Masamichi took two fifty-yen coins from his wallet and gently slipped them into the offering box in front of him.
He chose fifty-yen coins because, according to his father, five-yen coins were too cheap to wish for good fortune, so he had to at least offer fifty-yen coins. As for carefully slipping them into the box, he was following his grandmother’s words, never to handle money roughly.
Next, he quietly pulled the ropes hanging above the offering box, discreetly rang the large bell overhead, bowed twice, clapped twice, clasped his hands together, made a wish, lowered his hands, and then bowed again.
Masamichi was following the instructions the adults around him had taught him. Shino was frowning next to him, saying with his entire being that this was nonsense as he glanced around the worship hall.
Masamichi saw Shino when he raised his head, and the expression on the specter’s face said, “Ridiculous.”
“I know that specters don’t have a habit of greeting people, but don’t you even visit shrines and temples? We’ve been visiting them since we arrived in Kyoto, and not once have you gone to pay your respects.”
Then Shino said to Masamichi in a blatantly mocking tone, “I’ve agreed to take on this pitifully human appearance. However, I’m not low enough to bow to Buddha and the gods to ask for a favor.”
“I knew you’d say that!” Masamichi chuckled and glanced toward the closed door to the worship hall. “You’re really serious like that. No one really counts on it when they pray to God for something.”
Shino furrowed his shapely brow.
“But you paid for your wish just now.”
“That’s like a small token of my appreciation to God for listening to me. That’s about all. It’s too small an amount to have God grant me my wish.”
“Is that how it is? Are you saying you’re satisfied to say what you want out loud?”
The straightforward question took Masamichi aback. He thought it over a minute, then nodded.
“Well, yeah. Of course, I’ll be glad if my wish comes true, and I might shout in joy, saying God gave me what I asked for. But basically, I don’t expect that kind of thing, though…”
“Yeah?”
“When I stand here, I think seriously about what I most want to ask God or Buddha. It’s like a chance to understand my mind more clearly.”
“To make clear your heart’s desire?”
“Maybe not to that extent, but things I’d like to have come true in the near future.”
“Hmm. You have a habit of worrying endlessly about trivial matters, and if that’s the case, then there may be some meaning to your shrine visits, and it’s only natural that you would give God some change in gratitude.”
“‘Give God some change’…? Hey, we’re talking about offerings to God! Show a little more respect.”
Masamichi rebuked him with a bitter smile, but Shino didn’t get mad at him for being cocky. Instead, he smiled wickedly and said, “Anyway, you would have to make a wish at this particular shrine. What did you wish for?”
“Huh?”
Masamichi looked lost.
On the day of their departure from Kyoto, Masamichi had spent the morning with Shino as he visited various antique stores whose owners had been close to Daizou, Bougyoudou’s previous owner.
Masamichi had been deeply moved. Shino had put on a suit, took gifts to the people he saw, and greeted them politely in formal Japanese speech, which he never used in his everyday life.
“By maintaining a network of contacts, we can trade goods with each other and exchange useful information. The more contacts I have, the better. It’s simple if greetings and gifts are all it takes to maintain ties,” Shino had said offhandedly, but Masamichi knew him. His actions probably stemmed from the gratitude he felt for Daizou, who treated him like a son and even left him his store.
Masamichi had known Shino for only six months, but they lived under the same roof, and the young man was certain that he was right.
Once Shino had finished his visits, Masamichi said he wanted to visit a shrine or temple for proper worship.
“Were you that religious?” Shino had asked suspiciously.
“Kyoto is like a city of temples and shrines. I’d feel uncomfortable if I didn’t pay a visit to one of them,” Masamichi had said.
“I figured it would be something like that,” Shino had responded coldly, pulling back his shoulders, though he’d still gone to a nearby shrine with Masamichi.
“Come to think of it, we came without knowing anything about the deity enshrined here. But it’s okay to make any wish at a shrine, right?”
Shino glanced at the worship hall quickly and said, in a tone that sounded commonsensical, “Even gods and Buddha have their strengths and weaknesses.”
“They do? Then what’s the specialty of the god enshrined here…?”
“The main deities at this place are Emperor Sutoku, Oomononushi no Kami, and Minamoto no Yorimasa. In simple terms, their divine virtues are severing connections and arranging marriages.”
“Really?!”
Shino pointed to the left.
“You saw that stone monument over there, didn’t you?”
Masamichi looked in the direction he indicated and nodded.
“Oh, it’s a stone monument. I couldn’t tell because of all the sticky talismans people have put on top of it. I thought it was a funny shaped rock with a hole in the middle.”
“That’s a stone monument for severing connections and arranging marriages. People pray, write their wishes on talismans…pieces of paper, then walk through the hole in the middle, from front to back, then again from back to front, and finally paste their talismans on the monument.”
“…What happens then?”
“Bad ties are severed, and good ones are formed.”
“Wow!”
As Masamichi stood looking impressed, Shino said, sounding appalled, “You should know that much before you come here.”
“There’s nothing I can say to that…but…severing bad ties and forming good ones, huh…?”
As Masamichi mumbled the words to himself, Shino turned up the corners of his mouth and looked at him with a mocking smile.
“Hey. Don’t think that you can escape from me by simply wishing to God, servant.”
Masamichi quickly shook his head and waved his hands in denial.
“That’s not what I want! Never in these six months have I wanted to run away from you.”
“…Oh, you haven’t?”
“It’s true.”
“You think the life of a servant suits you?”
“That isn’t what I’m saying…but I’ve learned a lot from you. You have not only saved my life, but you have also taken care of me in every possible way. I want to repay the favor, even if it’s just a little bit. So…um…”
“What?”
“I can only be useful to you in really small ways, so it will take me quite a while to return the favor. So…please let me stay with you. I hope you won’t mind that.”
Masamichi gave Shino a polite bow, and Shino gave him an indescribable look.
An expression that could be described as flabbergasted, embarrassed, or amused appeared on Shino’s face. But unfortunately, it was gone by the time Masamichi raised his head.
“It’s too presumptuous of you to think that you could do such a thing as repay me, but I’ll accept that you have the right attitude. So, then, you have no use for that monument, is that right?”
Masamichi nodded.
“No! None at all!”
“All right. Then we’re leaving. I don’t need to stay in a place like this where human greed and bitterness swirl about.”
Shino was already walking away before finishing his sentence.
“Oh, wait. Wait!” Because Shino was tall and long-legged, Masamichi had to run to catch up. He made his way under the stone torii gate, a little out of breath, and asked, “Are you done with your errands? Are we going to go home now?”
Shino slowed down a little and said, “Well. We’ve come all the way to Kyoto. We can have lunch in the Gion area before heading home.”
Relieved that they were finally walking at a normal speed, Masamichi put his hand against his belly and smiled shyly.
“That sounds great. My stomach has actually been growling for a while. What are we going to have? My impression of restaurants in Gion is that they’re awfully expensive. Is that okay?”
“That doesn’t always seem to be the case. There’s an udon noodle shop that Daizou said he sometimes stopped by on his business trips to Kyoto. We can go there.”
Masamichi smiled.
He sensed that the previous owner and his wife were rooted deep in his heart…and despite all his talk, he genuinely adored them.
“Wonderful! I hear udon noodles in Kansai are delicious. I’ll have to try the classic kitsune udon, topped with a sweet and savory deep-fried aburaage tofu.”
Shino let his gaze wander a little, as if searching for a memory.
“No. Daizou said he always ordered the udon with curry sauce, topped with cheese and meat. Yoriko was unusually harsh when she criticized him about that, saying it was terribly intense.”
“Udon with curry sauce, topped with cheese and meat?!” Surprised by the unexpected information, Masamichi’s eyes went wide. “It’s kind of different from my image of Kyoto.”
“You can’t associate a place with a single image…”
“It would annoy the people here, wouldn’t it? People from all walks of life live with an array of lifestyles. Hey, I’m starting to get hungrier. I can hardly wait to taste this udon with curry sauce, topped with cheese and meat!”
“…I’m not looking forward to it that much,” Shino said indifferently, then continued walking at a brisk pace. Then he suddenly asked the young man a question. “If you didn’t wish for anything to do with severing ties or matchmaking, then what did you wish for?”
“Huh?!” Not expecting Shino to be interested in his wish, Masamichi yelped in surprise, then responded with a slightly mischievous look on his face. “I’m not saying.”
“…What?”
“I’ll tell you one day if it comes true in any small way. I’ve heard before that a wish won’t come true if you tell someone about it.”
“You’re a lowly servant. How dare you hide something from your master?”
Despite the condemning words, Shino’s face showed that he wasn’t particularly worried about it.
“Someday! I’ll tell you all about it if it comes true, so let’s consider it as postponing my answer.”
“Humans die quickly. Tell me while you’re still alive.”
“Okaaay.”
Masamichi was touched that he could have this kind of lighthearted banter with Shino, which was something he had never even imagined when they first met. Masamichi felt the pleasant autumn breeze on his cheeks, as the two of them walked away, shoulder to shoulder…