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A red-painted torii.

Thick pillars stood on either side, darkened by the shadows, appearing almost black in the darkness.

As the moonlight peeked through and was obscured by clouds, the pillars transformed, taking on a deep crimson hue, or alternatively, shifting to a pitch-blackness that contained a different kind of darkness.

Trees wrapped around the torii swayed in the chilling night wind, producing eerie sounds as the leaves rustled and the branches creaked, giving the feeling that unseen entities were converging upon him.

Sounds emerged.

With each gust, the leaves trembled, and with that tremor came the sensation of a presence.

The formless presence cloaked itself in the shadows cast by the trees, hiding its form like a cloak, piercing through the darkness with eyes that did not shine.

In the darkness, a predator lay in wait, eyeing its prey.

It crawled silently from the shadows on unseen legs, its gaze fixed on him.

Gaze.

It was as if the presence were licking the nape of his neck with its tongue.

With the very tip of its fingers, it provoked the fine hairs on his skin.

It felt as though that horrible gaze was breathing against the ends of his hair.

Ryosuke was petrified by that gaze.

He stood frozen, unable to move, as every hair on his body stood on end, eliciting chills.

It felt like the gaze was just waiting for him to step beyond the torii.

As if it anticipated him crossing over, not into another realm, but into a different world altogether.

He was paralyzed by that chilling sensation.

Thus, he stood rigidly before the torii, sweating coldly, unable to do anything but gaze beyond.

Like a frightened animal.

He sensed something amiss, instinctively contemplating the warning of his instincts before becoming prey.

So, Ryosuke continued to stand, exposed to the night wind.

Cold sweat streamed down his body, and despite the goosebumps prickling his skin, he remained rooted in place.

And how long did that last?

How many times had the moonlight pierced through to look at him, then turned away?

A noise like static buzzed in his ears.

[Excuse me. Why are you standing there?]

As he turned his gaze towards the source of the noise, a figure emerged.

A woman dressed in a thin, white yukata that seemed almost translucent.

She watched Ryosuke with an extremely cold gaze, extending one hand forward, holding out a smartphone. On the screen, a shaky image of a person’s face was reflected, complete with noise, but even from a distance, it was vividly perceptible to Ryosuke.

It was as if he had discovered light in the darkness; the person’s face reflected on the smartphone became vividly visible to his eyes.

The next Shinto priest.

A bizarre man who had suddenly appeared, now infiltrating the political world.

A monster who summoned ghosts and enthralled people, wielding unspeakable power over the ruling class like a puppet.

He was gazing at Ryosuke through the smartphone, speaking to him.

[Excuse me. Why not come inside? The night wind is so cold and there are lots of bugs; why are you just standing at the doorway? Don’t be rude, come in and let’s chat.]

The next Shinto priest grinned as he spoke.

His voice cut through the night’s darkness, carving the words into Ryosuke’s ears, each word embedding itself deeply in his mind. Yet despite hearing those words, Ryosuke remained unmoving.

It was as if his feet were glued to the ground, just standing there, staring at the smartphone.

[Excuse me. It seems you’ve come as a guest, yet you’re bringing me such shame? Please, come in. Just cross that torii and step this way.]

The next Shinto priest urged again.

And with each passing moment, his heart raced like it was about to burst.

His feet felt as if they were frozen in place, unable to move.

Ryosuke struggled to maintain his composure amidst the chaos.

The darkness clung to him like molasses, extending cold hands around his body, while the gaze of the next Shinto priest shimmered and twisted in the air before him like a mesmerizing light. The words urging him to enter echoed in his ears, threatening to topple his balance.

Ryosuke contemplated.

He thought deeply.

Eventually, it felt like he had lifted a leg, heavy as lead, ready to take a step forward.

As dawn faded into darkness, a sound jolted his mind.

A pedestrian signal sound emanated from a nearby traffic light by the shrine.

Normally, only mechanical sounds would play without lyrics, but now it seemed to carry a voice that resembled a ghost squeezing the soul from its being. As he regained clarity, the voice that had tickled his ears vanished, replaced by a faint mechanical tone in the distance.

Beep—beepbeep—beepbeep—

Unaware, he started humming at the soft sound.

“Where does this side path lead to? (ここはどこの 細通じゃ)….”

Was it to forget the fear?

Or was it a simple action to connect the interrupted lyrics?

“…It leads to the shrine of the heavenly god. (天神さまの 細道じゃ)….”

And perhaps it was those two verses he hummed that caught the attention of the next Shinto priest.

With a smile, he spoke through the smartphone.

[I’ll let you pass. After all, you must have some business, right? Just carry your fear with you and pass through that torii.]

In a strangely distorted version of the first verse of “Dōryanse,” the next Shinto priest wore an affable yet unsettling smile. But to Ryosuke, the moment he regained his senses with the song’s hum, that smile felt like the predatory glint of a beast poised to strike.

Thus, instead of taking a step forward, Ryosuke extended his foot back.

He retreated.

The priest beamed at this action.

[Oh, dear. Look, I’ve come to greet you at the door as a worthy host; how can you make me feel such shame? Come in. Just as the song you hummed states, I’ve permitted your passage, so don’t hesitate.]

In response to the enticing call, Ryosuke could no longer hold back.

“No, no. I… received your message, but I remembered I have urgent business to attend to. I would much prefer to discuss this on a more propitious day….”

He knew this wouldn’t reflect well on him.

His mind fully understood it.

But the needles of pain in his eyes.

The heart pounding as if it might burst.

The cold sweat soaking his back, drenching his palms and feet.

His entire being screamed that he must not enter that place.

Even if it meant incurring suspicion and being branded a traitor.

It cried out in desperation that he absolutely must not step beyond that threshold.

[Did you say ‘auspicious day?’]

“Yes, yes. I’d prefer to meet on an auspicious day.”

[An auspicious day, you say? Hahaha! Ha ha ha ha!]

The next Shinto priest erupted into laughter at the mention of this phrase.

He laughed so heartily that the speaker crackled and the sound broke, yet he continued to laugh uncontrollably.

[Ahh, yes, auspicious day. Very good, very good. If that’s what you want, then I have no problem.]

The next Shinto priest murmured, maintaining his cheerful tone.

But soon after, his voice turned cold.

[However, say, do you have a fondness for classics?]

“Classics?”

[Yes. For example… the Four Books and Five Classics or the Tao Te Ching, stuff like that.]

“Um. I’m neither a warrior nor a scholar, so I’m not particularly interested in those….”

Even as he spoke, Ryosuke instinctively shifted a little further back.

His body was unconsciously conveying that he did not enjoy this conversation.

Yet the next Shinto priest seemed to take joy in this, smiling wider.

[Then you must not know about the story of “Shiriso.”]

“May I hear your thoughts on it?”

In Ryosuke’s mind, alarm bells rang.

Something was going awry.

His instincts screamed that something terrible was about to happen.

Yet amidst this, he responded earnestly to the next Shinto priest’s anecdotes, drawing from his political experience, cleverly masking his deep unease.

[No, that’s not necessary. “Shiriso” is someone who transforms uselessness into usefulness, but you, dear sir, are someone quite exceptional, unique indeed. Thus, you need not know about “Shiriso.” Yes, especially if you were to step back right now….]

“W-wait….”

Ryosuke recognized that the next Shinto priest’s words carried heavy implications.

What they meant, he did not know.

What intentions lay behind them, he could not fathom.

But one thing he was certain of.

A choice had been thrust upon him.

Just like the very first day he had met the next Shinto priest.

For what felt like an eternity of moments, Ryosuke pondered.

And he reached a conclusion.

“Then… as you said, I shall meet you on an auspicious day.”

His conclusion was to escape that spot.

His body, along with his senses, urged him to exit this space.

Choosing to break free from being prey and return as a human to his warm and safe dwelling in the world.

He politely bowed to both and descended the stairs.

Once he was out of their sight, he bolted.

His heart raced as he thought solely about distancing himself from the shrine, nearly tripping down the stairs but pushing on, jumping into his car.

Burying his head in the steering wheel for a while, he let himself catch his breath, thawing his ice-cold body with the heater before finally seizing the wheel with trembling hands and accelerating.

Ryosuke turned the smartphone away from his sight in disgust, flooring the pedal.

And how far did he go?

He got caught at a traffic light.

While waiting a moment for it to change.

Mechanical sounds echoed around him.

Beep—beepbeep—beepbeep—

The familiar pedestrian signal sound from before returned.

Though primarily mechanical, somehow distinct lyrics floated into his mind.

Words of a song he had heard countless times since childhood, burned into his memory.

“It’s fine to go, but returning is scary (行きはよいよい 帰りはこわい).”

While feeling fear (こわいながらも).

“Pass through, please (通りゃんせ).

Pass through, please (通りゃんせ).”

Ryosuke found himself absentmindedly humming those lyrics.

But just as he was about to sing them, the signal changed again, cutting off the pedestrian sound abruptly.

Ryosuke let out a small sigh on the empty street before accelerating the pedal.

To return.

To return home from the shrine.

 

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