Chapter 62: The Love Letter

After the birthday celebration, everyone took turns taking a bath.

There was a hot spring on the first floor, divided into a men’s bath and a women’s bath, but neither Kamibayashi Miko nor Himemiya Izayoi wanted to use the public bath.

Minamoto Kiyomoto was the last to wash. After he finished, he had to wipe every corner of the bathroom clean.

Since he started middle school, the cleaning of the bathroom at home had been on a rotating basis.

After he went to university, he was responsible for it during all the holidays. Ayako’s reason was that she was responsible for it when he was not there, so the summer and winter holidays were his responsibility.

But I didn’t use it when I wasn’t there—whenever he said this, Ayako would reply, “Our family doesn’t care about these things. Whether you use it or not, you have to be responsible. This is communism.”

“Mother is usually like this. I’ve hardly ever seen her angry, let alone as angry as she was during the day.”

At ten o’clock in the evening, Ayako went downstairs to count the day’s turnover. Minamoto Kiyomoto was talking about some past events.

“After all, my son is always facing life-threatening danger. Anyone would be angry,” Himemiya Izayoi was wearing a cherry blossom-colored yukata, full of a girl’s charm.

She sniffed a wisp of her black hair.

During the roughhousing just now, Minamoto Kiyomoto, whose face was covered with cake by her, had put some cream on her hair as revenge.

Even though she had washed it carefully, she still felt that the smell of cream remained.

This was the second time in history that her hair had been touched—the first time was when Minamoto Kiyomoto had wrapped it around his finger.

“I was wrong,” Kamibayashi Miko’s pajamas were also a yukata, white, dotted with a blue butterfly pattern.

“As the person involved, I am very grateful to you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto took a sip from his teacup.

“If you dare to blame Lady Miko,” Shirako took a sip of iced Coke, “I’ll hit… hiccup—”

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s group was stunned for a moment, then they burst out laughing with a “hahaha”.

Shirako covered her mouth, her snow-white, delicate little face flushed red. Her golden hair, which had just been washed, was wet and shining under the light.

The little butterfly blinked her eyes, then let out a cute “hiccup,” “hiccup,” imitating Shirako’s hiccups.

“Don’t imitate me!” Shirako grabbed her in her hand and poked her small face with her finger.

“Lady Miko, Lady Miko! Help me!” The little butterfly reached out to Kamibayashi Miko, like a victim caught in a vortex.

The sound of the waves crashing came from outside the window, as if playing a lullaby.

Late at night, in the room where Ayako was punished by kneeling, she passed on all her cultivation experience to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“Do you want to go back to the Minamoto family?” Ayako asked her son softly. “You don’t have to risk your life with the Divine Miko, and you can get more information about yokai in advance, and choose ‘village-level’ yokai to complete the mission.”

“What’s the point of going back to the Minamoto family?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked with confusion. “My home is here.”

The mother and son looked at each other for two seconds, then they both laughed.

“You can’t bear to part with that Kamibayashi Miko?” Ayako asked with a smile.

“I can learn more from her.”

“You don’t deny that you can’t bear to part with her?” Ayako continued to ask.

“The Minamoto clan already has a new clan leader. With my talent, if I go back, I might be killed by a yokai in some ‘battle’ in a muddle-headed way.”

“I know the previous generation’s ‘Lord of Kyoto.’ Although His Majesty has passed away, it’s not a problem to send you to the Seiryoden. It’s very safe there.”

“Alright, I can’t bear to part with Kamibayashi Miko,” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied.

Ayako raised her hand and gently patted her son’s head.

“You didn’t cry or make a fuss when you were a child. Everyone thought you would be a good child when you grew up.”

“At that time, you didn’t even know how to hold a child. The diapers and underwear were all bunched up, which made me very uncomfortable.”

“Nonsense! What do you know!” Ayako glared at Minamoto Kiyomoto. “What mother doesn’t know how to hold a child!”

“Yes, yes, I remembered wrong.”

“What do you mean you remembered wrong? You remember things from when you were wearing diapers?” Ayako felt that her motherly authority had been damaged, and her tone was dissatisfied.

“I heard it from Aunt An.”

“At that time, you cried whenever anyone held you. Only when I held you, you were obedient. You actually say that your mother doesn’t know how to hold a child?”

“Didn’t you just say that I didn’t cry or make a fuss when I was a child?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked strangely.

“That was in my arms. When you cried, I just had to feed you—”

“Don’t talk about these things!” It was unknown about others, but when Minamoto Kiyomoto heard his mother talk about his childhood, he was impatient, or rather, shy.

After being separated for four months, the mother and son had a heart-to-heart talk for an hour.

At twelve-thirty, Ayako let out a yawn without any regard for outsiders.

“I’m going to bed. You should also rest early. Take them out for a walk tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

Ayako stood up and walked to the door, about to go out.

“Mom, thank you. I will live a good life.”

Ayako turned her head and smiled, saying nothing.

After his mother left, Minamoto Kiyomoto sat cross-legged on the tatami and closed his eyes.

The floor lamp was on, and the particles of light floated under his thin eyelids.

The real world gradually disappeared like the tide receding into the sea. Minamoto Kiyomoto fell into meditation alone, as if he were curled up and floating in the deep sea.

He liked this feeling more than anything else.

◇

On July 17th, the sky was clear and blue.

Kamibayashi Miko slowly opened her eyes, a little unaccustomed to the scenery before her. Compared to the bedroom at Hakusan Shrine, the room by the sea was much brighter and more vibrant.

She sat up and stretched comfortably.

A gentle breeze blew through the open window, bringing the pure scent of the sea.

The open window?
She remembered closing it before going to bed after watching the stars at the window last night. Was it Shirako?
While thinking, Kamibayashi Miko’s gaze fell on the window. There was something on the windowsill.

She stood up, pulling up the collar of her yukata that had slipped to the edge of her shoulder as she walked over.

It was a letter, tied with a freshly picked branch of baby’s breath.

“Miss Kamibayashi Miko:”

“My crystal clear white magnolia, good morning.”

Kamibayashi Miko looked at the baby’s breath in her hand. The only thing it had in common with a magnolia was that its color was white.

“I am now on Shodoshima in the Seto Inland Sea of Shikoku.”

“When I see something good, I say it’s good. When I see something beautiful, I say it’s beautiful. I am just such a frank person who expresses what I think.”

Kamibayashi Miko’s lips curled slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.

“It’s a pity that I say I love you, but you’re not willing to believe it.”

“I’ve always believed that suspicion is a proper mental preparation. The human heart cannot be counted on. People are inherently extremely greedy and untrustworthy.”

“Therefore, in this world, the trust between friends is the most proud and most precious wealth.”

“Between you and me, besides the fact that I like you and you like me, we are in a state of complete trust—if not, I’m about to cry.”

“Regarding the matter of me liking you, I think: no matter who it is, everyone has flaws, and I am no exception. My biggest flaw is that I have never been in love.”

“Your biggest flaw is arrogance… and self-deception.”

Kamibayashi Miko continued to read.

“Although there are flaws, everyone lives hard, looking for the person who can make up for their flaws and live together.”

“Right now, the Pacific Ocean is boundless, and the Seto Inland Sea has 525 islands. What I miss every day is the small Sanshiro Pond.”

“I miss the huge chinquapin tree by the pond.”

“Layer after layer of leaves, so dense that even the sunlight cannot penetrate. The trunk is round, and the long branches stretch all the way to the edge of the pond.”

“Before I met that chinquapin tree, I thought I had everything, but I didn’t. I didn’t have her.”

“She belongs to the sun, to the wind and rain, to the carp in the pond, generously giving her shade to every passerby.”

“I have a dream. In the infinite and vast natural world, I only want her to belong to me.”

Seeing this, Kamibayashi Miko pushed the window open completely and sat on the windowsill.

Enjoying the fresh sea breeze, seagulls flew over the beautiful Seto Inland Sea. The cat she had seen yesterday was squatting on the breakwater, looking into the distance.

She let the wind blow her hair and spread the letter with her slender, snow-white fingers.

“I want to press my lips and tongue against her skin, the hot lips and tongue slowly moving up, against her rapidly rising and falling chest, sliding over her neck, my hands passing through her messy hair—”

“Sorry, I seem to be a little disgusting.”

“But there is one thing that is beyond doubt. I have already fallen in love with this tree.”

“Finally—”

“The baby’s breath was picked in the dew. When I picked it, I felt that only these stars were worthy of you. But when I wrote the letter, your image appeared in my mind, and I felt that the stars were still not as good as you.”

“It has nothing to do with being beautiful. You are unique. From your whole person to every strand of your hair, everything is.”

“I forgot to say, you in a white dress yesterday looked just like a Monet painting. Every time I see you, it’s like I’m dreaming.”

“Minamoto Kiyomoto”

“July, a morning that is about to welcome a sunny day”

Kamibayashi Miko read it again from the beginning.

The sea breeze was comfortable, and she felt the tranquility and length of life.

It was like sipping a cup of sake, under the bright sun, with a cool breeze, taking a short nap under the wind chimes. The time was afternoon.

Kamibayashi Miko bent her knees, her palm supporting her chin, and stared at the sparkling sea.

She was a Divine Miko, a guardian.

She remembered what her father had said.

“Compared to cultivation, the meaning of the Divine Miko’s existence itself is more important.”

“If humanity is a ship, you are the flag that will never be replaced or lowered unless it is blown away.”

“When everyone sees the flag, they will have confidence, have the strength to persevere, and inspire the great spirit of protecting humanity.”

As the memory became clearer, the power brought by this letter in her hand began to fade.

She unfolded the letter and was about to read it again when she suddenly raised her head and looked at the door.

Himemiya Izayoi was leaning against the door frame, looking at her with a lazy and smiling expression.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

“What’s the matter?” Kamibayashi Miko folded the paper and put it in the envelope.

“What’s this?” Himemiya Izayoi also sat on the windowsill, facing her, and asked casually.

“A love letter from Minamoto Kiyomoto.”

“Can I see it?”

“No.”

Himemiya Izayoi laughed twice, her voice crisp.

She put her fingers in the belt of her yukata, her posture relaxed and elegant.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t dare to agree to him so easily. Who knows, maybe after you agree, you’ll be dumped on the spot and then be cruelly mocked.”

“You like him?” Kamibayashi Miko looked up at her.

“A little bit. It’s more accurate to say I admire him. It’s also okay to say I like him,” Himemiya Izayoi was very frank.

However, if Minamoto Kiyomoto was only suspected of ‘whether he truly liked her,’ then Himemiya Izayoi, this person, had no part of her that could be 100% trusted.

The two of them quieted down and quietly looked at the Seto Inland Sea.

“Look,” suddenly, Himemiya Izayoi pointed downstairs.

Kamibayashi Miko looked over and saw the little white dog named “Tutu” barking at the orange cat named ‘Olive’.

The little white dog looked provocative, yet ready to flee at any moment.

The orange cat sat on the breakwater, looking down at the little white dog with an expressionless face, unmoved.

“That look of disdain is exactly the same as that guy Minamoto Kiyomoto,” Himemiya Izayoi said with a smile.

At this time, Minamoto Kiyomoto himself happened to walk out of the shop, holding a piece of chalk and a blackboard eraser, writing something on the blackboard that served as a sign.

“Young Master Kiyoshi—” Himemiya Izayoi’s beautiful voice came over.

Minamoto Kiyomoto raised his head and saw the two of them, a smile on his face.

He raised his hands above his head, then bent them inwards, his fingertips pointing at the top of his head, making a heart shape.

The cool sea breeze, the direct sunlight, the young man in a white T-shirt, by the seaside, with a radiant spirit.

When Minamoto Kiyomoto entered the house, the two miko also changed their clothes and went downstairs together.

Minamoto Kiyomoto was talking to Uehara Moe. The former was outside the counter, and the latter was inside the counter.

Kamibayashi Miko glanced at them. Uehara Moe was holding a pencil, and a book called “3000 Questions for University Entrance Exams” was spread out in front of her.

“…How can you not even do this?” Minamoto Kiyomoto said mockingly.

“Brother Kiyomoto, this is already the most difficult math problem!” Uehara Moe said with a wronged expression.

Seeing the two of them, Minamoto Kiyomoto said to Uehara Moe, “Think about it again according to the思路 I gave you.”

After saying this, he turned his head and greeted the two of them, “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Kamibayashi Miko said.

“What were you writing at the door just now?” Himemiya Izayoi asked Minamoto Kiyomoto with curiosity. The cherry blossom hairpin was on her coiled hair.

“That, the price list,” Minamoto Kiyomoto glanced at the door and replied. “It was originally the price for the peak season. My mother asked me to change it to the off-season price.”

“Why?”

“She said it was to pray for my good fortune,” after saying this, Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at Kamibayashi Miko. “What do you think, Miss Kamibayashi?”

“It’s better to give me the money. I’ll protect you,” Kamibayashi Miko replied.

“I’m not talking about this. The letter.”

“A love letter of that level can’t move anyone, not to mention that it’s your trick. I won’t believe a single word of your love for me.”

“Love letter?” Uehara Moe raised her head and widened her eyes.

“Moe,” Minamoto Kiyomoto turned to look at her, “your Brother Kiyomoto has been dumped. Treat me to some ice cream.”

“No!” Uehara Moe refused without thinking. “Unless you buy me a new skateboard, Brother Kiyomoto!”

“That’s right! Brother Kiyomoto, buy me a new skateboard! My current skateboard is a toy board. I can only ride it. I can’t do any tricks at all!”

“The sandpaper on a toy board wears out shoes a lot, a super lot! A professional board won’t! If you buy it early, you can save money on shoes!”

“And the quality of a toy board is poor. It breaks easily. Instead of buying a few toy boards, it’s better to just buy a more sturdy professional board!”

“I’ve been using this skateboard for a long time. Buy me a good one. I’m not asking for much, just the same as Riko’s!”

It was like poking a beehive, and the air was buzzing.

As she spoke, Uehara Moe also came out from behind the counter, acted coquettishly for a long time, and said that she would take a boat to Takamatsu later and immediately let Minamoto Kiyomoto buy it for her.

Minamoto Kiyomoto did not refuse, but he did not immediately agree either. He just kept echoing with “uh-huh, uh-huh,” “what’s a professional board?” and listened to Uehara Moe’s complaints.

Because her mother worked at the inn, Uehara Moe had basically grown up in Minamoto Kiyomoto’s house. She never felt shy about asking Minamoto Kiyomoto to buy things for her.

“Please~ Brother Kiyomoto Big brother~” Uehara Moe shook Minamoto Kiyomoto’s arm.

Minamoto Kiyomoto glanced at the two miko and said to her, “If you’re our tour guide for a day, I’ll buy it for you.”

“Do you want to drink milk tea? Can we eat Chinese ramen?” Uehara Moe immediately asked.

“Yes.”

“No problem, sir!” Uehara Moe saluted with great energy, then asked, “But, Brother Kiyomoto, don’t you know Takamatsu very well yourself? Why do you want me to be a tour guide?”

“Of course it’s to find a reason to buy you a skateboard and then treat you to something to eat.”

“Wow! Brother Kiyomoto, I love you to death!”

“You believe that?” Himemiya Izayoi glanced at Minamoto Kiyomoto with a charming smile. “It sounds like a lie.”

“You can’t say it’s a lie, but it’s not the whole reason,” Kamibayashi Miko also said.

Uehara Moe’s long single ponytail swung, and she turned her head to look at Minamoto Kiyomoto with a ‘glare’.

“It’s not that serious,” Minamoto Kiyomoto confessed. “Although I’m familiar with Takamatsu, I don’t know the places that girls like. Also, I’ve been away at university for two and a half years. Maybe new attractions have appeared.”

“Wow, Brother Kiyomoto, you’re so sinister!” Uehara Moe covered her mouth in amazement.

“Hmm? Skateboard?”

“Wow—!!! Brother Kiyomoto, you’re so thoughtful! If the person you liked was me, I definitely wouldn’t have rejected you!”

“This child is very much like you,” Kamibayashi Miko commented.

“Where is she like me?” Minamoto Kiyomoto sized up Uehara Moe’s vibrant face.

“From the heart,” this was said by Himemiya Izayoi, and Kamibayashi Miko also nodded in agreement.

(End of Chapter)