Tokyo: Am I the only male tenant?

After opening with this, Ginjo Sousuke began to express his hypothesis...

Chapter 545 The Last Night of Indulgence

"First of all, what made me think we might have found the wrong place was that when Sister Tomoko and I were walking in the residential area today, we accidentally noticed the house there."

“Those houses looked obviously newer than the ones we visited a few days ago, and it wasn’t just one house, but a whole row of houses in that area seemed to have been built in the last few years.

Ginjo Sosuke told several women about his new discovery.

"A newly built house? What does that have to do with the shrine we're looking for?"

Chie Hoshino stretched out her upper body in surprise, with a confused expression on her face.

"I see. No wonder Sousuke-kun called everyone back."

Matsumoto Tomoko had an expression on her face that showed she had realized something.

As expected, she is the madam. After Ginjō explained this to her, she must have understood it to some extent.

“Since there are newly built houses, it means there should be other buildings on the previous land.”

Ginjo Sousuke continued.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense. Just tell me the result, Sousuke."

Chie Hoshino couldn't wait any longer and urged him to give the answer.

"There are no shrines in this area, so it was the area we excluded from the beginning."

Ginjo nodded and pointed to a corner of the map so that everyone could understand it at a glance.

That place is about an hour's ride from the villa where they live now, and it is an idyllic area surrounded by mountains and forests.

"I'm not doubting what Chie heard, I just think there are other possibilities, so I think this is worth investigating as well."

"That's right. After all, I'm not a local, so I can't tell whether what I heard is absolutely correct..."

Chie Hoshino's eyes wandered across the map, as if she was re-exploring her memories.

"So what Sosuke means is that even if this shrine existed in the past, it may have disappeared now, right?"

Chiaki Hoshino summarized Ginjō's reasoning and looked up from the map and asked.

This is truly a blind spot. No one had ever thought about this before Yincheng discovered this problem.

But this possibility is not zero. It is entirely possible that the shrine originally existed but closed down for some reason and is no longer recorded on the map.

"Sister Qianqiu, will the shrine close down?"

"I'm not sure about that, but if it was damaged by a disaster, then it's possible."

"That's true. Besides, will the shrine be demolished if no one manages it?"

Sachiko Matsumoto and Chiaki Hoshino continue to explore various possibilities.

After listening to their conversation, Ginjou inadvertently recalled what he had investigated over the past few days.

"When I was researching shrines online, I learned that recently, due to business difficulties and a lack of successors, the number of shrines without a chief priest has gradually increased, and the number of chief priests from other shrines taking on the role has increased."

"The article also says that if the number of shrine leaders is still insufficient, there are also cases of merging or abolishing the shrine."

In other words, the shrine that originally existed in this area was merged with other shrines due to unavoidable reasons.

If that was the case, it would be enough to explain why they couldn't find the shrine.

However, there is still a big problem -

"Chie, you heard a group of elderly ladies discussing this, right? Maybe it happened when they were young."

"If the time is too long ago, I'm afraid there is no way to investigate the situation at that time..."

Ginjo Sousuke couldn't help but frown. It was really unpleasant that he found the cause but couldn't solve it.

“Maybe there really is a way.”

Chiaki Hoshino immediately answered him.

"Huh? Really?"

Everyone's eyes, including Ginjō, turned to Hoshino Chiaki.

"I originally printed this map off the Internet, and when I was looking for various websites, I came across a website that allows you to view aerial photos according to different eras."

"If we trace back the history through that website, we might be able to confirm whether there was a shrine in the past."

The feeling of sudden enlightenment makes everyone want to try it as soon as possible.

"Qianqiu, pass the website address to everyone, and let's all check it out together."

Ginjo Sousuke immediately asked Hoshino Chiaki to share the URL and began investigating.

The opportunity came when Yincheng discovered a residential area with a large number of newly built houses.

He investigated the possibility based on this information, and after exchanging opinions with everyone about the questions, he was finally about to find the answer.

Several people suppressed their impetuous emotions and confirmed the website. Everyone looked as expectant as they were on the first day when they started searching.

Although the maps on the website are not updated every year and the update frequency varies from region to region, overall they are recorded at a frequency of five to ten years.

Everyone started to trace back the investigation from the new map. Their heartbeats quickened during the process, so fast that they doubted whether they could hear their own heartbeats in the silent living room.

"found it!"

Just then, the silence was broken by Chiaki Hoshino's words.

Everyone dropped their phones and looked at her screen.

It shows a map from fifteen years ago. Since it is an aerial photo, it is impossible to be 100% sure, but there is indeed a building that looks like a shrine on the map.

On the map spread out next to Ginjo, the spot where the shrine had originally been located had now become an empty lot.

"It's here, and only here!"

Finally the answer was found, and the living room was filled with cheers.

"That's great, Chie-sister!"

"Yeah, I told you I would find it!"

Matsumoto Sachiko and Hoshino Chie high-fived and cheered with joy, while their wife brought them drinks from the refrigerator as if to celebrate.

Three girls were holding cans and clinking them in the air, making a noise, probably as if they were toasting.

Looking at their excited expressions, Ginjo Sousuke also felt relaxed and sat on the sofa and let out a long sigh.

"Sousuke-kun, thank you for your hard work."

While comforting Ginjo, Tomoko Matsumoto also handed him a bottle of juice.

"Yes, but I'm not sure yet."

He took the juice and thought to himself.

That’s right, I can’t be completely relieved.

If you don’t go and see it tomorrow, you won’t know the final result.

Despite this, they have progressed from having no clues to this point.

At least now don't say anything to spoil the fun for the excited girls, it's okay to join them in the fun.

"Okay, let's go there together tomorrow."

"Yeah, this is the first time we're all out searching together since we came to the villa. I'm really looking forward to it!"

The living room was filled with brightness and joy, as if the gloomy atmosphere that had prevailed until the time of departure this morning had never existed.

On the last day, they felt they had finally found hope.

The next morning, the group got up earlier than usual.

Maybe everyone was impatient, so even though there was no prior agreement, they still gathered in the living room an hour before breakfast.

Even Chie Hoshino, who always overslept, woke up on time, which really surprised Ginjo.

Ginjo understood her feelings, after all, she was the one who first proposed this activity that looked like a treasure hunt in the mountains.

Except for Chie Hoshino, every woman is probably looking forward to today.

If they really find the hidden shrine for marriage, does it mean that their next prayers will be successful?

As usual, everyone finished their breakfast, left the villa according to the opening time of the management office, rented bicycles and set off from the management office.

They suppressed their excitement and rode their bicycles for nearly an hour while paying attention to safety.

At the beginning, a few people were chatting happily while riding their bicycles, but the closer they got to the destination, the less they talked.

Even Chie Hoshino started to become quiet, which showed how nervous they were.

The destination waiting for them ahead is a quiet place at the foot of the mountain, surrounded by pastoral scenery.

The beautiful countryside scenery appeared in their eyes, just like the animated movie that would be played on TV every summer. Elderly people could be seen working in paddy fields and dry fields early in the morning.

"Chiaki, which side is the original site of the shrine?"

"It's at the foot of the mountain over there. Judging from here, it shouldn't be far from the residential area."

Chiaki Hoshino took out the map she carried in her bag and reconfirmed the direction.

Just like that, they reached their final destination amidst an indescribable sense of tension.

"It should be right here."

After passing the residential area, a large open space appeared in front of the people.

There are still neatly stacked stone walls around the open space, and from the large cedar tree inside, it can be seen that there was indeed a shrine here in the past.

However, all the buildings were demolished without a single one left.

Originally they thought that there would be some artifacts left behind, at least a place to pray, but now it seems that this wish may be difficult to realize.

Just when a few girls were feeling a little disappointed——

"Look over there!"

Ginjo Sousuke left the ruins of the shrine and raised his hand, pointing deep into the forest path.