Chapter 136 - Vol. 3 - 9

The room behind the altar was a far cry from what the rest of the building was like. It was almost homely, with a table, a small fire pit, and a rolled-out mat, which Keiko guessed that Yumi slept in. At the back was a door that led out into a balcony of sorts, with the bamboo trees of the surrounding forest visible from here. 

Yumi set up some plates across the table and placed some bread on them all, along with some salads that she had stored away. 

"It is our tradition that us Zayamas eat alone though," Yumi said, "is that okay with you?" 

What?  Keiko thought.  Seriously? 

But she nodded, figuring that the woman didn't seem like she had bad intentions. 

"Thank you." 

The group sat down around the table, beginning their meal while Yumi and Keiko went out to the balcony with their own plates. This place was just as clean as the rest. Yumi sat down on a staircase that led out into the bamboo forest, and Keiko sat next to her. 

"Is..." Keiko started, "sorry, but is it actually tradition that we eat together?" 

"No, but I wanted to talk to you, so I made that up," Yumi replied, chuckling sweetly. 

"O-Oh." 

"I apologize if that makes you uncomfortable, but, you must understand, it has been so long since I've seen another person like myself. I wanted to take advantage of the situation," Yumi said. Keiko took a bite out of the bread and found it to be slightly stiff, but sweet. 

Yumi reached up and removed her mask, setting it down beside her. She took a deep breath, as though she'd just let go of a ton of weight on her shoulders. 

Keiko tried her hardest not to stare, but the woman was genuinely stunning. She had an elegant, slender face with thin brows and a slightly pointed, small nose. Her lips were a straight line, currently curling up a little at the ends with a minute smile. She had the same clear, nearly-white eyes that Keiko had. She sat straight, her posture immaculate as she turned towards Keiko. 

"Where are you from, dear?" 

"Jade," Keiko quickly answered. She almost felt like she was about to be tested. Yumi must have picked up on that, because she started chuckling. 

"Please, do calm yourself. I do not wish for you to be unsettled."

"..." Keiko paused for a bit. 

"I thought you said never to let my guard down," Keiko responded and Yumi smirked. 

"A quick learner. You are doing our family proud. Don't worry though, there are no enemies around you at this moment. I... It has been a very long time since I've seen someone else. Anyone else, whom I could speak to like this. Admittedly," Yumi looked away, "before this moment, I had a great many things that I planned to ask, but now... All I could think of was 'where are you from?' Is that pathetic of me?" She asked. 

In that moment, Keiko smiled, thinking that was kind of cute of her. 

"No, I think I understand," Keiko replied. "You can ask me whatever you want, but... how long has it been?"

"Since I've spoken to anyone?" 

"Yes." 

"Hm... Maybe fifteen years?" The woman nonchalantly guessed and Keiko's jaw hit the wooden floor. 

"What?" Keiko gasped. "But... how old are you?" 

If Keiko had to guess, she'd say Yumi was around her age, maybe 20 or 22. Admittedly, her Spirit Eye hadn't been unlocked until so recently that she didn't have too many references for how age changed people's appearance, but the woman's skin was remarkable, with no wrinkles or blemishes that would suggest old age. 

"I do not know," Yumi replied. 

Now, Keiko was beyond confused.  Is she lying again? 

"How come you don't know?" 

"I... I stopped celebrating my birthday after the twenty-seventh," Yumi responded. "Ah! Here, let me know, what year is it? I do remember when I was born, at least." 

"Uhm, it's the year of Magia, 1878," Keiko stated. 

"Oh. Then, I am..." She paused, looking like she was doing math in her head. "37 years old." 

"..." Keiko blinked. 

"What?" Keiko asked. 

"Yes, I believe my math is correct. I was born in the year 1841, is... Did I make a mistake?" Yumi asked. 

"But, how?" Keiko asked. "You look like you could be my sister." 

"Ah, I see where your confusion is coming from. I had believed you already knew, I apologize," Yumi said, picking up her mask and setting aside her plate. She shifted, turning towards Keiko and placing the mask on Keiko's lap. 

"My mask," she started, "was assigned to me after I began my time as a shrine maiden. There were, I believe, five such shrines, scattered throughout the world and I was assigned to this one. I was here to protect it, pray over it, and keep it functioning," Yumi said. "Though... I suppose that much was a failure if your friends' presence here is anything to go by." 

She paused. 

"The first few years of a shrine maiden's time at her altar are a test," Yumi stated. "Our family sees how you handle adversity and makes the decision to keep you or not based on that. If they do though, they give you this mask. It has a few magical properties that make it invaluable to a maiden like myself. For one, it slows aging dramatically, so long as the user stays near the shrine. Second, it allows you to speak to others who are wearing the mask, all across the world, in our thoughts." 

Keiko was absolutely impressed. Just one of these magical effects would be revolutionary, but both in one item? That was something else. 

"But...  some years ago," Yumi became slightly saddened. "I lost contact with my fellow maidens. And, my handlers stopped coming.  Since then, I have not had a proper opportunity to speak to anyone. Eventually, though, I am not certain when it started, some raiders would come seeking fortunes. They did not provide much in the form of conversation before falling to my weapons." 

Yumi turned her mask up. She looked down at it with some melancholy. 

"At first, I would take their attacks as personal exams. Quizzes, so to speak, to ensure that my skills were still on point. I would use spears, naginatas, katanas, kunai, each of the weapons I was given, but it became abundantly clear that those who resort to marauding are not particularly skilled. At least, most of the time. Dispatching my enemies became easy, over the years. Now, I fear my skills have deteriorated because of this." 

She shook her head. 

"Were all of them bandits?" Keiko asked. "Not one was a civilian?" 

"Maybe a handful, I believe there were two guards or so who came, a few years ago, but, generally speaking, not many." Yumi looked back at her. "And, now you're here. That's the gist of it. I have spent quite a long time at this shrine, and now, with you here, I would hope that you honor me with some conversation. Will you?" Yumi asked. 

"I... This is a lot to take in," Keiko responded. 

"It is understandable that you would be apprehensive," Yumi stated. "Please, take your time. As eager as I am to exchange knowledge with you, I would like it if you were not unsettled by me." 

Keiko nodded, taking a deep breath. 

"So..."  If you're being truthful, she thought, "you've been here for 15 years?" 

"I believe so," Yumi responded. 

"... But, why?" Keiko asked. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Why haven't you left?" Keiko asked. 

"Why haven't I...?" Yumi looked at her, confused. "I have a duty to perform. I am to keep this place secured. Operating, though it seems to have deactivated under my nose, but it had been my intention to at least keep this from being an abandoned, web-covered mess. I must perform my task." 

This entire situation seemed strange to her. It felt like something was off. Assuming Yumi was being completely honest, why would her superiors simply leave her here and never come back? She couldn't believe anyone would be that irresponsible. 

Keiko sighed. 

"But... what if these, what did you call them, 'handlers', never come back?" 

"..." Yumi gave her a look as though she'd never even considered that possibility. She didn't respond, remaining silent as she looked away. 

"Sorry, sorry," Keiko quickly added, trying to keep her from getting as sad as she was. "But... Will your duties ever be completed?" 

"It had been told to me," Yumi started, "that my tasks would be done within 10 years, but..." She shrugged.  "I suppose things changed?" 

Keiko shook her head. 

I... Whatever happened, I don't like where this is going. 

If Keiko's guess, what came to her mind upon hearing Yumi out, was true, then the shrine maiden had been wasting her time here for years. She didn't know if it was true or not though. 

But... Maybe... 

Keiko stood up, setting her plate aside. 

"We should go back in," she stated. 

"B-But," Yumi said, "our conversation?" 

She sounded so disappointed that it genuinely hurt Keiko to hear. 

"We'll talk later, I think we'll be here for a little while longer," Keiko reassured her, "I just need to ask my friends something." 

"... I see," Yumi nodded. "Let us return then." 

The shrine maiden put her mask back on and Keiko nodded.  There has to be a way to see what happened. Maybe I should send someone a letter or something.