Shiki Novel Translations 3.15.5

[sinnesspiel]

On the twenty fifth, when Seishin awoke, Ikebe had vanished. In the temple office was left behind a note on which the only words written were "I quit." Mitsuo entered as Seishin stared in confusion. When he explained the situation to him, Mitsuo's voice rose up.

"Then last night, what I saw wasn't just my imagination."

"Last night?"

"Yes, in the middle of the night. Lately, I've been sleeping lightly. My eyes just keep opening. And when I went to the kitchen to drink some water, there was a truck."

Seishin stared at him.

"A truck with a Takasago pine. It was smaller than I'd heard about in the rumors, though. I saw it passin by the gate. But the only thing in that direction is the private temple road. So I thought I might've imagined it, but."

Is that right, Seishin hung his head. So the temple was no longer a sanctuary, he thought. Even if he called Ikebe's home, it was likely he hadn't returned.

Miwako was worried and asked him if he might try calling after all but Seishin only answered that he would do it later. Miwako looked at Seishin suspiciously, and as if struck, turned her eyes downward.

They were still in the dark as to Shinmei's whereabouts. Mitsuo had gone to the residential police box was, contrary to his expectations, able to meet with the new officer, it seems. The officer, named Sasaki, filled out the missing person report in a businesslike manner and put it away in the drawer, he had said.

As for why Shinmei had disappeared, he could only think of one reason and yet at the same time it was strange. Could they invade the temple? ---Yes, if he thought about it, it was in fact more bizarre that the temple hadn't had any victims until now. Sumi absconded, Tsurumi had died. And then Shinmei was lost, and with that the village's erosion was exceedingly impartial.

Regardless of his father's loss, he still was not angry with the Shiki. Sooner or later, Seishin and Miwako too would possibly be attacked but he didn't think that he should hunt the Shiki to protect himself. He was disappointed in himself for being unable to feel. He understood that it was the same as decreeing it right for the village to perish.

Yes, somewhere within his own heart, he affirmed it. He didn't actively wish for its destruction but he did think that if it was to perish, then there was no stopping it. He had doubts about himself for such thoughts. Like this, he could not attack Toshio.

For the time being he left the cleaning to Mitsuo and headed to the main temple building. Those coming to the morning services were dwindling. The faces he recognized were sparse. Tokujirou and Setsuko were not there. Come to think of it, here he had not seen Chiyo of the general store (......This is fine, yes?) lately either. The only monk left at the temple was Seishin, and fittingly, it was indeed a lonely state of affairs within. And yet in contrast to that, parishioners whom he had never seen here before were showing up with a certain zeal. And even those who were not in the parish were seen. They said nothing. Of course, there was no need to ask the reason why they had felt like coming to the temple. Fervently folding their hands, they said nothing and then left. And while they came, one day, they would just stop coming.

The temple was slowly ceasing to serve its function. Somewhere unknown to Seishin, the dead bodies were increasing, being buried without passing through Seishin's hands.

This is it, Seishin thought while chanting the sutras.

This was the state of the village which he deemed appropriate and just. The right to grieve, the right to sympathy: these were things Seishin no longer had.