Ken walked down the stairs, and arrived on the 1st floor, he then headed for the dining room. At the dining table, Ken's mother was preparing food, Ken's father is reading the newspaper, and his younger brother Shitara who has been reading his school notebook. Ken then sat next to his father. Ken’s father said

“Good morning Ken”

Ken replied in a polite tone

"Good morning Father"

Ken's father replied

"Are you ready today to go to the main house?"

Ken answered

“Yeah, as usual, right? This has become routine on certain dates every year”

Ken's dad replied

"Yes, this is a day where all the Takeru families gather every year, as a form of mutual solidarity"

Ken's younger brother, Shitara Takeru, who had been reading the book for a while, said

“Don't forget too, the honor ceremony. Brother, don't run away again while the ceremony is going on"

Ken smiled

"Yeah, I wouldn't have run away if it weren't with you, hahaha"

Ken chuckled. Hearing this, Shitara smiled sarcastically. The talk of the honor ceremony earlier, appeared to interest Kenshubo

"This ceremony, father, has been going on since when?"

Ken's father looked surprised

"Hmm, suddenly you are interested?"

Ken replied

“Yes, I keep doing this, I just want to understand more about this cultural background in our extended family (clan). Because as far as I remember, we have been doing this honoring ceremony long ago, I was first invited to participate when I was in 1st grade. But I guess it must have lasted longer than that? and again, the honor ceremony was performed in front of an old shrine in the backyard of the main house”

Ken's father's expression turned serious, this also interested Shitara. Ken's father answered

“Alright, great if you're interested Ken. From what I know, this culture has been going on since the first time the Takeru family was founded”

Ken's expression changed to surprise, he looked like he didn't expect it

“Since the first time, the Takeru family was established? Since when is it, dad?”

Ken's father answered

“Unfortunately, dad also doesn't know exactly. Because the notes were kept in the main house library, and dad didn't finish reading them, hahaha”

Ken's father laughed. Hearing their father's words, Ken and Shitara's expressions turned astonished. Seeing the two expressions of his son, Ken's father stopped laughing, and his expression turned awkward. Ken's father resumed talking

"Ahem, I will continue. Family members who join this culture have been very much reduced. I think you also know, sometimes we meet our distant relatives. Especially for the honor ceremony, the administrator and leader are chosen from one of the family members, which fell to your grandfather. This also greatly affects kinship activities, where many who come from our closest family only, from grandfather's brothers and sisters”

Ken's expression turned curious

"The election, based on what?"

Ken's father's expression turned doubtful

“In that case, only your grandfather knows. Because he never told anyone”

Ken's expression turned curious. Ken remembered again, one thing that bothered him

“Then… what is in the locked shrine?”

Ken's father's expression turned doubtful again

“I don't know for sure either, because the place is considered sacred, and also because it's old, so only grandpa has ever actually entered it. Dad and the others only heard stories. However, it is said, if the contents are statues of Shinto gods left by the Takeru family for generations”

Ken's expression turned curious. Ken's mother came out of the kitchen here which was partitioned by a wall that had a bar table, and this bar counter was connected to the kitchen. Ken's mother brought food to the dining table and sat beside Ken. The four of them then started breakfast together. Ken's mother said

"Shitara, Ken, you have prepared your things to bring, right?"

Shitara and Ken replied that they had prepared it. Ken said

"We were there for 2 days and 1 night, right?"

Ken's mother nodded

"Yes, right"

They then continued eating. Ken thought to himself

“We will stay there for 2 days and one night. Because today is Sunday, as a result, Shitara and I will not go to school tomorrow. Even my father and mother had a day off from their job. This means that family members who come to honor and kinship ceremonies do the same. From this alone, it can be seen how important this activity is”

This matter is make Ken even more curious.

The current time is 7:00 am. In front of their house, Ken and his family appeared ready and brought their belongings. They then tidied their belongings into the trunk of their car which was a sports SUV. They got into the car, with Ken's father in the driver's seat, his mother beside the driver's seat, and Ken and Shitara in the second row. The car then drove away from here.

The car passed through residential streets and now entered urban streets. The scenery outside the car which previously housed buildings was replaced with tall buildings and skyscrapers. Their car began to enter the streets of the suburbs. They arrived in front of 3-meter-high Japanese classic plaster walls, with a Japanese-style roof tile at the top. The streets around them still appear to be a lot of empty lands overgrown with tall trees, because it is located on the outskirts of the city.

They arrived in front of the teak wood gate, shiny dark brown, with a classic Japanese roof tile at the top of it. This gate has double doors, with a wall that extends to the right and left, shorter than this gate. On the right and left of the gate, there are other smaller wooden double doors for pedestrians. The middle gate is open, and Ken's family car drives through it. The asphalt road passed by Ken's car continued until it passed the gate. Behind the gate is a large housing area, with a parking lot for cars on the right side of the road, and a Japanese rock garden on the left. This road continues to the front of the main house, then turns into the parking lot.

The front of this house has a concrete porch with a balcony above it, with supporting pillars covered in rough ceramic patterns, with a shaded road below, which this road then continues into the parking lot. On the front of the entrance, there is a terrace with a higher surface reached by a short staircase. The front of this house and also on the pillars of the porch is decorated with beautiful modern style yellow luminous wall lamps.

This main house is a large modern Japanese-style house mixed with classic Japanese, 3-story, which widens to the right and left. On the right and left of the house, there is a pedestrian walkway, which leads to the backyard, as well as a one-story classic Japanese house, with an open corridor in front of it with shiny dark brown wood floors. The pedestrian walkway beside the main house is between the main house and the classic Japanese house.

There are several classic Japanese one-story houses here, and they are lined up from the right and left sides of the main house to the back of the main house. Along the courtyard between this classic Japanese one-story house and the main house is also decorated with classic Japanese gardens, which contain bonsai, cherry blossom trees (Sakura trees), and garden grass, There are also some typical Japanese rock gardens, as well as a fish pond with a wooden bridge that divides it, all of which are very neatly arranged. Behind the area of ​​​​these buildings, there is a hill covered with shady forest trees.

Back to Ken's family, their car then parked in the parking lot before. Ken and his family got out of the car. In this parking lot, there are already several other cars, from the Takeru family who have arrived. They then walked towards the main house. This main house has 3 double doors as its entrance. Ken and his family then entered the main house through the front door earlier. Ken and his family arrived at a lobby that extends forward, with a 2nd-floor hallway on the right, front, and left, where at the end of the lobby there is a staircase that leads to the 2nd floor. The height of this lobby hall appears to combine 2 floors, with a chandelier in the middle of the lobby hall ceiling.

Who greeted them after was the butler of this house, who was a woman, dressed in a neat suit, with a black knee-length skirt, and black heels. This female butler walked over to Ken and his newly arrived family. The butler gave a smile

"Welcome, let me take you to your room"

This female butler looked at Ken's father

“Sir, you have been awaited by Mr. Makoto in his office, to settle business”

Ken's father replied

"Okay, I understand"

Ken's father turned to face his family

"You guys go first, I'm going to meet dad first"

Ken, Shitara, and his mother, then walked after this female butler, to the 2nd floor. Ken's father also walked away from here, heading the other way.