“Eep…” The taxi driver cringed under her glare. “Sorry. But…if we had heard the Agent of Spring was coming, then we could have gathered some townsfolk to carry her up there… We’ve cleared the snow on the path, but it’s already snowed again since then, so it might be dangerous… Oh, if only you had told us! We would’ve cleared it again, at the very least…”
The driver kept lamenting and insisting until Sakura shot him down coldly.
“We’re here now; the snow will go away soon. We should have signal up there, so we would like to call your company once again after we’re done with the ritual. Is that okay?”
The driver immediately brightened up and agreed. He thanked them repeatedly, overjoyed that he would get to brag to his wife and children about giving the goddess a ride. When it was time for them to go their separate ways, he shook Hinagiku’s hand and wouldn’t let go until Sakura gently pried it off.
She helped Hinagiku into an inverness coat and wrapped her in a scarf with a ribbon, then put a coat and scarf on herself before getting out of the car.
“Well, then. It’s time to work, Lady Hinagiku,” she announced theatrically. One could nearly hear a drum in the background.
Hinagiku clenched her fists tight. “Yes. Hinagiku…will do the job…as the Agent of Spring.”
Sakura mimicked her fighting pose.
Hinagiku had been transformed into a plump, fluffy creature, overdressed against the cold thanks to her worrisome retainer.
“Let’s keep that enthusiasm up all the way there.”
“Yes!”
“Although… Perhaps we should notify the other regions we’ll be visiting after this ritual… The Four Seasons Agency must be searching desperately for us right now, too.”
“…” Hinagiku’s energy withered like a flower.
Shoot, I shouldn’t have said that.
Sakura hurriedly added, “Oh, but I understand that you want to move incognito. Especially when this is your first ritual after being reinstated… Also…”
Sakura looked away as the loathsome past crossed her mind.
“I realize I was the one who lost my temper with the Agency for coming up with that ridiculous plan about gathering five hundred concerned persons and making it a public event… And I ended up ruining our relationship with the Spring staff…so…I’m sorry. I just hope it doesn’t affect us going forward.”
“N-no, Sakura, you…only…acted on my behalf. It’s…not…your…fault.”
Sakura was deeply touched by Hinagiku’s defense.
“Also…the ritual is…supposed to be…confidential. Getting…five hundred people is just…weird. It’s not…not a festival.”
“Yes, you’re completely right. The Spring staff simply want to make it bigger than it should be because it’s been ten years. It’s a festival to them, I suppose, but not for us.”
“No…it isn’t.”
“It’s something you give your whole life to. It must remain private.”
“Yes.”
And most of all, we need you to be confident about summoning spring. Now more than ever.
Sakura made sure her fear didn’t show on her face as she said, “We follow this straight path and get to the mountain trail toward Ryugu Shrine. I will show you the way, so no need to worry. Let’s go do this ritual.”
“Yes… Um…uh…Sakura?”
“Yes, is something the matter? Do you want me to carry you there?”
“N-no. Is that…a person?”
Sakura frowned questioningly and looked in the direction Hinagiku pointed. Right by the fork in the path, a bit away from where they were standing, there was a yellow dot.
“…?” Sakura strained her eyes, trying to figure it out, and her 20/13 vision soon allowed her to see that the dot was, in fact, a person. “You’re right. Someone’s standing there.”
“A child…right?”
“Huh? That’s a child?”
“Hinagiku has…20/3.3…vision. Hinagiku…thinks…that’s a grade-schooler.”
This 20/3.3 vision was beyond outstanding. Sakura was impressed, at least until Hinagiku continued:
“Sakura, they…may be…lost.”
“We just had them sound the alarms in the mountain. No one should be up here… It’s strange for a child to be here all alone.”
Where are their parents? A boar could jump out and eat them.
It wasn’t exactly an exaggeration; Mount Ryugu was famous for its frequent boar encounters. It was not uncommon to hear about late-night trains running over the poor animals.
“I don’t think we can ignore them. Lady Hinagiku, is it all right if I go over?”
“It’s…fine. Hinagiku’s…not…scared of…children.”
Her comment implied she was scared of everyone else. Sakura gave her a worried glance, but her lady looked back straight into her eyes. “Hinagiku would…like…to help…a…child in…need.”
Sakura nodded firmly at the gravity of her words. “Yes, of course. As you wish.”
Sakura ended up carrying Hinagiku on her back as she hurried across the snowy path. They had to get to the child as quickly as possible. Despite Hinagiku’s previous apprehension about being carried, her giggling suggested that she was enjoying the ride.
Soon, the child’s figure became clearer—she was wearing cute winter clothes and a yellow knitted hat, pulling a sled along. She walked with purpose, as though having a clear destination in mind.
Sakura observed the child as she approached. Hinagiku was right: It appeared to be a grade-schooler. This was risky. Someone so small and defenseless could be kidnapped easily.
“Hey! You there! Stop!”
Risky. Defenseless. Kidnapping. Sakura’s own thoughts made her queasy. She was too disturbed to call out in the friendly way she had hoped to.
The child, startled by the tall woman yelling and carrying another woman, immediately darted away.
A small chase began, until a chance for conversation finally presented itself.
“I’m going to clear some snow here.”
Hinagiku and Sakura finally got to hear what the child was doing here. Her name was Nazuna, she was twelve years old, and she lived right by the mountain.
“You’re…here…with a…sled…and shovel…to…clear…snow?”
“Can’t you play at home? You should go.”
Nazuna gave Sakura a confused look. This stranger was coming on very strong, it seemed.
Maybe she’ll listen if we tell her who we are, Sakura thought. “…I realize we haven’t introduced ourselves. I’m Sakura Himedaka, Guard of Spring. This is Lady Hinagiku Kayo. She is the nation’s Agent of Spring.”
She’d hoped that would shock her, but Nazuna didn’t seem to understand just how important Hinagiku’s standing was. She tilted her head and gave them an even more suspicious look.
“Sakura, she’s…just a…kid. She can’t…understand.”
“You’re absolutely right. I apologize.”
While Sakura thought about how to explain it, Hinagiku kneeled down to match Nazuna’s gaze. Sakura watched curiously.
“You see…Hinagiku…brings…spring.” Hinagiku smiled. Her voice was warm enough to thaw any heart.
“What’s spring?”
Nazuna seemed flustered with Hinagiku’s beautiful face so close to hers.
Hinagiku was shocked, too, in the end. The kid didn’t know the most fundamental thing.
“You…don’t know…spring?”
“No.”
The answer was like a frigid wind in her chest. Sakura was taken aback as well, just listening to the conversation.
“Really?” Hinagiku replied gently. “You see…spring is…” She explained as though reading Nazuna a fairy tale. “…It’s…one of the seasons. It…hasn’t come…for ten…years…now…but it’s…coming back…this year. You must’ve…heard people mention…four seasons? Right now…there are only…three. But…it’s…supposed to…be four.”
“And you’ll bring that fourth one? Spring?”
“Y-yes. It should be…spring, summer, autumn…and winter.”
“It’s winter now! The Agent brought it.”
“You…know…a lot. Yes…that’s true.”
Nazuna blushed gleefully at the praise. “I learned it in school. Spring…spring… Ah!”
“Did you remember…spring?”
“Yes, but…spring was lost, wasn’t it? Daddy said Ryugu changed after spring went away. He said it shouldn’t be snowing and it was always warm.”
Nazuna pointed at the snow around them, creating a white blanket in every direction.
“Yes. Up to now…Hinagiku wasn’t here…so Hinagiku couldn’t…bring spring to Yamato. But now…Hinagiku is back.”
“…Are you really the Agent of Spring?”
“Yes…Hinagiku is…the Agent of Spring…in this country.”
“Mmmm…I’m not sure. You look fake.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, you talk weird. Why is it all choppy? Is it because you’re a fake?”
Hinagiku was overwhelmed by the barrage of questions.
“Hey, kid, who do you think you’re talking to?”
Sakura had stayed out of it until then, but she couldn’t let that comment slide—among plenty of other things. She had always had a short temper, but she mainly lost it in defense of her lady. And what she hated the most was when people made fun of her lady’s particular way of speaking.
“Look, kid, we don’t care what you think. She is the Agent of Spring. She’s doing the ritual for the first time in ten years, and you’re getting in the way of our job. So go away already.”