My Little Sister Is Too Cute, So I Have To Protect Her!

Knowing that I will immediately be caught if I go to places where I usually go to, I decided to take a different route today. After getting a cab on the main street, I took a 36-minute drive to the 'hippie beach'. Although this place can get a little crowdy during the golden week, it is pretty vacant for the rest of the year.

Since I had nothing better to do anyway, I stretched my body after getting off the cab and walked to a nearby store renting out some sports equipment.

"Yo, Ossan! Do you have any swimsuit for me to rent?"

"Tch. Kids these days are so disrespectful towards their seniors..."

Although slightly grumbling, the Ossan took the money from my hand and came back with a rather worn out swim brief.

"Ossan, don't you have any better ones?"

"I only have one left. Take it or leave it."

Thus, I hesitantly went to a nearby changing room and put the brief on. The feeling was not that great, to be honest. The texture of the brief is rough and it felt as if it could fall off at any time. Tch.

Looking towards the shop once more, I saw a young teenager just like me heading out of the shop with a decent swimming brief in his hand walking towards the changing room.

"... So that Ossan tricked me, huh?"

Feeling as if I shouldn't care about this matter for any longer, I walked away from the shop and rent a swimming tube from a nearby shop. After asking for a long piece of rope from the store, I casually walked into the sea.

The weather today isn't that bad. The sun is out and there are few clouds in the sky. The sea is calm, the breeze is cool, and the water's temperature is perfect. It is indeed a great place to be on a day like this.

After swimming out from shore for a while, I decided that it was time to stop and threw the swimming tube onto the water surface. Using the piece of rope I borrowed from the shop, I tied the swimming tube to a nearby rock and then climbed onto it. Imitating what I have seen in movies, I lied on the tube relaxedly, gazing pointlessly at the sky.

"This... This is actually quite uncomfortable, huh..."

Not long after, I drifted asleep.

**********

It was a long time ago.

I believe that it was around when I was six or seven.

I got lost in the mountains during a school field trip.

Somehow, I managed to find a hidden shrine in the mountains.

Thus, having nowhere else to go, I decided to visit the shrine.

As soon as I entered the shrine, I saw a shrine maiden sweeping the floor diligently.

She was wearing the traditional Miko attire, a red hakama and a white haori. She was also around the same age as I was. Due to the memories of a child, I wasn't able to clearly see her face. Her voice also couldn't be heard clearly, but I was still able to hear what she intended to say.

"W-Who are you?"

"Ah... I... I got lost in the mountains..."

"Ah! Let me call my senior then!"

"So, young man, how did you get here?"

"I... I got lost during the school field trip and somehow ended up here."

After pondering over something for a while, the old woman smiled.

"Hahaha! Fate sure is unpredictable, huh? You're a lucky one, young man!"

"Huh?"

"Mamama~~~ Don't worry. Here, I'll give you a map and a compass. I'm sorry that I couldn't accompany you outside, young man! But don't worry, as long as you follow the map, you can never be lost!"

"Eh?"

Ignoring my confused expression, the old woman called over the child Miko and whispered something into her ear. After hearing what the old woman said, the child Miko then blushed and gave him something like a protective charm.

"Take it, young man! Once the time is right, you will know what you should do with it."

"Now, go back to where you're supposed to be, young man!"

The scenes after that were quite blurry and incomprehensible. As soon as the younger version of myself returned back to where we were supposed to meet, the dream ended...

************

"Why was I dreaming about that...?"

Talking to no one in particular, I gazed at the sky once more...