Chapter 27 - Teruhashi Temple Visit
Teruhashi Makoto was in heaven.
First, his newest movie, "Demon Eye Detective Joker and the Queen," was released two weeks ago and was a proven commercial hit.
Second, he finally got a respite from his demanding filming schedule to actually be at home.
Third, his beloved sister actually said yes to visiting a temple with him!
Okay, so he had to look like some sort of pickpocket when he is out in public with her. He had to wear a cap to cover his silky indigo-colored hair. Then he had to wear a face mask to conceal his gorgeous face. The sunglasses he had were the ones with mega wide, mega thick for maximum coverage of his mesmerizing blue eyes. He also usually carry around a backpack, just in case Kokomi needed something, like a complete change of clothes that included underwear and bras.
Absolutely not weird.
It was perfectly normal for an older brother to make sure that his younger sibling, especially a younger sister, is well taken care of.
Kokomi, used to her brother's obsessive nature by now, succeeded in NOT rolling her eyes.
"My next project is going with Goriki Ayame," Makoto had explained to her. "I want to go say a prayer so that my heart isn't stolen by her."
Kokomi resisted verbalizing her wish of -Please do.-
"I want to visit a temple, you know, to pray for that and keeping my professionalism in place while working with her," Makoto continued explaining. " She is the highest profiled actress I have ever worked with so I need that extra blessing from the divine. Since I have some free time, I thought that we should hang out a bit."
Kokomi barely kept on grimacing. -How about we don't.-
Finals were coming up and she was a third year in high school, though. As much as she could rely on her charm to easily breeze through life, the perfect pretty girl didn't do that, at least, pretend not to. Plus she had plans to study with Chiyo.
Who conveniently just canceled on her because Kaidou's schedule was open.
Chiyo had happily ditched out on Kokomi, as if studying with Kaidou was going to be productive. Kokomi, being a good friend, let Chiyo off the hook.
Back to Makoto.
He was asking nicely.
He had been more considerate in the recent times, not sleeping in her bed, looking into her laundry, or being an obvious peeping tom. His additional workload might have something to do with it, too, since he was usually too tired by the time that he came home to be up to much mischief.
Plus, he was her brother. As creepy and weird as he was, Makoto did respect her wish not to be whisked away by the entertainment giants. He had made sure that he stood between the entertainment executives and her, making her high school life of an errant heart-breaker possible. He was not totally useless.
Kokomi did want to visit a temple, too, and have a word with god about a certain boy named Saiki, her demand that he come back to school, and how come god was being tardy on his favorite angel's wish?
Any god would do, really.
It would have to look like she was simply interested in her studies, and being the good, sweet sister, perfect classmate, concerned friend.
Kokomi, the perfect pretty girl, was perfect on the inside too. She was forced by circumstances to say 'yes.'
So that was how she ended up going around town with Makoto, explaining dozens of times to random strangers that:
"No. He's not a mugger."
"No. I'm not being kidnapped."
And, the most common
"No. I'm not interested in getting coffee / breakast / brunch / lunch / happy hour / dinner / supper / dessert or take out with you. I'm going to temple to pray for finals then I'm off to study."
The offu shrapnel went off left and right.
Kokomi still got it.
Makoto enjoyed the offu carnage with a wide smile underneath his facemask, looking like a proud parent.
Normally, Makoto's own jealousy would have gotten the better of him, and he would get all bent out of shape.
But Kokomi was rejecting all these suitors with all the crispness of a whip crack. Makoto had initially feared that stinking four-eye nobody Saiki had softened Kokomi, that the ugly pink-haired little boy had somehow garnered Kokomi's genuine pity.
The rumors that four-eye had withdrawn from school actually brought Makoto relief.
They finally made it to the temple.
Interestingly enough, a few of her classmates were there too.
There were Rifuta and her new boyfriend, Saionji Kanemitsu. The second cutest girl at PK Academy went all fan-girl over Makoto, leaving her boyfriend to no-so-inconspicuously flirt with Kokomi.
Kokomi remembered Saionji. They had met at a mixer that Rifua arranged last year. True to Kokomi's perfect girl form, her mere presence so enchanted the young man that he renewed his eternal devotion to her at sight.
Rifuta was far too distracted by Makoto to notice. She squealed when Makoto gave her his used face mask before he fished out a second one from the backpack.
Saionji begged and begged for Kokomi's phone number. She demurred and offered one of her white lies, which was that she doesn't have a personal cell number. She did offer her older brother's number, because 'she'll definitely get the message' if Saionji wanted to reach her.
More like Makoto would hire a hitman on Saionji.
Saionji took the number anyway, looking smug.
Next, they ran into Akechi and Toritsuka.
Toritsuka had a broom in his hands, busily sweeping the stone paths to the temple and talking to Akechi. Well, with the way Tortisuka was sweeping the path, it seemed more like he's trying to sweep Akechi out of the way.
"Kishin, Toritsuka-kun?" asked Akechi. "Are you sure what's what the guardian spirits were saying? You do say that ghosts have no recollection of their past lives and without the concept of god. So why would they care, know, say anything about Kishin, or ghost god, as you say? Aren't Kishin known as malevolent spirits? That's why they're called fierce deities. And Aiura-san says she was doing some fortune-telling at the same time. Have you ever considered the possibility that maybe her clairvoyance and your spirit medium powers clashed and caused the breaking of her crystal ball and you two hallucinating the whole thing? Wasn't it early in the morning? Right after you did the deed? Assuming that it was solo? Since I can't imagine Aiura-san doing such a thing with you. Actually, I can't imagine any person doing such a thing with you. You weren't doing some sort of auto-erotic asphyxiation, were you? That your brain didn't just come up with the whole thing from lack of oxygen."
Toritsuka was clearly annoyed. Anyone who was bombarded with a dozen questions like they were being bashed infomercial disclaimers would automatically be exasperated. To be honest, Akechi's casual mention of certain things was a little creepy. "Yes. I am sure it's not a hallucination or that auto-whateveritis! And that's not my problem. My problem is that my soulmate is a guy! Takahashi! How am I suppose to fix that? You're supposed to be the smart one here."
Akechi was surprisingly terse. "Take a vow of abstinence? Become a girl or start preferring guys? Decide between top or bottom?"
Toritsuka's frustrated groan was so loud that several of the temple visitors look at them.
"Isn't your real problem actually be the fact that you seemed to no longer have the ability to see the dozens upon dozens of ghosts that's always around?" Akechi reminded him. "And that's what making you stressed out?"
"I can see guardian spirits just fine," said Torituska, going back to sweeping with more vigor than before. This time, very much obviously trying to sweep Akechi out of the vicinity. "That I can live with. Takahashi as my soulmate. I might not."
"But that doesn't make sense, Toritsuka-kun. You look very healthy to me. I say you can survive three to four days without eating. And why should who your soulmate is matter to you? I fail to see how knowing who your soulmate is has anything to do with if you'll live or not. Has the knowledge negatively impacted your overall health? Compare to, say yesterday?"
More strangled noises came out of Toritsuka.
The conversation confused Kokomi a little bit, though she shrugged it off, given that these two were the Germ and the Talky of PK Academy.
Toritsuka, the Germ, was the PK Academy's self-proclaimed spirit medium and headed the occult club at school. Chiyo said that strange crap happens around Toritsuka quite a lot, like things tipping over for no reason or mysterious noises. Chiyo had recounted the story of Sayaka-chan, the creepy occult club doll, that could scry for real answers when a sacrifice of blood was dripped onto the scrying chain that was attached at the mouth. The inexplicable phenomenona was what made the occult club so much more fun, according to Chiyo. Kokomi thought that sounded more like nightmare fuel than fun.
Akechi, the Talky, was a clever transfer student who asks and says uncomfortable things. Well, probably uncomfortable to other people, so as the rumor goes. He never gave Kokomi any trouble, since he always looked like he swallowed a frog whenever he was in her presence. Akechi was a semi-normal offu supplicant.
Unlike Saiki.
"Monk-san," called out Makoto to Toritsuka with more respect than Toritsuka had ever received, distracting Toritsuka from actively choking the life out of his chatty blonde friend.
Kokomi was suddenly dragged back to the present.
That was right. Makoto was still with her.
"Do you know the way to the bosatsu statue gallery?" asked Makoto.
It was then Toritsuka and Akechi noticed the Teruhashi siblings.
A brief offu shower commenced.
Seriously, the offu delays were starting to get annoying. Kokomi needed to get her complaints upstairs as soon as possible!
"The gallery is that way," said Toritsuka with a lackadaisical attitude, pointing at a path through what looked to be a manucured garden, over a pond, to a long rectangular building. From the looks of it, this was probably the most overt pickpocket he had ever met.
Toritsuka was far more attentive to Kokomi, asking her why she was here for which Kokomi obliged.
"We have a Benzaiten shrine here," offered Toritsuka helpfully. He put on his Kokominzu happi coat by now. He was required to be helpful. "It's popular with the students."
Perfect. Benzaiten, a patron of wisdom.
The bosatsu statue gallery and the Benzaiten shrine were in different directions, which gave Kokomi a chance to escape Makoto's presence for a little.
She was successful, after a mini-tearful goodbye from Mokoto of how he swears that he could not forget her in the twenty-minutes that they're apart.
Toritsuka offered to go with her, but was prevented by Akechi, who expressed an interest in seeing the bosatsu statue gallery and shamelessly dragged Toritsuka with him, following Makoto.
Kokomi had the happy respite of being alone for once.
Then she ran straight into Aiura.
Kokomi kept her expression calm and pleasant when she saw the gyaru woman. Kokomi was out in public, after all. The perfect pretty girl did not get into catfights, especially with someone who was clearly beneath her.
"Hey Terukoko," Aiura greeted listlessly as she sat down on a stone bench. Aiura looked like she was ready to go to a rave, knee length boots, a fur-trimmed jacket and her boobs ready to spill out of her too low tank top. Her posture though, was hunched over and low in spirit.
Kokomi's inner self was almost gleeful at her rival's outward misery. Kokomi remembered Aiura's insult from a few weeks ago, insinuating that Kokomi was somehow less than Saiki, the average of the average. Living a life of constant praise, Kokomi was very much stilted each time someone said something less than nice to her. She had sworn right then and there that she and the fortune teller were not going to get along and she wasn't going to interact with Aiura unless absolutely necessary.
Staring at Aiura, though, Kokomi did feel sympathetic.
Aiura had made it known to any casual observer that she, the famed school fortune teller, liked Saiki a lot. People talked about how they saw Aiura at Cafe Mami with Saiki or that one time where they were seen walking home together. Chiyo, Aiura and Kokomi's mutual friend, had confirmed Aiura's unabashed liking and adoration of Saiki.
And in that, Kokomi was jealous of Aiura.
Aiura was a young woman who did and say things that Kokomi, the perfect pretty girl, never could.
The perfect pretty girl was that reserved, unaware of her beauty, shy, smart, delicate, caring, creature waiting to be loved and treasured by another person. She was a person whom men would do anything to maintain her purity, her happiness and threw themselves at her whim. The perfect pretty girl was a persona that Kokomi worked hard on, and succeeded in maintaining.
It was a tactic that never worked on Saiki, the one person from whom Kokomi actually wanted attention.
Aiura was that confident gyaru, fully assured of her sexiness, who she was, who she liked, who she disliked. Aiura never waited for someone to guess what she wanted; she told people what she wanted. Aiura boldly and comfortably lived on the extreme exterior of her skin, and declared that Saiki was her soulmate and demanded that he returned the sentiment.
It was a declaration that Saiki always responded with his trademark deadpanned stare, a reaction that secretly pleased Kokomi.
It meant that Kokomi still had a chance.
"Oh. Aiura-san," greeted Kokomi politely. "I didn't expect to see you here. What's wrong?"
Aiura scrunched her face and held her head. "This stinkin' place is cursed. My fortune telling is being shitty. My aura sight isn't working. That Pervy Spirit Guy and Mr. Can't Shut Up aren't helping either."
Okay. That was a lot of weird concepts to digest, one that Kokomi dismissed as one of those recent school legends about the PK Academy Psychikers for which the members were rumored to Toritsuka, Aiura, and Akechi. There was something about them doing unusual stuff to prevent disasters at school. They had been getting to class late at the same time, enough time that they ended up holding buckets of water outside of class as punishment.
The rumors must have some nuggets of truth in them, since these three would no way, naturally be found at the same temple on the same day.
Aiura must have sensed Kokomi's discomfort because Aiura plastered an obviously fake smile for polite appeasement on her face. "Forget what you've heard, Terukoko," said Aiura, using the gyaru pet name for Kokomi. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to pray to Benzaiten for a good test score for the first term finals," answered Kokomi.
Aiura made a face. "Aren't you like in the top 20 of our grade for midterms? And you still pray for good grades?" Aiura scratched her hair in the universal gesture of nervousness. "Shit. Chicks like me got no chance. Not that I care about grades anyways, though I probably should...since my fortune telling seem to be having problems."
Kokomi fought to keep her expression neutral. Aiura said odd things sometimes. "What are your long term plans, anyway?" asked Kokomi, trying to redirect the conversation back to something a little more normal.
"I want to open up my own fortune teller house," said Aiura. "Be its madam, you know. None of that college nonsense. What about you, Terukoko?"
Kokomi mentally went through her Rolodex of prepared safe answers and said, "I plan to attend Safe Choice University and major in Economics."
Aiura raised an eyebrow. "Why would you attend a university so ridiculously average with your grades? Shouldn't you be attending Renowned University? With your grades and club participation? And what chick studies economics? Are you trying to die of boredom?"
"Well..." Kokomi sputtered a little bit. No one had ever asked her why. Most people generally agreed with her choices, praising whatever she was saying because she was so perfect. She could not really say the real reason why she had selected that college choice. It was a spur of the moment copying of Saiki's long-term plans from back in second year. It did seem a little bit silly, now, with her whole life ahead of her. Her parents and Makoto had repeatedly told her whoever she liked in high school was unlikely to become her life-long companion, no matter how much she liked the person now.
Stupid Saiki for making her do stupid things. And now, Kokomi was stuck with it. Still...she had some time to change her selection. For now, go with what she had put down.
"I want to have a modest goal, that's all," offered Kokomi reasonably. "It seems like a perfectly normal school to go to and a perfectly normal major. Being overqualified is a thing."
Aiura saw through it all. "It's to chase after Kusuo, isn't it?"
Immediately, Kokomi's face turned red and her lips drew downward in a pert little frown.
Had she been that obvious?
First their inner circle of friends and now this floozy?
Aiura gave a wicked grin. "I see where this is going. You're trying to figure out if I'm going to be going to the same school. You're trying to check out the competition," Aiura leaned back a little on the bench, a hand resting lightly on her enviable chest.
Kokomi narrowed her eyes. She caught the implication. "You're barely competition," said Kokomi frostly.
Aiura only laughed. "Ha! So you finally admit it! I was wondering how long that was going to take."
The perfect pretty girl never stooped down to a gyaru's level. "Think whatever you want," said Kokomi. "I doubt that he's going to attend Safe Choice University anyways, now, that he's withdrawn from school."
Aiura's signature mischievous gyaru grin fell a little bit.
That was right. The certainty that they would see Kusuo regularly in class was now gone. He had been absent from school for a few weeks now. And judging by the study load of the average high schooler, there would be no way that Kusuo could catch up.
Aiura read Kokomi's ruminations as an indication of something else.
"Oh please, do go into that sissy 'oh rescue me' helpless princess routine," taunted Aiura. "It's cute, and some guys like it. But Kusuo likes confident women."
Immediately, Kokomi's expression morphed from her slightly disappointed frown to a full-on glare that managed to look threatening. "You don't determine who Kusuo likes and dislikes."
"Relax, girlfriend. I'm teasin'," said Aiura in a tone that diffused the tension in the air. "You're so freaking cute that even I think you're adorable."
Kokomi only blinked. Surprised by Aiura's blatant honesty.
"Obviously, whatever tactics that we've been using ain't working," mused Aiura. "I tell him that I love him to his face repeatedly and he just sits there like a limp fish. You go the other extreme, pinning like some fairy tale princess after her prince and still get the same reaction. I'm starting to think he's of a separate persuasion. But hey. He's freakin' amazing so it's going to take something pretty extraordinary to catch his eyes, no matter who they are."
There it was again. Hints that Saiki was a little more than an utterly normal boy who happened to catch Kokomi's eyes.
"What do you mean by that?"
"What?"
"Extraordinary," repeated Kokomi. "You keep on saying that he's amazing. But he's just...Saiki."
Aiura opened her mouth, obviously excited to tell Kokomi, but then shut her mouth. "Oh, he is more than amazing, but I can't tell you why, though."
"What? Why?" demanded Kokomi, not used to people withholding information from her.
"It's a secret between me and Kusuo," said Aiura with that wicked grin again. "He absolutely forbid me from telling anyone and I promised him that in exchange for saving a friend."
Kokomi's face had turned slightly pink at this point, feeling indigent. People usually offered her everything and anything she wanted. This would take more work than Kokomi was used to.
Kokomi was determined to rise up to the challenge. "What? That he's ultra smart? That he's actually very athletic and just pretending?" guessed Kokomi. It made sense, given what they've seen Saiki's school file. The fact that Saiki made third place during the sports festival with a bunch of kids who were on the track team never made much sense either.
Aiura just sat there, looking at Kokomi still with that wicked grin that neither confirmed or denied Kokomi's guesses. "Aww. You don't actually expect me to give up my advantage that easily, do you? Against a woman like you, I need to keep all my guns blazing if I'm ever going to have a chance with him. He's proven to be a pretty tough soulmate to entice."
"Fine. An exchange then," said Kokomi. She can bargain with the best of the best. "I tell you something that I know about him that you don't know. And you tell me something that I don't know about Saiki-kun."
"Please. What do you know that I don't already know?" asked Aiura. "I'm a psychic."
"He has a sister named Kuriko."
Now THAT surprised Aiura. "Whaaa? No way!"
Pressing on her advantage, Kokomi demanded, "Now you tell me something."
Aiura made an honestly disturbed expression. "Fine. According to Akechi, who went to elementary school with him, Kusuo really is 'ultra smart.' His recent ranking at midterms is more what Akechi expected."
Kokomi sniffed. "Not good enough. Everybody knows that by now."
"Well, did you know that Kusuo has an older brother?"
Who did this chick think she is? "Already knew that, too. We visited the temple together on New Year's Day. He even gave New Year Money. All 60,000 yen." Kokomi crossed her arms, looking rather haughty, happily avoiding how she and Saiki-kun's old brother totally did not get along. "I'm practically family."
Now Aiura looked mildly impressed and slightly indignant. She stood up, drawing to her full height as she was a couple of centimeters taller than Kokomi. "Well, I went clubbing with his Grandma Saiki Kumi. So there! I'm actual marriage material, with a stamp of approval from his Grandma."
"Well, I've brought his lost Grandpa back to the house when he got lost," said Kokomi, getting on her tippy toes a little bit. She was not going to lose. "So I got a stamp of approval from his Grandpa Saiki Kumagoro. Now what do you have to say?"
For a moment, Aiura was silent. Then she started laughing.
Kokomi kept up a look of pugnaciousness for a few more seconds and started laughing too.
The courtyard was filled with girlish laughter for a bit, loud enough to be heard by other temple patrons and putting them at ease.
"You know, if you tell anyone about the conversation that we just have over an average boy, I will deny it and sic my fan club on you," said Kokomi.
"I won't say a thing. Fortune teller's honor," said Aiura. She held out a hand. "May the best woman win Kusuo's heart."
Kokomi took it. "Well, consider yourself beaten." She was competitive, after all. "I am the most perfect woman."
"That you may be, but are you the best woman for Kusuo?" asked Aiura rhetorically.
"What are you trying to say?"
"He actually came to me for help before because I can do things," said Aiura. "What do you have to offer him? Outside of being a pretty thing?"
"I rank much higher academically than you," Kokomi pointed out. "I'm going to college. And as you say, I am absolutely adorable." For effect, Kokomi flipped her hair. "I'm a prize for anyone."
"Oh, give me break," Aiura said, then she muttered under her breath, "He can't even see how pretty you are."
"What is that?" demanded Kokomi, clearly not hearing the last part.
Aiura shook her head. Instead, she crossed her arms and gave one of her dazzling, confident smiles. "May the best woman win, Terukoko."
Kokomi gave the fortune teller a curt, but respectful nod. "Mikoto-chan."
Aiura only smiled wider.
With that, Aiura picked up the blue school bag that was sitting unobtrusively on the bench and hefted the strap onto her shoulder. She checked her phone for a second. "Duty calls. Later Terukoko."
Aiura went on her way, presumably on to whatever was her job or that rave that Aiura was dressed for.
Kokomi went on her way to Benzaiten's shrine.
The Benzaiten shine was relatively small, with a moderate-sized Benzaiten statue that came to waist height. Someone did tend to the shrine though, making sure that the path was swept clean and fresh flowers were placed. The candles and incenses were not lit though.
There was no one around, which was thankful. Despite Benziten being 'popular' with the student, most students actually go to Tenjin's shrine on the other side of town where physical charms could be purchased. The most that could be purchased at a Buddist temple were fortune slips.
Kokomi's phone buzzed, with an accompanying ringing tune that indicated that it was a text message.
It was Chiyo.
Apparently, Chiyo had just had lunch with Kaidou's mom, after the morning study session with Kaidou Shun. There was something about Sora quizzing them afterward. And now, Chiyo was urgently in need of face-to-face girl talk or Chiyo might just commit suicide by jumping out of a window.
Crap. Time to get the prayer in, maybe ditch Makoto and get out. Girlfriends needed to be there for each other.
Kokomi did take a moment to think about Aiura's words as she stood in front of the shrine, thinking about what to pray for.
Was she the best woman for Saiki-kun?
The idea to question whether she was good enough for someone never really crossed her mind. It had always been that her presence blessed whoever was in her presence.
But who blessed her with their presence?
Kokomi felt a small wistful smile grace her lips when she recalled an incident from back during second year. When Saiki-kun took her to the nurse's office because she fainted from exhaustion. It was one of the few times she abandoned the approval of her fans and chased after a mere boy. She didn't feel the usual satisfaction from such an act, but rather, a odd fluttering in her stomach from happiness.
Kokomi clapped her hands twice, closed her eyes and prayed. -Dear Goddess Benzaiten. I know I'm supposed to wish for energy, focus and determination to study for finals. But all I really want to wish now is that Saiki-kun is okay.-
When she opened her eyes again, she smiled.
Kokomi turned on heel to leave and find Makoto. She quickly texted Makoto, saying that she was going to the bosatsu statue gallery to look for him and that she will likely duck out early to be with a friend.
Kokomi was about five meters away from the small shrine when she heard a child's giggle, causing her to turn around.
Some little kid with shoulder-length pale blonde hair in a simple gray yukata, geta on the feet, and squatted in front of the Benzaiten statue. The kid's back was against Kokomi.
That's...strange. It wasn't festival time yet. The monks at this temple usually wore dark blue samue or full monk robe. Most people don't wear traditional garments out unless it was a special occasion, to get into the spirit of things. Even more, this kid had to be five, six years old. Where were the parents?
The kid was touching the candle and incense sticks with a pointing finger. Kokomi noted the pale, almost sickly, white skin.
Spontaneously, the candles lit and the incense sticks began to smoke.
The kid giggled again. It had a strange echo to it.
"I'm not burning up," the kid said, holding the hands out for observation, half laughing. "This is great. It doesn't hurt anymore."
Kokomi felt a shiver go down her spine. When did the air get so cold?
The kid turned his head looked back at her for a second.
Kokomi had to blink.
A pair of golden eyes stared back at her.
She had seen that dead gaze before, and those features, complemented by the shoulder-length, displayed a curious androgyny common in children. But where had she seen that face? There seemed to be an opression about her mind the longer their gaze lock, preventing her from recalling.
And that face...red mottled skin covered the left cheek, temple and surrounding the eye. Angry blue vein almost seemed to pulse. There was an edge to the mottled skin, bright yellow, as if something was still burning away.
The kid seemed to notice her reaction and quickly pull at the blonde locks to cover the gnarly skin.
It was then that Kokomi realized that the geta on the kid's feet should have made really loud 'clacking' sounds whenever he took a step.
Kokomi never heard the kid coming.
"I'm not here Onee-san (1)," the kid said. The lips curved upwards in a disarming smile, but did not open at all. Was the kid a ventriloquist? Why did that lilting voice have hollowness to it? "I'm just a figment of your imagination."
Kokomi rubbed her eyes.
The kid was gone.
(1) It's very common for little kids to automatically call any older person who are younger than, say about age 30, older brother and older sister. If they're older than that, then it's auntie or uncle. It's why Teruhashi Kokomi was so shocked when Yuuta called her "O-baa-san," because she was expecting "Onee-chan," or "Onee-san," or even "Onee-tan." Obaasan" is like...pure insult.