Beneath the storm of swirling snow, a lone figure hurried forward in long, urgent strides.
Heavy footprints were flung carelessly behind him, loose snow kicking up and spraying in all directions with every step.
Ever since rolling down from the mountain, Saitō had not stopped for even a second. Laden with supplies and braving the risk of a fall, he pushed himself onward without hesitation.
Fresh blood stained the hunting knife at his waist. On the way down, he had cut down a scrawny wild wolf that blocked his path. The beast had not been infected. It had probably just been maddened by hunger and foolish enough to throw itself in the way of an enraged old man.
With his heart set on home, Saitō ended it in a single exchange. He had not even needed to fire his gun.
The blade at his side had been more than enough.
Stepping over the carcass without a second glance, he finally reached the area near his home. He was less than a hundred meters away now. The howls of wolves and the crack of gunfire were no longer coming from nearby, and only then did the old man allow the knot in his chest to loosen a little.
As long as Kuriyo and her friend had not gone outside and had stayed inside the house, they should still be safe.
At last, he could breathe again.
Saitō Inakawa spotted the spiked wooden fence around the house. The gate was still shut tight.
He roughly hurled his overstuffed pack over the fence. The bag, crammed with the supplies he had gathered over the past few days, was nearly falling apart. If not for the tough fabric and the plump venison stuffed inside, he doubted he could have used it for that reckless shortcut down the mountain.
The fence gate had been barred from the inside with a length of wood, but the old hunter easily shoved aside the poles serving as makeshift braces and stepped into the yard.
The house, with windows only on the second floor, showed no light at all. The sturdy front door remained tightly closed. Even so, the old man could almost imagine the fire in the stove inside burning warmly, and that thought alone sent a wave of relief through him.
"Thank goodness. The children should still be home."
He hurriedly fished out his key. The moment he opened the door and saw Kuriyo and Ai safe inside, all his worry would finally melt away.
His lovely, obedient granddaughter would never have disobeyed him and gone outside. Right?
But the sight that greeted him when he opened the door made his heart leap into his throat all over again.
At this hour, Kuriyo should have been making dinner.
Yet there was no fire burning inside. Not in the hearth, not even in the lamp. The house was pitch-black, silent, and empty of any sign of life.
The temperature indoors was bitterly cold, hardly any different from outside.
This was not what a house with people in it was supposed to feel like.
They were gone.
"Kuriyo! Chihaya Ai! Where are you?"
All caution vanished. Fear swallowed any concern that his voice might attract danger, and he shouted into the dark house.
He told himself maybe they were asleep somewhere and just had not heard him yet.
But no answer came.
How was he supposed to bear this?
If Kuriyo was gone, how could he ever face her parents in the afterlife?
Sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his lined forehead in seconds.
Only now did he feel the cold. Not even his thick winter clothes could shield him from the chill rising out of his own heart.
Where was Kuriyo? Where was Ai?
Like a madman, he searched every room in the house. The pantry—empty. The master bedroom—empty. The second bedroom—empty. The attic—empty.
Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.
The disordered wardrobe. The empty cabinets. The cramped hiding spots in the corners.
Where had the girls gone?
He refused to believe they were dead. He had to keep looking. Farther out. Somewhere beyond the house.
Why? Why hadn't they stayed indoors? Why had they gone out?
Hadn't he made it clear before he left?
Stay home. Wait for me to come back.
There had been enough food, water, medicine—enough to last them until his return. Since his wife died, Saitō had lived up in his hunting cabin for years, and he always kept a good stock of supplies. Kuriyo and Ai had also brought plenty of things with them when they came for the New Year.
Even after nearly a month, there should still have been plenty left.
Even if the girls had eaten lavishly, there was no way they could have burned through all the supplies in just three days.
Then, all at once, Saitō froze.
He had gone down to the basement storage room earlier.
The door there had never been opened.
The marker he had left on it before going out was still in place. Untouched.
That meant they had never even gone in there.
He stared blankly for half a second, then it hit him all at once.
If they had not known about the supplies downstairs, then once the food upstairs ran out—
They would have had nothing to eat.
For these past few days, they must have been going hungry.
Those two foolish girls.
"I explained everything before I left..."
His mutter came out ragged, almost a groan.
He strode back outside and hurriedly equipped himself: flashlight, rifle, hunting knife.
He did not even bother shutting the door properly behind him. He headed straight toward the direction where the gunshots had come from.
Even if Kuriyo and Ai had already turned into corpses, he would still bring their bodies home.
The loaded hunting rifle was clutched tightly in his hands. Summoning the last of his strength, the exhausted old man plunged into the storm.
He followed the route Kuriyo had taken toward Xiangzi's place, alone.
Night was coming.
The dark stage of evening was descending, ready for the next act.
At this moment, Kuriyo was being held in Xiangzi's house. Saitō was making his way downhill.
So where had Ai gone?
Could it be that her condition was even worse than Kuriyo's, and when she woke and discovered Kuriyo missing, she had gone out to search for her?
The answer might lie in the bedroom that belonged to Kuriyo and Ai.
A thin nightgown had been tossed carelessly aside. The heavy clothes in the wardrobe were gone.
The mountain wind was bitterly cold, but it could not cool a racing heart.
Near the lake not far from Xiangzi's house, another uninvited guest had arrived.
In the dim glow of a feeble light, pink hair swayed softly with each limping step.
"Kuriyo... I'll find you."
The voice was so faint it was barely audible, but the determination in it could not be mistaken.
Chihaya Ai was making her way, unsteadily, along the path Kuriyo had taken before her.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 142)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter181)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter103)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter192)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
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Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
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From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 110
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 190
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 165
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 156
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 81
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 102
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 120
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 80
Uma Musume: I Want All 95
I Can Copy Unique Skills 84
Summoning an Evil God, but the 66
Supernatural Multiverse 83
My Harem Is Indescribable 75
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 81
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Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 75
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Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 55
Checking In in Demon Slayer 60
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 65
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 35
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 35
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 39
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 58
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 30
Why did they assign me to Uma 35
MYGO Beauties 42
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