Nogi Wakaba Ch. 8 preview

As a calm air drifted in their midst, the girls clad in white bathed in the waterfall.

Uesato Hinata was among them. Her long black hair and her white outfit clung to her wet skin. The exposure to the waterfall caused her flesh to flush faintly.

They were in a place near the "Shinju", the centerpiece of Shikoku's protection. The girls bathing in the waterfall were the miko who were chosen by the gods and could hear their voice. They were currently cleansing their bodies in order to meet with the Shinju.

The midwinter air cooled the waterfall, causing a prickling pain in the girls' skin. They required strict discipline in order to keep their focus in light of that pain, but it was nonetheless imperative that they cleanse their bodies before they met the Shinju, as it was god itself.

(Purify us, cleanse us, oh gods, protect us, bless us)

Hinata repeatedly recited that chant in her head with its peculiar rhythm. It was apparently a type of norito, or traditional Shinto prayer.

Since Hinata was not raised in a particularly Shinto family, she did not originally have any knowledge of rituals. Since she was bestowed with the public duty a miko entailed, people at the Taisha [TL: Grand Shrine] had taught her various mannerisms.
Many of the miko had been born in ordinary households without any connection to the Shinto priesthood or shrines, but a few girls did come from families of Shinto priests. According to those girls, the norito and mannerisms that the Taisha had taught the miko were only scratched the surface of those used in Shinto rituals.

"Since many of the girls originally had nothing to do with Shinto rituals, they're trying to minimize what they have to learn" -- That initial impression appeared to be incorrect. At one point, a girl from a family of Shinto priests nonchalantly tried to recite a norito that the Taisha did not teach. Upon hearing her, a member of the Taisha put on a stern face and admonished her, saying that it was "inappropriate here".

Those mannerisms and norito were not "untaught". They were "forbidden".

Ever since the appearance of the Vertexes, Shinto rituals had gradually begun to change.
And perhaps they would keep on changing.


Once the waterfall mediation was over and the girls had gotten out from the river, miko clothes were prepared for them.

"Aww man, I thought I was a goner! It's so cold! And it hurts! It's the middle of winter and you expect us to meditate under a waterfall, Shinju-samaaa...?"

Aki Masuzu clamored in misery as she changed clothes. She was another miko, one year older than Hinata. Despite their age difference, the two of them got along surprisingly well.

As Aki wiped her braided hair, she spoke to Hinata in a discontented voice.

"Mmm, anyway, Uesato-chan, I'm surprised you can take on waterfall mediation like it's nothing."

"? Why's that?"

"I mean you normally don't do this sort of ceremony, do you?"

Since Hinata was a miko closely associated with the heroes, she normally lived in Marugame Castle alongside them. Thus, she rarely had a direct audience with the Shinju and so this would be her first experience with winter waterfall meditation. In contrast, Aki and the other girls normally spent their time at the Taisha, and since they were near the Shinju every day, waterfall meditation was an everyday occurrence for them.

"But look at me! I never get used to it no matter how many times I do it! There has to be some sort of physical reason... I guess it's gotta be all that boob blubber??"

Aki smirked at Hinata.

"Wh-what are you trying to say...?"

"That mass of blubber concentrated in your chest area's gotta be insulating your heart from any obstructions. That's why you're so resilient to the cold. And I get the feeling you've been growing even more lately!"

"...!"

That comment caused Hinata to cover her chest in a panic.

"Ahahah. That's a good thing. Boobs are a girl's greatest weapon."

Though she had often experienced breast envy coming from Tamako and other girls, Hinata often thought that slender frames like Aki's were more beautiful than her own.

Hinata wiped her body and changed clothes.

"But I don't think waterfall meditation is really all that harsh. Sure, the water did feel piercing cold... but oddly enough, I felt a little bit of warmth."

"You might have an extra helping of divine protection, Uesato-chan. I mean, the Shinju-sama does like you the best, after all."

Hinata apparently had the highest aptitude as a miko among all the people at the Taisha. The reason she was called back to the Taisha was also perhaps out of a need for Hinata's high ability level since they had received an important oracle.

"By the way, Uesato-chan?"

"Yes?"

Aki hesitated to ask her question as she looked for her words.

"Umm~... Are those girls, well... are they doing okay?"

"Those girls" referred to Tamako and Anzu.

"They're doing well. Tamako-san's so energetic that Anzu-san's getting tired out trying to pull the brakes on her. But Anzu-san's enjoying it too. Those two get along well, after all."

"That's fine, I guess. I mean, they -are- heroes, so of course they can handle themselves."

Aki spoke bluntly, sounding considerably disinterested.

"Aki-san, you really do worry about Tamako-san and Anzu-san, huh?"

Aki came from Ehime prefecture-- right by where Tamako and Anzu had lived. On the day the Vertexes appeared, she had met with Tamako right after gaining her miko powers. It was Aki who had told Tamako of Anzu's location and told her to save her.

Afterwards, the three of them worked together until they reached the protective care of the Taisha. Ever since then, Aki had always been worried about Tamako and Anzu.

"It's not like I'm worried about them or anything. I was just thinking that those two are such polar opposites and they're so childish that they might be a nuisance to everyone around them. Look, I was the miko that guided them at one point, so I feel a little responsible for them. But just a teensy bit."

Aki's long-winded explanation made it undeniable that she was worried about them in the end. But perhaps she had yet to realize it herself.

Hinata took out her smartphone from her personal belongings and showed the pictures on it to Aki. Among the collection were pictures of Tamako and Anzu.

After she had seen them, Aki's face visibly relaxed in relief.

"Oh. They look like they don't have a care in the world. They're perfectly fine then. It was a waste to worry about them."

So you were worried after all-- Hinata thought about pointing that out, but decided against it since it would be in poor taste.

Though Aki had relaxed her face, she then quickly furrowed her eyebrows.

"Anyway, Uesato-chan..."

"Yes?"

"... You've got way too many pictures of Nogi-chan. This folder's mostly nothing but pictures of her."

"That's because it's my life's work."

Hinata puffed up her chest in pride.