Chapter 104 That’s It! Let’s Head to Kyoto!
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
At the Inter-College¹ held at the beginning of June, Emilia advanced all the way to the semi-finals, yet she missed out on the final round by a mere 0.1 seconds. Since she’s still a first-year, there’s plenty to look forward to in her future. Even so, 0.1 seconds is just a short moment; thinking about the high-stakes world Emilia competes in makes my head spin.
Just before Emilia’s birthday, I went to Kyoto with Manami and Mayu. Yuzuki was unable to join us, as the track and field season was currently in full swing.
I had planned to meet Emilia in the evening once her club activities ended. Since we were traveling all the way to Kyoto, we decided to spend the time leading up to our meeting sightseeing within the city, guided by Mayu. It had been eight years since I last visited Kyoto—not since my primary school field trip.
Our meeting with Emilia was set for the police box where Shijo-dori enters the Ponto-cho district (aka Ponto-town), so Mayu planned a walk through the Higashiyama area.
* * *
Deciding that Higashiyama must mean Kiyomizu-dera², we took a bus from Kyoto Station to the nearest stop and went up Kiyomizuzaka³ toward the temple. The road was full of crowds and many different languages; while wondering if I was even still in Japan, we finally reached the Stage of Kiyomizu. As I stood there, moved by the view of fresh greenery, Mayu spoke to me.
”The autumn colors are great, but this bright green is very nice too, isn’t it?”
”I always thought of Kyoto as a place for autumn leaves, so this is actually amazing,” I replied.
Mayu smiled brightly at my answer. The three of us stood in a row and took photos with our smartphones.
We skipped the Otowa Waterfall at the bottom of the stage because of the long line. Instead, we found a teahouse right where the path ended and ate a Yudofu⁴ set meal.
We carefully walked down Sannenzaka⁵ from Kiyomizu-dera—making sure not to trip—and went to the Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine⁶, the site of Sakamoto Ryoma’s grave. There were many offerings at the graves of Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro, and from that spot, the whole town of Kyoto spread out below us.
”That’s just like the ones in the history books!” Manami pointed as she saw the bronze statues of Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro. We had to wait our turn, but we eventually took a commemorative photo here too.
Leaving the shrine, we walked down the Path of the Restoration and went to Kodai-ji⁷. This temple was built by Kitano-mandokoro, wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, to pray for her husband’s soul; it was a place Manami had specifically asked to see. Though it’s a famous place for autumn leaves, the gardens were beautiful even without them. The Otaya, where her grave is, moved me with its rich and grand decorations.
After spending about thirty minutes looking at Kodai-ji, we stopped at a sweet shop on the way to Yasaka Shrine⁸. This was a shop recommended by Mayu, and we ordered the Matcha and Warabimochi⁹ set. My whole idea of what warabimochi could be was completely changed.
”Your father is always such a great help to us,” the shop manager said, greeting Mayu. Mayu’s father is a lawyer and a regular customer of the shop. In fact, her father had made the bookings for both the Japanese restaurant we were visiting today and the hotel where we’d be staying.
After leaving the sweet shop, we walked through Yasaka Shrine and the Gion district until it was time to meet Emilia.
* * *
During our walk, Mayu suddenly grabbed my hand. I felt that a man in the couple coming from the other direction had looked at her.
”Don’t look back,” Mayu said.
”What’s wrong?”
”That’s my ex. I never thought I’d run into him in a place like this. Please, just hold my hand for a bit.”
Manami, who had been walking next to us, moved behind me.
”He’s with a different girl than back then; breaking up with him was the right choice,” Mayu muttered. By ‘back then,’ she meant the time she saw him cheating.
Holding hands with Mayu, we went to the meeting spot. Even though we were early, Emilia was already waiting.
”Sorry. Did you wait long?” I asked.
”No, I just arrived desu,” Emilia replied.
* * *
Following Mayu, we headed toward the Japanese restaurant. To be honest, I was a bit scared that a Kyoto restaurant would be very expensive. The outside of the shop looked very high-class.
When we entered, a worker in a kimono came out. After I gave my name, we were taken to a private room. I felt much better after looking at the menu. I chose the Aoharu Gozen¹¹.
”You see, they have these cheap courses because they want young people to know how good Japanese food is,” Mayu explained.
Her explanation made sense to me.
”Hirokazu-san, you can have a drink if you want,” Manami suggested. Since she said that, I decided to order a glass of beer.
When I first started my home tutoring job after turning twenty, I was offered a beer while we stopped studying. According to Watanabe-sensei, my father’s favorite saying was that he wanted to drink with me when I turned twenty. Since I can’t drink with my father anymore, it felt like Watanabe-sensei was taking his place. Since then, I’ve started drinking at home sometimes.
Before the food came, I said, “Emilia, happy birthday.” I gave her the gift—a pearl ring, her birthstone, which I had picked with Manami.
”May I open it desu?” Emilia asked.
She quickly unwrapped the package.
”Hiro-san, thank you very much desu!”
”Hirokazu-san, put it on for her,” Manami said.
Emilia held out her left hand, and I put the ring on her ring finger. Smiling, she looked at the ring on her hand before showing it to Manami and Mayu.
After a bit, the food arrived. Beautifully set in lacquerware, the taste was light but the dashi was strong, so I could really taste the umami.
”I’ve never had food this good before desu. Mayu, thank you for telling us about this shop desu.”
”It’s just one of my papa’s favorites,” Mayu replied.
”Thank you for celebrating my birthday in a place like this desu,” Emilia said. For the end, we had fruit and green tea for dessert.
* * *
After eating, the four of us walked around the Shijo Kawaramachi district (aka Shijo Kawara-town). Mayu was showing different shops to Emilia.
”I have training tomorrow too, so I should go home now desu. Thank you for today desu.”
”Then I’ll head back to my parents’ house too. You two enjoy yourselves, Hirokazu-kun and Manami-san,” Mayu said.
We said goodbye to Mayu and Emilia and went to the hotel with Manami.
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Summary:
Hirokazu, Manami, and Mayu travel to Kyoto to celebrate Emilia’s birthday after her sports competition. They visit famous sites like Kiyomizu-dera and Kodai-ji while waiting for her. Mayu helps the group with her father’s high-level connections, and she even uses Hirokazu to avoid an awkward moment with an ex-boyfriend. The day ends with a special Japanese dinner where Hirokazu gives Emilia a pearl ring.
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Character Insight:
Mayu shows how much she relies on her father’s power, but also shows a more human side when she runs into her ex. Hirokazu reflects on his father through the act of drinking, showing his growth into an adult. The ring placement on the ring finger is a major romantic step for Hirokazu and Emilia, even if it’s just a birthday gift.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Emilia – A second-year student, biracial (French father, Japanese mother), with white skin, dark brown semi-long hair, modest chest, and hazel eyes. A talented hurdler known as the Snow Princess. Looks like bisque doll.
• Mayu – A female student and member of Hirokazu’s study group. She lives in a rental apartment/condo. Hirokazu is her third sexual partner.
• Watanabe – The protagonist’s guardian. He is a lawyer who is skilled at dealing with difficult people and has a history with Yabuta’s father.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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