Chapter 7.3

"Good evening?"

As Akira called out from the entryway, Azusa stepped out wiping her hands. 

"My," she said with a smile.

"How is Nii-chan going?"

Azusa was a touch troubled by Akira's question. "You came to pay him a get-well visit? ...He's probably asleep I think, but."

"If he is, we won't bother him," interjected Kaori. "Uhm, Here... A get-well present."

Kaori held out a bag with a gelatin dessert in it. Azusa motioned into the house.

"Anyway, at least come in."

Akira and Kaori said their thanks and came in. Azusa went ahead of them and headed inside. "It seems like he still can't sleep. He was awake in the middle of the night taking a walk it looks like."

"A walk, you said? In the night?"

That's right, Azusa said with a troubled smile. "He came staggering back at dawn, saying he couldn't sleep so he took a walk. He didn't seem very steady on his feet. This morning he slept like the dead but he didn't really have any kind of fever or anything like that, so."

Kaori gave a covert look to Akira. Akira's was utterly wordless as he nodded.

"Natsuno?" Azusa opened the door. There was no response but she turned and smiled at the two. "Looks like he's up. Here you go. ---It's Kaori-chan and Akira-kun. They've come to pay a get-well visit."

After talking to him, Azusa returned to the hallway. Kaori and Akira entered the room and closed the door.

"Nii-chan, you alright?" Akira hurried to the bedside to peer at his face. Natsuno seemed to give a faint nod. 

"The rocks haven't moved."

"Oh," was all he replied to Akira's serious sounding report. His pallor was blue, his arm lying out flaccid. 

"Nii-chan, are you really all right?"

"Yeah... Sorry." 

The moment she looked at Natsuno who said those words with his eyes half lidded, Kaori felt a chill in her legs. --It was similar, to Megumi. On the night of the Bon Feast of the Lanterns festival, the last time she'd seen Megumi. It was all too much like the way she was laid out, powerless. 

"...Was it, Megumi?" Kaori asked. 

Natsuno looked at the wall and answered "No," with a murmur. And then as if it were too much effort he closed his eyes. 

"It wasn't Megumi? Somebody else? The reason you called Akira the other day was because somebody came, right? Then---" 

As Kaori was about to ask further, there was the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Azusa had brought tea.

"Help yourself to some tea," Azusa smiled. Kaori found herself suffering at the sight of that smile. Without realizing the seriousness of the situation, she peered at Natsuno's face. "Your color's gotten a bit better. Kaori-chan and her brother brought some gelatin, you want some?"

No, Natsuno replied, answers still short. 

"Really? Then, I'll make rice porridge for dinner, so be sure to eat tonight," Azusa said, looking to Kaori. "Try not to keep him up too long, all right?"

Yes, Kaori nodded, watching Azusa leave. She didn't realize a thing. She simply thought he was sick. Even though he wasn't, even though it was something more serious than that.

Kaori pushed aside the tray and took out a cross symbol around her neck. It was something she just happened to bring. It was a cheap with shoddy workmanship, and she didn't know if something like that would be any use or not. 

When she tried to put it round Natsuno's neck, he faintly shook his head in protest. "...Use it on yourselves. ...I'm finished."

"Come on, don't say things like that!"

"That's right!" Akira encouraged. "We're protecting ourselves just like Nii-chan said? We're having any visitors turned away too. So Nii-chan, you've got to work hard at it too."

Kaori hanged it at the bedside and Akira placed juzu beads around Natsuno's wrist. 

"We're the only three there are. None of the adults have noticed. What're we supposed to do without you, Nii-chan?"

That's right, Kaori murmured. She hid a bag with a charm in it and laid a protective arrow across the headboard. The ofuda charm she had was just one she had taken from their kitchen, so it was possible it didn't mean or do anything at all, but for the time being she plastered it do the window glass. She placed a cross Akira had made out of pencils by his pillow. All of these were all the things that she had gathered with Akira. turning the house upside down last night. It was sad how childish they were, only able to do this much. 

[TN: Ofuda - A piece of paper, cloth or plank of wood or metal with the name or symbol of a god and/or temple or shrine written on it. Said to be imbibed with a portion of a god or spirit (which can be divided indefinitely), they can be made with specialized blessings in mind, such as for luck in studying, safety in traveling, fertility, healthy childbirth, etc. They're meant to be put in the family shrine or altar but can also be placed elsewhere; for example, it's common to have one in the kitchen to prevent house fires. It's customary to bring ofuda in to a temple to replace every year, to dispose of the old charm loaded with bad luck in a ritualistic and grateful manner rather than treating it like common trash. In a more cynical view, purchases of them are seen as a donation to the temple or shrine.

Bag with a charm in it - It's common for shrines and temples to sell charms in the form of small paper or cardboard ofuda tucked inside of an embossed or embroidered pouch. The charms are popular souvenirs sold at both Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples. The charm within the bag is said to take the bad luck for the carrier besides just bringing good luck and unlike ofuda installed either in the shrine or somewhere in the house, the bagged charms are kept on one's person or on or in one's bag, purse, wallet, etc. Like ofuda, it's customary to replace these once per year.

Protective Arrow (Hamaya; literally exorcism arrow) - A dull-tipped ceremonial arrow. Because the target of a ceremonial arrow is said not to be a person or thing but noxious spiritual fumes, bad will or intent, or other intangible wickedness, it is said not to need a tip. They are said to be used in ancient exorcisms and are a common symbol. They are often given to newborn boys at their first new years festival or placed facing the northeast (where evil is most likely to come from) of a building during construction. Archery itself is a in some Japanese schools of archery more of a spiritual practice than a physical one, akin to a meditation ritual; the spiritual connotations of arrows are part of Japanese Buddhism as well as Shintoism and may be purchased at both temples and shrines.]

Natsuno turned his eyes towards Kaori and Akira, said nothing, then closed his eyes. Soon they could hear shallow, sleeping breaths. Together with Akira, she hanged her head and left the room. They returned the untouched tray to Azusa. 

"Uhm... We're sorry for intruding."

Azusa smiled. "Was Natsuno-kun able to talk to you?"

Yes, Kaori said, smiling even while it meant forcing herself. Just then, Yuuki had come from the hallway. Well my, said Yuuki, smiling as Azusa had.

"Welcome."

When Azusa reported that they had come to pay a get-well visit, Yuuki smiled. "Thank you for that. That Natsuno, was he awake?"

"Yes. He spoke to us quite a lot... He seemed well, so we are relieved."

That was such a lie. But they were adults who didn't know anything, how else were they supposed to say it? This was something they couldn't tell an adult. Thinking that, she reflexively hid it. She ended up saying the opposite of the situation. It was a childish lie.

I see, Yuuki smiled. 

The two children returned home and after a while Azusa began to set the dinner table. Yuuki silently rose and headed towards his son's room.

It seemed like he hadn't slept at dawn but maybe that was his limit, today, all day, he'd slept well. He'd taken a look in on him when coming back from the workshop, but he was relieved to see that he was apparently sleeping too soundly to respond when spoken to. When he woke him at noon, he said he didn't have an appetite but that he felt good. If he was able to take in visitors, he probably had gotten better. 

With a light knock, he peered into the room. It looked like Natsuno was still sleeping. He might have been making up for the lost time until now.

While thinking that and coming closer to the bedside, Yuuki noticed the things reverently set by the pillow. Two pencils were bound into a cross shape. It looked like it was made by a kid. 

What kind of charm is this supposed to be, Yuuki thought. As he tilted his head, he saw that there was a single ceremonial arrow laid out on the headboard. 

"What is this?" Yuuki murmured, asking Natsuno. As usual his color was poor. It was better than yesterday but it was far from a healthy pallor. He tried to shake him but he only rolled in his sleep as if in protest, his son not even trying to wake up. Seeing the juzu beads in his hand, Yuuki furrowed his brows.

(What is this...)

Some hazy feeling coiled in Yuuki's chest.

"Natsuno."

Yuuki called again to his son. At last Natsuno faintly opened his eyes.

"What is all this?"

He motioned to the arrow, but Natsuno didn't show any interest. He turned his eyes to it, though was he even paying attention? Then as if it were too much trouble he closed his eyes. 

"Did you put them out?"

Natsuno didn't open his eyes. No, he answered with a mumble. 

"Natsuno, would you wake up?" he said, but Natsuno didn't respond. He faintly opened his eyes, then closed them. It was an action showing him to be sluggish and in no mood to answer. 

He's incredibly tired, Yuuki said to himself. He was healthy yesterday. His color was poor and he seemed in bad shape but he could answer Yuuki properly, he could smile, he even joked. So of course it shouldn't have been 'that.' The reason he looked worse off than yesterday was he hadn't slept until dawn, he was worn out from having visitors, because he was woken up just after falling asleep. ---There was no doubt about it.

(Then, what is all this?)

What was there seemed like a sign of some sort. He had the feeling there was a hidden message to it.

"Preposterous..." 

Azusa wouldn't have put out something like this and looking at the pencils it was clear that it was those siblings who set it up.

"Just what the hell is all this?" 

Yuuki haphazardly searched the room. He found the charm in the bag under the pillow and the talisman on the window.

"...This is just ridiculous!"

Yuuki himself didn't really know what it was gradually welling up in his chest. It looked like there was some reason or meaning to their things but it was too unpleasant to bear thinking about. ---Yes, the village housed those who deeply superstitious. Saying that the string of calamities were a curse, there were those who took to paper charms with religious zeal. Saying it was Oni, saying it was The Risen. Yuuki could not tolerate such ignorance. 

He was irritated that his son had been caught up in all of this, irritated at those siblings. While he had been wishing for his son to meld into the village, he couldn't forgive his son being seen having such behaviors like one of those in the village. 

He took down the sacred arrow, bundled up what had been gathered and threw it into the trash.

A suspicious child coming to visit, siblings coming to visit. Death and disease. The village was inundated with things Yuuki couldn't make sense of. He couldn't stand it. 

It was just sleep deficiency, Yuuki said looking to his son's pale sleeping face. He was bothered by the first time death had come to somebody near to him. He was a hardy boy, and he came to his limit without voicing any complaints to that point. That's what it was. He didn't want to lump that in with the unknown that was growing thickly throughout the village, nor did he want to be drug into such a stupid uproar. Yuuki angrily confirmed that his son's room was back to normal and went into the hall. 

While closing the door behind him, he felt suspicious at his own anger. It felt disturbed, like a sore spot was being pricked at. ---Like there was something he was afraid of.