Chapter Text
It was a dark and gloomy afternoon near the shrine where [Reader] was headed, the drizzle over their parasol almost matching their quick steps as they tried to keep the incense they were commissioned dry.
It was an annoying yet somewhat pleasing journey, the area was quite lovely, even if isolated. The torii gates and stone steps leading them the last part of the way as if to tell them they were almost there when they felt another pair of steps behind them. They knew they couldn’t run or turn around, it’d be a foolish decision, so they pulled out a pocket mirror and tilted it as if to check their face whilst using it to look behind them.
There was a clear shadow, a parasol moving behind theirs in the rain. Who even kills others near a shrine? Sure, it might be a fellow visitor but being there at the same time as them? Matching their steps as if to mimic the noise and not be heard?
Somehow the presence seemed to slow down after some time, just in time for [Reader] to pass through the final torii and enter the temple’s main garden:«Ah! [Reader], you’re finally here» an old monk smiled gently at them:«Yes, apologies, the rain made the roads slippery»«Do not worry child, come, I’ll let you put down the incense and take shelter in the temple»
[Reader] followed the kind monk inside, cleaning their hands and feet by the chōzubachi before doing so. The inside of the temple smelled like old wood and ancient papers, somehow comforting them from their earlier struggles and worries about the shadow behind them:«You seem worried child»«Ah, apologies, I was merely…»they sighed, deciding that talking to a monk of all people would be the best option:«I thought I saw someone following me… they… I couldn’t fully see them and their parasol looked… very empty, now that I think about it I can’t even think of what was on it, quite odd yes?»
The man turned towards them:«Ah… you should stay the night, you never know the types of people that walk out there» he seemed worried:«I see. I wouldn’t want to trouble anyone though»«Please stay. I sense bad vibes from the woods tonight, I feel something bad approaching in the rain.»
If they weren’t worried then, they were surely worried now, so they accepted the offer, respectfully accepting the change of clothes and modest food the temple offered and trading it off for the perfumes and incense they were bringing on request.
The night proceeded slowly but safely, [Reader] felt at ease in the temple and was forcing themselves to forget the figure, or at the very least to explain it with logic, yet no matter how hard they tried, they could not remember the umbrella’s pattern or even a single one of the drawings on it. Maybe it was a spiriti, but after all they were in the safest place they could be in, so they finally allowed themselves rest, likely helped by the tiredness of work.
The following day they rose early, intending to join in the morning prayer before leaving, but a pale man with a curious kimono was talking to the monks and taking over the entrance to that building:«Is something the matter? Why all the ruckus?» [Reader] asked to one of the younger students there:«Apparently this medicine seller is quite curious and wants a tour or something, I just got here myself for breakfast»
[Reader] sighed and walked up silently, clearly a bit curious and relaxed as they forgot the previous day’s situation:«I believe avoiding visitors entering the temple would be best, maybe even closing this very building from entry»«That’s too much»a monk answered the man:«The moon festival is soon, we need to prepare»«I see that I have no power here, but please think of the safety of the people first» the pale man answered
They finally stopped talking as the pale man sighed, turning towards [Reader], which could only now see his face. The man was very pale, more than his hands had let them to imagine, he had short hair in the back and much longer bangs, keeping one side in a sort of tail while a purple bandana covered most of his hair. His ears were pointy and long and his face had a make up that reminded [Reader] of some performance masks they had made in the past as a child. He wore a women’s kimono in bright colours and carried a heavy-looking medicine box.
He soon laid eyes on them and acknowledged them:«Oh?»