Kasahara Fumi stared straight at him, and the two of them just looked at each other for three seconds.
"As the saying goes, Zen takes the formless as its foundation. Understanding what is shapeless and rootless is what people often refer to as perceiving one’s nature. To truly see the formless, one must have an extrely keen sense of observation. How can one clearly know and see the shapeless and formless if they can’t look at forms and appearances with selfless sharpness?"
Kasahara Fumi still didn’t understand.
In nearly twenty-five years of life, this was the first ti she felt her mind wasn’t enough.
"If you don’t understand, you can just look at ." At this mont, Fujiwara Reya pointed at the tip of his nose with his thumb, animatedly saying, "Soone like , who can shine just by being here, should be called soone born to live. This obvious form is a living example of the formless and shapeless, the most real model. For instance, when I stand here, you’ll feel I match with the August mountains, when I stand among flowers, you’ll feel I match with the August flowers, when I stand by the sea, you’ll feel I match with the August ocean..."
Kasahara Fumi finally caught on.
After going around in circles, he was simply teasing her with words, and by the way, being a little narcissistic...
The sea breeze blew by, and the aloof female officer tucked her flying orange hair behind her ear, revealing a faint smile. It seed she wanted to show a threatening smile, but unfortunately, because she was excessively beautiful, it only made Fujiwara Reya find her attractive.
"I get it!"
She nodded, bent down, and picked up a branch.
"If you suddenly pass away, then you’ll match very well with the August coffin, right?"
"...No!"
"Die—"
The branch, as thick as an arm, smashed towards his face, and Fujiwara Reya turned and ran.
"Abbot Kiyoka, save —"
A young girl from the Capital City, swinging on the swing on the other side of the pool, turned her gaze to the fuming Kasahara Fumi. Perhaps she took the scene as a lovers’ quarrel, so they all unanimously considered Fujiwara Reya as a traitorous scoundrel.
Eventually, Kasahara Fumi caught up, hit him a few tis with the stick.
After letting out so steam, she threw the stick away and walked alongside him once more. Sunlight fell through the leaves, shining on his white shirt, glistening with a lustrous glow. He occasionally ran his fingers through his still wet hair; each finger was long-jointed, warm, and sensual.
"Hey, Fumi."
Fujiwara Reya suddenly spoke up, startling Kasahara Fumi, who was staring at his fingers. She stubbornly maintained her composure and impatiently asked, "Wh-What?"
"Do you know what youth is?" Fujiwara Reya asked, as if digging a hole for her.
"I don’t know!" Kasahara Fumi responded expressionlessly.
"Youth, is like ," Fujiwara Reya suddenly extended his hand, his fingers flaunting in front of her eyes, "to have the will for every finger to grow perfectly flawless!"
"..."
Kasahara Fumi felt so ashad she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself on the spot.
Oh Amaterasu, let a bolt of lightning strike this bastard dead, or at least turn him mute... At this rate, I’ll die from his gibberish.
After leaving the pool, they arrived at a small residential area.
On one side, there was a small pine forest; the other side was a wide slope, with the sea visible in the distance.
"Mrs. Tanemura lives in there." Abbot Kiyoka stopped in front of a small building.
"Thank you." Fujiwara Reya nodded, signaling his acknowledgnt.
Kasahara Fumi glanced inside.
A low hedge encircled a courtyard where several monks stood guard. The flower beds, shaded trees, and arbor gave a holy feel. At the back of the low corridor, a woman could be seen sitting in a tea room. She was dressed in black mourning clothes, a slender belt around her waist, and a black lily adorning her hair bun.
Abbot Kiyoka pushed open the door, just about to enter.
"Master, please wait outside." Fujiwara Reya stopped him, then walked inside without looking back, leaving no room for refusal.
Kasahara Fumi followed him inside, and together they removed their shoes at the entrance and made their way towards the tearoom where Mrs. Tanemura was. Lifting the coarse cloth curtain, they saw Mrs. Tanemura, whom they had t briefly one evening, as if she knew soone would co. She wasn’t sitting but rather squatting while on a call.
"Welco to both of you!"
As soon as Fujiwara Reya entered, she stood up and bowed.
Her petite and voluptuous figure was quite nice.
Her face was round and considered pretty, and her movent in standing up was agile, reflecting the upbringing of a grand family.
Fujiwara Reya’s first impression of her wasn’t bad. Her round face looked gentle, her eyes held the strength of a woman, and her arms and fingers were a bit plump yet not at all flabby.
"My na is Fujiwara." Fujiwara Reya introduced himself.
Mrs. Tanemura did not respond.
Kasahara Fumi also ca over, sat down beside Fujiwara Reya, and said simply, "Kasahara."
"Hello to both of you." Mrs. Tanemura replied weakly.
Her gentle face did not show confusion at their arrival. Instead, it appeared as if she had hurried ho from the sweltering street, her face flushed red, with tears at the corners of her eyes, and her ample bosom heaving.
"Is sothing troubling you?" Fujiwara Reya asked.
"Oh, it’s nothing, sorry for showing such a sight..." Mrs. Tanemura dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, "Today is the anniversary of my late husband’s death, so I am a bit emotional."
As she spoke, her eyes glanced discreetly at the cabinet.
Fujiwara Reya noticed a man’s photograph hanging in the shrine above.
"Who is that?"
"That is a photo of my late husband."
"He looks quite refined, like a teacher."
"He was indeed a middle school teacher."
As they engaged in so introductory conversation, a maid brought out so refreshnts.
With the maid bending over, her side profile looked very beautiful. Fujiwara Reya found it familiar, but couldn’t recall from where at the mont.
"I made these myself, lotus root and bean paste rolls," Mrs. Tanemura introduced, "They are rolled with lotus root and wrapped in red bean paste, thinly sliced, with a very light and elegant flavor. Today is my late husband’s death anniversary, so I specifically made his favorite snack."
"Thank you for the treat, I will start now—" Fujiwara Reya clasped his hands together in gratitude, then picked up a snack and stuffed it into his mouth. Kasahara Fumi glanced at him with so disapproval, her eyes saying, "You can’t eat the snacks prepared for a morial."
"I will brew tea for Mr. Fujiwara," Mrs. Tanemura said, bending over as she added water to the tea kettle.
Fujiwara Reya looked over and saw that the iron stove and kettle were both lotus-shaped. It’s quite fitting for a temple to use lotus-shaped items, without giving a dull sense of chanting scripture.
"Monks have their little designs too," he said.
Following Fujiwara Reya’s gaze, Mrs. Tanemura realized he was looking at the stove and kettle, "Is that so? I think so too. They’re a bit small, but really cute, right?"
"Quite romantic," Fujiwara Reya said with a chuckle.
On the stove, the half-open lotus cradled the bottom of the kettle perfectly, the edges of the lotus leaves cut into floral shapes. Flas peeped through underneath, encircling the entire teapot along the petal patterns. This scene exuded a soft warmth, as if telling an old story of lingering love. But the photo in the shrine was too strikingly out of place with the scene, heavily suggesting a betrayal before one’s husband.
Reviews
All reviews (0)