Chapter 10 Part 2
In the afternoon, I took a walk around the village, mulling things over. Gotta admit — even I had a hard time figuring out what brought on all that philosophizing this morning. What got into me? Never noticed any urge for empty social philosophy before. Maybe I ate something weird?..
Whatever. Doesn't really matter. I'll just write it off as a random impulse.
Right now — something more important.
"So — how much longer are you planning to hide?" I asked, lifting my head toward the sky. "You've been watching me since morning. Maybe time for a little courtesy — show yourselves?"
"Hee-hee-hee! He noticed!"
"He saw."
"He sensed."
"He's strong."
"He's strong!"
"He sensed us!"
"Interesting."
"Very interesting!"
Two youthful, ringing voices spoke from all around me. Almost impossible to tell where from — the sources kept shifting. Left, right, behind, overhead.
"He senses!"
"He sees! Sees!"
"Just as we were told?"
"Yes — just as we were told!"
"Strong — smells strong!"
"Is it really him? Is it him?"
"Yes — just as we were told! That's what we were told!"
"He's not afraid! Smells good. Not like fear."
"Smells like the Sun!"
"Like the Sun!"
"No one like that in so long!"
"So long!"
"How interesting!"
"How curious!"
"Hm. So — who are you, and what do you want?" I raised my voice, catching the speakers' attention. Strange... but I'm not tense. Not scared. If they meant harm, I'd feel it in their youki. But there's no malice. That gives me a little confidence.
"Forgot? Forgot!"
"Almost forgot."
"That's bad."
"Bad!"
"We'll fix it."
"Yes — we'll fix it!"
In a blink — two lithe shadows descended from the sky, spiraling around each other. When they slowed, I finally got a good look at my mysterious visitors.
"Huh?.. Not quite what I expected." I watched a pair of carp spirits frolicking — swimming through the air like water. What can I say? Koi carps. Graceful, quick, looking like perfect opposites: one's scales more orange than white, the other more white than orange. Everything else — practically twins. Even the spot patterns match. Looks pretty surreal. "Good day, noble spirits. What brings you to me?"
I bowed my head politely. Manners matter.
"A matter!" The Red-White koi flicked its tail. Now, right in front of me, the spirit's voice was clearer — not echoing across the whole area anymore. I notice they've got a certain accent — distinct enough to catch, not so much to be weird. Kind of... old-fashioned, I think?
"An important matter!" The White-Red one chimed in.
"A very, very important matter!!!" And they're... excitable. Both spirits just radiate this serene delight and enthusiasm.
"Amarimaru sent us!"
"Amarimaru did this!"
The carps started swirling around me playfully, throwing me off. Amarimaru? What's the old kappa need? Why didn't he come himself — sending two spirits who seem stronger than him individually?
With a sharp turn overhead, the carps wove together in a brief spiraling dance. A flash — my eyes blurred for a second.
"Hold it!"
"Grab it!"
"Catch it!"
Trusting their eager cries, I tried to "catch" whatever it was. My hands jerked down — sudden weight — and my fingers fumbled around something rough.
"This... what's this?" I murmured, baffled, staring at the scroll in my hands.
"Old!" — first thought that hit. This thing was genuinely ancient. The once-rich wood had dulled. The lacquer worn away. The golden (!) handles tarnished — forever stripped of their shine. The cord binding the fragile-looking paper had faded, bristling everywhere with frayed spots.
Honestly — how has this thing not crumbled in my hands?!
"What is this?" I asked again — more coherent now. My fingers traced the rough paper, barely touching. No — even though it looks like one good breeze would turn it to dust, that's not true. The scroll's saturated with spiritual power — somehow protecting it from decay.
"A gift!"
"A gift!"
The carps answered together.
"Amarimaru's grateful."
"Amarimaru wept."
"Amarimaru gave thanks and wept!"
The spirits twirled happily.
"And us too!"
"Us too! We're glad!"
"A gift from us as well!"
"From Mujomizu-sama too!"
"He wouldn't have taken it."
"He wouldn't have listened."
"He knew you wouldn't take it."
"Strange."
"Funny."
"Kind!"
"GRATITUDE!!!!" They finished in chorus.
"That cucumber turtle..." I couldn't help a smile. Seriously... my ears were already aching yesterday from the kappa's nonstop thanks. Exhausting. Awkward. I thought he'd settled down — gotten his emotions in check — but look at this... And I didn't even help for gratitude or reward.
Still — refusing this gift would be rude. If I do, that shell-backed guy'll never relax — he'll just cook up something else.
"Let's see!.." I felt a little thrill as I untied the cord. Unrolled the scroll...
Reading... reading...
The youth stood in the middle of a forest clearing — completely swallowed by the words on the ancient-looking scroll.
.....
At some point, his hands began to tremble.
.....
Then his whole body seemed to turn to stone.
.....
"!!!!!!" Jerking like he'd been struck by lightning, Kaoru's head snapped up — staring at the two spirits with absolutely wild eyes. His jaw twitched. He tried to say something. Not a single coherent sound came out. Convulsively, his head dropped back to the scroll — then jerked up again, staring at the fish spirits.
Then it repeated. Fish — scroll. Again. Fish — scroll. Fish — scroll. Fish — scroll...
Finally — with a loud clack of teeth — Kaoru slammed his mouth shut and rolled up the parchment with a fast, jerky motion. He started pacing — clutching the scroll to his chest. Stopped. Cast a sharp, paranoid glance everywhere. Then peered with intense interest at the roots of a nearby tree, sticking out of the ground.
The young priest was suddenly seized by an overwhelming Dog Instinct — the urge to take the "precious bone" and... BURY IT!!! Hide it so NO ONE! No one, no one, no one could ever find it!
He blinked. Shook his head sharply — squeezing his eyes shut, forcing out the completely idiotic thought.
Kaoru was stunned. Shocked. The unexpected gift had turned out to be something absolutely impossible to predict. The knowledge it held... was priceless. So priceless that the entire architecture of his mind — painstakingly built through monastic discipline and self-discovery — had been literally swept aside and shattered.
Dropping to his knees, Kaoru took a slow, deep breath. So deep his lungs ached. A short pause. A slow exhale — almost a full minute. Inhale. Pause. Exhale. A sensation of coolness rushed into him — through his lungs, down to his core — then rose like a warm wave to the very roots of his hair.
Inhale-Pause-Exhale.
His head spun a little — too much oxygen — but the short meditation brought his stampeding mind back under control.
Slowly opening his brown eyes, the youth looked down at the scroll clutched in his fingers.
"That was... unexpected," he whispered to himself. His fingers started toward the cord to open it onc— no. Clenching them for a second, Kaoru quickly wrapped the cord around the scroll and tied a small knot. No. Not now. My self-control's not enough right now — not to study this calmly. The thing itself is too valuable. And for me? Its value's multiplied tenfold. In this state — staying level-headed's almost impossible.
"I've still got a lot of work to do on myself. Pathetic. Gotta increase self-discipline training."
"Noble spirits." He turned to the Carps with a gentle smile. "Please — convey to Amarimaru-dono and Mujomizu-sama my deepest, most sincere gratitude for this Gift. From the bottom of my heart."
"That's quick." Red-White.
"That's boring." White-Red.
"But we'll do it!" Both carps finished together.
Kaoru bowed his head in thanks. A moment of silence.
Kaoru blinked: the spirits hadn't left. They were still dancing silently in the air.
"Something else?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Boring!" one spirit complained.
"Dreary." The other picked it up.
"Mundane."
"Sick of it!"
"Sick of it, sick of it..."
"You're interesting!!!" In unison.
"Um... Eh?.." Nagisa didn't get it.
"Curious. Funny." The carps began circling him slowly. "You smell good. Good smell."
"Pleasant. Soft. Warm!"
"Oh?.. Is that so?.." Closing his eyes, the boy gathered his thoughts — trying to understand the spirits' weird behavior. And then it hit him. Feeling a sudden surge of excitement, Kaoru asked: "You... Would you like to come with me?!"
"YES!!!" The carps shouted with joy, pulling a wild spin right in front of his face — blasting him with damp air.
"Looks like... the luck gods really did drink to my health, huh?!" Kaoru thought, a slightly nervous laugh escaping. Way too many gifts for one day. Even without the Kappa's present — two spirits taking an interest in me? That's already huge."Oh crap!! But I've got nothing ready!!"
Starting, the boy scrambled through his pockets — trying to find anything suitable. I didn't exactly plan on contracting spirits today — don't have the right stuff on me.
"Ah — would this work?" he asked, pulling from the depths of a pocket a tiny scroll that had somehow ended up there.
The carps glided down, examining the unrolled paper with their faces.
"Narrow!" Red complained.
"Cramped." White threw out, unhappy.
"Too little space."
"Shallow."
"Hmm... What now?.." Kaoru murmured, drumming his fingers on his knee. Calmed down now. Think. While they're in the mood — got to bind them fast. Beings like this change their minds in a heartbeat. Losing this chance would be criminal.
"Guess... I really am kind of greedy?" he laughed at himself. "Mmaa... Welp — gotta work with what I've got. I'll make something like 'Natsume's Book of Friends'!"
Biting his right thumb, the youth began rapidly inscribing symbols and words across the paper. A couple minutes — done.
"Shoddy work... But it'll do for now," Kaoru nodded to himself.
"My name is Nagisa Kaoru." He bowed his head slightly, pouring spiritual power into the scroll. "And you?"
"I'm Hora!" exclaimed the Red-White carp. As it spoke, the spirit began glowing faintly from within.
"And I'm Horo!" echoed the White-Red.
The scroll's surface rippled — distortions spreading — and when it stopped, two lines had appeared. Names, written in kanji: "Hora" and "Horo."
"Take care of us, Kaoru-sama!" the carps said together, the glow fading.
"Take care of me, Hora, Horo," Kaoru answered with a smile. "Now... Hm... I don't have a proper 'Spirit House' for you yet, unfortunately. But I think we'll sort that out soon."
"We'll live with Kaoru-sama!" Horo flicked his tail.
"We'll live with Kaoru-sama!" Hora exclaimed.
Then both spirits shot into the air in a tight spiral — reached the peak — and plunged down like an arrow straight into Kaoru's back! And vanished.
"Huh?! OW!!" The young boy jolted from the sharp pain, nearly falling over from sheer surprise. Kaoru's hand flew to the spot — but found nothing. No wound. On top of that, he became aware of a faint stiffness in his shoulders — and, at the same time, a slight drain on his spiritual power.
"You've gotta be kidding me... A scroll's too cramped — but someone else's body is just perfect?!" The youth fumed, rubbing his back. Still — nothing's killing this mood. Today I got more than I ever could've dreamed.
"Guess Old Lady Shapoklyak was wrong: Doing good deeds isn't just nice — sometimes it actually pays off!" Kaoru said, with a very wise expression, tucking both scrolls into his pocket.
Time to head back. This walk's already gone way too long — and I'm starving...