Chapter 1: A Divine Encounter
In a quiet corner of a residential area stood a small shrine, Shimmei Shrine. This shrine, dedicated to the local deity, serves as a spiritual haven for the community.
People come daily to offer their prayers, and on the 1st and 15th of each month, the shrine becomes bustling with worshipers for the monthly festivals.
A 20-year-old local woman named Anna serves as a shrine maiden here. Having visited the shrine with her mother since childhood, after graduating from high school, she decided to take on the role of a shrine maiden.
Every morning, she cleans the precincts and greets worshipers with a smile. Her presence is cherished by the local community.
Anna is serious and sincere but somewhat clumsy. Her clumsiness sometimes leads to unexpected events, which, ironically, enhance her charm.
One autumn morning, Anna was diligently cleaning the precincts as usual. As she watched the fallen leaves dance in the wind, she smiled.
However, that peaceful morning soon took an unexpected turn due to her clumsiness.
“Okay, here we go… Ah, ahhh!”
As she vigorously swung the broom, the collected sand scattered and hit the face of a man named Fujimoto, who had come to worship.
“Oof!”
“Oh no! I’m so sorry!”
Anna hurriedly ran over to Fujimoto. Though surprised, he brushed off the sand and looked up.
“No, it’s fine. It’s just sand.”
“I’m really sorry! I thought I was cleaning as usual, but…”
Anna repeatedly bowed her head, looking genuinely sorry. Her glasses, slightly askew, added to her characteristic charm.
Seeing this, Fujimoto gently smiled.
“Please don’t worry about it. Thanks to you, the shrine is always clean.”
“Oh… thank you. But I’ll be more careful from now on!”
Those words warmed Anna’s heart.
Fujimoto was a regular worshiper who never missed the 1st and 15th visits to the shrine. In his late 30s, he had been undergoing treatment for a serious illness and made it a habit to walk to the shrine as part of his rehabilitation.
“It’s also a way of showing gratitude to the gods,” he always said quietly.
Anna had noticed Fujimoto before, but this was the first time they had exchanged words.
“He’s a kind person…”
As she continued cleaning the precincts, she recalled Fujimoto’s gentle smile.
A gentle and warm smile. Through interacting with him beyond just seeing him as a worshiper, a small curiosity grew in Anna’s heart.
Since that day, Anna began naturally looking for Fujimoto whenever he came to the shrine.
Anna found herself gradually drawn to his sincerity and gentle demeanor.
Chapter 2: Trials of Love and a Heartfelt Charm
Several months passed since Anna began harboring special feelings for Fujimoto.
As winter approached, the shrine became busy with preparations for the year-end and New Year.
“I wonder if he’ll come today…”
As the 1st and 15th approached, Anna found herself eagerly awaiting Fujimoto’s visits, while trying to remind herself that “this is not appropriate for a shrine maiden.”
But the more she thought so, the more his gentle smile lingered in her mind.
One morning, while cleaning the precincts, Anna decided to seek advice from her senior shrine maiden, Satsuki.
“Senpai, have you ever been particularly aware of a worshiper?”
“Particularly aware? What do you mean?”
Satsuki looked puzzled at Anna’s question.
“Well… like waiting for that person to come, or getting nervous when talking to them…”
“Oh, that just means you’ve fallen in love, doesn’t it?”
Said bluntly, Anna blushed.
“N-no, it’s not like that! I’m just trying to be considerate as a shrine maiden…!”
“Hmm, so you’re checking your appearance in the mirror every morning to be considerate?”
Anna gasped.
Satsuki’s remark made Anna even more flustered. She recalled how she had been paying extra attention to her appearance on the days he came recently.
“It’s okay. It’s natural to feel love, and it’s a wonderful thing. So? What kind of person is he?”
“He’s a local resident… He’s undergoing treatment for a serious illness, but he’s very kind. He always cares about the shrine.”
“Hmm, he sounds like a wonderful person. So, are you going to tell him how you feel?”
At the mention of confessing her feelings, Anna instinctively shook her head.
“T-there’s no way I can do that! I’m a shrine maiden, so…”
“But you like him, right?”
“Uh…”
Faced with her senior, Anna couldn’t deny her feelings and had to confront them.
One day, an idea occurred to Anna.
“That’s it. I’ll make a charm for him.”
At the shrine, shrine maidens would occasionally make charms with their heartfelt prayers for worshipers’ wishes. Anna decided to use this opportunity to create a charm filled with her feelings for Fujimoto.
However, Anna’s clumsiness showed itself here as well.
“Health blessing… how can I make it feel energetic…”
After much thought, Anna added a bit of a twist to the traditional shape, incorporating a slightly distorted heart shape into the charm.
Looking at the finished charm, she couldn’t help but smile.
“It might be unconventional, but surely my feelings will be conveyed!”
Anna carefully sought the right timing to give him the charm.
Then came the 1st. When Fujimoto visited the shrine as usual, Anna stood in the precincts with a somewhat uneasy look.
“Um…!”
“Yes? Is something the matter?”
Anna held out the charm with both hands as she spoke.
“This is a health blessing charm. If you don’t mind, please take it.”
Fujimoto, surprised, accepted the charm and noticed the slightly distorted heart shape, then softened his expression.
“What a warm design.”
“Oh, um, I just hope it helps you feel better…”
Anna, with flushed cheeks, continued speaking. Fujimoto looked at her and gently smiled.
“Thank you. I’ll cherish this heartfelt charm.”
Those words filled Anna’s heart with a warm feeling.
Since giving him the charm, Anna gained a little more confidence in herself.
Feeling like she had grown a bit closer to Fujimoto, she eagerly looked forward to seeing him again.
“I want to grow more as a shrine maiden and as a person.”
With her feelings for Fujimoto hidden in her heart, Anna became even more dedicated to her daily duties.
(to be continued)
