Chapter 4

The morning of January second arrived with clear skies and a frost that bit straight through my sneakers.

Ahead of me, a hundred stone steps climbed up the hillside, vanishing into the bare trees. 

I stopped at the bottom of the staircase, shoved both hands into my coat pockets, and stared at the ascent with defeated sighed.

"Remind me why we are doing this," I said. "Normal people spend the first day of the new year eating mandarins under a kotatsu."

My twin sister turned around on the third step, crossing her arms over her winter parka. 

"Stop whining, Yama," Yuri said, her breath fogging in the cold air. "The big shrines in the city have three-hour lines just to toss a five-yen coin. Do you really want to stand in a crowd of thousands until your legs freeze solid?"

"I want to stay home," I replied. "That option was on the table."

"It was never on the table," our mother chimed in, breezing right past me. 

Mom was wrapped in a thick scarf, humming a bright tune under her breath. She hooked her arm through our father's elbow, leaning against him as if climbing a hundred stairs was an easy stroll in a park. 

Dad simply smiled, adjusting his glasses with his free hand. 

He was a retired professional baseball catcher who now worked as a PE teacher at a nearby high school. After spending decades behind home plate taking foul balls off his chest, he possessed an infinite reserve of patience. Nothing in our noisy household ever managed to rattle him.

The stone stairs were familiar by now. 

I had collapsed on the grass beside them three weeks ago, and Shizuo had dragged us up here twice since then. 

Today, paper lanterns hung from the wooden posts along the approach, swaying gently in the mountain breeze.

A few elderly locals passed us on their way down, offering polite nods of greeting. Aside from the occasional scrape of shoes against gravel, the hillside was remarkably peaceful. 

"See?" Yuri said, looking back over her shoulder with a triumphant grin. "No crowds. You should be thanking me."

"Yeah, it's better than last year, at least. Thank you, O Dear Sister," I said offhandedly.

We cleared the final flight of steps and passed under the weathered stone gate at the summit. 

The main shrine building sat across the flat gravel terrace, its cedar roof catching the pale sunlight. A thin trail of sweet incense drifted from a bronze burner near the courtyard entrance, mixing with the scent of pine needles.

Just inside the stone gate, beside the flagstone path, stood the water pavilion. 

A small cluster of girls was gathered around the stone basin, bundled up in coats, mufflers, and beanies. 

One of them turned around, holding a bamboo ladle over the running water. 

Golden bangs peeked out from the front of her knit cap, framing a pair of sunset eyes that widened the instant they locked onto us. 

Yuri broke into a wide grin, waving an arm high in the air. 

"Guys!" Yuri yelled, abandoning all shrine manners. "Sorry I'm late! It's this sloth's fault for taking ten minutes to find his socks!"

"I took two minutes," I said to the back of her head. "You took twenty looking for your gloves."

Top Road quickly set the wooden ladle down on the rack, wiping her fingers on a handkerchief before stepping away from the basin. 

"Pokke-chan!" she called back, her voice bright and clear. "Happy New Year! Please don't worry, we only arrived a few minutes ago ourselves."

Beside her, two other Tracen girls in matching winter coats turned around, whispering behind their mittens as they took in our group. They then swarmed Yuri energetically.

"Pokke-chan! Happy New Year!"

"Let's wish we can be in the same class in high school too!" 

"Yeah! I'll throw another five-yen just for that!" Yuri replied seriously.

As we walked over to the girls, I finally noticed.

"Wait," I murmured, glancing down at her. "You planned this?"

"Of course I did," Yuri said, sticking her nose in the air. "We both wanted to avoid the mob at the city shrines. Did you really think I picked this hill out of pure coincidence? It's all Top Road's idea!"

Before I could answer, our mother was already moving.

Mom stepped forward, her yellow eyes sparkling with immediate recognition as she closed the distance to the pavilion.

"Hi girls!" Mom announced, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. "Happy New Year! Oh, Top Road-chan! It is wonderful to see you again!"

Top Road straightened up instantly, her golden ears giving a nervous twitch beneath her cap. She dropped into a deep bow, holding the angle for several polite seconds.

"Happy New Year, Mrs. Dance Charmer!" Top Road said, her voice full of formal respect. "Thank you again for the hospitality when I visited your home last month."

"Drop the formalities, sweetie," Mom said with a breezy wave of her hand. "More importantly, congratulations on your maiden win! That final stretch was spectacular!"

The tips of Top Road's ears twitched again beneath the wool of her beanie. 

"Ah... thank you so much," she stammered, clearly flustered to receive praise from a former pro, even though it's just Mom. "I had a lot of ground to make up after my debut race. My trainer and I worked hard to fix my weaknesses."

Behind Top Road, her two classmates giggled behind their scarves. Their eyes darted curiously between the retired runner, our broad-shouldered father, my delinquent sister, and finally over to me. 

I kept my hands buried in my coat pockets, pretending to be deeply interested in a nearby stone lantern.

"You sure had plenty of drive," Mom said, patting Top Road's shoulder with warm affection. "A runner who can find an opening like that in a crowded field has a great year ahead. Keep that fire burning, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am! I will do my absolute best!"

Dad stepped up beside Mom, offering a polite nod that carried his brand of steadiness. "Congratulations on the victory, Narita Top Road-san. And thank you as always about our daughter. We are glad to hear our Yuri hasn't caused you too much trouble in the dorms."

"None at all, Mr. Shimazu," Top Road replied with an earnest smile. "Pokke-chan is a very dependable roommate."

Yuri crossed her arms, puffing out her chest like a proud rooster, while I coughed quietly into my fist to choke back a laugh.

After all finish cleaning up, the group began walking across the gravel toward the worship hall. 

The courtyard was flat and quiet, our footsteps making a steady crunching sound against the small stones. Mom and Dad walked ahead, chatting with Top Road's classmates, while Yuri bounded forward to check the line at the coin box.

That left an open pocket along the path. 

I slowed my pace by half a step, and Top Road naturally fell in beside me, matching my stride. 

Her knit cap sat low over her forehead, keeping her golden bangs out of her eyes. Up close, the purple shadows that had darkened her face during her visit to our house were gone, replaced by a healthy glow from the cold morning air.

I looked straight ahead at the timber pillars of the hall.

"That was a good race," I said, keeping my voice low so it wouldn't carry. "Congrats on the win."

Top Road turned her head toward me, her eyes softening. 

Her ears twitched beneath the knit wool, and then a faint red dusted the bridge of her nose.

"Thank you, Shimazu-kun," she murmured, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag. "Your words... they really resonated with me and helped clear my head."

"I didn't do anything special," I said, shrugging under my coat trying to look nonchalant although I couldn't help but happy hearing it from her. "You earned that result with your own legs, so be proud."

She looked down at her boots, a small smile touching her lips. "Even so. Thank you."

We reached the front of the wooden hall. 

Brass bells hung from thick ropes above a weathered coin box. We took turns tossing five-yen coins through the wooden slats, the metallic clinks echoing under the roof, followed by two sharp claps and a shared moment of silent prayer.

I kept my prayer simple: best of luck for spring and playing times in the new team.

Once the prayers concluded, Mom turned around with sudden enthusiasm.

"Fortune slips!" Mom declared, pointing toward the wooden shrine counter. "You cannot start a new year without testing your luck! I'm buying hot amazake for everyone, so go pick your papers!"

A couple of minutes later, all of us were gathered near the edge of the terrace, clutching paper cups of steaming amazake. 

The drink smelled heavily of sweet rice, warming my numb fingers through the cardboard cup. 

Beside me, Yuri was violently shaking a small paper slip between her hands, her face twisted in pure frustration.

"This is rigged," Yuri hissed, glaring at the printed kanji. "This shrine is an absolute fraud. I demand an immediate refund."

"What did you pull?" I asked, taking a slow sip. "I got future blessing."

"Terrible Luck," Yuri growled, her teeth grinding. "It says: 'Travel brings disaster. Academic pursuits will meet severe ruin. Personal relationships will face violent turbulence.' What kind of trash fortune is that?!"

Top Road leaned over with a sympathetic look, holding up her own slip. "I pulled Moderate Blessing. It says steady perseverance will bring wonderful rewards."

"Give me that!" Yuri lunged playfully, but Top Road smoothly tucked the paper behind her back with an amused laugh.

"If you don't like the fortune, just tie it to the rack," Dad suggested calmly, sipping his drink. "Leave the bad luck within the shrine grounds."

Yuri marched over to the wooden frame near a sacred pine tree, grabbing the wire grid with freezing fingers. 

She attempted to loop the paper around the metal wire, but her thick gloves got in the way. She ripped them off with her teeth, tried again with bare hands, and ended up nearly tearing the strip right down the middle.

"Ugh! This paper is too flimsy!" Yuri yelled, spinning around in total defeat. 

Before I could back away, she stomped across the gravel and slammed the wrinkled slip directly against my chest.

"Tie it for me, Yama! If it tears, the curse sticks to me for the entire school year!"

"Here," I said, sighing as I took the paper from her. "It'd be bad for me too if you pour your anger at me or people around you because of this rotten luck."

I set my warm cup on a flat stone bench, flattened the paper between my fingers, and looped it neatly through the wire grid. In three quick motions, I tied a secure knot that wouldn't be blown away by the breeze.

"There," I said, rubbing my chilled palms together. "Your terrible luck is officially the shrine's problem now."

"Hmph. It's better be," Yuri muttered, snatching her gloves back up.

One of Top Road's classmates glanced down at the screen of her phone, then looked toward the path. 

"The holiday shuttle just reached the bottom stop," the girl called out. "And the sweet potato van from earlier should already open by now!"

"Sweet potatoes?!" Yuri's ears shot straight up. "Let's go, Mom! Dad!"

"Iincho, hurry up or the line will form!" Top Road's classmates waved their mittens, already walking toward the stone gate.

"Ah, go ahead, I'll catch up in a second!" Top Road called back, lingering in our spot while checking the zipper on her shoulder bag.

"Make sure you buy the sweet ones, Mom!" Yuri yelled, already bounding down the first few steps of the staircase. "Not the dry ones like last month!"

"I know how to pick potatoes, young lady!" Mom laughed, following her down with Dad right beside her.

I picked up my empty paper cup, tossed it into the wooden bin by the fence, and turned toward the stone gate to head down after my family.

"Um.. Shimazu-kun!"

The voice was clear, cutting right through the quiet terrace.

There she was, the only one left from our group. 

Her golden ears were pinned against her head, twitching with unmistakable tension. 

Her cheeks were flushed pink, and her eyes looked down toward the gravel, avoiding my face entirely. It sure is getting colder, huh? But is there anything wrong on my face? I thought as I tried to wipe my face.

"Top Road-san?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Ye-yes!" she said, her voice dropping into a hurried mumble.

She reached inside the pocket of her coat, before pulling out a folded square of lined paper.

Before I could figure out what was happening, she stepped forward and pressed the paper directly into my right palm. 

Her bare fingertips brushed against mine, surprisingly warm despite the winter air.

"You seem really close with Pokke-chan, so I thought you might like to hear how she's doing in school. I can easily tell you about that, and..." Top Road rushed out, the words tumbling over each other like in a hurry. "And, um... I actually really love watching soccer, too! So if you ever have some free time... maybe we could talk about it? A-anyway! That has my contact info!"

My brain completely stalled out and couldn't assemble a single sensible sentence or thought.

Before I could even open my mouth, Top Road bent at the waist, executing a rapid ninety-degree bow that made the pom-pom on her cap bounce sharply.

"Happy New Year!" she squeaked, her voice cracking on the syllables.

She spun around on her boots, her long tail swishing in frantic arcs behind her coat, and sprinted through the stone gate toward the stairs like when she was exploding out of the starting gate.

"Wait, Top Road-san..." I started, but she was already disappearing down the hillside toward her waiting friends.

I stood frozen beneath the stone gate, the mountain wind ruffling my hair. 

Slowly, I looked down at my right hand. 

Resting in my palm was the small square of lined paper. 

I carefully opened the crease. Written across the lines in neat penmanship was a phone number, followed by a cleanly written LINE ID and a small sketch of a soccer ball in the corner.

A few steps down the stone path, our mother was leaning over the wooden railing, watching me with a wide grin that made me want to vanish into thin air. Beside her, Dad stood with his hands in his pockets, shaking his head with a knowing smile.

"Yama!" Mom called out in a playful sing-song voice. "Don't keep your sister waiting! We need to buy those sweet potatoes before the cart sells out!"

"I'm coming," I grumbled, hastily shoving the paper deep into the inner pocket of my coat, zipping the lining shut.

The new year wind swept down from the hills, rattling the bare branches above us and biting through my jeans. 

Normally, I would be grumbling about the freezing temperature with every single step. 

Yet, as my palm rested over the inner pocket of my coat, feeling the small crease of the paper resting safely against my fingers, I didn't feel cold at all. 

Instead, right behind my ribs, an unfamiliar flutter settled in. 

It was a quiet warmth, thumping steadily against my chest with every step down the stairs, and I knew there wasn't a single excuse in the world that could brush it aside.