The First Shrine Visit

From the main hall of Naritasan you can walk around the Great Pagoda of Peace through Narita Park in the back. Quite a few people head that way, but in this freezing cold I didn’t want to wander a dark park—especially with Meika-chan. It’d be dangerous if we ran into any sketchy characters.

…Seriously though, where did that jerk Ishida go?

Naritasan has two routes leading down from the main hall to the mountain gate, one on the left and one on the right.

“Meika-chan, there are too many people here to find Ishida. Let’s head down and wait for him in front of the mountain gate.”

Meika-chan nodded. I messaged Ishida on social media: “We’re waiting near the gift shops in front of the mountain gate at the bottom.”

We took the narrow stone steps beside the monks’ quarters near the three-story pagoda—the left side from the main hall—and descended to the shops in front of the gate. I checked my phone; my message still wasn’t marked “read.”

“Meika-chan, have you heard anything from Ishida on your end?”

She pulled out her phone and answered, “Nothing.”

The two of us were stranded at Naritasan in the middle of the night. It was so cold we couldn’t stand still; I kept fidgeting. Then I spotted a sign at a nearby gift shop: Sweet Sake (Amazake) Available.

“Meika-chan, it’s freezing—how about some sweet sake?”

She looked up at me, surprised. “It doesn’t have alcohol, so it’s fine for minors like us to drink.”

I went in and ordered two cups, then handed her one, holding the paper cup in both hands.

“Thank you.”

She cradled the cup and blew—foo, foo—before taking a sip. Her fair cheeks were pink from the cold, and with her chin buried in her muffler she looked every bit the quintessential, adorable high school girl.

…If I had a younger sister, she’d be exactly like this…

I watched her with a fond, brotherly smile.

“But seriously, where did Ishida go?” I muttered, then looked back at Meika-chan.

“Sorry about this. It must be boring for you, coming to the New Year’s visit with guys like us.”

I said it without thinking, but…

“No,” Meika-chan replied, her voice small but clear. “I’m glad I could come with you today, Yu-san.”

…Eh?

Her words stopped me. I remembered Ishida saying that before—Meika has a thing for Yu. I hadn’t taken him seriously then, but was he right? Suddenly being alone with her felt painfully awkward.

This is getting tense. I have to say something…

“Um…” she spoke first. “Yu-san, you broke up with your previous girlfriend, right?”

“Ah, yeah.”

Right—Meika knew the whole story about Karen’s cheating.

“From what I heard, she sounds like a truly horrible person.”

“Well, I guess so. But I’m partly to blame too for choosing someone like that.”

“That’s not true! You’re not to blame at all, Yu-san!” Meika-chan said with surprising conviction. “If a woman like that were in front of me, I’d slap her for you!”

I was taken aback—then remembered Meika had always been pretty spunky.

“Haha, thanks,” I said dryly. But she kept talking.

“But… you have a new girlfriend now, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Toko Sakurajima-san. I know her name. I’ve heard she’s very beautiful.”

I was surprised.

“But you and Toko-senpai shouldn’t have crossed paths. She graduated middle school before you, and you go to different high schools.”

Now that I thought about it, Ishida had gone to the same middle school as Toko-senpai; Meika had, too.

“That’s true, but we switched places right as she left. Older students kept mentioning ‘Toko Sakurajima.’”

“I see.”

She’d apparently been locally famous since middle school.

“And besides…”

“Besides what?” I asked.

Meika shook her head. “No, it’s nothing.”

“Oh! There you are!”

A loud voice called from across the crowd. It was Ishida.

“Where the hell were you?” I demanded.

He replied without remorse, “I don’t get many chances to come to Naritasan, so I took a lap around Narita Park in the back.”

“You could have at least contacted us.”

“I thought about it, but my battery was low. I figured Meika would be fine with you, Yu.”

He turned to his sister. “Meika, no problems, right? Weren’t you happy to be with Yu?”

Meika-chan just huffed and turned her head away.

“Well, whatever. By the way, the path to Naritasan is famous for its eel—unagi. Want to grab some?”

“Eel, huh? Sounds great. But isn’t it expensive?”

“My parents gave me cash for tonight. If you’re worried, I’ll lend you some.”

“No, I have enough on me, so I’m good.”

“Right, let’s go then!”

With that we walked from Naritasan back toward the station. Meika seemed inexplicably grumpy and I couldn’t bring myself to ask why—until I felt a light tug on my elbow.

I looked down to see Meika pinching my sleeve, face a little red, eyes cast down.