KANA 34
The Fierce Saintess
Episode 34: Joukyou 3 (1686) - Part 5
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*****
Chino sat alone in seiza in the dance practice hall. Part of it was that today happened to be the once-every-three-days rest day from practice, but in truth, she simply wanted to be alone with her thoughts.
Even though Risshū—the official beginning of autumn—had passed, the rays of the sun were still intense, and it seemed the heat would persist for some time. Inside the practice hall, however, a cool breeze blew.
Feeling the presence within that breeze that continued to pamper her as ever, Chino's cheeks softened into a smile.
(Even now, after becoming a wife and the mother of three children, to pamper me in the exact same way as when I was little...)
With that thought, she looked up at the kamidana mounted on the north side of the practice hall. Enshrined there was a single talisman for Tenman Daijizai Tenjin—the deified title of Sugawara no Michizane.
When the kamidana had first been enshrined, talismans for Jingū Taimasa and the local tutelary deity had been placed alongside it, but they had promptly burned to ash and fallen to the floor, leaving only Michizane's talisman behind.
She could sense a touch of attachment and possessiveness in that act, yet she did not mind it in the least.
「You resemble Kurenai...」
When she was six years old, those were the very first words spoken to her by Lord Michizane upon her calling as a shrine maiden. She had understood immediately that 'Kurenai' referred to Lord Michizane's beloved daughter, Princess Kurenai.
Princess Kurenai and her younger brother Kumamaro had loved their father Lord Michizane so dearly that they accompanied him all the way to his place of exile. Following his mortal passing, Princess Kurenai was entrusted with a secret letter meant for her eldest brother, Sugawara no Takamasa in Shikoku, only to meet a tragic and untimely end at the hands of Fujiwara assassins.
Chino had been told she resembled that very Princess Kurenai. Whether there was truth to it or not was beyond Chino's knowing, but it was certain that the lord saw the shadow of his daughter within her. After all, he had commanded her: 「Call me Father from now on.」
For as long as Chino could remember, she had already been training to become a shrine maiden. She knew nothing of her parents' faces. Whenever she asked those around her about her origins, she was told only that she had been taken in by Tenmangū Shrine because of her exceptional divine power.
Yet, because no one ever came to visit her and not a single letter arrived from anywhere, she had eventually come to believe she had been abandoned.
(In all likelihood, I was the child born between some court noble's son and a dancing girl. Unable to deal with an unwanted child, they conveniently dumped me onto Tenmangū Shrine.)
That was what she had always believed. Therefore, when Lord Michizane told her to call him Father, she had been astonished, while at the same time feeling a warm tickle deep within her chest. She had been genuinely happy.
From that point on, she resolved to serve him to the utmost of her ability as both shrine maiden and daughter, pouring her heart into her training and practice. As a result, whenever a divine ritual for Lord Michizane took place in Kyoto, Chino was called upon without fail. That had remained unchanged even now, long after she had retired from her duties as a shrine maiden.
When Yasutomi formally proposed marriage to Chino, everyone had believed without a shadow of a doubt that the Tsuchimikado family had incurred Lord Michizane's wrath. Contrary to all expectations, however, the lord had granted permission for the marriage—albeit with certain conditions—leading to the present day.
Of course, Chino was well aware that this marriage had been permitted precisely because the Tsuchimikado family possessed deep ties to the Inari deity.
Lord Michizane and the Inari deity had originally shared a profound connection.
It was a famous story that the spirit of Lord Michizane's mother, worried for her exiled son, had sent an Inari deity from Fushimi Inari Taisha to Ishian Shrine in Dazaifu. That Inari deity had delivered ears of rice to Michizane's place of exile, saving the lord from starvation.
Furthermore, Princess Kurenai, who had met a tragic death, was also enshrined as an Inari deity named Kurenai-hime Tennō at the Kurenai-hime Inari Shrine.
It was likely for that reason that when Yasutomi submitted his formal proposal of marriage to Tenmangū Shrine, Lord Michizane had murmured:
「I owe that one a debt or two, after all...」
Chino remembered hearing him speak those words. Granted, at the time, lightning had reportedly rained down around the Tsuchimikado estate like a torrential downpour, but even that had felt to Chino like nothing more than proof that he cared for her, filling her with joy.
And now, having become a parent herself, there were many things she had come to understand. Above all, her feelings for her children were astonishingly fierce. They were simply precious and beloved beyond measure. Even as they reached an age where they spoke back to her, that never changed.
At the same time, she felt an anxious urge to teach them the strength required to survive in a world that could hardly be called kind. Thus, she had recently come to think that being a mother meant constantly being tossed about by opposing emotions—joy and sorrow. Even so...
She turned toward the kamidana and slowly bowed her head.
「It seems I am with child. I wished to inform Father first and foremost.」
In the distance, the faint rumble of thunder echoed.
＊◇＊◇＊◇＊
Because a letter had arrived stating that his mother had fallen ill and was bedridden, Tomonobu had returned several days ago to his family home in Takabatake-Yukimura in Yamato Province. Here, as the next head of the family, he was addressed as 'Young Master' and treated with absolute deference. Thanks to that, the frustration that had been building inside him recently had subsided a bit.
His mother's condition was not as severe as he had feared and she was on the road to recovery, so he knew he should return to Kyoto in a few days.
Wanting to pay his respects at his father's grave before returning, he had set out alone that morning for the family temple. It was on his way back.
(Must I return to that place? Only to have that forced in my face once again...?)
As Tomonobu walked along, turning such thoughts over in his mind...
「Master!」
At the sound of a voice calling out to him, someone suddenly hugged him tightly from behind.
(What!?)
Feeling something soft press against both of his shoulders, he realized the person hugging him was a woman—and someone taller and older than himself. A soft, sweet fragrance tickled his nose, causing his heart rate to spike instantly.
Furthermore, he felt her chin rest on top of his head. As the weight against his shoulders pressed even tighter, his heart pounded faster and his face flushed red. However...
「Oh? Master, did you shrink?」
Brought back to his senses by those words, Tomonobu hurriedly shook her off.
「N-No! I am not your master!」
「Ah... but this ki is definitely...」
When Tomonobu turned around, he found a woman who appeared to be just over twenty years old standing before him. She was a fair-skinned, delicate beauty, but it was immediately obvious that she was not human. While her hair was black, the pupils of her yellowish-brown eyes were slender like a cat's, and above all, a light crimson flower-petal mark rested upon her forehead.
「A Mark-Bearer? Who on earth are you?」
The woman looked slightly surprised by Tomonobu's dubious expression, but a smile quickly returned to her face.
「Ah. At least you are someone who understands what kind of being I am. Given this area, perhaps you are related to the Kōtokui family? May I inquire your name?」
「I am Tomonobu, but...」
「Then, Lord Tomonobu. Please forgive my rudeness just now. You possessed a ki so remarkably similar to my master's. As for who I am... well. If pressed, perhaps I am someone who was once called 'Kohiru'...」
She answered with a wistful smile, adding that a considerable amount of time had passed since anyone last called her by her name.
(A divine messenger who lost her master? I have never heard of such a thing. Could I be getting tricked by a wild fox?)
Though harboring such suspicions, Tomonobu kept them to himself and listened to her story as they walked back toward his estate.
According to her, Kohiru had originally served a young master alongside someone named 'Hayate'. However, their young master had fallen suddenly ill and passed away.
「I should have returned to the Hermit Realm with Hayate right then, but...」
Unable to leave the land she had shared with her master, she had lingered alone, and before she knew it, years had passed.
「Now and then, I would use the Soul-Calling Technique to speak with Master, idling about for a long time. But eventually, even when I called, Master stopped answering... And now, I do not even know how to return to the Hermit Realm...」
She stared intently at Tomonobu as she spoke. Feeling self-conscious under her gaze, he turned his face away.
「What was your master's name, Kohiru? I might be able to figure out which temple houses his grave. If you wish to visit his grave, I could look into it for you.」
「May I truly ask that of you? Thank you so much.」
The name Kohiru spoke then was Kadenokōji Akitaka. Kadenokōji was the name of the main branch of the Kamo clan.
At that point, Tomonobu's suspicions regarding Kohiru faded somewhat. In the end, they agreed to meet in front of the estate gates tomorrow at the same hour before parting ways, but Tomonobu's mind was brimming with numerous questions and a fair deal of anticipation.
When he checked the family genealogical records, that name was indeed listed in the Kamo clan's lineage. He was a person adopted into the Kadenokōji family, originally born of the Tsuchimikado family, and 'Kohiru' and 'Hayate' were explicitly recorded as his divine messengers.
(So he was from the Tsuchimikado family. That explains why he was granted divine messengers.)
The credibility of Kohiru's story grew even stronger. However, Akitaka had passed away in the third year of Tenshō (1575) at the age of twenty-three—more than a century had already passed since then.
(Does that mean Kohiru has been wandering this land for a hundred years? Could such a thing really be possible? Yet judging by this record, there seems to be no falsehood in her story. And if she truly is a divine messenger who lost her master... wouldn't it be fine if I became her new master?)
Becoming the master of a Mark-Bearer divine messenger. To the present Tomonobu, it was an immensely enticing prospect. Furthermore, the Soul-Calling Technique caught his interest as well. From the way Kohiru spoke of it, it sounded like a secret art that allowed one to converse with the dead.
(If I use that, wouldn't I be able to speak with Father...?)
At that thought, he became unable to sit still, desperately wanting to meet Kohiru as soon as possible. By that point, Tomonobu had completely let go of any doubts he had harbored toward her.
The next day, even while looking into the detailed location of the temple containing the grave, Tomonobu felt restless since morning. When the appointed time finally arrived, he sprinted toward the meeting spot. Seeing Kohiru waiting in the exact same place where they had parted yesterday, he finally calmed down and approached her at a walk.
「It seems his grave is located at Shōji-ji Temple in Kyoto. I will be returning to Kyoto in about two days, so would you like to come with me then? If you wish, I can guide you there.」
Wanting to find a way to become her master, Tomonobu offered to accompany her to put her in his debt, though he concealed those intentions behind his words.
「Truly? Then please, I would be honored!」
「However, those eyes of yours are rather conspicuous. If possible, a hood or something...」
「Then I shall wear a sleeve hood (*sode-zukin*). I can prepare one of those right away.」
「Then wait for me in front of the estate at the sixth hour of dawn two days from now.」
(Alright! With this, if I play my cards right...)
*****
Thank you for reading. If you want to help me please buy me a ko-fi.
It will give more motivation to work on more chapters.
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