TJTPBFB 31

Chapter 31

“A Life in Danger”

The next day, on her way home from work, Ruri passed in front of Godai’s shop.
The lights were still on, so she parked her car and decided to stop by.

When she opened the door—

“Oh, welcome back, Ruri-san.
Did something happen?”

Godai looked up from her paperwork.

“Sorry to interrupt you while you’re working.”

“It’s fine. I was about to close up anyway,”

Godai said, standing up.

“Have a seat. I’ll make some coffee.”

“You don’t have to—”

Ruri took a seat anyway, and Godai soon placed a cup on the table.

“So, is it hard commuting there?”

Godai sat down on the opposite sofa and took a sip of her own coffee.

“No, I’ve gotten used to it.
And that house feels peaceful… I’m glad I inherited it.”

“That’s good to hear.
I’m sure your grandmother would be happy too.”

Godai smiled warmly.

“Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask you,” Ruri said.

“What is it?”

“When my grandmother lived there—
was there ever a break-in or anything like that?”

At those words, surprise flickered across Godai’s face, and her tone turned worried.

“Did someone break into your house?”

“No, nothing like that.
It’s just… there was this man in a suit I didn’t recognize.
He was watching the house.”

Godai frowned thoughtfully before replying.

“You know your grandmother was a fortune-teller, right?”

“Yes. I heard from Mr. Yonekura—apparently, she was quite famous.”

“There’s a bit of mystery surrounding her origins.
I don’t know the full story myself.
She had this deep attachment to bamboo, and back then, this whole area was full of bamboo groves.
Now, that house is the only place where it still grows.
I’m not sure how she came to live there.
But her fortune-telling was said to be divine—
my father used to say she even played a part in postwar reconstruction.”

“About that fortune-telling…
did she use any kind of tools or objects?”

“Tools, hmm… I’m not sure.
I never saw her actually do a reading, so I can’t say for certain.”

Godai paused, as if gathering her thoughts, before continuing.

“I was born after the war, so I was still a child back then.
I didn’t understand much, but apparently, politicians and business leaders would line up to receive her words.
Hold on a second.”

With that, Godai went into the back room and returned with a photo album. She opened it and showed Ruri a photograph.

“This is your grandmother when she was young.
Beautiful, isn’t she?
And look—now that I see it, you really do resemble her.”

Godai said it with a bright smile.
The woman who had appeared before Ruri—
There was no doubt in her mind now: that woman was her grandmother.

Ruri smiled as if to deny it.

“She’s truly beautiful.
I could never be that pretty.”

“Oh, don’t say that—you’re lovely.
When I first met you, I thought you looked exactly like her.”

Godai’s smile softened.

“The people next to her here are my parents and Mr. Yonekura’s grandparents.
The five of them were very close friends.
Your grandmother doted on me, too,”

she said, her tone wistful with nostalgia.

“You know, because of her fortune-telling,
after the war ended, even the U.S. military took an interest in her.
There were times when she was nearly abducted.
It was that kind of era—
human life wasn’t valued the way it is now.”

“Then… you mean she’s been targeted since back then?”

Ruri’s face turned pale with surprise.