The Kamisato Estate was a sprawling mansion with black tiled roofs and white walls, exuding a majestic and imposing aura.
Even under the blurry veil of the heavy rain, the residence retained its dignified presence. Occasional flashes of lightning that tore across the sky momentarily illuminated the estate, adding to its solemn grandeur.
Kamisato Ayaka quickened her pace, and Zeyan jogged alongside her, stepping over the bluestone steps toward the mansion. Fortunately, there were wooden lanterns emitting light on both sides of the steps, so even in the darkness, they would not stumble.
The Kamisato Estate was silent, the only sound being that of the heavy rain.
After entering, Zeyan looked around, his gaze falling on Kamisato Ayaka.
At this moment, Kamisato Ayaka was holding an umbrella, standing alone in the empty courtyard. Her figure looked so frail, as if she might be swept away by the heavy rain at any moment. A sense of loneliness was clearly palpable.
Seeing this scene, Zeyan did not know what to say, so he walked over and said softly,
"Miss Kamisato, at least I will always be with you, if you do not mind me following."
Kamisato Ayaka's delicate body trembled slightly. She turned around and smiled, but no matter how one looked at it, that smile felt forced.
Although Kamisato Ayaka had previously said she was going to the Grand Narukami Shrine, seemingly not caring whether she returned to the Kamisato Estate, she had ultimately entered here and witnessed its emptiness. At this moment, Kamisato Ayaka's heart must be extremely heavy.
Kamisato Ayaka said softly,
"Zeyan, today the sky darkened early because of the heavy rain. In this situation, it is not suitable for us to continue our journey. Why do we not spend the night at my house, and tomorrow we can set off for the Grand Narukami Shrine?"
Zeyan nodded.
"I have no objections."
Kamisato Ayaka turned and walked ahead.
"Come with me. There are many guest rooms in the mansion. You can stay in whichever one you like. It is just that for food, we can only use the bento boxes we brought. Please forgive me for the inadequate hospitality in this regard."
Zeyan said nonchalantly,
"The rice balls and grilled bird eggs were quite good, very much to my liking. As for Miss Kamisato, since we are going to start climbing the mountain tomorrow, you should eat more so you do not lack energy tomorrow."
Kamisato Ayaka's steps faltered slightly, then she continued walking and said,
"Is that your concern for me? Zeyan's concern, I have received it. I hope the heavy rain will stop tomorrow, and we can safely go to the Grand Narukami Shrine."
It was a small wish.
She had a bigger wish, but she did not dare to voice it.
Zeyan temporarily stayed at the Kamisato Estate. The guest room was very elegant and exquisite, making one feel an uncontrollable sense of leisure, and strangely wanting to drink tea and play chess.
However, Zeyan was still quite sober and not really that leisurely. He lay in bed, listening to the sound of the heavy rain against the window frames, thinking about what to do in the days ahead.
He felt that Kamisato Ayaka would probably find nothing at the Grand Narukami Shrine. So what would Kamisato Ayaka do then?
And his purpose in entering the Dungeon was to master some abilities that could improve his strength. Looking at it now, it seemed that the only way was to learn from Kamisato Ayaka, but what she had learned was the Kamisato clan's Tachi Jutsu, which she probably would not teach to outsiders, right?
Suddenly, Zeyan's ears twitched, hearing other sounds mixed in with the heavy rain outside the window. This aroused his curiosity. He got out of bed and pushed open the window.
Splash.
The window opened, and the sound of the rain instantly became louder. Dense moisture rushed in, making him subconsciously take two steps back.
Similarly, the other sound mixed in with the rain became clearer.
"Kamisato Ayaka..."
Zeyan murmured the name, looking at the girl wielding a sword in the rain.
The girl held the Amenoma Kageuchi and continuously swung it in the rain. Every movement looked very exquisite. At times, it was hard to tell whether she was wielding a sword or dancing, merging lethality and elegance into one, like a thorny flower.
Looking at such a Kamisato Ayaka, Zeyan did not know what to say. She was indeed not as calm as she appeared on the surface. Was she using this action to vent her inner frustration at this moment?
The blade was cold, sweeping through the rain, seeming colder than the rain itself.
As he watched, Zeyan inexplicably felt a moment of daze, and he seemed to hear a voice in his ear.
"Kamisato Art Senho, comprehension increased to 10 percent."
This sudden voice startled Zeyan. He subconsciously looked left and right, and then, as if thinking of something, he whispered,
"System? System, are you repaired?"
There was no response.
Zeyan called out a few more times, but still received no response, as if the system was still repairing itself.
However, Zeyan was certain that he had not misheard. There was indeed a notification sound in his ear just now, and the content was the comprehension level of Kamisato Art Senho.
Thinking of the content of the notification just now, a strange look appeared on Zeyan's face. Could it be that he could learn Kamisato Ayaka's abilities in this way?
However, Kamisato Ayaka did not practice her sword in the rain for too long. She stopped at this moment, but she still stood in the rain, letting the rain pour down and beat against her petite body. Her clothes were all clinging to her, soaked through, outlining the girl's exquisite figure. The obvious curves made Zeyan feel a surge of blood.
Secretly swallowing his saliva, Zeyan quickly closed the window.
Kamisato Ayaka did not know that Zeyan had watched her for a while. At this moment, her heart was filled with confusion, and she did not care how disheveled the heavy rain had made her.
Her mood was very low. She stood there with her head down, and one could see ripples forming one after another under her feet as the rain beat down. Tiny water droplets splashed up and landed on her feet, and her white socks were already muddy.
Just then, Kamisato Ayaka noticed that the rain above her head had stopped, replaced by the sound of raindrops hitting an umbrella. She looked up and saw an umbrella, and then turned around to find Zeyan holding it in one hand and a white towel in the other, looking at her.
"Sorry," Zeyan said subconsciously.
"Why are you suddenly apologizing to me?" Kamisato Ayaka's beautiful eyes flickered as she looked at Zeyan.
"Uh..." Zeyan had originally wanted to apologize for involving Kamisato Ayaka in the Dungeon, but when asked, he changed his words.
"I did not notice Miss Kamisato's low mood, which resulted in you standing in the rain for so long. It was naturally wrong of me. I have a friend from Fontaine who, if he knew about this, would probably say I was not gentlemanly enough."
In Zeyan's mind, the figure of Kuri, the head of the Wanmin Restaurant from Fontaine, flashed by.
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