Chapter Text
The wind was soft and only a little cold on Nozomi’s skin as she was sweeping the entrance to Kanda Shrine. Leaves and dust gently pushed aside — all tiny kisses of the Divine that she treasured.
Nozomi had believed since she was young that a great purpose was awaiting her — something of grand importance and virtue. She had always felt a special connection to the Divine, like whenever she got down on her knees to pray, everything around her started to glow, to lighten. In fact, Nozomi often spent time in prayer, almost wishing to be elevated Above and rest by her Goddess’ side.
Leaving middle school, Nozomi only had one wish — to join the ranks of the Daughters of the Divine. It was a prestigious path, and a difficult one at that, requiring endless faith and patience. One’s intentions had to be pure as the driven snow, and their heart — married only to The Divine.
*****
“So…what are your plans after graduation?” her father asked politely.
“Well…” Nozomi started as she put the cutlery down and clasped her hands in her lap, “I was hoping to become a Daughter of the Divine.” She looked up carefully.
Her parents exchanged a glance.
“That’s a great decision! Truth be told, your mother and I were starting to get worried that you would abandon your studies.”
“Oh, never! I feel such a connection to the Divine, I couldn’t think of doing anything else.” Nozomi stated confidently and smiled.
“Good, good, we’re very happy you’ve chosen such a distinguished profession,” her mother said now, nodding.
Their dinner continued in a familiar silence.
*****
The training to become a Daughter of the Divine started with a lot of cleansing and solitude, meant to purify one’s soul from mortal burdens and worries. Few thoughts and words were accepted, save for praise of the Divine, duty discussion and prayer.
A future Daughter’s first cleansing happened at a shrine of her choosing, with three Daughters of the Divine assisting. The maiden would be presented with flowers most commonly used for rituals at said shrine and then proceed to take a bath full of petals. The room used for cleansing is usually dark and deprived of furniture: the windows covered with curtains that let through little light, with a single bath in the middle. Every corner of the room, though, has several big candles made with oils produced from the shrine’s own ritual flowers. Daughters of the Divine would wash every inch of the maiden’s body while praying and then leave her until the bath water turns cold, giving a chance for the impurities to leak from her skin.
An important part of a Daughter of the Divine’s identity is renouncing as much contact with the mortal world as possible. Nothing is a bigger motivation to sin than the influence of beings most sinful — humans. Daughters aren’t prohibited from communicating with the outside world, however, after going through training, most of them keep conversation outside of their shrine very surface-level.
Another thing that keeps one’s mind straight and body pure is a strict diet — products that are white or green, preferably grown and produced by the person themselves. This is another thing Nozomi adhered to, as much as she could, given her small apartment. All her windowsills had pots on them, growing various herbs and vegetables. Furthermore, she would only purchase things like eggs and yoghurt from local farmers, ones she knew shared her worship of the Divine. At the same time, she realised that human bodies require a diverse diet, so she often composed and tried new recipes that she would, if their outcome was satisfactory, write down in a little notebook that she kept in a kitchen drawer.
Nozomi quite enjoyed combining different flavours, pairing things you wouldn’t normally see together. She saw beauty in finding out that certain products were compatible, even if at first glance it didn’t seem like it. As unconventional or unusable as they might appear, there is still a deep world within them worth exploring, is what she thought, and there is something truly beautiful about that. Almost as beautiful as the Divine herself.
Once she was done cleaning the entrance, Nozomi went on to tend to the shrine’s garden. Her responsibilities only included watering the flowers and reporting to the Daughters in charge of the garden if anything was amiss, which she was happy about, as she didn’t like getting her miko shozoku dirty. Despite that, she quite enjoyed spending her time surrounded by plants. The Kanda Shrine’s garden seemed especially calming to Nozomi — nobody around but her, the Divine and the soothing smell of common riceflowers.
Nozomi herself was one of the Daughters in charge of divination and fortune telling. The shrine had many visitors every day inquiring about their luck, future, even asking the Divine for help in making life-changing decisions. Nozomi and her Sisters would light one of the ritual candles and lay out a tarot deck around it, allowing the cards to absorb the Divine’s energy and power. Then, the question would be asked, certainly by the visitor, so as not to alter any meaning or intent. No matter the question, the Daughters could always provide an answer, for the Divine never truly gave a straightforward solution — only guidance towards the right path; a clearing amidst one’s doubts.
As Nozomi sat on a garden bench, she began to whisper a prayer — a simple ask for her wellbeing and happiness. Nozomi did this every day around the same time. She quite enjoyed following a routine, and she believed maintaining a regular and predictable one was a way to help the Divine fulfil her requests.
Once she was done, Nozomi felt a tear roll down her face. She thought of how lucky she was to be working here, doing what she had always dreamed of. The Divine's power felt almost overwhelming all of a sudden, pressing down on Nozomi, making her hold her breath. She made herself promise, yet another time, that she would do more for her Goddess.
*****
As Nozomi was walking home after work, the sun was setting and the sky was painted with shades of pink and blue. The street was mostly empty — nobody would be walking to the shrine after its closure and most residents of the houses Nozomi was passing would be inside with their families or out and about in the city centre. Nozomi enjoyed the peace and quiet, which is another part about being a Daughter of the Divine that she loved — the time at which she was walking to or from the shrine never crossed with the paths of her neighbours.
Nozomi’s apartment was small and modest — an ordinary japanese flat, mostly white, grey and beige, the plants she grew its only decoration. She changed into her fuzzy pyjamas and moved to the kitchen. Nozomi felt quite tired, so she decided not to experiment and cook one of her favourite meals — enoki miso soup. Tofu, enoki mushrooms, garlic and the miso broth itself are all white, with spring onions adding a little bit of green, making it a perfect meal for a Daughter of the Divine. As the water was boiling, Nozomi looked out of her kitchen window and saw a neighbour’s cat returning home — another part of her routine. She didn’t know its name, naturally, but she liked seeing it with its tail high up, so happy to see its owners and have dinner. She and the cat seemed to have a similar schedule — Nozomi saw it every night, and every night she thanked the Divine for keeping it safe.
Before bed, of course, came prayer — praising the Divine, asking for a calm sleep and another peaceful day. Nozomi sat on the ground and closed her eyes. As she recited the comforting, familiar words, she could feel the Divine next to her — a tiny shiver running along her arm. It almost seemed as if Nozomi were to reach out ever so slightly, she could actually feel the Goddess, though she would never dare try.
Nozomi lay in complete darkness as she was drifting off to sleep. She was never one to be afraid of the dark, so she preferred to save electricity and let the sun wake her. The bed around her was soft, though a little chilly. Nozomi was looking forward to the day the heating would be turned on.