Volume 1
Chapter 4 Part
3
In a Temple, a
Girl Smiles 3
Translator : PolterGlast
"――......Umm~.
Excuse~ me~ ~umm~"
Someone is calling
him. Akira's consciousness slowly emerged from the depths of hazy, half-awake
drowsiness.
In the bright sunlight
and the hazy vision peculiar to waking up, Akira saw a young girl in a miko
outfit with braided hair peering at him.
"Umm~, please
wake up~. Even though it's summer, you'll catch a cold if you sleep
here~."
Perhaps it was
intentional, but the strangely prolonged tone of her voice made Akira feel a
bit uncomfortable.
"..................Who?"
With sleepy eyes,
Akira uttered a question that, in hindsight, could have been the epitome of
silliness and self-mockery.
"Who, you
ask?......, that should be my line."
Akira, who gradually
became conscious more and more clearly, hurriedly raised his upper body as the
girl laughed at him in a troubled manner.
"Ouch-ouch-ouch……"
The pain in the back
of his head conveyed a silent protest that he had been lying on a very hard
surface that was different from the tatami mats for a very long time.
However, no other
physical discomfort was felt.
On the contrary, for
the first time in a long time, he seemed to be able to sleep soundly, his
thoughts were clear, and his physical condition was full of vitality.
"Umm......, where
am I?"
It was not the place
with tatami mats that Shuka described as Bankyū Daigaran as he remembered.
Instead, it was in the
precincts of some shrine where stone pavements were spread out.
"This is the Shusha
Shrine. Don't you know that you will be punished for sleeping in a place like
this?"
"Eh? No, I surely
went to a Daigaran, and then......."
"Daigaran? What's
that? ――How did you get in here, anyway? We close the gate at night, because
it's sacred hours."
"E-even if you
ask me how, I myself don't know why I'm here. ......"
"……Were you drunk
at your age?"
"I've never drank
sake though. ......Well, I wonder if I was bewitched by kitsune or
tanuki."
The few experiences
that remain in his memory were difficult to describe.
The cobblestone paved
pathway that he was forced to walk for a long time, the streets where
odd-shaped things walked back and forth.
The smile of Fuyou
Gozen, swallowed by the glowing light.
――And an encounter with
Shuka in the Bankyū Daigaran.
"Kitsune huh
.......Well~, our Inari-sama is indeed a prankster, and I can't be sure that
she doesn't do some trickery, but I don't think she's the kind of person who
would just leave people in front of a shrine."
With a troubled
expression on her face, the girl in front of him defends Inari of the shrine.
Naturally so. Inari or
spirits, they rarely interfere with this world.
Even Akira couldn't
imagine that Inari would do such a vicious and unnecessary thing as simply
tricking people and leaving them in the precincts of a shrine.
"Well, that's
certainly true. ...... Hold on. Did you say this place is Shusha Shrine?"
"Eh? Yes, this is
Shusha Shrine."
The girl answered with
a slight hesitation, as she was asked in a rather serious tone of voice.
Looking at the hall of
worship at the back of the shrine, Akira could see the word "Shusha"
displayed in large letters on the front of it.
Akira's memory of
yesterday came back to mind.
Golden hair, azure
eyes. Cherry lips and pearly teeth.
――You should go to
Shusha and take the [Shrine Parishioner Lottery] there.
These were the words
given to him by Shuka.
This must be the
place.
"I see, so this
place is the land of Shusha."
"Yes?"
"Ah, I'm talking
about this place. You see, I came here to receive the [Shrine Parishioner
Lottery]."
"Huh?" The
girl showed a puzzled face, which was a complete contrast to her previous one.
"Umm, at this Shusha Shrine?"
"Yes, I was told
to receive it at Shusha Shrine. ...... Umm, is there a problem?"
As far as Akira could
see, it was a fairly large shrine.
He would find it hard
to believe if they were not performing [Shrine Parishioner Lottery].
"It's not really
a problem, but ......, well, it's not like it's a secret, so I guess it's okay
to say it.
Well, our shrine is a
closed shrine."
A closed shrine is a
shrine where there are certain conditions to qualify to become a Shrine
Parishioner.
Only those that meet
the conditions are accepted as Shrine Parishioners at that shrine, so there is
a limit to the number of people that can join.
That is why they are
called "closed" shrines.
Basically, most closed
shrines are shrines of highly prestigious local deities that are not accessible
to the general public, and being a Shrine Parishioner of a closed shrine alone
is enough to be looked upon with a distinctly different perspective from being
a Shrine Parishioner of another shrine.
There are various conditions
for being recognized as a Shrine Parishioner at a closed shrine, but the most
common was that one must be "born" in the area.
――Akira was born in
Kuniten, and it was unlikely that he could be a Shrine Parishioner at this
shrine.
Akira's shoulders dropped
involuntarily, but Shuka's words, which he remembered from yesterday, did not
allow him to give up.
"E-even so, she
told me to take the [Shrine Parishioner Lottery] at Shusha Shrine."
"W-who told you
that?"
The girl asked as she
leaned forward even further when Akira told her so.
"Who, you ask?
.................."
Akira was at a loss
for words.
The words were spoken
by a beautiful girl who seemed out of this world, smiling at him from behind a
hazy memory like a dream, and he felt that if he were to tell the truth, he
would be questioned about his sanity or something.
...... At least, if
Akira were to be in her shoes, he would doubt it.
"――A girl named
Shuka, whom I met inside a place called Daigaran, told me so."
However, even if he
were to become a laughingstock, Akira chose to take the [Shrine Parishioner
Lottery] at Shusha Shrine.
"Are you sure you
weren't deceived? I don't know anything about Daigaran, and
besides................." "Kanako."
The girl was about to
accuse him when an old woman dressed in a miko outfit called out to her from
behind.
"You haven't done
the sweeping yet, hurry up. ......Oya, who's the little boy over there?"
"Grandma."
The girl, who was
called Kanako, turned around in surprise.
"You see, this
person wants to take the [Shrine Parishioner Lottery]. Even though I already
explained to him that Shusha Shrine is a closed shrine, he wouldn't
listen."
Ho~u. The old woman
looked at Akira with interest.
"......Well, it's
fine. Let him draw the lottery."
"Grandma!?"
"You explained
that it's a closed shrine, right? Then he is free to decide whether or not to
accept it. After all, the result is everything. ...... Just as well, I guess.
Kanako, try performing his [Shrine Parishioner Lottery}."
"Eh? I-I'm still
an apprentice. Is that okay?"
"It's okay, it's
part of your experience. ――Boy, you don't mind, do you?"
"Yes, thank
you."
He nodded in agreement
with the suggestion without a second thought.
For Akira, anything
was fine as long as he could receive the [Shrine Parishioner Lottery].
Akira followed behind
Kanako, who was now in a happy mood, a complete change from the previous one.
She was rarely allowed to play a major role after all.
"――Alright~.
Thank you for waiting."
Kanako placed a
lottery box on the reception table of the shrine office.
Just like a shrine
with a long history, the lottery box has a somewhat dignified coloring.
――To put it bluntly, the
box looks a little dirty, perhaps because it is not used very often.
Akira traced the rough
surface of the faded lacquer on the box.
The smoothness to the
touch was very different from that of the lottery boxes he vaguely remembered
from yesterday when he visited the several shrines around the area.
"I-It can't be
helped, can't it? ...... It is not used very often after all."
Seeing Akira checking
on the box, the girl's lips twitched in defense.
"More
importantly, hurry up and pull it out already. I know how it's going to turn
out, so don't complain if it doesn't work."
"Yes, I
know."
Yesterday, he already
experienced a lot of disappointments.
Even if he fails now,
he will not despair so much just because he has one more failure.
He picked up the lot
box with a calm feeling, which was different from the pent-up emotions he had
been feeling until last night.
The sound of paper
rustling inside the box, which he had heard many times before, was somehow
comforting.
――A glitter of
vermillion gold danced at the edge of his vision.
Perhaps Shuka was
watching him from somewhere.
He was convinced of
this for no reason at all, and a smile appeared on his face.
As soon as he turned
the lottery box upside down, a piece of lottery paper fell out.
The white lottery
paper folded in two, which he had seen many times yesterday.
With a calm emotion,
he unfolded the paper.
"It's.......
Shrine Parishioner."
Shrine Parishioner.
There were two dry ink characters written on the lottery paper.
The words, which he
had been longing for until yesterday, were suddenly given to him.
Akira could not grasp
the fact immediately, and could only read the words as they were written.
"See? Like I
said. People from other places won't be accepted as Shrine Parishioners at this
shrine, eh-.................. eeeehhh~!?"
Kanako's proud
expression turned to one of disbelief and astonishment.
"Huh? No way! For
real? Like, for real!?"
"Un. ――This is
written as Shrine Parishioner, right?"
"E, eh. ――Ah,
it's true. ...... Grandma! Grandma~~!!"
It must have been hard
to believe. She left the person she was in charge of alone and ran to the old
woman who was probably in the main hall.
Unable to do anything,
Akira just watched her back in dismay.
Her surprise was
understandable, even Akira couldn't believe it.
After all, he had
never received words saying [Shrine Parishioner] until this very moment.
But now, just by
following Shuka's words, he was given [Shrine Parishioner] as the result of the
lottery.
The shock was so great
that the indescribable emotions were on the contrary making Akira maintain his
composure.
――If it were true, he
would be so happy that he wanted to jump up and down on the spot.
Yes, he is happy.
That was Akira's true
feeling, without any lie.
――How long had he been
longing for these two words?
It would not be an
exaggeration to say that Akira's entire life had been spent yearning for these
words.
――However, once they
were given to him, he was unable to sustain the feelings he had afterward.
After a while,
Kanako's rowdy voices were heard coming from the main hall.
Akira stood there in a
daze, saturated with every possible emotion, until Kanako returned with the old
woman.
"――Oh~. You
really got Shrine Parishioner, huh?"
"Eh? Just like
that!?"
Kanako looked
surprised at the old woman, who murmured something as if it was nothing, while
scrutinizing Akira's lottery paper.
"What do you mean
"just like that!"? The boy actually drew the lottery, and this is his
result and we have confirmed it. What else is there to say?"
"I-I mean, he
actually drew Shrine Parishioner in a closed shrine, you know!? Something is
definitely not right here!!"
Akira understood how
she felt, but it still made him feel bad to hear her say that in front of him.
While Akira was depressed,
Kanako's tone of voice became more agitated.
"Kanako!"
The old woman
interrupted Kanako, who was about to say something more, with a tone of voice
that was a little too strong for her to ignore.
"We are indeed
God's spokespersons, but we are not qualified to give our opinions on God's
decisions. That was the first lesson I taught you, remember? Whether it is
closed or not, the result of [Shrine Parishioner Lottery] is absolute. All we
have to do is accept it."
"......U-un."
"Boy, are you
sure willing to be a Shrine Parishioner at this Shusha Shrine?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Good. Kanako,
take out the wooden tag. Write down his name on it and deliver it to the
shrine, with that he will officially become a shrine parishioner of Shusha Shrine."
"Thank you very
much!"
"G-grandma, are
you sure?"
"God has made the
decision, there will be no problem. Kanako, recite the prayer. If you get a
response from God, the [Shrine Parishioner Lottery] will be completed."
"......Un!"
While still puzzled by
the unusual occurrence, Kanako stopped pursuing the matter further and nodded
her head in affirmation.
She sprinkled the
purifying water on Heisoku and Sakaki and waved it three times toward Akira.
Each time, a drop of
the purifying water danced on Akira's face.
The young girl, who
must have practiced the ritual many times, recited the prayer in a clear and
resonant voice throughout the shrine precincts, where there were only three
people present.
――After the prayer ended
without a hitch, Kanako tilted her head with an even more puzzled expression
than before.
"E-eh? There's no
reply verse from God ......"
"Grandma, are you
sure that was alright?"
As she watched Akira's
back as he left the Shusha Shrine, Niikawa Kanako once again asked her own
grandmother, Niikawa Shino.
It was no wonder
Kanako was unconvinced.
After all, she had
reenacted the prayer several times after that, but she had never received a
response from God.
The [Shrine
Parishioner Lottery] ends when the shrine maiden receives the reply verses to
her prayer.
The verse, which is
given in the form of a tanka poem, is not a mere poem.
It is the very essence
of the name of one's life, given by the Divine Pillar.
Kanako had never seen
or heard of one in which the deity did not give a tanka poem in return.
She thought it was
unthinkable to cheat in [Shrine Parishioner Lottery], however, she still had
Akira draw the lottery again in front of her grandmother.
The result was still
the same, and there was no evidence of cheating.
Unable to refuse to
accept the result, she convinced Akira to put the result on hold and let the
higher-ups decide whether it was fair or not, and let him go home.
――There will be
troubles, no doubt.
Kanako thought so, as
if it were someone else's problem.
Although she did not
know how it happened, there was no doubt that the main deity of the Shusha
Shrine had accepted Akira.
If that were the case,
her grandmother, as the chief priestess, who puts the will of God first, would
surely support the acceptance of Akira.
However, even though
her grandmother has the power to speak out, she is nothing more than a mere
shrine maiden-in-chief.
For Akira to be
accepted as a member of the shrine, he would need the permission of the chief
miko and the chief priest, as well as the Gonnegi, a group of shrine
parishioners who oversee the shrine parishioners.
However, her father,
who is the head of the Gonnegi, is a faint-hearted man, and is likely to be
swayed by the opinions of other members.
On the other hand, the
elders who make up the local community, perhaps accustomed to a closed
environment for many years, have a tendency to take a coercive stance toward
strangers and to be exclusive.
"...... It's
fine. God decided to accept him, so we have no right to say anything about
it."
――I knew it.
Kanako's shoulders
drooped at this predictable response.
"――More
importantly, Kanako, I saw you and the boy talking about something. What were
you two talking about?"
"I don't quite
understand what he said. He said, he was told to take [Shrine Parishioner
Lotter] at this Shusha Shrine or something………………" "Kanako!"
Just as she was about
to talk about it, a sharp voice came from behind her.
"Huh!?
O-Onēchan?"
When she turned
around, she saw her older sister, Niikawa Natsu, gasping for breath on her
shoulder.
Kanako froze
completely, surprised to see her sister, who was supposed to be on duty at the
main residence of Kihoin, located on top of Mt. Ootori.
"Thank goodness I
made it in time. Kanako, whatever you heard from the person who was just here,
forget all about it."
"Is that the
first thing you say right after coming home? What an impressive thing to say.
Who is that boy
anyway?"
"――I'm sorry,
Grandma. Please don't pry into it. And about that person......, immediately
approve Akira-sama's membership as a shrine parishioner."
"What a pushy
thing to say. ――Let me guess, you're doing this at the behest of Kihoin?"
"......Un. It
could be taken as an imperial decree."
An imperial decree. In
other words, it is the most powerful order that can be issued directly.
"Hmm, looks like
that boy is quite a big shot. And I see that Kihouin's Hime-sama can't afford
to be so carefree either."
"Grandma!"
"I know - I know,
I won't pry any further. I'll handle the boy's membership to the shrine. ――You
should hurry up and get going. I know you're busy at Kihoin, too."
"――Thank you,
please. Kanako, if you don't want to be glared at by Kami-sama, you must not pry
into Akira-sama's affairs. Okay?"
"U-un."
"Good!"
Seeing Kanako, who
managed to nod despite being pressured, Natsu nodded once with satisfaction and
then rushed out of the gate toward the outside.
"......I wonder
if it is really alright."
Kanako looked at her
sister who left without even looking back, and then muttered so to herself.
"I'm sure
everything will be alright. If something happens, we can use Kihoin's decree as
a shield."
"That's not what
I mean. I just want to know what's going on."
"Who knows."
Kanako was upset by
her grandmother's curt response, which sounded irresponsible.
"Grandma!"
"Whether you like
it or not, it doesn't matter. We have to go left or right according to the will
of God. It's pointless to worry about it. Natsu said so, didn't she? Don't pry,
just forget about it."
With these words, she
ended her conversation with Kanako and began to walk slowly toward the main
shrine.
Realizing that there
was no point in continuing the conversation, Kanako glanced at the gate where
Akira and her sister had left.
Naturally, there was
no one there, and the only thing she could see was the quiet precincts of the
shrine.
*Whoosh*. A gust of
wind rustled the leaves, urging Kanako to hurry up and do the cleaning she had
forgotten to do.
Kanako stopped
worrying about the commotion, picked up her broom, and went back to her
sweeping.
――――――――――――――――
TIPS: About closed
shrines.
These are special
shrines that will not accept Shrine Parishioners in the usual [Shrine
Parishioner Lottery].
They are often highly
prestigious shrines, and those who become Shrine Parishioners here tend to be
more proud of their status than others.
Shrine Parishioners
here are a closed group, so the word "closed" also means a mockery
against them.
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