When you think about it, if it’s just one day of work, it surprisingly seems fun and fulfilling.
That’s the reason why the kids were joyfully selling and providing services at the cultural festival. A day is enough time to feel like an experience.
Moreover, if the money isn’t a huge necessity for survival, there’s no reason to seek out such work regularly. Less pressure means less burden, and naturally, less stress received.
Maybe because it’s the last day of the year, there were quite a few people gathered, and almost none acted disrespectfully towards us, even though some were overly excited.
There were people who exclaimed how cute it was.
Click.
Indeed. I had no complaints in terms of labor intensity. To be honest, navigating through a shop packed with people while wearing a maid outfit was more challenging. The mug filled with coffee was heavier than I thought.
However, one problem was that—Koko and I’s appearance was, in many ways, no different from ‘cosplay.’
Click.
Someone took a picture again. Most people had their phones in hand, but occasionally, there were people with digital cameras or disposable cameras. Well, it was still the time when films were used.
Even with internet blogs existing at this time, it’s likely that YouTube will emerge next year, but for now, we’re in that transitioning phase to the ‘smart’ era. Not everyone carried devices capable of connecting to ultra-high-speed wireless internet.
So, despite being the 21st century, elderly people carried film cameras.
Click.
And I think the concept of portrait rights wasn’t widely spread at this time. In the 2020s, they mosaic people’s faces in broadcasts, but back then, videos and photos of women in bikinis at summer beaches appeared on TV without blurring their faces.
There were reports showing women in short skirts, warning to be cautious. Well, for those, models were probably hired for shoots.
Click.
“……”
I looked towards the direction of the camera sound. When an uncle’s eyes met mine, he awkwardly turned to take a picture of the shrine building.
It seems like he at least had some awareness that taking photos without permission is somewhat inappropriate.
“Koto Ne?”
While I was staring in one direction, Koko tilted her head and asked.
For a brief moment, I thought about asking Koko to break that camera, but it didn’t seem like a fair request, so I decided to ignore it.
After all, there must have been far more people taking pictures of us, right? Just breaking that uncle’s camera for looking a bit creepy didn’t seem right.
After all, he might have been capturing something else nearby.
“It’s nothing.”
The shrine maiden attire wasn’t revealing skin, so I thought it was better to stay quiet.
“Uu?”
As Koko tilted her head, a group of women nearby made small exclamations of “Kyaa~.”
Since it was my first time in Japan, I didn’t know if that was a common phrase of admiration or a manga-style exclamation or maybe just something they let out because they were overly happy that day.
Thinking of Fukuda, Mako, and Yamashita—none of those three were really good references since they had their quirks.
If it was Yuka, she probably wouldn’t have made such sounds.
“Wow!”
“……?”
Koko, looking at me, suddenly burst out in admiration, tilting her head, and then she grinned, saying, “Koto Ne, you’re smiling.”
“……”
“We’ve been this way for a while.”
Is that so?
I raised my hand again and touched around my mouth.
Sure enough, I was smiling.
Hmm…
Maybe the reason I hadn’t objected to all the people taking pictures was that, in the midst of these completely different thoughts, I genuinely felt good.
Was it because I had gotten through today without issues?
Not knowing how to respond to Koko’s words, I raised my hand and rubbed her head insistently.
“Uu…?”
In response to my sudden attack, Koko looked puzzled.
And whatever was delightful seemed to make her smile brightly.
*
“Koto Ne, Koko, it’s dinner time.”
“Wow!”
In the midst of having fun, it was already time for dinner.
There wasn’t much time for conversation with Yuka. But in those few instances, Yuka’s face was always smiling.
I didn’t know how Yuka was last year. She might not have even been here. It may have been a case of bad luck where she had to go catch a Yōkai.
“At our shrine, we don’t do bell tolling, so when it hits midnight, the whole family eats soba. So don’t eat too much for dinner.”
But even as Yuka said that, she didn’t intend to stop us.
Because to Yuka, Koko and I probably looked very thin, and it seemed like we weren’t eating properly.
If I stayed still, Yuka would keep giving me food, and the Christmas present that Yuka prepared also turned out to be a big box filled with all kinds of snacks.
…Thinking about it, I hesitated when it came to snacks. Yuka would bring a bunch of snacks every time she stayed at our house.
Now that money wouldn’t pose a problem, do I really not need to worry that much?
Sometimes, maybe I should buy some bread or snacks too.
“Tonight’s Sukiyaki!”
“Wow!”
That was the first food I had eaten when I came here.
At that time, my means to supplement protein were hugely limited, and hearing that immediately pulled me here.
Now…
Well, not much has changed.
My craving for protein might have diminished a bit, but Yuka, being a friend, was inviting me.
Back then, I came solely because of the meat; now it was about both the meat and a friend.
Thinking that way, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
*
The shrine maiden attire was white. Especially the one we were wearing was so white that it’d easily get stained, either because it was newly bought or well maintained.
So, we changed our clothes before dinner.
“Is it delicious?”
“It’s delicious!”
Yuka’s grandfather and father were still at the shrine. Even at this time, people were continuously coming in, so they couldn’t leave their posts.
Yuka told us not to worry and to eat slowly, but Koko was always a fast eater, even without that reason.
“……”
Watching Koko, I slowly moved my hands.
I’m not much of a gourmet, so I didn’t know how high quality the meat here was. But maybe because I felt good, the meat was simply delicious.
While I was enjoying the texture of the meat slowly, I suddenly realized Yuka had stopped talking.
It looked like something popped into her head all of a sudden.
From the expression, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
…Should I ask about the reason?
As I contemplated for a moment, Yuka opened her mouth first.
“Um… I’m sorry.”
“……Huh?”
“Uu?”
Koko and I tilted our heads simultaneously, seeing Yuka apologize over a dish made of beef served right in front of us.
Why was she suddenly apologizing?
“That,”
Yuka said while glancing at me.
“I had asked you to go to the comic market together.”
“……Ah.”
Right.
I had completely forgotten.
It was a promise I made with Yuka while studying during finals. We were to go together.
Why had I forgotten? Well, the reason isn’t anything special.
I was more looking forward to hanging out with friends than the comic market itself.
Before that promise, I had a commitment for a Christmas party, so all my focus went toward that. I had to buy Christmas presents, and I had to think about how to deliver the gift to Koko.
Koko seemed indifferent to any present she received, but I seriously thought about getting her something she would like, too.
After that, the event happening a few days later had completely evaporated from my mind.
…That was yesterday.
“I’m really sorry. I only remembered about it last night…”
I wondered how Yuka, who usually handled everything with certainty, had forgotten about that.
Well, there’s probably no real reason for it.
It’s probably because our promise got pushed back after Christmas.
Isn’t that the case? The comic market was on the 29th and 30th, and the last day of the year is the next day, the first day is January 1st.
Above all, we never really made a definite plan about the comic market. We only casually talked about “Let’s go!”
Plus, it is the year-end. Yuka’s family would have many preparations to do. If they were busy without a definite promise, it wouldn’t be strange for a vague memory to simply evaporate.
“It’s alright.”
I answered sincerely.
“Right now is better.”
Yeah. If I had been crowded among people over there, my thoughts might have changed. Similar events took place periodically in Seoul, and even in my childhood, I attended a few times.
After becoming an adult, I hadn’t gone again, mostly because I didn’t have anything I was passionate about selling and realized going would just mean getting pushed around by the crowd and coming back with a few items.
I just wanted to see what atmosphere the comic market brings. When Yuka told me to say what she wanted, I had no other thoughts.
But it seems Yuka thought my words were more to comfort her than being sincere.
“……Next time, let’s definitely go. I’ve already marked it on my calendar!”
“……”
No, there’s no need for that.
Because next time—
…No, never mind. There’s no need to think that way just yet.
Maybe I might get the chance to go. Perhaps I was thinking too short-term.
And if I really couldn’t make it by that time…
I should probably tell Yuka and Koko about that story in advance.
The reason I hadn’t said anything yet was simply that I didn’t have the courage.
I couldn’t gauge how Yuka and Koko would react when I shared that story.
It’s regrettable that I hadn’t even mentioned the most important matter.
…There’s still time, so it should be alright for now.
“Koto Ne?”
Koko stopped eating and tilted her head.
After meeting her gaze, I regained my senses and looked at Yuka.
Yuka had a rather anxious expression. It was an unusual sight for her.
“……Yeah. Let’s definitely go together next year.”
When I smiled and said that, Yuka, appearing to have just let out a sigh of relief, placed her hand over her chest and released a long breath.
“But, do you have any favorite manga?”
While resuming our meal, Yuka asked.
I thought for a moment and shook my head.
I knew several manga from this era; however, I hadn’t seen any since coming here. I had often checked their existence and even watched a few episodes late at night, but I had become too accustomed to the convenience of 2020s OTT.
“Well… there’s still plenty of time. How about finding one or two to watch in the meantime?”
“……Yeah.”
Right, there’s still plenty of time.
I nodded, trying to convince myself to think that way.
Whether I successfully managed to smile like before, to be honest, I wasn’t sure.
*
It was probably a memory from when I hadn’t yet become independent, so when my younger sister was in middle school.
When New Year’s rolled around, mom forced us all to gather together.
Though I hadn’t been independent yet, I was a senior in college who had already done military service, and my younger sister hadn’t fully grown out of her adolescence yet.
Thanks to that, we both felt the same at that time, and it was right there, “This is a bit cringy.”
Well, we didn’t exchange words. We merely exchanged brief glances.
Mom probably knew that but still woke up even dad who was half asleep sprawled on the couch.
And we listened together to the bell tolling of the New Year on TV.
After that, nothing happened.
It was merely a day beginning again. I mean, both my sister and I were still students, so it was a vacation, but it didn’t feel different.
…Mom and Dad weren’t there, and Koko definitely wasn’t the sister from that time.
But for the first time in a long while, I felt a similar feeling to back then.
It was a bit unfamiliar.
“We have no big bell here at the shrine.”
Grandfather said with a smile.
“There’s quite a big temple nearby. If you wait here, you’ll hear the bell ringing from various places.”
Looking at Japan’s religious practices feels a bit strange.
I might not know what a regular person living in this world thinks, but in a world where holy water and sacred objects from Christian religions do exist, and real shrine maidens and exorcists are present, as well as Yōkai, it’s likely that divine beings do, too.
Whether there are real gods or monsters might be unknown.
So, in a world where everyone has at least one piece of evidence that their faith exists, the people who manage this shrine are actually waiting for the sound of a Buddhist temple bell.
Well, during my last visit to Kyoto, I did see shrines within temples.
Is it similar to how Confucianism in Korea shifted from a religious doctrine to a life philosophy?
Strictly speaking, for someone like me who is pretty much a foreigner living in Japan, that’s refreshing.
But still, some aspects feel familiar.
On the last day of the year, gathering like this with family…
…Is it too heartless to say it like that?
“Now then, let’s eat.”
It seems there’s no need to eat right at midnight. Could this be a household’s personal eating time?
Quietly lifting the bowls, everyone made slight slurping noises as the noodles went into their mouths.
The taste wasn’t anything special. It was merely a dish lightly seasoned with katsuobushi broth and soy sauce, topped with sliced green onions.
But sharing this meal together in a ceremonial manner felt a bit magical.
By the time we all finished our noodles and lowered our bowls, a ding— resonated from afar.
The bells were ringing from various directions. It didn’t seem like an echo; it genuinely sounded like several nearby temples were tolling their bells all at once.
“May you have great fortune in the New Year.”
Grandfather was the first to speak.
“Wishing you stay healthy this year.”
Yuka’s father echoed the same sentiment.
“Let’s have a good year.”
When Yuka bowed as a greeting, Koko and I followed suit slightly, bowing our heads.
“Let’s have a good year.”
“Let’s have a good year!”
…And that’s how the New Year began here.
*
Yesterday had many people, but today had even more.
Whereas yesterday was at the bustling level, today was downright packed.
I lost track of time roaming around and guiding people all morning. Still, since this shrine isn’t a famous tourist spot, it seemed like the number of visitors dwindled a bit once all the locals had popped by at least once.
That said, it wasn’t entirely quiet yet.
And amidst that, someone we hadn’t expected paid a visit.
“……Kagami.”
Ah, wait.
Should I be calling her mom now? I had been saying that in front of other people, after all.
However, Kagami didn’t seem to care much upon hearing my voice. Well, that wasn’t really her personality.
Was it because the weather was cold? Kagami was dressed in a way that wouldn’t be embarrassing in front of others, not in the usual attire.
She wore a thick winter coat, and the attire underneath looked… peculiarly decent for her age. A suit, rather? With women’s suits being diverse in style as opposed to men’s, I couldn’t precisely express what it looked like.
“……”
Koko and I, along with Kagami, stood for a moment, looking at each other in silence.
Kagami appeared like she wanted to say something, but she seemed strangely unable to get the words out.
Thinking she might freeze like this, I decided to speak first.
“……Wishing you a great New Year.”
Only after my words did Kagami blink her eyes.
Why?
Is it not a little less creepy than the Christmas gift? I didn’t think my expression was that rigid.
“……Thank you for your kindness today.”
Kagami replied softly.
I nodded and glanced over at Koko.
Koko was tilting her head, seeming more interested in me than Kagami.
What should I do?
Should I have Koko greet her or not? I pondered.
“……Isn’t that Koto Ne’s mother?”
I heard grandfather’s voice.
Someone could spark here.
The last time those two met, an invisible spark flew. It seemed Kagami was acting aggressively toward me then.
It doesn’t help that she already had a bad image due to her faith.
I couldn’t defend Kagami either since half of this situation was fabricated by her.
On the other hand… if I injected myself into this situation, it might stir trouble further.
“……Hello.”
But Kagami merely said that.
“Did you come to pay respects for the New Year?”
Grandfather asked, seemingly with no ill intent.
“…….”
Kagami hesitated, remaining silent for a moment before glancing at me, dressed in the shrine maiden attire.
Come to think of it, she was supposed to be in this role too.
Is there no shrine for the Kurosawa family?
“This way.”
Grandfather politely directed her, and Kagami nodded.
As she brushed past me to move forward, she turned to look at me again.
For a moment, Kagami looked into my eyes, then turned away, following behind grandfather.
……
I couldn’t understand her feelings at all.
It would be much easier if she just said it outright.
Well, I guess I shouldn’t be one to complain.
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