Chapter Text
Deep in the forests, through the windy overgrown path and through the twisted turns of the forest depths, a stone path shows, buried mildly under grass.
Step up to the stairs and count to a thousand with each one. Stop at the 410th step where the first of many arches greets the visitor.
In a clearing circled by trees like walls, lay a structure abandoned but clearly loved.
The building stood at the end of the entrance of the desaturated Torii gate. Painted wood dulled by the dirt and the moss that covers it.
The shrine so clearly loved but lay without a hint of lovers for it. The structure built to last, for not even neglect let its wood rot nor its mental to rust.
The earth claims the land, covering the stony floors, crawling closer to the middle. The shrine held a single box, still intact after years of disuse.
Senku hadn't meant to find this place.
He had only meant to find a place to test out his new rocket, after the park had banned his experiments and he was forced to seek further into the forests for another testing ground.
Yet when he found the first signs of path long forgotten, he had not bothered to stop his curiosity from exploring. Even as he saw the steps that reached too far up, the step that had his legs burning by his 100th climb, he persevered through the treacherous steps. As each one seemed to be neverending as the higher he climbed, the more stairs he saw.
By his 278th step, he had realized he had fallen towards a sunk-cost fallacy.
What was the point of stopping when he had dared to climb up 278 steps, only to give up before reaching the top? Senku's legs were shaking with fatigue. But he had no choice but to climb higher. He had gone this far, it was only fair he allowed himself the reward of seeing the top.
By the 392nd step, he saw the archway of a simple Torii and beyond it, saw more stairs. His heart dropped and he was already collapsed. How could he take more steps?
He kept climbing.
By the 501st step, he was well and truly done for. He had no way of getting back down without dying. He had underestimated how far up and how many more he needed to climb before reaching the top. He glanced down at the steps below and wondered if he should quit now.
He kept counting.
Perseverance and determination, with a bit of his own ego mixed into the formula meant that he was essentially screwed regardless. He knew his curiosity would not allow him to quit now. If he gave up without having ever seen the top, he wouldn't have been able to accept it.
Although, thinking logically, he should've given up earlier and instead, found a different, less taxing way to go up but he was already at his 731st step and he just needed to know.
It was on his 815th step that he saw the horizon. The sign of the top. Calculating all the rest of the steps was easy. 1000 steps just ro get up high? The top of this insane staircase to heaven better be worth it, with how painful it was for little Senku to climb, it may as well have taken him to hell.
996… 997… 998…
999…
1000!
He’s at the top. standing directly under the Torii gate as he looked across the place
Staring at the clearing, Senku almost felt it wasn't worth the trouble and pain he had to go through with all those steps but even so, the area was, in a strange way, interesting.
There was plenty of space around, with only the shrine at the very end as the biggest building. Honestly, if it weren't for the grueling climb up those thousand steps, Senku would think this place was perfect to set up his tests on.
After all, the clearing seemed perfectly abandoned, preserving the timeless beauty of it while keeping it clean of too much foliage. There was a bell near the shrine, some stone carved seats at the side of the stone paths, even a place to put in offerings.
Senku wasn't a believer of gods but even he could tell this god was beloved. Simply by how well everything had been preserved, even after being abandoned like this. Perhaps some people even make the trek every few years or so just to go back here? Or perhaps they were like Senku, who had stumbled upon the thousand steps and grew curious.
Up on the shrine, the name of the God, written delicately on the wood, was barely readable, with only the carved indents of each character allowing Senku to read the whole thing.
「 愛と嘘の神 」
“God of Love and Lies…?”
Senku read.
Honestly, what a dual God…
Love AND Lies? Senku never understands how Gods are given their titles, it's not as if love and lies are that interconnected. What would be the purpose of having a singular God for both? Then again, Byakuya also said there were many different gods of the same title, like war or fortune.
Whatever. Science never believed in a god after all, so what was the point in wondering about that now?
Still, even as Senku thought that, he still walked towards the shrine, even when his legs trembled from the exercise. The shrine was simple, with details in the painting and wood worn down and the statues and ishi-doro were still intact while the poles where the paper lanterns hung— or should've hung at least, considering they were gone— were on the verge of breaking.
It was a peaceful place and despite the fact Senku was alone deep into the forest— because Taiju was out on a trip with his grandmother for a few days and couldn't accompany Senku for the test— he felt safe here.
For one, who else would try to climb a thousand steps and have ulterior motives?
For two, the forest around the park doesn't have any dangerous animals that could potentially attack Senku. He could hear the birds and the bugs in the surroundings, meaning that not many predators existed in the area.
For three… maybe Senku was just imagining it, but the shrine felt like it gave off a feeling of safety. Like it was protected by the god that this place belonged to.
In that sense, maybe it had to do with association to gods and safety? This god didn't seem malicious and even when the place was clearly for a kitsune god, which were known for their trickery and mischief, they weren't malevolent deities. Infact, the being was a God of Love, so would they really be anything BUT safety and care?
Maybe Byakuya was influencing him too much…
•.∙☾.☆*:..｡. ☄︎.｡.:*☆.☽∙.•
Senku first visited a shrine when he was 5 years old.
He was young and hadn't yet found his love for science. Byakuya had visited a shrine to a God of Fortune. A young Senku had been curious about these so-called deities after they were discussed as a tale by his teacher.
The goddess was a Ningyo. The goddess was one of the more popular ones at that.
“So we have to give him wine?”
Was Senku's first question when they got there and he observed the people putting offerings in the box, with most of the offerings being small bottles of wine.
“Yep, but that's after we send our prayers to the god. They say if you pray and offer wine to the god, he will bless you with good fortune.”
Byakuya explained with a grin as they sat at the nearby bench.
However, Senku didn't understand.
“But why wine? And how do they give us blessings?”
Byakuya wasn't surprised by the questions. Senku was an ever curious child after all, always asking and questioning anything he saw or heard. It had been hard at times to explain simple things to a child but he endeavoured to answer each one as best he could, even when his joking answers would only make Senku annoyed.
“Maybe he uses magic?”
Byakuya had answered with a teasing look and as he expected, Senku didn't look amused.
“Magic? Do we know when he blesses us?”
“We don't. Sometimes good things happen to us because the gods have blessed us.”
Senku frowned even more as he glared at the shrine.
“But there's no proof? What if it's a coincidence? what if we prayed but nothing happened?”
It was a product of Senku's curiosity that he refuses to believe when he can't see any physical evidence of it. No explanation would work if Byakuya can't prove it to him and Byakuya, knowing that, could only soften his teasing.
“Because belief is a powerful motivator.”
Byakuya said as he eyed the shrine.
“If you believe in something, believe that you would one day be able to get wanted, won't you be more willing to work hard for it?”
Senku huffed, crossing his arms in a way a child normally wouldn't
But Senku's not really a normal child…
“But if they get what they want through hard work, then what do the gods even do to help them?”
What was the point of praying when you were going to achieve what they wanted by working for it? Senku didn't get it.
“Some people just need that extra push.”
Byakuya explained as he cheerfully pointed at the shrine.
“Maybe if I pray for me to pass the astronaut qualification exam, I'll be able to ace it!”
Senku remembers scoffing at that, thinking his father was being over-enthusiastic again, but it never really did leave his mind.
. . * . ⭐︎ . * . ⭐︎ * .
* . ☾ * . ☄︎ * . ⭐︎ * .
⋆ ☁︎ ｡⋆ ｡ ⋆ ｡ﾟ ☁︎ ｡
𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓃠𓍊𓋼𓍊
So Senku kept eyeing the shrine with a conflicted look. Unsure of why the memory kept popping up but inevitably, Senku walked up to the shrine and dusted off the offering box in the middle. Senku wasn't even sure what to offer the god, seeing as he had nothing on his person besides his backpack with a notebook, the park map and pencils.
He had only planned to scout the area for his tests, seeing as the big oaf wasn't available to carry the heavy equipment for him.
Looking around, he spotted a nearby patch of flowers growing near the shrine. Upon closer inspection, Senku used his phone to google the kind of flower out of curiosity. After all, the plants are usually useful since some contain natural medicinal effects or even poisons.
Solanum Nigrum, or in more known terms, Black Nightshades.
Common enough that Senku didn't question why it was growing here. The place was high up on a sloped hill, so naturally, these kinds of plants tend to grow in these soils. Though the fact they were growing near the shrine and not down the slopes of the hill was up for speculation. Could it have just migrated here over time?
Either way, Senku plucked one of the flowers and went back to the shrine. He paced the flower inside of the box and closed the lid. It was a shitty offering, considering the plant was quite literally right there. What was a god even going to use a flower for?
But Senku thought the God would appreciate any offering given, considering how long it must've been since the last one.
Senku huffed as he looked at his watch. It was nearly dusk, the sun was setting soon and Senku remembered how long of a journey he'll have to take, walking back down the thousand steps. He could feel himself wanting to just collapse already at the thought but he just sighed and took one last look up at the shrine before heading off. Not even bothering to give a prayer to accompany the small offering.
Don't have time to send a prayer… these stairs would take at least an hour and a half to descend before I reach the bottom. Ugh, if only there weren't so many steps just to get up this shrine.
Senku started his trek back down and started counting in his head again.
5… 6… 7…
He passed by the main entrance. The Torii gate loomed over his head.
࿄ Chime ࿄࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ
52… 53… 54…
He passed by a few more Torii gates on the way down.
126… 127… 128…
Senku was quite confident in his abilities in maths. Counting wasn’t difficult for him and with his great memory, he would never lose count of anything.
249… 250… 351…
Which is why he grew confused.
356… 460…
After counting the thousand steps, how is it that he feels like his mind is getting confused by the numbers in his head?
579…. 621… 787…
No… wasn't he still at 129? How is he already at 787?
834… 912… 999…
Senku paused as he reached the last step down.
࿄ Chime ࿄࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ
1000…?
Senku blinked. That shouldn't be possible. He felt like he had only started walking down the steps about 20 or so minutes ago. How is he already down here?
Checking his time on the phone, he was already down the hill after nearly a 3rd of the time it should've taken him to get down. It didn't make sense.
Senku glanced up at the steps that seemed to go one forever, his mind, for the first time, felt completely jumbled around.
What was that…?
─── ･ ｡Ħ : * . ⛩ . * : Ħ ﾟ. ───
Senku was able to make it back home before he had to do his usual calls with Byakuya thankfully. He still hasn't figured out how he had gotten down the stairs so fast, no theories seemed likely.
Either:
- He was dizzy from the long trek and since he hadn't brought water with him, he may have been a bit delirious from dehydration and exhaustion
Verdict: Likely, but if he was delirious, shouldn't he have passed out? That doesn't explain the time either, since he had checked it multiple times and even checked the clock in the park to make sure his watch wasn't broken.
- The Black Nightshade caused hallucinations when he picked it up. They were toxic after all.
Verdict: Unlikely, seeing as Senku would need to have ingested it before it could take any real effect.
- He miscounted and there weren't actually a thousand steps up that hill.
Verdict: Even more unlikely. There was no way Senku could miscount that. He was confident in his skills in counting and was sure he wouldn't have forgotten climbing a thousand grueling steps just to get to a shrine he didn't even know was there.
Senku thought of some more theories but none of them seemed to fit or make sense. There was always a contradiction or something that just didn't add up. By the time Senku made it to the front of his apartment door, he had run out of likely or unlikely theories that could explain the skips in steps and the shortened time.
The most appallingly hilarious theory Senku thought up was that it was done by magic.
Hah! Like hell Senku believed in that kinda crap.
But still, he can't exactly rule it out, as there was really no other explanation. Senku would need to go back there again to test his theories and the likelihood of it happening again.
Maybe he could bring Taiju this time, so he can see for himself the shrine. The big oaf would berate Senku for being disrespectful towards it though so he wasn't sure if Taiju would be okay with Senku possibly offending the god of the shrine with his rocket tests. Not to mention the work out it took to even get to the damn place.
But that didn't matter, since that shrine was now a mystery to Senku.
He'll be 10 billion percent going back to that place soon. That occurrence was too interesting to ignore now. He can't rest until he figures it out.
…and maybe…
If only to admit to himself…
The calm he felt around that area intrigued him as well…
── 𓆱𓃥 ⭒ 𓃦 𓆱 ──
He was back again…
It was the next day. He had this weekend to scout out the area. He hadn't been able to scout properly during the first time and already, the amount of steps it took just to get there was making him rethink making this place his experimentation ground.
But it was better than possibly getting into trouble with the park owners again with his— most definitely illegal— experiments. There was less risk if it was in that place deep into the forest and so high up.
He wouldn't disturb the people at the park, he could safely experiment without the fear of accidentally causing damage to property AND it had a good view of the landscape below. Maybe he could even bring his telescope at night and take a look at the stars.
Surely it was high and far away enough that the light pollution would be weaker here?
This time, he came prepared. He brought with him a carry-on back with wheels, with tumblers filled with water, protein bars and a change of clothes for when he might end up getting soaked in sweat. He even had a mini fan he built from scratch to keep the heat from melting his brain.
Senku's legs still felt more sore than any day he ever had to endure through PE class, but he was determined to do this today because he wanted to get this place scouted before Taiju returned from his trip so he could . He had even asked Byakuya what he should bring, after the old man asked why he seemed so exhausted yesterday.
of course the old man laughed at him first…
Before telling him to bring something to offer the god once he got there. Senku decided he would just bring another flower he found in a bush outside their apartment. He was already carrying a lot in his bag after all.
He had told Byakuya he would be out for a while and assured him he had his tablet and phone with him in case he needed to call Byakuya. He didn't test the reception up the mountain but he's certain he wouldn't need much help. He had already survived yesterday, he could survive today!
He left early so he would have plenty of time to explore the area. The path there was easier now that Senku knew where the direction was. He would probably try and make a more obvious path if he decided to make the place his proper experimentation ground.
Now he stared up the stairs and huffed up his chest.
He was ready!
─── ･ ｡Ħ : * . ⛩ . * : Ħ ﾟ. ───
He was not ready…
246 steps in and he was already feeling like his legs were going to give out from under him.
The bag was a horrible idea.
Maybe if it was Taiju who was carrying the bag, he could have reached at least 300 steps but Senku felt he was already going to die and the bag was an added weight.
Should he abandon the bag?
He can't of course, he had valuable stuff in there like food and water. It wasn't like Senku needed to trek the whole way up there in one go. He could just sit down here and take a breather.
“Maybe this place isn't worth it…”
Senku huffed as he collapsed on the stairs and chugged down his water.
The handheld fan helped at least. The battery should last a couple more hours if he used it sparingly.
He looked around the area. The trees seem to be Momijis, and currently the leaves were green due to the summer time. It would be red once fall hits and for a second, Senku wondered how beautiful the sight would be, to walk up the steps during fall, seeing the red and orange leaves fluttering in the breeze.
It was during the end of fall and the start of winter that people traditionally visited shrines too, so maybe he and his old man could try hiking this place then?
Senku let out a scoff.
The old man really is rubbing off on him with the overly sentimental crap. Still, he took this as a sign to keep going. If he rests for too long, he would be wasting daylight.
Checking his watch, it was currently 9:43 AM, plenty of time to scout the place. He had snacks packed, which should last him through lunch.
He packed up his water and continued climbing…
And by the 500th step, he was winded again.
He could swear the trees were laughing at him, he doesn’t know why he thinks this, the thought itself was utterly irrational, but he swears the leaves rustle with the breezy cool wind like they’re amused by his misery.
Maybe the exhaustion was making him hallucinate again? He had yet to figure out what happened yesterday while he was going down. Maybe the steps had properties that made people go insane. They had studies on that somewhere, probably.
Something about the pressure of the atmosphere the higher one goes is different and can cause someone to experience certain phenomenons…? He's not sure
Still, he climbs further and further up the steps. He was half way and once again, sunk cost fallacy keeps him going up and up those stairs. The breeze seemed to flow upwards, almost as if it was trying to help him up, since the breeze helped him push forward.
When he reached the top, he was even more winded than he had been yesterday and he could feel his legs giving out from under him as he got through those last steps while dragging his bag up the stairs. He vows that when Taiju gets back, he's making that oaf carry the luggage, he cannot do this kind of labour again.
Passing through those same Torii gates, he was certain now that there were a thousand steps exactly.
He hadn't miscounted them yesterday.
Which means he still wasn't sure what happened at the end…
But enough about that. That was a mystery for later when Senku eventually attempted to go back down again. He instead took out his tablet and started taking pictures of the surroundings. Where there was a lot of space for a launch, space to test for engines, space to do other projects.
He ignored the shrine that was right in the middle of the area, at the end of the path.
The area itself around the shrine was spacious, which meant there was a lot of space to do tests and run experiments here. It was elevated high enough that the people below at the park and the neighborhood wouldn't notice and be bothered by a random kid doing science without adult supervision. The area was rather clear of any boulders, rocks or stumps as well.
With a little bit of sweeping or blowing the fallen leaves away, maybe cutting some of the growing grass, it really was the perfect spot.
Senku grinned and cheered. Now all he needed to do was find a way to get his luggage up here easier. He should start making a wagon or something specifically designed to be easy to climb these stairs with, big enough to fit all of his needed materials.
As Senku was drafting up the plan, sitting on one of the least mossy stone benches, his eyes glanced towards the box again, where he had offered the flower he picked up from the side.
Right, the offering…
Senku reached into the bag to grab the flowers and…
He winced. The flowers were pretty wilted and banged up. Probably from the heat inside the bag, lack of sunlight and the whole journey up, causing it to get jostled around and inevitably end up… a mess.
Still, it was all he had right now, but he didn't want to risk angering a God by presenting it flowers that were ruined.
Senku hesitated and looked around… what could he offer? Byakuya would chew him out for not leaving a decent offering when he said he would.
He found some flowers, nightshades again, blooming at the side. He grabbed the ruined flowers, which were Wisterias, known for their allelopathic properties which allows them to be used for erosion controls for nearby plants. They traditionally grow in mountain slopes like these in Kyushu but a neighbour had them planted outside the apartment building. He thinks the god might appreciate a flower native to mountains but not in the prefecture where this one is.
He put in more nightshade and even sacrificed a perfectly good protein bar into it.
After closing the box, Senku sighed. He felt a bit ridiculous still, giving offerings to an abandoned place like this. Either way, it's not that big of a deal to Senku and he'd rather avoid the old man's yapping about respecting gods no matter the state of their shrines or titles—
yadda yadda—
Now he can get back to the real fun!
Senku went back to his blueprints. Sketching up potential new wheel designs on his tablet and searching for materials he can buy.
He felt content in this place. Had it not been for his awareness of the time and the hour he told Byakuya he would be back, he would have easily found himself spending hours here just sketching blueprints and researching more and more things to his heart's content.
Ugh… Maybe the old man was right…
Was there actual research on how being outside can boost one's productivity? Senku didn't know and he was sure it hadn't been like that for him since he was already perfectly productive even cooped up at home or in his makeshift lab.
Still, being in this place really did provide that sense of safety… Senku had felt it before and had chalked it up to just being giddy over having a new place to possibly mess around with his inventions in. Now though, doing nothing else but planning his next experiment, he could conclude that the place definitely felt… serene.
He avoided putting that as one of his reasons to come back to this place.
Instead, he checked the time and noticed it was about the estimated time he should be heading back down. He still needed to find out about that mysterious slipping of time or possible miscounting.
He gave himself 2 hours before his set curfew to venture down.
He grumbled again at the sight of it, his bag wheeled behind him.
“No wonder this God's shrine was abandoned… Who would endure climbing up a thousand steps just to pray?”
He grumbled to himself as he made his way down.
“Seems like a stupid decision to make.”
࿄ Chime ࿄࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ
༺⛩⋆｡𖦹
He didn't know what changed this time, but it felt like the way down became even more awful?
If yesterday, it felt like he had skipped through the painful journey back down, this time, it felt longer?
1003… 1004… 1005…
It was somehow much further down—
Senku was certain he counted correctly. He was certain he counted the thousand steps down. He was being even more careful and meticulous of his counting.
Why were there suddenly MORE steps?!
It made no sense! There was no logical explanation for the way down being this convoluted! He counted a thousand steps going up!
1013… 1014… 1015…
It's not ending…
It looks like the end isn't getting any closer.
How is that possible?
Was Senku experiencing another form of hallucination, this time, one that affected his perception?
He checks his watch, and an hour has passed. He had another hour before he needed to get back home so he wasn't worried about making it to curfew.
What worried him was the suddenly increasing number of stairs.
1026… 1027…. 1028…
It's not scientifically possible!
Unless someone decided to extend the staircase miraculously, it just wasn't feasible by any law of science out there!
by the 1050th stair, Senku was sure he'd lost it.
The path looked like it kept going…
“What the hell?!”
Senku cursed as he looked down at the winding path that never seemed to end.
Was he wrong? Did he miscalculate? Or was it the lack of proper food and sustenance causing him to be delirious?
He turned to look up the stairs and in his haste, he hadn't seen the tree branch that was right behind his head, which he was also sure wasn't even there earlier!
He sputtered as he tried to get the leaves out of his face. He could feel a vein in his forehead throbbing in annoyance. Why did it feel like this staircase suddenly hated him and was purposefully being annoying?
After getting the tree branch out of his face, he stood there, analyzing the path up and down, it felt like he was walking on a treadmill. He was climbing down but it kept him moving in place. Was it a loop? Had he accidentally uncovered some supernatural or fantasy type plot?
He grabbed a rock and placed it on the stair in a specific spot, wanting to see if his outlandish theory was correct and if he went down, the stairs would repeat and he'd see that rock there again.
But as he went down and around the winding path…
࿄ Chime ࿄࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ
oh…
Senku felt a twitch in his eye as he reached the ground not even 10 steps later.
Perhaps the gods were messing with him.
That was the only explanation he could think of for why this place seemed to make it its mission to be confusing.
Even still, Senku glanced up the stairs again and grinned.
This place is exciting at least…
“HAHAHAHAHAHA”
Of course Byakuya laughed at the state of him when he came home and called the old man. He was snickering under his breath as he watched Senku take out a twig that was stuck in his hair.
“What happened to you, Kiddo? Went rolling around in the forest?”
Byakuya asked as he stared at the leaves stuck in Senku's wild hair. Visible even through Senku's computer camera.
“Quit laughing old man…”
Senku grumbled under his breath because he can still see the old man doing that smug grin of his, clearly amused by the situation. It was annoyingly fond even from the view of the screen.
“You didn't deny it though.”
As fond as Senku is of the man who raised him, he seriously wanted to rub that stupid grin off his face.
“Ugh, of course I didn't. Who do you think I am?”
He complained as he tried to shake his hair to get rid of the mess.
“I just got ambushed by a tree branch.”
Byakuya snickered.
“Ambushed? You say that, like the tree was actually targeting you.”
Senku scowled. Grabbing his things out of the bag.
“It was! I swear I didn't see it there last time and suddenly when I turned around, it hit me in the face!”
“Maybe that god was playing a prank on you? You did mention that it was most likely a kitsune shrine, based on the gates.”
Byakuya pointed out with a cheeky grin.
“Did you anger it somehow?”
Senku huffed. He still didn't believe in divine crap like that but honestly, it felt like the area really was being manipulated by some outside force.
Still, he spoke up to deny ever offending the god.
“I didn't do anything—”
No, wait—
Senku bit his tongue when he remembered what he said out loud before climbing down the stairs.
Byakuya raised a brow when Senku suddenly went quiet, looking a bit embarrassed.
“What?”
“... I may have… called that god stupid… before going back down…”
Senku muttered as he felt his ears grow warm.
Byakuya laughed at him again and Senku had to end the call before Byakuya texted him an apology for laughing and they resumed the call.
It was just Senku's luck that he'd manage to offend a divine being that seemed to actually be real…