Chapter 58
3. The God of the Calling Tide
Apparently, the festival preparations were being held in the forest with the cracked stone and pillar. The thought of eting the villagers again made feel depressed.
The three of us walked along a path bathed in the thick glow of the setting sun.
The scenery of the village, which we hadn't seen when surrounded by villagers, was now clearly visible. Old houses, utility poles, and rusted debris by the roadside were all dusted with white salt.
When we reached the end of the overgrown forest path, the villagers were already gathered.
"There's no portable shrine or lanterns?"
Just as Reizei said, there was nothing that resembled a festival. The villagers were sitting on the ground, twisting white ropes. Maybe because many of them were fishern, their hands moved skillfully as they worked the thick ropes like giant serpents.
The villagers noticed us and stopped what they were doing. Their whites of the eyes stood out against their dark faces, staring at us with murky glints. Their gazes asked, "Who are you?"
Before I could say anything, Kirima stepped forward. The villagers murmured.
"Ain't that Kirima's son?"
"Bringing so weirdo along."
Kirima stood utterly still like a stone statue. A skinny man stood up.
He looked too weak to fish—gaunt and gloomy—but like the others, his skin was dark.
"Back now, after all this ti?"
"Esato......"
Behind the man was a pillar engraved with the sa surna that had just been called. So he was one of the four great families too.
"Kirima's turn to serve as Ouzu-sama hasn't co around for a while, so you ca back feeling safe, huh?"
"No, I ca back for work......"
"A detective? Who're you gonna arrest? Everyone?"
"It's just an investigation."
"We're the culprits, and the villagers are the victims. You haven't forgotten what our ancestors did, right? We found the god. We have to take responsibility for that."
Reizei, who had been standing in the corner, narrowed her eyes.
Esato crept closer, and Kirima stepped back.
"Kirima, man up. You know what? Ueto's parents died at sea. It's her turn to be Ouzu-sama, but at this rate, her family line will die out."
Kirima turned pale. I stepped between them. When I pushed Esato's bony stomach, he staggered easily.
"Uyuu, stop!"
I brushed off Kirima's attempt to stop . Esato glared at with hostility.
"Outsiders shouldn't butt in. You don't even understand what we're talking about."
"I don't. But I don't like your attitude."
"Uyuu!"
"Stop, before the festival......"
A quiet woman's voice rang out. A woman stood leaning against a pillar. Her skin, peeking out from her indigo-dyed blouse and skirt, was a bit lighter than the other villagers.
Kirima murmured softly.
"Ueto......"
The woman smiled weakly. Esato shook his head in resignation and walked away.
Reizei approached instead.
"Uyuu, that was amazing. Like a thug. But it was kinda cool."
Reizei gave a thumbs-up. What a hopeless woman.
I lowered my voice.
"Ueto's the next Ouzu-sama, right?"
"Yeah. Sothing about her family line dying out."
"You've got sharp ears, huh."
Kirima and the woman stood facing each other. Kirima looked awkward and lowered his head, while the woman called Ueto silently fiddled with her sandals.
"There's a weird vibe between them."
"Maybe she's an ex."
"Seriously?"
I felt soone's gaze and turned around to find Esato and the villagers glaring at like they wanted to burn a hole through .
Reizei had already moved toward the pillar and was boldly inspecting the stones and ropes.
Of all places, Kirima's was the most comfortable. I ignored the villagers and headed over there.
"Renjirou, how many years has it been? I thought you'd never co back."
The woman called Ueto smiled shyly. Was she really an ex?
"Yeah... About your parents, is it true?"
"Yes, the boat capsized. We had outsourced the fish processing and were leaving the village on our own boat. They were used to bad weather and let their guard down. My younger brother was with them too."
"I don't know what to say... Are you managing okay?"
"Everyone's helping . Because I'm from the Ueto family."
Ueto's sandal slipped off and flew toward Kirima. He bent down to pick it up and handed it back to her.
"You didn't have to."
Ueto placed her bare foot on the ground and stared down at the sandal in her hand.
"You heard, right? I'm the next Ouzu-sama. That's fine. It's sothing we have to do. But..."
The woman tossed the sandal aside and clung to Kirima's arm.
"Renjirou, are you going back to Tokyo again? Won't you stay here?"
Ueto had her back turned to , so I couldn't see her face, but from her trembling voice and Kirima's flustered expression, I could tell this was serious.
"If I beco Ouzu-sama, our family will end. But if I have a child, maybe they'll let us wait."
"What are you saying......"
"Please, Renjirou. We're the sa, right? Even if we go to Tokyo, we're together. All of our families are..."
I thought I heard the word "sinners."
I tripped over sothing at my feet and fell flat on my face.
Damn it. It was a sacred rope. The villagers must be glaring at again.
Kirima and Ueto looked over in surprise. I gave them a foolish grin.
"Hey there......"
The woman let go of Kirima's hand and quietly stepped back.
Around us, people began lighting bonfires, and the sparks drifted in the wind.
Kirima sighed in exasperation.
"Can't you sit still for even one second?"
The sleeve of my dress shirt was wrinkled in the shape of the woman's hand.
"Pull yourself together, Dad. I'll tell Rei."
Kirima smacked hard on the back.
As I stumbled forward, Ueto was still there, and I flinched.
"So you have a child."
The woman smiled. Backlit by the bonfire, she looked like a ghost.
"That doesn't change anything, does it?"
Reizei spoke, looking up at the stain on the ceiling.
We had returned to Kirima's house and were gathered around a table in the guest room. It felt like we were holding a strategy eting in enemy territory.
"We're counting on you, folklorist."
"I really don't know."
Reizei grabbed one of my cigarettes like it was hers.
"Normally, serving the god would be considered an honor, no matter the pretense. But with Ouzu-sama, that sense is completely absent. It looks more like a punishnt or a duty soone has no choice but to accept."
"A punishnt, huh......"
The rope entwined around the stone really did resemble sothing ant to bind a sinner.
"Kirima, why does your family hold power in the village?"
Kirima sat with a sullen face, arms crossed.
"Our four families, including mine, were originally outsiders who moved here."
"Outsiders beca noble families?"
"It's a story from the Edo or iji era. I don't know the details."
"Was Showa the era after iji?"
When I cut in, Kirima shook his head and said, "Idiot."
Reizei jumped in right after.
"What ca after Showa again?"
"Don't you start too. How would I know the na of a future era?"
Brushed off by Kirima, Reizei looked genuinely shocked. She was a strange woman.
"Anyway, it seems our ancestors drifted here and taught the village techniques and fishing thods it didn't have. The village prospered, and the four families were celebrated. That's why they grew arrogant."
Kirima crushed his cigarette in the glass ashtray.
"They even stepped into the forbidden cave among the rocks, a place the villagers never entered. That's where the God of the Calling Tide was."
At so point, my mouth had opened. My tongue and lips were dry.
"Just like Reizei said, the God of the Calling Tide is incomprehensible. Apparently, soone is needed to receive divine revelations to probe its will and see if it poses a threat to the village."
"So the responsibility of finding the god rotates among the four families?"
"What a ssed-up story. No matter what the parents did, the kids shouldn't have to bear the bla."
Kirima didn't answer and stared down at the cigarette butt crushed like a caterpillar.
Reizei crossed her legs.
"Anyway, it seems the only way to get to the truth is to participate in the festival."
Just as Kirima's face darkened further, the sliding door of the guest room opened. Kirima's mother was standing there.
"Renjirou, Ueto's daughter didn't make it."
"What?"
"She hanged herself at ho. By the ti the doctor arrived, she wasn't breathing."
Kirima's lips trembled on his pale face.
Lit by the fluorescent light, Kirima's mother wore an expressionless face like a Noh mask.
I never expected any real emotions from these people. But wasn't Ueto supposed to be the next Ouzu-sama? Why is she so calm?
Reizei broke the silence.
"Then, what about the festival?"
She really doesn't hesitate to ask the hard questions.
"About that,"
Kirima's mother moved her head without changing her expression.
"Is there soone nad 'Reizei' among you?"
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