Tokyo: My Superpower Refreshes Every Week-Chapter 516 - 514 Chitose Offers Divine Assistance_1
Passing through the vermilion torii gates, the Garden Shrine came into view.
The classical architecture, combined with the modern buildings beside it, created a slight sense of incongruity, yet also felt seamlessly integrated.
Next to the torii gate was the Shinto Water Pavilion, where every visitor could wash their hands before praying.
Morimoto Chiyoda stepped forward, scooped water, briefly washed her hands, then poured the remaining water down the handle, cleaning the long-handled wooden ladle as well.
Though no one would mind that she had touched the ladle, the essential sense of ritual could not be omitted.
Ayatsuki Ayaka’s eyes gleamed with envy. She felt that Chitose did everything in a way that was pleasing to the eye, radiating a picturesque elegance.
In comparison, she felt a bit clumsy.
Why is there such a huge gap between us?
This question flickered through Ayatsuki Ayaka’s mind, followed by a wave of discouragement.
Morimoto Chiyoda explained aloud, "The Garden Shrine is said to bless one’s romantic life. It should be quite famous among young people, so I don’t need to introduce it, right?"
"Mm-hm." Ayatsuki Ayaka nodded; she had done her homework before coming.
The three of them made their way directly to the main hall of the Garden Shrine.
Bright sunlight fell on the steps before the main hall, where bell cords hung down. In front of the offering box, a couple was making their wishes.
But it seemed their wishes did not receive Kamisama’s blessing. As the man turned, he caught sight of Morimoto Chiyoda and Ayatsuki Ayaka—two strikingly beautiful women of very different styles—ascending the steps.
His expression froze for a moment. Then, his girlfriend’s elbow struck his kidney, jolting him back to his senses. He hastily began to coax his slightly angry girlfriend.
"Lian-chan, I really wasn’t looking at them. My gaze just happened to drift downwards, I swear to Kamisama! How could I possibly fancy any woman other than you?"
The man’s low whispers floated up to them on the breeze.
Morimoto Chiyoda ascended the steps, a soft "Hmph" escaping her. "Men."
Her eyes glanced back at Aozawa, who was holding the umbrella.
He looked utterly innocent, feeling as though he’d been hit by a stray bullet.
Morimoto Chiyoda averted her gaze, pulled a five-yen coin from her purse, and didn’t step closer.
From a distance, she flicked the five-yen coin with her thumb, sending it neatly into the offering box.
Watching her casual movement, Ayatsuki Ayaka’s eyes lit up. She estimated the distance between herself and the offering box and took a coin from her bag.
Iroha aimed for the opening of the offering box and tossed her coin.
Aozawa used his telekinesis to give it a little nudge, allowing Iroha’s five-yen coin to land precisely in the offering box.
Seeing her own success, she quickly glanced at Aozawa, her expression clearly seeking praise.
Aozawa laughed. "Iroha, that was quite impressive!"
"Hehe, not bad, right?"
Though she spoke modestly, her elated expression could not be concealed.
Aozawa also took out a coin, casually tossed it into the offering box, and folded up the umbrella.
The three stepped forward, shook the bell cords, and then stepped back.
Clapping twice, Ayatsuki Ayaka made a silent wish in her heart, earnestly praying to Kamisama to bless the budding relationship between her and Aozawa.
After that, she bowed deeply and then turned to look at Morimoto Chiyoda and Aozawa.
The former was still making her wish, while the latter was already winking at her.
Morimoto Chiyoda finished her wish and turned to walk down the steps.
Ayatsuki Ayaka hurriedly followed, unable to contain her curiosity. "Sister Chitose, what did you wish for?"
"I asked Kamisama to bless the love between me and Aozawa, and also to bless you, Iroha, hoping you can accept it soon so we can become real sisters."
Seeing Morimoto Chiyoda’s gentle smile, Ayatsuki Ayaka suddenly felt she was a terrible person.
Just last night, she had actually suspected this outing was Sister Chitose’s way of belittling her. How selfish she had been! Moments ago, making her wish, she had only thought of herself and Aozawa, completely forgetting Sister Chitose.
Compared to Morimoto Chiyoda’s understanding demeanor, her own perfectly normal human feelings now seemed utterly filthy and vile, like cockroaches in a gutter.
"Sister Chitose, I’m sorry," Ayatsuki Ayaka said, her expression remorseful. "I didn’t even think of you when I was making my wish."
Morimoto Chiyoda found her utterly adorable. She couldn’t resist pinching her cheek and said with a smile, "It’s okay. An Iroha like this is also adorable. No wonder someone is so smitten with you."
As she spoke, Morimoto Chiyoda glanced sideways at Aozawa, then led Iroha towards the Inari Shrine.
Since they had come to the Garden Shrine, naturally, they would visit all the shrines within its grounds.
Passing through one vermilion torii gate after another, they reached the Inari Shrine at the end, identifiable by its two fox statues.
The shrine was quite small, not matching the grandeur of the Garden Shrine, let alone Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Taisha.
The three made their wishes again—or rather, two of them did, as Aozawa didn’t make any wish to Kamisama.
He was just going through the motions.
Afterward, Ayatsuki Ayaka noticed that the fox statue on the right had a scarf covered with pandas wrapped around its neck. "So cute!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, pandas really are the cutest creatures in the world."
Morimoto Chiyoda chuckled. "Speaking of which, there was a time I mistook Aozawa for a panda."
"Eh? What happened? That sounds adorable!" Ayatsuki Ayaka asked, her expression full of curiosity.
Morimoto Chiyoda glanced at Aozawa and said with a smile, "When was that? I’ve forgotten a bit."
Aozawa broke out in a cold sweat.
Had such a thing really happened?
If Chitose hadn’t mentioned it, he would have completely forgotten that he once used his Transformation ability to play a prank on her.
After all, Aozawa’s memory was far from photographic. It wasn’t just events from weeks ago that slipped his mind; even things from the previous week, if they weren’t important, he usually wouldn’t remember.
That was pretty normal, wasn’t it?
How could anyone remember all the small details of daily life after so many days?
Of course, what seemed trivial to him was anything but to Morimoto Chitose.
Rather, when it came to memories involving Aozawa, Morimoto Chitose always seemed to recall things more clearly than Aozawa himself.
She could casually bring up some minor event from ten years ago as if it had happened yesterday.
Morimoto Chitose shared some of Aozawa’s embarrassing stories with Ayatsuki Ayaka, speaking in a low voice, occasionally bursting into soft laughter.
Aozawa really wanted to remind them, "Hey, the subject of your conversation is right behind you!"
But seeing how harmonious they looked, he decided to let himself be the butt of their jokes.
As they talked, the three of them arrived at another shrine, the Asama Geino Shrine. It wasn’t very large but seemed quite famous.
Plaques bearing the names of various talent agencies and celebrities were set up outside the shrine, doubling as railings.
Anyone who donated to the shrine could have their plaque displayed there.
"Iroha, if you want to become a blogger with millions of followers, make sure to pray earnestly to this god of entertainment for a bright future. Many famous entertainers come here to ask for the god’s blessing."
Morimoto Chitose said, her lips curving into a slight smile, "When you become a famous blogger, donate to Kamisama, and your plaque can be put up here too. To have your name beside those of people like Takeshi Kitano and Hirosi Kaneshi, wouldn’t that be cool?"
This grand vision made Ayatsuki Ayaka’s eyes sparkle. Imagining her name, ’Ayatsuki Ayaka,’ displayed there, she nodded vigorously. "Yes, I’ll keep striving!"
"Go for it!" Morimoto Chitose gave her a thumbs-up and led her forward. The Asama Geino Shrine sounded prestigious but was surprisingly small, with no bell cords, just an offering box.
Perhaps this embodied the saying, "A mountain need not be high; it is holy if a deity resides there."
After finishing their visit to the shrines in the Garden Shrine complex, the trio walked along a narrow path and soon could see the bustling modern streets outside.
"Let’s enjoy our shopping spree!" Morimoto Chiyoda declared, pulling Ayatsuki Ayaka along.
They explored shop after shop, time slipping away, until their pleasant excursion was interrupted by growling stomachs.
It was already noon.
Morimoto Chitose chose a café for lunch. Sitting in a seat against the wall, she was ordering food when she casually said, "Aozawa, there’s a skewer shop next door. Go buy three portions to take away."
"Huh? Weren’t we going to have desserts for lunch?"
"Just desserts won’t be enough. Don’t dawdle; hurry up and go."
Morimoto Chitose exerted pressure with her gaze, exuding the authority of a dictator.
In this household, her word was law.
"Okay." Aozawa, left with nothing to say, set down all their shopping bags and the umbrella before heading out.
Ayatsuki Ayaka couldn’t help asking, "Sister Chitose, why don’t we just eat at the skewer shop?"
"I like eating skewers in a café; there’s a certain joy in breaking the rules," Morimoto Chitose replied casually. After sending Aozawa away, she looked at Iroha with a mischievous grin. "So, Iroha, have you and Aozawa progressed to a more intimate stage yet?"
As she spoke, Morimoto Chitose intentionally leaned closer, whispering in Iroha’s ear as if trying to make her melt.
Iroha’s face flushed crimson, earlobes included, and she stammered, "S-Sister Chitose, I haven’t done anything like that! Don’t say such things."
"Really? I think that sort of thing is pretty normal for high school girls nowadays. By the way, he and I have tried all sorts of positions."
Morimoto Chitose propped her cheek on her hand, deciding to give things a little push.
Ayatsuki Ayaka was utterly shocked. All sorts of positions?
Her mind raced, unable to stop imagining such scenes, her cheeks burning even redder, as if on fire.
"I believe keeping boys on the hook is one tactic, but I’d rather you follow your own heart," Morimoto Chitose gently advised. "I kept Aozawa on the hook for a long time; that was my choice. What about you? Do you want to act on your feelings, or do you want to suppress them?"
Ayatsuki Ayaka was left speechless, her clear eyes showing utter perplexity, unsure how to respond.
"Girls who try to be fully prepared for everything often miss their chance," Morimoto Chiyoda continued. "Love doesn’t come with guarantees. Uncertainty, not knowing if the future will be good or bad—that’s what love is like for most people."
Morimoto Chitose could tell that Ayatsuki Ayaka wasn’t suited for the kind of relationship where everything was under control. She simply didn’t have the brains for that sort of thing, Chiyoda concluded.
Ayatsuki Ayaka stood frozen, not knowing what to say.
