Chapter 68 – Shoji-san’s House.
“The request has been successfully completed.”
“I’m glad… Thank you very much.”
After tidying up our work tools, we returned to the first floor living room to report to the client.
Perhaps due to this being my first job, I unconsciously felt nervous, and I was surprised to find that only 20 minutes had passed when I checked the clock.
It felt like an hour had passed to me.
“However, regarding the confidential matters in the contract, I would like to ask again…”
“Yes, what is it?”
“What about my painting?”
Ignoring the conversation of the adults, Mamoru-kun raised his voice.
He would never do something like this normally. This must have been extremely important to him.
“In that case, it’s right here.”
While signaling my father to continue the conversation, I placed the wrapped painting on the table.
Carefully unwrapping the paper, I handed it to Mamoru-kun.
“…”
Mamoru-kun, who was holding the painting in his hand, stared at it intently, wondering if the picture would come to life again.
“It’s okay, we’ve already exterminated the Yokai.”
“But there’s one important thing to remember.”
“After you finish looking at the painting, give it to me. Don’t hang it on the wall for a while, you should keep it wrapped in this paper. If a Yokai possessed it, it means that the conditions for the Yokai to possess the painting are in place, so another Yokai might come. Wrapping it in this paper will protect it from the Yokai. Understand?”
“…Yes.”
Children are quite attentive listeners.
With his sharp intellect, Mamoru-kun will understand and accept the situation if I explain it properly.
Afterward, Mamoru-kun’s mother, who readily accepted my father’s request, joined in looking at the painting and eventually handed it over to me.
I wrapped the painting in paper once again.
The two sheets of glued paper had a formation drawn on the inside, and if spiritual energy was infused into it, it would have an effect similar to a protective amulet.
Now, the Yokai shouldn’t be able to possess the painting anymore.
This low-level Yokai can only distort the painting, but it also possesses the power to bring misfortune to people.
When this kind of Yokai takes up residence in a house, it gradually spreads gloom and impurity, that can consume the energy of the inhabitants of the house it possesses.
The gloom itself is not necessarily a bad thing.
It can cause troubles within a family, but it can also be a catalyst for growth and deepening bonds when it is overcome.
However, if it accumulates and there is no room to spare it, one can unknowingly fall into a negative cycle where nothing seems to go well.
In short, there is nothing good about having Yokai in one’s house.
Now, why did such an Yokai managed to enter Mamoru’s house?
This being a politician’s house, it should have a ward that prevents any normal intrusion.
In other words, there must be a reason behind this incident.
“When I saw the garden earlier, I confirmed that the ward was broken. It seems that the crucial talisman was torn during last month’s typhoon.”
Father casually told a lie.
The typhoon was one of the causes, but there is another primary reason.
――It is the miracle of Chioharu no Fuai-sama.
The Sanctuary that extends from the Shinto Shrine as its starting point is a magnificent entity that purifies the impurities of the region and dispels the gloom.
However, where there is light, there is also darkness. Just like maintaining the balance between the yin and yang, it is said that gloom tends to gather in the outskirts of the Sanctuary for some reason.
The Shoji family’s location happened to be right on the outskirts of it.
When gloom gathers, people are visited by misfortune, which eventually gives rise to impurities and even Yokai.
This fact is widely known based on empirical evidence and has been passed down among Onmyoji as a lesson not to rely too much on the Gods.
However, since it is difficult for people without spiritual sensitivity to understand this even with such an explanation, my father evaded the issue with an easily understandable reason.
In reality, natural disasters that bring about a lot of misfortune put a strain on the wards, so it is not entirely untrue.
Within the corner of the garden, hidden inside a stone lantern, worn-out talismans were placed.
Perhaps the overload of gloom hastened the lifespan of the ward.
The Shoji family, who lost their protection, unfortunately got invaded by Yokai.
“I can fix the ward myself. Alternatively, I have an acquaintance who specializes in wards, so it’s also possible to request their assistance. It might cost a bit more, but I recommend consulting an expert.”
“I’ll discuss this with my husband.”
Dad… You’re not good at business, are you? You should promote yourself in situations like this.
No, wait. Maybe he’s showing sincerity because it’s my friend’s family he’s dealing with.
When it comes to specialists in wards he mentioned, it refers to the Tonobe family, who are practically like family to us.
So, it won’t result in a missed opportunity.
After that, father headed to the garden to estimate the construction of the new ward.
I tried to follow him, but…
“Rest. It’s better for you to play with your friend.”
He left me behind due to his unnecessary consideration.
I was interested in how to conduct on-site investigations for gathering information necessary for constructing the wards.
Maybe my father had heard from my mother that initially I was planning to go to my friend’s house to play with him but instead I ended up taking on my first job.
Honestly, my first job has been occupying my mind so much, that I had forgotten what I wanted to do first until my father mentioned it.
Now, in the living room, there are Mamoru-kun, Mamoru-kun’s mom, and me.
It feels a bit strange to play with Mamoru-kun in this situation.
My mind is completely in work mode, and I can’t neglect Mamoru-kun’s mom, who is the client.
For now, I decided to bring up a topic that involves everyone present.
“Does Mamoru-kun’s mom also like painting?”
“Huh?”
Mamoru-kun’s mom looked a bit puzzled, as if she did not expect for me to talk to her.
Damn, I think the correct answer in this situation was to chat with the my friend.
Since it’s too late to change the topic now, I’ll just wait for Mamoru-kun’s mom’s response.
“Oh, did you found out? Actually, I’ve always liked drawing, and there was a time when I aspired to be an artist.”
Mamoru-kun’s mom answered while blushing.
“But it seems like I didn’t have much talent, so I couldn’t pursue it as a career. Then, when I realized that my son had talent and wanted to take lessons, I couldn’t help but get excited…”
You could feel her desire to talk to anyone, to boast about her own son. I understand because I’m also eager to boast about my first job accomplishment.
The gaze of Mamoru-kun’s mother, while she was staring at her son’s painting, did not look like it was directed towards a mere memento.
Moreover, not only in Mamoru-kun’s room, but also in various places such as the hallway and the living room, paintings were displayed.
It seems that I was not mistaken in sensing a strong attachment towards paintings.
Even now, despite interacting with a child, she was speaking eloquently, forgetting that fact.
“–I think I went a bit too far when I shouted, “Isn’t it okay to sneak out of the classroom because I want to cherish my sensibility?” But still, original ideas… Hahaha, sorry for talking to myself. It’s been a while since I talked about me drawing pictures.”
No, no, I found it very interesting to catch a glimpse of the environment surrounding Mamoru-kun.
Mamoru-kun himself has started painting at his own pace.
Mamoru-kun’s father has a hobby of appreciating artworks, and it was through this connection that the couple met. Mamoru-kun’s older brother also attends an art class, so it seems that Mamoru-kun was born into a family of artists.
The painting I protected was the first work of Mamoru-kun who painted it without being taught by anyone, and it was the moment when Mamoru-kun’s mother became convinced of her son’s talent.
Certainly, if a three-year-old paints a painting like that by himself, one can’t help but notice the talent.
While I was listening to Mamoru-kun’s mother’s monologue, my father returned.
After conveying an approximate estimate and assuring the safety of the house, we decided to leave.
Mamoru-kun, who came to see us off at the gate, murmured softly.
“Hijiri… Thank you.”
Mamoru-kun is not supposed to know what I did. .
The only request my old man made to Mamoru-kun’s mom was to not disclose that the possessed painting was protected. He didn’t say a word about my contribution.
Still, Mamoru-kun expressed his gratitude to me with eyes filled with conviction.
“You’re welcome.”
A sense of exhilaration I didn’t feel when I was working in my past life welled up in my chest.
It’s something I couldn’t obtain when I reluctantly worked to earn money just to survive.
Come to think of it, ever since I became close to Mamoru-kun, I started using this farewell greeting often.
It is a phrase that can only be used by a young person who fully believes that tomorrow will come.
“See you tomorrow.”
Later
Mamoru-kun gave me a picture at kindergarten. He said it was a thank-you gift.
The picture, which looked familiar to me, was the one Mamoru-kun was drawing beside his mom when she was talking to me.
When I looked at the completed picture, it was a depiction of me and my father in the costumes of Onmyoji, preparing for an infiltration.
It must have been a scene he saw when he secretly followed us.
However, although the preparation scene is supposed to be mundane, I could feel the tense atmosphere before starting the job from Mamoru-kun’s drawing. I also sensed an atmosphere other than what was depicted in the picture drawn by a six-year-old using crayons. He had grown up again in the blink of an eye.
Yeah, this kid will become famous in the future.
Maybe even before me.
There’s no such thing as being early or late on the path to becoming a professional, but on the eve of the graduation ceremony, I was once again inspired to do my best.
T/N – This is it folks…I decided to officially drop this novel, something I wasn’t really keen to do but I just lost my motivation and already I had two more novels that I was somewhat more interested in translating, still, this was my first project and I really didn’t want to stop but in my opinion, it would be unfair for me to hog it, instead I hope someone else will be willing to continue to translate it.
T/N – If you are interested in translating it or you just want to read it, this is the link for the raws – https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5327hj/.
T/N – Thank you all for reading this novel and I hope I will see you reading my next translation projects, probably after I finish with the two I am still translating 😅😅.