The Matchmaker [Kamisama Hajimemashita FF]

Chapter 01

One: The Heir

"Haaahhh... the town is busy as ever!"

Hanari is amazed at almost everything about the busy town; the middle-schoolers hanging out with their friends, colorful posters and flyers, the candy shop, restaurants, traffic lights, and cars that pass by. Today, she is going to get her uniform in the tailoring shop for the first day of school tomorrow.

Mitsuo Hanari. She lives in an unfamous shrine in the mountain near this town with her grandmother. Her past years were spent serving in the shrine which she called useless because the shrine seemed to be forgotten although with its good condition.

Sigh. Let's not talk about the shrine.

"While we're here, why not enjoy it?" She asked her cat, Ruru, which is just clinging upon her head. Pot meowed in return.

After getting her uniform, they went to an ice cream parlor and decided to walk by the park. She watched the children play in the monkey bar, seesaw, and sand box as their parents are happily watching them.

I wonder how is it to have parents? It must be fun.

* * * *

"YOU ARE LATE!!!" Hanari is greeted with a mad grandma. She ducked away from the flying slippers her grandma threw. Her grandma wears old-fashioned clothes and her white hair is pulled up into a bun. With her age, you could never tell she is as strong as you could imagine.

"C'mon..." she muttered. She's not expecting for a two-hour sermon, is she?

Her grandma closed her eyes and sighed,

"I am very worried about you, Hanari."

"But I'm not a child anymore. I can take care of myself."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Eh?"

Without response, her grandma gestured her to follow and they began to stalk the woods behind the shrine until they reached a clearing. In the middle is a huge rock that is surrounded by wild flowers. She followed her grandma nearer. She noticed that there is a thick vine swirling the huge rock and it's written with letters she can't decipher.

"Five hundred years ago, there lived a goddess whom the mortals ran for help about their love life. She is always willing to help without anything in return. The Mitsuo family has been the loyal servant of this goddess and therefore a witness of her reign and fall. The goddess loves to help the people gain their love for she never had the love of her life. She didn't want the people share the same fate."

Her grandma touched the stone and slowly, the inscribed letters glowed golden until Hanari needs to close her hurting eyes. Her grandmother continued,

"The goddess is always happy, raising every kind of flowers in her garden until, she mistakenly helped a forbidden love to bloom. The people ran to the gods for her to be punished and before disappearing, she entrusted her powers or duty to the Mitsuo Family... And now it is your turn."

Her grandma murmured some words and the light faded enough for Hanari to open her eyes. Then her chest glowed and it seems to absorb the light from the stone. This gave her a warm sensation as if the warmth traveled to every veins in her body. Hanari just stood with astonishment until the process is done.

"That is your mark. It is your duty now to help the needy. Don't worry, the goddess Shirayuki bestowed you abilities that will soon help you. Wear this."

She handed her a double-laced bracelet with a small red crystal pendant.

"It's for protection. The gods can sense what happened and they may start searching for you. Yokais even."

"Y-yokais?" She stuttered.

"They don't exist, right?"

"Ugly, hideous yokais are after your power." Her grandma made a scary look. Hanari flinched.

Her grandma didn't wait for her and started walking back to the shrine.

Hanari, taking in all the things that's just happened, stood there steadily as she placed her hand in her previously glowing chest.

So am I going to be a matchmaker now? So I'm like, gonna be stucked in this shrine forever?! And what did she mean by yokais? Are they gonna eat me? Yikes!

"Hanari! You still need to clean the floor!!"

"EH?!! BUT I HAVE SCHOOL TOMORROW!!!!"