Chapter 21: Thoughts

Minamoto Kiyomoto appeared before Itomi Sayaka on an April day when the fallen cherry blossom petals had just disappeared from the streets.

The wild boars of that season did not have much fat and tasted like beef, full of wild power.

The two of them met at a French home-style restaurant near Yotsuya.

Itomi Sayaka found a parking lot nearby, parked her car, and slowly walked towards the restaurant.

She was already used to blind dates.

When she was still in university, her father had reminded her to find a boyfriend from the medical faculty. After graduation, he immediately sent her various photos and asked her to go on blind dates.

Not to mention whether she was willing to get married, just looking at those photos, she lost the desire to get married.

Either their hairstyle was lame, or their figure was stocky—her father’s adjective—or they were clearly not old, but looked like they could be her uncle.

This was also normal.

With the social status and income of doctors in Japan, those who had not yet found a girlfriend either had some strange quirks or were not quite normal.

Older ones were not good. This time, he actually introduced a third-year university student who was a full six years younger than her.

Itomi Sayaka felt that the other party should marry her sister, who was still in high school, not her, a woman who was almost thirty.

But the one who would inherit the Itomi Hospital had to be her husband, not her sister’s husband.

This decision was not because her father loved her, the older daughter. The reason was just the opposite. Her father preferred the younger daughter.

Itomi Sayaka was not angry, because her father was not the only one who liked her sister.

But she didn’t want to get married now.

‘I’ll refuse later on the grounds that he’s not from Tokyo,’ having thought of an excuse, she walked into the restaurant with a casual mood and gave her name to the waiter.

“Your friend has already arrived. Please follow me.”

She followed the waiter out of the restaurant and to the terrace area, where she saw her blind date who had arrived early.

The other party was sitting comfortably in a chair, his posture casual, but with a hint of contemplation on his face, as if he were thinking about something.

Her attention was drawn to his face, and for a moment, she felt as if she had seen him somewhere before. It was only after a closer look that she realized it was because his face was too handsome—the most perfect male face that every girl had ever fantasized about.

Although it was a blind date, the other party was not wearing a suit.

This was the first time Itomi Sayaka had seen a blind date not wearing a suit, but thinking that the other party was still a student, she could understand.

Most importantly, although this person was dressed ordinarily, he gave off an overall elegant and fashionable feeling.

Even Itomi Sayaka, who had no intention of getting married, felt a momentary flutter in her heart and was slightly glad that her own attire today was still elegant and neat.

By the time she had sized him up, the other party had already come back to his senses and noticed her.

“Are you Miss Itomi? I’m Minamoto Kiyomoto,” Minamoto Kiyomoto stood up slightly and nodded with a smile.

His voice was very pleasant, the kind of voice you wanted to keep listening to.

But seeing her in person, there was no amazement in the other party’s eyes. This was a rare situation.

“Hello, Mr. Minamoto. I’m Itomi Sayaka.”

The waiter pulled out a chair, and Itomi Sayaka, wearing the latest black dress from Foxey’s spring collection, sat down opposite Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“Miss Itomi is older than me. You can just call me Minamoto,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with a smile.

Bringing up age right away, half of the flutter in her heart disappeared in an instant.

“Minamoto-kun, you don’t have to be so polite either. You don’t need to use honorifics. Just call me Sayaka,” Itomi Sayaka returned with an elegant smile.

“Is it because you have sisters at home that you’re used to being called by your first name?”

According to his profile, he was an only child, but he was unexpectedly meticulous. Plus one point.

“Yes,” Itomi Sayaka smiled and nodded lightly.

“Your sister must be as beautiful as you… as Sayaka. May I ask what your sister’s name is?”

Ah, no, this man was completely no good.

Itomi Sayaka picked up the menu, glanced at it, and said to the waiter, “Quiche, steak, fries, onion soup.”

“Would you like a glass of red wine first?” the waiter asked respectfully.

“No, thank you,” Itomi Sayayaka handed the menu to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Minamoto Kiyomoto took the menu, leaned back, and slowly flipped through it.

Itomi Sayaka glanced at his hand holding the menu. It was large, with slender fingers, very beautiful.

Unfortunately, he was frivolous, and most importantly, he had ideas about her sister. No matter how outstanding such a man was, it was no good.

“I’ll also have the quiche, steak, fries, and onion soup.”

The waiter took the menu, leaving the two, who were six years apart in age.

“I’ve seen Sayaka’s Instagram. Do you travel a lot?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked.

“I like to travel,” Itomi Sayaka said with a smile. “What about you, Minamoto-kun? Besides class, what do you like to do?”

“Make money.”

“…” Itomi Sayaka nodded. “Minamoto-kun is very honest.”

“Sayaka still has good judgment!” Minamoto Kiyomoto clapped his hands, full of youthful spirit. “I’ve told many girls that there aren’t many honest people in this world, and I’m one of them, but they don’t believe me.”

Itomi Sayaka smiled and nodded. She didn’t believe him either.

Didn’t Uncle Takamine say that this student of his was down-to-earth, diligent, and motivated?

Why was he like this?

When he saw a beautiful woman, he couldn’t help but use flowery words?

“Actually, I was a little nervous before I came,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said. “After all, this is my first blind date, and the other party is a young lady like Sayaka.”

“I was also nervous on my first blind date, but I’m used to it now,” Itomi Sayaka replied.

“Speaking of which, my life goal is to open my own hospital. I really envy Sayaka.”

“It’s nothing,” Itomi Sayaka just went along with the topic.

The two of them chatted dryly like this for a while, and the steak, fries, and onion soup they had ordered were served.

Itomi Sayaka felt that perhaps she was the only one who thought the conversation was dry. Looking at the other party’s cheerful tone, he might have thought the blind date was going very smoothly.

He had already mentioned three times that the professor had let him be the first to do the dissection. If not that, he would talk about getting full marks in all subjects on the entrance exam.

You don’t have to talk about things you’re proud of. Can’t you talk about your favorite books, movies, or music?

“Does Minamoto-kun have any favorite movies?” Itomi Sayaka asked.

“Movies… I’m not the kind of person who would go to the cinema specifically for a movie. I only go when I want to go to the cinema, and then I’ll pick a movie that’s currently showing and that I like.”

Itomi Sayaka was also this kind of person, but when it came from the other party’s mouth, it had a “I do this because it’s more unique” flavor.

After all, he was only twenty. It was understandable that he was deliberately pursuing uniqueness, but as a blind date, he was not qualified.

“Me too,” she agreed with a smile.

“Really?” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s face lit up with a smile. “Actually, I haven’t been to the movies in a long time.”

Just as Itomi Sayaka thought that the other party was about to invite her to the movies and was starting to find reasons to refuse, the other party continued:
“For some reason, I’ve recently accumulated a debt of about 50 million yen. Although it’s nothing to me, I still have to save money.”

Itomi Sayaka smiled without speaking and quickened the speed at which she cut her steak.

50 million yen? Saving money on movies?
The actual situation was already hopelessly bad, but he could still remain optimistic. This could no longer be described as confidence, only as ignorance.

“Sayaka, I have to confess to you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said in the tone of a boyfriend to his girlfriend.

“With our relationship, Minamoto-kun, there’s nothing you need to confess to me, right?”

“No, no, no,” Minamoto Kiyomoto shook his head. “Since it’s a blind date, I think we should be honest with each other. So I’m telling you that I have a debt, and the purpose of coming on this blind date is also to marry you and pay off the debt quickly.”

Is this called being honest?

Why could this man always say such disgusting things in such a grandiose way?
Itomi Sayaka felt helpless and ridiculous in her heart. Just then, she had an idea.

On this side, Minamoto Kiyomoto was still talking at length:

“But don’t think I can’t pay it back. With a doctor’s annual income, this amount of money is not a piece of cake.”

“But you’re not a doctor yet,” Itomi Sayaka suddenly said.

“This… with my intelligence, it’s impossible for me not to become a doctor.”

“Only the confidence of becoming a doctor? No actual guarantee?” Itomi Sayaka put down her knife, rested her chin on her hands, and showed a contemptuous smile.

“Miss Itomi, what do you mean?” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s face darkened.

“Let’s be direct,” Itomi Sayaka put down her hands, leaned back in her chair, slightly lifted the hem of her skirt, and crossed her snow-white, slender legs. “I’m not interested in a university student like you.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto was first angry, then a look of panic flashed across his face.

Itomi Sayaka laughed, took out a cigarette case from her Hermes Birkin bag, took one out and held it between her rosy lips, and lit it with an elegant posture.

“Miss Itomi, excuse me!” Minamoto Kiyomoto wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood up, and was about to leave.

When Minamoto Kiyomoto was about to walk out of the terrace, Itomi Sayaka blew out a puff of white smoke and said calmly:

“I can give you money.”

The sound of footsteps stopped.

Itomi Sayaka put the cigarette on the plate, took out her wallet, and casually took out a stack of bills and placed it on the table.

“What are the conditions?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked unwillingly, turning around.

“Accompany me to the movies once a week, or for a meal, or shopping is also fine,” Itomi Sayaka’s slender fingers picked up the cigarette again and flicked the ash. “200,000 yen each time.”

“Only 200,000?”

“You can leave.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto hesitated for a moment and asked, “How long each time?”

“Ten minutes to half an hour,” Itomi Sayaka turned her head and looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto with contempt. “I don’t want to spend much time with you either.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s face first looked ugly, then he smiled, took the money from the table, and sat down again.

“I can’t say for sure about other things, but if there’s money, I guarantee that for every 100 yen you pay, boss, I’ll help you reduce your troubles by 100 yen.”

“That’s enough,” Itomi Sayaka’s posture was elegant as she gracefully extinguished the cigarette she had only taken three puffs of.

“Do you understand my purpose in looking for you?” she asked.

“I understand,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s eyebrows raised, his spirits high. “Boss, you don’t want to get married, but your family is forcing you to go on blind dates, so you want to create an atmosphere of ‘not dating, but having a little interest in each other’ with me, so that your family won’t bother you with marriage anymore.”

“You’re quite smart.”

“I get paid to do a job.”

“From now on, we’ll use Line to contact each other,” Itomi Sayaka instructed. “I’ll notify you in advance on which day and what you need to do.”

“No problem.”

“But if you have any other ideas, or if you expose this, then this high-paying and easy job will no longer be yours.”

“I’m a person,” Minamoto Kiyomoto leaned forward slightly, “who values credit the most. You can rest assured, boss.”

Itomi Sayaka laughed, picked up her bag, and stood up to leave.

“Boss, remember to pay the bill,” Minamoto Kiyomoto reminded.

Itomi Sayaka took out her wallet from her bag, took out another stack of bills, and placed it on the table without looking.

“The rest is mine?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked, holding the stack of money.

Standing, Itomi Sayaka bent down slightly to look at him, her short hair falling charmingly to the side of her mouth, “Now that you’ve taken the money, remember to do your job well, little brother.”

She laughed lightly, and with her long legs, her graceful figure disappeared from the terrace.

Minamoto Kiyomoto put the two stacks of money together.

After staring at the money for a while, his gaze turned to the transparent sky, which was torn apart by the tall buildings. His brain simulated flying through the city with the Wind Control Curse.

When discussing the improvement of the ‘anti-aging curse’ casting method, Minamoto Kiyomoto treated the blind date as a break and told Kamibayashi Miko and Himemiya Izayoi about it.

The location was still the European-style stone corridor of the Faculty of Letters.

“I didn’t expect you to be someone who is willing to pay off their debts,” Himemiya Izayoi looked at him in surprise.

“And you even sacrificed your cultivation time,” Kamibayashi Miko was also a little surprised. “In this regard, you are very similar to Scott.”

“What do you mean?” Himemiya Izayoi turned her head and looked at her curiously.

“It is said that when Scott fell ill due to heavy labor, he still said to himself, ‘I still haven’t paid off my debts to others. I must get well. When I have earned money and paid off my debts, then I will die gloriously and peacefully,'” Kamibayashi Miko’s voice was clear and pleasant, her words distinct.

“Oh~~~” Himemiya Izayoi looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto with admiration and clapped her hands lightly.

“It’s not that great,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said. “To continue to borrow money, you have to prove that you have the ability to repay.”

“I don’t think Miko would really not teach you curses even if you didn’t pay her back,” Himemiya Izayoi said.

“But she would only teach me the curses I must learn,” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at Kamibayashi Miko, and Kamibayashi Miko did not refute.

“Actually, the main thing is that my income can keep up with my debts,” Minamoto Kiyomoto smiled. “If I were still relying on a part-time job, with a weekly income of 15,000 yen, I would probably be lying in bed, telling Miss Kamibayashi, ‘I have no money, you can take my heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys yourself’.”

Himemiya Izayoi laughed twice, her eyes looking at Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“Whatever you want to learn, I can teach you. The location can also be in bed,” she said softly.

Being stared at by those silky, misty, bewitching, and soul-stirring charming eyes, Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart thumped.

“Big sister Izayoi, I’ll learn Fire Thunder,” he said with a grin.

“Okay,” Himemiya Izayoi’s slender and tender index finger pointed at the tip of his nose, and she said in a slightly hoarse and charming voice, “Your big sister Izayoi, and your Miss Kamibayashi, which one is more beautiful?”

The tip of his nose felt soft.

“This…”

“Hmm?”

“Big sister Izayoi, Miss Kamibayashi also has a ‘Young Thunder’.”

Himemiya Izayoi pinched Minamoto Kiyomoto’s nose and said dotingly, “You little rascal.”

“Nose, nose.”

Himemiya Izayoi let go of her hand and wiped it on Minamoto Kiyomoto’s chest.

“Alright, this miko will teach you,” she said.

“Really?” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at her in surprise.

Kamibayashi Miko also cast the same gaze.

“I told you I’m on your side,” Himemiya Izayoi said in annoyance, her temperament changing back to that of a young girl. “But, you can’t teach others.”

“The day I tell you ‘Great Thunder’ is the day I tell Miss Kamibayashi ‘Fire Thunder’.”

Himemiya Izayoi rolled her eyes at Minamoto Kiyomoto, her lips close to his ear, and began to teach him the mental cultivation method and incantation of ‘Fire Thunder’.

In the middle, she would also blow hot air into his ear from time to time.

“It tickles,” Minamoto Kiyomoto shrank his neck.

“Do you still want to learn or not? Come here.”

Kamibayashi Miko deliberately moved a little further away.

After finishing ‘Fire Thunder,’ Himemiya Izayoi patted his shoulder, “Practice well. I have high hopes for you.”

Himemiya Izayoi suddenly smiled and continued:
“Your guide is the Divine Miko of Kanto, but you were born in Kansai and have also learned three divine thunders. In the future, I will recommend you to the Lord of Kyoto and propose that you be the Divine Lord of Honshu. The Ogosho of Kanto should also agree.”

“I don’t care about being a Divine Lord. In this life, I just want to learn a few more curses.”

As soon as Minamoto Kiyomoto’s voice fell, Himemiya Izayoi, who was in a good mood just now, her face suddenly turned cold.

“Useless!” she stared at Minamoto Kiyomoto with cold eyes, her charming and beautiful face devoid of emotion, revealing a superior nobility.

A pressure that could almost crush everything came down on Minamoto Kiyomoto, and for a moment, he couldn’t even breathe.

“To be a person, you must be above ten thousand people,” Himemiya Izayoi said coldly. “I know you’re just talking, but you’re not even allowed to say such useless words, do you hear me!”

“…”

Himemiya Izayoi retracted her aura and still looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto with cold eyes.

“You’d better reflect on this today. If you dare to say such useless words again, I won’t let you off,” she stared at him for a while and left angrily.

Minamoto Kiyomoto finally let out a long breath. He looked at Kamibayashi Miko, “Is she really angry?”

Kamibayashi Miko retracted her gaze from Himemiya Izayoi’s back and looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“There is no good in this world without a reason. You should be careful of her,” she warned.

“But from the way she looks, it seems she really wants me to become the Divine Lord of Honshu,” Minamoto Kiyomoto was a little hesitant.

“So you’re a man who would do anything for curses.”

“…Miss Kamibayashi, you told me to be careful, so I will definitely be careful. I trust you.”

“Have you forgotten that I know your capacity?” Kamibayashi Miko looked at him. “A person like you will only trust yourself.”

“Yes, but he trusts you, so I also trust you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, looking at her.

Being stared at directly by Minamoto Kiyomoto, Kamibayashi Miko subconsciously turned her head away.

“Since she is willing to teach you ‘Fire Thunder,’ then you should learn it well. The Eight Divine Thunders are divided into eight, and each thunder belongs to the greatest curses. The more you know, the more the power of all the thunders will increase. As for safety, I will protect you.”

When she said the last sentence, Kamibayashi Miko’s tone was still light, but it revealed a powerful confidence.

“Miss Kamibayashi, I love you.”

“Next time we discuss curses, let’s change the location to the pond.”

(End of Chapter)