Shrine

Sugamo Town, Toshima Ward.

This ward is located in the northwest corner of Tokyo.

Its name originates from the ancient name of Toshima District, Musashi Province, dating back to before the island nation's abolition of the han system and establishment of prefectures.

When Tokyo expanded its administrative regions, four towns originally belonging to North Toshima District were merged into the scope of Tokyo and designated as Toshima Ward.

Hundreds of years ago, this place was home to many temples and shrines; today, it has gathered a large number of traditional small shops and various specialty stores: traces of all kinds of handicrafts can be found here.

The shops on both sides sell nothing but goods for the elderly.

Hot-selling items include thermal underwear, hearing aids, and health socks; walking along the street, one finds antique-style pharmacies everywhere, and even two funeral companies, as well as a karaoke bar from the seventies.

"This place has a real sense of the past, doesn't it?"

Class Representative Ai Nao pushed up her glasses and took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Yeah, it feels like traveling through time—I wonder how long these shops have existed."

Coming suddenly from Bunkyo Ward, which is filled with schools and young people everywhere, to this street that maintains a "traditional" appearance, surrounded by elderly men and women in traditional clothing walking slowly, Akihi Yu couldn't help but stroke his chin.

"Amame-san, is this where you work?"

"Heeheehee~~"

"It's even older than this."

The petite and lively Amame Ei, while greeting the elderly people coming toward them, raised her hand to point ahead.

"We still have to walk about another thousand meters."

"In that case, I'll wait for you guys here."

Hearing that there was still over a thousand meters to go, Akiyu Sora immediately stopped in her tracks.

She was already frail and sickly, and with her shut-in personality, plus the presence of the annoying Ai Nao, she had absolutely no motivation.

"How about I carry you?"

Akihi Yu couldn't rest easy leaving Akiyu Sora here alone.

"Eh?"

"I'm not a child."

"Then, give me your school bag; I'll carry it for you."

Facing her brother's outstretched palm, Akiyu Sora finally handed over her school bag.

"Do you guys want to—"

"No need, Yu-kun."

"Heeheehee~~ I need it even less."

Class Representative Ai Nao and the petite Amame Ei both refused Akihi Yu's offer to carry their bags: one was a key member of the school swimming team, and the other walked this path every day; stamina was absolutely not an issue for them.

Twenty minutes later, "Is Sora okay?"

The four of them arrived at the foot of a small hill, and after looking up at the long flight of stairs, Akihi Yu turned around.

"I..."

"I'll push little Sora up."

Before Akiyu Sora could say anything, the energetic Amame Ei pushed her from behind and began to climb upward.

Sister, your stamina is really too poor, isn't it?

Contemplating whether to give Akiyu Sora some mana, the four of them followed the stairs through the woods all the way up, and ten minutes later, they reached the summit.

A vermilion torii gate marked with the character "Kai" stood at the end of the stairs; passing through the torii, a small shrine appeared before everyone.

"Little Sora, we've arrived~~"

Amame Ei walked to the front of the group and spun around to signal:

"Welcome to Inari Shrine."

Before them was a small shrine; the approach was only a few meters long, and there were only two stone lanterns.

The small Honden, Haiden, Chozuya, and Ema boards—the entire shrine was not even as large as a basketball court.

Although this place is also called "Inari Shrine," it has absolutely no relation to Fushimi Inari Taisha: that place's dense, vermilion "Senbon Torii" is one of the most iconic sights in Kyoto.

Because the Inari deity is the god of agriculture and commerce and is widely worshipped, there are over nine thousand "Inari Shrines" throughout the island nation!

"Is Amame-san the only one here?"

Class Representative Ai Nao looked around, speaking with some surprise.

Located on top of a small hill, there was nothing else here besides the shrine.

As a place to visit, it was naturally fine, but as a place to live—living here all alone in the dead of night?

Just thinking about it made Class Representative Ai Nao feel a chill.

"Of course."

"My grandfather used to live here with me."

"Ever since he passed away, I've been managing this place all by myself."

After saying this, Amame Ei first gestured for everyone to wash their hands at the Chozuya, then led them to sit down at the nearby Shamusho before sliding open a wooden door to enter the room inside.

"Ta-da! Shrine Maiden Ei has arrived~~"

A few minutes later, the young girl walked out, full of energy, dressed in a white top and red hakama shrine maiden outfit.

"Come on, I'll take you on a tour of the shrine."

"This is the Haiden."

The small and exquisite Haiden was located in front of the main hall, serving as the place for people to pray and make wishes.

Tossing in a five-yen coin, which symbolized a "fated connection," the class president Nao and the younger sister Akiyu Sora clapped their hands twice before pressing them together, bowing their heads to pray in their hearts.

I hope Sora will accept me.

I hope that bad woman stays away from my brother.

After making their conflicting wishes, the two turned their heads away as if nothing had happened.

"Ahem, next, would you like to write on an Ema?"

"It's free, you know."

Shrine Maiden Amame Ei suggested.

An Ema, as the name implies, is a wooden plaque with a horse drawn on it.

However, that was the original form of the Ema; later on, the patterns became increasingly diverse. For instance, the Ema at Inari Shrine all featured fox designs. On these wooden plaques, about 15 centimeters long and 10 centimeters high, people would write their wishes and offer them before the gods, praying for divine protection.

"Oh, that would be too much trouble—"

"Don't be shy, I made them all myself."

Class president Nao instinctively declined, but Amame Ei answered without a second thought.

"Amame-san, you made these yourself?"

Facing the lively girl who was handing over the Ema, the class president examined them carefully and remarked with emotion:

"They're so exquisite."

"Heehee, my grandfather taught me how to make them."

She gave one Ema each to class president Nao and the younger sister Akiyu Sora, but Akihi Yu did not take one. Amidst Amame Ei's puzzled expression, Akihi Yu smiled slightly.

"My wish?"

"The Inari god most likely wouldn't be able to grant it."

?

"Brother,"

"Yu-kun, you shouldn't say things like that in a shrine."

It was highly unlikely that the class president or his sister believed in the existence of gods.

However, saying such things in a shrine—especially one where their classmate Amame Ei worked—was somewhat inappropriate.

"My apologies, Amame-san."

"I certainly didn't mean any disrespect, it's just—"

As a being who would one day plant a World Tree and traverse the universe in the flesh, Akihi Yu did not feel there was anyone in this world worthy of his worship.

"It's alright, a shrine is ultimately just a place for spiritual solace."

"Praying for a bountiful harvest, prosperous business, or the safety of one's family—at the end of the day, these are all just beautiful human aspirations."

And to make those wishes come true, what matters more is taking action oneself.

As an abandoned child, Amame Ei had understood this clearly from a young age.

"Well said!"

Akihi Yu gave the girl a thumbs-up and nodded.

"As the heavens maintain their vigor through movement, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement. Amame-san, you live with such freedom of spirit!"

"I'm not as amazing as you make me out to be."

After leading everyone on a tour of the small shrine, they began to clean the grounds—this was originally the daily routine for Amame Ei and Nagisa Kazuha. That's right, that young lady from a wealthy family came here every day to help Amame Ei maintain the shrine, provided there were no special circumstances.

"Amame-san,"

While sweeping up fallen leaves, Akihi Yu chatted casually with the girl.

"If there really were a 'god,' what kind of wish would you want them to grant?"

"Yu-kun, didn't you say you didn't believe in gods?"

Regarding this question, the shrine maiden in her white top and red skirt tapped her chin with her finger and pondered.

"I'm quite satisfied with my life as it is. If I really had to name a wish, it would be to finish high school and college with Koha, and then watch her walk down the aisle..."

"What kind of motherly talk is that?"

Unable to resist the retort, Akihi Yu flicked his finger.

A sheet of white paper drifted out silently, slipping through the gap in the tightly shut main hall doors and entering the interior.

The main hall was empty; there was no "statue" of a deity to be found.

This was a characteristic of Shinto:

It was non-idolatrous.

In the Shinto worldview of this island nation, while all things possessed spirits, the deities themselves were formless, residing in a world separate from humanity. A shrine was merely a place where a deity might choose to rest. Crossing the torii gate of a shrine signified entering the domain of a god, but the deity was not necessarily present.

However, while the hall contained no sculpted idols, some shrines would enshrine a "goshintai"—an object such as a mirror, a magatama, or a long sword—to represent the deity.

And in the main hall of this Inari Shrine, what was enshrined was a fox mask.

The paper flew over and covered the mask.

The next second, The mask suddenly stirred with life.