Chapter Text
The scent of flowers filled the air. A Spicy, floral scent, with clove-like undertones, piquant, bright, and vivid. It swirled through the summer wind, carrying with it the sound of cicadas, the rustling of leaves, and the warmth of the afternoon sun.
The sound of footsteps joined the symphony of senses. A young man brushed his long black bangs out of his eyes, sighing in relief as he ascended the final step. He looked over Ishigami shrine fondly. The shrine was always beautiful, with its grounds meticulously maintained and the building itself shining as if brand new. The proprietors must have found joy in their work. For this reason the young man preferred this shrine over others, although today would be his first day partaking in the ritual.
The young man adjusted the long sleeves of his coat as he walked the stone path to the small wooden building. The trees on either side of the path were full of lush green foliage, and the wind shifting through the trees filled the air with their music.
There was not another person in sight: a calculation the young man counted on. How embarrassing to be seen, he thought, climbing a thousand stairs in the middle of summer, in a suite no less, just to pray for a little good fortune.
Stood in front of the offering box, he paused. He gazed down into the slotted holes, seeing the remnants of past offerings. There was plenty of coins, some paper money as well, but he noticed the small latch that allowed one to leave larger offerings if so desired, such as the packages of fried tofu and bottles of alcohol he saw inside.
He tilted his gaze upward, catching sight of a thickly braided rope. The young man’s eyes widened in recognition as he set down his briefcase and reached for the thick braid.
Bong...
Bong…
He clapped his hands together.
“Kami-sama…” He muttered against the wind that swept against his bangs. “I pray for good luck in my audition, and for many successful shows to follow…”
The wind accepted his prayer.
He sighed, his shoulder’s relaxing as he opened his eyes, staring through the glass pane on the small doors of the shrine. He caught sight of the holy object: a red gem, perhaps the size of a baseball, placed delicately upon a green cushion. Looking upon its shining surface made him smile, although he did not realize the fact himself.
“Heh!” A short laugh made the man nearly jump out of his skin. He took a step back, his head turning towards the source of the sound. Just off to his right, sitting on the shrines deck, was a high school student. He sat with one leg off the edge, the other leg bent to provide a rest for the arm that held a book. His hair was spiked up, with one bang dangling in front of his face, and his red eyes never left his book as he continued to chuckle at seemingly nothing.
“Where did you-?” The man looked around the empty shrine yard. There was no one around, not a hint of another soul. The high school student continued to laugh, causing the young man to narrow his eyes. “And just what is so funny?”
“Nothing, nothing,” The high school student waved his free hand.
The other knew he was lying, but there wasn’t any reason to remain and make a fool of himself in front of some kid. He picked up his briefcase and turned to leave…
“What are you auditioning for?”
The young man stopped.
There was no way this kid heard him… was there?
He slowly turned towards the kid, who had finally pulled his eyes from the book to shoot him an amused grin.
What a punk.
The young man returned his grin with a sly smile. He bowed from the waist, twisting his arm in front of him. With a flick of his wrist, a carnation appeared in his hand.
Spicy. Clove-like. Bright and vivid.
“I’m what one would call a mentalist.” His grey eyes shone with confidence. He offered the flower to the high schooler.
The younger man’s nose twitched. He stuck his nose back into his book. “Some mentalist you must be to be asking the god’s for help. I say if you really want something, you put in the effort for it.”
“Of course,” The mentalist straightened his posture, carefully slipping the carnation back into his sleeve. No point in wasting it, now was there? “But I do think it’s best to cover all of your bases. I’d hate to say that I didn’t try everything to get what I want.”
He watched as the corner of the boy’s mouth tugged. “That’s one way to look at it. Maybe the god of this shrine was the last piece you were missing to make it big.”
“Hmm,” The mentalist grinned, amusement hiding behind his gray eyes. “In that case, if you see the name Asagiri Gen in flashing lights, you’ll know just how worth it this has been.”
The younger boy’s amusement faded, replaced with minor annoyance as he waved his hand. “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Asagiri Gen stuck out his lip. “How mean~ and to think you could’ve been my first fan…”
The high schooler huffed, rolling his eyes as he turned the page of his book. Gen was satisfied with that, turning to take the thousand steps back down to civilization.
Gen wondered, briefly, what year that boy must have been to be able to read a book on quantum mechanics.
The next time Gen took his visit to the shrine, he made sure to keep an eye out for the high school aged boy.
He didn’t have to look hard. He was already there, sitting just off to the side of the shrine’s box. He was in a slightly different position, with his head cocked to the side lazily, his eyebrows pulled together in concentration.
Gen tried to ignore him as he stepped up to the shrine and rang the bell.
Bong…
Bong…
Gen took a deep breath as he clapped his hands together. “Thank you for the successful audition!”
Gen wasn’t at all surprised at the smirk that he caught from the corner of his eye.
“You’re still going to have to put in effort if you want to be famous.”
Gen sighed, turning to the boy with a hand upon his hip, shifting his weight to one side. “Why are you even here if you don’t believe in the gods?”
The boy rolled his eyes. “It’s usually quiet.”
Gen shook his head. He turned back to the offering box, opening the lid. This caught the boy’s full attention. He watched expectantly as Gen pulled a bottle out of a paper bag and carefully set it within the box. He closed the lid before catching the boy staring, a grin appearing across his face. “Look for my name, won't you?”
The boy turned away, stuffing his nose within the book again. “I don’t even remember it.”
“So mean…” Gen flicked his wrist, producing a small flower.
Another carnation.
The boy’s nose twitched.
Gen left the flower atop the shrine’s box before turning to take his leave.
As he descended the stairs, the high school boy lifted his red eyes from the words in his book. Smug laughter filled the air. “Asagiri Gen, huh?”
The wind smelled spicy, clove-like, bright and vivid.
The scent grew on him.