Shigure closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and began earnestly conveying her wish to the gods.
A moment later, she opened her eyes. “Is this… acceptable?”
Shion nodded. “Yes, this is fine. The gods will hear your wish.”
A smile finally bloomed on Shigure’s face. “That’s wonderful, then.”
Shion then retrieved the box typically used by worshippers to draw omikuji (TL Note: Japanese fortune-telling slips) for their fortunes, extending it towards Shigure. “Would Iori-san like to draw a fortune slip to see your future?”
Shigure nodded, then clasped her hands together, prayed for a few seconds, and gently drew a bamboo stick from the fortune-stick container.
Utterly dreadful luck.
The characters, written in black ink, were remarkably neat, yet the two words ‘大凶’ (Utterly dreadful luck) stood out with a jarring intensity.
“Huh?! No, it can’t be…” Upon seeing the slip denoting utterly dreadful luck, Shigure’s earlier smile instantly vanished.
“That doesn’t count!” Shion quickly snatched back the slip Shigure had drawn, set it aside, then vigorously shook the fortune-stick container before placing it back before Shigure. “Perhaps I didn’t shake it properly just now. Iori-san, please try drawing another.”
Shigure nodded, extended her hand, and drew another stick from the container.
Still utterly dreadful luck.
“Surely the gods don’t find my wish too unreasonable…” Shigure’s expression seemed on the verge of tears.
“I’ve certainly heard far more audacious wishes than yours before, and even those can be granted, so why shouldn’t Iori-san’s wish come true? Besides, how is this wish unreasonable at all?” Shion promptly took the slip Shigure had drawn, opened the lid of the fortune-stick container, and began rummaging through the pile of slips. As she searched, she muttered to herself, ‘Just how many ‘utterly dreadful luck’ slips did I put in here?!’ After a considerable search, she finally found a slip marked ‘Great Good Luck’ and pressed it into Shigure’s hand.
“Huh?…” Shigure looked somewhat bewildered.
“If the gods cannot grant it, then the shrine maiden of Hoshimori Shrine will ensure the gods do.” Shion smiled at Shigure. “So, Iori-san, please don’t worry. Great Good Luck is the true final outcome.”
Shigure finally broke into a smile through her tears, nodding emphatically. “Mm!”
****
Unbeknownst to them, twilight was gradually descending. The clouds on the horizon were ablaze with the golden hues of the setting sun, burning a fiery red. Having completed their prayers, Shion and Shigure sat quietly on the shrine steps. Shigure gazed blankly at the sky, watching it slowly transform from blue to crimson. She stretched out a hand, as if yearning to reach the fiery red clouds on the horizon and pluck a small piece of the evening glow.
“If only we could reach them,” Shion murmured, her head buried in her knees, her face slightly turned as she watched Shigure.
“Yes, if only we could reach them,” Shigure replied, lowering her hand and letting out a soft sigh. “If only my wish could come true…”
“It will,” Shion whispered, much like a protagonist in a manga.
Shigure stood up, dusting a little ash from her skirt, and said to Shion, “It’s getting late. I need to go back and cook for my grandmother.” Then, she bowed deeply to Shion beside her. “Hoshimori-san, if my wish truly comes to pass, I will certainly return to the shrine to offer my thanks.”
“Iori-san, please wait a moment. I have something else for you.” Shion also rose, walked to a table beside the main hall, and retrieved a braided cord woven from red and white threads from a box on it. Approaching Shigure, she gently took Shigure’s left hand and solemnly tied the braided cord around her wrist.
“Um, Hoshimori-san, what is this?…” Shigure asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.
As Shion tied it, she explained, “It’s a braided cord I made some time ago. These cords signify connection, and once you wear it, you’ll be linked to Hoshimori Shrine. So, if anything comes up, I’ll help you.”
“Thank you! It’s so precious…” Shigure said, gently touching the braided cord now tied to her wrist.
Shion smiled. “It’s no trouble at all. We are classmates, after all.”
“Thank you, Hoshimori-san!” Shigure bowed once more.
It wasn’t particularly precious, in truth; these braided cords were merely mass-produced souvenirs from Hoshimori Shrine’s past. While it was true Shion had woven them herself, no one visited the shrine to pray anymore. Rather than letting these cords gather dust within the shrine, it was better to let them serve some purpose, even if only to offer Shigure a measure of psychological comfort.
After thanking Shion once more, Shigure hurried home. She certainly seemed to be in a rush.
Shion stretched languidly. She wasn’t certain if she could truly help Shigure; after all, she wasn’t a doctor and couldn’t cure Shigure’s grandmother’s illness. Nevertheless, as the shrine maiden of Hoshimori Shrine, it would be even better if she could, in the name of the gods, bring a little happiness to Shigure. And what if the gods actually appeared and granted Shigure’s wish? This wasn’t the real world, after all; anything was possible.
“Ayane, stop hiding; I saw you ages ago,” Shion called out without turning her head.
Ayane emerged from behind the large circular pillar of the shrine. “How did you find me, Big Sis?”
Shion wore a triumphant smile. “Because I’m your big sister, of course! If I couldn’t even find my own sister hiding here, then I’d be a pretty useless big sister, wouldn’t I?”
Ayane stuck out her tongue. “Mean Big Sis.”
“Alright, Ayane, why aren’t you doing your homework?”
Ayane yawned. “I’m not like you, Big Sis, taking ages to think through a single homework problem. I finished mine ages ago.”
Shion felt a bead of sweat form. “Well, I suppose that’s my sister for you.”
“The TV show hasn’t started yet, and you and Iori-san have been chatting this whole time, so I just waited here,” Ayane pouted. “Big Sis is so nice to other girls. You even gave that braided cord, which you made yourself, to Iori-san.”
“A certain Hoshimori sister, who gets all three meals cooked by her big sister every day, is complaining that her big sister is nice to other girls?” Shion retorted with a laugh. “Besides, no one has come to pray at the shrine for ages, so these braided cords can’t be sold as souvenirs anyway. Might as well use one to help Iori-san.”
Ayane continued to pout, but she nodded nonetheless.
“Also, Big Sis.”
“What is it?” Shion asked.
“I’m hungry. Hurry up and make dinner.”
Shion lightly punched Ayane’s head. “You little glutton, always thinking about food. When you get fat as a ball, you’ll have nowhere to cry.”
Ayane made a funny face at Shion. “No way! I eat every day, and that’s why *that* part is bigger than yours!”
‘My own sister really knows how to hit where it hurts without hesitation! I’ll throw her out one of these days!’
“Idiot Ayane! You’re eating plain rice for dinner tonight, no meat allowed!”
“Mean Big Sis!”