her breath, and released his arm in favor of searching through her pockets for her phone. When she finally found it, her shaking fingers flew across the keys and she held the device to her ear anxiously. As it rang, she finally addressed him. "Kageyama, I have to find my mother. The two of us aren't qualified to handle this on our own."

He wanted to argue, but she stopped him by holding a hand over his mouth. "Shh! This isn't something we can argue about." She cursed loudly, tapping the 'end call' button on her screen and sticking the phone back in her pocket angrily. "Voicemail."

"We can't wait here," Kageyama insisted, clenching his fists impatiently. "Hinata could be—!"

"I know!" Yachi interrupted, glaring up at him harshly. "I know," she repeated, face sinking as she dragged her hands through her hair, letting out an uneven breath and trying to remain composed. "Alright... I have an idea." She dug around in her pockets as she spoke. "I have some protective talismans on me. I'll give one to you, and you can go back to the shop and protect Hinata while I go find my mother."

"Will one be enough?" Kageyama questioned uncertainly. "If this guy is as powerful as you say, then..."

"It's fine," Yachi cut him off, finally finding the talisman in her jacket and wrenching it free. "My mom made these, so they're stronger than ours. If you place it either on the shop's door or have Hinata hold it, it should be enough to protect him." She pressed the paper into his hands, meeting his eyes with a resolute expression. "Everything will be alright. You can do this, Kageyama."

He hesitated only a second more before nodding in agreement. "Okay. I'll go." As they turned to part ways, he rested a hand on the girl's shoulder with a small nod. "Be safe, Yachi."

After a moment, she returned his gesture with a reassuring smile. "I'll see you soon; both of you."

Kageyama released her, watching as she turned and started jogging back the way they'd come. His lips tightened with worry as he looked down at the talisman. "I hope you're right..."

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When he reached the shop, Kageyama slowed his pace, keeping his guard up as he approached. It didn't look like anything was wrong: The shop was still lit up warmly from within, the sign on the door reading 'Closed'—everything just the same as he'd left it a half hour ago.

Still, a feeling of tension lay coiled in Kageyama's stomach like a parasite feeding off his fear as he crept towards the door, breath held in anticipation. The door was foggy from the cold, so Kageyama had no choice but to wrench it open and hope he didn't get shot in the face with a Shiki.

Luckily, no ghostly projectile struck him as he did just that, but a gust of cold hit him, even stronger than the one from outside. Immediately, the panic that he'd been holding back blossomed like a flower, encompassing Kageyama's entire body as his breath halted in his chest at the sight in front of him.