Humanity is a species that naturally tries to find patterns in everything.
They try to link correlation to causation, and thus, come up with rather irrational concepts and ideas.
Take the Mayans, for example: Back in 2000 B.C., they sacrificed their fellow man believing that these forfeited lives would please their gods, who would in turn, grant them harvest and prosperity.
This cruel assumption was merely a result of ignorance- a tragedy born from a misunderstanding, yet one befitting the primitive era that they lived in.
They lacked information and mistook a rare coincidence for fact.
Thankfully, a misunderstanding of this scale has become more and more improbable as mankind has continued to educate itself on the truths of our world, with unsubstantiated assertions usually being met with doubt instead of acceptance.
You would truly be hard-pressed to find an entire country of people who accept something as irrational as the Mayans once did-
However,
While improbable, the spread of a misunderstanding of that scale is not completely impossible.
Fundamentally, misunderstandings are born from your inability to explain an occurrence-
And so,
Theoretically, if one were to link an action to an event enough times to establish a correlation, and if that same person were completely ignorant of the process required to actually achieve that result, it is entirely possible for them to mistake that correlation for causation.
Thus,
Even if rumors of something as irrational as a wish-granting shrine were to be spread around, if one were to replicate the miraculous circumstance revolving around such a supernatural object enough times, it is entirely possible to achieve this misunderstanding between correlation and causation- resulting in people truly believing in the existence of something that inexplicable.
Of course-
That's only assuming someone actually possessed the power to replicate miracles.
But, that's impossible... right?
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(April 2nd, 2016)
"Wow... I'm stuffed."
Ann Takamaki let out a satisfied breath as she stretched her back.
Next to her, Shiho Suzui, giggled softly.
"Me too- But I think we might've overdone it a bit this time."
The two had just left a bakery and were taking a stroll around the residential part of Shibuya in a futile attempt to burn off some of the calories they had just consumed.
"I couldn't stop eating, it was all just so good! Who would've thought pancakes could be that fluffy!"
"Mm. They really were good."
"Right?! But uhm... I really should be watching my weight a little more. If I gain too much weight, I might get chewed out by my manager..."
Ann's gaze flickered toward her stomach for the briefest of moments before she eyed her friend's figure, a small envious sigh escaping her lips.
"Hah~ I wish I were as active as you, Shiho... I wouldn't have to worry so much about what I'm eating since I'd be burning it off anyway."
Shiho smiled sheepishly.
"I'm not too sure if that's how it works, Ann. I know plenty of people on the volleyball team who still struggle with weight despite being active."
"But it seems you don't have that problem."
Ann smirked as she nudged her friend's shoulder, causing Shiho to stiffen ever so slightly.
"Every time I see you, it feels like you get slimmer and slimmer! I bet you have a nice set of abs under that sweater~."
Making a groping motion towards Shiho, she teasingly reached for her friend's sweater.
Unluckily for Ann, however, Shiho jerked out of her friend's grasp with a swift and slightly panicked motion.
"I've just been working really hard... Coach Kamoshida has been increasing the intensity of our training since the team didn't do as well as he'd liked at the Spring Volley."
Shiho gave Ann a small smile.
"If anything, I'm jealous of you, Ann- You're able to stay so slim without doing much exercise."
Ann scratched the back of her head with a modest expression gracing her features.
"Heh~ I've just got good genetics, but Shiho..."
Trailing off for a bit, Ann's gaze flickered towards Shiho's wrist, more specifically, toward the dark purple spot that had revealed itself upon her sudden move just a few moments earlier.
"... Don't push yourself too hard. If you ever feel like you're under any pressure, you know you can talk to me, right?"
Shiho let out a small breath as her lips arced in a pacifying smile.
"No, no, it's nothing like that... Practices aren't too bad. We get days off every once in a while, and plus- since the school year just ended, I've had plenty of time to rest since I don't have to worry about tests and stuff."
"Still, though, if that bastard Kamoshida-"
"Ann, it's fine."
Shiho laughed softly, but she subtly shifted her sleeve to hide her injury.
"It's manageable- and being able to play Volleyball makes up for the hardship."
Ann opened her mouth, wanting to say something else, but she decided against it, ultimately forcing herself to just smile.
"Well, as long as you're happy, Shiho."
A brief lull blanketed the pair before Ann coughed into her fist, breaking the momentary silence.
With a slightly awkward smile, Ann rubbed the back of her neck.
"Ehm, anyway, where was it that you wanted to visit again, Shiho? I think you mentioned some sort of altar as we were leaving the bakery, right?"
"Ah yes! One of the girls on the team wanted me to check it out for them. Apparently there's a shrine in Yongen Jaya that's been getting pretty popular recently."
Ann let out a short breath.
"Ah! Are you talking about the wish granting one?"
Shiho nodded with a curious look.
"You know about it, Ann?"
Shaking her head slightly, Ann let out a sigh.
"You remember Ryuji, right? I heard he somehow got perfect scores on all of his finals after visiting that shrine. Personally, I think it's a load of crap, but the shrine's been gaining a cult-like following in 2-E, and a bunch of guys in my class have been feeding into the rumors. It's been driving Mrs. Kawakami crazy."
Shiho blinked.
"Oh, right... I think I remember hearing rumors about that, but I thought they were too exaggerated to be true."
Ann shrugged.
"I don't blame you. If someone told me Ryuji was gonna be top of our year, I would've thought they were crazy."
Shiho chuckled a little.
"Well, Sakamoto isn't exactly the ideal student. Plus, with all the rumors about him going around..."
"Not all of them are rumors. Ryuji's just been an asshole recently."
"Sakamoto? Really? Putting aside his reputation, I always thought he was quite nice..."
Ann frowned slightly as she exhaled hard through her nose.
"That's just because you think everyone's nice Shiho... Ugh, if you saw the way he glares at me in the hallways you'd know what I mean."
With a small placating smile, Shiho patted Ann on the shoulder.
"Don't let it get to you Ann- knowing Sakamoto, he's probably just misunderstood something. If you two just talk it out then I'm sure you'll be able to clear things up."
Ann's gaze lingered on Shiho for a few seconds before a sigh escaped her lips.
"Even if that's the case- I don't think it's worth the hassle. If Ryuji wants to misunderstand, I'm just gonna let him..."
Trailing off with a small frown, Ann suddenly shook her head fierecely- donning a frustrated expression.
Bah! Why are we even talking so much about that guy? Let's just hurry over to that Shrine and go for another round of deserts afterward!"
"Huh? Ann, wait-"
Before Shiho could protest, Ann grabbed her hand and dragged her along as she ran ahead.
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After a bit of running, the two eventually made it to the charming little neighborhood the so called 'Wish-Granting Shrine' was located at.
"Is this the right place Shiho?"
"Uhm... I'm pretty sure my teammate said it was just down there."
Checking her phone, the girl in question gestured down the street, toward a plain, unassuming movie theater nestled on the corner of a small intersection- though, if one were to look a little closer, they'd notice a faint warm golden glow coloring the sides of the theaters worn walls.
As the two girls approached the theater and the golden light, rounding the corner of the intersection and passing the sketchy clinic opposite of it, expressions of slight bewilderment their spread across their features as they arrived at their destination.
The Wish Granting Shrine the rumors spoke of looked less like the mystical shrine they had envisioned and more like an oversized mailbox.
Right next to the Mailbox esc shrine was a table with writing utensils, envelopes, and copious amounts of paper- with a conveniently placed lamp beaming down on its wooden surface for clear visibility regardless of the time of day.
In addition to the lamp lighting the table top, there was another lamp bolted to a wall shining light on a poster hanging just above the mailbox shaped shrine, detailing the rather simple steps one needed to follow in order to have their wish granted.
Ann and Shiho exchanged a brief glance before Ann strolled forward to read the poster.
"Huh. So we just have to write a letter and put it in the mailbox? For something that grants wishes, I was expecting something a little more... complicated."
Even without the steps listed on the poster, anyone with a functioning frontal lobe would be able to understand what they were supposed to do given the items provided- but neither of the two girls were going to complain.
Shiho exhaled softly as she flashed a smile at her friend.
"Honestly, I find it a little refreshing. The last time something like this got popular, it was pretty gimiky."
"I guess? I dunno, I just thought that it'd be a bit more mysterious. Not that I'm complaining or anything."
Ann and Shiho stood silently for a few moments, before Ann, with a slightly frustrated expression, let out a sharp breath.
"Y'know, now that I'm here, I actually can't really decide on a wish... What about you?"
"I was just gonna wish for a successful season this upcoming school year- nothing too crazy."
"Ah~ Come on, really? That's such a selfless wish... But I guess that's pretty on brand for you, Shiho. I uh, can't figure out if I wanna wish for an endless amount of sweets or the ability to eat as much as I want without gaining weight."
Shiho giggled softly.
"Well, the poster didn't say that we could only wish for one thing- why not just wish for both?"
Ann's eyes lit up.
"You're right! C'mon lets wrap this up so we can get outta here and get some desert... I'm thinking icecream."
The two strolled forward and retrieved slips of paper and pencils from the table as they hunched over to write their respective submissions.
Funily enough, despite having just discussed their wishes, Shiho and Ann were rather protective of their written requests- both covering the slip of paper with their arms to prevent the other from seeing what they had wrote.
After a few seconds of silence, Ann and Shiho folded up their slips of paper and inserted them into the provided envelopes before depositing them into the 'mailbox'.
Finishing the rather simple process and cleaning up the small mess they had made, the two departed without lingering.
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(A/N: Still shaking off a bit of the rust so I apologize if any of the interactions feel a bit robotic.
If you spot any spelling mistakes feel free to comment.
I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!)