When a High School Sophomore Girl Linked with a Black-Crowned Night Heron, the World Moved by 1mm [Episode 8] To the Power Spot

Kimie, having come out of my younger sister's room, returned to mine.

"I'm relieved to have seen Pan-chan's smile. She seems to be doing fine, judging by that."

Pan-chan is the nickname for my younger sister, Sherbet, whose real name is Natsuki Suzakuzaka.

Kimie had heard about the incident where Sherbet was taken away by a strange man and had come to check on her out of concern.

Kimie Ryugeji is a classmate of mine at 'Ramo High,' or Ramonshu High School. Since our families live close by, we are close on a family level as well.

With excellent grades, athletic ability, and a beautiful appearance, she is whispered about in class as 'Tachibana-no-Kimi' (The Lady of Tachibana) out of respect. However, she probably doesn't know that, as she has never been called that to her face.

Since we've been playing together since we were children, I call her 'Kimie' normally, but it seems she has an unapproachable aura in class. The boys are too nervous to even speak to her, and for the girls, she is an object of admiration—a 'flower on a high peak,' so to speak.

After Kimie returned to my room and closed the door, she asked me with a serious expression.

"Pan-chan was saying that 'a bird helped me.' What does that mean?"

I thought this was a good opportunity, so I told her about how I can communicate by linking my brain with Goicchi, the black-crowned night heron.

Kimie is one of the few people who was with me and witnessed it when I jumped into the courtyard pond at school and caught a carp in my mouth.

She also knows that I am suspected of being 'possessed by a fox' by the school nurse, Homare Nanjo, also known as 'The Amazoness.'

Kimie is the only one I thought might believe me if I told her about Goicchi. That's why I confided in her.

"So that's what it was. It finally makes sense."

Kimie accepted it calmly, just as I had expected, but she continued with an even more serious expression.

"Don't tell anyone else about this yet. Got it?"

Her dialect comes out strongly when she's engrossed in something interesting or a serious conversation. It's a cute side of 'The Lady of Tachibana.'

"If you tell people you can communicate with a black-crowned night heron, I'm sure your mom and dad will worry. Even Pan-chan might not believe you."

I nodded slowly as Kimie, who had returned to speaking standard Japanese, emphasized this to me.

"I think you're right. But Goicchi himself has disappeared from that man's apartment, and there hasn't been a word from him since."

“I see... That’s intriguing. Let me know right away if there are any changes.”

Kimie said that as she left the room.

Goicchi in my dream

It happened that night.

“Natsuki... Natsuki...”

“Huh? Is that you, Goicchi?”

“Yes, it’s me. It’s Goicchi.”

Goicchi appeared in my dream.

No, I can’t say for sure it was a dream. It’s possible he linked to my brain while I was sleeping.

“Are you okay? You were slammed by that man when you tried to save Sherbet. I saw blood, and I was so worried about you!”

“Yeah. I was actually on the verge of dying, but God took me to a safe place.”

I wasn’t surprised to hear from Goicchi that he had been saved by God. After all, since I link with a black-crowned night heron in my brain to communicate, surely God must exist too.

“I’m healing my wounds now, but I still can’t fly. So, I want you to come see me, Natsuki.”

“Yeah, I understand. So, where should I go?”

“According to God...”

The disrespectful thought that God wouldn’t look after him until the end crossed my mind, but more than that, I was happy that Goicchi was relying on me.

According to Goicchi, he is staying still at an old shrine deep in the mountains, even further in than the Kora Taisha Shrine located halfway up Mount Kora.

“I’m hungry~. Please bring me something to eat.”

Since he was begging in such a spoiled way, it seemed his wounds had healed quite a bit.

“Food... would fish or something like that be best?”

"Ideally, I'd like wild dace, crucian carp, or crayfish, but if that's too hard, loaches or goldfish would be fine too."

"Goldfish, huh..."

I recalled the sensation of the carp I had held in my mouth when I jumped into the school pond.

No, now is not the time for that. I was worried about Goicchi's condition, so I asked.

"Are you eating anything there?"

"Yeah. When insects or something come close, I catch and eat them."

"You can eat bugs too?"

"Well, everyone has their own preferences, but I'll eat anything. Some of my fellow night herons even swallow spot-billed ducklings whole."

"Ugh..."

Hearing that, I somehow understood the truth behind my abnormal behavior of almost swallowing a tandoori chicken whole at the school cafeteria.

As I communicated with Goicchi in my brain like that, the vivid sensations convinced me that this wasn't a dream.

"Tomorrow is Saturday, so that works out perfectly. But I'd feel uneasy going deep into Kora Taisha Shrine alone, so is it okay if I go with a friend I trust?"

"Yeah. If you say so, Natsuki, I'll trust them too."

"Okay, then wait for me."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."

Once the communication with Goicchi ended, I was able to sleep well, perhaps because of the sense of relief.

Impromptu Team Formation

When I woke up in the morning, I waited for the eastern sky to brighten before calling Kimie.

"What's up? Calling so early on a Saturday morning."

"I was able to communicate with Goicchi last night!"

I explained that I was going deep into the mountains behind Kora Taisha Shrine and asked Kimie to come along.

"I don't mind going with you, but how are we getting there? If we end up bringing Goicchi back, it'll be inconvenient by bike or bus."

"I'm thinking of asking my dad to drive us. It looks like he's off work today. And, can I tell him it's because I'm going birdwatching with you, Kimie?"

"That's fine with me. In that case, maybe I should bring that guy along too?"

Kimie's suggestion meant an unexpected member might be joining us, but for now, we decided to meet in front of my house at 10:00.

My father, Naoya Suzakuzaka, is a truck driver and is known as "Ichijo" among his friends. Although it was his first Saturday off in a while, he didn't seem to mind my request, especially since it's rare for me to ask him for favors.

"Kora Taisha, huh? I used to drive the Mino Skyline a lot when I was younger."

The Mino Skyline is known as a forest road driving course that runs along the ridge of the Mino mountain range, starting from around Kora Taisha Shrine.

"Oh? And who did you drive with?"

My mother, Shizue Suzakuzaka, probed him.

"Huh? Oh, come on, you were with me, weren't you, Shi-chan?"

"Really? I don't remember that."

My mother kept a cool face while ignoring her husband's flustered reply.

I didn't have time to deal with their married couple banter.

"Don't make it sound like such a big deal. I'm going birdwatching with Kimie, so don't go making a lot of noise."

I warned my father, who tends to get way too excited about everything.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

When I opened the door, I saw Kimie dressed up in a stylish outfit perfect for hiking.

"Good morning."

"Oh, Kimie-chan. You look so different, I almost didn't recognize you."

“Oh, stop it, ma'am, you're making me blush!”

Since they see each other quite often, they are on easy terms. Leaving her exchange with Kimie aside, my mother's gaze shifted to the person behind her.

“And who might this be?”

“Nice to meet you. My name is Bungo Oda from Class 1-A.”

“Oh! Is he Kimie-chan's boyfriend?”

“Dear! Stop using such anachronistic expressions.”

When my father got carried away and chimed in, my mother rebuked him without a moment's hesitation.

However, even I couldn't believe my ears when I heard from Kimie that she was bringing Bungo Oda along; it was just too unexpected. I can understand why my father couldn't help but ask if he was her boyfriend.

That was back when I jumped into the pond in the high school courtyard and caught a carp in my mouth. Almost at the same time Kimie tried to stop me, a boy waded into the pond and held me in a bear hug to keep me from going wild.

When Kimie asked him his name, he introduced himself as Bungo Oda. It seems their relationship began the moment she ordered, “Odabun! I’m taking you to the school gate to put you in a taxi.”

“Odabun is my underclassman, and we’re sort of like mentor and student. Since we’re going deep into the mountains, I thought it would be reassuring to have a boy with us, so I asked him to come.”

Because Kimie explained it so casually, both my mother and father nodded with smiles on their faces.

“Well then, Oda-kun, please take care of the girls.”

“Hey, hey, I’m here too, you know.”

Laughter broke out as my father grumbled in response to my mother's words.

Now, it was finally time to set off in my father's beloved white Stepwgn.

The Endless Charm of Mt. Kora and Kora Taisha Shrine

“Kora Taisha Shrine is a power spot where Mt. Kora itself is considered a sacred peak where gods dwell.”

It was my father who started sharing his knowledge while gripping the steering wheel.

The knowledgeable Kimie followed up on that.

Kora Taisha Shrine enshrines the main deity, Kora Tamatare-no-Mikoto, as well as Hachiman Okami and Sumiyoshi Okami. It is said to bring blessings such as protection from evil, longevity, and traffic safety, and is also worshipped as a deity of the performing arts.

Bungo Oda was not to be outdone.

If you go further from the main hall of Kora Taisha to the inner sanctuary, Bishamonten is enshrined there, and a sacred water called Kora-san Shosui bubbles up. This place seems to be particularly popular as a power spot.

My father, not wanting to lose, also showed off his historical knowledge.

Tamatare-no-Mikoto was enshrined on Mt. Kora during the Kofun period. The shrine building was constructed and called Tamatare-gu long before the rebellion of Iwai, the Governor of Tsukushi.

Despite having such an ancient history, the deity Kora Tamatare-no-Mikoto was not known because he did not appear in the Kojiki or the Nihon Shoki. It was not until the Heian period, when the Engishiki was compiled by order of Emperor Daigo, that the name Kora Tamatare-no-Mikoto Shrine in Mii District, Chikugo Province was listed, which is why Kora Taisha is called the Ichinomiya of Chikugo Province.

As Kimie explained in more detail, Bungo Oda burned with a competitive spirit.

It is said that when Sugawara no Michizane was demoted to Dazaifu, he visited Mt. Kora. Kora Taisha has existed since long before that Dazaifu Tenmangu where Michizane is enshrined.

The three of them were having a lively and fun time, but for me, who has no interest in history, time dragged on.

Speaking of Mt. Kora, there is a shop near the entrance of the approach that has delicious handmade soba, right?

When I tried to change the subject, I ended up being impressed by the sheer amount of information they had.

That place is popular not just for soba, but for individual Japanese dishes as well. It seems they are busy at the end of the year preparing Toshikoshi soba and Osechi cuisine.

It wasn't just Kimie; even Bungo Oda started talking about gourmet information.

A little way down from Kora Taisha, there is an udon shop famous for its tokoroten. Also, although it's a bit further away, there is a cafe in a residential area that has an exquisite hamburg steak lunch.

You guys, you know everything!

As I made a mental retort, I felt like I caught a glimpse of why the two of them got along so well.

While we were chatting like that in the car, we arrived at Mt. Kora.

After finishing our prayers at the main hall of Kora Taisha, we visited the inner sanctuary and had them fill our water bottles with the Shosui water.

The real thing starts from here.

Yes.

Kimie and I steeled ourselves, keeping the true purpose of our birdwatching hidden in our hearts.

"Goicchi! We'll be seeing you soon!"

"Yeah, I'll be waiting."

I felt a response when I called out in my mind again, so we hurried ahead.

However, at that time, we had no idea what it meant to step into the deep mountains where almost no one ever goes.

To be continued in [Episode 9]

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.

#Novel
#Black-crownedNightHeron
#Goicchi
#KoraTaishaShrine
#MountKora
#PowerSpot

*Image from "photoAC": "Photo material: Great Camphor Tree, Sacred Tree, Power Spot, Author: Chillies"