I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 18 Shrine
Toshima District, Sugamo Town.

This area is located in the northwest corner of Tokyo.

Its name comes from the ancient name of Toshima District in Musashi Province before the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures in the island nation.

When Tokyo expanded its administrative boundaries, four towns that originally belonged to Kita-Toshima District were merged into Tokyo and given the name Toshima Ward.

Hundreds of years ago, this was home to many temples and shrines; today, it is home to a large number of traditional small shops and various specialty stores: all kinds of handicrafts can be found here.

The shops on both sides sell products for the elderly.

Bestselling items included thermal underwear, hearing aids, and health socks. Along the way, there were various quaint pharmacies, even two funeral companies and a 1970s-style karaoke bar.
"This place has a very contemporary feel."

Class monitor Nao pushed up her glasses and took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Yeah, it feels like traveling through time—I wonder how long these shops have been around."

From the school-lined, youth-filled 'Bunkyo Ward', suddenly arriving at this street that maintains its 'traditional' character, surrounded by elderly men and women strolling slowly in traditional clothing, even Akihisa couldn't help but touch her chin.

"Tiannv, is this where you work?"

"Hehehe~~"

"It's even older than this place."

The petite and lively Tiannvying greeted the elderly people coming towards her while pointing ahead.

"It's about another kilometer or so."

"Alright, I'll wait for you here."

Upon hearing that there was still more than a thousand meters to go, Qiu Riqiong immediately stopped.

She was already frail and sickly, and coupled with her reclusive personality and the annoying Iai Nao by her side, she had no motivation whatsoever.

"How about I carry you on my back?"

Qiu Riyou was worried about leaving Qiu Riqiong alone here.

"Hey?"

"I'm not a child."

"Then, give me your schoolbag, I'll carry it for you."

Faced with her brother's outstretched hand, Akihi Sora finally handed over her schoolbag.

"Do you want to—"

"No need, Yu-kun."

"Hehehe~~ I don't need it at all."

Class monitor Nao and petite Emi both refused Akihi Yu's offer to carry their schoolbags: one was a key member of the school's swimming team, and the other walked this route every day, so stamina was not a problem for them at all.

Twenty minutes later,
"Is this Qiong alright?"

The four arrived at the foot of a small hill, looked up at the long staircase, and Qiu Riyou turned around.

"I"

“I’ll push Xiao Qiong around.”

Before Qiu Riqiong could say anything, the energetic Tiannv Ying pushed her from behind and began to climb upwards.

Girl, your stamina is really bad!
Contemplating whether to grant Qiu Riqiong some magical power, the four of them climbed the forest steps and arrived at the mountaintop after more than ten minutes.

A vermilion torii gate with the character "开" (kai) is located at the end of the steps. Passing through the torii gate, a small shrine appears before everyone.

"Xiao Qiong, we've arrived~~"

Tiannv Ying walked to the front of the crowd and circled around to show her presence:
"Welcome to Inari Shrine."

Before me was a small shrine, with an approach only a few meters long and just two stone lanterns.

The main hall, worship hall, purifying basin, and ema (votive plaques) are tiny. The entire shrine is smaller than a basketball court.

Although this place is also called 'Inari Shrine', it has absolutely no relation to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine: Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine's densely packed vermilion 'thousands of torii gates' is one of Kyoto's most iconic landmarks.

Because Inari is the god of agriculture and commerce, he is widely worshipped, so there are more than 9,000 Inari shrines throughout the island nation!
"Is Tiannv the only one here?"

Class monitor Nao looked around and spoke with some surprise.

This place is located on a small hill, and there is nothing here except for the shrine.

It's a nice place to visit, but as a place to live, what about living here alone late at night?
Just thinking about it sent chills down the spine of class president Nao.

"certainly,"

“Grandpa used to live with us too,”

“Since my grandfather passed away, I’ve been managing this place all by myself.”

After speaking, Tiannvying first invited everyone to wash their hands at the 'handwashing station', then sat down at the 'community office' next door, and pulled the wooden door herself to enter the room inside.

"Ta-da! Shrine Maiden Ying makes her entrance!"

A few minutes later, the girl, now dressed in a white and red shrine maiden outfit, emerged full of energy.

"Come, I'll take you to visit the shrine."

"This is the worship hall,"

The small and exquisite "worship hall" is located in front of the main hall and is a place for people to pray and make wishes. After inserting a 5-yen coin, which symbolizes "destiny", they clapped their hands twice and put their palms together. Class monitor Nao and her younger sister Akihi Sora bowed their heads and thought of what they wanted to pray for.

I hope Xiaoqiong can accept me.
I hope the bad woman leaves my brother.
After making opposite wishes in their hearts, the two casually tilted their heads.

"Ahem, next, would you like to write 'ema' (votive plaques)?"

"It's free."

The priestess, Eiryuu Akane, proposed,
Ema, as the name suggests, is a wooden plaque depicting a horse.

However, this was the earliest form of ema (votive plaques). Later ema designs became increasingly diverse: for example, the ema at Inari Shrine all feature fox patterns. On these wooden plaques, which are about 15 centimeters long and 10 centimeters high, people write their wishes, offer them before the gods, and pray for divine protection.

"Oh, this is too expensive."

"You're welcome, I made it all myself."

Class monitor Nao instinctively declined, but Amane Akira answered without hesitation.

"Did Tiannv make all of these herself?"

Faced with the 'ema' handed to him by the lively girl, the class monitor carefully examined it and exclaimed:

"So exquisite."

"Hehehe~~ Grandpa taught me all of this."

A ema (votive plaque) was given to class representative Nao and her younger sister Akihi Sora, but Akihi Yu didn't accept it. Amidst Tamako Ei's puzzled expression, Akihi Yu smiled slightly.

"my wish?"

"Inari God is most likely to be unable to achieve his goal."

?

"elder brother,"

“Yu-kun, you can’t say that in a shrine.”

It's highly unlikely that the class monitor and his sister believed in God.

However, saying such things in a shrine, especially since this is where his classmate, Tenjou Eiryu, works, is somewhat inappropriate.

"I'm sorry, Tiannv."

"I meant no disrespect, it's just—"

As someone who will plant a divine tree in the future and travel the universe in his physical body, Akihi Yu doesn't think there's anything in this world worth worshipping.

"It's alright, shrines are just places for spiritual sustenance."

"Praying for a bountiful harvest, prosperous business, and family safety—ultimately, these are all people's beautiful wishes."

But to realize your wishes, it is even more important to take action.

As an abandoned child, Tennyo Ying understood this very well from a young age.

"well said!"

Akihi Yu nodded, giving the girl a thumbs-up.

"As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement. Tiannu, you truly live a carefree life!"

"I'm not as amazing as you make me out to be."

After leading everyone on a tour of the small shrine, they began cleaning it—this was originally a daily routine for Akira and Ichiyo Nagisa. That's right, the young lady came here every day to manage the shrine with Akira, unless there were special circumstances.

"Tiannv classmate,"

While sweeping up fallen leaves, Qiu Riyou chatted idly with a young girl.

"If there really is a 'God,' what kind of wish would you want to have fulfilled?"

"Yu-kun, don't you not believe in God?"

The shrine maiden in white and red thought for a moment, tapping her chin with her finger when asked this question.

"I'm very satisfied with my life now. If I had to make a wish, it would be to finish high school and college with Xiaoye, and then watch her walk down the aisle."

"What kind of motherly talk is that?"

While unable to resist making a complaint, Qiu Riyou flicked her finger.

A piece of white paper silently floated out, slipped through the crack in the tightly closed door of the 'Main Hall,' and entered.

The hall was empty; there were no statues of gods inside.

This is a characteristic of Shintoism:

Not idol worship.

In the Shinto religion of island Japan, all things possess spirits, but the spirits are formless, and they reside in a different world from humans. A shrine is merely a place where the spirits may rest; crossing the torii gate of a shrine signifies entering the realm of the spirits, but the spirits may not necessarily be there.

Although there are no statues of gods enshrined in the temple, some shrines enshrine 'god bodies', such as mirrors, magatama, and long swords, which are used to represent gods.

In the main hall of this 'Inari Shrine', a fox mask is enshrined.

The paper flew over and covered the mask.

Next second,
The mask suddenly came to life.

(End of this chapter)