Chapter 93

3. The God of Bountiful Harvest

Urged on by Esato, I started walking again.

What was that space, littered like a dump with what seemed to be tourists' belongings? As I exited the cave still confused, the clinging chill peeled away, and the warm westering sun poured down.

Akitsu was standing at the entrance. I hurried over to her.

"Akitsu, I'm sorry for leaving you behind!"

"It's fine......"

She looked slightly annoyed, but her eyes quickly widened.

"Miyaki, there's something on your back."

When Akitsu tapped my shoulder and I looked down, I saw something like reddish-brown mud smeared all over the back of my suit jacket.

"You're right. I must've gotten it in the cave......"

"That's what happens when you wander around without thinking."

Esato muttered in exasperation. I brushed at the mud repeatedly, but it only slid like blood and soaked into the fabric.

Akitsu tugged on my sleeve.

"Give it here."

"It's okay. I'll wash it when I get back! It's a little unsightly, though."

"You should clean it quickly. There's a water source over there."

Pulled along by her, we went around to the back of the cave, where spring water dripped from overlapping rocks. Drops fell from the tip of a withered bamboo stick wedged between the stones.

Akitsu peeled off my suit jacket, and a curtain of cold clung to my shirt.

"I'll wash it myself!"

I snatched the jacket back from her and dipped it into the thin stream. Akitsu's slender fingers overlapped mine as she scooped water and began scrubbing the fabric.

"Your hands will get cold."

"Same goes for you, Miyaki. It'll be faster if we do it together. Suits are expensive—you have to take care of them."

Akitsu kept scrubbing the cloth, not caring that dirt got under her nails. The hardened mud dissolved into the clear water.

"Akitsu, thank you."

"It's nothing."

I couldn't bring myself to say that I had been wary of her—and still was, a little.

A short distance away, Esato muttered while awkwardly puffing on a cigarette.

"You wanted to hear about our fathers' hometown, right?"

Esato held the cigarette between his fingers like he was about to snap it and spoke haltingly.

"To put it simply, it's mostly gone."

"Gone...?"

"It was the earthquake ten years ago. The land itself wasn't damaged much, but the tsunami kept the fishing boats from returning, and the beach was wrecked. Most of the prominent families in the village went missing. A ton of ship debris and earth washed ashore, and the fishing industry collapsed. The young people left, and now it's a ghost village."

I was at a loss for words. Esato gave a self-deprecating smile.

"Funny, isn't it? A village that had been ruled by Territorial Divine Offenses disappears just like that. We thought we had to perform rituals to appease the god or who knows what would happen. But not once did any strange reports come in after it became a ghost village. Everything we did—even sacrificing my younger brother—was all for nothing."

"Your brother..."

"Yeah, he got along well with your dad. I think he always regretted what happened to my brother. That's probably why he lived so recklessly."

I bit my lip. Cold water slid over the back of my hand, and I lost feeling in my fingertips.

"While the rest of the villagers had given up, your dad was different. He brought that man—Kirima—back to the village and crashed the ritual. What an idiot."

"Wow, he was really something..."

"Reckless like a boar. Just like you."

I gave a slight smile in reply, though I wasn't sure it came out right.

Akitsu wrung out the soaked suit and handed it to me.

"Thank you."

"You can't wear it yet. Hopefully it dries quickly."

"It's okay! It should be warm once we're down the mountain!"

As I tucked the cold jacket under my arm like a stone, Esato nudged my shoulder. He pressed his own recently removed suit onto me.

"No need to be so considerate."

"If you catch a cold, Kirima will nag me."

Esato muttered with genuine annoyance. I thanked him and slipped on the jacket. The scent of cigarettes and lingering body heat wrapped around my shoulders.

Esato glared at the setting sun through the smoke.

"I should've done something stupid sooner. That's why I accepted the summons and joined the special investigation division. I can't do much, but maybe I can make a difference for one or two people. Kirima's gone now."

"Kirima...?"

At my question, Esato's eyes widened, and he spoke in a small voice.

"...He's in a position where he can't do anything stupid anymore, that's all."

Esato looked down and blew smoke at the ground. Akitsu just cast her eyes down in gloom.

Just as I was about to ask something, I heard the voices of a young man and woman arguing.

A couple, seemingly husband and wife, emerged from the cave and gave me a sheepish bow when our eyes met.

"Excuse me, have you seen a little girl around here?"

"We got separated from our daughter..."

They must be talking about the girl who was being carried by the man in the mask in the cave.

"She was with the curator. He said he was looking for her parents, so I think they'll be out soon."

The couple sighed in relief, then resumed glaring at each other.

"It's your fault for not watching her properly!"

"You were the one holding her hand!"

Amid the awkward atmosphere, Akitsu whispered.

"The curator was talking with me the whole time."

"Yeah, there was someone else too."

"Two people in a place like this..."

I heard the soft pop of a water bubble burst from the rocky area. Spring water gushed from the split bamboo. The spilled droplets, perhaps due to the sunset and the mud, looked like dark red blood.

Following the beast path and suspension bridge back to the foot of the mountain, we found the village buzzing like a whole different world.

Lanterns painted with peonies dyed the indigo sky red, and souvenir shops lined the streets with stalls. Villagers and tourists packed the street, their cheeks flushed from the reflected light.

Women in white robes passed through the crowd. Some of them were girls I had seen earlier in the souvenir shops. In their ceremonial garments and gold ornaments reflecting the red of the lanterns, they looked like completely different people from the simple shopkeepers they had been.

"It's amazing how lively it gets."

I raised my voice so it wouldn't be drowned out by the crowd. Esato responded in a fed-up tone, dodging the shoulders of passersby.

"Apparently, there's a temporary bus to the neighboring village running until seven tonight. If you're heading back, now's the time."

"We're not done investigating yet! Akitsu, you're joining the festival too, right?"

"Yeah, because it's part of the investigation."

"You two just want to have fun, don't you?"

Akitsu suddenly stopped walking. She stood still, not caring that she bumped into someone.

"What's wrong?"

"That..."

Amid the noise, a shadow flickered between the lanterns swaying in the sweet smoke and spring breeze.

The man Akitsu pointed at was the same one in the mask we saw in the cave. Under the light, I could see that his hair was white like an old man's. It stood out starkly among the black-haired crowd.

He noticed me and gave a small wave.

"Ah, from earlier."

"Thanks for your help. Was the lost girl okay?"

"I reunited her with her parents."

When I glanced to the side, I saw Akitsu glaring at him with fierce eyes. Her clenched teeth showed through lips bitten so hard they bled.

"You..."

Akitsu spat out her words with hatred. I couldn't believe she would use such rough language with someone she just met. I looked between her and the man.

"Um, do you two...?"

The man let out a dry laugh.

"You came all the way out here, huh? Special investigation division for Territorial Divine Offenses, right?"

My heartbeat jumped like someone had grabbed my heart with bare hands.

"How do you know that...?"

"I know. But hey, we've gotten smarter too. Humans can't do anything. You already know that, don't you?"

The man sneered and lowered his mask. He opened his mouth. Inside the bright red oral cavity, countless thin teeth formed concentric circles, spreading like peony petals.

A lukewarm wind blew.

"Run!"

At the sharp cry, I snapped back to myself. The man had vanished. Before I could chase him, a firm hand grabbed my shoulder.

"Esato, now...!"

"I know. It's no use. Just like the God of the Calling Tide..."

He groaned bitterly and raised his voice toward the crowd.

"Get out of here! A landslide's coming!"

At Esato's roar-like shout, a few people turned around.

"What's with that guy? What's going on...?"

The villagers' puzzled stares pierced us. Akitsu and I shouted at the same time.

"That's right, please run!"

"It's dangerous to stay here!"

For a moment, people glanced around, then turned their backs as if nothing had happened.

"It's really dangerous, please...!"

Esato held me back.

"It's no use anymore. Let's go."

"Wait. Not yet..."

"If you two get caught up in this, we won't be able to bring back the information. Our essence is documentation. Don't forget that."

He dragged Akitsu and me along as if pulling a net with both hands. The cheerful bustle and lights receded into the distance. The lukewarm wind kept shaking the lanterns.

Led by Esato, we exited the festival and found an old microbus waiting.

Esato pushed Akitsu and me into the vehicle and rushed the driver.

"Get out of here, a landslide is coming."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just go!"

The driver glanced down at his watch with a puzzled expression.

"Departure is in two minutes."

Esato clicked his tongue and sat down in the front seat. Akitsu and I sat in the back and looked out the window. The festival lights scattered like dots into the darkness. A foreboding unease pounded in my chest.

Just as the engine began to start, a middle-aged couple and a boy around elementary school age boarded the bus. After looking at me, they exchanged uneasy words.

"A landslide is coming, they said..."

The bus shook heavily and started moving.

My head slammed into the hard seat from the jolt. At that moment, a scream like tearing silk echoed from outside.

Akitsu and I leaned forward and pressed against the window. From the direction of the festival, multiple screams overlapped.

The dark mountain in the distance quivered like the back of a beast, and from the summit to the base, something rushed down with tremendous force. A beat later, a cloud of dust engulfed the ridgeline.

The family in the back seat clung to each other, trembling. Their reflection on the glass was erased by the dust cloud. The window cracked with a snap, and pebbles struck it.

The driver, pale-faced, stepped on the accelerator and sped up.

I sat there in a daze and looked at Akitsu beside me. She hung her head as if enduring pain, glaring at her mud-stained toes.

"We couldn't do anything again..."

The screams and sound of collapse faded, and the inside of the vehicle was filled with the sound of the engine.