Chapter 46: How to Enjoy a Festival (4)
Did good things and bad things come together, as they say?
『 While associating with those who have received blessings, I happened to make a connection with an elder. I was lucky enough to join a kurabu where this person is the leader. I'll mention the future Shinto priest once. 』
His disappointment at his younger sisters not being able to come to Japan was short-lived.
One of the politicians who had received sorcery from Jinseong contacted him, saying he would create connections for Jinseong.
And not just any connections, but connections that communicate with the 'elders' who wield power through shadow politics in Japan.
『 The elder is very interested in the future Shinto priest. If you cast a blessing on him as well, it would be like gaining a great backing. Moreover, there are several politicians and businessmen from Tottori Prefecture in the kurabu he mentioned, so it should be good for extending your hand regarding the festival. Even if it's impossible to participate as a Shinto priest in the festival, it seems you could at least secure some vested interests. 』
Jinseong smiled at the content.
The politician had misunderstood that the reason Jinseong was trying to contact the power holders of Tottori Prefecture was to become the Shinto priest in charge of the Fried Tofu Festival and gain vested interests to his heart's content.
Well, if someone who was suddenly called a future Shinto priest inquired about festivals in other regions and contacted the power holders of that region, it wasn’t unreasonable to imagine such things.
Kurabu, kurabu.
Kurabu.
The Japanese expression for "Club".
But although it was grandly expressed as a club, in reality, it wasn't like the dance clubs you can see in Korea, but just a Japanese expression for a gathering like a hobby group.
However, even if it was the same gathering and the same hobby group, it could be completely different depending on who created it and for what purpose.
A club created by Japan's real power holders, and one that admitted politicians who were crazy about vigor and pleasure and live with women every other day, what could be its purpose?
I don't know what kind of elder it is, but they seem to be vigorous.
Finding vigorous people wasn't a difficult task.
Even among witches, there were many who maintained a youthful appearance despite being old enough to be called grandmothers, and in the case of martial artists, there were many who were muscular even at an age when their faces should be covered in age spots and their beards long.
And some power holders even extended their lifespan itself and slowed aging through procedures that extend the length of telomeres.
It had truly become an era where if you have talent and excess money, you could even extend your lifespan.
If I'm lucky, I might be able to receive the procedure through that elder.
Thinking this, Jinseong read the following message.
The message went on and on about how they were holding a meeting at some hotel, how the hotel built by the seaside had an incredible view, and how some gravure model and some AV actress were participating.
Procedure, procedure.
To the message that looked like a plea that he should come because it was such a great club, Jinseong replied that he would go, and in response, he received a message saying they would send a car in a few days, expressing joy.
Jinseong quietly looked at that date and called Kenji.
"Go find what I'm about to say as quickly as possible. Get 20 of each. Small jars, special yellow paper, syringes, mercury, squid ink, live roosters, lumps of rice miso, bundles of straw rope, pregnant mother rats, white silk, ash made from burning birch trees, small-sized dolls..."
After speaking for a while like this, Jinseong seemed to think of something and asked Kenji.
"By the way, is there a place around here where many people have drowned to death?"
* * *
1 AM.
Jinseong used space contraction to head to the bridge recommended by Kenji.
The bridge looked like an ordinary bridge that could be seen anywhere, but its atmosphere was truly ominous. The red tinge that looked like it had rusted from the sea breeze made it look like bloodstains, and whether the lighting was broken or there was none to begin with, the bridge without a single light and without a single passing car gave off an atmosphere as if one had come to another world.
Moreover, at 1 AM when yin energy strengthens, and perhaps because it was a bridge built by the seaside, sea fog had settled, creating an eerie atmosphere.
It was a frightening atmosphere where one might worry that someone would beckon from beyond the fog, luring people.
Jinseong looked at the fence erected over 8m high on the bridge.
At the top of the high fence were barbed wire and sharp nails, and strangely, there were torn clothes or dried bloodstains on the barbed wire and nails as if someone had climbed over. Moreover, there were parts where the dust was thin on the wire mesh that should have been covered in dust, which must mean that someone had recently climbed the wire mesh.
Very good.
Jinseong smiled with satisfaction, thinking that Kenji's recommendation was correct.
The place where he was currently located was the Otengoku Bridge.
It was a place that had appeared on broadcasts a few times as a spiritual spot, and was also a famous suicide spot. Moreover, perhaps because of its name, it even had the nickname "Heaven Bridge", and was a place where neither local residents nor tourists dared to come at night.
『 There's a place called Otengoku Bridge. It was built during the bubble economy era, but for some reason, as if receiving divine punishment, workers kept dying during construction. It was finally completed after many twists and turns, but accidents continued to happen even after that. 』
『 Not only local residents but also outsiders came and threw themselves into the sea from the bridge almost every day, and even the president of the construction company that built the bridge threw himself from the bridge at dawn. So the city built suicide prevention wire mesh on the bridge, but people still stubbornly climbed up and threw themselves into the sea, and even when barbed wire was put up, they threw themselves without caring about getting injured.... 』
『 So they brought in famous onmyoji and monks, but they said it was hard to do anything because the power of the vengeful spirits in the sea was so strong and their hiding skills were extraordinary. So they created a barrier over the entire bridge to prevent vengeful spirits from luring people, and regularly make offerings and purify impurities. 』
『 But even with all that, every year outsiders come and throw themselves from the bridge. So local residents never use this bridge, and perhaps because the ominous rumors about this bridge are so famous, even outsiders don't come near it at night unless they're ones with loose screws coming for some spiritual spot exploration or something. 』
Jinseong recalled the history of the bridge that Kenji had told him as he looked at the hazy sea fog.
Despite the darkness, the white writhing was clearly visible as if in broad daylight, and although not a breath of wind was blowing, its appearance constantly changing as if flowing was quite eerie.
And beneath that sea fog were undulating waves.
The waves were making the quiet night noisy with small whispers of splash-splash, and if you kept listening to that regularly spreading sound, it sometimes sounded like flesh hitting flesh, and sometimes like a dull sound as if someone was clapping with the back of their hands. And if you listened to that sound for a long time, you could see the shape of the waves undulating and creating foam gradually...
Gradually changing.
The waves undulated and undulated, rising to a point. And as white foam formed, it changed its appearance, and the wave that had become a cone drew a curve and sank back into the sea. Above it, the sea fog writhed and danced, moving as if flowing, evoking thoughts of a river made of fog.
Splash.
Splash---
The sound of clapping with the back of hands.
Splash.
The sound of water colliding and bursting.
The sound that changed its shape and shined white.
The sound clearly visible to Jinseong's eyes standing in the darkness, shining white despite the absence of lighting.
Splash.
The waves beckoned.
Making splash-splash sounds, colliding with each other, hitting water-made backs of hands, and small white hands that had risen continued to clap regularly.
Splash-
One white hand.
Splash-
Another white hand.
Splash, splash----
White hands rose.
What had been waves until just a moment ago all changed into white hands rising and clapping with the backs of their hands, and as if gathering their hearts as one, they repeatedly moved away together and came closer together, making sounds by hitting their hands. Not with their palms, but with the backs of their hands.
Clap-
Clap-!
And finally, when that sound came to be heard not as the splashing of waves but as the sound of hands colliding, numerous white hands rose further from the shore and began to beckon all at once.
Towards Jinseong standing on the bridge.
They beckoned like that, as if saying come here.
Jinseong, who had been quietly watching this chilling scene, smiled as if something was very pleasing.
"It's a gold mine."