I ended up figuring out how to control the magic flowing through the river, but I couldn’t come up with any practical way to use it. So, reluctantly, we headed back to the inn.

A staff member informed us that breakfast was ready, so we made our way to the dining area, the same place as yesterday. Soon, Aya-chan, Nina-chan, and the others joined us, looking like they’d just woken up.

Nina-chan, accompanied by Irena-san, had noticeably red eyes. She must have cried herself to sleep last night.

“Do you feel up to eating?” I asked Nina-chan gently.

“…Yes. I’m hungry,” she replied with sleepy eyes.

I wasn’t sure if her talk with the Ice Princess had helped her, but if it eased her burden even a little, then that was good enough.

As everyone settled in and breakfast began, Nina-chan, who had said she was hungry, only nibbled a bit of grilled fish before setting her chopsticks down again. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to use chopsticks—she had been here in Japan for almost a year.

“Already full?”

When I asked, Nina-chan nodded quietly, but the sight of her barely eating anything worried me, so I pointed to a small plate of apples.

“There’s fruit, too.”

“No, I’m fine,” she replied, genuinely uninterested.

She hadn’t eaten much last night either, so I couldn’t imagine she was full after just a few bites.

With that thought lingering in my mind, I took a bite of my own breakfast. I chewed on the fish, swallowed, and let my thoughts drift to the story from last night—the tale of the “Peach of the Immortal Realm.”

A fruit that, just by eating it, could heal a person’s heart and mind.

…Could it really be true?

From what Harunaga said yesterday, I hadn’t sensed any deceit in his words.

But the real problem was finding a way to the Immortal Realm. Even Harunaga didn’t know its exact location, so there wasn’t much to go on.

The thing is, Gifu is huge. Even if someone said the entrance was “somewhere around here,” it would be like being told to find a sewing needle in a pool filled with water. Actually, that’s not even quite right…

I guess it’s likely near the swordsmith’s place, given how he hinted at it yesterday.

“…Hmm.”

Thinking back on everything, something clicked in my mind, and I accidentally let out a sound.

“What’s up, Itsuki-kun?” Aya-chan asked, curious.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” I replied, trying to brush it off as I took a sip of water.

When we visited the swordsmith’s house yesterday… there was a peach tree blooming there.

I didn’t know exactly when peach blossoms bloom, but I was pretty sure it was in spring. They definitely don’t bloom in late autumn like this.

So what was that tree?

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Could that swordsmith know something about the Immortal Realm?

“Hey, Dad, are we going to see the swordsmith again today?”

“…We’ll see,” he replied, looking thoughtful. “It seems likely we’d just face the same challenges as yesterday.”

“But don’t you have a… strategy?” I asked.

Yesterday, on the way back from the workshop, Dad had mentioned having a plan, so I thought he’d be putting that plan into action on this second visit.

“Yes, though I’m waiting for it to arrive.”

“Arrive?”

“A letter from Akane,” Dad explained.

Oh… a letter, or a written message from Akane-san.

“Why Akane-san?” I asked, puzzled, since she didn’t seem related to the situation.

“Ah, because the Sensei has a history of making unreasonable demands. When it goes too far, Akane has always stepped in to reprimand him,” Dad said.

“…Oh, I see.”

It was clear from his tone that this sort of thing wasn’t a one-off situation.

But I couldn’t really imagine the swordsmith taking a scolding seriously, especially from someone much younger. However, if he was open to receiving letters from her, then maybe he did take her seriously.

I remembered from my past life how, in big companies, if communication broke down between lower-level employees, higher-ups would step in. But since we were a small family-run business, my manager usually got involved right away. I sighed at the nostalgic thought.

“So, what will we do until Akane-san’s letter arrives?” I asked.

“Well, I thought we could do a bit of sightseeing.”

“Sightseeing?”

“Since we’re already here, we might as well make the most of it instead of just staying at the inn the whole time,” Dad said, smiling warmly.

It turned out that Dad had already discussed this with Renji-san and the others, because as soon as breakfast was over, we were packed into Renji-san’s and Dad’s cars, ready to set out.

Irena-san, who didn’t have her own car, rode with Dad. When I asked Nina-chan how they’d gotten to the inn, she told me they’d taken a taxi from the station. That must’ve been pricey.

It made me wonder if exorcists really had that much money to burn. But then I realized it wasn’t about money; it was simply that Irena-san would do anything for Nina-chan, even travel all the way from England to Japan. For her, taking a taxi to a hot spring inn probably seemed trivial if it meant helping Nina-chan heal.

I was seated in Renji-san’s car, in the middle row, just as I had been yesterday on the way to the swordsmith’s. The reason was simple—on either side of me were two girls.

“Want something to drink, Itsuki-kun?” Aya-chan asked, pulling out a bottle of fruit juice she’d bought at the shop.

“No, I’m good,” I replied. I’d just eaten and was still quite full.

When I declined, Nina-chan, who was sitting on my left, looked longingly at the juice.

“Do you want it, Nina-chan?” Aya-chan asked.

“…Yes, please,” Nina-chan replied, taking the juice and sipping from it.

It seemed that as long as it was liquid, she could manage to get something down. It was better than eating nothing, but I was still worried.

If we did manage to get the Peach of the Immortal Realm, would Nina-chan be able to eat it? Maybe we could blend it into a juice if that would be easier for her to consume.

I should’ve asked Harunaga yesterday whether the peach would still be effective as a juice… I thought, leaning back in my seat as the car started.

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