Chapter 6: The Garden's Dramatic Renovation
What in the world.
When he opened the curtains, there spread before him a
picturesque Japanese garden.
"Wha.., huh...?"
He opened his sleepy eyes wide.
What jumped into his forcibly awakened vision was, above all
else, a pond.
The concrete-lined depression that had been empty until
yesterday was now filled to the brim with water. It had transformed into a
water mirror occupying one-third of the garden's area, reflecting the green
trees.
The changes weren't limited to just the pond. Patches of
grass had grown here and there, and deciduous trees had even been planted along
the walls.
At the center of a stone arched bridge spanning the water
surface that reflected the sparkling morning sun, the mountain god stood. The
white wolf stood out beautifully against the almost entirely green backdrop.
With birdsong echoing around him, he walked along the
stone-paved path filled with the crisp morning air, heading toward the mountain
god. He was greeted with a grin and a proud expression.
"How is it?"
"You can do things like this?"
"I am a mountain god."
He arched his chest so far back he looked like he might fall
over backwards. Standing beside him, Minato peered into the water surface.
Below the water that reflected his own leaning face, white pebbles were laid
out without gaps. Though it was about a meter deep, it felt surprisingly close,
and no signs of living creatures could be seen.
There was nothing but amazement. Not only had he filled the
pond with water, but he had also done the landscaping and laid the gravel.
He had received permission from the house's owner to do as
he pleased with the garden, so there was no problem. Above all, having had such
a magnificent garden created for him, there could be no complaints. Minato let
out a breath of admiration.
"Amazing."
"That's right, that's right."
"Such beautiful water."
"I drew it from the mountain."
"Incredible."
He slid his gaze sideways.
"So, you've gotten this small because you used too much
power?"
"...Indeed."
Currently, the mountain god was medium dog size. He only
came up to Minato's knees. Being looked up at was refreshing, but somehow he
found himself crouching down. Looking down seemed far too presumptuous. No
matter how casually he treated him, his counterpart was still a god.
Even crouching, his head was still higher—there was nothing
to be done about that. He gazed intently at the wolf whose divine majesty
remained unchanged.
"You've become quite cute."
"Well now, I'll be back to normal soon."
"Is that so?"
"I'm counting on you."
"Me?"
Minato's amused laughter echoed through the reborn garden.
Chirping sparrows took flight from the grass.
◇
Returning from shopping, Minato found round seeds on leaves
beneath the front gate's nameplate.
This was a rare occurrence that hadn't happened in a long
time. It was the first since the mountain god had initially given him medicinal
herbs.
Suddenly Minato remembered that while walking along the rice
field paths just now, he had encountered an unusual number of creatures with
shells crabs, turtles, and such. They had all stood by the roadside, looking up
at him.
Was it just his imagination that they seemed to want to say
something? Puzzled, he picked up the black seed about the size of his
thumbnail.
"Is this from Mountain God-san"
"No."
"Ah, I thought so."
The mountain god, who had already returned to his original
massive size, poked just his nose out through the gap between the lattice door
and gate post.
Wild wolves had existed only in the distant past. The
mountain god freely roamed inside and outside the property. Even though there
were no prying eyes in the neighborhood, when Minato subtly suggested that this
"might be problematic," he was dismissed with "Only you can see
me, so there's no problem."
"Then who is this from...?"
"Hmm, not a bad fellow. It seems to want to take
shelter here."
"In the garden?" "It appears to want to live
in the pond."
"Is that okay?"
"I'm not the one to give permission. This place is
yours."
"No, I'm just temporary too. I feel like the garden is
mostly Mountain God-san's..."
This place, being close to the mountain, was probably the
mountain god's property. Building a house and claiming ownership of the land
was merely human selfishness. Such logic probably wouldn't work on a god.
That's why he could freely tinker with the garden as he
pleased, and perhaps his not entering the house was out of consideration.
That's what he had thought.
"I don't mind."
"So it seems."
Following the mountain god's gaze, behind and diagonally
below Minato, there was a small white thing, faint and fleeting like a heat
shimmer. He could vaguely see its form crawling on the ground.
"A turtle?"
"Yes."
A small turtle less than ten centimeters in diameter
stretched its neck and looked up at Minato.
"It says you saved it."
"Eh, I have no memory of that! Isn't this a case of
mistaken identity?!"
When it came to the fate of men who saved turtles, a famous
old tale reflexively flashed through his mind, and he tensed up.
"Such a sinful man you are."
The mountain god shook his massive body and laughed merrily.
The small turtle splashed into the pond with a leap. It swam
around happily, paddling through the water with all four limbs.
According to the turtle, the other day in the shopping
district, it had been possessed by a vengeful spirit, and Minato had exorcised
it and saved it. This was when his shopping list had completely disappeared
from his notepad, much to his chagrin.
Hearing this, Minato remembered that at that time, he had
been quite angry and had complained extensively to a stranger passing by. He
wanted to bang his head against a stone lantern from the shame.
Calming his heart, he watched over the turtle floating
contentedly on the water surface, then looked around the garden.
"Where should I plant the seed I received?"
"That will grow quite large."
"Then Mountain God-san, you decide."
Without hesitation, he followed the white figure heading
toward almost the center of the garden.
"Here."
What was indicated by a tap of his front paw was a wide
patch of earth, as if tailor-made for the purpose. He placed the seed in the
hole the mountain god had dug with his front paw and covered it with soil.
"By the way, what kind of seed is this?"
"Shouldn't you have wondered about that before
planting?"
"Sorry."
"It's a tree. What kind of tree it is leave that as a
pleasure for after it grows."
"I will."
Behind Minato as he watered the planted spot with a watering
can, joyful splashes scattered from the sacred pond.
Normally, the mountain god preferred sweets over alcohol.
After dinner, he had declared that he wanted to drink sake for the first time
in a while. Therefore, the moment he returned with a bottle from inside the
house, the atmosphere trembled.
He felt a strong, strong gaze from the direction of the
sacred pond.
The mountain god laughed as if greatly amused and bit into a
sweet sake bun. Minato turned his face toward the faintly glowing sacred pond.
"Turtle-san, do you want some sake?"
In an instant, the small turtle shot out of the water and
crawled over. At that speed, unbecoming of a turtle, it would never fall behind
even in a race with a rabbit. Its eyes gleamed brightly as it gazed up from
beneath the veranda.
The small turtle's presence had increased day by day, and
now Minato could see it clearly.
It was overall a pearl color with strong yellow tones, and
had a characteristically pointed shell like a mountain.
It looked unusually mystical, different from ordinary
turtles.
When it climbed onto the veranda, its body wasn't wet.
Seeing such things, he strongly felt that his counterpart was a type of god.
When he put sake in a shallow dish, it pounced on it eagerly
and drank single-mindedly. It seemed to be quite fond of alcohol. When he had
invited it to dinner before, it had probably refused because there was no
alcohol.
"I'll make sure to prepare some from now on."
It emitted light from its body, conveying its joy.
◇
Around the time when the rainy season was approaching and
the small turtle had also solidified its existence, Minato was sweeping fallen
leaves scattered on the garden path with a bamboo broom.
"The garden's temperature never changes. The air seems
strangely refreshing too..."
Above all, there wasn't even a single unpleasant insect. It
was strange.
In the quiet space, the rustling sound of fallen leaves and
the sound of the bamboo broom scraping against the stone pavement echoed
around. While the outside world grew hotter and more humid day by day, the
garden of the Kusunoki residence maintained a comfortable temperature and
humidity that never changed. When he returned from outside, he could feel the
difference in air more distinctly on his skin.
The moment he passed through the front gate, the air
changed.
He was enveloped in air that was warm, soft, and yet crisp
and pure in a way that made him feel alert.
The mountain god lying on the veranda and the small turtle
sunbathing on the large rock jutting into the pond said nothing. They simply
spent their time leisurely, each in their own way. Even as the population
increased, utterly quiet and peaceful time continued to flow.
◇
In front of the front gate of such a Kusunoki residence
stood a single man. Wrapped in a somewhat worn black suit around his tall
frame, his face looking up at the house was pale with prominent dark circles.
The man, whose appearance could hardly be called healthy, seemed to be in a
state of lingering shock.
"...Is this place... a sacred domain...?"
He murmured in a trembling voice and pushed up his glasses.
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