Living in Tokyo, all I want to do is laze around.

There are approximately 25 soba noodle shops throughout Mount Takao, and each one has its own unique flavor.

When they entered the store, the two ladies repeatedly declined each other's offer, but Uesugi Kai had no choice but to pay for it.

-5792

While dipping noodles into the bonito flakes to make a rich broth, she listened to her two mothers' next instructions.

"Kurikara-do, Hondo, Aizen-do, Daishi-do, and then we'll go to the main shrine. We still have time left, so how about we go to Asama Shrine up there?" Mrs. Uesugi said.

"Let's shop around in one go!" Mrs. Hanamaru said with great interest.

Then, without giving any suggestions, Uesugi Kai and Hanamaru Hanabi decided on the next part of the itinerary.

Kai Uesugi couldn't help but glance at the watch face in his hand.

13:30:25

I traveled all the way from Shinjuku to Hachioji City, then climbed Mount Takao, and it still barely made it past noon!?

After finishing the noodles in her bowl, Uesugi Kai promptly ordered several more portions to prepare for the upcoming high-intensity mountain climbing exercise.

"Kai-kun...?"

"Little Fireworks, have a few more servings too."

Total: 8232 yen

As they left the store, Uesugi Kai kept muttering things like, "Things in tourist areas are so expensive," and "I'm broke again."

As you approach the Medicine King Temple, various architectural features related to Buddhism and Shintoism gradually emerge.

Kurikara-do Hall.

Above the small stone seat are statues of two golden dragons coiled around it. The wooden railings keep out the rain, and a dozen bells hang around the perimeter.

Gold and silver bells jingled as they swayed on red and blue cords.

"May good fortune be with you, and may all your endeavors bring you good luck"—a couplet written on both sides of the small hall entrance.

The plaque directly above also bears the words "缘结" (Yuan Jie).

The meaning of "缘结" is to pray for the blossoming and fruition of the relationship between people and things, or between people.

Especially the romantic relationships between men and women.

Therefore, Enmusubi is also the Japanese god of marriage.

However, the two characters "缘结" (Yuan Jie, meaning fate or destiny) in front of me were actually green.

Seeing Sugi Kai makes him inexplicably uneasy.

###Chapter 118 Even a Salted Fish Must Work Hard After Climbing the Mountain###

Kurikara is Fudo Myōō, so how could he be involved in the work of Enmusubi-gami?

Actually, my connection with fireworks began when I was three years old, so there's nothing to pray for.

Yakuo-in Temple contains both a main hall and a main shrine. The main hall is a building for Buddhist deities, while the main shrine is a building for Shinto deities.

After climbing the long staircase, you will reach the main hall of the Medicine King's Courtyard.

There weren't too many people here, but you could see monks in black robes sweeping the steps at the entrance, and people bowing and worshipping.

The ways of worshiping at temples and shrines are slightly different.

At the shrine, after offering incense money, you need to ring the bell, bow twice, clap your hands twice, pray, and then bow again.

In temples, the first two bows and clapping are omitted; one only needs to put their hands together in prayer.

Praying is the thing that Uesugi Kai is worst at. Every time he sees the white swastika under the shimenawa (sacred rope), he doesn't know what he should ask the gods for help with.

In the past, when I went to the shrine to pray, I would just wish for everything to go smoothly and for me to relax and enjoy myself.

Hanabi Hanamaru opened her eyes, lowered her clasped hands, and asked softly, "Kai-kun... what are you thinking about?"

Uesugi Kai glanced at the two ladies taking pictures not far away, then turned back and said, "I can't say now, we still have to go to Aizendo later."

Hanabi Hanabi looked at him with her bright eyes and whispered, "Kai-kun... are you thinking of marrying Hanabi?"

"Hanabi-chan, Kai, come quick!"

Are you bothered by what was said before?

Gazing at Hanabi Hanabi's conspicuous red bow on her collar, Kai Uesugi knew how to answer her in a way that would make her even more shy.

He leaned close to her ear and whispered into her red earlobe, "Do you know what I'll do after we get married? Actually, I'll be praying to the gods that our fate will continue and that our child will be born healthy."

"Kai-kun..."

The shy girl lowered her head, clutching her skirt tightly, and didn't speak to him for a while afterward.

At the repeated requests of the two wives, Uesugi Kai went to draw a love fortune stick at Aizendo, which cost 300 yen.

Two amulets were tucked inside the pink letter.

"Daikichi"

Love Fortune – You two are very compatible. Please don't cheat. Cherish this hard-won love; it's a match made in heaven.

Finally, please be aware of traffic accidents.

"?"

Thinking back to the green "缘结" (fate/destiny) characters from before, Uesugi Kai found the sentence increasingly strange. Please note, what the heck is this about a traffic accident?

"Is your luck bad?" Mrs. Uesugi asked.

"Great fortune." Uesugi Kai handed the fortune slips to the two ladies.

"It's really accurate." After taking a look, Mrs. Hanamaru said with a smile, "It's just that the last sentence is a bit scary."

"Yes, a little," Mrs. Uesugi nodded.

At the summit of Mount Takao, the sky is a blue sky dotted with drifting clouds. Standing atop the mountain and looking towards Tokyo, you can see the towering Tokyo Tower in Minato Ward.

After passing through Kurikara-do, Hondo, Aizen-do, Seiten-do, Daishi-do, Honsha, and Asama Shrine, Uesugi Kai, having reached the summit, had no heart left to gaze into the distance and admire the hazy Mount Fuji.

All he wanted was to go home, lie in his big bed, and quietly wait for tomorrow to arrive.

The last Keio Line train bound for Shinjuku departs at 8:00 PM.

The two ladies tried to visit all the shrines and temples on Mount Takao, hiking up and down the mountain, but they ran out of time.

The plan to soak in the hot springs has fallen through.

The express train sped along, like a shooting star, through the dark night.

Although Uesugi Kai sat with Hanabi Hanamaru, she never actually spoke to him after that.

The girl simply nodded in response to the chat and questions.

------

On Monday afternoon, Uesugi Kai walked into the archery club with aching legs.

"good afternoon."

Good afternoon, senior.

"good afternoon."

Uesugi Kai casually responded a few times, then opened his bow bag and began another day of preparations.

However, before the archery session, Sugita Sohei, who had just switched to the archery range, called out to the team members who were participating in the team competition.

The five people gathered together, and the other three girls also came over to listen.

"Are there any special requirements for today's training?" Masanobu Hirata asked.

"I think I should focus on improving my shooting skills," said Hideyoshi Sugai, who wants to get back into form after his recent slump through training.

"Ahem," Qing Youya coughed twice to attract everyone's attention, "The main purpose of this time is for me to tell you about our formidable opponent."

"Yu Zhi?"

The strength of Michi High School's archery club is well-known throughout Tokyo.

Of course, Kai Uesugi is an exception.

He was too lazy to ask about these things, and he only learned about the name yesterday.

Aside from the man named Feng Yeti, he had no other impression of Yu Zhi.

"Is it very impressive?"

Upon hearing Uesugi Kai's somewhat smug retort, everyone turned to look at him.

"Two team championships, that's impressive."

“It’s alright,” Sugita Sohei said. “While Michi is formidable, we have a good chance of winning the team championship this year.”

Qingyouya also smiled and said, "We still need to have confidence. Let's set defeating Michi as our goal first."

"If we defeat Michi, wouldn't we be able to win the championship directly?" Hirata Masanobu muttered, lacking confidence.

Hiroki Kanai: "It's a pity that all the senior students from the third year have left, otherwise we could have had a chance to compete against this long-established powerhouse in the team competition."

"So our school's archery club has declined?" Uesugi Kai thought the plot was strangely cliché.

"It's not that it's declined. Our school's archery club is quite famous, but only in individual competitions."

Everyone knew who it was because of, and subconsciously looked at Sugita Sohei, whose expression was usually normal.

"Why is senior so amazing?" Hirata Masanobu asked, as he had always been curious.

"Haha," Qing Youya chuckled and interjected, "Having seen how fast Uesugi has grown, Hirata, don't you still believe in the existence of talent?"

Sugita Sohei was not blindly confident. "Talent is only part of the reason. The main reason is that I studied with Ogasawara Tokikiyo Norishi for a period of time in junior high school."

Sugita Sohei spoke casually, but everyone knew that the so-called Fan Shi was no ordinary person.

"Hanshi" is the highest level of martial arts titles, including Kendo, Iaido, Aikido, Chodo, Kyudo, and Judo.

Most of the eighth-ranked individuals are priests, alchemists, or even those without titles.

The title of "Refiner" requires candidates to be at least level six, have more than ten years of experience, and be over 60 years old.