Goodbye Fairy Chapter 1: Masks and Signposts (Part 3)

Chapter 1 Part 2 | Contents | Chapter 1 Part 4

June 2, 1991 (Heisei 3) – Sunday

It was a damp Sunday in June. I was heading to Fujishiba Station clad in a polo shirt that emphasized breathability over fashion sense. It was a little far, but going there by bicycle would saddle me with the problem of parking space. I would be walking a great deal today, anyway.

As a person with no problems with socializing, I could easily name ten friends, and double that if you count those I’ve recently drifted apart from. However, as one might expect, those friendships were limited to within school, and it was unlikely for me to meet and hang out with them on a Sunday. You could say that it was an incredible stroke of luck that this improbable outing happened to fall during a break in the plum rain season. The sky was clear and cloudless, a stark contrast from the persistent rain that had lasted till the day before. According to science books, June is the month when the sun’s rays are strongest in the northern hemisphere. But even without consulting a book, given that the summer solstice is in June, it is only natural that the weather would be hot when the sun comes out.

Speaking of rain, a month had already passed since that day of spring rain during which we met Maja from Yugoslavia. The girl was apparently working diligently at the inn Kikui, doing odd jobs from washing the dishes and cleaning the bathhouse to tending the souvenir store. I’d heard from Tachiarai that since Maja was such a competent worker, being proficient in Japanese and armed with an unceasing smile, Shirakawa’s parents even gave her a small token of appreciation instead of taking money from her.

Since she came over to watch our match in Mid-May, I’d started seeing her in school, more often than not. Our school was supposedly off-limits to outsiders, but to my knowledge Maja had not been reprimanded for her visits. Being white, she must have caused many heads to turn, but not many people dared to talk to her. Maja usually chatted with Shirakawa and Tachiarai, and was sometimes introduced to their friends. On other occasions, she would amuse herself by making small talk with me. When I inquired if it was worth the time spent, she answered that such small talk was what made school worth going to.

In a sense, that also applied to me, in finding out what I knew and what I didn’t. That sensation, borne from Maja and I being worlds apart, was unique and hard to come by.

According to Shirakawa, Maja usually spent her time reading books. They were mostly books she asked Shirakawa to help her borrow from the Fujishiba Municipal Library, starting with children’s books largely composed of hiragana. It seemed that even with her fluent control of the Japanese language, she couldn’t start reading in one day and one night. Additionally, she was zealous about taking walks, surprising Shirakawa with her leg strength.

Today’s outing was an extension of Maja’s walking. Two days ago, on Friday, she visited Fujishiba High School and said this:

“I will be seeing the city this Sunday.”

Upon hearing that, Tachiarai narrowed her eyes and put on a small grin.

“Using the verb ‘seeing’ in that manner is fresh. Which area do you plan to take a look around?”

“I am aiming for Tsukasa Shrine. I heard that it is the biggest religious facility in Fujishiba City.”

I couldn’t say if it was so involved in religion to call itself a religious facility, but Tsukasa Shrine was indeed the biggest shrine in the city.

“I see. What a shame, if you arrived just a bit earlier you would’ve been in time for the Spring Festival.”

The Spring Festival was the main tourist highlight for events in Fujishiba City, and as Tachiarai said, it had already ended when we first met Maja. However, Maja shook her head.

“Machi-san, I always wish to see the usual appearance.”

That probably wouldn’t be an easy task.

“Hmm, so you’ll be going to Tsukasa Shrine…”

Shirakawa muttered. The phrase “Tsukasa Shrine” must have brought something to mind.

“Hey, Maja. If you’ll be going to Tsukasa Shrine, how about stretching your legs a little more?”

“Stretching your legs?”

“Ah, sorry. I mean, how about going somewhere a little further away? Near Tsukasa Shrine there are streets from the early-modern era… umm, I mean from about three hundred years ago.”

That would refer to the Historical Preservation District north of the Atotsu River. As mentioned before, it was the lifeblood of tourism in Fujishiba City, though residents here wouldn’t normally use such a lengthy name, and would instead call it Nakano Town.

After hearing Shirakawa’s suggestion, Maja put on a troubled face.

“Actually, I tried going there once. But I got lost, so I was unable to. I do not know if I will succeed if I try again.”

“That so? Let’s go together, then. We’ll lead the way.”

Maja became overjoyed, even more than expected. Her face lit up brightly, and with a loud exclamation she held Shirakawa’s hands, which was not a common sight in our everyday lives.

“Da! Izuru, thank you very much. That is a wonderful idea! Please, let us go together.”

Though she’d known her for more than a month already, Shirakawa was apparently still not used to Maja’s intense reactions. While watching her hands being shaken up and down, she slowly replied.

“Alright, we’ll go on Sunday, then.”

Still, I couldn’t understand why she was unable to get to Nakano Town on her own. It wasn’t exactly a place that was hard to find. Eventually, Maja released Shirakawa’s hands and smiled at Tachiarai.

“Machi-san, will you be going as well? I would like to ask you all sorts of things.”

“Yeah, I suppose I’ll come along. But only if the weather’s clear.”

“I also cannot go if it is raining. But what if it is cloudy?”

“Maja, when we say, ‘if the weather’s clear’, it normally means ‘if it isn’t raining’.”

Maja’s notebook and pen had appeared in her hands at some point during the conversation. I’d seen that set multiple times already, but I couldn’t avoid feeling impressed by how fast she would pull it out each time. After taking down a note, Maja directed her black pupils at me.

“Moriya-san, you should come with us too.”

“Me?”

Curiosity got the better of me, and I answered without giving much thought to the matter.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s go.”

“Wonderful!”

Maja grinned, but next to her Shirakawa had on a weird expression. Would I be a nuisance by joining their group? But I realized that the one being inconvenienced would be me. To suit Maja’s interests, the reason for that could be summed up in an oriental word: “Moderation”. You could also say it was a disturbance of the harmony of yin and yang. Or to put it in common terms, I would feel awkward hanging out with three girls on a Sunday. I could mentally prepare myself for it, since we were neither doing anything to be ashamed of, nor was I worried about what others would think of me, but I would rather invite one other guy.

“Maja.”

“Da?”

After thinking for a while, I asked.

“I’d like to invite Fumihara as well. Are you fine with that?”

Maja nodded happily.

“Fumihara-san is that archer, right? It will be more fun with more people.”

It was decided that I would get in contact with Fumihara, so on that day, I phoned him.

“Sunday, huh. If I had to say, I’m not exactly free, but I don’t mind.”

He accepted the invitation.

Back to the present.

Among my ten shallow friendships, of which none were worse than any other, I chose Fumihara because I thought it would be better to have someone Maja was already acquainted with. If so, Nukata could have also been an option, but he was too energetic for thorough, unhurried sightseeing. On top of that, while shallow, there were differences in depth for these friendships of mine. I never had a heart-to-heart talk with Fumihara, but I held him in high regard for being a decisive person.

When I reached the station, I found it to be relatively crowded, which made sense for a weekend, though most of the people seemed to be tourists, wearing clothes easy to move around in and carrying large backpacks. I didn’t think June to be a good season for sightseeing, but perhaps not everyone had the freedom to choose the season for it. It wasn’t like there were no dressed-up local youths, but there was only a countable quantity of them. Since Fujishiba Station was made to be convenient for tourists, it wasn’t a very fun starting location for youths looking to spend their weekend.

It was ten minutes before the appointed time. I arrived early since I had nothing better to do, but already standing before the statue of a mounted warrior was a face I knew. It was Fumihara. Both his top and bottom were in shades of indigo close to black. While I wouldn’t call his outfit stylish, he did put in the effort to make himself look more presentable. I’d never seen him in his casual clothes, so it was fresh to learn about his fashion sense. I got close enough to see the whites of his eyes, then raised a hand in place of a greeting. Noticing me, Fumihara did the same in response.

I stood next to him under the statue.

“Sorry for making you come out here when you’re busy.”

Fumihara laughed with only his lips.

“It’s nothing, just the usual studying for entrance exams. No need to worry about me.”

That was a little unexpected.

“I didn’t think you’d be the type to study so diligently.”

“Our time in the Archery Club is over. Next are the entrance exams.”

“Going by order, huh. That makes it easy to understand.”

“I’m stupid, so I need to make it easy to understand. Trouble is, I can’t focus on two things at the same time.”

This time, he also laughed with his eyes. It was the first time I’d heard him talk about himself like that.

I looked at my watch. The appointed time was in five minutes. The other three should be arriving together, but I couldn’t see their figures no matter how much I looked around.

Come to think of it, this was my first time meeting with Tachiarai on a rest day in the two years I’d known her. However, I didn’t think anything of that. No matter how you looked at it, Maja was the main character for today. As she had said, she would likely see many things, and delight in doing so. There might even be things that would greatly capture her interest. I wanted to witness such a scene up close. Also, though I wouldn’t count myself on being knowledgeable, I wanted to help her out if I could. Thinking about it now, that was the reason why I was asked to be here today.

As I had that thought, Fumihara spoke in a voice lacking in enthusiasm, clearly doing so only to kill time.

“I never knew you had such an interest.”

Since I had been thinking about Maja, I shot back without thinking.

“About Maja?”

“No?”

For a moment he looked confused, probably wondering why that name would come up.

“I meant, I didn’t know you had an interest in going sightseeing on a Sunday.”

I felt that the statement was a little sarcastic, though Fumihara likely didn’t mean it that way.

“What interests did you think I have, then?”

He muttered, “Lemme think,” before falling into silence. I waited for a while, but he was looking down and didn’t seem like he would respond. I glanced at my wristwatch again and scanned the crowd for Maja and the rest.

But it turned out that Fumihara was not withholding his words, just that he was trying to put his thoughts together. Out of the blue, he muttered.

“Well, I suppose it’s more accurate to say I didn’t think you had any interests.”

“What’s the difference?”

Fumihara faltered a little, seemingly finding it difficult to articulate his thoughts. However, it wasn’t in his character to give up midway, so he eventually said it all at once.

“I can’t imagine you dedicating yourself to or getting immersed in something. Even for archery, it wasn’t like you were staking anything on it.”

I let out a wry laugh.

“Yeah, I’ll admit that’s true. I might not be as passionate as you, but if you don’t mind me saying, aren’t you in the minority? Nowadays, focusing on club…”

“I have no intention of devoting myself to archery. But that aside, Nukata doesn’t give off that impression, for example. He’s not so absorbed in archery, but it doesn’t feel weird if there’s something he’s deeply interested in. Doesn’t it seem like he would be into western music or something like that?

“On that point, I feel that it’s unexpected for you to be interested in doing something.”

After taking a breath, his faced turned sour.

“I didn’t mean that as a criticism. Did that offend you?”

Rather than being offended, I was taken aback that I could be seen in that light, but since he’d taken the initiative to say such a thing, all I could think of doing was to deliberately act cheerful, so I smiled.

“It’s just because you don’t know me that well. I can’t blame you. I haven’t brought my interests out in the open, that’s all.”

Fumihara didn’t ask about those interests. All he did was give a sheepish reply.

“Ah, I see, so I was wrong. Sorry for bringing up something so trivial.”

He then sank into silence. I preferred him that way, rather than him being too talkative. I followed suit, and the two of us waited silently under the statue of the mounted warrior.

Not that I found the time that passed to be awkward, but we did not have to wait for long. I noticed Maja coming over from behind the train station building, followed by Tachiarai and Shirakawa. Tachiarai was wearing a white collared shirt and a pair of white pants with wide legs, a combination that looked cooling. The other two were in matching dresses; Maja’s was sky-blue, while Shirakawa’s was pink.

Shirakawa called a greeting at us while they were still quite a distance away. When they got closer, Maja politely lowered her head.

“Good morning. Thank you for coming over today.”

I returned a casual greeting. It wouldn’t do to let Maja misunderstand that bowing too formally is a common act.

With all five of us gathered, Tachiarai looked up at the sun, as if she was glaring at it. While the air was thick with humidity, the sunlight was strong, as expected of summer. But even Tachiarai’s stare did not manage to shoot the sun down. She returned her gaze to the ground, and spoke without a smile.

“Looks like it’s getting hot.”

In a formation where Tachiarai and Shirakawa were in the front to lead Maja, we set off. Fumihara and I were at the back. We surrounded Maja, as if we were a bevy of security police guarding a VIP.

We moved north of Fujishiba Station. To attract tourists, the road from the station to Nakano Town boasted wide, paved footpaths, and had its electrical cables buried underground. The station was located in the southern portion of the city, so we would have to cross the Atotsu River to reach Nakano Town in the north.

“Seems like a long time since I took a walk here.”

Shirakawa giggled.

“Guests always recommend this, but it’s been years since I’ve been here in Nakano Town. What about you, Machi?”

Tachiarai replied with a voice filled with mirth.

“Who knows? I don’t remember.”

It was the same for me. I’d passed by many times, but since it wasn’t an area I had any particular business with, I hadn’t set foot inside for a considerable period of time.

Fumihara addressed Maja from over her shoulder.

“Maja-san, do you look around the area where you live?”

She turned around.

“Yes, I do often look around. It is necessary to compare my city with other cities overseas.”

“I see. How much in a year are you overseas?”

“About half a year.”

I’d only crossed a sea once in my life. That was the Seto Inland Sea¹, and the means of transportation was a car. I also asked her a question, though that wasn’t because she’d turned around.

“Don’t you get homesick?”

She didn’t reply. Even though she’d already localized into the Japanese language, it seemed that the English language² was still impossible for her. Noticing that, I rephrased my question.

“Don’t you miss Yugoslavia?”

After a brief pause, Maja answered in an especially bright manner.

“I do not particularly miss Yugoslavia, but I do sometimes get the feeling of wanting to go home. I have many friends in my town, and I want to see them. I also want to eat food that I am used to.”

Shirakawa showed meticulous consideration here.

“I can make it for you if you teach me how.”

“Thank you, Izuru. But you might not be able to get the ingredients in Japan. Also, I like your cooking.”

“I’d like to at least let you drink some Yugoslavian-style coffee.”

Maja chuckled.

“That might be the most difficult of them all³.”

As we approached the Atotsu River, Shirakawa suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Ah, I just remembered!”

“What is it?”

“I wanted to buy a handkerchief for Maja. Hold on, I’ll be back soon.”

Thanks to Shirakawa’s words, I only now noticed that we were in front of a supermarket. She would likely be able to buy a handkerchief there. With a small trot, she entered the store.

While waiting for Shirakawa, Maja looked curiously into the supermarket. I called out to her.

“Have you not seen these kinds of shops before?”

She forced a smile and shook her head.

“These are called supermarkets in Japan, right? I know about them.”

Tachiarai piped up.

“They stock up in bulk and sell in bulk. They’re the fruits of capitalism.”

“Um, Machi-san, there are these kinds of stores in Yugoslavia as well. They are called Samoposluga.”

“Oh.”

That was quite rude of me and Tachiarai. Come to think of it, I’d heard of something like this. There was a civil war in some country in West Asia, and some citizens of a developed country were heartbroken by that tragic situation, so they sent over charcoal-heated clothing irons as foreign aid⁴. It never crossed their minds that there was electricity running in other countries. I’d laughed when hearing this story, but I was not much different back there. That aside, there was a phrase in that exchange which piqued my interest.

“My city is big; it is a cut above the rest. It also has a Samoposluga. Um, but I have also often bought things from the market, where the people who produce those things sell them directly.”

I directed a question at Tachiarai’s side profile.

“Sendou, why did you call it the ‘fruits of capitalism’?”

She looked annoyed, but answered anyway.

“Maja’s from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, so it’s a socialist country, right?”

“Ah, right. It must be tough with all that mess with the Soviet Union.”

Maja put on another dry smile upon hearing our exchange.

“Machi-san, Yugoslavia is actually practicing capitalism already. That is my father’s job. Moriya-san, Yugoslavia had a very bad relationship with Sovjetski Savez⁵. Though I have many Rus friends.”

“Rus?”

“Uh, that means Russian people.”

She then spoke somewhat lamentably.

“It is a harsh reality for us, but it looks like that has not been conveyed to Japan.”

“Sorry, Maja.”

“No, it is fine. My friends probably cannot tell the difference between Tokyo and Kyoto, and they definitely cannot tell the difference between temples and shrines. It is what it is.”

Her final sentence sounded so natural and unlike what one would expect of a foreigner that I couldn’t help but erupt into a short chuckle. Maja came from so far away, yet she sometimes felt so close to us.

Before long, Shirakawa returned.

“Thanks for waiting.”

What she bought was a white, laced handkerchief embroidered with dandelions.

“Here. Sorry that it’s cheap.”

“Thank you, Izuru. I will take it.”

We set off again, and the road immediately led to Ronden Bridge. We would arrive at Nakano Town after crossing this bridge.

Atotsu River, which Ronden Bridge was built on, was a typical Japanese river, being narrow in width and with a swift current. Also as per usual, some levee protection work was being done, so we were unable to enjoy the original river scenery. It might not be much of a replacement, but cherry trees were planted on both sides of the river. In spring, the branches hanging over the Atotsu River with blooming cherry blossoms would be a sight to behold. Only in spring, unfortunately for us.

Placing a fist on her hip, Shirakawa sighed.

“Spring’s over, huh.”

The cherry blossoms had fallen to the ground long ago, and had all become new leaves. That made the trees sound more spectacular, but at this stage they were in fact plain broad-leaf trees.

“Wish I could’ve shown you that.”

However, Maja still found some enjoyment in the situation. “Ah!” She exclaimed while pointing at the area by the bridge’s entrance.

“I can see a bulletin board.”

A bulletin board? Did she mean to say notice board or signboard? But there was indeed what looked to be a so-called “bulletin board” standing where Maja was pointing. With a proud smile, she puffed out her chest.

“I know what is written there.”

Fumihara opened his eyes wide in astonishment.

“That’s impressive. I didn’t even know that was there.”

It was certainly amazing that she noticed that.

Tachiarai asked.

“So what’s written there?”

“Alright.”

Maja closed her eyes.

“Do not cross this bridge.”

The strength went out of me. That probably happened at the same time for all four of us.

“Maja…”

“Heh.”

“Really? That old cliché?”

Knowing that witty tale⁶ was definitely incredible in its own way.

Not paying any heed to the cries of protest, modest enough to not disturb international harmony, Maja walked towards the signboard. She stared at it for a moment, but immediately shook her head.

“There are many words I cannot read.”

Hearing Maja’s lament, Fumihara moved forward.

“Let’s see…”

It didn’t seem to be a very long passage.

“It’s about this bridge’s origin.”

“Origin? I am interested.”

“I’m not sure if I can summarize it well, but I’ll give it a shot.”

Fumihara carefully read the sign, then made a small nod and started explaining.

“In the year 1754, some money was stolen from a merchant’s storehouse. The merchant wished for his money to be returned at a nearby shrine… in other words, he prayed to the spirits⁷. Soon after, he found his money. Feeling thankful, he decided to use his money for good, and greatly improved this bridge. Before that, only people could cross Ronden Bridge. For the most part, that’s what it says.”

“…That is interesting! But?”

Maja looked dubiously at the bridge. It was a concrete bridge, paved with asphalt. While it generally looked plain, there were some decorative ornaments like giboshi⁸ that helped evoke a sense of wanderlust.

“It does not look like a bridge from that long ago. Did it get destroyed?”

“It was rebuilt in Showa Year 59.”

Shirakawa read a description on the railing.

“Hm, right, Japan’s old bridges are made of wood. They would not last long… But it is rare for a merchant to build a bridge.”

With that comment, Maja seemed to sink into thought for a moment, before eventually giving a start as if she’d just realized something, and asking Fumihara a question.

“Fumihara-san, you said that he prayed to the spirits, right?”

Showing great prudence, Fumihara turned back to look at the sign, checked the passage there and nodded.

“Yes, he prayed to the spirits.”

A small notebook and pen appeared from Maja’s sky-blue dress. She held the notebook in her left hand and the pen in her right, then sharpened her gaze.

“Would it not usually be to Buddha, rather than to the spirits?”

Because the question was so sudden, even Fumihara was unable to answer, and instead sent me a troubled look. Did people at that time usually pray to Buddha or to the spirits?

But before that…

“Maja, you know the difference between Buddha and the shinto spirits?”

Maja gave me a light smile.

“I roughly understand, I think. Izuru taught me about it.”

“Only as far as I know.”

Shirakawa added shyly. Come to think of it, she did imply that she could tell the difference between temples and shrines earlier. Inwardly, I was astounded. In a manner of speaking, it was like us knowing the difference between Catholic and Protestant. No, it can’t be such a low level, it should be like differentiating the Greek Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church… I didn’t even know where my analogy was going.

Next to me, Tachiarai was tilting her head in contemplation.

“Making a wish… if it was the ohyakudo⁹, it would be to the spirits.”

“Ohyakudo?”

Maja parroted.

“It’s a charm.”

Tachiarai’s answer was brief and to the point. It wasn’t wrong, but a charm could refer to those written in girls’ magazines. Language sense was certainly not Tachiarai’s strong suit. I couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.

“Charm? Is that a mystical ritual?”

“Yeah, kind of.”

Shirakawa and Tachiarai then began listing examples of making wishes.

“Praying to pass an exam would be at a shrine. And you can hang ema¹⁰ at a Tenmangu¹¹.”

“If you want to pray for children, you do it at a Buddhist temple, I think… but I often hear of jizo¹² for healthy childbirth.”

“Shrines seem like they would accept wishes for childbirth, and if you can do it at jizo, it should be fine anywhere, right? As for relying on the spirits in times of trouble, that should include Buddha as well, I believe¹³.”

They raised an unexpected number of examples. The two of them were speaking quite quickly, so Maja, who was unable to catch what they were saying, looked at them quizzically.

“Um, Izuru, what were you saying? What in times of trouble?”

“Relying on the spirits in times of trouble. It means normally not believing in the spirits, but relying on them when in trouble.”

Maja smoothly jotted down a note, then hummed, apparently intrigued by that idiom.

“…This is interesting.”

“Are you interested in these kinds of things?”

Maja firmly nodded.

“Yes, it is today’s central theme.”

I never thought a walk could have a central theme.

Maja used the back of her hand to hit the railing of Ronden Bridge. The metallic bridge produced a dry knocking sound.

“In Yugoslavia, most bridges carry some symbolic meaning. They are buildings that can represent a city.”

“That sounds familiar…”

As if trying to grasp her vague recollections, Shirakawa’s gaze wandered in the air. Fumihara responded.

“It was difficult to construct a stone bridge. There must have been some legends.”

“What kind of famous bridges are there?”

Maja tilted her head.

“Um, there are many famous bridges. My city is like Fujishiba, with one river flowing through the middle of the city. That is why it has many bridges. But the most famous bridge in Yugoslavia is Mostar Bridge. Many people jump off from there every year.”

“It’s a place famous for suicides?”

I interjected without thinking, but Maja grinned.

“No, there is such a festival, you know?”

Ah, so it isn’t so high that one would die falling from it. Shirakawa chuckled.

Eventually, the tourists greatly increased in number, and we could start seeing the early-modern streetscape in between the heads and bodies of people. We would be in Nakano Town after waiting for the green signal and crossing the junction.

Houses made of black wood endlessly lined the road, with their doors so low you had to bend down to enter. Compared to a modern street, the buildings here were shorter, giving off the impression that the street itself was stagnant, and combined with the dark colors, made it seem all the more solemn. The houses were decorated with wooden lattices that jutted out from the front, making us feel the era they were built in. Still, it was impossible to cover up the feeling of artificiality that this entire place was being preserved as a tourist attraction first and foremost.

“Nakano Town used to be where the merchants lived.”

Shirakawa started explaining after being begged by Maja to do so.

“Even now in the remnants of that age, many houses here are still being used for business. Look, it’s some kind of clinic.”

Hanging next to the wooden door of the house she was pointing at was a plate with the words “Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Proctology”. I felt a tinge of unease looking at that sign. Would such a clinic practice modern medicine?

After surveying the streetscape, Maja let out a heavy breath that sounded like a sigh.

“It is really black… Is there a philosophical meaning behind it being so black?”

“No, rather than a philosophical meaning…”

Apparently knowledgeable about the topic, Fumihara explained.

“Merchants were only allowed to use certain types of wood, but those who wanted to use better wood would painted it black. If I remember it correctly, rouge was mixed with soot, then the surface is coated with perilla oil.”

But Maja looked confused partway through.

“Um, rouge? Soot?”

Fumihara calmly added.

“Rouge is iron oxide… or rust. Soot is the black substance that comes out when something is burnt, and perilla is the name of a plant.”

I cut in.

“You’re surprisingly knowledgeable.”

“What do you mean, surprisingly?”

He snapped, but didn’t seem displeased.

Maja removed her hand that was resting on a pillar and stared carefully at her fingers, seemingly worried about dirt. But of course, nothing got stuck there. She then let out another deep breath.

“I see. Also, you said that it was coated with oil?”

Imitating Maja, I stroked the pillar.

“I don’t know if it’s perilla, but it’s still being coated with oil now. It would rot otherwise.”

“Um, wood is also used in Yugoslavia. It is also coated in oil. But I never thought that people would make it black.”

“That’s interesting and all, but…”

Tachiarai spoke in a loud voice.

“Let’s try not to get separated.”

I’d expected Nakano Town to be a little empty since it was the off-season, but my expectations were betrayed, and it was actually quite crowded. On top of that, it was a district constructed during the Edo period, when bicycle traffic had not been conceived of yet. With the streets being so narrow, the density of human traffic was quite high. I studied the visitor base to find that they were mostly in their forties and above. That probably meant that we were in the lowest age demographic in this crowd. While it wasn’t so chaotic that one wouldn’t have the room to stop and take a look at something that caught their eye, it was certainly possible for us to lose each other, as Tachiarai had warned. Pushed on by the flow of people, we started walking again.

“We made her angry.”

“Nah, Sendou isn’t angry. That’s just how she talks… anyway, it sure is crowded.”

“Hmm, I always thought that the tourist industry is too volatile, so it is not worth to have as a cornerstone of the economy, but now I cannot say that is so. Seeing all this makes you more inclined to spend money, right?”

She muttered while looking at a bustling souvenir shop.”

“Yugoslavia needs to learn more from this.”

I was already vaguely aware along the way here, but Maja’s walking speed was slow in general. She looked like her movements would be nimble, but she was actually quite slow-paced. It was even worse since we stepped into Nakano Town. Her walking speed became increasingly stagnant as her curiosity was seemingly piqued here and there. Thus I made a conscious decision to stay behind Maja. This way, I wouldn’t need to worry about her straying off.

Exactly as expected, this Maja was peering at a black landscape at the end of a corner, and starting to take down some notes. She murmured, half to herself.

“So this is really all made of wood… it is very different from what I have read.”

“This situation can be expressed with the phrase, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’”

I also tacked on a joke, which was quite uncharacteristic of me.

“Another similar saying is, ‘A paradise on hearsay, a hell at sight.’”

Whirling around, Maja opened her eyes wide in surprise, apparently not having noticed that I’d gone behind her. However, the smile soon returned to her face.

“Thank you for teaching me something new… though I might not be able to memorize it right away.”

“It’s fine, take your time.”

It was just a joke, so I didn’t exactly want her to memorize it anyway.

As I had that thought, my name was called by a loud voice.

“Moriya!”

It was Fumihara. The other two were next to him. The gap between us had opened up too much without me noticing. Putting on an embarrassed grin, I trotted off towards them.

We reached a crossroads in the middle of Nakano Town. A woman in an outfit I imagined a guide would wear was holding up a flag with the name of a travel agency. I thought earlier that there were so many people for the off-season, but it seemed that we’d run into a tour group. We would’ve been more free to walk around if we’d come here earlier or later. What were they doing here, strutting about with their Boston bags and cameras? Ashamed that such an insolent thought would cross my mind, I shook my head to get rid of it.

The stuffiness and heat only continued to increase, making the air feel suffocating. On the other hand, the relentless sunlight showed no sign of waning, causing sweat to seep out of my skin. I took a black hand towel from my pocket and used it to lightly dab my forehead.

Like earlier, I was walking behind Maja. Unlike her, I had nothing to gain from Nakano Town. Of course, if I set my mind to it, I could make a few amateur scholarly discoveries, or learn some new knowledge about Fujishiba City’s tourism industry. However, I didn’t think about wanting to do that for even a second. All I did was vaguely match Maja’s walking speed, while gazing at the streetscape that had her in it rather than the town itself.

Before my eyes were black houses and Maja’s white skin that peeked out of her dress… a peculiar emotion came over me. I suddenly felt that it was strange for this scene from the late stages of the Edo period to be left in the modern era, for me to be by Maja’s side in Fujishiba City. If I were given the chance… no, if I felt like it, I should be able to physically touch a larger variety of things. Such a hunch arose within me.

Just now, Fumihara spoke about how he couldn’t imagine me staking something on anything. That was actually true. I hadn’t found anything that I would want to bet on, hadn’t come into contact with anything worth it. That couldn’t be helped, I thought. It was a price to pay for living a trouble-free life in 20^th century Japan. But were those things actually that far away? Especially when Maja was currently here with me?

Yugoslavia. What kind of country was it?

…I spaced out, which was bad of me. As a result, I collided into Maja.

“Ah!”

Maja squeaked. I was about to apologize, but before I knew it my right wrist was grabbed. It wasn’t very strong, but with my joint in a grip, I was unable to move. My face contorted.

“Ow!”

“Ah, so it was you, Moriya-san… Sorry.”

A splash of red seemed to materialize on Maja’s white face. She must have thought that she was being assaulted by a pickpocket or a molester, and displayed the sleight of hand that an expert on TV would possess. While I was impressed, my bones hurt.

In a flash, she released my wrist from her grip, and I rubbed it in an affected manner.

“You’re really into this, aren’t you?”

I’d heard that only Japanese people smile shyly, but that must be a lie, because Maja probably had a shy grin on her face right now. Or did she learn even that?

“I got a little too carried away.”

“I’m happy that you seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Replying with a smile, I looked to the front.

It was then that I noticed.

“…?”

Likely wondering why I was frozen, Maja followed my gaze. There was only a group of tourists, but that was exactly the problem. I clicked my tongue.

It seemed that Maja finally understood the situation, if a little late, although she didn’t appear to be that anxious about it.

“Hmm, where are Izuru and the rest?”

I slipped past Maja, stood right in the middle of the crossroads and scanned my surroundings. However, my vision was blocked by the throngs of people, and I was unable to see as much as I wanted to. If I shouted out loud, Tachiarai and the rest would be able to hear it, but that was an absurd method that I didn’t want to use.

Basically…

“My Japanese is still not very good. How do you express this situation? I think Machi-san said it just now, but…”

With gravitas, I educated her.

“We got se-pa-ra-ted.”

“That’s it!”

This wasn’t the time to be delighted, though…

Seriously, what a disaster. We weren’t toddlers or kindergartners, yet we’d gotten separated even when we’d been warned not to. Feeling ashamed of myself, I waited for a moment, but the others did not show up. Did they not notice that we were missing, or were they searching for us over there… What should we do?

“Moriya-san, Moriya-san.”

Maja was still optimistic.

“In a situation where two people are in different locations in a maze and want to find each other, should one of them stop, or should both of them move? Do you know the answer?”

I stopped in the middle of the street to contemplate the question. I couldn’t think of any logical reasoning, so I went with my gut feeling.

“One of them should stop?”

Maja shook her head.

“You’re saying that we should look for them?”

But Maja did not deny my suggestion, and only put on a meaningful smile.

“If no arrangement was made beforehand, it should be decided by the maze’s size and original locations of the two people.”

“…”

That didn’t help at all.

I let out a sigh. Well, we weren’t exactly lost in a foreign land. We could get out of this problem with transceivers or mobile phones, but there was no way any of us would have those. In any case, getting separated from them here didn’t mean that we wouldn’t see them again. Instead of moving around unpredictably, the best solution would be to hope to meet up at Tsukasa Shrine. I told that to Maja, and she didn’t seem to have any objections.

Everyone should know that we would be heading to Tsukasa Shrine after reaching Nakano Town. If they did some searching and didn’t find us, they would probably think of meeting us there. Maja seemed to have seen enough of Nakano Town, so she quickened her pace without me saying anything, and we eventually put the early-modern era streets behind us. We exited to the Main Street of Fujishiba City. It was lined with show windows, and the average age plummeted. The roadway was now in use again, and the odor of exhaust fumes returned. We were now about fifteen minutes’ walk from Tsukasa Shrine.

We should head there immediately, but… I looked at my wristwatch to see that it was almost two. While I hesitated to speak, Maja said it readily.

“To tell you the truth, I feel hungry.”

I wholeheartedly agreed.

Shirakawa might have been able to come up with some good places to eat, but now that we were lost, there was nothing else we could do. Let’s just eat something and move on. When I asked Maja if there was anything in particular she wanted to eat, she put her index finger on her lips in thought.

“Anything’s fine. It’s my treat.”

“Hmm, sushi, unagi, and tempura…”

“Hold up.”

“…Anything but those are fine!”

Good grief. Maja seemed to really enjoy corny jokes.

“Well, I would like to eat whatever you usually eat.”

I should have seen that coming.

As someone who wasn’t a foodie, or particular fond of going out with friends, I was never picky about food. If I were to really introduce what I usually ate, it would be a bento or rice balls from a shop in the street corner. Not that I was trying to show off, but I wanted to present something a little more interesting.

But thinking about it, we couldn’t take too much time. Tachiarai and the rest could be waiting for us, after all. Though it would be somewhat dull, we could only go for fast-food. I recalled that there was a shop on the way to Tsukasa Shrine that perfectly fit the bill, so I gestured at Maja, urging her to move.

“Right, let’s go.”

“Alright.”

In Nakano Town, we’d seen many groups of people in the middle to high age range, but on this street pairs of middle to high school students had a large presence. They were each dressed elaborately, and probably according to some popular fashion, for I couldn’t help but notice that the types of clothes and their color combinations were somewhat similar. To me, there wasn’t much difference between the groups of tourists at Nakano Town and those strutting around Main Street.

We walked through the street and turned at a few intersections. With red being the universal color for stop, Maja naturally also stopped whenever the light turned red.

Tsukasa Shrine was just straight from here, and the shop we were looking for was located along this road. It was a bypath, so the number of cars and people drastically decreased. The shop’s landmark was a bold yellow signboard with its name written in a cursive red font. It was an eel’s bed shop, with a narrow frontage and spacious interior. At the storefront was a young shopkeeper I recognized, reading a magazine in a bored manner. When he saw my face, he closed the magazine and put on a smile.

“Welcome. Long time no see.”

He had a buzz cut, was built like a rugby player, and was wearing a pure white apron that gave off a sense of cleanliness. I didn’t know his name. By chance, I was passing by when the shop opened, and afterwards I occasionally stopped there for food. They sold hotdogs. Even I, with my unrefined palate, could tell that their homemade Frankfurt sausages were different from the rest. According to the shopkeeper, the bread existed for the sake of the hotdogs. As I examined the menu, which was limited in variety as a trade-off for the taste of hotdogs being perfected, the shopkeeper refastened his apron and asked.

“You alone?”

“No?”

There should be two of us. I turned around.

She wasn’t there.

Thinking that I probably looked stupid, I turned back to face the shopkeeper.

“Was I always alone?”

He frowned.

“Spring ended a long time ago. You alright?”

It seemed that I was indeed alone. From a group of five youths, we’d gone down to two, and now I’d also lost Maja. Even Mother Goose would be shocked by my situation. I’d have to search for her before we all disappeared.

“Sorry, I got separated from my companion. I’ll go search for them for a while.”

With those words, I turned away from the shrugging shopkeeper and returned to the road I came from. If memory served me right, Maja was wearing a sky-blue dress. Moreover, her actions were not very Japanese-like in certain aspects. She should stand out, assuming that she hadn’t entered some strange place.

I thought it would be troublesome if I had to try looking for her at the Main Street, but thankfully, before that was necessary, I found her near an intersection. You’re not a kid anymore, don’t make me have to hold your hand, such a thought flashed in my head, but thinking about it, given that I’d separated from Tachiarai and the rest, I was in no position to say anything.

This time, it seemed that she was interested in a post box, and was stooping and having a staring contest with it. A middle-aged man was holding an envelope next to her, a bewildered look on his face. I jogged to Maja and spoke to her in a small voice.

“This is where you put in the mail.”

“Yes, I know that, but what is this sign?”

Maja pointed at the 〒 mark at raised her head, but I grabbed her arm and led her away from the post box. I then lowered my head at the middle-aged man, who produced a polite smile and dropped his envelope into the box. While watching him move away, I explained.

“That’s the postal mark. Anything with that is related to the postal service.”

Maja’s gaze wandered in the air.

“Is there…”

Pre-empting her question, I answered before she finished asking.

“There’s no philosophical meaning to it. You know about hiragana and katakana, right? The postal service used to be called teishin in the past, and that sign is simply te in katakana.”

She opened her left palm and used her right hand to trace out the letter テ. A quick moment later, she laughed out loud.

“Ah! What on earth!”

It was certainly a ridiculous design. Forgetting what I was about to say, I also laughed. We returned to the store, still laughing, and the shopkeeper’s mouth went wide open when he caught sight of Maja. In a voice that sounded like it was squeezed out of his throat, he exclaimed.

“Well, well, another cute girl!”

Maja bowed gracefully.

“I thank you very much for your wonderful compliment.”

That didn’t sound quite right.

“What’s up with her?”

I answered with a somewhat bitter expression.

“She’s staying at the house of someone I know. She’s a… let’s just say she’s a student.”

“A foreigner, eh? Not that I know about other countries.”

Not paying any heed to the shopkeeper who’d let slip an incomprehensible remark, I showed Maja the menu. However, she immediately returned it to me, as if it was bothering her.

“Please give me something delicious.”

I was about to order for the two of us, but hesitated. Just in case, I asked.

“Maja, is there anything you can’t eat due to religious reasons?”

She widened her eyes in surprise, then put on a light smile.

“No. Thank you for your concern, but I have no problem with the food here.”

Good.

“Two cheese dogs, please. She’s an important guest, so please take extra care.”

The shopkeeper smiled wryly at my light joke.

“C’mon, when have I cut corners? Anyway, two cheese dogs, right? Thanks for coming again. Are you taking them to go? Or are you eating them here?”

I exchanged looks with Maja, who nodded… though I didn’t know what that meant. Then again, since we might be waiting the rest wait, there wasn’t the luxury of choice.

“We’ll take them to go.”

“OK. Just wait for about five minutes… Ah, right.”

The shopkeeper retreated to the back of the store, then returned with something on a plastic tray. He passed it to me over the counter, and it turned out to be a set of red-white daifuku¹⁴.

“There was a festival at my father’s place yesterday. I was given this, but I’m bad with mochi. You can have it if you want.”

I was feeling hungry, so I gratefully accepted.

I sat down at a bench by the storefront to wait for the hotdogs to be done. After that, I pushed the tray towards Maja, who stared at the two daifuku with intense curiosity.

“Um, do these have different flavors?”

It was a set of red-white daifuku, so one was red and the other was white. Technically, the difference was in the red food coloring, but as for their taste…

“They’re the same, I think.”

“So it is just for coloration?”

She used yet another mellifluous word. But unfortunately, her guess was wrong. I shook my head and smiled.

“No. This time, it’s for a ‘philosophical meaning’.”

Maja tilted her head quizzically.

“In Japan, red and white are a set which represents auspiciousness. This came from a festival, so it is red and white. You know what ‘auspicious’ and ‘festival’ mean, right?”

“Da. Yes.”

“When these two colors are together, we use it a special term, ‘red-white’. Also, these are mochi. In Japan, mochi is eaten during auspicious occasions.”

A deep sigh emerged from Maja’s lips. She then stared intently at the red-white daifuku again, her gaze filled with respect and awe. She pulled back her hand that was reaching out.

“…Interesting. So this is a divine food…”

Her statement made me flustered. That was too much of a misunderstanding.

“No, it’s not like that. ‘Auspicious’ is a lot more common than ‘divine’.”

I hurriedly said, then pinched the white daifuku and ate it whole.

“You eat it like this.”

Maja looked wonderingly at me and the red daifuku in turn. Suddenly, her face lit up, and she also picked up the daifuku and put it into her mouth. She chewed well, swallowed, then stuck out her tongue.

“It is sugary sweet!”

Feeling exactly the same way, I went to the shopkeeper and requested for a glass of water.

With a weird expression that looked like she was smiling and frowning at the same time, Maja retrieved her pen and notebook while sipping some water. Anyway, she sure learned some odd vocabulary. If I went to Yugoslavia, I probably wouldn’t learn phrases like “sugary sweet”.

After receiving the fragrantly cooked hotdogs packed in a paper bag, as well as two ginger ales, I paid for both of us. As he was handing me the change, the shopkeeper glanced at Maja, who was now staring at a vending machine, before giving me a meaningful laugh.

“…What is it?”

“This one’s better, I say. The tall girl you brought over the other time was a beauty, but she seemed kinda cold.”

I was wondering what he was about to say to me, but it turned out to be complete nonsense.

“She’ll be returning to her home country soon. See you next time.”

Dangling the paper bag in one hand, I wet over to Maja, who was reaching afar with her hands as if she couldn’t lock her joints properly, and tapped her on the shoulder. She whirled around and nodded.

“Yes, let us go.”

After passing the hotdog shop, the road immediately led to the worshiper’s path towards Tsukasa Shrine.

While I might call it the worshiper’s path, it was just a direct route to the shrine, so it wasn’t necessarily purified. I didn’t think the shrine itself had an impressive origin story like other historical sites, but many tourists could be seen visiting it, and both sides of the road were lined with souvenir shops.

Maja asked as we walked on.

“Moriya-san, regarding what we were talking about just now, you said that mochi are considered auspicious in Japan, correct?”

“Yeah, we often eat them during New Year’s Day. You know what New Year’s Day means, right?”

“Da. So, are mochi ever dedicated to the spirits or to the Buddha?”

Dedicating mochi to the spirits would be an overstatement, but they could certainly be left as offerings.

“Yeah, they can.”

Upon hearing that, Maja repeatedly nodded, visibly moved.

“Earlier, when I was looking at the postal… you call it a post box, right? Someone was talking about bringing mochi to Tsukasa Shrine.”

Huh, so there were still commendable people in this day and age.

A big stone torii¹⁵ came into view. Thankfully, it wasn’t vermilion-lacquered, because I wouldn’t know how to answer if Maja asked why it was vermilion in color. Actually, on second thoughts, I could easily answer. That was just the color of paint. As I was having that thought…

“Hm?”

Maja suddenly crouched.

“What’s the matter?”

“My shoelace came off.”

Having a shoelace come off was certainly a big problem, but when I took a look, it turned out that her shoelace only came loose. Well, I didn’t need to correct her Japanese every single time.

While Maja was retying her shoelace, I glanced around. Right in front of me was a souvenir shop, which had some tasteful items. I wouldn’t pay much attention to the usual pennants, paper lanterns or key holders, but this seemed to be a woodwork shop. There was a signboard saying, “Number One”, making me wonder what it was number one in, but after some consideration I realized it probably meant “Number One in woodwork”. In a corner of the shop was a shallow wooden box, with a sign under it that read, “Damaged Goods – 60% Off”. Intrigued, I entered the shop, and was greeted by the aroma of wood and varnish.

In the wooden box were various things, like a wood carving of a bird, a wickerwork basket, a toothpick holder and a back scratcher. Many of the objects had noticeable scars and damaged bits. Out of those, there was one which I couldn’t immediately tell where it was damaged. It was a yellowish-brown barrette with a relief of hydrangeas carved into it. I didn’t think the design was great, but the muted tones it used and the feeling of seasonality it gave off weren’t bad. I picked it up to look at its back, but it also wasn’t damaged. Was it a hidden defect?

A middle-aged woman was at the back minding the store while looking at a television. I called out to her.

“Excuse me!”

“Yes, welcome.”

She spoke in quite a surly voice, but I didn’t worry about that, and brought the barrette to her.

“This was in the damaged goods section, but it doesn’t look damaged.”

The woman put on a pair of spectacles that was hanging on top of the register, took the barrette from me and observed it in detail.

“…It’s not damaged, but there’s a knot.”

Indeed, the wood grain swirled at a part with a hydrangea leaf. But could that be considered a feature of its design? Perhaps my face gave away what I was thinking, for the woman added a comment.

“Most people like their things to be perfect.”

It was a trivial matter. I took out my wallet.

“How much is it?”

“1,500 yen at a 60% discount, so 600 yen. 618 yen with tax.”

So I bought the hydrangea barrette at a price that made me feel apologetic towards its creator. Instead of having it wrapped up, I held it tightly and left the shop. Outside, I found Maja who’d finished tying her shoelace and had been waiting for me, a questioning look on her face.

“Hey, sorry to make you wait.”

“What were you doing?”

I held out the barrette. Like with the bow, bridge and red-white daifuku before, Maja stared intensely at it.

“…This is?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? It’s for holding hair in place.”

“That was what I thought. So… Is there a philosophical meaning behind this?”

Could a hair ornament possibly contain philosophical or theological meaning? Maja’s head was just screwed on in that direction today. Wearing a wry smile, I pushed the barrette a little further towards her, and she accepted it as though it was forced onto her.

“It’s a present. Please take it as a memento.”

I said, but she still continued studying the barrette in her hand. Then, she suddenly broke into a smile, the word “present” having been finally translated in her brain.

“I see! This is really beautiful! What are these flowers…?”

“They’re called hydrangeas, and they bloom beautifully in this season. The flowers are blue if the soil is acidic, and red if the soil is alkaline.”

Additionally, if my botanical knowledge was correct, hydrangeas originate from West Asia. They should have entered Europe via China. It was a perfect Asian souvenir for a European.

“Hmm, this is really interesting.”

It would have been quicker if I could show her some actually in bloom, but unfortunately the surrounding area had been cleanly leveled, and there were no roadside trees. There might be some if we went into the shrine grounds, though.

Maja held the barrette tightly at her chest.

“Thank you, Moriya-san. I like it.”

“You’re welcome. It was cheap, anyway.”

Wasting no time, Maja put her hands behind her back and used the barrette to hold up her hair in a somewhat offhand manner. Since her hair was wavy and quite short, it didn’t have much effect, but her actions showed that she liked it, making me feel happy. The barrette, which was colored yellow-brown for the purpose of decorating a Japanese person’s black hair, was also well-matched with a Yugoslavian’s black hair. As for whether it suited Maja herself, it looked a little too plain on her, but that was fine.

Together, we passed through the torii. In front of us was Tsukasa Shrine.

Unexpectedly, Maja did not show any interest to the torii. Well, since it’s important enough to be a map symbol, it was possible that she already knew enough about it. Or perhaps she was only looking straight and missed the building above her.

We walked up the stairs. The cobblestones laid there were covered in moss. Just as Maja had called it the biggest religious facility in Fujishiba City, the premises of Tsukasa Shrine was expansive. The shrine grounds contained a number of pine trees, each surrounded by a sacred rope. Camellias in planters also stood out, giving the area a verdant atmosphere. Unfortunately, it seemed that hydrangeas were not being grown here. Speaking of things that stood out, a giant gingko tree was standing in a corner, as if it had been driven away by the pine trees. If Maja stayed until autumn, I would be able to show her some beautiful yellow leaves.

There were almost no worshipers here amongst the crowd. That was probably how it was like when there wasn’t a festival going on.

Spotting the purification fountain, Maja ran towards it. She picked up a ladle and drank some water, as I expected her to, then smiled.

“The water is cold.”

Thinking that she must have found it interesting, I explained that it wasn’t water meant for drinking, and told her that she was meant to rinse her mouth and wash her hands with it. Maja reacted exactly as I thought she would. That is to say, she was surprised, then moved, then whipped out her notebook and made a note. After that, she did the purification ritual, being more meticulous than necessary. While I watched her with a grin, I was worried about doing the ritual awkwardly when I’d taught her about it. Was I supposed to wash my hands first, or was I supposed to rinse my mouth first? I couldn’t remember the details, but it didn’t really matter. Maja laughed as she watched me perform the ritual more clumsily than she had.

We advanced inwards. Maja was restless, continually moving her gaze here and there. I paid special care so that she wouldn’t get separated from me again.

Anyway, our freshly cooked hotdogs would go cold soon, so I searched for a suitable spot to sit down. Thankfully, a wooden bench sat near the gingko tree. I placed my hand on its surface to check if it was wet, and it was fine, so I sat down. The suns rays were blocked by the gingko leaves, and while the humidity was unaffected, it was a lot cooler than I thought. Since it’d rained until yesterday, the ground was probably still cold.

I brought the two cheese hotdogs and ginger ales out from the paper bag. However, Maja was staring blankly at the shrine grounds, and did not take her lunch. Thinking that she would eventually return to reality, I decided to start eating without her. As expected of the specialty for a shop that only sold hotdogs, the bread was fragrant.

Finally, Maja muttered.

“Ovo je zaista lep… I veoma intersantan.”

Naturally, I couldn’t understand a word. I didn’t mean to pry into her musings, but with a start, Maja turned towards me and repeated herself in Japanese.

“This feels very authentic.”

I kept quiet and munched on my cheese dog. The sausage made a crisp sound.

It seemed that Maja was comparing this with the holy ground of Yugoslavia, specifically the area surrounding Christian churches, and felt profoundly touched as a result. She’d probably also superimposed the Yugoslavian holy grounds with those from other countries. I suddenly wished to try that as well, but it was beyond my imagination. No, the problem wasn’t with my imagination, but with my lack of experience. I hadn’t got to see anything else.

Thus I was made painfully aware that I couldn’t share the thoughts and emotions she was feeling at this moment. That is an immutable law that can be applied to anyone else, but Maja and I stood too far away from one another in life.

Maja had always been asking me questions for the entire day. It should be fine for me to throw her the occasional question.

“Maja.”

“Da?”

“You’ve gone around to different countries looking for philosophical meaning, right?”

With a hint of pride, she nodded.

“Yes.”

I took a swig of my ginger ale.

“Why do you do that?”

I knew that there is such a thing in this world as seeking knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Curiosity and the love for learning are virtuous mentalities that can greatly differ from egoism depending on how you look at it. However, while I didn’t consider myself that much of a realist, this attitude felt too indulgent for my liking.

Then again, Maja didn’t give off such an impression. Of course, she was probably curious about “interesting things”, but was that all?

The answer came quickly.

“That is my job.”

“…Do you get money from it?”

“No? Um, what is the appropriate Japanese word for it? Role? Responsibility? Do you understand?”

I knew what she was trying to say. The closest word for it would be “calling”. Still, that didn’t explain anything.

Maja changed her posture, turning her body towards me and looking me straight in the eye. She tightened her lips and narrowed her eyes. I could tell that she had every intention of answering my question without glossing over a single thing. Not a breeze of wind approached, not a person could be seen, and it was still early in the season for cicadas. The shrine grounds was quiet.

Maja spoke very slowly, probably to make sure that she didn’t use the wrong words.

“Moriya-san. I told you that I am a Yugoslavian, but actually, it is widely thought that Yugoslavians do not exist. There is Srbin and Hrvat… we are thought of ethnic groups like Serbians and Croatians.

“Yugoslavia is made up of six Republika… or countries. The six ethnic groups gave up trying to separately establish their own state, and instead came together to form Socijalistika Federativna Republika Jugoslavia. That is because the six ethnic groups thought that they were close like family. Um, that was in the year 1918. After that, Yugoslavia became one country with six different cultures.

“But, how long is it from 1918 to now?”

“…Seventy… Seventy-three years.”

“Da. Seventy-three years is a long time. My father is a Serbian. My mother is a Slovenian. My mother’s father is a Macedonian. Me? I am a Yugoslavian.

“Yugoslavia has six cultures. But I, or rather, we are creating a seventh. That will happen even if we do not want it to. And we do want to create a culture. If so, we have to build a monument at some point in time. I do not think that is far in the future… um, am I explaining it well?”

“I understand.”

My words were surprisingly light.

“Our traditions were manufactured. Our sense of unity was imaginary. Even so, it came to be that we lived not in one of the six cultures, but in our culture. To repeat myself, that will happen even if we do not want it to. Do you understand?”

“……”

“But Yugoslavia is not a rich country. It is extremely unfortunate, but the non-wealthy Yugoslavians cannot view the seventh culture in and of itself. That is because they do not have the means to compare it with other cultures.

“And I am a wealthy Yugoslavian. My father has a high ranking position in the party. I can freely look at all sorts of countries. I am the exception to us Yugoslavians. That is why I think that it is my job to look at all sorts of countries, um, or rather, their cultures.

“Some day, our six cultures will come to an end. Some day, Yugoslavia will cease to be a federation. That is why I am looking around at other countries… Do you understand?”

Now I couldn’t say that I did. It would be more truthful to say that I didn’t understand.

All I got from her explanation was that there were people trying to construct a new world far away in Yugoslavia. And that Maja was trying to do what was only possible with her circumstances. But what was that, exactly? I replied.

“Are you trying to become an artist?”

Maja laughed.

“As I thought, my Japanese still has a long way to go.”

She then chewed over her words, as if she was making a promise to me.

“…I will become a politician.”

Maja grabbed her cheese dog that had already gone cold and heartily bit into it. The Yugoslavian girl’s eyes widened as she stared at the cheese dog in her hands.

“Mm, this is wonderful and delicious!”

I also ate. Indeed, it was amazingly tasty.

That was a feeling I could share with her.

Though Maja came from so far away, she sometimes felt really close. But even if it felt that way, she was still someone who came from a land far, far away. It was obvious to me that she and I were worlds apart in many aspects. I might have asked something I didn’t need to know.

I gulped down some ginger ale.

…Or, was it possible for me to reach Maja?

Thankfully, there was a waste basket nearby, so we dumped our trash there. We graciously washed our hands at the purification fountain, but still did not see Tachiarai and the others, so we headed towards the main hall. Maja asked about how to properly pay her respects, so I forcibly unearthed my memory and taught Maja the method of two bows, two claps, and one bow. She followed my instructions, but could only imitate a prayer, and was unable to display the gravitas required. Was it because she practiced Christianity?

No, come to think of it, Maja never even mentioned that she was a Christian. When we first met, I assumed that she would be able to speak English because she was white, and I might have fallen into that rut. When I asked, she replied calmly.

“I do not have a religion.”

That was unexpected. I was so certain that it was impossible for a European to have no religion.

“Is there a ‘philosophical meaning’ behind that?”

“Yes. Yugoslavia’s president Tito suppressed religion. He thought that it would be dangerous for the federation if each of the six countries strongly believed in their own religions. That is why I do not believe in any religion. Though I should know the Catholic customs.”

So she was supposedly a Roman Catholic Christian? That wasn’t that much different from me being a Soto Zen Buddhist¹⁶ in name only. As I held that thought, Maja added with a grin.

“Just like the Japanese, right?”

Lies are commonplace, after all.

“I heard an interesting phrase from Izuru. It was, um, ‘relying on the spirits in times of trouble’.”

She giggled.

“I am also like that sometimes. During troubling times, I look to God. And also during tough times. That person just now was also relying on the spirits.”

“The person bringing mochi to the shrine?”

“Da.”

As we were having such a conversation, a voice that sounded fairly close by called out to us from behind.

“There you are, Moriya.”

I turned around to see Fumihara. Further behind him were Tachiarai and Shirakawa.

“Told you we didn’t need to worry about them.”

Shirakawa nodded to Fumihara, then gave us a light smile.

“It’s good that we found you.”

“Yes, Izuru.”

On the other hand, I apologized to Tachiarai.

“Sorry.”

Tachiarai’s countenance did not change.

“What for?”

“You told us to be careful, but we still got separated.”

“Ah.”

I could see an almost non-existent grin materialize on her face.

“If so, we should apologize too.”

“…?”

“Since we split into groups of two and three, it’s difficult to say who got separated.”

That made sense.

“Maja-san, are you hungry?”

“I ate something called a cheese dog. Japanese cuisine sure is deep.”

“Maja-san, hotdogs are American.”

“I was joking, Fumihara-san.”

Fumihara’s face changed to a weird cross between a laugh and a disgruntled huff. I stifled a grin.

I was wondering who would be the first to notice Maja’s additional accessory, and it turned out to be Tachiarai.

“…Oh? Maja, what’s that hair ornament?”

Maja turned around joyfully and showed her the barrette.

“Hydrangeas, huh. Not bad. How did you get it?”

“Heheh, Moriya-san gave it to me as a memento.”

“Oho, Moriya, huh!”

Fumihara’s eyes widened in amazement, so I told him in a small voice that it was a damaged good that had sixty percent off its original price. Also in a small voice, he replied that it was what he thought. Just what kind of person did he see me as?

“It really suits you, Maja.”

Shirakawa praised, a wide smile on her face, but gripped my sleeve with her hand. She then pulled me away from the rest while I was still confused, and glared at me. While her eyes usually looked sleepy, they were intense when fully open.

“What is it?”

“Moriya-kun, you gave that to her?”

“Is that wrong?”

Shirakawa fell silent for a while before letting out a deep, deep sigh.

“Moriya-kun, I’m telling you this for your own good, but you should give something to Machi later.”

“…Why?”

“For the sake of balance!”

She said in a hushed tone. Was that really so? Well, buying another cheap thing like that wouldn’t be too much of a burden on me, but…

“Tachiarai doesn’t need a barrette. I haven’t seen her put anything on her hair.”

“That’s not the problem!”

“If balance is the problem, do you want one too?”

“…Why would I get something like tha… I mean, why would you give me something! You absolute blockhead!”

Shirakawa actually called me that. I’d never heard the phrase “absolute blockhead” before, but it must mean a dreadnought-class blockhead. Shirakawa was almost stamping the ground in frustration. I didn’t think I did anything particularly wrong, but…

In any case, we returned to find Fumihara and Maja talking in the tree’s shade.

“Well, I can’t say it’s impossible.”

“Hm, so it is rare?”

“…You might be right.”

Fumihara seemed to be at a loss, and hesitant with his words. I moved closer and poked him in the shoulder.

“What are you talking about?”

“Ah, you should listen to this too.”

But Maja waved her hand slightly.

“I have already told Moriya-san about the people relying on the spirits.”

“It’s about the people who were bringing mochi as an offering, right? What’s so rare about that?”

Fumihara replied while putting emphasis on certain words and phrases, implying that I should think about it carefully.

“Is going out of your way to offer mochi normal? It’s not New Year’s Day.”

Hmm… come to think of it, he was right.

“It could have been for a festival, couldn’t it?”

“Tsukasa Shrine already had a festival in April. The next one’s in October.”

“Well, I suppose.”

I didn’t entirely agree, but wanted to leave it at that. Tachiarai cut into the conversation, though I didn’t know if she had been listening up to this point.

“Maja, do you remember what kind of person it was?”

Maja tilted her head.

“Hmm, two of them were walking together, and they were young. One of them said that they were about to die, and suggested going to the shrine. But they both looked healthy, so I found that to be strange.”

A pair of young people?

Fumihara and I looked at each other.

“You think such people exist?”

“They could be fired up about praying to pass an exam…”

“Didn’t they say they were going to the shrine because they were about to die?”

I naturally folded my arms, before giving a suggestion that I didn’t even believe in.

“Maybe they were fans of shrines and temples?”

As we talked, the feeling that something didn’t add up swelled even further. I didn’t think the situation of two youths offering mochi would seem so wrong. For some mysterious reason, I never paid attention to the standards of shrine prayers, yet hearing of an unusual practice made me feel that it didn’t make sense. Normally, I would end it by saying that they must have their own reasons, but I wouldn’t feel good if a misunderstanding got planted in Maja’s head while we were showing her around.

I glanced at Tachiarai. Though her face made it look like the conversation had gone in one ear and out the other, her arms were folded, like mine.

Shirakawa also joined in the conversation.

“Um, Maja, did you see the post box?”

“Yes. I thought the post sign had some philosophical meaning to it, so I looked at it while going round and round. Moriya-san taught me that it was just the first letter of the post service’s original name teishin. At that moment, two young people talked about the mochi while passing us.

“They seemed healthy? And their way of talking?”

“Da. They were laughing and talking at the same time… hmm, but that is odd. Was that not relying on the spirits in times of trouble?”

Even if you ask us…

Excluding Tachiarai, the four of them cocked their heads in confusion. Shirakawa asked again.

“But you didn’t listen to their entire conversation from start to finish, right? What did you hear?”

“Um…”

Maja flipped through the pages of her notebook. We waited, expecting her to find the notes she’d written, but she almost immediately shut her notebook with a thud.

“I did not write it down. Let me try to remember…”

She rubbed her temple with a fist.

“That’s an exceptionally Japanese gesture.”

I commented to Shirakawa who was beside me. She then turned away and looked down.

“Oh, she’s copying me. Probably.”

Wow.

Maja started uttering phrases intermittently, like a suspicious prophet.

“Um… it was something like this. This is troubling… It’ll be fine if we go to Tsukasa Shrine… I’ll make the mochi and bring it there… it can be made easily…”

She continued muttering in a small voice for a while, before eventually shaking her head slightly.

“I was not paying much attention to them. This is the best I can do.”

“But if that’s all we have…”

Fumihara expressed his resignation.

“Should we just think of them as just a weird pair, then?”

But we still hadn’t played our trump card. It was a trump card extremely unreliable not in ability, but in personality. Would that work?

I rolled my head to the side and looked at Tachiarai. Our gazes perfectly collided.

“What is it?”

“You know, don’t you?”

“I get the gist of what you’re thinking, Moriya-kun. Could you stop looking at me with those pleading eyes?”

Were my eyes really like that? Tachiarai must be in a bad mood, for her attitude was colder than usual. However, after taking a look at Maja, she let out a short sigh. Unraveling her folded arms, she walked two or three steps forward.

“Hey, Maja.”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to know what those two were trying to do?”

Maja instantly nodded.

“Yes! This walk is meant for learning about things like this.”

“Those people are probably an exception. There’s no practical advantage to be gained from learning about them.”

Because Tachiarai used some unfamiliar vocabulary, Maja thought for a brief moment before answering prudently.

“Hm… Basically, Machi-san, you were worried about me, right? Worried that I would assume that I have seen everyone after only seeing one person, like with the umbrella back then. But it is fine! I view that as a failure on my part, and I will not do that again.”

After hearing that declaration, a somewhat perturbed smile drifted onto Tachiarai’s face.

“I see.”

She then shot me a meaningful look.

“Then let me ask you this. Maja, you thought that those two people were ‘relying on the spirits in times of trouble’, and that they were bringing mochi to the shrine because they were about to die.

“Did they say that they themselves were about to die?”

Maja groaned, and rubbed her temple with a fist again. That looked painful. However, that massage didn’t seem to be effective in helping with recollection, for she eventually shook her head apologetically.

“…Sorry, I cannot remember. But I thought they were dying even though their father and mother are still around.”

For some reason, Tachiarai nodded in a satisfied manner.

“Yup.”

“What do you…”

I cut in, but Tachiarai ignored me and continued.

“Let me know if I’m wrong. Maja, you’re fairly good at Japanese, and Izuru taught you all sorts of words and phrases, right?”

“Da. She taught me a lot.”

“It’s possible that what those two people said was… ‘going on’.”

I didn’t need to hear Maja’s response to figure out her opinion, since her face immediately lit up.

“That was it! It was ‘going on’ from the phrase ‘Please forgive me for the unfilial act of going on before my parents’. Hm, how did I forget that?”

“That’s not something I’d know.”

With that, she seemed to be ending the discussion. It was Fumihara’s first encounter with Tachiarai, and Shirakawa was not the assertive type. The only person who could object and say, “Hey, don’t end it here,” was me.

Having no other option, I put that into action.

“Hey, don’t end it here.”

Tachiarai stared daggers at me… So she was indeed angry at me for getting lost. That was too late of a realization. She then spoke.

“It’s like sandai-banashi¹⁷. ‘It’ll be fine if we go to Tsukasa Shrine’, ‘I’ll make the mochi and bring it there’, and ‘going on’. If you sprinkle on top some mishearings and misunderstandings, what would it be?”

Fumihara, Shirakawa and I blinked repeatedly.

What would it be?

“What? But…”

Fumihara muttered. I understood how he felt.

Tachiarai could have provided us a more convincing explanation than my hypothesis that those two youths were devout and were bringing mochi to the shrine for the sake of praying for good health, but she didn’t want to. Seriously, it was always like this with her. However, I didn’t feel like correcting a habit that had long been ingrained in her, so I reluctantly attempted her riddle.

It’ll be fine if we go to Tsukasa Shrine. Was it not possible at other shrines?

I’ll make the mochi and bring it there. Was it unnatural for them not to simply say, “I’ll bring the mochi there”?

Going on. Please forgive me for my disloyalty and lack of filial piety.

Ah, so that was it.

I subconsciously grinned. Being used to Tachiarai’s tricks, I had the advantage. Everyone else looked at me surprised, wondering why I’d suddenly smiled, except for Tachiarai.

“So, funny, isn’t it?”

If she found it funny, shouldn’t it have shown from the nuances in her words and actions? I’d been able to tell that she was in a bad mood, too. In any case, knowing that she also found it funny gave me confidence. I nodded.

“Yeah. It was indeed the result of mishearing and misunderstanding.”

Scratching his head, Fumihara spoke.

“Guess I’m not good at this kinda of thing.”

“I see. In my opinion…”

I was about to explain my theory, when I noticed Maja getting her notebook and pen ready. I’d already gotten used to it, but the seriousness in the way she did it made me let out a wry smile.

“I’m not sure if it’s worth noting down.

“Um, that is for…”

For you to decide, yes. Sorry about that.

Fumihara and Shirakawa seemed to be also listening, but I turned my body to face Maja.

“On second thoughts, it is weird for two youths to bring mochi to a shrine for the sake of praying to be of sound health. Even more so when they were laughing about it.”

Maja looked at me perplexedly.

“Of sound…?”

Whoops. Fumihara explained on my behalf.

“It’s a prayer for living healthily, without falling sick.”

She started writing a note right away, so I waited for her to finish before continuing.

“If the mochi isn’t being used as an offering, what would it be used for? …Take a look at that.”

We were facing the front of the shrine hall, under the shade of a sacred tree. I gestured towards the shrine building with the palm of my hand. While I wasn’t particularly pious, it felt wrong to point directly at sacred objects with a finger.

“That is a shrine.”

“No, not that. Well, it is a shrine, but look at that thing under the bell.”

“Um… You mean, that box?”

I nodded.

Fumihara released a soft groan. It seemed that he’d caught on.

“Have you learned about what that is?”

“No. What is it?”

“That is called an offering box. It is where you put in coins when you pray at a shrine. They used to be only found at shrines, but now they are also placed at temples to gather donations.”

Maja batted her eyes.

“Money? In that kind of box?”

“You think it’s not safe?”

She nodded.

“There will definitely be people who want to take that money away. No matter which country, no matter how sacred the money, there will always be these kind of people.”

“Is that so? I don’t know how it is in other countries, but here in Japan we call them ‘offerings thieves’.”

“Offerings, thieves?”

“Yes. The quickest way to take the money would be to flip the box, but it’s heavy, and sometimes they’re secured in place. So the traditional method is to put something sticky inside the box and hook the money out.”

I mimed holding a fishing rod.

But Maja was not convinced.

“So you are saying that those two people were doing that? They did not say anything about stealing money. Or is it like the saying goes, ‘When you see someone, assume they are a thief’?”

I instinctively looked at Shirakawa.

“Shirakawa, what kind of words did you teach her?”

I wasn’t reproaching her, but her voice took on a defensive tone.

“I mean, Maja remembers everything so quickly.”

That’s really something. It’s a talent students preparing for entrance exams like us would be envious of.

Anyway…

“That’s not it. Those two were talking about the tool needed for stealing from the offering box.”

“The tool? You mean, the mochi?”

“It’s mochi meant for sticking things on… Did those two mention that they were making torimochi¹⁸?”

A startled expression appeared on Maja’s face.

“Um… that might be it. No, it was.”

Well, it actually takes quite a lot of time to gather the materials needed to make torimochi from scratch, so they were probably referring to something like a stick with a tip covered in tape.

“Tsukasa Shrine is the largest shrine in Fujishiba, so the offering boxes have a lot of money. On top of that, there are many plants here, so visibility is limited. If you think about it that way, it’s a good target.”

“But I still do not understand. What about ‘going on before my parents’?”

I smirked.

“There are many euphemisms for money matters. All you heard was ‘going on’, and not ‘going on before my parents’, right?”

“…?”

“The phrase ‘going on empty’ is a common expression to imply that one has no money.”

After a short moment where Maja kept silent, impressed by the revelation, the area around us suddenly became dark. The sun must have been covered by a cloud. I looked up to see that thick clouds had gathered in the sky without me realizing it. Imitating me, Shirakawa also looked up, then spoke.

“Ah, looks like it’s about to rain.”

Tachiarai nodded.

“According to the weather forecast, it’ll get worse later.”

“That’s great, isn’t it? We’ve gone to where we planned.”

I replied, but Shirakawa shook her head in response.

“There’s one more place we were supposed to go.”

“Really? No one told me.”

Maja must have been really looking forward to that other location, for she appealed to Shirakawa in an utterly pitiful voice.

“Izuru, are we not going? If it does not take too much time…”

Having trouble making a judgment, Shirakawa made eye contact with Tachiarai, who looked up at the sky again before shaking her head. Taking that as the decision, Shirakawa spoke in a soothing voice.

“Unfortunately, no. But we can stop by there on the way back from school. So we can go there any time.”

Maja reluctantly nodded.

“Hmm, there is no choice, right? All I can do is look forward to it.”

Fumihara, who was out of the loop like me, asked.

“Where were we supposed to go?”

“Ah, right. It’s the mountain at the back.”

The mountain at the back?

I decided to check.

“By the mountain at the back, you mean that, right?”

Shirakawa nodded.

The back of Tsukasa Shrine, or to be precise, the mountain diagonally behind was, in its entirety, a graveyard. The gravestones were arranged in a disorganized manner at the foot of the mountain, but became more ordered at the summit. I’d visited the graveyard many times already. The Moriya family grave was not on that mountain, but there were the graves of relatives.

Fumihara voiced my opinion on the matter.

“Why the graveyard?”

“Maja said she wanted to see it.”

Shirakawa’s words seemed to imply that she didn’t know why Maja would want to visit a graveyard either.

“But we were lucky.”

Tachiarai murmured.

“If we hadn’t talked about the mochi, we would’ve been caught in the rain up in the mountain.”

In the end, it was decided that we would take Maja there after school on the next clear day. It felt bad to disband so early on a Sunday, but it started raining the moment I reached home, just as Tachiarai had said it would. I checked the weather forecast, and found that the Japan Meteorological Agency said this rain would continue for two to three days.

It rained the next day. On the way home from school, I stopped by a bookstore to look for a book about Yugoslavia. But perhaps my way of searching was flawed, for I couldn’t find such a book. Come to think of it, aside from academic textbooks, this was the first time I searched for a book because I wanted to read about a particular topic.

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Chapter 1 Part 2 | Contents | Chapter 1 Part 4

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Editors (Tier 2): Dedavond, Pearl H Nettle, David Liu

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1. The body of water between the Japanese main islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.
2. Homesick is an English loan word.
3. People in Yugoslavia traditionally drink Turkish coffee, which uses very finely ground coffee beans without filtering or settling to remove the grounds, and is prepared in a special pot called a cezve.
4. Not sure which conflict this is referring to, please write a comment if you know something about this!
5. Soviet Union.
6. A monk called Ikkyu wants to cross a bridge, but there is a sign that says, “Do not cross this bridge”. He crosses the bridge anyway by going through its center, and when asked about it, he explains that the sign can be read, “Do not cross by the sides”. The trick is that “bridge” and “side” are read the same way.
7. These spirits, or kami, are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan, and can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, beings and the qualities that these beings express, and/or the spirits of venerated dead people.
8. A type of decorative ornament used on Japanese railings that is typically shaped like an onion.
9. The act of visiting certain shrines and temples one hundred times.
10. Wooden votive tablets that people write their wishes for the future on before hanging them at a shrine.
11. Shinto shrines which enshrine Sugawara no Michizane (a scholar, poet and politician in the Heian era) as a patron deity. Not sure about how it was back in 1991, but I’m pretty sure you can hang ema at any kind of shrine or temple, not just Tenmangu.
12. Statues made in the image of Jizo Bosatsu, guardian deity of children and travelers, that you can find throughout Japan in temples, cemeteries, and along roadsides.
13. There is a Chinese idiom 临时抱佛脚 (Lin shi bao fo jiao) which literally means “to embrace the Buddha’s feet at the last minute”, so it does apply to Buddhism as well.
14. A type of Japanese confection, consisting of a small round mochi stuffed with a sweet filling, most commonly sweetened red bean paste.
15. Traditional Japanese gate, typically red, most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine. The structure usually consists of two vertical posts topped by two horizontal beams.
16. The largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism. It emphasizes meditation with no objects, anchors, or content.
17. Impromptu rakugo (the traditional art form of comic storytelling) based on three themes given by the audience.
18. Birdlime, which is a sticky, natural adhesive made from plant materials (like holly or mistletoe) to trap birds.