【Good Leaf】Eclipse of the Crimson Moon

【Second moment】

That night, I lost sleep.

Over the past few days, the uneasiness that has been building up in my heart has reached a climax, making me toss and turn.

Being lucky enough to avoid catastrophe this time does not mean that everything will end here.What will happen in the future, I really have no idea.Even if I comfort myself that "there will always be a way", human beings always have a natural fear of the unknown beyond their control, and I am no exception to this.

Zhu Bing's words echoed in his mind repeatedly, causing the already chaotic thoughts to become more complicated and tangled into an unreasonable knot.

"Don't even think about telling the teacher, this is beyond their control."

If it develops into a harm incident, it is impossible for the school to ignore it.Why did Juicing say that?If those people are characters that teachers can't touch, it means that they probably belong to an organization that makes the school quite a headache, and perhaps have a background such as the child of a member of parliament...

Thinking of this makes me laugh myself.This is not Tokyo, just a small town away from the city; this is the real world, not a manga.I'm just an ordinary middle school student, an ordinary family, an ordinary life, and I've only been here for a few weeks.I really can't think of anything about myself that would displease those characters.

"They're not targeting you, so don't go any further."

Isn't it against me?This is quite a relief.Not because I got the balance, but because I am glad that I am not hated or resented.But that doesn't make things any better.

Will it be the custom here to treat transfer students?It doesn't seem like that in my experience.Usually this kind of bullying incident is very simple, whether it is delineating the sphere of influence or simply blackmailing property, it will be accompanied by an obvious purpose, and will eventually achieve a certain effect.But this time what I encountered was different.

From destroying my items several times, to this blade incident, no one has made a clear request.It should be an accident that I saw their faces today, but they still didn't express their willingness.If I insist on finding out the motive, I can only think of one possibility.

"If you can't stand it, go back. Go back wherever you came from."

This is it?This is what I care about most in Zhu Bing's words.If they wanted me to leave, they seemed to have a good reason for taking action.

But why?Will I get in their way if I'm here?

.......

Who is that "they"?

Does Yuejian reject all outsiders?I can't be sure of this without doing some research, so let's just note it down.

"It's fine to find any place, as long as you don't stay here..."

These are the few words he said that made me shudder the most.He won't understand my determination to stay, so he persuades me like this.But I couldn't ignore the sincerity and hesitation in his tone.

Zhu Bing didn't lie to me, and his personality didn't seem like the kind that would play tricks.So what is the meaning of this ambiguous sentence?If you don't tell the other party the reason, how can you make people follow the advice?But he did say words like "no more".And from what he said, it seemed that there was a meaning of "don't stay in Tsukimi City, it's not good here".

very bad?What does that mean... about Tsukimi, is there any secret that cannot be revealed?

I really can't understand it.All of this is beyond the scope of my conjecture. The more I think about it, the more weird and weird I feel, and I can't even believe the conclusion drawn after the delay.

That night I was immersed in chaotic thoughts, my mind was full of strange shadows entangled and entangled, the dull pain from the bumped forehead hit my consciousness one after another, I don’t know when I finally fell asleep in a hazy state .

Then, I saw the red full moon again, hanging high in the pitch-black sky, it was so huge that it frightened people, and it sprinkled the eyes with blood-colored brilliance.

For a long time, things other than Feiyue have been hidden in the thick and dark night, but this time I was finally able to get a little closer to the world under the moon, and I could vaguely see a building with a recognizable shape. Directly below, in a somewhat open forest glade.

The gigantic boulder lay quietly in the moonlight, its concave-convex outline outlined by crimson and the halo in the middle of the sky set off brilliantly.A ring of lighter-colored objects is supported along the middle of the boulder.Judging from the general shape, it should be Shimenawa (note).Torii gates (note) stand on all sides of the boulder, forming a "mouth" shape to surround the stone, and it looks like a place for worship.

A cold wind suddenly blew up in the space that seemed to be stagnant in time.The shimenawa rope tied in the middle of the torii swayed in the wind.The rings and knots were intertwined, and the pale white mixed with crimson light and shadows flew straight into my mind as if traveling through distant time and space. The sharp pain like a needle prick made me suddenly startled.

When I opened my eyes, it was still pitch black.The depressing silence of the room was echoed only by the monotonous ticking sound.Turning to look at the alarm clock next to the pillow, the hour hand has just passed four quarters.The heartbeat has not yet calmed down, the pajamas are soaked in sweat, and the chill is coming from the surroundings. I try to recall what I saw in the dream, and an indescribable sense of familiarity suddenly arises.

Is that where I've been?

★★★

I spent the next few days cautiously, so I spent a peaceful time like this.Other than the occasional loss of something, nothing more serious happened.

The relationship with the classmates in the class still has not improved, and I am still an oil drop in the clear water, unable to integrate into it.Zhu Bing still didn't talk to me, and everything that happened that evening was like a dream without leaving any traces.It is useless to be impatient, let nature take its course.I put aside the shadow in my heart and started to make my own plan.

Using the time after school and on weekends, I traveled all over the place I could go, investigated the historical sites in the town, and learned about the customs here by the way.

In doing so, I might be able to understand why I was isolated, or perhaps answer another question I had on my mind.

The shrine that appeared in the dream has always concerned me. That scene gave me a strong sense of déjà vu. I am sure that I have been to that place more than once.Although I have an indescribable strange feeling about that place in my heart, I still want to go there again to have a look.For no reason, I felt that if I did that, it seemed that my empty heart would be greatly satisfied.

I didn't mention those unhappiness in the contact with relatives, after all, I decided to live here alone.I didn't want to trouble Zhu Bing any more, so I didn't ask him.After thinking about it for a while, I called Mrs. Wan. He was very concerned about my current situation. After some pleasantries, he heard me explain the situation, and enthusiastically accepted the investigation task, and passed the result to me a day later. .During this period, I wandered around the town and gained a lot, and I recorded them one by one in a notebook.After careful study, a few points worth noting are summarized.

First of all, about Tsukimi City and Oki Island, their history is far beyond my imagination.I'm not very fond of humanities, so I didn't care about it before.After consulting the information, I found that the background here can be traced back to an earlier period than the Nara period (Note), and there is no detailed historical information before that.

Oki Island is the general name of an archipelago consisting of more than 180 nearby islands. Near the coast, there are cliffs hundreds of meters high and jagged rocks and hidden reefs.Because of its natural isolation, it became a place of exile for criminals, and the official jurisdiction of the power holder was around the Kamakura period.Of the four large inhabited islands, the three on the west side are called "Daomae", and the largest one on the east side is called "Daohou".The current Tsukimi City is located in Omine Mountain in the "behind the island".Residents on the island live a slightly isolated life. Compared with Matsue and Izumo across the strait, the daily life here is at least five years behind.

I don't know if it is because of this reason that the aborigines on the island are very xenophobic. This is what I felt strongly during the process of inquiry.When I, a stranger, asked them about the old affairs of Tsukimi City, almost everyone looked at me with very cautious and even conflicted eyes, and couldn't ask any valuable clues at all.They let their guard down a little later when I mentioned that I had lived here before.

"The child from the Xikujo family? Has it grown so tall? I can't even recognize it..." The old man in the grocery store narrowed his eyes and looked at me. "I used to hug you when you were young, remember?"

I smiled awkwardly, I really didn't have any impression of it, but fortunately he didn't mind very much.

"You...are you really Masumi?" The old man's eyes stopped on my hair and face, "You don't look like your parents at all."

"If you're referring to my hair and eyes, it started after I got sick a few years ago."

"Oh..." He was thoughtful, and after a while he murmured: "It's not easy... Then do you still live in the house in the old street?"

"Correct."

"Aren't you used to going to school?"

"Huh?" I didn't understand what he meant.

"If you are treated as an outsider, it will probably be difficult. Here is the same as before, and outsiders are not welcome."

"Uh...why..."

"Don't ask." He suddenly withdrew his peaceful gaze, and his amiable voice became blunt: "Jian Yue, don't ask what you shouldn't ask, don't listen to what you shouldn't hear, and don't look at what you shouldn't see." , This is a precept that has been handed down since ancient times. Masumi, your family has stayed in Yuejian for nearly ten years, and you should be very aware of the rules here...Of course, you were young at that time..." His voice gradually weakened, becoming as if Soliloquy.I tentatively answered:

"I was nine years old when I left...don't remember anything, sorry..."

"It's okay...it's okay...just remember what I said today..." He turned around slowly, ready to continue tidying up his shop, and added at the end: "The Siyue Festival is about to start, so now everyone in the town is very nervous. Busy. After the festival is over, please ask people from the Yuwu Family to issue a certificate of living here for you."

"...Oh, thank you."

The result of communicating with this old man made me understand a little bit the reasons for the things I encountered, but at the same time, it also deepened my confusion.The new problem that arises is the second point summed up: about the climate of Tsukimi City.

In this period at the end of the [-]th century, there are still remote mountain villages that maintain the old folk customs. I have heard of this, but when I experienced it for myself, it still felt extremely unreal.

It was used as a place of exile thousands of years ago. The local people believe that Oki has accumulated a lot of unlucky factors, so it is indispensable to build shrines and hold festivals. In addition, there are some strange customs.For example, you are not allowed to go out after midnight, which seems to be to avoid all kinds of evil thoughts and disasters when you go out at night; you are not allowed to enter the mountains on the western outskirts of the town. There are places for worship in ancient times, so it is listed as a forbidden area. It is said that Trespassers will definitely be condemned by the gods and "sacred" (Note); at a certain time of the year, the "Siyue Festival" is held according to the results of divination by the priests in the town, which means praying for peace. It can also expel all kinds of unlucky resentment.These and other things show that this is a very traditional town dominated by Shinto (Note) ideology, and this is probably the reason for its reluctance to accept foreign influences.

The "go five families" they mentioned are said to be descendants of nobles who lived in Oki before Kamakura, and have ruled this land for a long time.Even in modern Japan, the government basically handed over the management power here to the island residents to make them self-controlled. Therefore, although there are government agencies on the island, many affairs have to be discussed with representatives of the Gogoka before making decisions. To put it simply, they are the adjudicators of Yuejian.

The main houses of the five families are located in the five corners of Tsukimi City, and from the map, they just form a huge five-star.From the northernmost side are Kurosawa, Tsujido, Shube, Kiryu, and Asakura.Each mansion has a certain scale, and is located in the mountains, with inconvenient transportation, so I haven't been able to visit all of them.The only one I’ve been to so far is Zhubu’s house, which is the closest to the old street where I live. The solemn and solemn house is hidden in the black mountain forest, and its momentum is extraordinary.Judging from the appearance of the building, it does have a history of hundreds of years, and the vicissitudes of life are vivid.

I can't think of a reason to visit, so I can only stop there and continue other investigations.The last thing I want to know is about the shrine I dreamed about.

As long as I can remember, my parents have been very busy at work, and I have never traveled with my family. I should have only stayed in two places in my childhood.Except for Tokyo, there is only Tsukimi left.To find the place, you still have to inquire in the small town.

Now, most people in the town, headed by the five families, are busy preparing for the "Siyue Festival", and many public facilities, including the folk customs exhibition hall, are temporarily closed.The nearest shrine that can be reached according to the map is the "Kokubun Shrine" located in the city.This is the place where the festival is held, and preparations are being made, so the door is not closed.

★★★

"Where are your eyes?" The man standing in front of him spoke in a very unfriendly tone, staring down at me who fell to the ground.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't notice the front..." I kept apologizing to him, but he didn't seem satisfied.

"Is it over if you don't notice it? My coat is wrinkled by you? Huh? What do you think I should do?"

The man with the exaggeratedly long haircut was grinning, holding the corner of the casual suit with one hand, and shaking the wooden knife on his shoulder with the other.Several youths behind him were also dressed in ancient and dangerous clothes, and they were laughing and hissing at the moment, surrounding me maliciously.

I looked around. This is a secluded mountain path outside the back door of the shrine. No one will pass by in a short time.So, what should we do?

Counting 10 minutes ago, I walked into the Kokubun Shrine surrounded by towering giant trees.There are several shrines behind Oki Island, and it is said that this is the largest, and the important festivals of Tsukimi City are held here.Counting, the history of this shrine has been hundreds of years. After several rests, the shrine has always maintained a long-lasting posture, clean and solemn.There were not many people visiting the shrine, and none of the people who were busy arranging the ceremony paid attention to me, so they walked slowly along the road, paying attention to the surrounding scenery, while recalling the scenes that had repeatedly appeared in their minds, feeling more and more inconsistent.

Unconsciously, I came to the depths of the shrine, still surrounded by greenery, and the road became a bit narrow.After confirming that this is not the place I saw in my dream, I originally planned to return, but I saw something that made my heart palpitate.

A side room in the inner courtyard displays ancient sacrificial utensils.On the dark brown wooden shelf covered with light dust are all kinds of ritual utensils and sacrificial utensils.

There is a row of gorgeous dolls.

That is not a Japanese doll that girls use as a toy, but a Hina doll that is used as a "curse tool".Perhaps it was left in this warehouse because it was not used. The original kimono looked old due to the passage of time, and like other utensils, the surface was covered with dust.Hair of different lengths hangs down softly like water or satin, and the half-covered face is extremely pale reflected by the oblique light entering the room.The dolls have no expression on their faces, and the empty eyes with long eyelashes are lowered, like another open window, looking into the bottomless darkness, but with a fatal attraction like soul-stirring. Time makes me suddenly lose my mind.

The moment I saw them, the indescribable scene quickly flashed through my mind, and the inexplicable uneasiness ran up my spine, and the bone-chilling chill like falling into the sea of ​​ice made my whole body tremble.At that moment, all the bright lights and noisy people around me seemed to be extinguished suddenly, and I stood alone in the dark space, only a few pairs of dimly-lit eyes stared at me.

The fixed dim pupils suddenly enlarged, and the pupils turned towards me, and the inorganic body suddenly trembled violently up and down——

【You're back...】

I screamed and took half a step back, hitting the wooden wall behind me.

Holding the front of the front, I could feel my heart beating violently. I raised my eyes to look at the row of dolls in front of me, but there was nothing strange about it.The noon light fell weakly into the room, and they still stood silently on the sacrificial utensil stand, looking at the world in front of them absent-mindedly.

I must be hallucinating due to too much pressure these days... It’s really not good, I smiled wryly at myself.Shaking his head and trying to get rid of the feeling of dizziness, he exited the Hall of Sacrificial Objects, and walking forward, he could see the side door behind the shrine.

With no more to gain, I decided to just return.Reluctantly, his mind was still in a trance, he didn't pay attention to the front, and shortly after he turned out of the side door, he bumped into the leader of the group head-on.

They surrounded me, who got up from the ground, with a fierce look on their faces.I couldn't help but sigh again.It seems that my luck is really bad recently, should I pay a serious visit to the shrine...

"Then... how will you forgive me..." When I asked this sentence, there was a burst of laughter around me. I tried my best to ignore it, but just stared at the nose of the plane in the middle.

"Hmph, I'm in a bad mood today, just ask my wooden knife to see if it will forgive you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he had already waved the wooden knife in his hand, and slammed it down from the top of my head——

Note 1: Shimenawa, a rope-shaped sacrificial utensil commonly found in shrines.There is often a "Zigzag" knot at the lower end, and the two sides are tied to pillars or other architectural objects, which has the meaning of praying for peace and demarcating boundaries.

Note 2: Torii, a building that must exist in a shrine.It is generally a "gate" type archway, which is composed of columns, beams and roofs, and is usually painted orange red.It is an enchantment used to define the human world and the dwelling place of the gods.

Note 3: During the Nara period, from 710 AD to around 890 AD, the era when Japan established its capital in Heian-kyo once ushered in the prosperity of the country, but at the end of the period, various social problems and contradictions intensified.Then came the "Heian Period", which lasted from the 8th century to the 12th century, and gradually entered into an era of unrest and turmoil.Then came the "Kamakura Period".

Note 4: Shenyin, "hidden by the gods", refers to disappearance.

Note 5: Shinto, Shintoism is Japan's native religion. It mainly believes in the gods of nature. It occupies a very important position in the hearts of the people and has many believers.A shrine is a kind of Shinto worship building. Miko, onmyoji, Japanese mythology, etc. that often appear in anime works are related to Shinto.