Page 94

Page 94

"Scared? Is that true?"

This was the first time Sakura had heard of this. Although she, Reiya, and Tomoyo were already good friends, they had only known each other for a few months. After all, they were not as close as Reiya and Tomoyo, who had been friends since kindergarten.

The shrine maidens of Izumo Taisha Shrine feel like characters in a story.

"I only heard about it, and I don't know the details. You can call her and ask."

That makes sense, Sakura then remembered that Reiya also had a cell phone, and Tomoyo and the other three each had one. But when Sakura usually went to see Reiya, she usually went directly to her house (because her mother was there), so they had never contacted each other through the cell phone.

"But, won't it be hard for a miko to practice? Will calling her disturb her?"

"I think so."

Then there was silence on the phone.

At this time, the homework that Sakura wondered where she had thrown away was being held by a little boy.

The boy's name is Yasuo, the same name as the protagonist of "Doraemon" (translated in the 90s, called Nobita Nobi in the new version). Like Yasuo who owns Doraemon in the story, he has poor grades, is naughty, and always tells lies.

The difference is that he doesn't have Doraemon. Without those magical props and wonderful stories, his life is boring.

So Kangfu had very few friends. To be more precise, he had no friends at all.

"Is what you said last time true, Yasuo? Do you really know the magical girl Sakura?"

"Don't listen to his nonsense. Sakura is just a story on TV. There is no such thing as a magical girl in this world."

The people speaking are Yasuo's neighbors, Zenta and Jiro.

Yesterday, when Yasuo told them that he knew Sakura Kinomoto, Zenta and Jiro didn't believe it. She was a character in the most popular TV series recently. Even elementary school students knew that what was on TV was just a story.

But Kangfu said that he could produce evidence, which made the two men doubtful, so they met here again today.

"What I said is true. Sakura Kinomoto is my classmate. If you don't believe me, just look. I have the evidence!"

Looking at the workbook in Kangfu's hand, Zenta and Jiro were also a little uncertain. The name on the workbook was indeed "Kinomoto Sakura", and there were also teacher's corrections in it, which didn't look like it was made up in a random book bought from a canteen.

"Do you really know Sakura Kinomoto?"

"of course."

"Have you ever seen her use Kuro magic?"

"Uh..." Of course Kangfu had never seen it, but it was obviously embarrassing to say so. "Yes, I have seen it many times. It's that flying card. Every time after school, she releases the dark key and flies home. She never takes the car."

"Is this true? Why haven't any of us seen it? If it flew over our heads, many people should have seen it."

"Um, um, yes, isn't there a 'Hidden' card? If you turn invisible, you won't be able to see."

Zenta and Jiro felt something was wrong, but they couldn't tell what was wrong. After all, they were just elementary school students, still at the age of believing in magic.

"Well, can you help us get Sakura's autograph?"

"This……"

The exercise book was stolen, but Kangfu didn't have the courage to ask for an autograph in person.

"Kanfu is lying!"

"Boastmaster, blowhard!"

The two neighbor children ran away, leaving Kangfu standing alone on the street with the homework book in his hand.

"Everything I said is true." He muttered to himself. Except for the fact that Sakura knows magic, he really didn't lie this time.

Chapter 121: Sacred Tree

In this era, Tokyo has already suffered from light pollution at night, and the neon lights on the ground dim the sky. But in Izumo, the cliffs of the mountains and the pavilions of the sea, the night sky has not been tainted by the modern environment, and you can still see the gorgeous starry sky.

"Does Ling like looking at the stars, too?"

"Ah."

Huayin and Ling were also in the woods behind the big community.

The weather is getting colder in late autumn, and you can no longer hear the croaking of frogs and insects. But because it is close to the sea, you can vaguely hear the sound of the tide. However, if you really want to go to the seaside, you still have to walk several miles of winding mountain roads, which is not very close.

This is a forbidden area, where Hua Yin usually practices. Except for the former candidate for the master and the current master, no one else is allowed to set foot here. Tourists are not allowed here, and even priests and shrine maidens are not allowed to come here without special reasons, so as not to disturb the master's practice.

Actually, there is nothing special here. There is just a deep pool, and beside the pool there is a giant sacred tree hung tightly with ropes. Looking up, it is unknown how old the sacred tree is. Five or ten people may not be able to hug it together. The towering tree blocks out the sun and clouds, showing its antiquity and mystery.

Ling couldn't recognize the species of tree. It looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't be sure.

Such giant trees are like miracles of life, making people want to believe that spirits and gods really exist in the world. It is no wonder that the ancients worshipped them.

This is the place where the masters of all generations have practiced meditation. In this profound and ancient environment, the boundary between humans and gods has gradually blurred, so no one else is allowed to set foot here. At this time, Huayin also came here with Ling.

For Huayin, this is her secret base.

"Speaking of looking at the stars, climbing up that tree actually gives you a better view. There's a branch near the treetop that's perfect for sitting."

"Is climbing... allowed?" Ling asked uncertainly, looking at the layers of ropes piled up under the giant tree.

"Probably not allowed. Legend has it that this is the laurel tree planted by the Okuninushi God himself. But normally no one comes here, not even the Lord God. So it doesn't matter if no one knows about it."

Huayin started jogging as she spoke. Lingye had originally thought that she was a quiet girl, but her impression was completely overturned at this moment. She was wearing a shrine maiden costume that was not very convenient, and wooden clogs on her feet, but she ran to the tree nimbly, took off her wooden clogs directly, and climbed up the tree lightly wearing her tabi.

This kind of tree climbing is probably a skill that every rural child has, right?

But is this a laurel tree? Can a laurel tree grow so tall? It looks like it is several dozen meters tall. Has it mutated?

"Because laurel is the symbol of eternity. Can Ling climb trees?" Huayin was already six or seven meters high, almost three floors. The tree has many branches, and the ones near the bottom are thicker and easier to climb, just like a ladder.

Ling had never climbed a tree before, but this did not bother her. She jumped up the tree with a light jump.

If Huayin is a deft acrobat, then Ling is a martial arts expert. She doesn't have any tricks, and it seems to violate the principles of mechanics, but she goes up so lightly that if someone is watching, they would probably wonder if she is hanging on a wire.

But I have to say that this kind of "tree climbing" is really pleasing to the eye. With a tap of the toes, you can fly several meters, as if you are free from the constraints of gravity. Just like an elf among the trees.

The body is as swift as a flying duck, as elusive as a god, with light steps on the water, and the silk stockings are covered with dust. This is probably what it means.

The place that Huayin mentioned as close to the tree canopy was actually quite a distance away from the tree canopy, about halfway up the tree. There was a platform naturally formed by several thick branches.

It didn't matter whether we reached the treetops or not, because we were already very high here. Ling even suspected that this height was probably about the same as Gaia, because the view was familiar at first glance. This was indeed a good place to see the stars.

"nervous?"

"what?"

"Tomorrow's ceremony."

"Uh, I don't seem to feel anything."

"Yeah, that's true."

Huayin has always known that granting Lingye divine status is not an honor for the girl, but an honor for Izumo Taisha.

In a few days, it will be the tenth month of the lunar calendar, the month of Kamari in Izumo. It is because of her arrival that it truly becomes the month of Kamari. Except for where she is, all other places are Kamari.

She really had nothing to be nervous about.

Huayin sat on the tree branch first. She was a little out of breath and took a few deep breaths to calm down. The stairs were several floors high and ordinary people would have to breathe heavily after climbing them. However, Ling, who followed her up, also looked normal and breathed steadily.

Such abnormalities are nothing new to Huayin.

The scenery here is very beautiful. It is higher than any building in the shrine. You can see the panoramic view of the shrine from the height.

Huayin likes this place very much. The first time she climbed this tree was when she was in primary school. It was five or six years ago. She was tired of the boring practice and climbed up this sacred tree with a rebellious mentality. She was warned to pray sincerely and not to offend.

She was very cautious at first, fearing that the God would find out, but the God never discovered it once, and she gradually fell in love with this feeling.

The scenery from the heights is unobstructed, especially when the sun sets, the sky and earth are dyed red by the sunset glow. When encountering demons, is it because it is too beautiful that it takes away people's souls?

Looking beyond the shrine, you can even see the sea in the distance. The last glimmer of light on the skyline has faded, and the sea water under the moonlight has a few glittering spots, but most places are shrouded in deep darkness.

"When I was little, I was very afraid of the sea at night. Adults said that there were monsters in the sea at night that would eat children."

This is actually to keep children away from the sea at night. The wind is strong and the waves are dangerous at night. Once an accident occurs, there will be no adults who can see and rescue in time in the dark.

The sirens at night were white lies. However, such kindness made Huayin more afraid of the sea since she was a child.

"Besides, even now, I still feel that the sea at night is a little scary. Look, it's pitch black and you can't see anything. Is Ling afraid too?"

Will she be afraid?

"Don't be afraid. I love the sea. Whether it's the sea during the day or at night."

Maybe in the past, but since she got the power of Aguru, the sea has become more intimate to her. The sea is the original cradle of life, and the ancestors of all life were born in the ocean. It's just that humans left their homeland for too long and have long forgotten it.

It is indeed too long. 6.5 million years ago, after the end of the Earth's Ice Age, the first life left the sea and came to land, and then there was the Cambrian explosion of life. This naturally included the ancestors of humans.

Hundreds of millions of years is a heavy burden that no life can bear. It can make humans forget the memory of being marine creatures even in the deepest part of their genes, leaving only the unknown.

But the sea is always there, with the unchanging sound of the sea, the ebb and flow of the tide.

The two girls sat on the thick branches of the sacred tree, swinging their legs. Huayin was wearing snow-white tabi, and Ling was still wearing the small leather boots she wore during the day.

Huayin took out a bamboo flute. Ling also saw that she reached out and took the bamboo flute out from a hole in the tree trunk. This sacred tree that has been worshipped for many years is surrounded by a rope. Originally, even touching it is not allowed, as it would be considered a blasphemy to the sacred tree.

The masters of all generations practiced diligently under the tree, but when it came to Huayin, it had apparently become her "secret base".

Huayin played a piece of music on the bamboo flute. She was not very skilled, but at least she could hear the melody clearly. She had never been taught by a teacher, she learned it by herself.

"Can Ling also play the flute?"

Ling also nodded.

"But I can play the flute. I have never played the bamboo flute."

"Flute? Is it the metal flute you see on TV?"

"Ah."

The bamboo flute is a traditional instrument, while the flute is a Western instrument. It is often played in combination with saxophone, clarinet, trombone, trumpet, etc. It is an instrument in the classical orchestra.

"As expected, Ling is very different from me."

The 'I' here not only refers to Huayin herself, but also includes the people around her since she grew up.

I haven't played the bamboo flute before. Compared with the flute, the fingering and breath requirements are different. But there are similarities, so it should be no problem to play the sound.

"Would you like to try the bamboo flute?"

Ling did not refuse the bamboo flute handed over by Huayin. She took the flute and found it heavier than she thought. The bamboo flute is of course made of bamboo, but Ling could not tell the texture of the bamboo. It was simple and heavy. Since it was made by Izumo Taisha, it might not be a simple thing.

But after all, it's just a flute.

Huayin had just played the flute, but Ling didn't mind. She just wiped the moisture attached to the blowing hole. She tried to play the sound, and it worked.