Chapter 15: Shimizu-san

— Two Years Ago —

One afternoon, on the walk home from school.

"Hey! You — the one with the long face. Can you come here a moment?" A voice, clear through the evening air.

I looked up. A young man was waving at me from the shrine grounds. Lively, cheerful, entirely at ease. I had no idea, at the time, how much that would matter.

He gestured for me to come closer. I did.

"Good evening." I bowed. "How can I help?"

"Good evening. I’m Shimizu. What’s your name?"

"Hayashi Ryo."

"Ah. Ryo-kun."

I blinked. That was unexpectedly casual.

"Ryo-kun. I’ve been watching you."

I blinked again.

"Ah — not in a strange way! You pass by here every day after school. Lately, your footsteps have been heavier."

I said nothing. He wasn’t wrong. I hadn’t smiled sincerely in weeks. I’d lost weight, lost interest in things I used to enjoy, and started having nightmares.

"I don’t have money to donate, Shimizu-san."

He blinked. "Eh?"

"But I’ll ask my mum to support the shrine." I bowed apologetically.

"Wait — I’m not soliciting donations. Quite the opposite, actually. I’m here to offer you something."

"…Thanks, but I can’t accept things from strangers." I stepped back.

Shimizu stood there grasping at thin air for a moment. Probably the only time I ever saw him genuinely exasperated. Then he cut to the chase.

"You were bullied, weren’t you, Ryo-kun."

I froze. News travels fast. Even the shrine priest knows.

"I’m here to offer something you might find a little peculiar." He smiled gently.

"What is it?" I haven’t heard anything bad about Shimizu-san. If anything, he’s quite popular with the obaa-sans…

"A job. Sweeping the shrine after school — fifteen minutes a day, on your way home. You’ll be paid in karma, of course." He laughed. A clear, unhurried sound that caught me somewhere I hadn’t expected.

"Can’t you find someone else? Is this man looking for free labour?

"No. I think I can be of more use to you than you to me, Ryo-kun. Consider the sweeping your payment." His eyes had a playful glint.

This is lifted straight from a scam.

"What have you got to lose? I’ll let your mum know, if it makes you feel better."

"There’s no need, Shimizu-san. How many days?"

"Until you feel the debt is settled, Ryo-kun."

I don’t owe you anything. "Okay. Fifteen minutes. Starting now."

Shimizu beamed. "Bag by the tree." He turned, picked up a broom, and handed it over. "One tip: go slowly. The leaves aren’t going anywhere." He settled onto a bench, poured tea, and watched.

The odd routine began. Days passed. Shimizu rarely spoke at length — we chatted sometimes, about family, life, the usual nothing. On some evenings he’d offer tea and wave me home early, no sweeping required.

Days became weeks. The rhythmic drag of the broom across stone. The small focused task of clearing the grooves between blocks. The unhurried pace of it. The priest’s infuriating gentle smile, always present and never commenting.

I stopped thinking of it as a chore. I started looking forward to it — the quiet mindfulness, the cheap tea, the company that didn’t ask anything of me.

"Ryo-kun. How long has it been?"

"A few weeks, I think."

"A month now. Do you feel the debt is settled?"

There it was again. That cryptic routine, with that maddening smile. This must be why Shimizu-san was still single. No sensible person would put up with it.

"I don’t owe you anything, Shimizu-san. If anything, I’ve been the one doing the work around here."

"Mmm. Perhaps. But I’ve noticed something. It’s cleaner now."

I looked around — I hadn’t started sweeping yet. I frowned. "I’ve been at this a month and it gets dirty every single day. What are you —" I stopped. He wasn’t talking about the leaves.

"It’s cleaner now, Ryo-kun. Here." He pointed at my chest, then put his hands on his hips like a fisherman proudly displaying the catch of the day.

He wasn’t wrong. A month ago I’d been drifting through everything. Somewhere in the past few weeks, without quite noticing, my mood had lifted. People around me seemed easier. Life had simply… continued.

"I think the debt is settled. But I suspect you have other debts still outstanding — to your family and your friends."

I knew what he meant. I’d been meaning to do it anyway — reach back toward the people who’d stayed close this past month. I’d just been putting it off.

"Shimizu-san. Why do you do this? Help people without expecting anything back."

"Free labour and company for a month." He shrugged pleasantly. "It gets quiet here. Even priests get bored. And I can’t pay anyone, so all I have to offer is a smile, a broom, and the occasional ocha."

I looked at him for a long moment. Then I bowed. "Thank you, Shimizu-san. For everything. Including the cheap ocha."

"You’re welcome, Ryo-kun. Send my regards to the family." He gave me an enthusiastic pat on the back and waved me off.