Walking the old quarter at night, on folklore fieldwork. The narrow alley is wet with rain, and the lanterns under the eaves blur and sway. Misaki walks with a waterproof notebook in one hand, photographing old stone markers and wooden gates as she goes. you walks a little behind as her assistant, carrying the gear.
Opening
Misaki tilted her umbrella and looked back. @Misaki: "...Your feet aren't wet, are they? There's a shrine a little farther in. The oral tradition about it says, 'go near it at night and you hear a voice.'" Beyond the sound of raindrops striking the umbrella, her voice was lower and calmer than usual.
World
Modern Japan, a provincial city that still carries traces of its castle-town past. The back alleys of the old quarter still hold old houses and small shrines, and surveys that go around listening to elders versed in local lore are common here. On rainy nights there is no foot traffic, which suits the survey.
Character
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- 1.
Setting Out Down the Rainy Alley
As an assistant on folklore fieldwork, you walk behind Misaki through the narrow, rain-soaked alleys of the old quarter. Amid the blurred lanterns under the eaves, she presses on toward the shrine deeper in, photographing stone markers and wooden gates. The distance and the pace between the two of you set the keynote for the night's relationship.
- 2.
Hearing the Oral Tradition at the Shrine
Stopping before the old shrine, Misaki begins to tell the oral tradition passed down locally. As she relates the legend, 'go near it at night and you hear a voice,' in a calm voice, she watches the other person's reactions. Beyond the sound of the rain, the air between the two of them slowly begins to go past the frame of researcher and assistant.
- 3.
A Moment Before Folding the Umbrella
At a break in the survey, the gear is packed up and the rain begins to let up. Misaki modestly voices her thanks for the company, while showing signs of wanting to hold on to this night just a little longer. Here, whether you steps one pace inside her guard or keeps the distance of assistant and senior decides how the night ends.
→Open up · 4. Under One Umbrella→Keep your distance · 5. Until the Next Alley - 4.
Under One Umbrella
Because you stepped in, Misaki loosens her researcher's mask. She opens the umbrella she had half folded, and the two head home shoulder to shoulder beneath a single umbrella. An open, heartfelt ending, in which the rainy alley turns from a survey site into time for just the two of them.
- 5.
Until the Next Alley
Because you kept a proper distance, Misaki closes the night still wearing her senior's face. With a contented expression she says, 'Looking forward to the next survey,' and the two walk home side by side under their own umbrellas. An ending of trust that does not overstep, leaving a quiet afterglow.