But that was not a shortcut suitable for those in a hurry to achieve success.
"Wait." Hearing this, Kisaragi Chiyo finally remembered her own experiences regarding Matsuda Jinpei; she wondered where that inexplicable sense of familiarity had come from.
The black notebook was flipped through rapidly in Kisaragi Chiyo's hands, almost unerringly, as she flipped straight to the page she wanted in an instant.
Neat and elegant handwriting recorded on it:
[#006 Nameless Shrine
Following the moss-covered stone steps upward, passing through the dilapidated torii gate, a shrine that exists only at night stands tall here.
..
In the bright daylight, those with sincere hearts are nowhere to be seen.
The night comes, through the night we walk.
In the vast darkness, one could glimpse the person praying upon the stone steps.
Coming alone, walking alone.
..
Make your wish here.. Everything you long for can be realized in this place. 】
[*Note: A shrine that seems to exist only at night; it is said that during the day, the steps leading to the shrine cannot be found, it only appears at night, in places where there is no light at all.]
Only a few short lines were recorded on the paper, in the center, the two words "wish" were circled in red, with three question marks written forcefully beside them.
This rumor hadn't existed for very long, the earliest reports could only be traced back a few months, so the information Kisaragi Chiyo transcribed from that forum consisted of only a few brief sentences.
Matsuda Jinpei stared silently at those three bright red question marks. After several seconds, he slowly raised his head and looked at Kisaragi Chiyo.
Kisaragi Chiyo, being watched by the person concerned, didn't feel embarrassed at all; he explained calmly, "There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
“If a place truly existed where one could have their wishes granted without any cost at all..”
"Then the consequences would be unimaginable," Matsuda Jinpei added with a smile, finishing Kisaragi Chiyo's sentence.
"Yes." Kisaragi Chiyo nodded. It was precisely because of this that he never believed in getting something for nothing without paying a price.
At least until today, he had always felt that the Nameless Shrine was a trap, using the pretense of granting wishes for free to lure in its prey.
Thinking of this, Kisaragi Chiyo suddenly felt a weight on her right shoulder. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Hara Kenji had leaned his head against her shoulder.
Black hair hung down over his clothes; Hara Kenji knew how to enjoy himself, finding the most comfortable position possible and curling up in the seat.
Noticing that Kisaragi Chiyo and Matsuda Jinpei had stopped and that their gazes had fallen upon him, Hara Kenji blinked and looked back with an innocent and candid expression.
"Aren't you going to continue the story?" Hara Kenji asked, twirling a strand of his long hair around his finger before letting out a yawn.
The energy consumption from maintaining a physical form for such a long time left him feeling somewhat exhausted, but he deeply enjoyed this leisurely and warm moment and did not want to miss a single second of it.
Kisaragi Chiyo glanced at Hara Kenji once before turning her head back. Since the person involved hadn't expressed any opinion, it was even less likely that Matsuda Jinpei would say anything.
So, from the very beginning, I have been filtering the crowd for those capable of seeing the stone steps." Matsuda Jinpei's voice was casual as he reached up to adjust his slightly slipping sunglasses and continued, "Those who can make it to the front of the shrine are humans who have passed the test.
"Humans." Kisaragi Chiyo chewed on the word, a subtle smile appearing on her face.
“Have you already begun to distinguish yourself from them?”
"Isn't that a fact?" Matsuda Jinpei's casual tone always made Kisaragi Chiyo occasionally hallucinate a cat basking in the sun.
Even though the other party really is a cat right now.
Oh, it's a big cat.
"And what if someone with a greedy or wicked heart comes looking for it?" Kisaragi Chiyo asked, sounding curious.
Upon hearing Kisaragi Chiyo's question, Matsuda Jinpei's eyebrows twitched upward slightly, his voice, laced with a hint of a smile, carried a sense of pride, like a cat showing off.
If it's just an ordinary person, then they can enjoy exercising on the endless stairs.
If they're a criminal," Matsuda Jinpei said with a slight smile, "I'll send them on an overnight tour of the police station.
Whether they'll be awake or in a physical coma when they pass out, I can't guarantee that.
Kisaragi Chiyo: ".."
You two really are childhood friends, after all.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you for the support, my little angels. Mwah 03330
Wishing all my little angels a safe and healthy Christmas Eve.
Chapter 45
Today is Christmas, the first snow of the year fell just a few days ago.
The land visible through the window was covered by a thin layer of white snow.
The weather was somewhat gloomy, with thick layers of clouds hanging in the sky like water-soaked cotton. In the distance, the sea surface rolled with black waves, occasionally a few white seabirds would skim quickly across the water before disappearing into the horizon.
Kisaragi Chiyo, wearing a red scarf that suited the festive atmosphere, was decorating the Christmas tree.
This was something Hara Kenji had dragged back from somewhere the day before yesterday.
The nearly two-meter-tall fir tree was dragged all the way home by the Bernese Mountain Dog; its deep green needles were still covered in rime, its pointed top left a long trail in the snow, exposing the brown-black earth beneath.
The Bernese Mountain Dog wagged its tail, lolling its pink tongue out and stretching its mouth into a silly, radiant grin.
He tilted his head back, his round purple eyes gazing at Kisaragi Chiyo with a twinkle, his tone carrying a hint of seeking credit.
"Chiyo-chan, look!" the voice said, lively and lighthearted.
A huge Christmas tree!
The Bernese Mountain Dog ran excitedly around that fir tree, leaving a trail of paw prints in the pure white snow.
When Hara Kenji returned, light snow was falling from the sky; although it wasn't heavy, it still coated his thick, fluffy fur with a layer of snow-white frosting.
It was just like a pastry shop window filled with warm yellow ambient lighting, displaying sugar-crusted croissants.
"Come in quickly." Kisaragi Chiyo rubbed her hands together, exhaling a breath of mist, stepped back a few paces to make room for the puppy to shake off the snow.
"Will it be cold?" Kisaragi Chiyo pressed both hands against the Bernese Mountain Dog's head, stopping its attempt to force its way into her embrace.
“Not at all.” The big, furry tail wagged rapidly. After being rejected for a hug by Kisaragi Chiyo, he settled for rubbing his head against her palm instead.
"It seems there are benefits to being a dog," Kisaragi Chiyo said, her tone tinged with envy.
He still found the winter quite cold; once he went out, he would inevitably be fully armored from head to toe.
So under normal circumstances, Kisaragi Chiyo would choose to stay curled up at home for most of the winter, never venturing out easily, just like some kind of animal that needs to hibernate.
I can give Chiyo-chan a hug," Hara Kenji said with a wink, hinting to Kisaragi Chiyo, "My fur is very, very warm.
The word "very" was emphasized with great force as the Bernese Mountain Dog wagged its tail, attempting to extend another invitation.
"As for this, never mind." Kisaragi Chiyo released her grip coldly and turned to leave without a hint of lingering attachment.
He hoped that Hara Kenji could have some self-awareness.
As he is now, he is no longer that cute and charming puppy in his prime.
His current size was truly too massive; for a normal human, it was a weight that life could not easily bear.
A Bernese Mountain Dog, with a shoulder height of sixty-six centimeters and a weight of nearly one hundred and twenty jin, is no less than a small truck among dogs.
"You'd better not let him hear you say that." Matsuda Jinpei gripped a screwdriver, assembling the star-shaped string lights needed for the Christmas tree.
He ran outside again, tinkering with how to drag that tree inside.
Kisaragi Chiyo sat down on the sofa opposite Matsuda Jinpei, with pinecones, willow branches, bells, other materials for assembling Christmas wreaths scattered across the table.
"There." As soon as he spoke, Matsuda Jinpei pressed a switch, strings of star lights began to twinkle.
“What about those guys up there?” Matsuda Jinpei put down the tools in his hands and pointed upward toward the six ghosts hanging alongside the magnificent chandelier.
They hadn't changed out of the Halloween decorations they had used last time.
“I originally planned to dress them up as Santa Claus and reindeer.” Kisaragi Chiyo twisted the willow branches together into a sturdy ring.
Matsuda Jinpei: ".."
Is that so? That sounds pretty terrible," Matsuda Jinpei said with a sigh. "If Santa Claus looked like that, children's sweet dreams would turn into nightmares.
Oh, I think it's quite interesting, but if that were the case, it would turn into a ghost story used to scare children.
But there are already enough stories like that, so it's better to leave some mysterious fairy tales for the children instead.
Kisaragi Chiyo raised her head; he was wearing a dark gray turtleneck today, with a thick white cable-knit sweater as an outer layer.
He actually suits light colors very well.
At least, that is what Matsuda Jinpei thought.
Having grown accustomed to Kisaragi Chiyo always wearing that black, wide haori of his, seeing a sudden change in her coordination always gave people a sense of something fresh and new.
The pale color made Kisaragi Chiyo look much softer, like a white daifuku wrapped in a soft, glutinous skin, making one's appetite surge and wonder what it would taste like to take a bite.
Matsuda Jinpei's gaze lingered on Kisaragi Chiyo's fingers as she busied herself with securing the green arborvitae.
She likely didn't realize how much her fingers, which were usually wrapped in black gloves, would stand out like that to someone watching her, how much they would act as a temptation.
Matsuda Jinpei withdrew his gaze nonchalantly and lowered his head to tighten the switch on the star lamp.
He ground his slightly itchy teeth, doing his best to control himself from letting his attention fall upon the human opposite him, the one who made his heart flutter.
One day..
Matsuda Jinpei lowered his eyes, his teal eyes sweeping casually over the other's wrist. Pale blue veins lay dormant beneath the soft skin, while a red ribbon wound flexibly between the pale fingers, finally forming a perfect bow.
Maybe red wouldn't be bad either, Matsuda Jinpei thought, a contemplative expression crossing his face.
*
Only a short time had passed between the start of winter and Christmas. By the time Kisaragi Chiyo wiggled out from under her covers, it was already nine in the morning.
A layer of snow had accumulated on the windowsill outside, someone had childishly scribbled smiley faces and "Merry Christmas" blessings onto the glass.
One wouldn't even have to think to guess whose masterpiece it was. Kisaragi Chiyo sat by the edge of the bed and squinted for a while; the heating in the room was sufficient, making it so warm that one felt drowsy.