When you were living in Inaba, did you ever hear of the story of the Shrine Lady Kiyoko?
[ It's unlikely, as it was only told to Saki when she was a child and had otherwise fallen out from being Inaba's main urban legend by the time she started high school. It's also not true, but that's the last thing she's going to confirm. ]
Her statue was in the shrine for years. She wasn't a priestess, but apparently Kiyoko's family had built the shrine and maintained it, so when they needed someone to sit for Ame-no-Uzume, they picked her. When she was left at the altar a few years later, she committed suicide. Like, fifty years later, there was this group of kids that were really popular at the school, and anyone who wanted to join their group had to spend a night in the lap of Kiyoko's statue.
[ Saki starts off telling the story plainly, her voice losing little from its normal disinterested pitch. As she gets into it, however, tonal embellishments are added — and the noise from the natural parts of the maze, wind rustling the leaves and the crows cawing over head only adds to the atmosphere. ]
This one girl, Ami, she really wanted to join the group to impress this guy she liked. So she did the dare, thinking nothing could hurt her. Inaba was a safe town, and nothing had ever gone wrong when anyone else took the challenge.
The next morning, they found her cold, lifeless body draped in the statue's arms. It turned out that her great-grandfather was the man who had left Kiyoko at the altar all those years ago.
[ It's very likely Saki's getting the math wrong, but she doesn't give it any true consideration. Fifty years could equal great-grandfather, why not?
Mostly she's just disappointed she doesn't have a flashlight to shine under her face. ]
no subject
[ It's unlikely, as it was only told to Saki when she was a child and had otherwise fallen out from being Inaba's main urban legend by the time she started high school. It's also not true, but that's the last thing she's going to confirm. ]
Her statue was in the shrine for years. She wasn't a priestess, but apparently Kiyoko's family had built the shrine and maintained it, so when they needed someone to sit for Ame-no-Uzume, they picked her. When she was left at the altar a few years later, she committed suicide. Like, fifty years later, there was this group of kids that were really popular at the school, and anyone who wanted to join their group had to spend a night in the lap of Kiyoko's statue.
[ Saki starts off telling the story plainly, her voice losing little from its normal disinterested pitch. As she gets into it, however, tonal embellishments are added — and the noise from the natural parts of the maze, wind rustling the leaves and the crows cawing over head only adds to the atmosphere. ]
This one girl, Ami, she really wanted to join the group to impress this guy she liked. So she did the dare, thinking nothing could hurt her. Inaba was a safe town, and nothing had ever gone wrong when anyone else took the challenge.
The next morning, they found her cold, lifeless body draped in the statue's arms. It turned out that her great-grandfather was the man who had left Kiyoko at the altar all those years ago.
[ It's very likely Saki's getting the math wrong, but she doesn't give it any true consideration. Fifty years could equal great-grandfather, why not?
Mostly she's just disappointed she doesn't have a flashlight to shine under her face. ]