the shaman way

"Yes, I know about it. It's pretty infamous among the wandering spirits of the city,"

Umeboshi said, looking noticeably more nervous than he had been a moment ago.

Noticing this, Cyrus asked,

"What's wrong?"

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Umeboshi responded:

"Are you sure you want to search for trouble? What kind of beast has decided to make that hell-ride amusement park its hunting ground?"

Instead of responding immediately, Cyrus stood up, walked to the entrance of his backyard, opened it, and gazed at the sky.

"What do you think will happen when that park closes down?" he asked.

Umeboshi's eyes widened slightly as he looked at the ground and replied,

"It will have to find a new hunting ground…"

"Exactly. I need to deal with whatever's down there before the park closes and it goes on a rampage around the city,"

Cyrus said, still gazing at the sky.

"And that's why I need your help this time, Umeboshi."

"Why do you think I'd be of any help against that thing in the park? Not even the souls that enter its territory ever come back…"

Cyrus closed his eyes, appearing thoughtful, then said,

"It's because you're strong. There's no more to it than that. Also, if the spirit decides to attack everyone, I can't say I could protect them all. That's why I need someone as strong as you to have my back."

Before Umeboshi could respond to the boy's statement, they both heard a voice shout:

"Huh?! Miravine, you traitor!!"

The annoying voice came from the hole in the fence of Cyrus's backyard. It was Viora, the petite girl who had insisted on helping Cyrus against the corrupted spirit in the Hell-Ride Amusement Park.

Umeboshi approached the door leading to the backyard and stood next to Cyrus. Meanwhile, Viora, still caught up in her delusion, exclaimed:

"When I asked to help you, you said you didn't need help! But then you asked this blurry guy for help?! What does he have that I don't?"

"Blurry? What does she mean by 'blurry'?" Umeboshi asked, looking confused at the young girl's statement.

Cyrus stepped into the backyard to confront the girl and answered Umeboshi's question:

"She can only see blurry figures of spirits, but she doesn't see them as clearly as she sees living beings. She's such a pain to deal with... And how does she even know where I live?"

"Answer me, Cyrus! As your partner, I have to know! Your answer will decide if you'll face a correction or not!"

Cyrus stared at her for a while before saying,

"This is stalking at this point. Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?"

"For someone who claims to want to be alone, you sure make a lot of noise with your gun... Silly, silly you, Miravine!"

She said, stepping into Cyrus's backyard, fully aware that she wasn't invited and that her actions weren't exactly legal.

"You know what... How about this? If you keep your bat in your hand and it doesn't fall somewhere else, you can join us in protecting the class during the field trip."

"You for real!? Don't lie! You better not lie, Miravine!"

She said, preparing to grip her bat with enough force to shatter bone.

"You won't make me lose my bat, Miravine! In three, you can try!"

"One."

Cyrus tightened his grip on his wooden sword.

"Two."

His feet were ready to dash toward Viora.

"Three."

Then everything went loose at the speed of a speeding bullet. Cyrus's sword not only knocked the bat out of Viora's hand but shattered it in midair.

"Arg! My precious bat!" she exclaimed, holding her hand to her head, her dark hair mixed with purple.

"It seems you lost. Now go somewhere else. I won't be this kind next time."

Holding the broken piece of her bat, she was obviously trying not to cry. She said only two words:

"You jerk…"

She then ran off through the hole in Cyrus's backyard fence, disappearing from sight.

Umeboshi, who had been watching the whole scene, said,

"Who was that? Your ex?"

Cyrus, staring at the tiny broken piece of the bat on the ground, replied,

"I don't have any of those…"

Umeboshi, looking thoughtful as he approached Cyrus, added,

"Still, even if she can only see blurry images, being able to see spirits still makes her pretty out of the ordinary, right? You sure you don't want her to join us? I mean, against whatever monster is down there, more help can't hurt."

"She thinks everything is some kind of game. She doesn't understand the gravity of the situation. And she doesn't understand the burden or pride of us shamans," Cyrus said, his voice calm but firm.

Looking up at the sky, Umeboshi replied,

"She doesn't understand the burden and pride of a shaman, huh? … Well, neither do I. What do you mean by that?"

As Cyrus walked toward the house, he stopped just before completely leaving the backyard. Without turning around, he said,

"I can't judge you—or even her—for not understanding. Even for me... it took those accidents to truly grasp what the pride and burden of a shaman really are. Well, it doesn't matter. You can go now. I'll see you when the field trip begins."

Umeboshi, watching Cyrus's back, simply replied,

"Sure."

He turned and walked off into the distance, heading to some unknown place.