Thirteen to fifteen

by Mizukami Kyouka · 2026-03-31

Looking up at the slender, tall trunk of the pine tree, I couldn't find a single twig higher up. I passed under the tree and looked up, and the shape of the moon was still the same here, as if the light of the thirteenth night was illuminating the fleeting world.

The figure of the woman who had been walking ahead disappeared from my sight, so I put my hand on the pine trunk and peered around, and she was right below me.

"The ground suddenly gets lower here, so please be careful. It might be difficult for you with your geta. If you like, we can exchange them for zori."

She seemed to have noticed my delay and was urging me to go quickly before something tumbled down.

"No, I don't mind going barefoot. I can't cause the young lady any worry."

"Young lady?" She raised her voice slightly and laughed charmingly.

"Yes, the old man just now said so, but are you a madam?"

"In any case, I'm about your aunt's age. Come on, hurry up. Zori are fine, but you might get a thorn in your foot, and they'll be wet and uncomfortable." Saying that, she pulled up one side of her clothing. The pure white fabric melted into the darkness.

We continued to descend the path. From the thicket beside us, a toad lumbered out.

"How creepy," I said, and she lifted her heels high and leaped away.

"With a guest present, you're being extravagant by getting tangled in people's feet. It should be enough for you to just suck insects. You too, come on. Don't worry about anything. In places like this, even those things are friendly, so you don't need to mind them."

The toad parted the grass and went back in, and she continued further ahead.

"Come on, step on this. The soil is soft and will crumble, so you can't walk on the ground."

A large tree was hidden by the grass, its trunk now visible. Stepping on it, even with geta, was not a problem, but after crossing the thick log, the sound of the river suddenly echoed in my ears. A considerable amount of time had passed by then.

Looking up, the shadows of the pine trees were no longer visible. The thirteenth-night moon had sunk much lower, now halfway over the peak of the mountain I had just descended. It was bright enough to touch, yet its height was immeasurable.

"This way," she said. Her voice was just a breath away, standing and waiting right before my eyes.

It was an expanse of rock, where the water of the mountain stream flowed over the rocks, forming a pool here. The river was about one ken wide, and the sound of the water was not particularly loud, but its beauty was like flowing jade. In the distance, the sound of water breaking against rocks could be heard.

The opposite bank was the foot of another mountain, its peak completely dark, but the moonlight illuminated its slopes. Large and small stones, rocks shaped like swords and like balls, stretched as far as the eye could see.

"The water is just right today, so you don't need to go in; it's fine to stand on this," I said, bending my toes and standing on the stone slab with my snow-white bare feet.

The side we were standing on had the foot of this mountain pressing against the water, forming a shape like a cut-out hole. Neither upstream nor downstream was visible, but the rocky mountain opposite was shaped like a winding path. The current receded upstream by five shaku, three shaku, and about one ken at a time, hidden as if threading through the rocks. All of them, bathed in moonlight, shone like figures in silver armor.

"It's quite a strong current, isn't it?"

"Yes, this water comes from a waterfall. Everyone who travels this mountain hears a sound like a great wind somewhere. Reverend, were you not worried on your way here?"

That sound had been audible a little before entering the dense thicket of mountain leeches.

"Isn't that the sound of wind hitting the forest?"

"No, everyone says that, but about three ri from that forest, if you take a side path, there's a great waterfall. They say it's the best in Japan, but the path is steep, so not even one in ten people has ever been there. The reason that waterfall became so wild was exactly thirteen years ago from now, when there was a terrible flood. The riverbed rose even to this high place, and the villages, mountains, and houses at the foot of the mountain were all swept away. This cave above, too, originally had about twenty houses, but this current was also formed at that time. Look, as you can see, all these stones were carried here by the current."

Unbeknownst to me, she had finished polishing the rice, her kimono was disheveled, and the tip of her breast was faintly visible as she stood with her swollen chest arched back. Her nose was high, her lips were pressed together, and her eyes were ecstatic as she looked upwards, but the moon only illuminated the piled-up rocks.

"Even now, looking at it like this, it's terrifying," she said, then crouched down to wash her forearms.

"Reverend, if you're so proper, your robes will get wet. It'll be uncomfortable, so just strip naked and wash. I'll pour water for you."

"No,"

"No is not an answer. Look, the sleeves of your robes will get soaked," she said, and then suddenly, from behind, she put her hands on my obi and, with a cruel abruptness, stripped me naked as I squirmed and cowered.

My master had been strict, so in my body, which read sutras, I had never even bared my skin. Moreover, in front of a woman, like a snail surrendering its castle, I couldn't even speak, couldn't move my limbs, and was hunched over with my knees together, cowering, when she lightly hung the robes she had taken off on a nearby branch.

"Let's keep your clothes like this. Now, your back. As thanks for calling me 'young lady,' your aunt is taking care of you, so don't be so difficult." She pulled up one sleeve with her front teeth and openly placed her jade-like forearm on my back, but then she stared intently and said,

"Oh my,"

"What has happened to you?"

"It's like bruises, all over."

"Yes, that's it. I had a terrible experience."

Just remembering it made me shiver.

The woman said with a surprised expression.

"Then, the forest must be a dreadful place. What travelers said about leeches falling in the mountains of Hida, that's exactly the place. You didn't know the way, so you must have passed through the leech nest directly in front. It's fortunate that your life was saved. Even horses and cows can be sucked to death by them. But you must be terribly itchy, aren't you?"

"Now, the pain has increased."

"If you rub it like that, your soft skin will get chafed," she said, her hands as soft as cotton.

She gently stroked me, pouring water over my shoulders, back, sides, and buttocks. The sensation wasn't so cold that it seeped into my bones. Although it was a hot season, logically, that shouldn't have been the case. Whether it was my blood boiling or her warmth, the water she used to wash me with her hands seeped comfortably into my body. I felt that good quality water was soft.

The comfort was indescribable; though sleepiness didn't overcome me, I felt drowsy, the pain from my wound eased, and my mind drifted away. Leaning against her body, I felt as if I were enveloped in flower petals.

Unfitting for a mountain dweller, she possessed a beauty rare even in the capital, exuding a somewhat delicate air. While she was washing my back, I felt her breath come in gasps, and though I thought of refusing, I was enveloped in that familiar ecstasy, and though I felt like I was losing consciousness, I let her wash me.

Moreover, whether it was the mountain air or her scent, a faint, pleasant fragrance wafted about. I thought she must be exhaling behind me.

The holy man paused for a moment, then said, "No, my dear, I want you to stay close and stir up that light. It will become a suspicious story if it's dark, so I'll use it out in the open field from here."

The figure of the holy man, lying side by side, was dim, and the light had grown faint. As soon as the wick was brightened, the holy man smiled and continued his story.

"Well, just like that, without realizing it was reality, I was softly enveloped in these wonderfully fragrant, warm flowers, and my feet, waist, hands, shoulders, and neck were gradually covered all the way to the crown of my head. To my surprise, the moment I sat down on a stone and threw my feet into the water, a woman's hand reached from behind, over my shoulder, pressed against my chest, and held me firmly."

"Reverend monk, aren't you bothered by my sweaty smell being so close? I'm terribly prone to heat, so even like this, it's just how I am." Saying that, he took the hand on his chest, but hastily let go and stood up like a stick.

"Excuse me."

"No, no one is watching," she said with a composed face. Before he knew it, she had taken off her clothes, exposing her entire body like polished silk.

How astonishing!

"Because I'm so plump, I'm already embarrassingly hot. At this time of year, I come twice or thrice every day and sweat like this. What would I do without this water, Reverend monk? Here's a towel." Saying that, she offered him a wrung-out cloth.

"Please wipe your feet with that."

Before he knew it, his body had been properly wiped. It was dreadful to speak of, but he couldn't help but laugh.