Originally, Asakura invited Kagamihara Nadeshiko out not only to introduce her to Hitori, but also because she was one of the few people he knew who had some understanding of camping.
After all, when traveling, outdoor camping feels much more interesting than staying in a monotonous hotel.
And because of Asakura's presence, there was no need to worry about those most annoying mosquitoes during the camping process—the moment they drew near, they would turn to ash.
Simply relying on the magic power provided by "Limited Infinity" could keep this mode active indefinitely, which was far more effective than any mosquito coils or the like.
Unfortunately, the heavens did not cooperate.
"..."
Asakura looked at the sky and remained silent.
"Don't be disappointed, there's nothing we can do about encountering a typhoon, there will be other chances to come out camping in the future!"
Kagamihara Nadeshiko, who had changed back into her normal clothes, saw that Asakura seemed a bit downcast and hurried forward to comfort him.
"...It's just a cluster of air currents, watch me push it back, the power to destroy the world isn't just for show..."
"The content of your muttering feels terrifying?!"
Kagamihara Nadeshiko was startled, and she quickly looked toward the other side at Hitori: "That, Miss Gotō, hurry and comfort Asakura..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she saw that the gloomy aura on Hitori was almost overflowing.
"It's definitely all my fault my luck is too bad that's why I ran headlong into a typhoon if I knew I wouldn't have come out if my luck is bad maybe I'll even be swept away by the wind help me I'm still a non-swimmer what if I encounter a tsunami..."
"The situation over here feels even worse?!"
Kagamihara Nadeshiko comforted this one for a while, then consoled that one for a bit, but in the end, it was completely useless, causing the young girl to finally lose her patience and shout recklessly: "Ahhh, mo! Seriously, what on earth are you two doing!"
Asakura finally seemed to come back to his senses, and his eyes regained their clarity.
"Who am I, where am I, what am I doing..."
"Eh? Has Asakura-kun lost his memory?" Hitori looked even more panicked.
"Even I, who just met Miss Gotō not two days ago, can feel that this child will definitely take a joke seriously, Asakura-san, it's better not to make this kind of joke." Kagamihara Nadeshiko held her forehead, saying with a headache.
"I don't understand what you're saying, without Hitori's hug, I can't remember anything." Asakura replied with a straight face.
"Eh? Just, just a hug..."
Perhaps because there were no tourists around—after all, the Meteorological Bureau had issued a typhoon warning—Hitori didn't hesitate much this time, gathered her courage, closed her eyes, and hugged him.
Asakura enjoyed the "face-wash," revealing a pleasant expression.
"Isn't this completely being tricked? Or rather, Asakura-san, you even said Miss Gotō's name out loud, hey!" Kagamihara Nadeshiko couldn't help but complain.
"Wu... I feel like something is about to emerge in my mind... if we want to speed up the process, I might need a kiss from Hitori!" Asakura continued to say with a straight face.
"Eh? Kiss... wu, that sort of thing, it's still a bit much outside after all... please, please let me owe you for now, and talk about it after we go back!"
"Is 'nine-out, thirteen-back' interest okay?"
"Al, although I'm not quite sure what that means, please!"
"Then it's a deal... ah, I remember! I remember everything!"
Kagamihara Nadeshiko, watching their interaction from the side, showed an expression that was hard to describe as either disdain or contempt.
If it had to be described, it was probably the feeling of "Ugh, what a sappy couple."
Fortunately, when Asakura wasn't flirting with Hitori, he behaved quite like a normal person, so before long, Kagamihara Nadeshiko treated him like a human being again.
"Speaking of which, didn't Asakura-san say he was going on a nationwide ghost story tour? Since you're here this time, it means there's a ghost story nearby to investigate, right?"
"Ghost stories..."
Hitori's expression was a bit strange.
"Even though you're so close to Asakura-san, Miss Gotō doesn't quite believe in the existence of ghost stories?" Kagamihara Nadeshiko asked curiously.
"Be, because I haven't really seen a live one..." The girl, who was protected very well by Asakura, said in a small voice: "Does Miss Kagamihara believe in ghost stories?"
"True, if you haven't seen one, it would be hard to believe such things exist," Kagamihara Nadeshiko seemed to recall the scene when she encountered the 'Yamano-kudan,' showing a look that was a bit fearful but also inexplicably happy as she stole a glance at Asakura: "But I have experienced it, so I believe it one hundred percent."
"This time," Asakura didn't pay attention to the girls' chatting, but pulled out his phone to look at his notes and said: "The target is 'Umi Bozu'."
"Eh, isn't that more of a Yokai legend passed down from ancient times rather than a ghost story?"
Kagamihara Nadeshiko asked in confusion.
"Have you heard of it?"
Asakura asked Kagamihara Nadeshiko with some surprise; after all, compared to the stars among Yokai like the Nine-Tails, Tengu, and Kappa, the Umi Bozu should be considered one of the more obscure types.
"Back in my hometown in Shizuoka, there were also legends of the Umi Bozu in ancient times." The girl replied: "It's said to be a giant black bald man who attacks ships out at sea and such."
"...A black bald head?" Hitori thought about the scene in her mind: "Cou-could it be a giant octopus or something...?"
"If it were a giant octopus, those fishermen who often go to sea wouldn't mistake it so easily," Asakura shook his head, "And if I remember correctly, there are specific giant octopus Yokai in the 'Hyakki Yako Sho,' like the O-dako or Koromodako."
"I remember some scholars later said that the Umi Bozu might be a transformation of pirates or wokou out of fear."
Kagamihara Nadeshiko added.
"So, so, for this trip, we're looking for Yokai as well as ghost stories?" Hitori asked Asakura weakly.
"Though you might not believe it, Hitori, if you went back to ancient times and just learned how to swim, you might even pass for a Yokai like a Ningyo-hime." Asakura said, looking at the girl with a grin.
"Oh, is Miss Gotō actually that amazing?" Kagamihara Nadeshiko looked at Hitori with some surprise; after all, since they met, the image the other had presented was hardly a positive one.
Nadeshiko, who usually caused trouble or did silly things in her own small group, felt what it was like to take care of someone else for the first time. Suddenly, she felt a bit more respect for Rin Shima and the others who usually looked after her...
"Hehe, I'm not really that amazing..." Hitori's expression immediately collapsed.
Meanwhile, Asakura shook his head helplessly: "We're not looking for the Umi Bozu from ancient legends, but investigating a certain incredible... monster called 'Umi Bozu' that has occasionally appeared near the beach in recent decades."