Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume9 Chapter3 5

Maria and Maitreya. Part 5.

The shoes which she'd left at the temple entrance had at some point been transferred to the house's entry.

Noriko put her shoes on, then:

"I'll take her to the bus stop."

Shimako-san informed the female assistant who seemed to have that job, then put on a pair of zori sandals.

"Ah, you don't have to go the trouble."

"But it's a different bus stop to the one you arrived at."

Hearing this, Noriko couldn't refuse her offer. So she bowed her head and asked Shimako-san to guide her.

The temple just looked like a big house from this side. The plain nameplate hung from the door established that Shimako-san's surname was "Toudou."

Not a word was spoken as they walked along the narrow street leading to the bus stop. There was an ancient moss-covered wall that continued along the roadside far into the distance. The street itself was wide enough that a single car could easily travel along it, but there wasn't a lot of room for two cars to pass each other on the downward sloping hill, which may have been the reason that the main entrance wasn't on this street. The area was thick with trees towering over the wall, as well as lots of bamboo thickets.

Perhaps that was why the street had the smell of greenery, like after an evening shower.

Silence.

But, like the time they had both looked up at the cherry tree, it wasn't something to be content with.

It wasn't that nothing needed to be said, but despite needing to say something Noriko couldn't find the words. It was an oppressive silence.

"You're not going to ask, I see."

"Huh?"

Shimako-san had been the first one to speak.

"About the contradiction inherent in me, the daughter of a Buddhist priest, attending the Catholic Lillian's Girls Academy."

"Um … "

She'd wanted to ask, but hadn't known whether it would be okay to do so. And if that was a contradiction then the same applied to Noriko herself, since she had come here to view a Buddhist statue while also a student at Lillian's.

Perhaps mindful of Noriko's reticence, Shimako-san changed her line of questioning.

"What did you want to be when you were in elementary school, Noriko-san?"

"What, like an occupation?"

Thinking she was saying something astonishing, Noriko answered, "Buddhist statue maker." Shimako-san responded with, "That's unusual," and let a small smile shine through.

Noriko had no idea what passed for popular aspirational occupations these days, but she seemed to remember her classmates had said florist, or kindergarten teacher, or TV star. At any rate, she'd never met another girl who wanted to be a Buddhist statue maker.

" – As for me, I wanted to be a nun. Ever since I was really young."

Shimako-san said quietly.

"A nun?"

"You can laugh, it's okay."

While Noriko had been prepared for laughter in response to her answer, the atmosphere made it impossible to laugh.

But still, a nun. Just like a Buddhist statue maker, it seemed to be a fairly unusual choice.

"Perhaps it was a reaction. The daughter of a Buddhist priest becoming a nun."

Shimako-san said unemotionally, her eyes downcast, as they walked together.

"There was an innocence to it when I was young. But gradually I became old enough to understand what was going on around me. When that happened, I started to see my future dream as something I couldn't speak of."

"But it's your family that has the temple."

Religious freedom and freedom of occupation should be protected by the Japanese constitution.

"Religion goes to the very core of your being, so it's quite complicated. Especially since ours is an old temple."

Religion was supposed to be something that saved people's souls. But it had also caused wars in the past. In reality, while religious persecution was primarily done for political power, society at large did discriminate against those who believed in different creeds.

– Hidden Christian.

This thought popped into Noriko's mind. It wasn't that long ago that Japan lacked religious freedom. It was less than 150 years since the country had opened up and the prohibition on Christianity was lifted.

150 years ago. Sumireko-san's grandmother would have been alive then. It was recent enough that you could imagine what it was like.

Although you could also say that 150 years was long enough for society's attitudes to change. Maybe it was a problem that wouldn't have to be addressed again in the future.

Shimako-san probably knew this from experience, since she'd been born into a temple family. That's why she restrained herself.

"But it didn't work."

Shimako-san raised her head, looking up at the heavens.

"When I tried to restrain it, it just made my yearning for Catholicism grow stronger. Then, when I was in sixth-grade of elementary school, I finally told my father."

"What happened?"

Noriko pressed for more. She was anxious to find out the result, like she was reading a mystery novel.

"I told him I wanted to enter into a convent when I was 12, and that he should disown me."

"Wha!?"

"Then my parents panicked and started trying to persuade me. Oh, was it really that strange?"

"Shimako-san, you may be a far more astounding person than you appear … "

No matter how much she longed for it, a 12 year old wouldn't usually have that level of determination. It wasn't like sumo wrestling or the entertainment business, where the earlier she started the better.

"Then my father said, "There's a lot you still don't know about religion. You should go to a Catholic school, then make up your mind after studying it properly.""

"So that's why you're at Lillian's … "

Shimako-san gave a small nod of confirmation.

"I think my father is right when he says that a determination that yields to persuasion is an insult to those who carry it. But I didn't have the passion to enforce my opinion over their opposition, nor the strength to cast aside my own parents. That's all it was."

Noriko didn't think it was a question of passion or strength. Simply that Shimako-san was serious about filial piety. She accepted her parents' persuasion so that her desire for disinheritance wouldn't cause a problem for them. It wasn't indecisiveness. It was a manifestation of Shimako-san's gentle nature.

The bus stop came into view as soon as they entered onto the main road.

After walking the short distance, the pair naturally sat down on the bench at the bus stop. The names of ice-creams and soft-drinks being advertised on the back of the bench had been worn away to the point they were barely legible, and the retro plastic bench blended seamlessly with the surrounding greenery giving the area the complete impression of a rural bus stop. When Shimako-san sat down wearing her plain kimono, not often worn by teenage girls, it once again gave a different impression.

There was no-one waiting at the bus stop ahead of them, nor did anyone arrive after them.

"There was one senior, since graduated, who knew about this."

Shimako-san said.

"Now there's no-one else. You're the only student at Lillian's that knows."

"You're keeping it hidden?"

"Yes, it's a promise I made with my father. Both at school and outside, I'm to hide the fact that I, the daughter of the chief priest of Shouguu Temple, attend a Catholic school … It's a large temple, so if the parishioners who support the temple found out it could cause trouble."

Then she muttered, "Even if it is false testimony."

"But while my religion is important to me, I love my father too."

After she said this, Shimako-san took a deep breath. Then she turned to Noriko and smiled.

"I feel a lot better now. Like I've confessed my crimes and am now seeking forgiveness."

"But, I can't … "

Noriko wasn't a minister who could hear confession, and obviously she wasn't God either. She was just another lamb that was equally as lost as, no, even more lost than Shimako-san.

"Just listening was enough. I'm not asking anything of you."

Shimako-san murmured, "Thank-you for listening," then lapsed into silence once more. She appeared to be thinking about something, but Noriko couldn't even guess at what that "something" was.

A bus appeared.

Destined for H Train Station. The bus Noriko was meant to get on.

"Well then."

Shimako-san stood up first. The bus steadily grew larger, heading towards them at full speed.

"Ah, um, what are you planning on doing, Shimako-san?"

Hearing the words Noriko blurted out, Shimako-san said, "Hmm?" and smiled lonesomely.

In front of them, the bus smoothly came to a halt. Just then, Noriko had a realization.

"Don't tell me you're going to stop coming to school!? … Just because I found out!?"

The bus door opened. There was no-one getting off.

"Climb on board."

Noriko put her foot on the step at Shimako-san's urging. Once she'd boarded the bus, Noriko turned around and said:

"I won't say anything."

"Ah … "

"Shimako-san, you won't tell me not to say anything because you don't want to involve me, right? But I'm already deceiving Maria-sama, although not as seriously as you. So what's one more thing?"

When the door closed, Noriko ran to the back seat, stuck her head out the open window and shouted out:

"Shimako-san!"

The bus started to move.

Shimako-san's surprised face grew further and further away. But Noriko believed that her feelings had been successfully conveyed.

Because she could see the small kimono-clad figure waving exuberantly.

As she was jostled by the clattering, empty bus, Noriko felt like she understood one thing. The reason why Shimako-san had been attracted to that cherry tree.

The single cherry tree standing amongst the gingko trees.

She must have been seeing herself repeated in that tree.