The next day, in Kokubunji...
'Natsui… What are you doing?'
At the sound of the blond-haired young man's voice, Natsui Mizoroge froze into place, her expression filling with embarrassment.
When did he arrive?
She had been waiting for his arrival and had decided to practice some of the kagura dance steps in the meantime.
Very slowly, she turned her head around to look at the blond-haired male over her shoulder, and the moment she met his wide, curious eyes, she flushed tomato red, and ran up to her cellphone- which was propped up on the table- to close the video of the dance choreography.
'Was that a kagura dance you were practicing?' the young man inquired, as he came up behind her.
Still keeping her back turned on him and blushing, she nodded once, and informed him, 'There will be a funfair at the shrine this Saturday. Hime has asked me if I could dance with her. I said yes.'
'I see,' Yūsei replied, with a smile, coming around her to sit on the edge of the table, facing her. 'May I bring you my assistance?'
The ginger-haired girl looked at the young man now, her eyes widening at him. 'You want to bring me your assistance?'
'Yes. Maybe, we could take an hour off our lessons every day, so I can help you to practice. What do you say?'
'Uh...' She hesitated, not knowing what to reply, and feeling especially embarrassed at the thought of dancing in front of him.
'Please, let me do this! If you didn't have to give me tutorials, I'm sure that you'd have more time to practice, and therefore, it'd be my way of showing you my solicitude! Not to forget that I still haven't thanked you yet for having helped me obtain not one, but two part-time jobs!'
'Oh, but you really don't have to feel grateful towards me about anything!' she assured him, rapidly. 'I remind you that you were the first to come to my help. In the metro.'
'Right!' he replied, scratching the back of his head and smiling, sheepishly. 'It often gives me the impression of abusing of your generosity. And so, allow me to insist! It'll make me feel a whole lot better!'
Even if the ginger-haired girl never had the impression that he was abusing, she couldn't refuse him. Not after the look that he was giving to her.
They held each other's gaze for a minute, before the young man asked her, with a smile, 'Shall we get started right away?'
And Natsui nodded.
He helped her to practice for a whole hour, after which, they got to their tutorial. They were almost through with it when, as could be expected, Hiyori Miyatsu showed up.
'I felt so guilty yesterday for having left after taking only one cup of coffee!' the dark-haired girl declared at Natsui, with an apologetic smile. 'But, I promise that today I'm going to try a pizza!'
Yūsei watched Natsui as she nodded, uncertainly, looking both uncomfortable and confused.
Hiyori's eyes shifted onto him then, to give him a large smile.
There was something quite not right. He could feel it. But he didn't know exactly what it could be.
Once the tutorial was over, they headed for the pizzeria all together, and Yūsei still couldn't get accustomed to the dark-haired girl clinging at his arm while they walked.
When they reached their destination, Hiyori took a seat at the same table as on the previous day, and going through the menu rapidly, she ordered for a pizza and a cup of coffee.
But maybe, I'm only imagining things… Yūsei said to himself.
Natsui came to serve the dark-haired girl her pizza, and the blond male was about to pour coffee in the girl's cup when, suddenly, he heard Natsui gasp. Instantly, he looked around at the ginger-haired girl's face and found her staring at a certain young man who had just crossed the road, preparing to enter the pizzeria.
The latter was a young man of around twenty-one or twenty-two years old. He was quite thin, and measured average height, and had short, ginger hair.
Natsui seemed completely panicked at the sight of said-young man, and asking them to excuse her very quickly in a thin voice, she scooted away to disappear in the kitchen.
Yūsei was more than puzzled by the girl's reaction. He stared after her for a few seconds, before his eyes returned to the front on the ginger-haired young man who had now entered the pizzeria and was standing in front of the counter, asking for a cup of cappuccino to take away.
'Who is this guy?' he wondered to himself, intrigued. 'Does Natsui know him?'
Hiyori took a glance over her shoulder at the said-young man, whom she instantly recognized, a malicious smile coming to her lips. Wiping it off her face rapidly, though, she looked at Yūsei again, to tell him, softly, putting on an embarrassed tone, 'Actually, that guy that you can see over there is Natsui's ex-boyfriend.'
'Huh?'
The blond male's eyes shifted on her.
'It's very embarrassing to say, but Natsui had actually cheated on him with his younger brother. That's why she reacted like that when she saw him. I guess that she regrets what she did, and feels a bit ashamed to see him.'
Yūsei stared at the dark-haired girl, without blinking.
He refused to believe that Natsui could do anything like this. It was very strange. He has known the dark-haired girl for nearly as long as he has known her ginger-haired cousin, and yet, he felt like he couldn't trust everything that the former would say.
'But, please, don't tell Natsui that I told you about it,' she added, with a sheepish look. 'It'll make her uncomfortable!'
The young man watched the girl as she picked up her fork after that, to dig it into her pizza and start eating.
He poured some coffee into her cup quietly, before he turned around to make for the kitchen. When he had entered it, he found Natsui leaning against the wall, by the side of the door, her eyes set on the floor, her expression disheveled. She didn't even notice that he had entered the kitchen, until he moved up to her to ask her, very hesitantly, 'Say, Natsui, can I ask you who was the young man that we've seen earlier?'
The ginger-haired girl stared at him for a second or two, with wide, agitated eyes, before she looked away, touched her forehead nervously, and told him that it was no one, only to scurry out of his sight, leaving the blond male standing there, motionless, not really knowing what to think.
***
We woke up early in the morning.
After I had prepared breakfast and we had all filled our stomachs, Tsubasa-sama and I resumed my dance practice, while the boys decided to play table-tennis in the game hall. After the trashing Tsubasa-sama had given Shunsui on the previous day, we had all thought that the latter would never touch a racket again in his life, and therefore, it was quite inspiring to find how quick the reddish-brown-haired young was to rebound.
The dance practice lasted for a few hours, after which, the boys, Tsubasa-sama and I, left the ryokan to go and watch a Kabuki performance by the local people on the plaza of the village. It was the very first time that I was attending a Kabuki performance, and I was extremely amazed. I instantly became a big fan.
After the end of the performance, we decided to visit the Palace of Tōdō which was situated in the region. We went there by a taxi, and I was more than mesmerized by the beauty of the place. I had only seen it in our history books.
The palace covered an impressive surface area of land. It was found by the side of a lake, and was surrounded by woods. The section that impressed me the most was the hall-like building- which resembled closely to a Kagura-den- that had actually been built onto the lake, with a small bridge connecting it to the rest of the palace. It was two-storied and very spacious, with several pillars everywhere, and a long, red, wooden staircase in the middle that led upstairs. I was absolutely fascinated by its beauty.
'It'd make an ideal place for a wedding reception, don't you think?' Shunsui declared, almost to himself, and Tsubasa-sama and I looked at him, to chuckle, 'We were thinking the same thing!'
If the structure looked so beautiful during the day, I couldn't imagine how beautiful it looked at night, when it was illuminated with lanterns, with the lake bathing in the light of the moon!
From the palace, we headed to visit a shrine which was located not too far away from there. It was one of Japan's most famous shrines. It was built atop of a hill, in the middle of the forest, with a very long staircase- that was straddled by countless torii- leading up to it.
Never before had I visited a shrine of such renown.
It was absolutely splendid and was pretty crowded.
After having prayed in front of the Haiden, Tsubasa-sama told me that she was going to see if she could speak to a Miko and ask her a few tips about kagura dance performances, and Shunsui decided to accompany her, while Gōjun and I moved to the small building on the side to purchase an O-mikuji.
Digging our hands into the container, we each took out a prediction at random.
I paled when I unfolded the piece of paper in my hand to see what it revealed.
Da- Dai-kyō?!
And that was only the general blessing!
All color drained out of my face and I broke into cold sweat as I read further to find out about my fortune in specific aspects of my life. The O-mikuji predicted for me heath issues, family problems and financial disaster!
My legs turning to jelly, I crouched down to stare frantically at the piece of paper, only one conclusion occurring to me, 'I'm going to die soon!'
'Huh?' Gōjun uttered, as he stopped reading his own O-mikuji to turn to look at me, with an intrigued look. He stared at me for a second, before he snatched the piece of paper from my hand, muttering, 'Give this to me!'
Going through it rapidly, he concluded, bluntly, 'Well, I fear that with all the bad luck awaiting you, you might very well end up dead by the end of next week itself!'
I cringed away, squalling, 'You're cruel!'
Looking at my face again, he studied my expression for another second or two, before he held out his own O-mikuji to me, telling me, 'Here!'
My eyes widened at him in confusion.
'Take it!' he said, putting it into my hands.
I stared at the strip of paper, then back at him again, still very much confused.
'I don't understand...'I murmured.
'I'm changing your fate. Can't you see?'
'Eh?!' My expression turned awkward. 'I- I don't really think that it works like this!'
'Yes, it does! I'm going to show you!' he stated, grouchily, and grabbing my hand, he pulled me to my feet and dragged me outside to one of the pine trees which was found on the grounds of the shrine.
'You're keeping the one I gave you for good luck, while this one goes here!' he asserted, and letting go of my hand, he folded the O-mikuji that I had drawn to attach it to a branch of one of the trees.
I stared at him, moved by his action.
But I still don't think that it works like this! I said to myself, as I looked at the O-mikuji he had given to me. And hanging my head, I moaned, feeling all depressed.
By the time we returned to Bandai, night had already fallen, and the boys and Tsubasa-sama decided that we should eat at a yatai. We all ordered Soba noodles, with Ebi Tempura.
My mood was still very much affected by the prediction. I, vaguely, listened to Tsubasa-sama, who was sitting next to me, as she told us about the history of the Palace of Tōdō and the shrine we had visited, and even if I was very much engulfed in my depression, I couldn't help but fall into admiration in front of the blonde woman. She was so cultured.
As I had been about to bring another Ebi Tempura to my mouth, suddenly, I heard her make mention of our local shrine in Kokubunji. Instantaneously, I paused down to look at her face. She was explaining to Shunsui that even when the shrine still had a Kannushi, it not very popular amongst the local people. The Kannushi who used to take care of it, never married and, therefore, had no heir. When he died, no one stepped up to become the next Kannushi, and the shrine fell into quasi-abandon.
'Aren't you going to eat this?' Gōjun ask me, out of the blue, and I looked at him instantly as I felt his hand close around mine on my chopsticks. The latter was sitting on the other side of me, and I stared at him, blushing madly, as he brought the Ebi Tempura I was holding with my chopsticks to his mouth.
Gōjun!
What he just did was so... intimate!
Keeping his expression blunt, he swallowed the shrimp down, before he brought his own chopsticks to my bowl to pick up the last Ebi Tempura that I had left and bring it to his mouth.
'Wah! What are you doing?!' I exclaimed, shielding my bowl with both my hands, my face completely red now.
I heard Shunsui chuckle by the moment and I looked at the latter to find him watching me with a teasing look.
Flushing even deeper, I lowered my head immediately, squirming in embarrassment.
He let out another chuckle, before he called at the vendor, cheerily, 'More Ebi Tempura for us, chef!'
And the old man responded, 'I shall serve you that right away!'
Sometimes later, when we got back to the Ryokan and the boys had left to take a bath and I was preparing to join Tsubasa-sama for ours equally, I took out the O-mikuji Gōjun had given to me.
I had only read the general blessing earlier, which said: Dai-Kichi, but I had not gone through the fortunes in relation to specific aspects of his life. The O-mikuji predicted strengthened family relations, the beginning of a romantic relationship, and a high possibility of an engagement.
At this last part, I blushed.
Thank you for reading!
Glossary
Ryokan - traditional Japanese inn
Kabuki - a classical form of Japanese theater with kumadori make-up, traditional dance, etc.
Kagura-den - dance palace; a building within a Shintō shrine whereby music and kagura dance are offered to the Kami
O-mikuji - sacred lot; random fortunes written on strips on paper at Buddhist temples and Shintō shrines
Dai-kyō - Great Curse
Dai-Kichi - Great blessing
Yatai - mobile food stall
Kannushi - person responsible for the maintenance of a Shintō shrine