But it was like smashing into a sponge. There was no feeling at all. Naori didn't even know if she had hit it.
"Damn it, what is this thing? Why can't even Susano'o break through it!"
Despite her anger, after confirming that this thing could not be broken, Naori adjusted her direction again. This time, Naori chose to return the way she came. But as soon as she turned her head, she bumped into a wall again.
"This thing is guiding me! Where does it want me to go?" Naori immediately realized the purpose of this 'illusory barrier.' Although she didn't know what was waiting for her at the destination, at this point, she could only choose to follow it to the end.
Naori adjusted her breathing and walked toward the front-left direction. This path was clear and unobstructed, without any 'walls.' She continued walking in this direction. In a trance, she thought she heard the sound of water, but she wasn't sure if it was an illusion. But since she was still trapped in this heavy mist and couldn't escape, she didn't have the mind to worry about the sound of water.
The direction with the sound of water had walls blocking it. Even if Naori wanted to go and see, she couldn't break through the obstruction of the walls.
As she walked, Naori seemed to notice that the dense fog was thinning. She could sparsely see the blurry outlines of things around her. This was a good sign for Naori, suggesting she might really be leaving this place. Thinking of this, Naori quickened her pace. She didn't know how Torifu was doing, but she figured with Torifu's strength, he must have already escaped. He was probably looking for her.
As Naori's speed increased, the blurry outlines around her became more real. The surroundings looked like a patch of forest. However, a massive, tall, and pointed house-like outline appeared inexplicably in front of her. She didn't know what it was. Naori wanted to bypass it, but found that the path was blocked again, so she could only walk into the house.
"It feels cold to the touch. What is it exactly?" Naori tapped it with her hand. The sound was muffled, but unlike before, the material was very smooth. Without hesitation, Naori pushed open the door of the house and walked in.
The house was completely dark, even darker than the visibility outside. She couldn't determine how big the place was. In the very center of the room, a small box was emitting a faint light. It was square and looked like a delicate, small item.
"Could this be the key to breaking the illusory barrier?" Naori subconsciously muttered to herself, but this time she heard an echo. The sound resonated in the room, making it vast and quiet, giving her a slight case of the shivers. But these were minor things to Naori. She had killed people; would she be afraid of things like this?
Naori walked forward and picked up the glowing box. It felt like an ordinary small box and didn't look special at all. It seemed to be made of wood, and she could even smell a hint of wood fragrance.
When Naori opened the box, she found a silver ring with a gem embedded in it.
"This is a ring? What's going on? What's the situation?"
Just as Naori questioned this, the room began to slowly brighten. Naori looked outside and saw that the dense fog was gradually dissipating, revealing the original appearance of the forest. The small house Naori was in had also changed its appearance. It was less like a house and more like a spired tower, completely crafted from dazzling crystal. It was transparent throughout, and the very tip, where the sun could shine, was inlaid with crystals of various colors.
As the dense fog dissipated, sunlight shone on the spire, scattering magnificent colors into the tower. The entire spire was so brilliant that Naori was momentarily confused about what had happened. All the surrounding changes had happened too quickly for Naori to fully process.
Just then, another door of the spire opened. Naori looked over and saw Torifu standing there. Then, he slowly walked toward Naori.
"Torifu, what exactly is going on? I still haven't quite figured out what happened."
Torifu walked to Naori's side, picked up the ring from the box, and knelt on one knee.
"Naori, will you marry me?"
Torifu's sudden action made Naori cover her mouth in surprise. All the mist and stumbling along the way had not made Naori feel the slightest fear. But at this moment, Naori shed tears.
"So, all of this was done by you, right?"
Torifu nodded. "Yes. I spent an entire afternoon setting it up yesterday, to give you a surprise."
It was certainly a surprise. Naori had no idea that he had fabricated a so-called "illusory barrier" just to propose to her. She hadn't thought in that direction at all. Everything was too sudden.
Naori's tears kept flowing, but they weren't tears of sadness; they were tears of joy. She had been looking forward to this day for a long time, but it had been delayed. But she understood. Torifu was the Hokage. His daily work was busy, and the burden on him was quite heavy. When she had mentioned it a few days ago, seeing that Torifu didn't seem to be thinking about marriage, Naori had decided to wait another two years. But she didn't expect him to suddenly propose to her today. And he had gone to such lengths to create this 'illusory barrier.'
It felt so real. The sense of immersion was so strong that Naori truly believed that some unsolvable problem had arisen for Torifu. Up until she opened the box, Naori thought it might be a conspiracy from another village. When she saw the ring in the box, she was stunned.
"Does this mean I should put it on?"
Torifu nodded. "Of course. Will you be my wife?"
Naori couldn't help but smile. "Of course. I'd be delighted."