"Why did you stop walking?" Kasahara Fumi caught up from behind.
"Watching the ducks," Fujiwara Reya pointed at the ducklings.
Kasahara Fumi looked over and simply comnted, "Very cute."
Fujiwara Reya licked his lips, "Let’s co steal one tonight to taste."
"?"
Kasahara Fumi inexplicably felt angry, lifted her foot, and heavily stomped on his foot with her high heel.
"Ah, that hurts..." Fujiwara Reya exaggerated, bending down to pick up a small stone from the ground, and in a graceful throwing motion, made it skip eighteen tis across the water.
"Look, eighteen skips!"
"What’s there to be so proud about?"
"Aren’t I amazing?"
"...Childish!"
Kasahara Fumi lifted her foot and walked away.
Up ahead, Abbot Kiyoka had already arrived at the small lake.
"You haven’t told I’m amazing!" Fujiwara Reya caught up and walked beside her.
Kasahara Fumi maintained her usual cold expression, "Not amazing!"
"Eighteen skips and still not amazing?"
"Just not amazing!"
"If you say so, then you show !" Fujiwara Reya bent down, picked up a stone for her, "If you can make three skips, I’ll call you sis!"
"..." Kasahara Fumi looked down at the square stone in his hand.
After a long mont, she took a deep breath, twisted her slender waist, and delivered a sudden kick.
"Splash!"
Abbot Kiyoka turned back to find Fujiwara Reya sprawled in the creek. Kasahara Fumi bent over, reaching out to pull him up.
A peculiar pair... Kiyoka the monk stopped, waiting for them to catch up.
Fujiwara Reya stood up from the water, wiped the droplets from his face, looked at Kasahara Fumi’s outstretched hand, pondered for a few seconds, then gave up on the idea of the policewoman coming to tempt him in a soaked state.
"You better watch out in the future!"
After threatening her, he placed his hand in hers.
Kasahara Fumi pulled him up and then, as if his hand were hot, flung it away.
Sothing was curious; though she was slightly taller than him, her hand was much smaller... And when she held it, an unguarded warmth and kindness ca through, so wonderfully.
Following behind Kasahara Fumi, Fujiwara Reya marveled again at how perfect her legs were.
Under the midsumr sun, her vibrant orange hair glimred with fiery highlights, looking more beautiful than ever before. Following behind Abbot Kiyoka, they walked on the stone-filled path inundated with dappled light until they reached the pool at the back hill.
A few girls from the Capital City were playing by the swing set at the poolside.
The pool reflected the blue sky and white clouds, surrounded by verdant forests. There were many small piles of stones by the pool, each with a wooden tombstone in front, with brief sutras written in Sanskrit to pay respect to the dead.
"Are these the graves of the monks?" Fujiwara Reya asked.
"Yes, exactly that pitiful," Abbot Kiyoka said, offering prayers to the two new graves made today, "When I first ca to the temple, I used to be outraged by the inequality: those with power and wealth left behind beautiful graves, grand ones. Now, thinking of it, I just feel those simple country folks like us, had no imagination in life, so naturally, they had no imagination in constructing tombs. I find these types of graves quite lancholic, yet appropriate. Because there’s no need to borrow others’ imagination once you’re dead."
"Is elegance found only in imagination?" Fujiwara Reya quipped, "What do you an by a lack of imagination?"
"It’s just this," Abbot Kiyoka continuously tapped his palm on the moss-covered top of the stone tower, "Stone or bones, they’re the inorganic remnants humans leave behind after death."
After speaking, as if unwilling to discuss further, he closed his mouth and walked silently onward.
Kasahara Fumi deliberately slowed her pace, pulling Fujiwara Reya behind, and comnted, "An utter Buddhist."
"What’s it got to do with Buddhism?" Fujiwara Reya asked, picking up a straight stick from the roadside, swinging it as he walked, "Elegance, culture, humanity’s idea of beauty, all the tangible forms of these are inorganic things—like repairing an ancient temple, it’s just stone. Philosophy, that’s stone too. Art, that’s stone. Indeed, except for emotions, stones can represent everything in the world."
Kasahara Fumi put her brain into gear, trying to make sense of his bizarre words.
But before she could figure out the aning, Fujiwara Reya playfully kicked with his foot, "Sis, do a move with ."
Amidst the flying grass clippings, a stick flew over.
Kasahara Fumi instinctively caught the stick, posed for an initial iaido strike. In the next second, realizing the situation, she tossed the stick away, glaring angrily, her face turning red.
Aaah—
This little brat is too annoying!
It’s fine if you’re childish, why involve in your antics—
In her rare bashfulness, she looked truly adorable. Fujiwara Reya’s gaze traveled from her chest to her legs, thinking that his aunt must work hard to muddle this woman up so he can step in and save the day.
Kasahara Fumi fought the urge to pin him down and give him a beating, looked fiercely, and asked, "What did you an by what you just said?"
"You, you’re too rigid, you’ll never attain enlightennt!" Fujiwara Reya laughed.
’Attaining enlightennt’ is a Buddhist term aning to have a profound awakening.
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