Even with chuunibyou, let's learn together!

Page 191

Aoba Yuzuki thought carefully and gave an accurate number, then scratched her head and said embarrassedly, "But neither of these two numbers can be reached."

It doesn't feel like there are that many.

Hayakawa blinked. The temple cost much less than he had imagined. It seemed that maintaining the temple was not as difficult as he had thought.

However, although this amount of money is not much for Hayakawa, I'm sorry to say that Hayakawa has no intention of paying for it himself. He is not such a kind person and has no intention of giving money to others.

"so what…"

Hayakawa thought for a moment and said, "What does this have to do with the future you mentioned before?"

"You don't think I'm planning to get you to donate money, do you?"

Aoba Yuzuki tilted her head and looked at Hayakawa, then waved her hand and laughed: "Impossible. Although I heard from Xixi-nee that your family is well-off, Hayakawa-kun is still a high school student, still a child. Xixi-nee may be heartless, but she wouldn't go so far as to cheat a junior out of money... um... probably."

Don't be so insecure at the end!

"It's mainly because of your family, your mother,"

Aoba Yuzuki said solemnly, "Ten years ago, when I was young, Mikazuki Temple was very prestigious. Local residents came to worship in an endless stream, and during festivals, it was packed with people. However, after my mother passed away, it gradually declined. Until a year ago, even the main Buddha statue decayed. The change in this was due to my mother's departure, which caused Mikazuki Temple to lose its reputation in the eyes of the local residents. After all, Xixi is just a young girl in her early twenties, and in the eyes of the nearby residents, she is still a young person. Moreover, she is only the acting abbot. Even she is not recognized, so I, who will truly succeed as abbot, am even less qualified. To be frank, I am the same age as their grandchildren and have no right to inherit this temple. Their views have also caused the nearby residents to gradually stop coming."

"That's it..."

Hayakawa looked at Yuzuki hesitantly and said, "Excuse my bluntness, but your mother..."

"My mother?"

Yuzuki was taken aback, and only realized what was going on when she saw Hayakawa's strange expression. She was both annoyed and amused, and said with shame and indignation, "She's not dead! She just left Mikazuki-ji Temple because she was too outstanding, and went to a big temple in another region to succeed as the head priest."

"Oh, is that so? Then why don't you just have your mother come back for a bit?"

Hayakawa said, "According to you, Mikazuki-ji Temple used to have a good reputation in the local area, right? That must have been thanks to your mother, right? If she came back and managed it, wouldn't the temple's situation improve? Even if she can't come back, she can just talk to the nearby residents and ask them to take care of you..."

"This won't do..."

Aoba Yuzuki suddenly interrupted Hayakawa, saying, "That's the only possibility."

Hayakawa: "...Why?"

"Because I told the local residents that I wasn't qualified to inherit the temple,"

Aoba Yuzuki turned her head, her delicate, snow-white earlobe peeking out from her long purple hair, and said softly, "It's what Mother said before she left..."

Hayakawa: "..."

……

Hayakawa didn't pry into the matter of Aoba Yuzuki's mother, after all, it was a conflict between the mother and daughter, their own private matter, and it was really not appropriate for her to interfere. However, Hayakawa still asked about the reason why Hibiki wanted her to stay.

In conclusion, Hayakawa's mother spent several years practicing at a temple when she was young. During that time, as a member of Mikazuki-ji Temple, she did a lot of things for the nearby residents, so she had a very good reputation among the locals. If she could give Mikazuki-ji Temple, as well as the current head priest and the future head priest, a positive evaluation, it might be able to reverse the disapproval left by Yuzuki's mother before she left. Then Mikazuki-ji Temple would be accepted by the nearby residents again.

"In this case,"

Cang Ye Jieyue said softly, "Then more people will be able to come and worship. Whether it's begging for alms or spreading the Dharma, everything can proceed smoothly. And once the temple is open, there will be incense masters who will come to make donations, so there will be money to repair the back hall and the main Buddha..."

“Sister Xixi had this idea before, but she didn’t know how to bring it up with Hayakawa-kun’s mother. After all, she has been away from Mikazuki-ji for many years. We have neither a reason to bother her nor the ability to get her to accept the current Mikazuki-ji,”

Aoba Yuzuki said with some shame, "After all, this temple is where Aunt Hayakawa once practiced, but now it has become so desolate. I really can't bring myself to ask for help."

"So that's it..."

Hayakawa nodded silently after hearing this, but he was somewhat unconvinced. Although he had always been indifferent to his family, based on his understanding of his mother, she was unlikely to care about something that happened many years ago.

After all, she has been busy with work since she was a child, spending one or two years abroad at a time, and has even neglected to discipline her own son. How could she care about the temple she visited more than ten years ago?

"Ah…"

Hayakawa grinned coldly but said nothing. This was just his own opinion and not necessarily an accurate conclusion, since he didn't know what place this temple held in her heart.

"So when I heard from Auntie that you were coming to practice, Sister Xixi was really happy,"

Aoba Yuzuki clasped her hands together in a prayer-like gesture and said softly, "We didn't have a reason to ask for help before, but if we can ensure her son—Hayakawa-kun—has a good training journey here, then we'll have a reason to ask for help. After all, Mikazuki-ji Temple has provided you with a training place, so you'll at least gain something..."

Hayakawa: "..."

They've gone through all sorts of roundabout ways to get me to stay and cultivate, right? Isn't that perfect?

Anyway, I have nowhere else to go.

Hayakawa's mind conjured up an image of a hotel in the rain, and his face darkened.

"I know that Mikazuki-ji Temple is in a bad situation in many ways, especially in terms of material conditions, which are basically impossible to meet, but... but..."

Seeing the change in Hayakawa's expression, Aoba Yuzuki was startled and quickly said, "But we've never lacked any of the conditions for training. Don't be fooled by how dilapidated the temple is now; I've kept all the Buddhist scriptures in excellent condition. Although it looks very run-down now, Mikazuki-ji is the oldest temple in the area. Even if you go to train elsewhere..."

Chapter 289 The Dream of Cultivation Shattered

"Whoosh..."

Aoba Yuzuki rattled off a string of compliments in a hurried voice, almost breathless. Finally, she looked at Hayakawa, her eyes gleaming with pleading hope like a red-eyed rabbit, and said, "So...so..."

"……let me consider it."

Hayakawa looked at the glistening light in the girl's eyes, paused for a moment, then turned his head away from her expectant gaze and said, "Anyway, take me to my place first..."

Aoba Yuzuki was taken aback, then immediately stood up: "Okay...okay!"

……

The clean blue bed was covered with neatly folded quilts in simple colors. Although the room was very simple, with no TV or air conditioner, it was spotless. Under the bedside table were wooden clogs, a type of traditional temple item.

Hayakawa glanced around his bedroom, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

After his ordeal at the Buddhist temple, he was prepared to sleep in a room decorated in a "Syrian style," but once inside...

It was much better than he had imagined; in fact, this simple, austere room with no entertainment was exactly the kind of place he longed for.

Ah! This is a temple, this is asceticism, this is a monk! I came here to live this life, free from worldly desires!

Hayakawa was very excited, looking around and becoming more and more satisfied.

"I'm sorry, this is the only room we have."

Aoba Yuzuki, standing beside her, said apologetically, "This is already one of the best rooms in the temple. It must be very cramped for you. If you have any other needs, we will do our best to accommodate them..."

"No, I'm very satisfied."

Hayakawa withdrew her gaze from the bedroom, tilted her head back, and said with a slight smile, "This is just right."

"Is that so?"

Aoba Yuzuki nodded somewhat blankly. Although she didn't quite understand why a rich young man like Hayakawa was so satisfied, she was still relieved, at least he was satisfied with the accommodation.

"That's all we need, nothing else is required."

Hayakawa glanced at Yuzuki and hesitated before saying, "Miss Yuzuki, I have a question for you."

Aoba Yuzuki's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask, even if my mother is willing to help Mikazuki-ji Temple and do some work to alleviate the problems with the surrounding residents, the temple is poor... the problem of tight financial conditions still can't be solved in a short time, right?"

Hayakawa pondered and said, "According to what you said, Mikazuki-ji Temple has already failed the three-times-the-dead-line evaluation twice. In that case, is it really possible to pass the third evaluation? The temple renovation costs 50 yen."

"I've thought about that too, but it's okay!"

Cang Ye Yuyue smiled slightly, clenched her fist in front of her, made a gesture of giving extra effort, and said with utmost seriousness and bright eyes, "As long as the situation improves little by little, there will always be a way!"

Hayakawa: "..."

This person is even more optimistic than I am; you could even say they're a bit off-track.

Never mind, it doesn't matter what happens. It's their business. I'm just here to cultivate my mind and character. I only need to focus on my spiritual practice.

Hayakawa put all those things out of her mind and finally asked the question that mattered most to her, her eyes filled with anticipation: "Miss Yuzuki, when will you begin your training?"

"Ah, cultivation?"

Aoba Yuzuki was taken aback and subconsciously repeated it.

"Yes, spiritual practice."

Hayakawa nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining as he leaned closer to Aoba Yuzuki: "This afternoon? Or tomorrow? How about tomorrow morning?!"

"Hayakawa-kun...you're so impatient!"

Cang Ye Jieyue's pretty face flushed slightly, and she subconsciously took a step back, covering herself with her hands and saying, "You should ask Sister Xixi about this kind of thing. I haven't been enlightened yet, and I only have a superficial understanding of formal cultivation."

"That's it,"

Hayakawa frowned, realizing he'd have to find time to ask Xixi. Then he asked, puzzled, "Dedu, what's that?"

"Ah, that's the ritual for becoming a member of the temple,"

Upon hearing this, Yuzuki explained, "There are three stages to becoming the abbot of a temple."

A practitioner in a temple → ordination ceremony → formal practice → accumulating qualifications and experience → becoming an abbot.

“Those who have not undergone the ordination ceremony cannot be considered formally ordained monks.”

Yuzuki explained very seriously, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "So Hayakawa-kun doesn't need to use honorifics with me. I haven't gone through the ordination ceremony yet. Strictly speaking, like Hayakawa, I'm just someone who has been training at Mikazuki-ji Temple for a longer period of time."

It's much more complicated than I imagined...

Hayakawa fell silent for a moment: According to his original plan, he would have to fast on the first day of joining the temple, and after three days of fasting, he would bathe, change clothes, and officially become a monk. Then he would be immediately dragged to the waterfall to have his head washed. He didn't expect there to be some kind of ridiculous ordination ceremony. If he didn't participate in it, he wouldn't even be considered a monk. Wasn't this just creating a lot of trouble...?

"All right…"

Hayakawa shook his head with some distress and said, "It seems that it will take some more time before we can sit quietly under the waterfall."

"Sitting quietly under the waterfall?"

Upon hearing this, Aoba Yuzuki was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "Hayakawa-kun is really joking. This is ancient history from so many years ago, why bring it up again?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Hayakawa's pupils contracted slightly, and he said in a subtle tone, "Don't people train by rushing down waterfalls anymore?"

"Of course not. Who in their right mind would sit under a waterfall? That kind of cultivation method would be considered torture in modern times."

Without hesitation, Aoba Yuzuki said, "Your head will be smashed."

Hayakawa's face turned pale, and his hands trembled violently as he asked, as if grasping at a last straw, "What about a hunger strike?"

Aoba Yuzuki replied calmly, "No."

"What about asphyxiation training?"

Hayakawa's body instantly went limp, but a final glimmer of light remained in his eyes. He made a gesture of putting a noose around his neck: "You know, that's it, putting a noose around your neck, hanging from the rafters, using the immense terror of life and death to attain enlightenment..."

Aoba Yuzuki looked completely bewildered: "You're basically committing suicide, aren't you? Where did you hear that? I've never heard of it before. This is practically slander against Buddhism!"

Hayakawa: "..."

"Boom!"

Hayakawa's eyes were vacant as he fell straight to the ground, his head hitting the wooden board with a crisp sound.

"Hayakawa-kun?!!!"

He heard Yuzuki's panicked and worried screams, but Hayakawa didn't respond at all, and he fell into deep despair.

Without these, what's the point of me coming to the temple? What's the point of my spiritual practice?

What meaning does this world have anymore?!

It hurts, it hurts so much!!

In endless heartache, Hayakawa sank into endless darkness.

Chapter 290 A Phone Call

Hayakawa woke up from his daze. The headache that had been nagging at him since yesterday had subsided a bit. He opened his eyes and saw a completely unfamiliar solid wood ceiling above him.

Hayakawa was stunned for a moment before she realized what had happened…

I'm already at the temple.

Hayakawa seemed lost in thought. He sat up in bed, looked around, and smiled softly.

Although I was upset to hear Aoba Yuzuki say that there was no "waterfall meditation" at all, at least we've entered the temple. As the saying goes, everything is difficult at the beginning, and now that we've completed this first step, we should be able to proceed smoothly as long as we follow the steps.

If I can't train with a waterfall, can't I create one? Hayakawa is someone who always does what he says.

"Cheer up."