My childhood sweetheart is Nishimiya Glass

Chapter 211 The Shrine One Year Later

Good morning, Glass.

While Tsuna was changing his shoes, he greeted Shoko, who poked her head out of the living room, and headed straight for the bathroom.

When he came out, only Daio Miyamura was left at the dining table reading a newspaper. He asked in confusion:

"Dad, where are Mom and Shoko?"

“Your mom went to buy groceries and picked up Shoku too.”

Miyamura Daio's voice was accompanied by the sound of the newspaper being turned in his hand.

"Oh." Tsuna nodded, pulled out a chair next to the dining table, sat down, and began to eat breakfast.

Suddenly, the only sounds in the restaurant were the faint sounds of chewing and the occasional rustling of newspapers being turned.

After hesitating for a long time, just as Tsuna was about to finish his breakfast, Miyamura Daio put down his newspaper and said earnestly:
"Tsuna, you've grown up now, and there are some things you should know."

A-Gang immediately stopped chewing, and seeing that his father's expression wasn't serious, he blurted out the answer:

"Dad, are you going to say that our family is actually some ancient family that has been guarding some kind of royal tomb since ancient times?"
Or perhaps they're a family that made a pact with some kind of demon?

"Watch less of this kind of stuff, it's bad for your brain," Miyamura Daio said calmly, his face expressionless.

"Oh." Tsuna swallowed the food in his mouth: "But Mom really likes watching this kind of TV series."

"Then pretend I didn't say anything." Miyamura Daio picked up the warm milk on the table, poured a glass for Tsuna, and pushed it in front of him:
"Okay, I'm being serious. There's no need for these kinds of jokes to lighten the mood."

"Oh."

Later, Miyamura Daio talked to Tsuna about the physical changes that boys experience as they grow up, saying that these are things every boy goes through and there's no need to feel any particular way about it.

Tsuna listened with a sense of helplessness. He knew all about these things and had already experienced them once, so he didn't really care.

But knowing that his father meant well, he could only calm down and listen.

"Click..."

Miyamura Daio stopped talking when the two heard the door being opened from the outside:
"Okay, that's all I wanted to say. Hope you understand. If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask me."

"Mmm!" Tsuna nodded quickly.

He was getting a little tired of the thirty-minute face-to-face explanation, and he also had to nod and respond to his father's words from time to time.

“There’s more,” Miyamura Daio said again as he saw him get up to leave.

"Hmm?" Tsuna turned around in confusion.

"You ate the slowest today, look at all these plates on the table—"

Before he could finish speaking, Tsuna interrupted him: "I know, I'll go to the bathroom and then come back to clean up."

When he came out of the toilet, he only saw a clean dining table and Shoko quietly washing dishes in the kitchen.

I hurriedly stepped forward to stop her, but she politely asked me to leave the kitchen.

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The morning mist hung like a light veil between the pillars of the temple, and the smell of decaying wood mixed with sandalwood lingered in the recesses of the stone steps.

The branches of the thousand cedar trees form a dense net, filtering out scattered spots of light that fall onto the ancient village roof tiles.

The faded shimenawa rope swayed in the wind, and the sound of the hanging copper bells mingled with the rustling of the mountain stream, startling a crow that flew past the lingering smoke from the incense burner.

"We've finally arrived. It feels like we haven't been here in ages."

The two left home and it took about thirty minutes to reach their destination. Shoko looked at the scenery halfway down the mountain and sighed.

"It's been almost a year, hasn't it?" Tsuna took out a small pack of tissues from his pocket and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.

"You two, are you here to pray for blessings or to fulfill a vow?" A clear voice interrupted Tsuna's actions.

The two looked over at the same time, and the owner of the voice was the shrine maiden who had tricked them into buying amulets a year ago.

But her clothes were completely different from when they first met.

The inner robe is made of pure white linen and has short sleeves. The collar and cuffs are decorated with delicate chrysanthemum-patterned embroidery.

A white outer robe is worn over the short sleeves, with auspicious patterns such as flowing water and clouds woven into the lapel and hem using the 'irodome' technique (a traditional kimono pattern-making technique).

The deep red culottes feature denser pleats to create a draping effect, and are secured at the waist with a white belt.

Her attire, combined with her beautiful face and the shrine behind her, seemed to blend seamlessly together, except for the broom she was holding, which created a sense of disharmony.

Tsuna had a vague recollection of this outfit. After a moment's thought, he remembered that it was an outfit worn only by the female priestess at the Neon Shrine.

In Japan, the chief priest is the highest-ranking priest of a shrine. Traditionally, there are more men than women in this position, but women also hold this position, though less frequently.

The female priestess's attire differs from that of the male priestess, so Tsuna couldn't immediately recall it.

Suddenly, a copper bell rang on its own, its vibrations climbing up the sacred tree covered with green vines, shaking off a few drops of morning dew that shattered the silence on the ground.

"You didn't steal these clothes while the priest wasn't around, did you?" Tsuna asked suspiciously, turning his gaze away from the sound of the copper bell.

The woman caught a glimpse of the hearing aid Shoko was wearing in her ear out of the corner of her eye, and then she heard Tsuna's voice. In an instant, she remembered who the two people were.

She still had a deep impression of the two of them, after all, they were her first customers in private.

"How is it? Does it look good?" The girl spread her arms and spun around in front of the two of them.

"It's beautiful!" Shoko nodded and stepped forward to take a closer look.

Normally when I visit a shrine, I can only look at it from afar, and even if I get close, it's just a fleeting glance. This time, however, it's different.

Seeing this, Tsuna quickly followed Shoko's footsteps.

“However…” He stepped forward, glanced at the surroundings, then looked away, and asked in confusion:

"Why are you, a palace attendant, sweeping the floor with a broom?"

He only needs to glance at these clothes; as long as they aren't too flashy and are wearable, that's fine with him.

"What time is it now? Besides, it's noted on the internet and on the signs down the mountain that the shrine is closed every Saturday."

Gong Si gave a nonchalant reply, seemingly accustomed to such questions. Seeing the continued confusion on his face, she continued to explain:

"No need to think about it, taking Saturdays off is a rule I set."

"Oh."

In principle, there are no fixed days off. Most Japanese shrines are public places and open for worship all year round, such as Ise Grand Shrine and Fushimi Inari Taisha.

Visitors are free to enter the shrine's "outer courtyard" (public area), which includes the torii gate, the purifying basin, and the worship hall.

However, some smaller shrines may be closed on non-holidays, but the worship areas are still accessible.

"Would you like to visit the shrine area? I can show you the way," the girl offered, handing a broom to Tsuna without any hesitation.

"Is it okay?" Shoko took it from Tsuna, a little hesitant.

She didn't want to trouble others, and besides, she seemed to be sweeping the floor...

"No problem, I'll show you around, and you can help me sweep the floor afterwards. How about that? Isn't it a great deal?"

The girl waved her hand; in her opinion, this deal was definitely worth it.

Since she would have to accompany the two of them anyway if they went out, she might as well take it easy on herself and get some extra benefits.

(End of this chapter)