Tokyo Girlfriend Guide

Chapter 849 Praying to God

In a place like a shrine, if you think that the best business should be the gods sitting on the high platform, you are wrong. The real source of income is the vending machines that are also silent.

Yukinoshita Yukino felt that the person in charge of placing the vending machines had an IQ as high as three Eriris. Every time she was so tired that she felt like she was going to die, and her mouth was dry, as long as she raised her head and looked forward, there would definitely be a brightly colored vending machine in front of her. They were all in perfect positions.

"It's a despicable sales tactic to exploit the fragility of people's bodies and loopholes in their hearts to sell things like this."

The girl grumbled unwillingly, then pulled out a small cat-shaped wallet, took out coins, and meticulously stuffed them into the vending machine, obviously wanting to treat everyone to drinks.

At this moment, reason was defeated by thirst, and humanity was defeated.

Yukino is still not used to the behavior of ordinary friends giving drinks to each other, but at least she no longer says things like "Since we are going to treat each other back next time, why don't we just buy our own drinks at the beginning?" She probably also realized some truth from this behavior.

Everyone walked forward to choose the drinks they wanted. The vending machines with long queues had a wide variety of drinks, even ice beer and small bottles of whiskey were sold, fully demonstrating the tolerance of God.

After hearing Yukino's complaint, Yamauchi Sakura, whose hair was already wet with sweat, chuckled and said:

"Every time I feel like I'm going to die, I can still see hope. Isn't this the best state of life? I think this is a test set by God, right?"

As she spoke, she turned her head and looked at the little kids next to her, and said mysteriously:

“Maybe there’s a god hiding inside this vending machine!”

This girl has absolutely no reverence for gods. She has clearly stepped over the Torii gate and entered the realm of gods, but the long approach to the shrine not only did not make her submit to gods, but made her even more unruly.

However, Sakura's words always made sense inexplicably. Glass and the others, who were also tortured by the long approach to the shrine, nodded one after another, acknowledging the test from the gods and looking forward to the subsequent worship.

The trees around the vending machines were very dense, and many people who had reached their physical limits sat down under the shade of the trees to rest. Hojo Kyosuke also saw several uncles around 40 years old drinking beer. He guessed that they were people who came here with their families.

They had already turned their physical energy into overtime work because they were stuck at their desks and didn't have the energy to accompany their families to the top of the mountain to worship, so they bid farewell to their families and waited halfway up the mountain. But compared to praying to the gods, they probably wanted to pray that their boss would not suddenly call at such a time.

Although it cannot be said that all the members of Ruyiliao's team are physically fit, at least no one wants to give up halfway, so after replenishing water and taking a brief rest, they started climbing again.

As if they had proved their resolve by climbing over 800 steps, the second torii soon appeared before everyone's eyes. Yukinoshita Yukino's sigh of relief was very obvious.

In front of the second torii is the "sailor's house", which is a place to wash hands, or to cleanse oneself.

In theory, there are very standard procedures for facing the Torii gate and washing hands, but even the shrine maiden Mitsuha Miyamizu just casually scooped up a bucket of water with a bamboo spoon and washed her hands casually. It can only be said that the closer people are to the gods, the less reverence they have.

Like Eriri, because she was determined that "I climbed such a long staircase, I must ask the gods to help me realize my wish", she was particularly careful when washing her hands. She washed her left hand first and then her right hand. After rinsing her mouth, she washed her left hand and the handle of the spoon. She was so pious that Miyamizu Yotsuba was moved and asked her if she wanted to come to the shrine which had not yet opened to be an assistant maiden.

In fact, Eriri was just following the sign in front of the sailor's house without any reverence at all. If the god could not fulfill her wish, he might use a magnet to suck ten times the incense money from the cash box next time she came.

Although Hojo Kyosuke was not that serious, he really wanted to pour cool water directly on his head to cool it down. However, considering that there might really be gods in this world, he restrained himself and did not do so. He just admired the two dragons in front of the sailor's house.

White Dragon and Red Dragon

According to the legend of Izu Province, these two dragons lie at the foot of Mt. Izu, with their tails attached to Lake Ashi in Hakone and their heads at the bottom of Mt. Izu. The boiling hot springs are the dragon's eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth.

According to the Japanese concept that all things have spirits and can become gods, it is not surprising that there are such legends: hot springs are red dragons, and cold water is white dragons.

Hojo Kyosuke saw that there was a food store in the small square where the sailor's house was located. Then he looked again and saw Sakura and others who had just washed their hands had already run over and started ordering food.

Rice cakes, rice cakes in the shape of red and white dragons!

Although not exquisite, the taste is good. The red dragon is added with red beans, and the white dragon is the original flavor. The roasted and burnt aroma is just right for replenishing carbohydrates after exercise. Everyone enjoyed the meal very much, so they washed their hands again.

As usual, there are many stone sculptures on both sides of the approach to the shrine. However, unlike other shrines that like foxes, Izusan Shrine does not have Komainu. Instead, there are some creatures that look a bit like cows, and probably countless other creatures that they "borrowed" and then arbitrarily modified.

The stone statues were very hot from the sun. If you ask Hojo Kyosuke how he knew that, it was because Yamauchi Sakura touched the head of each of the statues.

Eriri asks if this will bring good luck, and Yamauchi Sakura tells her that she just wanted to wipe the oil off her hands, as she didn't wash them properly when she ate rice cakes.

Of course this was a joke, they actually washed very cleanly, this guy was just being naive.

After passing the sailor's house, crossing the second torii gate, and passing the thunder and lightning house, you will finally reach the main hall and the worship hall.

Hojo Kyosuke recalled the introduction in front of the Raidensha all the way, that is the hall dedicated to "Lord Wakamiya". He didn't know Lord Wakamiya, but he knew that the first shrine of another famous Mishima Taisha in Izu was Wakamiya Shrine.

What's going on? Lord Wakamiya was also recruited by Izusan Shrine?

These shrines are quite interesting...

Until he arrived in front of the offering box, Hojo Kyosuke was still thinking about the bloody war between gods.

The Izusan Shrine enshrines an omnipotent god named "Izu Daigongen", which is the kind of god that only has one. He is omniscient and omnipotent, and can do everything from creating the world to punishing scumbags.

Hojo Kyosuke clearly remembered that in his previous life, when he went to temples and other places, his mother taught him not to take photos casually. But apparently there is no such taboo in the tourist-oriented Neon Shrine. As long as you don't enter the prohibited area, everyone can take photos at will.

They lined up in front of the offering box and threw an appropriate amount of money into it, bowed twice, clapped twice, and bowed once again.

Mitsuha Miyamizu was not very serious. In fact, when she was a child, she often confided in the gods while cleaning the shrine in the morning, asking the gods to punish her unscrupulous father, but it was obvious that the gods did not work. After abandoning the gods, Miyamizu Toshiki not only did not suffer any retribution, but also became very successful. He almost demolished the Miyamizu Shrine and built a tourist resort.

Her friend Hayaka is even more exaggerated. Although she would offer incense money to the gods every morning when she came to the shrine to find her, the "girlish thoughts" she confided were really annoying.

She didn't pray silently in her heart at all, but kept saying in a voice like chanting, saying that her father didn't drain the bath water after taking a bath last night, and that her grandmother sewed her skirt a little longer...

In short, she completely treated the gods as trash cans. Miyamizu Mitsuha felt that if she were a god, she would have banned Hayaka from climbing the mountain. From this perspective, she felt that the gods were indeed worthy of being gods and were indeed amazing.

These are the daily lives between a little shrine maiden from a priest family and the gods.

Even a staunch atheist like Hojo Kyosuke had a look of piety on his face when making a wish.

He had heard that making a wish was not to pray to the gods, but to show one's determination to the gods. However, Hojo Kyousuke's god was himself, so he was showing his determination to himself.

'I must build a happy and complete family'

He thought so.

I don’t know if his wish was too simple or others were too greedy, but when he opened his eyes, he found that the girls next to him were still praying earnestly.

Never willing to suffer any loss, he quickly closed his eyes again and made a long string of wishes. Since it was a dream, it would be better not to restrain himself, lest the gods think he was someone who was easy to get rid of.

Although no one knew whether the wish could come true, Hojo Kyosuke found that after making a wish, Sakura, Yukino, Mitsuha and even Miyamizu Toshiki all looked more excited.

Maybe he was moved by his own determination?

He guessed so. Just like himself, after setting such a great ambition, he now even wanted to go up and talk to Miyamizu Toshiki to get closer to him.

"Miyamizu-san, what did you wish for?"

Hojo Kyosuke asked eagerly. This behavior was not presumptuous. Eriri had already begun to test the wishes of others, probably because she was worried that the conflict between their wishes would embarrass the gods. Under Kasumigaoka's deliberate teasing, the guy even ran back to the offering box and dropped a Fukuzawa Yukichi, blatantly offering a bribe.

Hearing the voice, Miyamizu Toshiki, who was looking at his two daughters' backs with a gentle face, was startled, and then immediately performed a light-speed change of expression. All the kindness turned into indifference. He squinted his eyes and tried to say contemptuously:

"Make a wish? Only an incompetent person would place his hopes on an illusory god! I am not..."

Hojo Kyosuke's face turned dark. Without listening to what his father-in-law said next, he just strode away.

The old bastard actually had the nerve to say such a thing. If he hadn't just heard Miyamizu Toshiki's prayer "I hope Sanye and Yotsuba grow up healthy and happy", he would have almost believed it. After all, this guy was a ruthless man who became a priest and broke away from home. He was indeed qualified to despise the gods.

But even Jia Shizi wouldn't shout out his birthday wishes, okay! You childish old bastard!

Hojo Kyosuke stepped forward and squeezed in between Mitsuha and Sayaka. The two girls came to a familiar shrine. Even though it was not the Miyamizu family's, countless past memories surged from the bottom of their hearts, and they were constantly reminiscing about the past.

"What about you, Sanye? What wish did you make?" he asked.

Miyamizu Mitsuha pursed her lips and smiled: "Keep it a secret~~"

Ok?

Hojo Kyosuke was stunned and looked at his little miko in disbelief.

"Me, you? There's actually a little secret between you and me?!"

The witch smiled playfully:

"A woman without secrets will bore a man. This is what Sister Yang Nai taught me last night."

Even as she said this, Mitsuha glanced at the excited Yamauchi Sakura in front of her.

Hojo Kyosuke, who had originally planned to ask clearly and then show his divine power to help Mitsuha fulfill her wish, pouted his lips in grievance and approached other girls, but without exception, everyone chose to keep it secret, even Eriri, who wanted to sign a check and put it in the pocket of God. Only Yamauchi Sakura...

"Eh? Me? I'm the same as you, Kyousuke."

The girl turned around, her high ponytail fluttering in the wind, her bright yellow eyes brighter than the sun.

Hojo Kyosuke was surprised and asked, "Me? Did you guess my wish?"

"Hahaha, it's not just me. Just ask Glass and Mitsuha, they should all be able to tell you your wish, Kyousuke."

Sakura blinked.

Hojo Kyosuke didn't believe it, so he called over Naoko and Yukino.

Nishimiya Glass smiled innocently: "I think it should be that we hope everyone is healthy, right?"

"Want a happy family?"

Yukino Momoka said this a little embarrassedly. Her wish was to always have a place for herself in Hojo-kun's family.

Yamauchi Sakura clapped her hands and said, "So, to sum it up, I just hope to have a happy and complete family!"

blah blah-

Hojo Kyosuke's face changed drastically and he kept backing away as if he had suffered a heavy blow.

This, this... Is this what they call Sima Zhao's intentions being known to everyone?

Hiratsuka Shizuka next to her curled her lips. She could still guess. Hojo Kyosuke was a complete winner in life. He was handsome, rich, talented, famous... He had everything he needed, so it was natural that he would focus on his family!

If I could get married, my wish would change from "I hope to get married this year" to "I hope to have a happy family."

Teacher Jing walked away cursing, because she made this wish every New Year’s visit, and continued to make it the next year!

Instead of praying to God, it is better to pray that you can draw a good lot later, so that at least you can give yourself some hope!

In front of the draw, the noisy voice of Yamauchi Sakura was heard. She was organizing everyone to participate in the draw competition.

"Whoever draws the lucky number wins!" (End of this chapter)