【Good Leaf】Eclipse of the Crimson Moon

【Lu Ke】

A sudden beautiful encounter is a fantasy that every young person has, but it really often only exists in illusion.

The girl who passed by walked away without looking back, but I was still amazed at the few words she left behind.The stalled consciousness was stuck on those indifferent and even vicious words, and forgot to think for a while.

I could feel my face burning badly, and I could clearly hear my heart beating too fast.

why?

Why do you say that about me?What did i do wrong?

Why would a girl whom I met for the first time...

...!

When she suddenly realized what she should do and turned her head, she had already disappeared from sight.I hurriedly ran a few steps to the intersection where the street forked, and I couldn't see the target I was looking for around the crossroad.I picked a path at random and continued to chase, but I gave up after a while.

There were few pedestrians on the unfamiliar street in the evening, but the girl had long since disappeared.

After a long sigh, I fell limply into the rest bench by the roadside.The injury on his foot has just healed, and when he was running fast just now, it was like stepping on the tip of a knife, and every step was accompanied by a sharp stabbing pain.If you force yourself like this, I'm afraid the wound will be unable to heal for a long time...

Even if she wasn't injured, I'm afraid I couldn't find her... Who made me lose my mind for so long just now...

Supporting his somewhat heavy head, he once again realized his major mistake just now.

It's not a first meeting, is it?

That said, it proves that she must have known what happened to me long ago, and has been observing secretly... Unlike the general onlookers who are not willing to have anything to do with me and the trainee priests among the students, she directly confessed to me Disgusted, nine out of ten, he is a diehard believer of the Yuwu family, right?

Her purpose must be to hope that I can understand everything before, and she intends to use this as a warning to make me give up the idea of ​​getting away with it by chance, realize my situation and leave quickly...

She must know a lot about dealing with outsiders, right?Now that I've started, if I ask her why, she might tell me.

Besides Holo Holo and Dragon, she's the only person who's ever said anything decent to me.Although the content is unpleasant, it is indeed a shortcut to the core, and I should try it anyway.

Perhaps, confessing my purpose can get the other party's understanding. At that time, I really had that naive and innocent idea in my heart, so I regretted not being able to talk to her a few more words.Because of the festival, the whole town will stop its daily life for three days, and if you want to find her at school, you have to wait until after that.After all, why did I have to be in a daze just now!

Alas, it's not like me to be so dejected again.

Shaking my head to drive away the depression that was entrenched in my mind, I tried to imagine how to deal with it in order to have a more complete conversation when we meet next time, and I was close to home before I knew it.

Since leaving the hospital I have been extra careful not to leave alone or go out after sunset.Although he made up his mind not to back down from threats, there was no need to intentionally give people a chance to attack him.Thankfully there is no record of them laying ambushes directly near the door.In fact, so far, I haven't been able to figure out the way and habits of the other party's actions. I can only pray that they will leave me a little space to rest in peace.

Before going to bed, I lit a stick of fragrance in front of my parents' memorial tablet as usual, and I can still exist here without incident, maybe they are guarding me in the dark.

In the past, if I were to ask whether I believed in the existence of a soul, I would not be so sure as I am now.

I remembered the long, stagnant time when I shut myself up in the room, tried my best to suppress my sad emotions, buried my head in my arms, and couldn't get an answer no matter how hard I tried.

Why being ridiculed, neglected, and betrayed is too difficult for me who is only ten years old.The most I can do is pretend to be okay in front of my parents and keep smiling.

Don't want to be known, don't want to be worried.At the same time, deep self-loathing surged up in my heart——

Why do you have this evasive feeling towards your parents?After all, why do you feel like you are excluded from the world?What to do to stop this negative self-abandoned thinking!

"Masumi?"

The gentle voice cut off my consciousness, which was falling rapidly in the endless depths, and I hurriedly stood up and opened the door.Mother was standing at the door holding a bowl of fragrant noodles, still with a warm smile on her face.

"Are you hungry? I made your favorite udon. You didn't come down, so I brought it up. Can you come in?"

I took the noodle bowl in her hand, turned away from my still hot face in embarrassment, and sat down at the desk with her.

Under her smiling gaze, I slowly picked up a handful of noodles, sipped and chewed slowly, but I didn't dare to raise my head to meet her gaze, I just lowered my head and repeated the movements mechanically.

"Masumi, did you encounter any trouble at school?"

I shook my head.

She paused for a long time.In the end, a soft but warm touch fell on the top of the head.

"Just do what you decide, Masumi. Both Mom and Dad believe in you."

My movements stagnated, and the heat and soreness in my chest suddenly surged up, and the fingers holding the chopsticks began to tremble.

"We will always be by your side."

At that moment, too many emotions rushed into my blank consciousness, and along with the fragmented choked sobs, they turned into hot streams and slowly trickled down the corners of my eyes.

No matter how much I am hated by the world, how much I hate myself, there are still people who love and believe in me, and that is the salvation for me who is at a loss.

Although they are no longer here, I will still abide by the agreement with them and act according to my own decision.

★★★

The colorful ornaments, lanterns, and banners along the way are dazzling. Fortunately, I walked from my own house and gradually got used to the more gorgeous scenery. Otherwise, I would be suspicious if I was in such a place suddenly. Have you strayed into an illusion?

The morning light sprinkled over everything that was covered with thin frost, Xiao Sa's chill gradually melted away in the thin sunlight.It is the morning of the last day before the festival, and the preparations are basically finished.Tsukimi City has faded away from its usual age, calmness, and introversion. It is decorated with all kinds of colorful colors like a girl in a costume, and every detail reveals the gorgeousness full of ancient rhyme.Small stalls of various styles are neatly crowded together, lined up on both sides of the road leading to Kokubun Shrine. The piles of cargo boxes are full of enthusiastic atmosphere, and it is easy to be infected when passing by.

Going along the crowded street is Kokubun Shrine, where the Tsutsuki Matsuri is held.Before the official start of the festival, many worshipers have already ushered in, which is much more lively than when I came before.

I moved with the flow of people, and naturally arrived at the Royal Garden behind the main hall.Surrounded by layers of verdant giant trees, it is like a dark red gemstone inlaid in green. In the middle of the shrine, there is an open field. Now a large platform has been built here, and the surrounding space is enough to accommodate thousands of people. People, it should be the place where the ceremony will be held tomorrow night.

Many people stopped to watch, and some people moved slowly towards the backyard.I looked around in a daze, but I didn't expect to see a few familiar figures. At the same time, the other party also noticed my existence, and immediately waved and shouted.

"Masumi! Here, here!"

It's the Dragon of the Wooden Sword, and his friends.They gave people the impression that they could not be connected with good men and women anyway, but it was the second time I met them here, which really surprised me.

They were still wearing the same style of clothes as last time, which seemed particularly incongruous with the solemnity and tranquility of the shrine, and they were particularly eye-catching among the crowd.They were gathering outside the door of a side hall, and they kept waving at me.

"Eh? Are you really here to pay homage?" I was stunned.

"Of course! Didn't I say it, I'm a true believer!" He raised his thumb towards himself, and the exaggerated length of the plane's nose trembled accordingly.

"Hey..." I couldn't help but widen my eyes.Indeed, I saw a pendant with a cross-shaped decoration hanging around his neck, coupled with the dress of their group... Perhaps, he has never considered such details?

"Your hand? What's the matter?" He noticed the bandage wrapped under the cuff of my right hand to the palm of my hand, and I moved my right arm slightly.The sling and plaster were just removed, and this hand is still unable to use force at all.

"It's okay, I accidentally fell when I went downstairs."

"Oh, how careful. Let me know if the recovery is not good, I know a good orthopedic doctor." He muttered, and I nodded with a smile.

Seeing Long turn his head to look at Yuyuan again, I suddenly remembered to ask him something.

"May I ask... do you guys come here often?" It's not a "coincidence" to meet each other when you come here twice, right?

As soon as the words came out, the dragon's body stiffened.He turned around slowly like a machine stuck in rust, and after hesitating for a while, it was the rolling ball boy beside him who explained for him:

"Brother Long has come here almost every day recently... because he wants to apply to be a trainee priest."

"Hey!!!" Once again, he couldn't suppress his surprise, and he felt a bit rude as soon as the words came out of his mouth. Fortunately, Long is a casual person.

"Oh, I made you laugh. Of course I know it's hard... so I never expected to be an emcee, even if I start as a handyman..." Long shook his head in frustration, then turned around Go and look at the middle of the imperial garden where many believers are still gathered.

After chatting with his friends for a while, he found out why.

Several of the "best places" they have always loved have been blocked recently.The executor was the patrolling priest of the five families, and the explanation he got was that "due to the unfavorable weather, the sealing range of the forbidden area needs to be expanded to ensure the safety of the town." From the abandoned bowling alley at the east end to the old station in the west of the town, several The deserted places have been included in the forbidden area, and the citizens of Tsukimi must unconditionally implement the decision of the Wujia.

At that time, a group of people who had just heard the news vented their depression everywhere, and happened to meet me coming out of the shrine.Several secret gathering places no longer exist, and it's no wonder they were so violent then.

Afterwards, Ryu often came to Kokubun Shrine, and seemed to be pestering the chief priest to let him be an apprentice. Of course, the other party couldn't just satisfy his request casually, so he went on a protracted battle tirelessly. Evening, I have to admire his patience.

I want to become a priest, practice hard, and one day I will be able to preside over the rituals myself, expel impurities, and sweep away evil thoughts.The dragon probably wants to protect the place everyone likes by himself?

Under that reckless and rude behavior, he felt strong persistence and sincere and delicate emotions. He was actually a very nice person.

"The so-called forbidden area...is it?" I tried to ask, but I already had the experience of hitting a wall with such questions, so naturally I didn't have much expectation.

"It's the 'place of God's presence' and the 'place of seal'. The priests set up barriers, and ordinary people are not allowed to enter, otherwise they will be 'hidden by the gods'." Long pointed to the west, and then said: "Oki Since ancient times, ceremonies have been held to seal all kinds of unlucky things, so there are many forbidden places guarding the seals. For example, there are ruins of ancient sacrificial places in Dafeng Mountain to the west, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the crowd who suddenly swarmed over.

I also retreated quickly, surprised at why the small open space by the side of the hall, which was still very loose just now, was suddenly crowded with people. When I looked up, I found that the surrounding area was already surrounded by people, and the middle of the imperial garden was empty. Big site.The crowd at the back consciously parted a passage, and I, who had already retreated to the side and stood on tiptoe on the steps, followed the direction of the dragon's finger and saw a row of more than a dozen people entering the imperial garden from the outside through the promenade.

Unlike the people in casual clothes who came to worship, and they were not priests in the shrine, the visitors were all wearing very formal dark kimonos, ranging in age from middle-aged to old, but they all had the same solemn expression, and they walked into the imperial garden silently one after another.Just this kind of aura has already made the whole audience stare intently with awe-inspiring expressions.

"who are they?"

"Idiot, that's a member of the Yuwu family, bow your head! Be respectful." Long glared at me, and then, like everyone else, lowered his head slightly, with a pious posture as if he was praying silently.

I lowered my head very uncomfortably. This kind of scene reminds me of a period drama... I never thought that I would be in a place where such exaggerated etiquette is required. I was surprised but still had some resistance.Therefore, occasionally I still looked up secretly at those figures who were regarded as gods by the islanders, and the few impressive words that echoed in my mind were gradually connected with the scene in front of me.

The Gogo Family, the family that takes turns in charge of the control of Tsukimi, is an aristocrat who has lived in Oki Island since ancient times, and each family has a distinctive family crest.

Although they are all wearing dark formal suits, different patterns can be seen under the cuffs.

The ones with vermilion cut rhizomes at the front are Kurosawa, the ones with waves and tuna grass in the back are Zhube and the Kiryu family respectively, and Tsujido with the ivy pattern walking forward at the end.

After counting and counting, they only saw people from the four families, but no one from the Ma Cang family appeared.

While wondering, a new commotion broke out in the crowd.It turned out that a representative of the Kurosawa family was waving to the gathered crowd and seemed to say some encouraging words, which naturally aroused strong reactions.But in my opinion, this is just a scene similar to the parliamentary elections seen on TV, which does not attract my interest at all.

"Are they here to check the preparations for the ceremony?" I lowered my voice and asked Long, who nodded slightly: "Yes. The Siyue Festival is a very important festival, so representatives from the five families will come to inspect it in advance. And this year Feng Shui has been somewhat unfavorable, and the scope of the forbidden area has been expanding, and everyone is counting on the success of the wedge-pulling ceremony at the festival."

"Hey? If the forbidden area is expanded because of unfavorable feng shui, won't the place where people can live will become smaller and smaller in the future?"

"How come...the priests are not so stupid...Only places that are particularly prone to gathering disasters and inauspiciousness will be classified as forbidden areas...Although it is very reluctant, there is no way..."

"Oh..." I stared at the backs of the crowd who were gradually walking away. From just now, my heart was filled with a strange feeling of emptiness.It took me a long time to remember how similar the feeling of deja vu was to the moment when I first heard the name Ma Cang and felt an inexplicable throbbing in my heart.

"...Why didn't the Asakura family come?"

"This..." Long's face darkened a bit, and he fell into silence.I guess he might have thought of Ma Cangye again, and couldn't help but regret bringing up this topic, but when he was about to apologize, he continued talking.

"I heard that the Ma Cang family suffered an accident a few years ago, and the head of the family and some key members were killed. So now it exists in name only, and has not sent a representative to appear in public for a long time."

The heart twitched for no reason, and the chill pierced through like steel needles, gradually penetrating into the whole body.

"Then... when did it happen?"

"It wasn't long after Boss Ye disappeared... Alas... I really don't know what happened..." Long's expression also looked very depressed, and someone next to him answered: "A lot of bad things have happened in recent years. So everyone is also looking forward to this festival to sweep away the bad luck and save the town from disaster."

I nodded slightly, but my thoughts were tangled together like a mess.Since just now, the restlessness that has made people so uneasy, what could it be?

The fingers inserted between the hairs couldn't help but curl up, and the increasing force on the joints finally made me feel tingling, but it still couldn't wake me up.

What the hell am I thinking?

Being so confused and confused, I became a stranger.I don't know how to calm this unreasonable panic, or how to contain the chaotic thoughts.In an instant, the world left me again. Even though I was in the hustle and bustle of the crowd, I felt that I was isolated abruptly and thrown into the bone-chilling ice cellar.

There is something... seems to be very important... I have been circling in my mind since before but I have ignored it...

When the tightly gripped hair made an undetectable sound, a small breaking sound resounded in the consciousness——

"Dragon! Did you say just now that there are sacrificial sites in the mountains to the west?" Finally, I remembered this clue that was almost lost because of the appearance of the Yuwu family. Why didn't I think of confirming it earlier?

"En? Yes. It is said that there is a very ancient place of worship in Dafeng Mountain, but no one has seen it, because it is the residence of gods that have been listed as forbidden places since ancient times..."

"Then... that means there is a shrine there too?" The voice trembled a little, and the answer I had been looking for seemed to be right in front of me, and I couldn't help being excited at the moment when I was only a short distance away from the goal.

I did hear that there are relics of worshiping gods in the mountains when I checked the information, but I couldn't immediately connect it with what I was looking for. This is really a very low-level oversight.

"I don't know. It's not surprising that there are abandoned shrines or something, right? But as I said just now, you can't go into the mountains... Do you want to..." He looked at me suspiciously, and I had to put it away immediately. With expectant eyes, he forcefully smiled calmly and perfunctorily.

"No, I'm just asking, because I'm doing terroir research, I like these very much..."

"Oh." He didn't have much doubt, turned his head and continued to look at the crowd, and added: "Don't go, you children are just... always doing this and that out of curiosity..."

"Well, I know. If you go in, you will be 'hidden by the gods', right?"

★★★

An hour later, I was already standing on the edge of a main road into the mountain at the foot of the west mountain.

The time is approaching noon, and the shimmering sunlight falls on the ground through the dense tree shade, brewing psychedelic light spots in the quiet air. Like a different color brilliance.

The forest is so deep and dense that there is no end in sight, and the unmodified natural path in front of it was only found out by people who entered the mountain, and it has been formed over the years.If no one moves around, it won't take long before they will be hidden in this thick and wild greenery.The end of the path is hidden in the depths of the pitch-black jungle. Occasionally, there will be one or two chirps of insects from unknown places, and then there will be only the rustling wind and the sound of grass blades rolling, highlighting the endless tranquility.The majesty and solemnity of the abode of the gods have been conveyed to the depths of consciousness through the intimidating sense of coercion that fills the forest.

On both sides of the entrance are towering ancient trees that can be seen everywhere in the West Mountain, with luxuriant branches and canopy like umbrellas, and the thick waist that has gone through vicissitudes of life is surrounded by the same mottled and somewhat weathered gray-white ropes.The twisted rope is straddling the middle of two giant trees, with three "zigzag" knots hanging from the slightly drooping middle, and there is a broken but still stubbornly attached charm on the middle knot .

This is Shimenawa.

In ancient Shinto, the area considered to be the residence of the gods is called "Auspicious Land", and mortals are forbidden to enter.In order to warn the world, Shenli (note) or shimenawa will be used to define its boundaries.On the other side of the rope is another world.

I looked around for a while.There are various indications that this place is indeed rare, but it does not mean that there are no people coming and going.There are small stone jizo at the root of the huge sacred tree, and offerings are placed in front of it; the broken grass leaves in the middle of the path have not completely dried up, which means that there are still people walking here in the past few days. Of course, they are probably patrolling priests them.

After adjusting the position of the bag on my back, I took a last look at the path I came from. I bent down resolutely, crossed the border blocked by Shimenawa, and stepped into the area that was repeatedly told not to enter.

No matter what, I have to confirm it myself, otherwise, my whole life may only stay in inexplicable confusion and die in depression.

I decided to come here almost immediately after getting the word from the dragon.The festival will start tomorrow, and it is still in the morning. If you hurry up, you should be able to leave the mountain before sunset.After all, I didn't intend to cross the entire Mt. Omine, but just followed the mountain path to find the remains of the legendary shrine.

I have calculated the time, and walking on this kind of mountain road with my footsteps, I can only get less than ten kilometers within three hours, and then I have to go back, so today's exploration can't be particularly deep, and I don't plan to leave the main road, so There shouldn't be much danger.But when a person enters the forest, the most basic tools must be prepared.So I packed every necessities and emergency supplies I could think of.

The silent and cold mountain wind swept across his cheeks, and even though he kept walking, he still felt the chill gradually penetrate into the bone marrow.After all, it was already the end of November, and winter had already entered this deep mountain.Although the midday sun penetrated through layers of barriers and fell into the crevices of the forest, it still couldn't dispel the damp atmosphere.

The warm breath exhaled from my mouth quickly condensed into a white mist in the air. While rubbing my fingers that were stiff and aching from the cold, I walked along the rugged road that was only more than one person wide. There were bursts of echoes.After advancing for about a few hundred meters, I finally noticed the huge difference between this forest and the ones I had been to before, and finally understood the source of the suppressed emotions in my heart.

Not a single bird or beast was seen, which was the cause of my vague uneasiness.

Although I have known for a long time that there are no ferocious beasts in the mountains of Oki, but I have been in the forest for so long, but there is not even a shadow of a bird or a small animal. There are only giant trees and layers of bushes that are so lush that they can't see the end. The weeds and the occasional chirping of insects are really weird.

In this mountain forest where I am now, I can't feel the slightest pleasant natural atmosphere, but just like the legend, it exudes an inviolable chilling meaning.

And I, the stupid human being who ignored everyone's repeated warnings and insisted on stepping into it, violated the taboo.

Note 1: Shenli, a fence surrounded by evergreen broad-leaved shrubs, is often used as a fence for shrines or forbidden places.