Chapter 18 - Logical Explanation

After she finished praying, Yuzu opened her eyes and glanced over to Char Char. The girl was staring at the shrine intensely, a tiny frown on her lips.

“Do you think the lodestone would maybe attract the spirits?” Char Char asked after a while, “Or maybe we should pray here at night. I think I read somewhere that spirits are stronger after the sun sets.”

“You shouldn’t come here after dark.” Yuzu said abruptly. The dark stormy weather of her vision flashed in her mind. “It’s not safe.”

“What do you mean?” Char Char shot a quizzical look at Yuzu, then a coy smile grew on her face, “Wait, are you saying you’re concerned about my safety?”

“No.” Yuzu looked away scowling, then stood up abruptly. “Forget it.”

She walked away towards the flat boulder without waiting for Char Char’s response.

Edwin frowned, “I don’t get why you invited her. She seems to hate you, and she’s been in a bad mood this whole time.”

Char Char put a finger to her pouting lips as she gave Edwin’s words some thought. “I don’t think so. I think we get along just fine. Besides, if she didn’t want to come she could have said no. Once you get to know her better you’ll see.”

“Is that so...” Edwin sighed, not believing Char Char’s words for a second.

“Did you bring the lodestone?” Char Char asked, leaning towards the shrine a little. “I want to try it here.”

“Uh, well, no. I left it back at the manor.” Edwin said, “Plus I don’t think it’s a good idea. Incense and fruit are nice offerings, they won’t upset the spirits. But you never know how they’d react to spiritually charged items.”

“So you’re saying there might be an actual reaction?” Char Char said hopefully.

“W-whether or not there’d be one, it’s not a good idea.” Edwin stammered. He found it hard to so directly shoot down the pretty girl’s idea, but his principles as a monk made him stand his ground. “You shouldn’t try to aggravate the spirits in this way.”

Char Char’s mood suddenly darkened as she glared at the stacked persimmons and smoking incense with an intensely dissatisfied look. Edwin felt beads of sweat gather on the back of his neck as he swallowed silently, staying quiet so as not to attract her ire.

Although he wasn’t a mind reader, it was clear that Char Char had expected something fantastic to happen. But having things turn out to be ordinary was probably for the better. He felt like he had gained a clarity of mind. The more time he spent with her, the more he felt that she was simply a spoiled girl from a wealthy household, bored with life and looking for something exciting to grab her attention.

He felt slightly more grounded at this insight, and perhaps a bit foolish for having entertained her fancy up to this point. Yes, she was attractive, and she had a magnetic enthusiasm that had drawn him in. But she was not a part of his world. He had more important things to worry about.

“We should head back soon.” Edwin said softly, standing up.

“Fine.” Char Char mumbled, but she didn’t move from her spot.

He waited for a few seconds before turning and walking towards the flat boulder. Yuzu was sitting on the edge of it next to the bags, eating a sandwich that she had taken from the basket.

Edwin felt like his pleasant mountain hike with two girls his age had taken a turn for the worst. One girl was in an awful mood after being told she couldn’t just do what she wanted with spiritual things. The other was about as approachable as a porcupine.

He forced himself to wear a pleasant expression as he sat down on the other side of the basket.

“I guess we’re leaving soon.” He said, “I hope you didn’t have a bad time.”

Yuzu remained silent, chewing on the sandwich absentmindedly as her eyes stared out towards the shrine. He reached into the basket to have something to do amidst the awkward silence and pulled out a neatly packed sandwich for himself. It was made with a soft ciabatta bread and had an olive tapenade spread, roasted red peppers, artichokes and chicken breast. It was perhaps the most extravagant, delicious sandwich he had ever had.

“I guess she expected something more from this trip.” Edwin said, trying to fill the silence. “Like maybe for spirits to fly out of the ground and dance for her. Uh. You on the other hand, I guess don’t really believe in that kind of stuff, huh.”

He had overheard her on the hike up calling his lodestone a ‘trick’. It had aggravated him, although he hadn’t said anything up to this point.

“That’s not true.” Yuzu said after a long silence. It surprised Edwin, who had not expected a response at all to his random babbling. “There are definitely things in this world that are beyond a normal person’s experience. Spirits. Magic. Strange chests. Golden threads that only certain people can see.”

She paused, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

“It’s the only logical explanation.” She said at length.

“Explanation for what?” Edwin asked, feeling completely lost.

Yuzu sighed, resting her hands in her lap, still holding onto her half eaten sandwich as she looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were gathering overhead. A slight frown touched upon her lips.

“For why I’m out here in the middle of the forest today.”

To Edwin, Yuzu was simply complaining about the trip again. He quickly finished off the sandwich and started gathering up the basket and bags to prepare to leave.

Yuzu watched him quietly as she slowly nibbled on her sandwich. She had briefly considered asking him about the threads and the visions before discarding the idea completely. He wasn’t able to see the threads, she had even hinted at them casually to see if he had any reaction. The fact that he had just became more confused meant that he had no clue about what it was she was experiencing. He was basically useless to her.

In addition, the golden wisps of smoke that radiated from his body did not mingle with hers or Char Char’s. She felt that he would not have a strong connection to either of them.

The sandwich tasted cold and bland to her. She had taken it to try to take her mind off of things and calm down, but it failed to help her relax.

Char Char arrived with a glum expression as Edwin finished picking up all the bags.

“Let’s go.”

~

The walk down from the peak was easier than the hike up, and once again Yuzu led the way through the trail-less forest with a quiet confidence. Before long they had reached the giant tree next to the path, and made their way back to the city. The hike back was quiet, with little conversation. All three members of the group were lost in their own moods.

The sky was getting dark with storm clouds as they reached the T-intersection between Char Char and Yuzu’s homes. It was not yet sunset, but the sun was starting to hang low in the sky. All in all the trip had taken about four hours.

The trio said a terse goodbye and went on their separate ways.

Before long Yuzu entered through the front door of the pawn shop. The bells above the door clanged loudly with her entrance.

“Did you have a good time with Char Char?” Xiang greeted her from behind the counter. He had seen Yuzu take off with her on her way out.

“We went up to the old shrine in the forest.” Yuzu said, making her way to the back.

“Ah. By the way, was the monk that was with you named Edwin?” Xiang leaned back in his chair, blocking the way as Yuzu tried to pass him.

“Yeah, why?”

“A police officer was here earlier looking for him.” Xiang said, “Something about helping him find a missing person. I said that you were probably going to Sansen’s place.”

“Okayyy?” Yuzu said, drawing out the word as she looked at Xiang with expectation for him to move out of the way.

“We had a good amount of business today.” Xiang rocked a bit on the chair, feigning obliviousness. “I feel like the fliers that I put up across the river have helped. Also some of the clients from the lumber yard stopped by too. Remember I told you I talked to a few of them about the shop?”

Xiang had a part time job at the lumber yard on the north end of town that he worked at during the evenings, and on his days off from the shop.

“Mmhmm.” Yuzu grumbled, “Can I go to into the house now?”

Xiang looked over to Yuzu, “Bad mood? Something bothering you?”

“No.” Yuzu sighed, “I’m just tired from hiking, okay?”

A jingling from the door interrupted them as an unfamiliar customer entered the store. The chair made a loud noise as Xiang stood up from the seat and greeted the man. Yuzu used the opportunity to slip past Xiang and then turned the corner and ran halfway up the stairs.

At the halfway point she paused, listening carefully to the sounds from the front. Xiang had walked around the counter out to the main area to greet the customer, his voice booming across the house.

With quiet steps, Yuzu went back down the stairs and slipped into the storage room. The dust brush was still on the floor where she had dropped it earlier. She stepped over it and knelt down to look at the intricately decorated chest on the bottom shelf.

A golden, smoky thread lit up between Yuzu and the chest as she picked it up. It swirled around her in lazy, slow loops.

Yuzu muttered to herself beneath her breath.

“Yep. This is all totally logical.”