CH 86

tourism in hokkaido had developed well in recent years, with more tourists visiting every year. this led to the growth of events like the town’s hot spring festival, which had become a double exhibition of folk culture and entertainment.

from the guesthouse, it was just a 500-meter walk along a small path to the entrance of the hot spring festival.

the festival occupied much of the small town, with various temporary stalls lining the sides of the paths. in addition to street food and accessories, there were also quaint shops selling traditional yukata.

ji yao passed through several stalls selling souvenirs, lightly pushing aside the small items piled together with his fingertips, scanning them as if looking for something.

“sir, what are you looking for?” the stall owner warmly smiled at him. “i saw you passing by from over there and checking out two or three stalls.”

ji yao instinctively withdrew his hand and carefully processed the stall owner’s words. then he lowered his eyes and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

“i’m looking for a small item,” ji yao thought for a moment and asked, “do you have pendant charms shaped like fox masks? red ones would be perfect.”

ji yao remembered that the fox mask on the keychain of jiang heng’s car keys had become worn over the years, with many scratches now visible. furthermore, when they parted ways, jiang heng had forcefully removed the mask from the keyring, leaving a noticeable scar.

ji yao had always felt that since they were starting over, these symbolic little items should have a fresh start as well. he had wanted to buy a new one for jiang heng, but unfortunately, six years had passed, and the stalls here had become disorganized. ji yao hadn’t found the familiar shop owner he once knew, let alone a similar pendant.

the stall owner’s english wasn’t very good, and after trying for a while, he only understood a few key words. he then nodded in realization, gestured for ji yao to wait, and bent down to search through the inventory under the stall.

ji yao saw a glimmer of hope and started to feel excited.

the stall owner searched for three to five minutes before finally pulling out a fox mask with a red background and golden edges. unfortunately, the size was a bit larger than what ji yao had in mind for a pendant.

ji yao took the human-sized mask and compared it to the standard size of a pendant, realizing that it was too big.

“this one is too large; i’m looking for a pendant-sized one,” ji yao explained.

“it’s not easy to find that,” the stall owner replied, looking troubled. “only this type is available now. the design you mentioned hasn’t been popular in recent years, and we mostly make these small items as amulets.”

the stall owner pointed to the beautiful amulets displayed on the stall, trying to promote a few options. “this one is quite nice; it’s sapphire blue and suits you well.”

ji yao shook his head with disappointment, placing the mask back on the stall. he politely declined, saying, “no, thank you.”

as they spoke, a hand reached over from ji yao’s side and lightly hooked the edge of the mask, taking it into its grasp.

ji yao turned his head to see that jiang heng had walked over to him at some point. jiang heng had a bag of takoyaki on one hand and a small bag of soft candies held by his pinky finger in the other, making him look like a snack vendor.

“it’s quite nice,” jiang heng commented, hooking the mask and putting it on his face, demonstrating.

the human-sized mask had exquisite craftsmanship, with a red background decorated with intricate golden patterns. with just a few strokes, it portrayed a fox-like appearance. when jiang heng put it on, he playfully narrowed his eyes, fitting perfectly with the mask.

“how does it look?” jiang heng asked with a smile.

“it really looks like a fox,” ji yao replied.

the stall owner, who recognized jiang heng as the potential customer, immediately praised him, complimenting everything from his aura to his appearance. he said that the mask matched jiang heng’s yukata exceptionally well.

jiang heng playfully fiddled with the mask, not saying anything, and simply gazing at ji yao.

he enjoyed these little things, but he never asked for them. ji yao was puzzled by his actions and eventually decided to buy it for him.

“thank you for your purchase,” the stall owner said with a smile, taking ji yao’s cash and making a friendly gesture. “i wish you happiness.”

jiang heng agreed with a smile and then handed the bag of snacks hanging from his wrist to ji yao. he continued to play with the mask, looking delighted.

“i suggest hanging it on your keychain when we get back,” ji yao couldn’t help but tease.

“if it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t fit,” jiang heng said, looking quite relaxed. he glanced at ji yao and said with a smile, “yao, don’t be too fixated on the past. it’s not a big deal if you can’t find the same one.”

“i’m just disappointed that you can’t carry it around like the other one,” ji yao said.

jiang heng, seeing his disappointed face, hooked an arm around his waist and pulled him closer saying,” i still have you around me and that’s enough.”

ji yao couldn’t help but smile, but he didn’t want jiang heng to be too proud. he quickly turned away and suppressed the smile that was about to surface.

perhaps it was a coincidence, but the takoyaki still tasted similar to six years ago. ji yao was somewhat surprised when he glanced at the packaging of the box, and then he picked out one to feed jiang heng.

this time, jiang heng didn’t insist on his theory that “only kids eat snacks.” he lowered his head slightly and used his teeth to take the snack.

“how is it?” ji yao asked.

“it’s good,” jiang heng replied. “just a bit heavy on the sauce.”

the two of them finished the box of takoyaki together, sharing the same bottle of cherry juice. when jiang heng threw the empty bottle into a nearby trash can, they had arrived at the entrance of the shrine.

the shrine appeared quite ancient, designed with simple brick, tile, and wood. there weren’t many people inside, mostly elderly locals and young men and women wearing yukatas.

ji yao and jiang heng walked side by side into the shrine, bypassing a collection of wooden plaques filled with japanese writing, until they reached the innermost part of the shrine.

in front of the wishing pond, several elderly people were standing. ji yao patiently waited in line behind them, inching forward step by step.

when he reached the front of the wishing pond, ji yao suddenly remembered something and turned to jiang heng, extending his hand.

“do you have a coin?” ji yao asked. “give me one.”

jiang heng reached out one hand from his sleeve and placed a cold metal item in ji yao’s palm.

“use this,” jiang heng said.

ji yao looked down at his palm and realized that jiang heng had given him the british pound coin they had used to make their bet.

“…this?” ji yao hesitated. although he didn’t have any special affection for the coin himself, he knew that jiang heng valued these commemorative items.

“okay,” ji yao said. “but are you sure you want to part with it?”

“go ahead and use it. maybe it’ll make the wish more effective,” jiang heng said, hooking his arm around ji yao’s and holding his hand. together, they tossed the coin into the wishing pond. “besides, i won’t need it in the future.”

this would be their final bet, and so the coin could retire honorably.

the coin made a clinking sound as it landed in the square pond, giving off a feeling of going all-in.

immediately afterward, ji yao pulled the wishing bell, lowered his head slightly, and joined his hands together to make a wish.

ji yao used to find these activities cheesy and useless, but this time, he was genuinely devout. after deciding to walk a long and enduring path with jiang heng, ji yao had taken it upon himself to pursue every possible means of assurance, including jiang heng’s commitment and the blessings of the gods.

he silently made a wish amidst the sound of the bell, and when he opened his eyes, he noticed that jiang heng had just done the same.

“what did you wish for?” ji yao gave way to the people waiting behind him and couldn’t help but ask.

“for peace and happiness,” jiang heng said, pausing for a moment, then glanced at the somewhat nervous ji yao, deliberately leaving him in suspense. he then playfully added the second part of the sentence, “and a hundred years of good luck.”