Chapter 13: Role-Playing

When Minamoto Kiyomoto arrived at the izakaya where he was supposed to meet his classmates, the sky had completely darkened. The streetlights cast a bright glow, stubbornly resisting the invasion of darkness.

“Minamoto-kun, over here, over here!” In the misty izakaya, a young man at a table against the wall waved at him.

“Why are you so late? I thought you weren’t coming. I called you, but you didn’t answer,” a young woman at the same table complained.

“You didn’t go to class today. The professor took attendance,” another young woman said.

“I go to class every day and he doesn’t take attendance. The first time I skip, he takes attendance?” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, sitting down next to the young man.

The young woman who had mentioned the professor taking attendance handed him a bowl and chopsticks. He casually said thank you.

On the wooden table were several plates of grilled chicken skewers and a sukiyaki pot. In the pot were simmering fatty beef rolls, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, crown daisy, napa cabbage, and konjac cut into long strips.

“What did you do skipping class today?” the young man named Kishida asked.

“Got a girlfriend?” The one who teased him with a smile was the young woman who had complained about Minamoto Kiyomoto being late. She had stylish brown hair and her name was Inaba.

The last one, the young woman who had just handed Minamoto Kiyomoto the chopsticks, let out an interested “Ehh~~.” She was pretty and her name was Asana.

All three were Minamoto Kiyomoto’s classmates from the medical faculty.

“Girlfriend? Can you eat her?” Minamoto Kiyomoto picked up a skewer of grilled chicken liver, took a bite impatiently, then picked up his bowl and ladled a large portion from the sukiyaki pot.

“That hungry?” Inaba asked, staring at his actions.

“You didn’t spend the whole day in a woman’s bed, did you?” Kishida asked with a laugh.

“You think Minamoto-kun is you?” Asana said with a laugh and a scolding tone.

“I wish, but no girl is willing,” Kishida said, shrugging.

“Didn’t you go to a mixer with Keio University? Didn’t you see anyone you liked?” Inaba rested her chin on her left hand, holding a beer mug in her right.

“The ones from Keio are no good. The pretty ones are either hostesses or rich young ladies who are already engaged!” Kishida said with great certainty.

“Ah, from Todai? No way, they’re so lame,” a fashionably dressed young woman at another table said loudly, her tone full of deliberate disdain.

The four of them looked at each other, and at some point, they all said in a low voice at the same time, “From Keio.”

They clinked their beer mugs in tacit understanding, then all laughed together.

Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t drink.

A mouthful of fatty beef roll soaked in soup, a mouthful of hot tofu, then a sip of soup, and finally, he picked up a golden-brown grilled chicken skewer and took a delicious bite.

He had been cultivating all day and had only eaten some snacks given by the little butterfly. He was already hungry.

Kishida put down his beer mug, “Minamoto-kun, want to go together next time?”

“Go where?” With something in his stomach, Minamoto Kiyomoto slowed down his eating and picked up his beer to take a small sip.

Their gatherings usually lasted for two hours, so they ate very slowly.

“A mixer!” Kishida slapped the table and said in a low voice, “This time it’s with Aoyama Gakuin. I guarantee they’re pretty.”

“Does Minamoto-kun still need a mixer?” Asana looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto with a smile.

“If Minamoto-kun wants a girlfriend, there are two right here. Why let the ones from Aoyama have him?” Inaba wiped the beer foam from the corner of her mouth.

“You’re willing to be his girlfriend?” Asana had an expression of disbelief.

“You’re not?” Inaba asked.

“If Minamoto-kun begs me, for the sake of our friendship, it’s not impossible.”

“You still need someone to beg you. You’re too arrogant,” Kishida said with a laugh and a scolding tone.

“Impossible, impossible,” Minamoto Kiyomoto waved the skewer in his hand. “To be satisfied with marrying—”

“To be satisfied with marrying someone of the same age is to actively limit one’s self-development,” Inaba finished for him, then she asked the other two, “What was the other part?”

“To be satisfied with marrying only one wife,” Asana shrugged.

“When it comes to great ambition, I, Kishida, only admire Minamoto Kiyomoto.”

“You’re too kind.”

The two male university students clinked their glasses in tacit understanding. The two female university students looked at them with amusement.

“By the way,” Asana said to Minamoto Kiyomoto, “it’s a pity you didn’t go to see the cherry blossoms. That day at Ueno Park…”

She suddenly stopped, looking behind Minamoto Kiyomoto. Inaba did the same.

“What’s wrong?” Kishida turned around.

Minamoto Kiyomoto, holding his beer mug, was also about to turn around, but before his head could turn, a fragrant head was already close to his ear.

“Having so much fun,” the voice was resentful, with a tone that made one want to apologize and please the other person.

Whether it was this voice or the familiar fragrance, they both told Minamoto Kiyomoto who the person behind him was.

“Miss Himemiya?” Minamoto Kiyomoto shifted his body slightly, moving away from her face.

This woman had changed her outfit again.

A sweatshirt with light green sleeves and a white body, jeans on the bottom, a pair of sunglasses on her head, and her hair tied in a high ponytail.

The first time, she held a folding fan, an elegant beauty in a kimono; the second time, she held a round fan, a playful girl in a kimono wrapped in a mink shawl. This time was different again, a fashionable city girl.

“Who is this?” Inaba first glanced at Asana, then asked.

“Miss Himemiya, what are you doing here?” Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t introduce her, just wanted to get this woman to leave quickly.

Without Kamibayashi Miko by his side, he was really afraid that this miko, who was not at all like a miko, would suddenly make a move on him.

“Looking for you, you heartless man,” Himemiya Izayoi waved at Minamoto Kiyomoto, signaling him to move closer to Kishida.

Before Minamoto Kiyomoto could move, Kishida had already moved to the side with his own bowl and chopsticks.

After Minamoto Kiyomoto sat in Kishida’s seat, Himemiya Izayoi sat down in Minamoto Kiyomoto’s original seat.

“Heartless man?” Asana repeated.

Himemiya Izayoi glanced at Asana.

Her expression was leisurely and content, but Asana felt that the other person had a superior air, which made her feel inexplicably uneasy.

And this woman was too beautiful, so beautiful that even women couldn’t walk away after seeing her.

“You were looking at cherry blossoms with me during the day, and now you’re drinking with another woman at night,” Himemiya Izayoi said resentfully to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

In her tone and expression, she didn’t put Asana and the other two in her eyes.

“Himemiya…”

“Hmm?” Himemiya Izayoi rested her cheek on her right hand and looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto from the side.

“…Izayoi.”

“Mm,” Himemiya Izayoi nodded with satisfaction, reached out for a skewer of grilled chicken, and took a bite.

“Delicious,” as she ate, she pointed at the beer mug in front of Minamoto Kiyomoto. “Get me one of these.”

She had the complete demeanor of an ordinary girl.

Minamoto Kiyomoto waved his hand and asked the waitress to bring another beer.

Asana, Inaba, and Kishida silently ate the food in their bowls. If there was no food in their bowls, they would drink beer. It was awkward, and they didn’t dare to speak.

Himemiya Izayoi’s aura had already suppressed everyone, making her the master of this izakaya.

Even in a sweatshirt, jeans, and decorative sunglasses, she still had an air that made people feel they had to be attentive, even obedient.

“Have you had alcohol before?” Minamoto Kiyomoto took the beer mug from the waitress and placed it by her hand.

“I’ve had alcohol, but not beer,” Himemiya Izayoi put down her skewer and picked up the beer.

She first looked at it curiously, then took a small sip.

“Mmm—” she frowned and looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto pitifully. “It’s not good.”

“Here,” she stuffed the beer mug in front of Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked down at the beer that had been sipped from.

“You can use this part too,” Himemiya Izayoi pointed at the spot where her lips had touched and said playfully.

Minamoto Kiyomoto took a napkin and wiped that spot clean.

“When you’re outside, you should be mindful of your conduct,” he said.

“Are you—” she stared at Minamoto Kiyomoto intently, “mocking me?”

“How should I put this?” Minamoto Kiyomoto picked up the beer and considered his words. “Of course I’m happy that you’re doing this to me, but I’m also afraid that you’re not just doing this to me. So, it’s best if you don’t do this to anyone. Although I won’t be happy, at least I won’t be sad.”

“Hahaha!”

Himemiya Izayoi’s calm and composed smile never broke. She almost never laughed out loud, but when she did laugh sincerely, she would reveal a very slight hint of superiority.

“You’re so interesting,” she gently wiped away the tears from her laughter. “Actually, you don’t have to be so wary of me at all. I won’t hurt you. On the contrary, I value you very much.”

“After all, we’re both from Kansai,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

Himemiya Izayoi was taken aback for a moment, then said with a silver-bell-like laugh, “That’s right, we’re both from Kansai.”

“Forget it, I won’t tease you anymore,” she sighed and stood up.

Before leaving, as if remembering something, she turned around and took the skewer of grilled chicken she had eaten from.

“I can’t make you sad,” she took a bite and winked her right eye at Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Even Minamoto Kiyomoto, who was always on guard against her, and knew that there was not a single thing about this miko that could be trusted, his heart still couldn’t help but skip a beat.

Not to mention her changeable and amorous personality, just that delicate face that was both charming and pure, her skin as fine and white as new snow, and her long, beautiful legs, any one of these was enough to bewitch people’s hearts.

After Himemiya Izayoi left, the air in the shop relaxed a lot, as if a 25-kilogram red barbell plate had been removed from a barbell.

“Who is she?” Kishida asked, grabbing Minamoto Kiyomoto’s wrist. “Your girlfriend?”

The other two female university students also looked at him.

“You can think of her as a young lady whose family gained wealth and power through illegal means.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Inaba’s face showed worry.

“What’s this about seeing the cherry blossoms?” Asana asked.

“You care about that?” Inaba looked at her with incomprehension.

Asana’s face turned red, and she quickly picked up her beer, her heart pounding.

“We did see the cherry blossoms together, but it was a chance encounter,” although he didn’t think it was necessary to explain, Minamoto Kiyomoto still said it.

“Oh,” Asana nodded, looking as if she didn’t care.

“I thought the most beautiful person in the world was Kamibayashi Miko from the Faculty of Letters. I didn’t expect there to be someone as beautiful as her,” Kishida sighed.

“Miss Kamibayashi is more beautiful,” Minamoto Kiyomoto picked up a skewer of grilled chicken.

“You’ve seen Kamibayashi Miko?” Kishida asked curiously.

When boys were together, they would definitely discuss the beauties of the school, but at this time, Minamoto Kiyomoto was usually not interested and couldn’t be bothered to care.

“There’s a public lecture from the Faculty of Letters tomorrow, we—”

“Hey!” Inaba slapped the table. “There are two beauties right in front of you. Can’t you be a little more polite?!”

“Let’s not talk about it, let’s drink, let’s drink!” Kishida gave Minamoto Kiyomoto a knowing look and raised his glass.

Returning to his dorm from the izakaya, Minamoto Kiyomoto did not plan to continue cultivating today.

He took a shower, sat under the desk lamp, read the textbook for the class he had skipped today, and recorded his insights for the day in his cultivation notebook. When his hair was naturally dry, he went straight to bed.

The next morning, after eating breakfast at the school cafeteria, Minamoto Kiyomoto took some rice grains to Sanshiro Pond.

He first practiced on his own under the chinquapin tree, then used the rice to lure the carp over and ask about the doubts he had accumulated in his cultivation.

This time, Kamibayashi Miko did not have the carp spit at him, but had the carp form words and guide him seriously.

It wasn’t until he heard human voices that Minamoto Kiyomoto left the pond. It was also time for class.

From 8:30 to 12:15 was immunology.

After class, he ate with Asana, Inaba, and Kishida at the Central Cafeteria and read a book there for a while.

When it was almost one o’clock, they went to microbiology class together.

It started at one and ended at 4:40.

After it ended, Asana and Inaba suggested going to the Starbucks on campus together. Kishida said he was going to play ball, and Minamoto Kiyomoto, who was going to cultivate, used the excuse of having a part-time job.

After the two girls left, Kishida called out to Minamoto Kiyomoto, who was about to leave.

“Where are you going? We’re going this way.”

“I have something to do, I’m not playing ball,” Minamoto Kiyomoto thought he was trying to drag him to the court.

“The public lecture from the Faculty of Letters, you forgot?”

Only when Kishida said this did Minamoto Kiyomoto remember that there was such a thing.

He had never seen Kamibayashi Miko in class, and he could take the opportunity to pass her a small note and ask questions without paying. It was killing two birds with one stone.

“Let’s go!” he said.

“You’ve finally come to your senses!” Kishida showed a lewd smile.

At five in the afternoon, Minamoto Kiyomoto and Kishida walked into a classroom in the Faculty of Letters.

Kamibayashi Miko, who was sitting in the front row by the window, glanced at him, and he immediately sat down next to her.

Kishida was about to walk to the back, but when he saw his bold action, he hesitated for a moment, and finally went to the back.

“You look really beautiful today,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“Thank you,” class had already started, but the lecturer hadn’t arrived yet. Kamibayashi Miko looked out the window boredly.

“I have a question—” Minamoto Kiyomoto paused, and finally wrote the question in his notebook to prevent the girls from the Faculty of Letters sitting behind them from thinking he was a member of the Werewolf Research Society, the Todai Gensokyo, or the Shrine Research Club.

Kamibayashi Miko’s gaze fell on the notebook Minamoto Kiyomoto had pushed over.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s handwriting was like him, beautiful and flamboyant, without a trace of confusion, full of confidence.

The question was about how the Wind Control Curse could borrow the power of the wind between heaven and earth.

She rested her head on her left hand, held a pen in her right, and began to write on it as casually as if she were solving a primary school math problem.

That scene had a very university student feel to it. Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at it several times.

Watching their interaction, the boys and girls in the classroom all had a look of heartbreak as if they wanted to kill someone.

“Sorry, sorry, I forgot I had class today,” almost ten minutes into the class, the teacher for this class finally arrived.

Everyone was already used to it.

Being late was considered good. There were even professors who would cancel class directly, but would just casually post a notice of cancellation that no one would know about, making the whole class sit in the classroom for a whole morning for nothing.

“In today’s class, we will talk about Scott. He was a famous British historical novelist and poet…”

“Sorry, sorry, I got lost,” eleven minutes into the class, Himemiya Izayoi walked in from the front door of the classroom, dressed as a pure university student, even wearing round-framed glasses.

Good clothes on her, Minamoto Kiyomoto felt like she was role-playing.

Watching Kamibayashi Miko, who usually didn’t interact with people, go back and forth with Minamoto Kiyomoto using a notebook, the boys in the classroom who were originally in despair, after seeing Himemiya Izayoi, had their hopes rekindled.

“This student, you should come in from the back door next time,” the teacher reminded.

“Okay,” Himemiya Izayoi sat down next to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

The teacher turned around and continued to write Scott’s life on the blackboard. Minamoto Kiyomoto closed his notebook, picked up his pen, and stood up to go to the back row.

Himemiya Izayoi reached out and pulled him back to his seat, glaring at him angrily, like a girlfriend who had been neglected.

Minamoto Kiyomoto opened his notebook again and sat between the two miko.

The classroom was a bit dark at this time, and it was too early to turn on the lights.

Minamoto Kiyomoto wrote in his notebook: Miss Kamibayashi, save me!!!

Halfway through quietly pushing the notebook over, it was taken away by Himemiya Izayoi.

She looked at the plea for help in the notebook with interest, and even flipped through it with great interest.

Minamoto Kiyomoto turned his head to look at Kamibayashi Miko’s side.

Outside the long, narrow window, a huge zelkova tree stood there. The sky behind the trunk was gradually darkening.

In the classroom, whether it was the lecturing teacher or the listening students, everyone’s face was a blur.

(End of Chapter)