On the 30th, the sky was clear, and a gentle breeze carried the fresh air. Following the address on the slip of paper, Logan weaved through several turns and finally arrived at the foot of a small mountain.
Behind him, the city was just waking up, while in front lay a lush green landscape. A carefully arranged white stone pathway led up the incline, and at the peak, a glimpse of vermillion temple eaves peeked out with an air of ancient elegance.
"This is the place." Logan looked up at the torii standing at the entrance. Beside the mountain path, a plaque bore the neatly written kanji: "Daimoku Shrine."
He ascended the steps. The mountain wasn't high, as it's probably just over 200 meters. However, as he reached the halfway point, the sky above appeared even more pristine. The trees and grass swayed gently on either side, adding to the tranquil atmosphere, unspoiled by cold, lifeless buildings. Yet, looking into the distance, he could still see the busy streets below, with cars moving constantly. The towering buildings of Tokyo felt as if they were right next to him.
It was his second time here, yet he was still impressed. Though the shrine was small and relatively unknown, the fact that it provided such a peaceful retreat above the bustling city was invaluable.
Initially, he wasn't too keen on Sumika living in Shibuya, as it's a place notorious for its trendy crowds and gyaru culture, but seeing this location put him at ease. Clearly, Olivia had put serious thought into the arrangements.
Also needs to be mentioned that after obtaining her new identity, Sumika would be living at Daimoku Shrine. She was now officially settled in and had already landed her first modern job, which is a part-time shrine maiden in Shibuya.
Yes, part-time shrine maidens exist, but not just anyone can take on the role. Sumika, however, was naturally more than qualified.
As Logan finished climbing the steps, the main shrine building came into view. He had just stepped inside when he spotted an elderly woman in a kimono, walking slowly along the veranda with her hands clasped behind her back.
"Good morning, Chiba-obaasan." Logan greeted her respectfully, not daring to be careless.
He wasn't familiar with her, but from his last visit, he had learned that she had worked here for half her life and held considerable authority. She's essentially the matriarch of this shrine. Since Sumika would be living and working here, even with Olivia's arrangements, he believed it was best to be polite.
"You're here to see Sumika?" The elderly woman, Chiba Kaki, lifted her wrinkled eyelids slightly, her expression unreadable.
"Yes." Logan nodded. His current identity is Sumika's distant relative. Everyone could fill in the gaps with some tragic backstory about fallen nobility or family misfortunes, "Sorry for the intrusion."
The old woman gave a slight nod before slowly walking away to the other side of the shrine.
Around the courtyard and inside the shrine, several workers, men and women, young and old, were busy cleaning and handling various tasks. Logan smiled and acknowledged them before making his way further inside.
Bringing a girl to modern times, Logan naturally wanted to keep Sumika by his side as long as he can so he could take care of her. However, modern society is not a Ninja World, and for now, he couldn't find a perfect solution.
However, Logan definitely wasn't going to let distance keep them apart for long. After his reckless experiment on the Tokyo Skytree, where he raised the drawing tablet to summon a lightning strike, Logan's understanding of Space-Time had deepened significantly.
He already had a solid foundation, and now, he had even gained insights into Flying Thunder God Technique.
Since its creation, only a few people have been able to master this advanced technique. Logan had finally glimpsed its secrets. And once he fully grasped it, he'd be able to see Sumika anytime he wanted.
Tap, tap, tap…
a burst of brisk footsteps came from far away. Yu Xiaobai was thinking about what would happen in the future. He didn't expect too much. When he arrived outside the courtyard of the female clergy's dormitory, before he stretched out his hand, the door at the corner opened from It's open inside.
Logan was face to face with Sumika, and they almost bumped into each other. When Sumika saw Logan, her face was filled with joy, but she stumbled backward in shock, and her face turned pale as she yelped, "Ah!"
The wooden architecture carried a timeless elegance, but the traditional raised threshold had just caught Sumika's foot.
Logan sighed internally and held the girl up. This was already the second time. When the girl stabilized, he said with a chuckle: "What are you doing?"
"I tripped..." Sumika's cheeks flushed, clearly embarrassed that she had nearly fallen right in front of Logan again. She exhaled sharply and quickly tried to fix her hair.
"Why were you in such a rush? Where were you going?" Logan made sure she wasn't hurt.
"My dormmates told me you had arrived, so I came out to see you."
Logan glanced past her into the courtyard. The sunlight created a distinct golden line, splitting the light and shadow. As expected, two girls were hiding in the shade, peeking at them with mischievous curiosity.
"You know…" Logan smirked, "even if you hadn't come out, I still would've come to see you."
"I think it'll be better if we walk toward each other."
The initial rush of breath from the unexpected moment had settled. Her voice, soft and natural, brushed against his ears like a gentle touch, tickling something deep inside him.
Logan was startled. He turned to see Sumika's delicate features framed by a hint of blush, her lips pressed together in a quiet smile. Today, she was wearing a light touch of makeup, subtle, yet enough to make her expression shine.
Her words, her presence, all of it glowed brilliantly in that moment. Logan completely forgot how to respond. After a long pause, he finally stammered in English, "Uh… got it. Next time, just don't run."
…
Since Sumika had just arrived at Daimoku Shrine, she still needed time to adjust. Her workload wasn't too heavy yet, so after checking in with the shrine's Shinkan, the civil servant responsible for overseeing the shrine's operations, Logan took her down the mountain for the day.
"Now that you're here, you've probably realized there's a lot you don't understand, right? Although the language is fortunately the same, in this rapidly advancing, globally connected, and hyper-convenient society of the 21st century, just being able to communicate isn't enough."
Logan walked ahead with confidence, leading the way. Sumika obediently followed behind him, listening attentively. With some time to recover, Logan had shaken off the dazed state from earlier, but not without lingering effects. Namely, his speech had turned a bit... off.
"There are a lot of things I don't understand, Hattori-kun... I also don't understand what you just said either."
"... That was my bad."
Logan coughed lightly, steadied himself, straightened out his thoughts, and said: "I can only stay for a few days. That's not nearly enough time to teach you everything. So, for now, we'll focus on the basics, which is how to live in this country. Food, clothing, housing, transportation, and common sense. Once you've got that down, you can explore everything else on your own. You're smart, so you'll figure it out."
"Mhm." Sumika nodded. Despite the vast differences between eras, she was already more capable than most people. As she gazed at the streets, shops, and flashing signboards around her, her eyes sparkled with excitement. This world was new and thrilling to her.
But then, the excitement faded slightly. She bit her lip and glanced at Logan's profile, then asked, "When can you come back again?"
Logan hesitated for a moment. He couldn't guarantee how long it would take to master the Flying Thunder God Technique, so he estimated based on the upcoming semester break. After some quick mental math, he answered decisively, "Half a month. At most, no more than a month."
Hearing this, Sumika smiled again, "Okay."
History, capitalism, workplace dynamics, idol culture, internet slang, none of that mattered right now. The real challenge was making sure Sumika, someone completely unfamiliar with modern society, could live in Shibuya without standing out too much.
That was Logan's immediate goal… covering the essentials of daily life.
'It shouldn't be too hard.'
"Alright, let's start with taking the bus." Logan clapped his hands and said when they arrived at the first planned location of the day, the bus stop.