It's really, really bright outside, but not so much behind the shrine. There are a lot of trees over there, and it's really pretty. There's a lake, too. I found a huge turtle there earlier named Genji. He has a beard! Right now, I sit on the turtle's back as he floats across the lake. The water's really sparkly, and there are lots of fish. I wonder if there are diamonds in the lake. Maybe that's why it's so shiny.
"Genjiii, what are these fish called?" I ask. They're all sorts of pretty colors and flit around in the water.
'Those are koi fish.'
"I want one!" I lean over the water's edge, watching the water reflect on my outstretched hand. It's so pretty that there's no way there aren't diamonds in here. "I bet if I reach in I can."
Genji turns away from the school of fish, and I nearly fall into the water. I'm forced to cling to his shell to keep from losing my balance. 'That would be an unwise decision. Those fish can only thrive in water, and you can't swim.'
"As long as I can stick my hand in the water it's fine, right?" I ask hopefully. Genji shakes his head.
As the morning goes on, I curl up on Genji's back and close my eyes, trying to block out the light.
Maybe I should try talking to Genji. "Genji." Genji doesn't respond, and continues to float lazily over the water's surface. "Hey, Genji. Genji. Hey, listen!" I whack his shell a few times to get his attention.
'Hmmm?'
"When's mama coming?"
'She's not.'
"Why?"
'She has agreed to hand over your custody to Yukari-sama.'
"Why?"
'Because of your duty as the Hakurei shrine maiden.'
I don't know what custody is.
"Genji, what's 'custody'?"
'It's the possession of something or someone.'
I rest my cheek against Genji's shell and think. Because mama handed over my…custody…to the gap lady, she can't come and see me.
"That's it!" I sit up. "If I get my custody back from Yukarin and give it back to mama, she'll be able to come see me!" Genji nods.
'That sounds like quite the plan.'
I suddenly hear a voice coming from the front of the shrine. "Is anyone here?"
Is Yukarin back? I want to run out front and see who it is, but Genji's slow when he glides across the lake. As soon as we reach the land, I run out to the front of the shrine and call out. "Yukarin?"
I stop in my tracks. It's not Yukarin.
Ran kneels in front of me and smile. "It's good to see you doing well."
I squint—it's so bright!—and scuff my shoes on the ground. "Where's Yukarin?"
"She's visiting a friend today, so she sent me here in her stead."
I don't say anything. I feel more comfortable around Yukarin. Yukarin's kinda scary, but I feel something strange inside me when I'm with her. It feels like I'm going to turn into a bird and fly into the air. If I could fly, that would be really cool! Genji says he can fly.
"I have to make a delivery and run some errands today. Do you want to come with me to the Human Village?"
"What's that?"
Ran looks surprised. "It's…oh, that's right, you're not from here, so you wouldn't know. This will be a good chance for you to find out." She stands up and holds her hand out to me. "Let's go."
how does I 5-year old perspective
Okay, in all seriousness, this chapter was kind of a pain. I heard that children are fluent in their native language by five years old, but how big of a vocabulary do they have? It's especially a pain because the whole thing's in first person. Still, writing this was kind of interesting. It made me feel like I was writing a child's diary entry.
When I was writing for Genji, I imagined him as a grandfatherly-type figure who takes things slowly (read: likely to fall asleep on a fishing trip), not being too strict because he's helping to watch over a small child.
