When a High School Sophomore Linked with a Night Heron, the World Moved by 1mm [Episode 25] High Schoolers in Action!

Goro Kusano's mornings start early.

His daily routine is to wake up at sunrise, wash his face, go shirtless, and perform dry friction massage with a hand towel.

Once he has warmed up, he makes breakfast.

Miso soup is essential, made with dashi from dried shiitake mushrooms soaked overnight, onions, and tofu, brought to a boil and finished with handmade miso.

“There, I’ve managed to recreate Grandma’s flavor again today.”

After offering it at the Buddhist altar where his wife’s mortuary tablet sits, Goro sets out white rice, natto, pickles, and toasted nori to eat alone.

“Grandma, this house has become quite lively lately. Our grandson Kenbo has been showing his face more often, and the ancestors must be pleased.”

When the Edo period began, the Arima clan became the lords of the Kurume Domain, but before that, the Kusano clan had been entrusted with Chikugo Province from the Kamakura period through the Sengoku period.

Goro’s ancestors might be part of that lineage. The history of the Kusano clan is ancient, and there is a theory that they are related to the Kora Taisha Shrine.

“I was surprised when I received a divine revelation to build the Night Heron Great Deity on this mountain, but perhaps the Kusano family was chosen because we have protected this mountain for generations.”

Goro finished his breakfast and spoke to the altar about such things, but soon he put on his jumper and began to put on his shoes.

“Well then, time to go check on the Night Heron Great Deity.”

He headed up the slope toward the mountain, but halfway there, he felt a presence different from usual.

Bird calls echoed from around the small shrine, and he could see the shadows of birds flying about in the sky above.

As Goro approached the Night Heron Great Deity, he gasped at the sight that jumped into his view.

“Goodness... even the visitors who came all this way will be too scared to get close.”

The Night Heron Formation

I rode my bicycle after finishing school classes. Goro Kusano had called me.

“Natsuki-chan, the Night Heron Great Deity is in big trouble. Night herons are gathering like a mountain.”

It must be the phenomenon mentioned on the news yesterday as the 'Kurume Disturbance.' It seems the night herons have gathered at the main citadel.

Goicchi! Goicchi! Hey, I'm talking to you, Goicchi!

I try to link to his brain, but there's no response. Goicchi always ignores me when it's inconvenient for him.

I'm rushing along, sweat beading on my forehead despite the refreshing autumn breeze, which feels out of place. As soon as I arrive, I jump off my bike and dash to the entrance.

Mr. Kusano! Are you okay?

Yeah, I'm fine, but I've never seen anything like this before.

First of all, I'm relieved that Mr. Kusano isn't hurt and seems to be doing well.

According to Mr. Kusano, it feels dangerous, so he says it's better not to go alone. We head toward the shrine, being careful together.

The shrine of the Goisagi Great Deity was overflowing with a flock of black-crowned night herons, more than I could have imagined.

Among them, perched on the highest part of the roof, the main ridge, is Goicchi. I can tell.

If I look him in the eye and call out to him in my mind, he surely won't be able to ignore me.

Goicchi! If this many black-crowned night herons flock here, people coming to pray will be scared, so please stop it!

Natsuki. I told you, didn't I? It's better not to come near here for a while.

Goicchi replied.

The flocks of birds and beasts appearing in town and causing a commotion are also your doing, aren't they, Goicchi?

That's right. If I don't do something like that, humans won't seem to stop the mountain development, after all.

This is bad. Goicchi is seriously planning to make the forest animals revolt. He's stubborn, so he doesn't seem like he'll listen to my advice.

Lord Michizane said to stop the evil plot to secretly log the forest by building the Goisagi Great Deity shrine, but your way of doing things is wrong, Goicchi.

Perhaps it's because I mentioned Lord Michizane's name, but I felt Goicchi's attitude soften just a little.

Then what would you do, Natsuki! Tell me this so-called correct way of doing things.

When he says that, I'm at a loss too. But if I don't think of some way, Goicchi will let the animals run wild.

Natsuki, this is exactly the time to use your brain to its full potential! Since you don't usually use your head for studying, you should have plenty of creative energy to spare!

I pondered for a moment while encouraging myself with those words. Goicchi also seemed to be expecting my ideas while we communicated mentally.

Come to think of it, I saw the news that high school students delivered a 'petition for the abolition of nuclear weapons' to the United Nations. A petition! We should collect signatures too!

That sounds fine. If that petition goes well, we'll keep quiet too.

Goicchi seemed satisfied for the time being.

How do you even do a petition drive?

I have helped with street petition drives before, but I have never organized one myself.

How do you do it? In times like this, relying on Kimie is the best thing to do, right?

After returning home, I asked Kimie about it on LINE, but...

Even if you call it a petition drive, there are street petitions and online petitions, so the preparation is tough.

was the reply I got.

Hey now, that's not like Kimie. You don't have your usual 'bring it on' energy.

I tried to spur her on, but I wonder how it will turn out.

I can't just rely on Kimie, so I tried looking it up on the internet myself.

Hmm, hmm...

Petition drives can have legal effects in some cases, while in others they are not recognized as having legal binding force.

Specific methods include conducting a street petition drive, collecting signatures by mail, or conducting a petition drive online...

The first thing that caught my attention was the 'representative requester'.

To make a direct request to a local government for the 'enactment, amendment, or abolition of an ordinance,' you must collect a certain number of signatures or more from voters.

The people who can collect signatures are 'authorized agents' who have been delegated the task of collecting signatures by the 'representative requester'.

The representative and the authorized agent for a petition are limited to those who possess the right to vote. As a 17-year-old high school sophomore, I don't even have that qualification.

In that case, I have no choice but to seek possibilities in a signature campaign that lacks legal binding power.

Either way, I wonder if I'll be the one who has to be the representative collecting the signatures.

The more I learned about the details, the more I felt the weight of the responsibility pressing down on me.

......................................................

Thinking about the case of the Great Black-Crowned Night Heron Deity, an online petition seems the most realistic option.

Kimie sent me a message on LINE.

It was back when the novel coronavirus was raging. Schools remained closed to prevent the spread of infection. However, because the prefecture announced a policy to reopen schools from the new semester, seven high school sophomores argued that it was too early and collected signatures online to oppose it, which became a hot topic.

The '10,000 High School Students Signature Campaign' calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons is well-known, but it seems that support organizations take responsibility for the activities. This case, where high school sophomores completed it entirely on their own, seems closer to us in terms of scale, don't you think?

Kimie had been thinking about various things on her end. Since LINE wasn't enough, she called me, so I consulted her about my concerns.

Even if we collect signatures online, we have to list a 'representative,' right? I don't think my name carries much persuasive power.

Hmm, yeah, that's true. Just 'Natsuhime Suzakuzaka' might lack impact, huh.

I was a little annoyed by Kimie's blunt remark.

Hey, couldn't you have put that a bit more nicely? For what it's worth, I actually like the name 'Natsuhime Suzakuzaka'.

Sorry, sorry. But in that case, I'm confident in 'Kimie Ryugeji' too.

Oh, I know! How about we use our names together? If your name is there, Kimie, I'll have a hundred times more courage, and I think the petition will gain momentum too.

That's true. But I still want to avoid using our real names. Then how about this...

After the two of us talked back and forth, we finally managed to complete the 'Request for Your Cooperation with the Petition'.

......................................................

Request for your signature: 'Do not destroy the animals' mountain. The Great Black-crowned Night Heron Deity is angry.'

Wild animals and plants have lived on Mount Kora since long before the historic Kora Taisha Shrine was built.

Yet, we humans have cut down forests to build parks, walking paths, and driving courses as we please.

Don't you think it's unreasonable to make a huge fuss and exterminate animals when they come down into town?

The history of the Great Black-crowned Night Heron Deity is written as follows:

'Many animals and plants, including the Black-crowned Night Heron, inhabit the sacred Mount Kora. Even as we enter the Reiwa era, the Great Black-crowned Night Heron Deity is enshrined as a guardian deity to ensure that no one disturbs this land.'

We demand the enactment of an ordinance that clearly states that no one may clear-cut mountain forests for the sake of development.

Petition initiators: Association to Protect the Great Black-crowned Night Heron Deity (High school sophomores, Natsuki and Kimie)

Collaborators

Kimie and I published a 'Request for your signature' on an online petition site and called for support.

Although we listed the initiators as the 'Association to Protect the Great Black-crowned Night Heron Deity (High school sophomores, Natsuki and Kimie),' our classmates seemed to figure it out right away.

As soon as I arrived at school and entered the classroom, I was spoken to, which is rare.

'Hey, Natsuki. This 'Natsuki and Kimie' refers to you and Kimie, right?'

We aren't doing this in secret, so I should probably ask for their help.

'That's right. You know about the Great Black-crowned Night Heron Deity, don't you?'

I decided to first make sure they properly understood the purpose of the petition.

'Of course. It was on the news and posted on social media too.'
'I went there with my family to pray.'
'We went to see it on our bikes, too.'

With this much name recognition, things would be quick. I continued.

'I'm actually acquainted with the landowner of the mountain where the Great Black-crowned Night Heron Deity was built.'

'Whoa, that's amazing. Is that why you're involved in the petition drive?'

One of the girls asked with great interest.

"Yes. His name is Mr. Kusano, the landowner, and he's working hard to protect the Black-Crowned Night Heron Great Deity and keep the mountain from being ruined."

It seemed that several of them were impressed enough to lean in.

"So, would you all be willing to help with an online petition?"

When I showed them the "Request for Your Cooperation with the Petition" page on my smartphone, the reaction was better than I expected.

"I'll do it! I'll sign it myself and spread it on X!"
"I'm going to post it too with '#PleaseSpreadTheWord'."
"Hey, hey, the 'Black-Crowned Night Heron Great Deity' just went viral on TikTok the other day, so I think we can really do this."
"Should we film a video about the Black-Crowned Night Heron Great Deity and upload it to TikTok?"

Whoops, if that happens, I'll have to warn Goicchi not to let the animals gather at the Black-Crowned Night Heron Great Deity shrine.

While feeling good about my classmates' positive response, I looked for Kimie, whom I hadn't seen since arriving at school.

I suddenly noticed a crowd in the hallway, and when I focused on it, I saw Kimie surrounded by boys and girls, being bombarded with questions. She shouldn't have been able to meet anyone in the classroom yet.

"Tachibanadera-san, please let me help with the online petition too!"
"Won't you appear on my YouTube channel and help us call for support together?"
"I have 250 followers on Instagram, so please come on my Instagram Live!"
"Tachibanadera-san, teach me how to sign the online petition!"

Good grief, Kimie said she didn't want to use her real name, but even without it, this is the commotion she's causing. Still, since she has many fans not only at Ramo High but at other schools as well, we might be able to expect some real results.

..................................................

Kimie and I decided to do everything we could, so we visited the infirmary during lunch break. Our target was Amazoness.

"Nanjo-sensei, do you have a moment?"

"Oh, what brings the two of you here together? Well, sit down and take your time."

Fortunately, Amazoness wasn't out, and she welcomed us.

"Actually, we are running an online petition, and we came to ask for your cooperation."

Just as I was about to explain while showing her my smartphone, Amazoness hesitated.

"Before that, I want to be clear. Tachibanadera-san, you brought Suzakuzaka-san here before after she acted strangely in the cafeteria, didn't you? I wonder if that matter has been resolved."

At first, Amazoness suspected that I had acted strangely due to being "possessed by a fox." However, after experiencing it herself the other day when Goicchi linked to her brain at the Black-Crowned Night Heron Great Deity shrine, she had no choice but to accept the situation. On the other hand, she probably meant that she didn't know how much she could talk about since she had to confirm whether Kimie knew about the Goicchi matter.

I am telling Kimie about going to the Night Heron Shrine with the Amazoness and the policewomen, having a run-in with the Dozono faction, and being surrounded by the forest animals. I even tell her about how Goicchi reached out to everyone through telepathic communication.

Kimie read the Amazoness's intentions and answered for herself.

"It's alright now. Just like Natsuki, I also communicated telepathically with Goicchi the night heron. Teacher, please feel free to talk about that matter without worry."

The Amazoness smiled as if relieved and listened to my explanation. Or rather, since she knows about the Dozono faction's evil schemes, the conversation went quickly.

"Alright, I understand. I'll cooperate with the online petition too. And choosing an online petition was the right move. Even if it doesn't have legal binding power, depending on how it spreads, it has the potential to sway public opinion."

"Then, Amazon... I mean, Ms. Nanjo, will you help call for it to be spread?"

I almost called her Amazoness by mistake, but she didn't seem to mind and promised to help.

"You know, I'm not called 'Amazoness' just because I'm big and imposing. According to my close friends, it's because I have a so-called 'big sister' personality, so I ended up being called that before I knew it."

"Oh, I get it! You definitely have that 'big sister' vibe. Even Lariho and Bin-chan were overwhelmed by you."

It seems I let my tongue slip again.

"Hahaha, I can't keep up with you. Well, that's how it is, so if I call for it to be spread on social media, my colleagues in the medical field should jump in to help."

"Thank you so much!"

Kimie and I bowed our heads together.

..................................................

I also reached out to the policewoman duo who encountered the Dozono faction at the Night Heron Shrine: Riho Miura, a.k.a. Lariho, and Toshiko Yada, a.k.a. Bin-chan.

When I sent Lariho the details about the online petition via LINE, I got a reply.

"Nice work, Natsuki. I told Bin-chan too. Of course, both of us will cooperate with the petition."

I was happy, but I was a little concerned, so I checked.

"This is my first time doing a petition, so I don't know much about it, but since police officers are public servants, won't you get in trouble if you sign it? If so, you don't have to push yourselves."

“You don't need to worry about unnecessary things, dear. Even civil servants can sign petitions. I'll just refrain from becoming a 'collector'—the person gathering signatures—because there are all sorts of rules about that being considered political activity.”

“I see, then please help out with the online petition.”

“Leave it to me.”

......................................................

As the number of supporters continued to grow, things were heating up in my own home as well.

It seems my mother had heard about it at the shop where she works part-time.

“Natsuki! You should have told me about this first. If my coworkers knew before I did, I wouldn't have a leg to stand on as a parent!”

She kept talking happily the moment she saw me.

“I'm sorry. I only just decided on it after talking with Kimie last night, so I didn't have a chance to tell you yet.”

“Well, it's a good cause, so go for it. And what was it, an online petition? The word spread from my coworkers to our regular customers, and everyone was looking at their phones.”

As my mother continued in high spirits, my younger sister chimed in.

“What's an online petition?”

When I showed her my phone and explained it, my sixth-grade sister's eyes lit up. She must have remembered the time the night heron tried to help her when she was kidnapped.

“The 'Society to Protect the Great Night Heron Deity,' that's just like you, big sister. I'll help out to repay the night heron, too. I'll ask my friends at school!”

Oh, little sister. It's so kind of you to say that, even though you don't have a smartphone yourself. Since it's not a legally binding petition, there's no age limit, so even children can sign it.

Just then, my father came home from work and joined the conversation.

“If that's the case, leave it to your old man! The bond between us truck drivers is incredible. Just look at how everyone reacted when Aki Yashiro, the singer beloved as the 'Goddess of Truckers,' passed away recently. Everyone was tweeting about it on their phones, and we almost fell behind on our work!”

I understood that the truck drivers had strong connections on social media, but I didn't think Aki Yashiro would be very happy about that anecdote. I made a mental note of that, but for now, I just played along with my father.

“Dad, make sure you really spread the word to all your truck-driving friends!”

Thus, the online petition seemed to have a promising start, but before long, I would come to realize just how difficult it truly was.

Continues to [Episode 26]

← [To Episode 24]

All episodes of "When a High School Sophomore Linked with a Black-crowned Night Heron, the World Moved by 1mm" are collected in this magazine.

#BlackcrownedNightHeron #Goicchi #Novel #Petition #OnlinePetition

Image is "Creator: Romario, Title: 'I need everyone's cooperation.'"