Chapter 1: “The Crimson Thread of Encounter” (Deai no Kōshoku Ito)
Chapter 2: “Budding – The Subtleties of the Heart” (Hōga – Kokoro no Kibi)
Chapter 3: “Ripples – The Path of Feelings and Small Commotions” (Hamon – Omoi no Yukue to Chiisana Sōdō)
Chapter 4: “Eternity – Love Sworn Under the Moonlight” (Eien – Tsukiyo ni Chikau Ai)
Chapter 1: “The Crimson Thread of Encounter” (Deai no Kōshoku Ito)
At 10 AM, as the pale early spring sunlight gently caressed the treetops of the thousand-year-old cedar, Anna Mochizuki, a shrine maiden of Shinmei Shrine, was drawing clear water into a wooden bucket at the temizuya. Her porcelain-like skin contrasted beautifully with her crimson hakama.
Cherry blossom petals danced in the wind before gently settling on the water’s surface.
“May today pass peacefully… Oh no, I’m thinking about Mr. Crimson again!” Anna hastily corrected herself in her mind. Lately, she couldn’t get that man in the crimson coat out of her head.
Her family home, a long-established Japanese confectionery shop called “Kanmi-dokoro Miyabi,” was about a five-minute walk from the shrine. Her grandmother, Chiyo, had also once served as a shrine maiden at Shinmei Shrine.
Chiyo was a stern yet warm presence in Anna’s life, like a guidepost. However, lately, Chiyo’s constant inquiries about marriage prospects whenever they met had become a source of worry for Anna.
“Grandmother, times have changed!” Anna would argue in her mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.
“Oh, Anna-chan. Are you spacing out thinking about Mr. Crimson again?” Misaki, a fellow shrine maiden, called out from behind.
Misaki, with a mischievous smile, attempted to lightly tap Anna’s shoulder, but her enthusiasm got the better of her, and she ended up slapping Anna’s back a bit too hard.
“Buhoo!” Anna choked, and Misaki panicked, “Wah! Sorry! Anna-chan! Are you okay!?”
Anna coughed violently, causing water to spill forcefully from the bucket. The water soaked not only Anna’s hakama but also Misaki’s feet.
“Oh no, my hakama… and even Misaki…” “I’ll make it up to you! I’ll treat you to a big serving of mitarashi dango later! This time, I’ll definitely find you a suitable marriage partner!”
Misaki hurriedly tried to wipe Anna’s hakama with her own handkerchief, but it stuck to the wet part, making the situation even worse.
“Stop it! You’re making it worse!” As Anna was half-exasperated, a familiar silhouette appeared at the edge of her vision.
A tall man wearing a crimson coat was climbing the shrine path with his usual leisurely gait. Today, he was carrying a paper bag, perhaps a gift.
“Good morning,” the man stopped in front of the temizuya and smiled at Anna. His smile was as gentle as the spring sunshine, but Anna’s heart raced from the embarrassment of being seen in such a disastrous state.
“G-good morning. It’s a nice day today… Oh, I’m so sorry about this unsightly scene at my feet…”
Anna hurriedly tried to hide her wet hakama, but it only made the puddle more noticeable. Misaki, seeing her own wet feet, cried out, “Kyaa!”
“Yes, well… shall we say you both appear to be radiating charm today?” The man said jokingly while looking up at the sky. At his words, Anna’s heart skipped a beat, but now was not the time for that. Her face grew hot with embarrassment.
“Anna, Mr. Crimson is here! And today we’re dripping with… wait, both of us?!” As Misaki teased again, Anna hurriedly looked down.
“Ah, I’m sorry! My feet got wet… The purification water… seems to have gotten a bit unruly…”
The man smiled and said, “It’s alright. Water… well, life has its unexpected puddles too. What’s important is not to stop at them but how to move forward, right?”
His somewhat philosophical joke only confused Anna further. She could barely understand half of what he was saying.
After that, as the man headed towards the main shrine, Anna felt her heartbeat growing even more intense.
“Who is that man really… And he’s a bit… no, quite airheaded?” Anna whispered to Misaki.
“Who knows? But the fact that he comes to pray without fail every month means he must be someone very serious about something. Or perhaps just out of touch with common sense…” Misaki answered with a wink.
“But he doesn’t seem that way. There’s something… otherworldly about him; like a hermit… but sometimes he’s like a child…” “Anna-chan, you’ve got a full-on love filter on and it’s a special edition too!”
Misaki grinned and tried to tap Anna’s shoulder again so that Anna reflexively dodged.
“N-no that’s not it! I’m just a little curious…” Anna hastily denied it but Misaki’s smile wouldn’t stop.
That day, Anna watched from afar as the man offered his prayers at the main shrine of Shinmei Shrine.
The man’s figure bowing his head deeply in prayer conveyed a sense of deep devotion to the gods… Just then as the man turned back from the main shrine he stumbled on the stone pavement. The paper bag he was holding flew into the air and something fell out.
“Watch out!” Anna reflexively rushed over and grabbed the man’s arm. The man’s body fell against Anna’s chest and their distance suddenly closed. Anna was enveloped in the man’s warmth and faint scent… like sandalwood incense.
What had fallen out seemed to be Japanese sweets.
“Are you alright?!” Anna looked up at the man’s face worriedly. The man, his face slightly red, said apologetically,
“I’m so sorry… It seems that in my eagerness to pray to the gods I neglected to watch my step. And I’ve even scattered the offerings…”
Seen up close, the man’s face was as perfectly sculpted as a statue and Anna found herself holding her breath. His almond-shaped eyes were full of kindness and his high bridge of nose suggested intelligence, but there was still something absent-minded about him.
“I’m Saeki. Naoto Saeki,” the man introduced himself while holding Anna’s hand. The warmth of his hand slowly spread to Anna’s. At the same time, she noticed that a bit of sand and sweet bean paste from earlier had stuck to it.
“Ah yes… I’m Anna Mochizuki,” Anna hurriedly returned her introduction but her heart was pounding fiercely for various reasons.
“Mochizuki-san, what a lovely name. By the way, a little um…” As Saeki alternately looked at his own hand and Anna’s chest, she hurriedly looked at her own hakama where some sweet bean paste had stuck to it.
“Oh! I’m sorry! Earlier at the temizuya… and now…” “No no please don’t worry about it rather this might be some kind of fate connected by water and sweet bean paste. Shall we call it ‘mizu-an en’ (water and sweet bean paste connection)? …Oh that might be a bit of stretch.”
Saeki said this with a straight face, then sheepishly put his hand on his head. Anna couldn’t help but burst out laughing. As if all tension had disappeared, her heart felt lighter.
“Hehe… ‘mizu-an en’ is it? That’s interesting.” “Yes, between you and me, Mochizuki-san…” Saeki smiled as he gazed at Anna. At that gaze, Anna’s heart skipped a beat. This time it was pure fluttering, as if all earlier commotion had been erased. A sweet atmosphere flowed between them.
(Chapter 1 To be continued)
