The riverbank was fortified with concrete and stone walls, and there was no longer any sign of a ghost lurking under the bridge.
“It’s kind of anticlimactic. I thought it would be an older, smaller bridge,” Masamichi said honestly, and Shino looked up and around, clearly dejected.
“If this is where the bridge is, that means the road before us is the former Hori River Street. I’d expected to see at least a small trace of those days here.”
“It’s ultra-modern. A bus guide we had during my high school trip said the roads in Kyoto have maintained their grid patterns since the Heian period. Does that mean that was always a road?” Masamichi asked Shino as he looked out over the bridge at the wide road where cars sped by.
He felt his curiosity rising, thinking that although he was no expert, he was the only person in the whole wide world who could ask someone—a specter, who had lived there during the Heian period—about those times.
Shino nodded, still looking bored, as usual.
“Yeah. The road was narrower back then, and the dust was much worse on a sunny day like today.”
“Oh, I get it. It wasn’t paved then, huh? So, the bridge is much better than it was then?”
“Far better. But on the other hand, the river looks much weaker now because of what humans have done to it over the years.” Shino smiled wryly. “According to Tokifuyu, Modoribashi has been here since the capital was built during the Heian period. It must have been rebuilt on this spot several times since.”
“And finally, it’s become the majestic bridge we see now. Shino, was there really a ghost…an apparition, right? Was there really one under the bridge?”
Shino replied casually, “I don’t know if Abe no Seimei kept one under the bridge. He was gone from this world by the time I became aware of the annoying yokels at the Bureau of Spiritual Mediums.”
“Oh, okay. The Heian period was a pretty long era, huh? So the ghost—”
“The apparition no longer existed. But it was still dark and damp under the bridge, even during the day. It was a spot where energy would stagnate without any external help. It was a place where various figures lurked—those who had no place to live, those who engaged in shady dealings, and night robbers.”
“So, you protected Tokifuyu when he passed by this place?”
“I had no intention whatsoever of protecting him, but we indeed used to walk across the bridge together. He didn’t like ox-drawn carts, and he was reasonably fit.”
“Huh. Tokifuyu liked walking, did he? That’s surprising. I imagined Heian aristocrats as being elegant.”
“The nobility were a diverse group. And he was the odd one out to the extreme.”
“I don’t know about extremes, but based on what you’ve said, I can appreciate that he was different in a good way.”
“A thousand times what you imagine,” Shino said bitterly, then approached the road and raised a hand. He flagged a cab that was passing by and said to Masamichi, “Get in.”
The cab took off as soon as Masamichi was seated. Shino seemed to have already told the driver where to go.
“Where to next?” Masamichi asked, and Shino gave him another short answer.
“A place that probably no longer has meaning.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
Masamichi inclined his head, not understanding what the specter was saying. But he knew it was wise to do as Shino said without asking questions when he spoke that way, so the young man sat silently, feeling both excited and anxious.
The cab soon approached a waterway that was much wider than the Hori River.
“Oh, this river—I often see it on TV… It’s the Kamo River, right?”
Shino didn’t respond, and the mild-mannered elderly driver answered for him.
“That’s right. You can see the famous nouryou yuka there, though their season will soon be over.”
“Oh, yes! The platforms raised over the water where people can sit and eat, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. In the past, it was mostly Kyoto-style kaiseki cuisine, but those restaurants serve various types of food now. Japanese, Western, Chinese, and more. You can really find anything there.”
“Ah…”
“Price-wise as well, I think more restaurants are offering food at reasonable prices. It’s a seasonal thing, so why don’t you give it a try while you have the opportunity?”
As they continued talking, the taxi finished crossing the river and turned into a somewhat narrow street, where the houses along the road were a mix of old and new.
My image of Kyoto was that the entire city was a tourist area, but it actually has residential areas. Well, of course.
The cab slowed down as Masamichi pondered such trivial matters. Still looking straight ahead, the driver said to Shino, “The address you gave me is around here, sir.”
“Then we’ll get off here.”
“All right. Just give me a moment to find an easy place to park.”
The driver moved forward a bit, found a spot that would be less likely to be in the way of following cars, and stopped the cab.
Masamichi got out first, looked around, and cocked his head, looking more curious than ever.
Sure enough, it looks like a place that doesn’t have any meaning, like Shino said.
It was an ordinary street corner.
It wasn’t the ancient capital that Masamichi knew, with its shops, shrines, temples, and lodging facilities, but rather a quiet, old-fashioned neighborhood.
The wooden townhouses that immediately came to mind when he imagined Kyoto were nowhere in sight. Tightly aligned were rows of private houses that seemed to have been built during the Showa era, probably after World War II, with almost no space between them.
Masamichi spoke curiously to Shino, who was getting out of the cab after paying the fare.
“This is a bit like our neighborhood. Is this where you used to live?”
Without answering, Shino looked around silently, then eventually said, “This way,” and began walking. Masamichi hurried after him.
After walking for a few minutes, Shino suddenly came to a stop. Masamichi almost ran into the specter’s back and paused as he followed Shino’s gaze.
…Is he looking at that apartment building?
Directly in front of them was a five-story apartment building that looked brand-new.
It was probably low-rise because of strict building regulations.
It looked luxurious, with large windows, a chic brown exterior, and elegant, airy plants.
“It’s a nice building. Does anyone you know live here?”
Masamichi wondered if there was someone Shino needed to see. The initial purpose of the trip had been to visit the sister of Bougyoudou’s previous owner, after all.