神の妖怪

God’s Youkai

十

Minami woke up from the noise outside. Someone was going up the stairs, slowly but confidently. The boy raised his head from the tatami, just in time hiding hand covered in blood behind his back when a man appeared at his entrance.

“I swear to Gods, my boy, you live too far away. It took me ages to come here. But we are about to change that. Get your stuff, Ryou-sama asked to take you to another bedroom, where you will feel way better.” Minami only stared at the elder man with a surprised face, so he continued talking with a breathless but cheerful voice. “Leave those rags…” The man waved with his hands when he saw Minami getting his sheets. “Just take your clothes and belongings.”

“I don’t really have any… Jirou-san.” Minami rushed to get up on his feet and bow to the man a few times for being so sluggish. Just woken up from sleep, Minami barely could comprehend what was going on. And yet strange how he slept through the night without waking up even once.

“Oh? Well then… less carrying I suppose. Let’s go boy, you have the training to attend after breakfast.” Jirou nodded, giving the last displeased view of the surroundings before heading out. The boy rushed after him, finally feeling how tongue untwisted.

“Training? But… Jirou-san I was not allowed to train… I… I don’t have any spiritual powers...” The boy still tried to understand what was going on and why everything suddenly changed. Minami felt like he was still dreaming, or maybe he really was?

“Well, I say differently. You see, last night I got unexpectedly promoted… not like I’m very excited to become bald before my time, but I got a bigger bedroom. So that’s something.” Jirou smiled, walking slowly, keeping his hands behind the back.

“Promoted…? Like… you are the high priest now, Jirou-san?” Minami excitedly asked, watching the man next to him with sparkles in his eyes. Jirou was the only one who noticed Minami in the shrine, but his words were powerless against Kusou.

The elder man didn’t answer, only smiled at Minami, then waved for someone in the distance. Minami froze in the spot recognizing the tall and graceful figure. The boy was too embarrassed to meet the God now after what happened yesterday. Moreover, the man wasted his powers on the boy, just for Minami to get injured again. With guilty eyes, the boy kept his itchy hand under his sleeve. And that moment, as if Ryou read the boy’s mind, the God turned around and walked inside the main shrine, where no one except for a few monks and the high priest was allowed to enter.

“But before heading to the dining room, let’s patch your hand, Minami.” Jirou glanced at the still boy. Nothing slipped through his wise eyes. Ever.

Minami didn’t find out the reason for these drastic sudden changes, but he couldn’t complain. Since that day the boy was given Jirou’s old bedroom, even though it was way too big for him alone, and the boy wouldn’t mind living in students' quarters as well. It was weird to always stick around with monks, but because of that Minami got to see their lives. The youth caught himself wondering if he could also become a monk in the future. He would have liked that. Minami started attending training with other students, learning more about spiritual powers, protection from Youkais, barriers, and spells. Minami was way behind everyone, but as he figured out soon enough, the boy wasn’t as useless as he was told before. He also felt a little clumsy compared to others, but the youth really wished to prove that he could be no less valuable.

Days have passed since Minami last saw Ryou. He didn’t come to have meals with everyone nor did he pass through him in the shrine. Minami even thought that maybe the God went back to TEN, but no matter how curious he was, the youth didn’t dare to ask anyone about it. Only one time, while helping Jirou collect prayers, that people brought to the shrine, the topic came up.

“Difficult times, a lot of people are getting ill. We got so many prayers just in one day.” Jirou deeply sighed. “Poor Ryou-sama… barely got better since the last ritual.”

It was not Minami’s business to ask what was happening during the rituals, but now the boy got concerned that there was another reason why the God was nowhere to be seen these days. Does it actually hurt for him? To heal people? That could explain why the God’s behavior changed after he healed his hands.

“Once… Ryou-sama… healed my hands. Do you think it hurt for him, Jirou-san?” Minami tenderly wondered, he was sure the man used his powers to heal others in the shrine as well.

After Minami’s words, Jirou almost dropped the wooden tablets with prayers, that he was holding in his hands. The man stared at Minami with his dark eyes without even blinking, then slowly rubbed his chin, as if he got lost in his thoughts.

“I don’t think… I have never heard that Ryou-sama would use his powers directly on someone… and I have known him for the past… well, many years. I’m too young to reveal my age.” The man quickly added the last sentence to get rid of the incoming tension, but it didn’t really help.

Minami’s face flushed bright like the sun on a windy morning. His jaw dropped, hands began to shiver, finally realizing what he really received from the God. Meanwhile, Jirou only giggled, watching how lost the boy became.

“Interesting…” He added to himself, before leaving Minami in his own thoughts in the room.

The boy didn’t really get the answer to the question he asked. Even if he was the one who, for some reason, the God chose to heal... did it hurt for him? Was Minami also responsible for causing pain to the man?

“You look worried.”

The voice behind Minami’s back nearly gave the poor boy a heart attack. He gasped leaning a bit forward and then back, quickly turning around at the tall breathtaking man. He was standing there surrounded by his warm light, with a little bit of a pale face, holding his hands inside long sleeves. He was way too close.

“Jirou said, you've been working hard. You have been doing well, keep it up.” The God seemed like he was about to stretch his hand and pat Minami’s head, but at the last moment, he changed his mind.

“I will do my best, sir…” Minami bowed still with the blushing cheeks, but this time he couldn’t help but smile a little. He was so glad the man wasn’t angry at him. The God’s voice was lowered but gentle, even though his eyes seemed a bit tired. Jirou mentioned something about the rituals being hard on him. “Umm… sir, are you feeling alright?”

The God kept looking at the boy with the same expression as if he skipped Minami’s question or just didn’t want to give an answer. The boy lowered his head a bit. He was worried, but shouldn’t have expected the man to answer such a personal question.

“How about we go for a walk?” The God spoke again after a moment, making Minami quickly look up again.

Unexpectedly the boy’s heart fluttered, cheeks flushed. The man gave his reply after all.