While Yuto kept lazing around on the shrine's step, he decided to look around, considering the years that had passed since the last time he had been there.
So he stood up and began strolling through the place, observing the same stone lanterns along his way here and around the temple.
There were also small shrines surrounding the main one, with some bronze Buddhas or some paintings of kamis hanging at the back of the room, illuminated by candles around them, each with their respective offerings.
Some had incense sticks burning in iron censers, others had flowers such as camellias, sakuras, lilies, and chrysanthemums. Though somewhat wilted, since their best time had long passed.
As he observed the temple's condition, he noticed the tiger girl coming out of one of the farthest stalls, carrying a small wooden box half dangling from her, filled with shrine-related items: talismans, waving cat figures, some sweets, and naturally, incense.
The tiger girl approached, waving one hand while the other "tried" to keep the wooden box from spilling its contents.
From afar she shouted:
"Heyyy, you didn't leave! I thought you were going to run away after that face you made when I mentioned the price."
Yuto could only pretend he had no idea what she was talking about and change the subject.
"By the way, what's your name? I forgot to ask."
"Uh, me…" she pointed at herself. "Well… my name is Tora-tsuki Ekuseishin, nice to meet you?…"
"Yuto, Yuto Konpyuuta. Nice to meet you as well," he said, extending a hand to greet.
Then they fell into an awkward silence, with no idea what to talk about. They stayed that way for a couple of seconds until Yuto remembered what he had come for. He began rummaging through his pocket while commenting:
"You mentioned 3000 yen, right?" as he pulled out the money and started counting it in his hands.
"Yes, for one, yes. Wouldn't you want something else besides the incense?" Tora-tsuki said, shaking the wooden box slightly. A sparkle lit up in her eyes at the sight of the money.
Yuto, distressed by his ever-lightening wallet, knew he should never have taken it out, his life savings, but after his earlier failed attempt to escape, he had no other choice.
And naturally, Yuto firmly but subtly refused.
"No." Though he only said that, his face shifted from anguish, to disappointment, and quickly to a neutral expression, for Tora-tsuki's amusement as she stood before him.
"Pfffft, looks like you just saw your life flash before your eyes," she said, barely containing herself, unable to resist laughing at Yuto's antics.
Yuto could only ignore her and, humiliated by her laughter, placed the 3000 yen in her wooden box and took the incense that belonged to him by right.
He turned and headed toward the main temple without looking back—because if he did, he would only see Tora-tsuki choking with laughter and struggling to keep the things in her box from falling out.
Yuto proceeded to place the incense in the ceramic censer in the main temple, using one of the surrounding candles to light it.
Then he stepped back a little, bowed a couple of times, and finally knelt for a few minutes to pray in silence.
Click click.
Only the soft sound of a pair of wind chimes outside and the rustling of the surrounding foliage could be heard, until Tora-tsuki broke the silence.
"You know, you forgot to shake the bells after lighting the incense," she said, pointing to some small bronze bells beside the altar that Yuto, conveniently, had not seen.
At that moment, Yuto made a promise to himself, he swore never to return to the park again, much less this cursed temple, especially with the unlucky yokai who happened to be the oni's granddaughter.
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After fleeing the cursed area, Yuto found himself in a commercial park with several food stalls and many vending machines. He was about to take out his phone to continue dealing with the matter troubling him, when an uninvited guest called out to him.
Bruuuuugg.
Yes, it was his stomach, demanding food after a whole day of constant running and walking around the park.
With his priorities clear, Yuto naturally chose the most important thing at that moment.
And so he ended up eating at a yakitori stall. Though filled with the smoke of constant cooking, the air carried a pleasant smell of chicken parts.
Knowing his appetite, he ordered four skewers to satisfy himself, despite his wallet growing lighter by the moment. He simply added plenty of seasoning and a bit of sweet-and-sour sauce to give it a touch.
So he moved aside and sat down on the edge of the shopping street to eat.
The sweet taste of chicken, with a hint of golden char, filled his mouth, and by the time he came to his senses, he had already finished all four, but strangely, he was still very hungry.
Although slightly worried, he eventually decided to eat more, so he went back to the same stall to buy another four yakitori. He finished them quickly like the first batch, and though he began to feel slightly full, the hunger persisted.
Worried that something might have been added to his food, he decided to switch stalls and finally just go for dessert.
So he bought a dango and some green tea, which he drank in one gulp to see if his hunger would settle. He sat for a while, slowly eating the dango and watching people pass through the shopping arcade, some with animal traits, others with parts that looked like tools or objects stuck to their bodies, some short, some tall, and some not very anthropomorphic at all.
He noticed the sun beginning to set, it was almost dusk, soon to turn dark. He knew it was time to head home, so he stood up, threw away the wrappers and sticks he had, and checked the pockets of his gakuran to see if anything was missing, until he touched his wallet and felt it was empty.
Yuto froze when he realized he had spent his life savings in a single day, falling prey to a trickster yokai and, ultimately, to the last person he thought would betray him, himself, or rather, his stomach.
So he did the most cathartic thing he could at that moment: he took out his phone, opened a notes app, and titled it "Feasible Jobs for Me." He wrote "astronaut" and marked every possible X in that section.
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After recovering from a mental collapse, he could only return home with the look of someone who had seen life flash before their eyes or had already died inside. He walked like a zombie down the street, frightening some neighborhood children. Many naturally kept their distance, though some of the bolder ones picked up sticks and tried poking Yuto. He ignored them, uninterested, focused only on getting home.
After a few more minutes, he finally arrived at his house. Mechanically, he searched for his keys and opened the door. As soon as it opened, he saw his father on the sofa with a newspaper, wearing as serious a face as possible for someone whose head was like a console screen, using emojis or text-like expressions.
|:] "Finally, you're home, Yuto. Your mother told me you two talked this morning about that little matter of what you want to do. So ....what did you decide about your future?" he said, in a slightly deep voice, keeping his gaze fixed on his son.
Yuto paused for just a moment, then mechanically continued toward his room in eerie silence, opening and closing the door without making a sound beyond its faint creak.
His father, left confused, ?-?
Could only mutter to himself, &-& "Looks like he had a bad day, but at least I can see he only inherited part of his mother's eerie aura." He sighed to himself, wondering what he could pair with the leftover sweet-and-sour chicken from the morning.
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(Aclaratión : Apparently, when praying in a temple, Japanese people at some point ring bells to get the god's attention. Yes, the Japanese call on god, it's confirmed.)