After a few minutes of slogging through the snow, Yasushi and his two companions sought refuge under the awning of a shuttered building.
"Thank goodness the heater's still running," Xinyi said as she pressed her chilled body against it.
"Yeah, it was smart of the mayor to install these heaters for anyone caught outside," Yasushi agreed. "But they don't do much in this kind of cold. To stay warm through the night, people need more than just a heater — blankets, proper clothing, that sort of thing. Maybe that's why we haven't seen anyone yet?"
They gathered around the outdoor radiator, their breath forming small clouds in the frigid air. This system of heaters had been set up by the previous mayor, intended to aid those without homes. The current administration had decided it wasn't enough and chose instead to build more shelters with better facilities. Many felt the heaters were a temporary fix, lacking the comprehensive support needed for the city's homeless.
After a couple of minutes spent huddled together and feeling the warmth seep back into their frozen limbs, Yasushi spoke up. "Alright, let's move on. We can't stay here forever. The first shrine is only about a fifteen-minute walk from here. We'll catch up with Yinhaie soon."
Without waiting for a reply, Yasushi took both their gloved hands and started walking. Jingliu and Xinyi clasped his hands tightly, their movements quickening as they followed him. The thought of reaching the shrine and meeting Yinhaie spurred them on, promising relief from the biting cold that had settled around them.
+-+
After a demanding twelve-minute trek through the snow, they reached the base of the shrine's steps. Only a three-minute climb remained to reach the top, but before they could begin, a figure emerged beside the stairs. The woman's gaze met theirs, and she approached them with purpose.
"Lady Jingliu, Xinyi, and Yasushi," she called out, identifying herself as Yinhaie. With a warm smile, she handed them small packets designed to generate heat, which they eagerly accepted. "Wrap these around your body; they'll keep you warm for the next hour."
Yinhaie then turned to Yasushi, her expression shifting to one of concern as she reached up and pinched his cheeks, her brow furrowing. "This is incredibly reckless, you know that, don't you?" she chided him firmly. "But let's move forward, no matter how absurd it seems."
The two girls laughed softly at Yasushi's expense as they placed the warming packets inside their jackets. With their spirits lifted and their bodies beginning to feel the comforting warmth, they started their short ascent up the shrine steps.
It wasn't long before they reached the top of the hill, where the shrine awaited them in its usual setting. The structure, a classic example of Japanese architecture, stood covered in a thick blanket of snow, just like everything else in sight. Yasushi wasted no time; he stepped forward immediately, his determination clear as he began a thorough inspection of the area.
Though Yasushi had only visited this particular shrine three times and others just twice, he retained a general memory of how the place should look and how things were arranged. He wasn't sure if a minor shift in the placement of objects could provoke a response from the goddess, but he had to be certain.
His unease stemmed from uncertainty — he had no idea if the strange occurrences were due to the goddess's influence, a peculiar weather phenomenon affecting the entire region, or if there was any connection to what was happening in his own city. Despite these questions, Yasushi felt it was crucial to examine every detail, ensuring everything was as it should be.
The three women followed Yasushi with puzzled expressions, unsure of his sudden and seemingly random actions. They exchanged looks of confusion but decided to stay close, ready to assist if needed. Yasushi moved around the shrine, examining various spots with a focused intensity. He brushed aside the snow covering different items and adjusted the placement of several objects, all the while nodding to himself as he went.
He didn't offer any explanations for his actions; he simply proceeded with his task. After spending several minutes meticulously inspecting the area, Yasushi came to a stop near the front of the shrine. He stood there for a moment, his gaze fixed on a particular section. Finally, he broke the silence with a statement, "That doesn't look right."
Yinhaie, clearly bewildered by his comment, asked, "What doesn't look right?"
Yasushi pointed upwards towards a specific area and said, "That section doesn't look right. Look up this shrine online and find a picture. Compare it to what you see here, and you'll understand what I'm talking about."
Xinyi quickly retrieved her phone and began searching for images of the shrine. After a few moments of comparing the current scene with the pictures on her screen, she exclaimed, "Wait, where's the bell that's supposed to be hanging there?"
"Exactly," Yasushi replied, his voice tinged with concern. "It's missing. Do you think someone just took it down and discarded it?" He glanced around anxiously. "I need to find it, so please help me."
Without waiting for any further input, Yasushi launched into a frantic search. He scoured every corner of the shrine, inspecting every possible hiding place with growing frustration. He explored every nook and cranny, determined to find the missing bell. Despite his efforts, it eluded him.
He thought to himself, 'Maybe whoever removed it tossed it away, or, with unfortunate luck, they took it with them. Let's hope they didn't.' His thoughts raced as he moved away from the shrine, extending his search to the surrounding area. He began checking the bushes and the nearby shrubbery, hoping against hope that the bell might have been discarded nearby.
After several minutes of searching, Xinyi's voice rang out, cutting through the still night air. "Is this it!?" She held up a medium-sized golden ball, which emitted several "ding" sounds when shaken. Her shout caused everyone to turn towards her.
Yasushi hurried over, his footsteps quick and purposeful, and took a close look at the object in her hand. A wave of relief washed over him as he nodded vigorously. "Yes, that's it. Let's get it back where it belongs and see if anything changes," he said, already heading back toward the shrine.
Fortuitously for Yasushi, the string used to secure the bell was still attached. Using the tools and materials Yinhaie had provided, he efficiently reinstalled the bell on the shrine. The four of them stood together in the frigid night, waiting for a couple of minutes to see if any changes would occur.
After the brief wait, Yasushi turned to his companions and asked, "Do you feel anything?"
Jingliu closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly, as if listening for something. "It might be just a psychological effect," she said, "but it doesn't seem as cold as it did before."
Yasushi scanned the area around them, noting a subtle change in the intensity of the blizzard. It seemed to have eased up slightly, though he wasn't entirely certain. "Well, whatever the situation is," he said, "we need to move on and visit the other three shrines. The nearest one from here is about thirty minutes away by car, so it should take us roughly an hour on foot."
No one disagreed with his plan, but as they began to leave, Yinhaie interjected, "Why don't we use the car I drove? I've arranged various roadblocks with our staff and their vehicles throughout the city near the shrines. With these arrangements, it should take us about an hour and a half to visit all three shrines, which breaks down to approximately thirty minutes of travel time to each shrine."
Yasushi glanced at her, a smirk playing on his lips. "I'm guessing you looked up the locations of each shrine and made these arrangements before we even arrived?" Yinhaie responded with a nod, confirming his assumption.
They quickly descended the shrine steps and made their way to Yinhaie's car. They hurried inside and buckled their seatbelts as Yinhaie started the engine. She maneuvered through the city streets at a cautious speed, making sure not to accelerate too quickly, which could lead to losing control or causing an accident.
As they drove through the streets of Ginsukimura, the scene outside seemed almost surreal. Abandoned vehicles lay scattered near shops and along the roads, as if their drivers had simply left them behind with the onset of night. Despite the eerie emptiness, they occasionally spotted groups of people still active, moving purposefully through the dark, though none of them attempted to stop the car.
"It feels like we're in a horror movie or some sort of post-apocalyptic scenario," Xinyi commented softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Both Jingliu and Yasushi nodded in agreement, their expressions reflecting the same unsettling realization.
After an hour of navigating the deserted streets at a steady pace, Yinhaie finally brought the car to a stop at their destination: the second shrine.
They exited the car and started their trek toward the shrine, a journey that was supposed to take around eight minutes. The path leading to the shrine usually offered pleasant views, but today, those sights were completely hidden by the relentless blizzard and accumulating snow.
The trail was heavily obstructed by snowdrifts that had accumulated to nearly knee height. This made their progress slow and laborious, as they had to continuously push aside the snow to clear a path.
"This is going to take longer than eight minutes," Yasushi remarked, his frustration evident as he struggled through the thick snow in front of him. "It's like no one has bothered to clear this area at all."
"Couldn't we just stand on top of the snow?" Xinyi suggested, her voice filled with irritation. She attempted to test her idea, only to find herself sinking into the snow. "This is bullsh — ugh…" Her exasperation was clear as she fought to pull herself out.
Despite their frustration and exhaustion, they pressed on, driven by necessity. The snow was relentless, and the path seemed never-ending, but they forced their way through, falling occasionally and battling fatigue. Finally, they arrived at the location of the shrine, only to be met with a scene of devastation.
"What the… this is terrible. Who would do something like this?" Xinyi asked, her voice filled with disbelief and her face marred by a deep frown.
"… Whoever did this shows no respect for such sacred places," Jingliu responded, her frown even more pronounced as they surveyed the wreckage before them.
The shrine was in a state of utter chaos. Large sections of it had been toppled, parts of the structure were torn away, and several windows had been smashed. Rocks and other debris littered the area, evidence of a violent assault.
Yasushi took a deep breath, his face set in grim expression. "'Those who dare to desecrate the shrines of the old gods invite calamity into their lives. The earth quakes, the skies darken, and none escape the wrath of their forgotten anger.'"
He took a step forward, bracing himself for the long task ahead. "That quote is something I came across once," he said, his voice steady despite the situation. "Regardless of whether you believe in the supernatural or not, actions like these invite misfortune into your life and those around you. I need your help to restore this place."
The three women nodded in agreement, their determination clear as they set about their work. They quickly began to move around the shrine, retrieving pieces of the original structure wherever they could find them. To their surprise, the snow around the shrine was much less thick compared to the path they had just traversed.
As they worked, Yasushi's mind raced. He glanced back at the snow-covered path, then toward the shrine, and finally up at the overcast sky. 'Could this have been some sort of endurance test?' he wondered. He dismissed the thought and refocused on the task at hand.
Lacking many of the necessary tools, they made do with what they had. Their efforts were methodical and persistent. After an extra hour and a half of dedicated labor, they managed to restore the shrine to a state that was at least functional, if not entirely pristine.
As if touched by some miraculous or unexplained force, all four of them sensed an immediate change in their surroundings. A noticeable drop in temperature swept through the area, causing Yinhaie, Jingliu, and Xinyi to exchange astonished glances. Their eyes widened in surprise as the chill seemed to press in on them, a stark contrast to the cold they had been battling.
Before any of them could voice their thoughts or questions, Yasushi turned around, his face breaking into a reassuring smile. "It looks like there's a response to our efforts," he said, his tone upbeat and confident. "Let's push forward. We have three more shrines to visit before we can wrap this up."
With that, he moved past them, heading back towards their path. To their amazement, the heavy snow on their route began to melt away at an accelerated pace, clearing the way as they proceeded.