When I discovered it, it was indeed already abandoned," Matsuda Jinpei replied confidently. "I also only realized later that the [moon] in the sky here is actually the shrine's previous owner.
“The shrine's previous master.. was a deity, wasn't it?” Kisaragi Chiyo tilted her head up to look at that full moon. Unsurprisingly, it was not a real moon, but a phantom, a phantom that would soon vanish.
Even though they say there are eight million gods, without the offerings of believers, they will soon be forgotten, then they vanish, just like melting snow.
That is the difference between gods and yokai.
I see.." Matsuda Jinpei gazed at the expression on his face and spoke somewhat cautiously, "Have you seen a scene like that before?
“Me?” Kisaragi Chiyo smiled, he shook his head gently.
I have never seen any god.. those are just stories I've heard from others.. stories about Tsuyugami.
“I haven't either.”
Matsuda Jinpei stood in the middle of the stone steps with his hands in his pockets, his tall figure casting a shadow, a nonchalant expression on his face. For a moment, Kisaragi Chiyo had the illusion of a cat cautiously approaching step by step, wary but not overly so.
“Then what was that you just said about resentment all about?” Kisaragi Chiyo pursed her lips, feeling a bit troubled, because she didn't know how to gain the trust of a cat.
If the other party were a cat that liked eating steamed buns, snacks, or yokan, it would be easy, because in that case, he would have a template to follow.
"I thought you had already forgotten about this." Matsuda Jinpei glanced at Kisaragi Chiyo. Although the expression on her face didn't change much, Matsuda felt that she was likely thinking something quite impolite.
And this matter definitely has something to do with him.
"Do you still remember what I said before, about a strange man who conducts experiments using yokai?" Matsuda Jinpei walked down several steps and reached out his hand toward Kisaragi Chiyo.
That bony, pale, slender hand was like a work of art, devoid of any scars or anything that might ruin its beauty. There were thin calluses on the fingertips, joints, parts of the palm, traces left behind due to his specialized profession.
Hold my hand," Matsuda Jinpei said in a calm voice. "I will lead you through the rest of the way.
“..”
Kisaragi Chiyo thought that he probably didn't need to continue worrying about that previous question, because a cat had proactively walked up to him.
So Kisaragi Chiyo reached out her hand and placed it in the other person's palm.
His hand was held firmly by the other, even through a layer of gloves, the skin beneath the palm still carried a distinct chill; it was not a temperature belonging to a human.
What were they doing right now? Kisaragi Chiyo's gaze fell upon their clasped hands, she frowned in thought.
It was nothing more than a brief encounter, not exceeding the boundaries of normal social distance. In fact, even Kisaragi Chiyo did not know what their current relationship should be called.
Friends? They only met for the first time today. Before this, neither of them had heard anything regarding the other, the only commonality they shared that could even be called a connection was Hara Kenji.
One was a childhood friend who seemed to have an incredibly close relationship before losing their memory, the other was a caretaker who was forced to start raising a dog after losing their memory.
Putting them together truly creates a very subtle sensation.
Kisaragi Chiyo's mind uncontrollably drifted back to those kind classmates from his student days who had enthusiastically recommended those pure love novels filled with childhood sweethearts, sudden blonde arrivals, all the bitterness, entanglement, complicated reunions.
Those plots labeled as youth and love failed to move Kisaragi Chiyo; instead, they made him feel that romance was truly a troublesome thing.
"Are you even listening to me?" Matsuda Jinpei's voice came from ahead.
If Kisaragi Chiyo lifted her eyes even slightly now, she would meet Matsuda's serious gaze.
Although they were childhood friends, there were still differences in their personalities.
Even though Matsuda Jinpei was not the type of stern and serious handsome man, during their time together, he instead possessed a restrained sharpness and edge, a coldness interspersed with a hint of lethargy and nonchalance.
People with this kind of innate sense of detachment, once they become serious, transform into a dazzling sight that one cannot look away from, as if they were born to glow, like the brightest and most scorching stars among the celestial bodies.
It seemed to echo that saying, 'The deceased is the sun' *.
*
"I'm listening." Kisaragi Chiyo, multitasking, answered Matsuda Jinpei's question without a hint of guilt, not even blinking an eye.
You just said that the resentment in the shadows of the woods nearby is caused by lost yokai.
"Are they dangerous?" Kisaragi Chiyo asked curiously.
For humans, anomalies are all dangerous." Matsuda Jinpei gave a huff of laughter, deliberately emphasizing the word "humans.
Even though they are just resentment produced by weak yokai.
"But if they are lured and become entangled, they will inevitably fall ill." This was also why Matsuda Jinpei ignored them and allowed them to exist.
Because the consequences were not that severe—aside from fright and illness, there was no other danger—Matsuda Jinpei treated those grudges as a firewall for the shrine.
Generally speaking, the more wicked a person's intentions are, the more easily they are attracted to those voices; normal, ordinary humans either feel irritable or simply stand there in a daze.
Someone like Kisaragi Chiyo, who only dazed for a moment before snapping back to reality, would be considered the type with a strong will.
"Are only bad people.. lured by it?" Kisaragi Chiyo looked toward the shadows in the woods, her expression thoughtful.
You could say that." Matsuda Jinpei glanced in the direction Kisaragi Chiyo was looking. "However, this situation is only temporary; before long, the resentment of these yokai will dissipate.
"Because they were only weak spirits in their previous lives, so their resentment can only exist for a short time?" Kisaragi Chiyo's voice seemed to hold a hidden sigh. The cold, phosphorescent snow covered him, making him look like a Snow Ghost in the dark night. The dancing specks of phosphorescent fire reflected in his misty gray eyes, making it impossible for Matsuda Jinpei to read his emotions.
“When you mentioned that strange man just now, was it because this so-called grudge of a yokai refers to the yokai who were tortured to death by that fellow during experiments?” It was an answer that could be guessed with almost a slight bit of speculation.
"How truly pitiful," Kisaragi Chiyo said expressionlessly, making it impossible to tell if his words were merely a formality or genuine, heartfelt pity.
"Do you know a lot about yokai?" Matsuda Jinpei subconsciously tightened his grip on the other person's hand. The warm human body temperature flowed continuously from his palm, the stone steps leading to the shrine stretched upward as if they would never end.
Is it because you're looking for inspiration for your novels that you're so interested in these things?
"Hmm.. I suppose that is one of the reasons." Kisaragi Chiyo thought for a moment, a rare hint of hesitation flickering across her expression.
However, most of the reasons are related to the environment I grew up in when I was a child.
The stone steps were not without end, under the guidance of Matsuda Jinpei, Kisaragi Chiyo finally saw the true face of this shrine.
Under a tree so large it would take four or five people holding hands to encircle it, a small and somewhat dilapidated shrine stood not far away, appearing to have been abandoned for a long time.
"When you were a child?" Matsuda Jinpei turned his head, releasing Kisaragi Chiyo's hand. Since they had already reached their destination, there was no longer a reason to keep holding on.
"Yes." Kisaragi Chiyo nodded. After he left the stone steps, the foxfire that had been surrounding him receded like a tide, with a few stray sparks lingering reluctantly against his cheeks before vanishing into the darkness.
"I grew up in a shrine when I was a child." Kisaragi Chiyo rarely spoke of her past to others.
But it didn't matter to Matsuda Jinpei, because he was no longer human.
Of course, it was just a joke to lighten the atmosphere.
-----------------------
Author's Note: *The living are the abyss, the dead are the sun. The former dangerously attracts all gazes, while the latter is difficult to look upon for long. — "Fool's Ship"
Thanks to all the little angels for your support, mwah 03330
(I accidentally clicked publish on my draft when I originally intended to release it on New Year's Day orz) (Screams) (Crawling in a distorted manner) (Turning into a monkey and swinging away)
Chapter 50
"The grandmother who raised me was a shrine maiden." After Kisaragi Chiyo finished saying this, she lost interest in continuing the topic.
He walked past Matsuda Jinpei toward the front of the shrine. White paper streamers hung from the ropes woven from straw, below them, a series of narrow wooden steps led up to the offertory box.
Kisaragi Chiyo lifted his eyes, his gaze passing through the dilapidated small lattice wooden gate as he curiously observed the arrangement inside the shrine.
The hall was empty, with nothing inside except for an altar.
In the dim light, one could observe through the moonlight that there was no dust on the floor; Matsuda Jinpei must have been inside, as it had been cleaned up.
And in the center of the shrine's interior, in the place where the deity was enshrined, sat a circular, cracked bronze mirror.
The moon.. so it's a mirror?" Kisaragi Chiyo muttered to herself while gazing at the bronze mirror. "So that's how it is. Being circular.. it can reflect light, so it manifests in the form of the moon.
“Your understanding isn't wrong.” Matsuda Jinpei's footsteps came from behind Kisaragi Chiyo, his shadow, distorted under the moonlight, began to spread from beneath his feet.
The black shadow was like gnarled, twisting tree roots, approaching silently and imperceptibly.
“In the beginning, it was just an ordinary bronze mirror.” Matsuda Jinpei's tone was calm, devoid of any personal emotion, like an indifferent onlooker recounting the mirror's past.
Kisaragi Chiyo did not turn around because of Matsuda Jinpei's approach.
He lowered his eyes and saw that the shadow of Matsuda Jinpei beside him suddenly began to turn strange. A pair of large avian wings spread out behind him, gradually folding inward, as if wanting to encircle the human bit by bit.
Looking more closely, Kisaragi Chiyo also discovered that, besides the wings, Matsuda Jinpei's human shadow also possessed cat ears and a long tail.
Seeing this, Kisaragi Chiyo's hands, hanging at her sides, involuntarily curled into fists.
Suppressing the urge to look back, he asked further, his tone unchanged, "And then? What happened?"
"Later, it was found in the mountains by some villagers." A cold hand rested on his shoulder, Matsuda Jinpei's deep voice sounded in his ear.
As he drew closer, his breath, carrying a hint of warmth and moisture, lightly brushed against the bare skin of her nape, causing a fine, prickling itch to spread.
Kisaragi Chiyo lowered her eyes slightly, her misty gray pupils staring motionless at her own shadow under the moonlight—a shadow that was being slowly entwined and swallowed by Matsuda Jinpei.
This feeling was strange.
Even though it was only a shadow that had entangled him, that subtle sensation—neither quite unpleasant, yet certainly not comfortable—was projected onto his body.
It was as if his entire being was being enveloped by something invisible, an invasive sensation with no way to vent, a sense of frustration akin to a castle in the air, unable to touch the ground.
“Mm..” Kisaragi Chiyo let out a low moan as a cold hand suddenly stroked his neck, inch by inch, as if searching for something, until the calloused fingertips pressed gently against his pulsing carotid artery.
"The villagers have never seen such a beautiful mirror before." Matsuda Jinpei continued, ignoring Kisaragi Chiyo's reaction. He was pressed so close to her that his back was nearly against her chest, the two of them huddled together.
So it was carefully cleaned by the villagers, they discovered that the things reflected in this beautiful mirror were incredibly clear. Especially at night, when it reflected the appearance of the moon in the sky, it was as if the distant moon had truly fallen to the human world.
The villagers discussed it, feeling that this mirror was not a thing of the mortal realm, so they built a shrine at the place where they had found the mirror.
“Its name is [Shaku],” Matsuda Jinpei said, lifting his hand from Kisaragi Chiyo's neck to fiddle with the silver earring in her ear.
Under the cold moonlight of the Mirror of Illusion, the two shadows that had originally been standing apart gradually became inseparable. They pressed against each other, overlapping, until their original forms could no longer be distinguished.
“Kisaragi.” Matsuda Jinpei's voice, laced with a hint of laughter, seemed to drift from a great distance.
Kisaragi Chiyo was completely unaware of what was about to happen or what the other man was planning; he simply turned his head instinctively upon hearing his own name. In a pair of teal eyes, his own somewhat stunned expression was clearly reflected.
"What is it?" Kisaragi Chiyo asked blankly. He looked at that face as if completely enchanted, allowing Matsuda Jinpei to reach out and brush away the hair covering his right eye.
They were a pair of beautiful heterochromatic eyes. Matsuda Jinpei lowered his gaze, watching Kisaragi Chiyo, who was staring at him with vacant eyes, his gaze sliding from his brow and eyes down to his slightly parted lips.
Matsuda Jinpei felt that he probably didn't have much of a right to complain about Hara Kenji using his face to bewitch Kisaragi Chiyo. After all, wasn't he doing the exact same thing right now?
He was like that villager in the story who found the bronze mirror; amidst the shock and extraordinary ecstasy, the desire to keep the 'moon' arose within him.
So, what are your thoughts?" Matsuda Jinpei asked softly. "Kisaragi, do you want to make a wish to me?