A Spectacular Service! All Pray For A Good Harvest/Story/Chapter Seven

Well, what’s next? This can’t be everything we need to do for this second-month ceremony.

で、俄悔の次は何をすればいいんだ？修二会の儀式ってのは、まだ何か残ってんだろ？

The final step involves collecting holy water. Please draw some and then deposit it in this large container here, after which we will offer it to Lord Dainichi Nyorai.

最後の儀式はお水取りです。大日如来様に、清められた水を捧げます。汲んできた水は、こちらの瓶に入れてください。

Quite right. Go forth, my followers! Offer me as much as you can manage!

うむ。存分に捧げるといい！さぁ、どんどん持ってこい！

Huff… Hey, Mekira. How much freakin’ water do you want us to collect? If we’re only making offerings, we shouldn’t need this much.

はぁ……はぁ……おい、迷企羅。これ、いつまで水を汲んでくりゃいいんだ？ 大日に捧げるだけなら、こんなに必要ないだろ。

…Nothing I didn’t plan for. No problems here.

……問題ありません。全て、想定内ですから。

*You* might have no problems, but… oh, whatever. I suppose the more we offer, the larger effect it will have.

想定内っつってもよお……まぁ、量が多けりゃ効果も出るかもしれねえか。

Hahah! This seems just about the perfect amount to offer for someone with as much splendor as me!

はっはっはっ一！これだけの水あれば、オレの威光を示すのには十分だろう。

*Finally!* Now we just need to get the oni chasing ritual over with, and that clinches it. As for the huge cloud…

よーやく終わったか……。あとは鬼追いの儀式だけだな。 巨大雲の様子は―

Woah! It’s shrinking! Is it because of the ceremony, or not…? Anyhow, it’s not all gone just yet.

おっ ！さつきより小さくなったな！修二会の効果ってとこか.....。まだ全部は消えてねえけど。

Although a… significant portion of the required decorum wasn’t quite maintained, the ceremony has been successfully concluded as planned.

一般的な修二会の儀式から省いた内容もありますが、予定していた儀式は完了しています。

And that means… either the ceremony has zero effect on that thing, or we left out something important.

ってことは……修二会に効果がないか、何かが足りないのかもな。

Can’t you just top it off with some more compliments to me?

もっとオレを褒め称えればいいんじゃないか？

Nah… don’t you think this one’s on you, Dainichi? If we’re all confessing misdeeds and gaining virtues, shouldn’t you do the same?

いや…… むしろ大日の繊悔じゃないか？功徳をつんで機れを払えってんならお前だってやるべきだろ？

You… you *are* making a lot of sense there… but hold up! Someone as pure and holy as me has nothing to confess!

そ、そうかもしれないが……。このオレに繊悔することなど何一つないぞ！

Uh-huh. Even just during the time we’ve been preparing for this second-month ceremony together, I can think of more than a couple occasions…

……そうか？この修二会の準備だけでも、色々あると思うがな。

Name one! I was helping you guys like a model citizen! An ideal buddha!

なにがだ！オレはきちんと準備の手伝いをしたぞ！

You stole the stuff we were going to make mochi with. Like, yesterday.

その前に餅つきの道具を持ってったり。

Oof!

うっ！

It may have been unintentional, but you did ruin the mask Sanshi was making so carefully.

わざとじゃないとはいえ、散脂の鬼面は壊したし。

Yeowch!

ぐふっ！

And I distinctly remember you ghosted us at that meeting *you* arranged.

そういや、この間も会議をすっぽかしたりしたな。

Lord Dainichi Nyorai…

大日如来様……。

Y-You got no proof for any of those things! I plead not guilty! I’m an innocent man!

しょ、証拠がないだろう! えん罪だえん罪! オレは無実だ !

Still won’t come clean, huh… alright, I got just the thing. Let’s take a look at you through this.

まだ認めねぇか。よーしわかった……。これで見てみようじゃねーか。

No! It can’t be! Why do you have a Jouhari mirror! Not those Anubis’ scales! I thought the old government had confiscated the only one left on earth - but now that I look closely, this one’s much smaller…

そ、それは、まさか浄下璃鏡か！間廃庁にあるのよりも小さいようだが、お前、なんでそんなモノもって……。

*The cleansed crystal mirror (浄玻璃の鏡 jouhari no kagami) is a mirror used to look into people’s past deeds. With this a fair judgment is made and the object is either destined to go to hell or heaven.*

I made it smaller to make it more portable, duh. You *do* know who I am, doncha? There’s few others who could be expected to be carrying this around.

こりゃあ、持ち運び用に小さくしてんだよ。俺が誰だか、知らないわけねえよな？ だったら、持っててもおかしくないだろ。

If we use this thing, all your deeds - good and bad - will be laid bare right here. I’m not letting you get away this time.

浄破璃鏡にかかれば、どんな行いであろすべてを映し出すことができる。言い訳なんて、させねえぜ？

I- uh- I have NOTHING to confess-

ふ、ふん……！オレ様は繊悔することなんて―

Is this seat taken? Oh, hey, Sanshi. Is that an… oni’s mask you’re making?

ちょっとここを借りるぞ。散脂……それは鬼面か？

Not bad. There’s not enough fun in it, though. Here, lemme at it for a bit…

む、センスが微妙だな。真面目すぎる！このオレに少し貸してみろ！こうすれば、もっと……。

Hey, I didn’t say you could-

ちょっと、勝手なことしないでくれません？

I’m just gonna touch it up real quick, no biggie. See, if you just do it like this-

ちょっと手を入れるだけだ。ほら、こうしてだな―

And that was how the oni mask ended up smashed to pieces.

このせいで鬼面が壊れたんですね。

Urgh-!

うっ……！

They want me to attend the meeting! LOL! LMAO, even! I’m just gonna investigate the state of the outside world a little bit-

会議なんてやってられるか！さーて、街を散策でもするとしよう！

Almost the whole temple was out looking for you that day…

あの日は全員で探しました。

I- I mean, the weather was simply divine that day, and I just didn’t want to sit at a stuffy old…

だ、だって、いい天気だったし、会議なんて気分じゃ……。

You still insist you have nothing to confess?

これでも、繊悔することは何一つないって？

Okay, okay, I get it! I was being a bad boy! I’m earnestly sorry, and I’ll repent!

……わ、わかったよ！悪かった！反省してます！ ごめんなさい！

Lord Jizou Bosatsu. The giant cloud is getting larger.

地蔵菩薩様。巨大雲ですが、勢力を増しています。

There you have it, Dainichi. Looks like we haven’t seen enough of your actions yet. Back to the mirror it is.

ほう……だってよ、大日。まだまだ繊悔が足りないみてえだな。さあて、もつと浄破璃鏡で見てみようぜ？

N-No, Jizou! Don’t do thisss!

ひいいい……！じ、地蔵！勘弁してくれえっ！！