This story is part of the Wanderer series.
“Hey.”
The pink-haired girl did not respond at first, her gaze still lost in her surroundings. However, as Rin leaned to the side, putting her face into her view, Nozomi finally snapped back. She gazed back at Rin with wide, curious eyes, remaining muted, but otherwise no longer wandering around.
“Are you okay?” Rin asked in a low voice.
“Hm?”
“You don’t seem okay.”
Nozomi blinked. “… Huh?”
Shoulders falling forward into a hunch and brows slightly furrowing, Rin narrowed her eyes a little, pulling her lips back. Then, she sighed, reaching an arm out across the table and patting it. “Sit down.”
Turning her head lethargically to the chair near where Rin patted, Nozomi eventually stepped forward. Her expression returned to how it was before, the crossed deepening. Walking slowly to the chair, and without pulling it out, she sluggishly turned in place then plopped down on it in a sudden motion, squeezing herself between the table and the chair’s backrest and squeaking the floor. Totsuka, having finally fetched the right cups, was slowly shuffling to the table as she sat down, approaching the side behind her. Nozomi stayed crossed, hands straight out palming her knees, her chin dipped and drawn in.
Dipping her head with an audible sigh, Rin pulled her head back up and glared at the girl, fed up with her masked behavior. “Pipe up. What’s wrong with you?”
Hearing Rin’s irritation, Nozomi shifted in her chair to sit forward properly, lifting her arms and propping her elbows on the table. Leaning forward as much as she could in the tight space between the chair and the table, she palmed the sides of her head with both hands.
“Why is it so noisy?” she mumbled.
“To drive away the evil spirits,” Totsuka answered with a muted smile as he set down the cups.
The girl stayed hunched forward, her face still drawn into a pout. “It’s too loud.”
With the cups down, the old man turned around, maintaining his snail’s pace as he continued to explain.
“There are many spirits in the forest. Many are not good fortune for humans.”
Nozomi did not follow him, keeping her gaze glued to the table. Rin quietly leaned back in her chair, face clearing after figuring out the pink-haired girl’s irritable behavior. Still, she kept her eyes on the girl, remaining curious about her discomfort.
“Best to keep them away, and draw out the good ones when you need them.”
Drawing closer a plain brown ceramic teapot, Totsuka opened the top, setting aside the lid, and reached for the kettle.
“The blessing of the Earth spirits can be sought with proper worship.”
Rin raised her head a bit. “Oh yeah, we visited the shrine earlier.”
The old man chuckled as he repeatedly poured hot water into the teapot in small, short streams. “Good.”
Setting the kettle back on the stove, he closed the teapot and slowly brought it over to the table.