Vol 5 Chapter 5 (1/2)
Chapter 5: Defense Ridge
Chiaki was accoi’s Bishaosonshi+ Tereat nu Bishainally been built by Prince Shoutoku halfway up Mt shi+gi, in the place where Bishamonten first appeared in japan, and later revived by Holy Priest Myouren in the Heian Era Even today it was tee orshi+ppers; in the Month, Year, and Day of the Tiger, when Bishamonten was said to have appeared, it would be filled to bursting with pilgrims from far and wide
Chiaki sighed lightly at the line of specialty good fortune papier-er charms in a shop outside the front door
He had brought Nagi here at her insistence, but he still thought it rather odd for a girl to want to come to a temple
Chiaki looked at Nagi as she started up the path to the shrine
“Is this your first time here, Chiaki-san?”
“Eh?Yeah,” was the only answer Chiaki could give, though it wasn’t strictly true He could reo
(Well, this te to Bishamonten)
Takeda shi+ngen, too, had been a fervent believer, and had left behind a letter telling of his conversion
Though Mt shi+gi was quite faosonshi+ Temple—
This was also where Matsunaga Hisahide had built his stronghold, shi+gisan Castle
The castle had apparently once stood on the opposite slope, but had been burnt to the ground with Chougosonshi+ Te Oda’s attack The temple was later rebuilt, but the castle was abandoned, to be ravaged by tile stone ree only traces of its excavation and scorched army rice had been found to mark the spot where the castle had once stood
(Matsunaga Hisahide, huh?)
Chiaki looked at Nagi, frowning slightly Uni called out to Chiaki cheerfully, “This is the main temple Watch your step”
“Ah, yes, right”
A large teht of stone stairs, rising on a platfor with groups of tourists
After paying their respects inside, they leaned against the guardrails of the platforou Town
“Myme here to this temple to worshi+p, ever since I was little”
Chiaki’s eyes abruptly swung to Nagi Nagi sainst her face
”We came so many times, just the two of us, that this temple is like my back yard
“”
“Oh, that’s right!” Nagi suddenly pulled Chiaki by the arm towards the temple’s charm stand A row of multi-colored charms were on display
“Ack!”
One of theer’s head in profile, painted yelloith black stripes
“Th-this isn’t”
“Isn’t it neat? It’s a Tigers charers?”
“Huh? Ahahahahah” Chiaki laughed convulsively
Nagi told Chiaki as they took the flight of stairs back down, “My round, loneliness in her expression, as Chiaki gazed at her “After she got sick, she would keep saying, over and over again, ‘I want to go back to our house, the house where your father is I want to go back to the house where I could see the ocean’”
“See the ocean?”
“Yes It was the house we lived in when I was little” Nagi gave Chiaki a small smile “There’s no ocean here in Nara, you see”
Chiaki looked questioningly at her “Nagi?”
Nagi started walking ahead oncethe elopei’s parents and the early death of Nagi’s father, grew pensive
“I only have one dad My dad isi stated in a small but resolute voice, “It was his fault”
Startled, Chiaki’s expression darkened But Nagi turned to Chiaki and sotten those words as soon as they left her lips
“This road leads to the top of the mountain, and there’s a teo?”
“Kuuhachi-san?”
“Yes They would take this path to bring water up, because there’s no water supply up there Ladle an offering of water into this pot” Nagi said, passing Chiaki a tin pot fro by the wash fountain She picked up the ladle and began pouring water into another
“Wa-wait ato cli this?”
“Oh, you don’t want to?”
“No, but you’re injured Stop for today You need to rest”
“Oh That’s right”
Nagi took another look at the bandage around her right arm
“You probably don’t feel anything right now because of the anesthetic, but since you are injured, you should be carefulright?”
“I’htly with a shy suess it’s because I’ve been so nervous and scared lately, all the time”
“”
“My great-aunt and relatives are always around They’re all scary, and I don’t like the about the family fortune and the fai confided, and turned to gaze at the on God is with on God, aren’t you? I‘ve heard the divine on God: ’I will protect you, so be at peace’”
“Divine e?”
“Yes The shrine of the Dragon God is up there I go there a lot to pay i turned to look at Chiaki “Chiaki-san, you already know everything, don’t you?”
“”
Doubt filled Chiaki’s face
“So it’s okay I believe everything will be fine I trust in the Dragon God”
“You”
“Please protect me for now and always”
Nagi gave hirin and walked on ahead
She seeon God But what did she e?
The Dragon God of Mt shi+gi
Chiaki suddenly froze in place, unable to breathe
(She couldn’t have)
The sky darkened Black clouds covered the sun overhead
He could hear the roar of distant thunder
The violent thunderstori’s house A Presia was parked in front of it, and standing next to the car were Naoe and Takaya
Chiaki climbed out and waved at Takaya
“Hey You guys out for a drive?”
“Huh, why doesn’t it surprisenext to you?”
Nagi alighted Both Chiaki and Nagi were soaked from head to toe from the rain at the teave theht bow
“I’ll bring a towel,” she said, and walked off in the direction of the house Chiaki presented a box to Takaya as he followed her with his eyes
“Here A souvenir froi”
“What is it?”
“A papier-er”
“You trying to say so to me?!”
Next to hihter?”
Chiaki’s face turned serious again
“Have you learned so?”
“Yes There’s certainly a strong «malice»—well, more of an alien presence than irl carries some sort of apparition within her”
“That ‘hiragu?”
“It’s hiding itself, so I can’t be certain, but froami is easily three—no, four hundred years old It’s only lurking within the body at theto expel it directly will likely be a rather difficult proposition”
“Then the rumors are true as well?”
Chiaki interrupted Takaya to ask, “What rumors?”
“Well, there was so that lady Kizaki told us, and we checked it out with the people in the neighborhood before you guys got back That hoihoi fire thing? It’s been showing up a lot around here too, and they’ve really been increasing in nuo into this house at night”
TheTakaya indicated belonged to the first rooi’s room
“The fireballs are flocking here like there’s soaht?”
“It’s gathering the hoihoi fire? The kettle?”
“Naoe was thinking that itthem up”
Chiaki looked at Naoe
“You think that the ‘hiraguy’ of the hoihoi fire to add to its oer?”
“Probably According to legend, the ‘hiraguht? Doesn’t that ies to fuel its own growth?”
Chiaki’s brows creased lightly
The tsukurown since yesterday, but—
“Then why did the tsuku that it has so her stepfather to death?”
Takaya and Naoe looked at each other, and both of the at the house, “Did you hear that she offered a hundred prayers in a hundred pilgrii?”
“A hundred prayersin a hundred pilgries?”
“Yes They say that she prayed a hundred tiosonshi+ Teered the curse that killed her stepfather”
“A curse? That killed shi+ohara?”
“It’s not really so you can ask her directly, but shi+ohara, at least, seemed to have believed it In fact, ever since shi+ohara learned of his daughter’s hundred pilgri followed about by a thick fog and of hion God—he was terrified”
He had plastered his room with chari had been such that he had avoided all contact with her for the past few months
Chiaki asked doubtfully, “I don’t get it She doesn’t look like someone who could do that And besides, ould she want to kill her stepfather? Are you saying she hated him that much?”
“Her o, correct?” Naoe answered implacably “She didn’t die from any type of disease; she committed suicide from severe mental illness”
“Suicide?”
“Yes Her relationshi+p with her husband was apparently not a congenial one Which is not surprising, given that she was forced into the e by her father”
“In short, this guy shi+ohara got himself adopted into the family because he had his eyes on the company and the family fortune He never see a faust
Naoe added, “That girl’s mother apparently knew quite well that shi+ohara had a lover She lived with her neurotic disorder towards shi+ohara and her family for years before she finally consuo”
“So Nagi blames her stepfather for her mother’s death?”
Nagi’s words suddenly echoed in the back of Chiaki’s mind
“It’s his fault”
Even so, could Nagi really have done so as terrible as curse him to death?
“I’es to Mt shi+gi? The once-upon location of Matsunaga Hisahide’s castle? If that kettle monster possessed her because of those visits, then there ht?”
“I have heard the divine on God”
Chiaki’s eyes narrowed
“Well, but—” Takaya added bluntly, “even if that a Hisahide, he hasn’t n of ht?”
”No, that’s not quite true
They blinked and switched their attention to Chiaki
”So by the «power» they used, I’oku»
“!”
Takaya and Naoe’s eyes both widened The onshou were on the move!
“Onshou? Could it have been Matsunaga Hisahide?”
“No idea But still, that wouldn’t i is actually the ‘hiraguami of considerable power If Hisahide were resurrected, I’d think that he would try to use it instead of destroying it out of hand, since there is already a bond between the for the ‘hiragumo’”
“His secret weapon” Naoe took up the thread of the conversation “So Hisahide’s secret weapon would be this tsukuami after all?”
“What?”
Naoe turned to Takaya “Everything i That ‘hiragu ability will fall into the hands of the «Yaoku» onryou and become another weapon in their arsenal It would doubtlessly be a threat to opposing onshou equal to our power of «choubuku»”
“So Hisahide wants to i are—”
Takaya frowned in thought Next to hi blind unless we know so of Hisahide’s plans Maybe we should visit Mt shi+gi again and do another spirit sensing—”
“Chiaki-san,” said a voice behind thei had returned with a towel “I’ve made tea, so please come up Everyone is welcome”
“—”
They looked at Nagi, then at each other Chiaki clapped Takaya’s shoulder
“Well, I go where I’uys have your work cut out for you, huh? I’ll see you later”
“Wh-h! You’re going to go have tea while we’re doing all the work?!”
“I can’t refuse an invitation froht place, so leave things here topopular is such hard work”
“You little punk!”
“You can look forward to soht, let’s go have tea, Nagi-chan!”
“Co-come back here! Chiaki, you bastard!”