Tsunagari

Chapter XI.

That night, I had another sleepless night. And the following day, I had two special prayers to address to the Kami, when I visited the shrine in the morning after a small jump at the hospital to visit my mother.

Kami-sama, Shunsui was just teasing me when he told me to be cautious, wasn't he? I asked in my thoughts.

I was standing in front of the Haiden with my eyes closed, and hands, folded.

I still had not been able to shake off the jittery feeling it had procured me; it had stayed with me since last evening.

Yes, I'm sure that he was just teasing me, I ended up telling myself, in reassurance. I shouldn't think badly of Jojima-san! He is doing such a big favor to me!

Now, coming to my second prayer...

My expression turned uneasy at the thought.

Today, it was training day. The Kendō match was for Monday; there was almost no time left.

Gōjun and Shunsui had decided that it was high time to initiate the other scholarship students and I to Kendō practice. We were to meet up in the school gymnasium in a while for this purpose.

I had never been good in sports and I had two left foot- I knew it- and this made me incredibly nervous.

'Oh, Kami-sama, protect me!' I begged.

As I opened my eyes and turned around, preparing to leave, suddenly, I was surprised when my eyes fell onto the young woman I had met the other day at the shrine, the very one from my first day at Shigeizumi High School.

She was coming into this direction, and the moment she caught sight of me, she paused down to look at me, her face illuminating with equal surprise.

'Hey, there!' she called at me, with a cheery smile, waving her hand a little at me, and returning the smile, I half-ran to meet up with her.

'Hello!' I greeted her back when I reached her, feeling a bit shy.

'I'm happy to see you,' she told me, in a pleasant tone. 'I was hoping to see you again after the other day! It is so rare to meet with someone here!'

'Same here!' I admitted, and in tacit agreement, we moved away to sit under the Torii at the head of the staircase to talk to each other.

'However, the shrine has not always been in this state, you know?!' she told me, pressing her chin with her forefinger and looking upward thoughtfully. 'Ever since I have the age of reason, I have been visiting this shrine every day of my life. At that time, there still were a few recurring visitors, but now there are none. I have been really saddened to discover upon my return to the Kokubunji that the shrine has been completely abandoned during my many years of absence.'

'It's true that it's sad,' I murmured, lowering my eyes, filled with sorrow.

It was a real tragedy that there was no one to take care of the shrine anymore; no one who would to visit it other than the two of us. The Kami of the shrine must be feeling so lonely... so sad.

'Have you've grown up here, then?' I asked her, after a few minutes of silence.

'Yes,' she replied, with a small smile. 'And you?'

'I come from a small town towards the east from here, named Monden. I arrived a few months ago.'

'I see. And how is your new school?'

I cringed away at this question, my expression turning awkward.

'W-Well...' I stuttered, closing my eyes and smiling uneasily.