…Well, it went without saying, but Inari’s knowledge of shopping was rather skewed.
After all, the knowledge she originally possessed came from an ancient mountain village, where villagers went shopping at small personal stores. Since arriving in the modern world, she had learned about convenience stores, supermarkets, and specialty shops.
There was no book that taught the basics of shopping, and since she lacked what could be called general common sense, Inari had managed her daily life through trial and error in her own way, living without inconvenience.
That was admirable. However, the unfortunate truth was that what Inari had “updated” within herself amounted only to common sense as an ordinary person, not as an awakener.
And why was that? The reason was simple. Awakeners were akin to idols in the modern age. An idol who frequently visited the neighborhood supermarket or convenience store might exist, but in most cases, they did not.
They were aware of their influence and prestige, and wished to avoid any commotion. Indeed, those known as top rankers would never be found in a supermarket seriously debating which furikake to buy.
But Inari lived exactly that way. Normally, that would invite all kinds of trouble… yet in Inari’s case, the ones who swarmed her were of a very different sort.
…And as for whether Inari herself found it troublesome, that was another matter entirely.
“Ah! It’s Inari-chan!”
“It really is!”
“Inari-chan!”
“Let’s play!”
“Now, now, ye brats, today should be a weekday… what hast become of thy schooling?”
“Today’s a holiday!”
Yes—it was the neighborhood children. Having seen her on TV a few times, or in pictures online, they had quickly noticed her distinctive appearance. Children were even more sharp-eyed and sharp-eared than careless adults, and naturally understood that she was “the awakener Inari.” She was also about their size, and her personality didn’t create distance… in short, they had grown incredibly attached to her.
And since Inari, smiling and saying, “Well, it cannot be helped,” played along with them, they became even more attached—a spiral that had quickly formed not long after Inari moved into this upscale neighborhood and began forming new connections.
On top of that, parents felt reassured knowing that their children were being looked after by such a well-known awakener. In fact, Inari even went so far as to escort each child home if it looked like they would be late, which earned her immense trust. Among the lines she often heard, “I’d gladly trade my mother-in-law for you,” was high on the list.
“Mm, mm. If that is the case, then it cannot be helped. What shall we play?”
“Onigokko (Tag)!”
“Kenkenpa (Hopscotch)!”
“I want Daruma-san ga Koronda (Red Light, Green Light)!”
Of course, the games Inari suggested were all old-fashioned ones… but perhaps because they were unusual to modern children, or perhaps because anything with Inari was fun, such games had become part of their everyday lives whenever she was around.
Heading to the park, with the group of children—which somehow had grown in number—in tow, Inari declared the start of playtime.
“Very well, let us go in order. Let us see… first is onigokko, aye?”
“Whoever loses rock-paper-scissors is ‘it’! You too, Inari!”
“Mm, mm.”
“Rock, paper, scissors!”
Inari played paper. The children, however, threw something else—holding up their index and pinky fingers while forming a ring with the rest.
“…Just to ask, is that meant to be scissors?”
“It’s a fox!”
“Oh, I see. A fox, is it…? And what strength hast the fox?”
“It’s super strong! So, Inari-chan, you’re it!”
“Run away!”
The children scattered with a cheer, and Inari watched them with a wry smile.
“Super strong, eh…? Goodness, I am embarrassed.”
Perhaps that was another sign of their trust in her. And of course, Inari would naturally live up to that trust. She chased after them at a reasonable speed, making sure not to let it become one-sided.
“Come now, run, else I shall catch thee!”
“Kyaaa!”
“Ahahaha!”
Naturally, when children got too absorbed, some nearly tripped. Those moments were the perfect opportunities to “catch” them.
“Ah!”
“Ho, got thee. Caught!”
Catching a child just before they fell, Inari held them securely and smiled.
“When thou runnest, run safely. That is the most important thing.”
“Okay, thank you!”
“Good. Then this time, Yousuke is ‘it’! Run away!”
And so the game resumed, with everyone running safely so no one tripped. Children had a mysterious instinct—they could clearly sense when someone was genuinely engaging with them. To these children, Inari was recognized firmly as a “friend,” and they knew that her words were correct.
“All right, that’s enough! Next is kenkenpa. I shall draw the circles, so gather round!”
And she was fairer than anyone. That was why Inari was so popular with the children… and why she ended up playing with them until evening, when their mothers came to pick them up.