At the end of May, on a rainy morning.
In the tense atmosphere, the Shankoku Temple Abbot stood up, slowly bowed toward the high platform. Then, turning his gaze, his gentle eyes fell on Fujiwara Reya, and he also slowly bowed, giving a solemn gesture of thanks.
"The matter begins a year ago."
Under the gaze of everyone’s puzzled eyes, he began to recount the story between him and Fujiwara Reya.
"One day in June last year, my son Aosaki suddenly asked for a grave plot to bury the remains of a victim killed by a vengeful spirit, without any family to claim the body."
In the vast main hall, only the Abbot’s rich and gentle voice echoed.
"At the time, I thought Aosaki had advanced in his Buddhist insights, having a new epiphany to do such a thing, and for a while, I was even comforted by the thought. But then..."
At this, a helpless smile flickered across the Shankoku Temple Abbot’s face.
"In September last year, Aosaki again came to me, asking for another grave plot, once again to bury the remains of a victim killed by a vengeful spirit with no family to claim it. At the time, I felt something was off, but I didn’t ask much and gave it to him. Then in November, he came to me for a third plot. My doubts grew. After all, he’s my son. Once can be seen as an enlightenment in Buddhist law, but the second time, only after three months, and then a third time after just two months. Aosaki is not that talented; it’s impossible for him to have three epiphanies in just five months."
Laughter erupted in the hall.
Not malicious laughter, but the kind of laughter filled with understanding and agreement when hearing someone criticize their own child.
"Under my questioning, Aosaki told me the truth: all three plots were requests from his classmate, and the burial of the homeless victims’ remains was also his classmate’s idea," the Shankoku Temple Abbot looked at Fujiwara Reya, slightly resigned yet gentle, and said, "In May this year, Master Fujiwara approached Aosaki for a fourth plot."
At these words, Chief Priest Fujishima’s face changed dramatically.
The crowd’s attention shifted from the host to Fujiwara Reya.
"What pleases me is that the fourth plot was not taken in vain, as Master Fujiwara gave Aosaki 4 million yen."
The crowd nodded quietly.
Buying a grave plot located in the center of Tokyo’s Shankoku Temple is considered a fair price.
At this time, the Shankoku Temple Abbot stated, "The payment for the four grave plots was settled all at once."
Someone couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
This laughter spread like a virus, and soon more than half of the people in the main hall were laughing.
Even the thick-skinned Fujiwara Reya couldn’t help but scratch his cheek.
"When the fourth victim was buried, I was at the scene," the Shankoku Temple Abbot’s voice remained gentle, and his gaze on Fujiwara Reya stayed soft, "It was a female without remains, and the only things buried were the items she carried when alive. For this, Aosaki even offered a free Buddhist ceremony. Little Priest Kasahara was also present and can vouch for my words."
Kasahara Asuka eagerly raised a tiny fist.
In May, the female victim without remains... from the high platform, Koubun Monk thought of something and asked, "Are these the belongings of Miss Hasegawa that were buried?"
"The name engraved on the tombstone is indeed Hasegawa Sae," the Shankoku Temple Abbot confirmed.
Koubun Monk wanted to say something, but the Shankoku Temple Abbot continued on.
"Buying grave plots for unrelated people, paying a large annual management fee, gaining no fame, and not wanting others to know, Master Fujiwara quietly did it on his own," the Shankoku Temple Abbot walked out from the seats and directly approached Fujiwara Reya, seriously asking: "Can Master Fujiwara tell me, what are you seeking?"
Five or six thousand pairs of eyes followed his movement, looking at Fujiwara Reya.
At this moment, Fujiwara Reya felt complicated.
The words from the old monk were unexpected, and he hadn’t thought about gaining a good reputation from buying grave plots.
The reason he did it was that his father was an exceptionally gentle person.
True gentleness does not mean yielding in every way.
It means harboring goodwill and patience toward all reasonable things in the world.
Because of his gentleness, his father could become the Mountain God, loved and revered by all living beings. And because of years of influence, Fujiwara Reya’s thoughts and actions bear the shadow of his father, allowing him to inherit the legacy of the Mountain God, becoming a deity representing the land and nature.
Recalling the days of education in Hidden God Town.
Looking at the people in the hall holding their breath in anticipation, Fujiwara Reya was silent for a moment, then said: "Since childhood, my father has always taught me."
His voice was somewhat dry, somewhat clumsy, not from fear, but because it was his first time discussing family matters in front of so many people, a bit unaccustomed.
"There must be heroes in this world, he asked me, why can’t the hero be me?"
Pausing for a moment, he thought and then continued: "Father said, I was born with innate conditions that others can hardly reach. Many things, others can do of course, but if I do them, I’ll do better, minimizing losses. So, from the day I was born, my father wanted me to be a hero."
Five or six thousand people, silent without a sound.
Fujiwara Reya’s tongue was a bit tied, and his speech came in fits and starts.