The first of January is New Year's Day in Japan.
During the New Year, Japanese people habitually go to temples and shrines for Hatsumōde (first visit of the year) to pray for good fortune. For New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, Tokyo's trains even operate all night long. Many people wait all night at the temples, praying for peace and safety in the new year.
Sensō-ji Temple is located in the Taitō ward of Tokyo and is the oldest temple in the city, currently serving as a public entertainment area with an "Edo-style" feel. Its open environment has also allowed the surrounding area to become a commercial district.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke stood in front of the offering box (saisen-bako). He first bowed slightly, then tossed a 10-yen coin into the box, pulled the rope to ring the bell, clapped his hands, and offered his prayer.
After he finished praying, he heard an exclamation from behind: "Ryosuke-nii!"
Ryosuke looked back. The Nishimiya sisters were waving at him from under a nearby tree.
"Shōko, Yuzuru, you came too," Ryosuke smiled slightly and greeted the sisters.
Nishimiya Shōko's smile was always so gentle; her eyes curved into crescents as she thought to herself, It's so lucky for Shōko to see Ryosuke right here on the first day of the New Year.
Nibutani Shinka and Hiratsuka Shizuka also finished their prayers and walked over to exchange greetings.
Before long, Nibutani Shinka revealed her true intentions. She said eagerly, "Hey, Ryosuke, let's go write ema (wooden plaques) quickly."
Ryosuke's brows furrowed when he heard this. Writing wishes on ema was a normal New Year's activity, but Shinka kept bringing it up during the walk, so she definitely had other ideas. Ryosuke pondered for a moment, and based on his understanding of Shinka, he vaguely guessed her objective. Many people write their New Year's wishes on ema and hang them row after row on the ema rack. It's like a wall of wishes; you can read others' content, but you shouldn't mock their wishes.
"Okay, what about Shizuka-nee?" Ryosuke glanced at his sister, who looked uninterested, and asked softly.
Hiratsuka Shizuka shrugged, sighed lightly, and said helplessly, "Sigh~ I don't believe in those things anymore. I'll wait for you at the entrance. Just come find me when you're done." None of her previous wishes had come true; praying to gods and Buddha was less reliable than counting on herself, so she had completely given up.
With that, she waved her hand and walked away gracefully.
At the stall selling ema, Nibutani Shinka bought several plaques and handed one to Ryosuke. She promised him confidently, "Take your time writing. We've finished ours. Don't worry, I absolutely won't peek."
After saying that, she dragged the Nishimiya sisters out of the stall without looking back, acting as if she had no interest in the content of Ryosuke's ema.
Ryosuke had only been guessing before, but after hearing her words, he completely understood what Nibutani Shinka was trying to do. So, he thought for a moment and began writing on the ema.
Just as he put down his pen and looked up, another girl writing an ema across the desk caught his attention.
"Long time no see, Katō. Are you here for Hatsumōde too?"
"Yes, what a coincidence, Hiratsuka-kun," Katō Megumi replied faintly, a subtle curve forming at the corner of her mouth. She inadvertently glanced at the content on Ryosuke's ema and said calmly, "Hiratsuka-kun, is it really okay to write something like that on an ema? It's more appropriate to write a proper wish for the New Year's plaque."
Ryosuke thought Katō Megumi made a lot of sense. A rare New Year's prayer activity should be treated properly. He planned to buy another one, but the girl across the table stopped him.
"I have an extra ema here. Do you want to use it?" Katō Megumi put a brand new ema on the desk and asked kindly.
"Thank you, Katō." Ryosuke took the ema and continued writing his wish, but this time he used his unpracticed left hand. The words written with his left hand were crooked, like those of an elementary school student learning to write.
Ryosuke remembered that Shinka and the others were waiting for him, so after writing, he stood up and said goodbye to Katō Megumi.
"By the way, Katō, Happy New Year."
"Mm, Happy New Year, Hiratsuka-kun," Katō Megumi responded softly.
Ryosuke nodded and turned to leave. She watched Ryosuke's receding figure, then lowered her head and glanced at her own ordinary kimono, feeling a little emotional. Hiratsuka-kun is really something.
Ryosuke hung up both ema and found Shizuka-nee and Shinka at the main entrance of Sensō-ji Temple.
"I'm ready. Let's go."
Just then, Nibutani Shinka shot Nishimiya Yuzuru a glance, then tugged at Nishimiya Shōko's sleeve. She frowned and said anxiously, "Oh no! I think I left something in the ema stall. I need to go back and get it."
Nishimiya Yuzuru understood Shinka's look; this was the plan they had just discussed.
"Ryosuke-nii, I forgot something too."
As soon as the two girls finished speaking, they turned and ran off.
Nishimiya Shōko stood where she was, constantly fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. She was in a dilemma: she neither wanted to betray Ryosuke nor the alliance with Shinka and Yuzuru.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke asked calmly, "Shōko, you know what Shinka and the others went to do, don't you?"
Nishimiya Shōko looked up at Ryosuke, bit her pink lip, and nodded. I'm sorry, Shinka, I guess I can't lie to Ryosuke. Just as she was about to tell Ryosuke the truth, she heard his gentle voice.
"No need to explain. You should go with them. Otherwise, it will be difficult for Shinka and Yuzuru, right?"
Nishimiya Shōko saw Ryosuke's gentle and considerate gaze, and her heart gradually calmed down. Shōko bowed deeply to Ryosuke, turned, and quickly ran away.
Hiratsuka Shizuka noticed the girls' unusual behavior, narrowing her eyes and raising an eyebrow. "Ryosuke, do you know what those little girls went to do?"
Ryosuke looked in the direction where the girls had disappeared. He finally turned to Hiratsuka Shizuka next to him and smiled faintly, "Probably. They'll be back soon. Let's wait for them here."
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The three girls were sneaking around, peering cautiously.
"Shinka, is it really okay for us to do this?" Nishimiya Shōko looked troubled. Being kind-hearted, she always subconsciously tried to see things from others' perspectives.
Nibutani Shinka moved close to Nishimiya Shōko, her eyes narrowed as she spoke with a tempting voice.
"Shōko, aren't you curious about what Ryosuke wrote on the ema? That's Ryosuke's New Year's wish, you know~"
Her tone was like the serpent in the Garden of Eden tempting Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, full of seduction.
Nishimiya Shōko recalled Ryosuke's gaze earlier, and her face showed hesitation and struggle.
"That's right, Sis. Don't you want to know Ryosuke-nii's wish? What if it's about you?" Nishimiya Yuzuru also egged her on.
Yuzuru's words were the final straw that broke the camel's back. They caused Shōko to start daydreaming. Could Ryosuke's New Year's wish be about me? I really am a little curious.The ema is hung there for everyone to see anyway, so it should be fine if I take a look, right?
Once the idea of peeking emerged, she could no longer suppress it. Nishimiya Shōko accepted Shinka's suggestion, and the three of them secretly made their way toward the ema rack.
In front of the ema rack.
The small ema were densely packed, the rack completely filled with people's New Year's wishes.
Nibutani Shinka found a photo on her phone and instructed the other two girls, "This is Ryosuke's handwriting. Remember it. It's okay if you can't, I made a small mark on the back of his ema. I drew a flower."
"You're amazing, Shinka-nee!" Yuzuru said with an adoring look.
Shōko just smiled quietly in place and didn't speak. If it came to Ryosuke's handwriting, she had known it by heart since elementary school and could spot his writing instantly amongst a sea of characters.
After a moment.
"There are too many! We can't find it at all this way," Shinka said, deflated.
Shōko looked around for a while and noticed the small flower pattern was particularly conspicuous among the many ema hanging high up with their backs facing outward. She pointed up, "Shinka, is that it?"
Searching aimlessly was indeed difficult, but with a guiding direction, Nibutani Shinka spotted the target immediately.
Shinka stood on her tiptoes, stretching her arm out, but still couldn't reach it. She thought for a moment and, noticing Nishimiya Yuzuru beside her, an idea suddenly flashed through her mind. She walked over and whispered in Nishimiya Yuzuru's ear.
As she spoke, Yuzuru's eyes grew brighter, and she nodded in agreement.
Nibutani Shinka was not a frail girl. As the ace of her sports club, she actually had better stamina than many boys her age. So, she squatted down and effortlessly lifted Yuzuru onto her shoulders. "Yuzuru, go take that ema down. Let's look at it together, and we'll hang it back up when we're done."
With the height advantage, Yuzuru easily took down Ryosuke's ema and handed it to Shinka.
The ema was face-down. The three girls huddled together, waiting for the moment the mystery would be revealed. Their hearts were pounding right now, as every girl present wanted to know what Ryosuke's New Year's wish truly was.
Shinka took a deep breath and exchanged glances with the other two girls.
"Ready? I'm going to flip it over."
"Mm!"
"Mm!"
Shinka's hand was trembling, as if she were about to win a big prize; her heart was incredibly excited.
The ema was finally flipped over, and the three girls saw the writing on the front. It was indeed Ryosuke's handwriting, but the content was very different from what all three of them had imagined.
Yuzuru turned her head, her shoulders slightly twitching, seemingly trying to suppress a laugh.
Shōko saw the words on the ema and smiled slightly; it was indeed very much Ryosuke's style.
Only Nibutani Shinka froze in place, her pupils dilated, so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth.
The ema only contained one simple sentence.
「Nibutani Shinka, you jerk... you're peeking at my ema, right?!」
Shinka was greatly shocked. When did Ryosuke notice? Has his understanding of me reached this level?
In the end, she could only helplessly hang the ema back up with Yuzuru. She sighed and walked toward the entrance.
They did not notice that there was another ema hanging below it. The writing on it was crooked, the script looking like that of an elementary school student learning to write.
The words on that ema were equally simple.
「I hope the people I care about can also be safe and peaceful this year.」