12_Frustrating Dashi

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"Excuse me, but do you even realize what your situation is?"
Inada-kun tilted his head at my question.

"Realize, you say... well, no, I don't really get it."
Had the stern expression he wore until just a moment ago left the shop along with that amber haze? Seeing the usual, relaxed Inada-kun, I felt a bit of the tension drain out of me, much like how I feel after eating a stiff, formal meal at a French restaurant and then going home to change into sweatpants and scarf down some ochazuke.

Inada-kun let out a short breath.

"It's been happening recently, but like just now, it feels like I'm in the corner of my own head, and my mouth just starts talking on its own. I hate sales so much that I thought maybe the stress had given me a split personality."

I shook my head.
"Inada-kun, you might not believe this, but it's not a split personality... you're possessed by a fox."
Even as I said it, I found it hard to believe myself. However, the scene I had witnessed right in front of me was undoubtedly a state of being "possessed."

Inada-kun's eyes widened.
"Kana-san, what is that? That joke. I don't get what you mean."
Inada-kun's laughter sounded cold and dry.
Thinking to myself that of course he wouldn't understand, I started to open my mouth to explain it to him again. At the same moment, I heard a clicking sound from beside me.

I turned my gaze toward the sound and saw Ayame-san spitting out with an exasperated look,
"Humans these days are so dense."
She said that and sat down heavily in her usual chair.

I turned back to Inada-kun and spoke to him while he still had his brows furrowed.
"The fox possessing you said something like, 'Inada is a good person, so I'm helping him with his work.' Does that ring any bells?"
After crossing his arms and thinking, Inada-kun slapped his knee.

"A fox...? Hmm? Maybe something happened, or maybe not. Oh! I think I might have remembered something! Come to think of it, a little while ago, I was slacking off at work at the Hozuyama Observatory. I really wanted to be in a different department, but I got assigned to sales. Things weren't going well, and I had no motivation. Then, I found a small path behind the observatory. I thought it looked interesting, so I climbed up and found something like a small shrine. I prayed there, asking to boost my sales numbers so I could transfer to another department."

Yamamoto-san held her forehead.
"I have good intuition, so I think I'm starting to understand."
"Eh? You understand, ma'am? I don't get it at all. Does just that make you get possessed?"
I interjected.

"That's true, isn't it?"
Yamamoto-san pursed her lips.
Inada-kun clapped his hands together.

"Come to think of it... maybe that's it? I did something really good. Before I prayed, a stone fox statue had fallen over, so I put it back. It was pretty heavy. Maybe the fox wanted to thank me?"

Inada-kun nodded happily, looking completely carefree. Even though he has a tough look when he's working, he's surprisingly young and laid-back when he's off the clock. The sheer contrast almost made my knees give out.

"I see."
After saying that and letting out a breath, Yamamoto-san said, "Shall we sit?" We sat down facing each other at one of the tables.

"I think the reason Inada-kun got possessed is because he fixed the fox statue. And I think the reason the fox came to eat kitsune udon is because of Suzuna-chan. It was a while after Mizutama-tei opened, I think. I remember Suzuna-chan asking me for advice. She said, 'A strange customer comes to the shop'—"

Yamamoto-san stared at me with serious eyes.

"The altar at Mizutama-tei, at first, only enshrined Mizuhanome-no-Mikoto. It was because the Honomusubi-no-Kami of our Atago Shrine has good compatibility with water gods, and there's a connection to the Mizumori family. But it seems the Inari fox wasn't happy about that. Inari also has good compatibility with Mizuhanome-no-Mikoto. But our Honomusubi-no-Kami and the Inari fox have a sort of love-hate relationship, like they're so close they fight. There was a time when the Inari fox came to be mean to Mizutama-tei because it was enshrining Honomusubi-no-Kami instead of the Inari fox."

I furrowed my brow.
"Being mean, like trying to buy the place out or something? How did you solve it back then?"
"What was it again? It wasn't a buyout. Stealing ingredients from the shop, turning off the lights. Anyway, it was underhanded. In the end, it came to the shop directly, but I think it was so moved by Suzuna-chan's kitsune udon that it stopped the harassment. After that, just to be safe, we started enshrining Amaterasu Omikami and Honomusubi-no-Kami separately from Mizuhanome-no-Mikoto at the altar. I hadn't heard anything about it since then, so I thought it was fine."

I made a sound in the back of my nose.
So that means my kitsune udon wasn't enough to drive the fox away. I let out a small sigh.

"So that's why Suzuna was wary of the fox. Maybe she had a premonition."
Ayame-san nodded with satisfaction, as if it all made sense.

"For now, Yamamoto-san has renewed the water offerings, so does that mean we're okay?"
"Hmm. I wonder. I think it's okay, but..."

Ayame-san shook her head.
"You never know what a fox will do. Our sense of time and values are different from humans. It's the kind of creature that would pretend to reconcile with Suzuna and then approach the moment her daughter Kana lets her guard down. It might just be a prank, or there might be some other reason. It's best to be careful."

I looked Ayame-san firmly in the eyes and then nodded slowly.

“So, what should I do?”
Inada-kun lowered his eyebrows and pursed his lips.
“You, just do your best with your sales work. You only got favored because you fixed the fox container. If you show them you can handle things on your own, that guy will disappear too.”
“Huh.”
To Ayame-san’s rough advice, Inada-kun replied with a look as if he had been let down.

“For now, Inada-kun, let’s get you purified. I’ll ask my father, so come with me to Atago Shrine. Do you have work today?”

Inada-kun stared at his wristwatch.
“It’s fine. I’m not cut out for sales anyway.”
“That’s the reason your sales performance isn’t improving.”
Ayame-san spat out with a look of exasperation. Inada-kun shrugged his shoulders and smiled with his eyes in a straight line. It was his usual smile, and for some reason, it made me feel relieved.

“Oh, Kana-san! I think I caused you trouble today, but can I come back to eat the fried chicken set meal again?”
Inada-kun’s cheeks were slightly red as he acted a bit shy.
“Of course, I’ll be waiting for you.”
I bowed my head. Inada-kun let his mouth relax into a grin.

I saw the aunt and Inada-kun off and closed the door. I took a breath and returned to the kitchen. Before I knew it, Ayame-san had returned to his black cat form and was sleeping soundly in his usual chair.

I gently stroked Ayame-san.
“Ayame-san, you gave me a proper warning, but I opened the shop on my own. I’m sorry.”

Although I tried apologizing, I felt uneasy, as if my own reckless actions had invited something bad in.

The time was past three in the afternoon.
My stomach growled. The dashi broth I had served to Kohaku was still left in the pot. I poured the cold broth into a bowl. I sprinkled vibrant green scallions into the amber-colored liquid and took a sip while standing. The artificial taste of the dashi was emphasized by the coldness, further irritating my tongue. Did I really serve this to a customer? If it were my mother, she wouldn’t have done such sloppy work, no matter who the person was. My complex about my mother multiplied like rehydrated dried seaweed. I drank the broth in the bowl in one go.

It was a long afternoon.

However, the real part of today starts now. I’m curious about the results of Tatsuya’s interview, and since I can finally celebrate Tatsuya’s birthday, I want to make it a fun one. I pulled myself together and tightened my apron.

I cleaned the shop and the kitchen thoroughly, then pressed my hands together firmly at the household altar.
I must properly apologize for today. I won’t make any more wishes for love. I slowly closed my eyes and took a quiet, deep breath.

“I will definitely protect this shop that my mother cherished. I definitely will.”

May this wish I spoke aloud be my heartfelt desire. I swallowed down the feelings I didn’t want anyone to perceive.

There was a thumping sound of someone knocking on the door.
The sliding door opened with a rattle.

“Good work, Kana.”
“Oh, Tatsuya. How was the interview?”

Tatsuya made a peace sign in front of his face.
“Of course, I passed.”
Seeing Tatsuya’s happy face, my cheekbones lifted.
“That’s great! Congratulations!”
I held back the urge to hug him.

“Are we leaving already? I haven’t changed yet—”
“Oh, about that—”

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