I am a writer in Tokyo

Chapter 140 A group of people out of touch with the times
"Generally speaking, no one has ever been in the alley."

Ju felt that in the eyes of Old Yutou, he was just a very rare thing.

He repeated this sentence several times, and every time he finished speaking, he looked up and down curiously.

At this time, I couldn't help but wonder if my decision to invite him to that prostitution temple was wrong.

"Where's the young man in the alley?"

Kuma asked casually.

But when he asked this question, the old taro's face suddenly became pale.

His face looked gloomy, and the curiosity in his eyes disappeared in an instant, replaced by an indescribable depression.

It looked like it was going to die, but now it really looks like it's half-breathed.

Kou was a little bewildered by his appearance.

I always feel like I said something wrong.

"Alley."

The old taro came up with this sentence for a long time.

Then there is another sentence.

"They all come from poor families. Many brokers like to come to this kind of place. After all... they are poor."

When he said this, he coughed a few times and didn't say any more.

Kou remembered that Boss Ito had mentioned it earlier.

There is an alley around the neighborhood.

Basically, the young people in this alley have become geisha.

Although this alley has its own name.

But still gave it a very bad name.

Boss Ito did not say the name.

But in general, you can guess something.

Of course, being a geisha is pretty good.

Some people may also be involved in some human trafficking...

In short, because of poverty, this alley has become crazy old.

Just looking at it from a short distance, you can feel that this alley is similar to the old taro.

"I am not a native of the alley, am I?"

The old taro finally spoke again.

His voice is rough.

There are some noises mixed in.

It may be because of poor lungs, so when speaking, there is a kind of burr feeling.

"However, most of the time is spent in this alley.

In the near future, I will also die in this alley. "

Listen to what the old taro said.

The horse was silent for a while.

The surrounding environment is very dilapidated, coupled with the ruins.

So there is a feeling of fleeing embarrassingly from the main road into a dark alley.

After inviting the old taro to go together.

Just like that, he staggered forward behind him step by step.

Listen to those things he said.

It seems to feel the pain, joy and sorrow in his heart.

At this time, he seemed to have become another old taro.

After walking for a while, this rather inconsistent sense of coordination was broken.

The old taro pointed to the dilapidated ancestral hall and said, "This is the obscene ancestral hall."

From the outside, it is indeed what a prostitute temple should look like.

Because it is not established according to the etiquette system, it will not be sheltered.

It's just that maybe it's because of the proximity to the alley.

So at most it is left alone, rather than demolished to make it disappear.

Old Taro put his palms together in front of the ancestral hall devoutly. After praying for a while, he tidied up the rain cover on the stone statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva next to him.

"This is not what a person who calls the temple should do."

Kou said silently in his heart.

"Everyone in the alley will come here.

Although this is indeed an obscene temple, for us, perhaps it surpasses everything else. "

The old taro was right.

There are still many painted horses and enshrined towels around the ancestral hall.

And there are still a few incense burns, only a little left.

Most likely there were people praying here just now.

Koma suddenly remembered the shrine next to the Ito Tavern.

Compared with that one, maybe the prayers here are more devout and humble.

Old Taro pointed to the dusty plate beside him.

"It used to have fried beans in it."

"Fried beans?"

"Yes."

"That's for?"

"The Asamae family's child has whooping cough."

Old Yutou didn't explain who Mamae was, and even if he did, Ju probably wouldn't understand.

Looking back now, he was a little puzzled as to why he appeared here.

Or, why, he talks so much to young people.

"At that time, everyone suggested that we come here to try and offer fried beans to the gods, and the gods will surely bless the child's whooping cough to heal as soon as possible."

The old taro said such a long paragraph in one breath, his face flushed and he gasped for a while.

"Then what? Did the gods appear?"

the horse asked.

Old Taro gave a wry smile.

Shaking his head, he said, "No."

"But there are quite a few believers here."

The ancestral hall here has not been abandoned because it does not conform to the ritual system.

In fact, this kind of ancestral hall often acquires far more beliefs than others.

After all, its purpose is based on the needs of the masses.

Of course, it is faith.

It is nothing more than giving yourself a little spiritual sustenance in those gloomy days.

Just like the old taro now.

"Yes, the gods have to listen to so many prayers a day, so naturally they can't hear all of them.

Maybe letting the child get rid of it early is the meaning of the gods. "

Listening to the old taro's words, all kinds of past events seemed to appear in front of Ju's eyes.

Maybe here is not completely down before.

A large number of believers gather every day.

They knelt in front of the ancestral hall.

Pray everything in your most devout way.

They know that nothing will change.

Even longing for the gods.

The old taro said.

Even if the god is not blessed, the family members of the child who died of whooping cough are still devout.

The foal knew it very well.

If they don't believe in it.

They may not even survive in the future.

In the end the sky was still gray.

Sun patchy.

It is similar to the dead gray of the old alley.

The rain did not fall.

Everything is frozen in a halfway feeling.

Not up or down.

Difficult.

When I returned to the Ito's Tavern.

They don't know where they went.

When going straight upstairs, Yuriko squatted on the table and meowed at Koma a few times.

She seemed to sense his unhappiness, and crawled into his arms, sticking to him.

After a while.

Take the manuscript of the dancer of Izu out of the drawer where Harukoto copied the manuscript.

Put it in the drawer closest to the door.

Then on this drawer, a label was affixed: manuscript storage.

After doing all this.

He wrote down the words "obscenity temple" on a piece of white paper.

Perhaps there is no suitable name to use as a title.

Plus he wanted to write something else.

For example, those... idiots who are like old taro.

Even if she sells her daughter as a geisha because of poverty, she may have some weird dreams all day long, or wait in the old alley for the day when she leaves the world.

In short, they are a group of people out of touch with the times.

……

(End of this chapter)