The Third Day and Photographs

“How does this look?”

Makoto held the entirety of Mt. Fuji with a single hand, clipping it from the top and bottom with her fingers. At least, that’s what it looked like through the viewfinder of my camera.

“Perfect.” I said, giving her a thumbs-up.

I took the picture, and my camera clicked as I took the best picture I could of Makoto’s idea of forced perspective.

I set the camera down and let it rest on the strap hanging around my neck. I winced as I looked at Makoto, my brow twitching the more I looked at her.

“Did you get it?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

Not appearing on the viewfinder was the wicked fiend grasping her shoulder and using them to prop itself a foot above Makoto.

The yokai was still there.

The nure-onna remained after last night, making its presence felt to me, and only to me.

It felt different, however.

Its presence no longer made itself oppressive; there was no chill in its vicinity, and no black miasma radiated from it. It made itself appear like a normal part of Makoto.

Heck, if I were to guess, it was enjoying our field trip as well.

Makoto went up to me and grabbed the camera. She began to scroll through the pictures with the devices’ small monitor.

“Let me see…”

I sighed and breathed deep the fresh, cold country air.

Miles upon miles away lay the iconic Mt. Fuji sitting under the clear blue sky. in the far distance. Around us were an odd mix of Shinto and Buddhist structures, with one big, white pagoda standing erect right a few hundred meters behind me. The wind blew against us, carrying with it wilting cherry blossoms.

“Oh, this one’s really good.” said Makoto.

She lifted the camera to me and showed me the picture I had just taken a moment ago.

Indeed, she did look like she was holding the entirety of Mt. Fuji within her fingers. It was quite a stereotypical shot, but I’d like to believe I executed it well.

The snake spirit stared at me, and I stared back. I held back every urge to hiss at it.

“What’s wrong?” Makoto asked.

“Nothing.” I answered bluntly and immediately.

Makoto looked around the locale and spied out a few more locations that looked like excellent spots to take photos. I followed her closely while clutching the camera she had lent me for today.

“Oh, oh, what about here?” she said excitedly, pointing at a row of decorative stone lanterns lining the street, perfectly posed with a view of Mt. Fuji in the distance.

“Seems good.”

Makoto yanked the camera from me.

“Okay, your turn!”

“...Huh?” I wondered, giving her a confused look.

“What?” she uttered, pushing me toward a single lantern. “You’ve been taking pictures of me since we got here. Now it’s my turn to take some of you!”

“Uhm… are you sure?” I said, scratching my head. “I’m not photogenic.”

“Who cares?”

“Me?”

“Geez! Stop your bellyaching already.”

Makoto laughed and aggressively asked me to lean on the stone lantern. She rushed back a distance and positioned herself for a perfect shot, with the great mountain being the backdrop for both me and the pillar of stone to my side.

A moment passed with her doing nothing.

“Makoto? Did you take the picture?”

She peered from behind the camera, giving me a strange, upset look.

“Hey, can you stop scowling?”

I poked my cheeks, playfully twisting my mouth into a smile.

“I’m scowling?”

“Yes, you’re scowling. And that’s not helping.”

“I’m smiling, aren’t I?”

Makoto came up to me and gave me a weak punch to the gut – not enough to hurt, but enough to make me recoil. She let out a hearty laugh.

“Not like that, stupid. Just smile; you’re ruining the shot.”

“Haah… yes ma’am.” I said, trying my best to make the most genuine smile I could.

It only seemed right – after all, my trip to the Peace Park was my idea. I was supposed to enjoy myself here. Having Makoto around should multiply the joy factor, not subtract from it.

I still felt a little awkward from our encounter last night. It couldn’t be helped, especially since the instigator of our excursion was still staring at me from behind the camera.

The yokai.

I thought the Peace Park was a place of worship? A holy, sacred ground?

If so, then what on earth was it still doing here, in broad daylight nonetheless?

Click.

Makoto let the camera rest on her chest as she made her way towards me. She showed me the shot she took – one where I had a smile that I thought was a little crooked and awkward, set against the backdrop of Mt. Fuji and a small, hollowed-out temple.

She snorted when she showed me the photo. I couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed at how stupid I made myself look unconsciously.

“Pfft. Have you never smiled in front of a camera?” she joked.

“Uhm, rude.”

“C’mon. Let’s try that one more time, from the top.”

I sighed in resignation that I was going to be here until she got the perfect Kodak moment of me.

We tried out different poses and expressions with me as the center star. for the next few minutes. She kept insisting that I didn’t get it right, and urged me to change up the shot every single time.

Ironically, her fickle demands made perfecting the shot all the more difficult.

It was exasperating.

It was tiring.

But against all my complaints? I was having fun. I was enjoying myself instead of worrying about Makoto, Miki, or even that dreaded creature hanging above my head.

I appreciated what she was doing now, and what we were doing in the present.

Click.

Makoto showed me one more photo.

In it was the exact same pose and angle that we did at first, but in a way where my smile was no longer crooked, but instead, one where I looked happy yet flabbergasted.

“Oh, don’t you think this looks good?” Makoto said.

“You think that’s a good shot.”

“Heh,” she chuckled. “Good enough for me.”

***

An hour passed when we did nothing but take more scenery shots and selfies with the mighty mountain and serene Peace Park temples as our background.

We eventually decided to rest upon a bench that overlooked a sprawling cluster of small cities that encircled Mt. Fuji.

It was astonishing to behold all the towns built in the vicinity around the volcano — an active one at that. The volcano loomed over the land, almost like a crown placed upon a king’s head.

Its overwhelming yet tranquil presence made it feel like a god was watching over the people of the land, protecting it within the earth’s bosom.

Sitting beside me was Makoto, taking a drink from her packed bottled water.

“You know, Makoto,” I said. “For someone who lives here, you sure act more like a tourist than me.”

“Okay, first off? I think you’re just now tourist enough.”

“Heh. Is there a criteria to qualify as ‘touristy’ enough?”

Makoto gestured her hands in the shape of a box around her chest. “Number one! Camera.”

“What about it?”

“You didn’t even bring a simple SLR camera. It doesn’t even have to be an expensive DSLR like mine. A cheap one that can snap photos better than a phone would.”

“Why? I wouldn’t even know how to use one.”

She pouted at my statement – Makoto had just detected a big fat falsehood.

“Lies. You knew how to work mine when I lent it.”

“Oh, that…” I said nervously. “Isn’t it because you gave me an overview?”

“Yeah, but,” she replied, wagging her finger before me. “Any beginner wouldn’t get all that in their first try.”

Oh.

I guess that does give me away, doesn’t it?

It’s not that I didn’t know how to use a real camera.

It was more like I didn’t want to. An aversion.

I could have refused Makoto, but I didn’t want to spoil her day like I did yesterday. I had an obligation to her, and it paid off in full as far as I’m concerned.

“Alright, alright. You got me.” I said, waving in resignation. “So I hid my actual superpower. So what?”

“Superpower? Come on,” She laughed at me mockingly. “You’re such a kid!”

I laughed along with her. It was much better to make a fool of myself than to play pretend that I was cooler than I actually was. Not as an honor thing, but I genuinely wanted to humor Makoto.

“Okay, forget it. Change. What’s criteria number two?”

“Hey, don’t run away from the topic!”

I palmed my face and hid it from her. She didn’t seem to want to let this go.

“Skip!”

“Hmph.” Makoto huffed. “Fiiine.”

She continued. “Alright, number two!”

Makoto raised her arms, showcasing the scenery like she was conducting an orchestra. “There ain’t enough excitement in you!”

I exasperatingly sighed, rocking my head back and forth.

“You know, Makoto. People have different excitement levels. You may not believe it, but I’m ecstatic. Jumping for joy. Jigging in glee.”

“Didn’t seem like it.”

“Trust me. I don’t need to be doing any of those to be excited. I’m plenty happy being here right now.”

No lies said.

No matter what I looked like or how I acted, I still had my dream vacation. No snake lady or domestic unrest with Makoto or Jougasaki would take that away from me.

“Have I always seemed like an excitable person even back then?”

Makoto touched her chin and tried to recall a time from before. “No? I guess not?”

“Well, there you have it,” I said, as I shrugged. “It’s not that I’m not tourist enough. You just act more like it, is all.”

“It’s not weird,” she said, stretching her arms outward. “I’ve never been around Shizuoka before. It’s only been Tokyo, Yokohama, and Oota for me.”

“That’s a surprise. You struck me as more of an outdoors type of girl.”

“As I said, things change,” Makoto stated, shooting me a serious look. “Having so many responsibilities on your plate sucks. You can’t do much outside trying to keep afloat nowadays. That’s just how life is here.”

“Sounds rough.” I said, clapping and rubbing my hands to keep warm.

“Isn’t it the same for you?”

Well…

“You can say that. I couldn’t have made this trip on my own without a bunch of things going in my favor. It was all luck, zero skill and effort for me.”

Makoto seemed confused, like she was wondering if I was bemoaning my luck.

“That’s fine, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah,” I said as I closed my eyes in recollection. “When it happened, I said ‘just take the chance’ and let the wind carry me. But it feels a little unearned, you know? If you have a dream, you should get there by your own means.”

I turned to face her, and saw her expression.

She seemed hurt.

Makoto’s smile looked like it turned into a more bittersweet one, and the rest of her made her look as if she was sullen – not from my words specifically, but from something else.

I looked at the yokai coming out from her back, and it, too, seemed different.

Its slimy tail wrapped itself around her waist not to restrict her, but seemingly in an effort to embrace Makoto instead.

I may have struck a nerve.

Not just for Makoto, but for the beast too.

And maybe Miki as well, if she was hearing this.

I continued, trying to save grace. “Of course, they say success is like, greater part luck. So who am I to judge someone who got where they are by lucking out? No way they can keep good fortunes up without working on it.”

A hypocrite statement from me.

I was sharing nuggets of wisdom as if I were in any position to lecture Makoto of all people, about chasing dreams, lucking out, and putting in maximum effort.

Of all the people to hear that from.

Somehow, I hoped she would disregard the word diarrhea I’d just excreted.

“I guess you’re right…” Makoto said in a melancholy tone.

This was going nowhere. I had to find a way to change the topic somehow.

“A-anyway! I almost forgot!” I said, raising my voice just a little. “I should contact Jougasaki. He might be done over at the Premium Outlets.”

She perked up after the shift in conversation.

“Oh yeah! We should tell him we’re still here.”

“Y-yeah!”

I contacted Jougasaki through LIME to check up on his status.

A ping came through almost immediately. It was a message from him.

“Dude, there’s literally nothing here but one store with gunpla! What a waste of time. Where the h you lovebirds at?”

Dear God, Jougasaki. I told you you should’ve just come with us. That place is almost exclusively for foreign brands. There wasn’t going to be any local stuff, and even more so that you won’t see a single anime-themed store there.

At least here, you could’ve joined in the impromptu photo sessions.

It seemed my friend was the one getting the short end of the stick today.

“So, what’d he say?”

I chuckled as I answered her. “Oh. Jougasaki thought he could nab some geek goods from the Premium Outlets.”

“Heh, seriously?” said Makoto, laughing. “Isn’t that the place with all the posh overseas stuff?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “If he had just come here, maybe he’d just be bored, and not disappointed.”

“Right?”

I tip-tapped on my phone, jotting another message for Jougasaki. “Day’s still early, so I’ll tell him to come over so we can head somewhere else today.”

I sent the message, and it read:

“We’re still in the Peace Park. Come on over.”

I continued my conversation with Makoto. “That aside, this part of the trip is my idea. So he’s gonna come with whether he likes it or not… or he can just go home to Tokyo.”

“Shucks,” uttered Makoto. “That sounds so mean.”

“Well, it was his choice,” I shrugged, letting a smug smile cross my face. “He had every opportunity to stay in Tokyo, but here we are.”

I stashed my phone and turned to Makoto.

“So, what now?” I asked. “Is there anything you wanna do while we wait? Except food, of course. They don’t have any here.”

She stood up and straightened her jacket and sweater. She turned to me and said,

“Let’s go over there.”

Makoto pointed to a railing that overlooked the dozens of towns a great distance below in the direction of Mt. Fuji.

“I wanna take a selfie.”

“Huh?” I responded in question. “Haven’t we done that already?”

“Just… come on.”

I stood up and began walking towards the rails. “Alright, no problem.”

I leaned against the rails, and so did she. She brought out her phone from her pouch and turned on the front camera.

“Oh? You’re not using the DSLR?”

“No. This is fine.”

“I thought you were all about the high-quality photos?”

“Shush, " she said, as I saw her looking at me through the phone's screen from the corner of her eye. “Just smile already.”

“Cheese!”

Click.

…

We spent the next few having idle chatter by the fantastic view of the towns and the great mountain before us. A conversation of not much substance, but one that simply passed the time.

All this time, the nure-onna loomed still over me, as if it were watching every move like an accursed security camera.

What could it be possibly watching out for?

And why?

It had every chance to devour me if it were a man-eating, soul-sucking spirit. And yet I’m right here, having the time of my life with the girl I liked.

What are you thinking, you slimy scoundrel?

Fine, you can just stare all you want there.

But I’m making my move.

“Hey, Makoto. A question.” I said, turning to her.

“Hmm? What is it?”

I twiddled my fingers and made out a shifty expression to get both of us in the mood. I wanted her to be ready with the question and not be left-fielded with a weird one.

“Well, it’s kind of a sensitive question.”

She looked at me suspiciously, eyeing my gestures and expressions closely. My strategy had begun.

“What’s with all the jittering all of a sudden? Just ask away.” she said, her face once again entering a state of deadpan.

“It’s, uhm, about you.”

“Yeah, duh? You did say it’s a sensitive question.”

Makoto’s expression eased up, and a slight smile emerged. “We had a way worse conversation last night. What’re you so worried about?”

“Well, uhm…”

I grabbed both her hands with both of mine, and held them up to my chest level. I firmly gripped them, making sure to not crush her hands or hurt her, but enough to keep her intertwined with me.

“H-hey, what gives?” she said, as her face reddened again with that familiar, cute blush I’ve seen a lot in the past 48 hours.

I was aware of what it looked like.

To an outsider, it must’ve seemed that I was about to drop a marriage proposal, or at the very least profess my undying love to her.

But that wasn’t the case.

Something more pressing had to be asked, and this was the perfect place to ask. After all, some nearby temple monk will probably save my ass if something goes wrong, right?

Right?

“Makoto…”

“Y-yeah?”

I tugged her hand closer to my chest. I observed the snake lady rearing itself on top of her, and it, too, seemed enthralled with my actions.

“Makoto,

You know there's a ghost behind you, right?”