Volume 6 - CH 14

“Speaking of which, I heard that if you fall down this particular hill, you will die within three years.”

Tenka started to say such a thing happily while they were going up the stairs.　

She enjoyed talking about these kinds of curses and the occult.

On the other hand, there were those who disliked these kinds of topics.

“Eh? W-what is that…?”

Arisa’s face turned blue.

As if she was truly scared, she clung tightly to Yuzuru’s arm as if to ensure that she would never fall down.

…on the other hand, Yuzuru was more likely to fall down.

“Hm?　I’ve heard of that. I think I’ve read it in some kind of picture book…”

Hijiri tilted his head curiously.

Well, Yuzuru certainly thought he had heard a phrase like “you can only live for three years” somewhere.

And that was…

“Isn’t that the Three-Year Pass?”  (TN: Sannen Toge)

Soichiro said so, and HIjiri replied loudly, “That’s it!“.

Yuzuru also recalled.

When he was in elementary school, he remembered reading about it in a Japanese textbook.

“…I know it too. I couldn’t sleep at night because of it.”

“Wha…”

Yuzuru was unintentionally baffled by Arisa, whose face turned blue.

Sure, the first half of the story was scary and frightening, but in the end, however, it should have had a happy ending.

At least it wasn’t so scary that one couldn’t sleep at night.

“But I don’t think it was about Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, though…?”

It was Ayaka who answered Arisa’s question.

“The Three Year Pass is a Korean folk tale. But there is a legend that if you do something three times, you will be cursed, not only in Kiyomizu-dera but everywhere… Maybe a hill near you is like that, too?”

Ayaka said to Arisa with a sly grin on her face.

Then Arisa trembled and muttered,

“…I’m going to avoid hills from now on.”

Apparently, the ‘Three-Year-Pass’ was a traumatic and frightening story for Arisa.

(I wonder what would happen if I showed her something like “the picture that will kill you if you look at it three times” that’s all over the internet…)

Although he was very concerned, he decided not to show it to Arisa in a prank sense, because she might really die.

“There is no such thing as a curse. Otherwise, the Takasegawa family would have already been destroyed.”

Chiharu said happily.

Hearing those words, Arisa looked up at Yuzuru with a blue face.

“…Once upon a time, the entire Takasegawa family was struck with a curse.”

“D-does that mean… I’m also subject to the curse?”

“Who knows… perhaps the people who put the curse on know more about it?”

Yuzuru looked at Chiharu as he said this.

Chiharu gave a small cowering look.

“I have no idea. It was not me who cast it, but my ancestors. Well, but if you think about it, I think you are a target as well.”

Chiharu said to Arisa with a smirk on her face.

Arisa looks anxious.

“I-I… don’t want to die, you know? Can’t you do something about it?”

“Even if you ask me, …the person who cast it, is dead. Well, as you can see, Yuzuru-san is alive and well, and the Takasegawa family is prospering, so there is no effect.”

“In the end, I think the curse is just an idea. Because you care about it, you feel like you’re getting ill. That’s why… Arisa shouldn’t worry too much either.”

Yuzuru’s and Chiharu’s words seemed to reassure Arisa a little.

Speaking of Kiyomizu-dera Temple…

There is the famous “Kiyomizu-no-butai” (stage of Kiyomizu) where one can “jump off the stage of Kiyomizu.”

Another famous spot was…

“Koi-omikuji, will it come true…?” (TN: Romance fortune)

Tenka asked, skeptical.

Jishu Shrine, located on the grounds of Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, enshrined the god of marriage and is famous for its ‘Koi-omikuji‘ lottery.

“It is reputed to be very accurate… Apparently”

Hijiri answered while looking at his cell phone.

Chiharu gave a small shrug in response.

The curse, the fortune-telling, it’s all just a product of imagination… or so she seemed to imply.

The reason why she didn’t actually say it out loud was probably that it was a shrine outside of her neighborhood.

“In the case of me and Arisa, there’s no need to draw the fortune.”

“We are already lovers and engaged to be married after all.”

Yuzuru’s words were answered by Arisa with a smile on her face.

Ayaka grinned at these two.

“Oh no… I don’t know about that. Maybe it will tell us something about the two of you from now on?”

“I mean, you guys have had some stupid fights lately. Maybe you should draw one?”

Yuzuru and Arisa couldn’t help but look miffed.

Because it sounded as if the two of them could have another fight.

But they couldn’t say that would never happen.

“Well, Omikuji is more like advice from God than a form of fortune-telling. It doesn’t hurt to draw one, does it?　…though it usually has bland content.”

At Chiharu’s such words… Yuzuru and Arisa looked at each other and nodded.

It would be good to at least try drawing one, they agreed.

Thus, each of the seven drew a koi-omikuji.

The results were…

“Oh, it’s a good blessing …” (TN: Kichi)

“Ara, it’s a good blessing …”

The two who shouted with a little bit of excitement were Hijiri and Tenka.

It may not be a great fortune, but it was not a bad result.

“Ooh, it’s a great blessing! Well, I guess it’s because of my good daily conduct.”

On the other hand, it was Chiharu who sounded the happiest.

For someone who doesn’t believe in fortune-telling and curses…, she seemed happy.

She only seemed to believe in them when the results were good.

“Future blessing huh… I wish I had gotten a great blessing or big bad fortune…” 

“Mmm, small blessing… at least it has to be more  than a good blessing or less than a bad fortune for me to have a reaction.”

Ayaka and Soichiro both smiled bitterly.

They did not seem to believe in fortune-telling.

It was probably just a topic of conversation.

And…

“F-future blessing…”

“…I also have future blessing.” 

Yuzuru and Arisa scrunched up their expressions.

The result was not very flattering.

It may not be as bad as it could be because it was not a bad blessing…

“Chiharu-san, how do we read future blessings?”

Arisa asked Chiharu with a worried expression.

Chiharu answered while peering at the result of Arisa’s fortune.

“Umm, I guess it’s bad now, but it will get better later, right?　Well, if it’s going to get better later, then I guess you could say it’s generally good, right?”

“I-I see…”

Despite Chiharu’s encouragement, Arisa remained with a depressed expression on her face.

After all, Arisa was probably the type of person who would be concerned about this kind of fortune-telling and fortune…, especially about bad results.

“We should tie up the bad results, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I mean, Yuzuru-san… you care about that kind of thing?”

“Eh? Ah… well, somewhat, I guess?”

In response to Chiharu’s surprised question, Yuzuru gave an ambiguous smile.

In fact, the Takasegawa family places a certain amount of importance on such things as wishes, whether they believe in them or not.

“Perhaps you two are feeling bad at the moment?” (TN: Chiharu is talking about their relationship)

“Eh? No way…”

“No, of course not.”

When Chiharu asked, both Yuzuru and Arisa rushed to deny it.

Chiharu, perhaps realizing something in their reactions, smiled bitterly.

“These things are written for just about everyone. You shouldn’t mind it that much.”

The two both smiled vaguely.