The Main Hall

Clues? What kind of clues could you give me? Do you even know what I'm looking for?

Gazing at Matara Okina's smiling face, Miketsu felt a pang of suspicion. Could this person truly know what troubled her, and had she come specifically for that reason?

“I believe you are troubled by matters concerning divine power, are you not?” Matara Okina said with a smile, looking at Miketsu.

Well, she was right.

“You're not wrong, it is indeed about divine power. Regarding that… do you have anything to say?” Miketsu asked. She didn't elaborate, specifically avoiding mentioning her inability to release divine power. After all, facing such an enigmatic stranger, it was prudent to remain somewhat reserved.

Though Miketsu’s intuition told her that the other party likely already understood her condition completely, and perhaps even the slumber of Inari Okami and her own predicament might be connected to her.

“Resolving the issue with your divine power is not difficult. All you require is a small bit of guidance,” Matara Okina continued calmly, addressing Miketsu’s question.

“Guidance? What should I do, then? Can you provide it?” Miketsu’s heart skipped a beat at Matara Okina’s words; her mention of “guidance” seemed to subtly confirm that her divine power was sealed or restricted.

“I apologize, but the guidance of your own divine power must ultimately come from yourself. I cannot help you with that, but I can tell you where to find the relevant clues.”

“Alright then, where are these clues you speak of?”

“They are actually right beside you, within the shrine's Main Hall, where you will find what you need.” With a tranquil expression, Matara Okina uttered words that startled Miketsu.

The shrine? The shrine right beside me? This very Inari Shrine? What I need is inside its Main Hall?

“What kind of thing is it, to be placed directly within my shrine?” Miketsu asked Matara Okina, her confusion deepening, but the other party still didn't answer her directly.

“You will know once you see it.”

“Hmph… you truly are mysterious. Though I'm eager to know more about you, I doubt you'd tell me even if I asked.” Seeing Matara Okina's reply, Miketsu let out a helpless sigh, then continued.

“As for me… you will learn in time. But please rest assured, no matter what, I will always be on your side,” Matara Okina said to Miketsu, her tone reassuring.

“On my side…” Listening to Matara Okina’s words, Miketsu hesitated. Just as she was about to ask more questions, hoping to extract further information, Matara Okina spoke first instead.

“By the way, is that child doing well with you?”

“That child? You mean Qin Xin, right? She’s… quite cheerful, I’d say she’s doing very well.” Miketsu replied directly. Despite Qin Xin being just a mask, Miketsu had put some effort into caring for her, buying her better cushions, often changing her position in the room, and even placing her outside for fresh air on nice days, ensuring she generally remained in a good mood.

“Is that so… then I am relieved. If another child also comes to be with you, please extend your care to them as well.”

Another child? How many children do you have? Are they all mask spirits? Miketsu internally grumbled at Matara Okina’s words, but before she could utter anything, Matara Okina bowed to her first.

“Then, the message I came to deliver has been conveyed. Now… I must take my leave.”

...

Although Miketsu felt annoyed by Matara Okina’s habit of inexplicably appearing, saying a lot, and then leaving just as suddenly, Miketsu didn’t stop her when she finally bid farewell, thinking it would probably be useless anyway.

After watching Matara Okina depart, Miketsu returned to the small building in the Secret Realm, summoned Tsuruha, and recounted what had just transpired.

“What… Lady Uka, you mean Matara Okina appeared again? And she said there are clues to guide your divine power in the shrine's Main Hall?” Clearly, Tsuruha was also greatly astonished by the information Matara Okina had conveyed to Miketsu.

“Indeed. Regarding the shrine's Main Hall, do you know what’s inside?” Miketsu asked Tsuruha directly, who had resided on Mount Inari for over a century.

“Well… Lady Uka, you may not know this, but the shrine's Main Hall is where the deity's goshintai is kept. Under normal circumstances, no one is allowed inside. Even since I gained sentience, I have never entered the Main Hall, so I naturally don't know what it contains.” Tsuruha replied with some difficulty, after hearing Miketsu's words.

“Huh? You've been at the shrine for so long and never even looked inside?” Miketsu was clearly surprised by Tsuruha’s answer. After all, on this entire Mount Inari, aside from Miketsu herself who lacked past memories, Tsuruha was the oldest.

“Yes… because this Inari Shrine was established very early, it was already on Mount Inari even before Heian-kyo was moved here. Since I can remember, the shrine's Main Hall has never been opened. The former Lady Uka never mentioned anything about it either. It seems to have been sealed since the shrine’s inception.” Tsuruha continued, her words deepening Miketsu's confusion.

“Then… you said the Main Hall is generally used to house the goshintai. What exactly is a goshintai?”

“A goshintai is an object of faith, proof of a deity's manifestation, and serves as a substitute for the deity for human worship. It can be stones, mirrors, or various other objects… in Buddhism, it's akin to a Buddha statue.”

“A goshintai, huh…” Listening to Tsuruha’s words, Miketsu fell into a brief contemplation, then spoke again shortly after.

“Can I open the Main Hall?”

“Of course. You are the deity of this shrine; you naturally have the right to do so.”

“Then tonight, we shall go and look inside the Main Hall, and see what truly lies within.”

...

Night fell upon Mount Inari, and the Inari Shrine once again closed early. After the miko had retired for the night, Miketsu and Tsuruha arrived before the shrine's Main Hall.

From Tsuruha, Miketsu learned that the human family responsible for maintaining the Inari Shrine's normal operation in the human realm also seemed to have an ancestral decree never to open the shrine’s Main Hall. Thus, the exterior of the Main Hall was kept impeccably clean by the miko, but no one had ever entered inside.

Miketsu produced the key she had found in the Secret Realm, approached the Main Hall's door, and unlocked it.

With a creak of decaying wood, the Main Hall's door swung open, and air thick with dust billowed towards Miketsu. Having anticipated this, Miketsu stepped back twice, waiting for the dust inside to settle before she entered.

Her footsteps on the floor echoed with creaks as Miketsu surveyed the surrounding space. She found it more empty than she had imagined; the only noticeable objects in the entire room were a wooden platform at the very center and the items resting upon it.

Miketsu approached to examine them. On the wooden platform lay two items: one was a strange, twisted wooden rod, and the other, a small, upright stone tablet.

Miketsu picked up the more prominent small stone tablet, examining it in her hands. She realized it was actually a stone divine tablet.

This stone divine tablet had a remarkably primitive and simple design: a flat stone served as its base, with another square stone placed upright on top. It bore numerous cracks and damages, looking as though it had been knocked about many times. On the front of the divine tablet, her divine name—Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami—was written in black ink.

So this was a divine tablet specifically dedicated to herself? Did shrines here also require divine tablets for worship? But this stone tablet seemed rather carelessly made.

As she pondered this, Miketsu flipped the divine tablet in her hand. She then saw that something was inscribed on its back. Upon closer inspection, it was a rather crooked, abstract design, like an ancient cave painting.

The main subject of this pattern was a highly abstract, winged bird resembling a swallow. The bird's tail featured divided, connected dots. Diagonally below it, on both sides, were two symbols like three-pronged pitchforks. Below all these symbols were two bending, drooping rice shoots.