Chapter 115: The Kamo River Again

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“I don’t get it,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said. “When did I become a mount? I went through all that trouble to attain a demon body for fighting, right?”

“If you think ‘mount’ sounds bad, we can call it a rickshaw instead,” Himegami Izayoi offered comfortingly.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked like he wanted to say something but ended up just sighing.

The two shrine maidens rode the dragon, flying above a sea of clouds. The celestial wall was a vast, endless expanse of azure, the sky stretching out in lonely splendor.

“We’re almost there,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, catching a glimpse of the Kyoto Tower.

“Kyoto, your master has returned!” Himegami Izayoi declared, mimicking Minamoto Kiyomoto’s “Todai, your master has returned!” line.

“Hmph, you’re a long way from matching my grandeur!” Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed as his ten-meter-long, red-gold dragon body pierced through the thin clouds and dove downward.

Dozens of streaks of divine power, like meteors or arrows, shot toward him.

“It’s me,” Minamoto Kiyomoto announced.

Everyone’s eyes widened, and they quickly understood.

“Lady Ise Miko, Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi, Your Excellency the Divine Medium,” they bowed.

“Good work,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, adopting the air of a master.

Himegami Izayoi found the scene amusing.

Not exactly funny, but it made her want to smile.

Minamoto Kiyomoto flew past them and landed on the Kamo Ohashi Bridge.

Before them was the Kamo River Delta, with the Kamo River flowing beneath the bridge. The weather was clear, and the river water sparkled, so clear you could see the bottom.

Without the command of the “Lord of Kyoto,” the three dreamlike Yaebenishidarezakura cherry trees stood with bare branches, looking as if they had been air-dried.

“Why are we landing here?” Himegami Izayoi asked.

“We’re not staying at the Heian Shrine this time,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, looking at Kamibayashi Miko. “We’ll find a hotel nearby. In the morning, we can open the curtains and see the Kamo River, and we can go for walks whenever we want.”

“It’s only a half-hour walk from the Heian Shrine to here,” Himegami Izayoi teased.

“Mind your own business, this has nothing to do with you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto feigned impatience.

“How dare you speak to me like that? Let’s break up! No, a divorce!” Himegami Izayoi stomped her foot and turned to walk toward the Imperial Palace to the east.

“I’ll send you the address once I find a hotel!” Minamoto Kiyomoto called out to her retreating back.

“Remember to get a king-size room!”

“…You actually know what a king-size room is?!”

“Where do you think I stayed when I first went to Tokyo!”

“Oh!”

People strolling by watched the two of them conversing from opposite ends of the bridge. A beautiful woman stood beside the man, and they subconsciously looked around for cameras, thinking they were filming a modern romance drama.

Judging by the looks of the three, it was probably an idol drama.

After Himegami Izayoi left, Minamoto Kiyomoto smiled at Kamibayashi Miko and said:

“A king-size room?”

“If you’re paying, sure,” Kamibayashi Miko replied with a smile.

“…”

Why did they fly to Kyoto?

Was it because it was fast?

No, it was because Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t even have money for a train ticket—he had spent it all on games for Noi and Shiroko.

“I’ll call Minamoto Kiyomi right now,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, taking out his phone.

“You have to borrow money from your own cousin just to get a room. How could I possibly sleep with a man like you?” Kamibayashi Miko said as she walked toward the end of the bridge.

“The Minamoto family’s money was originally all my money,” Minamoto Kiyomoto put his phone away and walked beside her with a smile.

The two weren’t in a hurry to find a hotel and instead strolled along the banks of the Kamo River.

There were large stones of various shapes in the water—turtles, birds, and so on. A group of students in school uniforms hopped on the stones, crossing the river.

It looked like a school on a field trip. Kyoto, with its many temples, had schools visiting all year round, especially during the cherry blossom and autumn foliage seasons.

A couple sat by the riverbank, the boy’s face getting closer and closer to the girl’s, plotting something improper on this autumn afternoon.

“Walking around on a school day gives you a strange feeling,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, his left hand in his pocket, his right hand hooking his laurel wreath, looking up at the sky as he walked.

Kamibayashi Miko’s gaze was on the stream, and she too was at ease.

“Ah, look, a bird!” a high school student suddenly shouted.

Kamibayashi Miko, Minamoto Kiyomoto, the couple who were about to kiss, and an old man walking his dog all looked up.

An eagle circled in the sky.

Starting from Kamo Ohashi Bridge, they walked almost to Nijo Ohashi Bridge before finding a decent hotel—they had skipped a section in the middle, lazily enjoying the scenery instead.

The Ritz-Carlton, right by the Kamo River. The hotel had rock gardens and flowing water, and all the attendants wore light blue kimonos and provided kneeling service.

A king-size room with a view of the Kamo River, including breakfast and dinner, usually cost 100,000 yen a night. Now, with the peak season for autumn leaves approaching, it was 240,000 yen a night.

In the magnificent hotel lobby.

“Do you know who I am?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked the female receptionist, whose name was Sakamoto.

The receptionist looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto, blushed, and shyly shook her head.

Kamibayashi Miko looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto with a smile.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked away from the receptionist and back at Kamibayashi Miko. “She doesn’t know me.”

“What should we do?” Kamibayashi Miko asked. “Go back to the Heian Shrine?”

They were already very close to the Heian Shrine.

Walking straight from the Heian Shrine towards the Kamo River, the Ritz-Carlton was just across the river.

“No,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with a serious expression. “A room with a view of the Kamo River and one without are two different prices. It proves that being near the Kamo River and being able to see it from your window are completely different things.”

“Then I’ll pay?”

Minamoto Kiyomoto took a deep breath. “Book it!”

He stepped back, letting Kamibayashi Miko handle the check-in.

“Two people, two king-size rooms with a river view, for one month.”

“My. Money.” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart ached.

“Just pretend it’s my money, you’ll feel better,” Kamibayashi Miko said, amused.

“At this rate, when will I ever pay off the loan? Maybe I should just have a chat with the Ogosho, become his son-in-law, and have him order the Governor of Tokyo to waive the loan.”

“Here are your room keys. Please keep them safe. Someone will show you to your rooms. We hope you enjoy your stay,” the receptionist handed over two black key cards.

Kamibayashi Miko took the key cards and poked them into the waist of Minamoto Kiyomoto, who was fantasizing about becoming a live-in son-in-law.

A beautiful female attendant in a kimono walked over and took the key cards.

“Please follow me,” she said, leading them into the elevator.

“When using the elevator, please hold your key card near the sensor. When the blue light turns on, please press the button for the second floor.”

On the way to the room, the kimono-clad attendant continuously introduced the hotel’s services.

When they reached room 208, the attendant helped open the door.

Although the room’s decor was nice, it only had a large bed, a sofa, and a tea table with two chairs by the window.

“Please have a seat here while I handle your check-in registration.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto and Kamibayashi Miko sat facing each other by the window, which looked out onto the Kamo River.

The “talkative” Minamoto Kiyomoto was naturally in charge of the registration.

The attendant knelt by his feet, holding a pen and placing a form in front of him.

“Starting today, you will be staying for one month, one person, in a non-smoking king-size room with a river view. Breakfast is served from…”

With each sentence, she circled an item on the form.

“The hotel’s Wi-Fi is free. The instructions are here. Here is also a detailed meal schedule, hotel services, and the daily menu.”

“If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you for your stay.”

Her voice was gentle, and she spoke with a string of honorifics. She could probably make a good living just by lulling people to sleep.

“Thank you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

The attendant bowed deeply, then said to Kamibayashi Miko, “Ma’am, your room is next door. Please follow me.”

“Don’t trouble yourself, you can just give me the key card,” Kamibayashi Miko said.

“Of course. Thank you for your stay.”

At this point, the kimono-clad attendant finally stood up and exited the room with a graceful posture.

“For the two of us, it’s 480,000 yen a night. That’s 14.4 million for a month!” Minamoto Kiyomoto lost all interest in the view outside the window and threw himself onto the soft, large bed.

“Fourteen million is nothing.”

“Nothing?!”

“If it makes you happy and motivates you to earn more money, then it’s nothing.”

“…Vicious.”

“Besides, if you die, you can consider this fourteen million your burial fee.”

“Too vicious!”

The doorbell rang. The seated Kamibayashi Miko glanced at the lying Minamoto Kiyomoto, telling him to get the door.

“You go,” Minamoto Kiyomoto buried his face in the covers.

“I can’t talk to other people,” Kamibayashi Miko said.

“Five sentences!”

“As your guide, let me teach you another principle. Don’t just look at the surface of things, see their essence. Why do I only speak five sentences? It’s to avoid conversation as much as possible.”

“…”

Minamoto Kiyomoto got up and opened the door. It was someone delivering snacks.

The snacks were on a tray, covered by a glass dome.

After the attendant left, Minamoto Kiyomoto found some free coffee, matcha senbei, and other things in the cabinet and placed them all on the wooden table by the window.

The two sat facing each other, drinking tea and eating snacks.

Minamoto Kiyomoto took a picture of Kamibayashi Miko and himself and sent it to Himegami Izayoi and his mother.

“Where are you?” Himegami Izayoi replied immediately.

“The Ritz-Carlton.”

“Isn’t that right near the Heian Shrine? Are you an idiot?”

“…Don’t say it, my heart aches for the money.”

“Haha~, how much?”

“Two people, two rooms, over fourteen million! I suggest we deal with this hotel and tax them heavily!”

“Okay.”

“I’m kidding,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sent another message. “When can you get out?”

“Not for a while, there’s a pile of things waiting for me.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Your Majesty Izayoi.”

“Why don’t you come and help me? It would be good practice for you to handle political affairs.”

“Everything is great by the Kamo River, except the signal is bad. Goodbye.”

Meanwhile, Ayako also replied.

“A love hotel?”

“???!!!”

After thinking for a moment, Minamoto Kiyomoto replied: “Yes.”

“You’ve grown up. You don’t need to report things like going to a love hotel to your mother. Your girlfriend will get annoyed.”

“…”

“Miss Kamibayashi,” Minamoto Kiyomoto put down his phone and said with a smile, “my mother says we’re at a love hotel.”

There was still some time before the ten-minute mark, so Kamibayashi Miko just shifted her gaze from the Kamo River to glance at him, her expression saying:

I don’t care what other people think.

“I don’t care either,” Minamoto Kiyomoto tore open the packaging of a matcha senbei and leaned back. “That’s why I said, ‘We are at a love hotel.'”

Kamibayashi Miko slowly turned her face and stared at him.

“Crunch!” Minamoto Kiyomoto bit into the matcha senbei and pointed out the window. “Miss Kamibayashi, look, there’s a white egret!”

By the Kamo River, a slender white egret twisted its head back and forth, occasionally pecking at the water’s surface, but it couldn’t seem to catch any of the cunning fish.

Kamibayashi Miko rolled her eyes at him, and Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed cheerfully.

The two sat by the window, unhurriedly drinking tea and eating snacks.

After finishing the snacks, Minamoto Kiyomoto clapped his hands and said, “Shall we go for a walk?”

“Where to?”

“Anywhere is fine, but today I want to go downstream, to the end of the Kamo River.”

They both stood up at the same time, grabbed their key cards, and left the room.

“I hear the takoyaki, okonomiyaki, fugu hot pot, kushikatsu, and kitsune udon in Osaka are good.”

“I was just saying, I didn’t really mean to go.”

“You don’t keep your word? Is that what I taught you?”

“…We’ll go to Osaka in November!”

“You’re just saying that, anyway.”

“No, this time it’s for real.”

“Do you not need my permission to go places now?”

“…I have no more opinions. Whatever you say goes.”

The two left the hotel and continued their journey from before, walking further down the Kamo River.

At a Starbucks near Sanjo Ohashi Bridge, they each bought a Matcha Frappuccino and a slice of toast, which they split and ate.

By the time they reached Shijo Ohashi Bridge, Minamoto Kiyomoto had finished his drink, while Kamibayashi Miko still had half left.

“Does it not taste good?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked.

“It’s okay,” Kamibayashi Miko replied.

“I thought it was just average too.”

“Your ‘average’ and my ‘okay’ are different.”

“My ‘average’ is so-so, and your ‘okay’ is average?”

Kamibayashi Miko thought for a moment before nodding with an “mhm,” then took another sip as if to taste whether it was ‘so-so’ or ‘average’.

Most of their conversations were meaningless like this, and they didn’t necessarily speak a full five sentences.

Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t bother counting if ten minutes had passed, because he was in a good mood whether Kamibayashi Miko answered or not.

The two left the Kamo River at Shijo Ohashi Bridge and went to a shopping center to buy some clothes.

Kamibayashi Miko had him hold her coffee while she went into the fitting room to try on clothes.

First outfit: a white knit sweater and light blue jeans.

“Gentle, very girlish. You can buy it,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

Second outfit: a white sweater, a light pink cardigan, and a long white skirt.

“How should I put it?” Minamoto Kiyomoto took a sip of coffee, pondering. “Of course, it’s undeniably beautiful. I’m just trying to figure out the style. Gentle? Sweet? A little bit cunning?”

Kamibayashi Miko glanced at the coffee in his hand.

Third outfit: a white French-style shirt, a beige trench coat, a brown long skirt, with her hands in her pockets.

“Beautiful, beautiful! So cool! The title of the world’s most beautiful bishounen belongs to you!” Minamoto Kiyomoto let go of the straw and applauded.

Fourth outfit: a slouchy sweater that slightly revealed her collarbones, and on the bottom—
“Ugly, so ugly, take it off quickly!” Minamoto Kiyomoto pushed her back into the fitting room before he even saw her lower half.

Inside the fitting room, Kamibayashi Miko looked at her collarbones in the mirror for a couple of seconds, a slight smile playing on her lips.

After she finished buying her clothes, Minamoto Kiyomoto said:
“It’s inconvenient for me to hold the coffee, so you can help me choose. Besides, I have to admit, your sense of style is superior to mine.”

“The coffee is mine,” Kamibayashi Miko said, walking towards the men’s clothing section.

“Is it?” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at the coffee. “Do you still want it? There’s a little left, enough for two sips.”

Kamibayashi Miko picked up a collared, dark blue jacket in a shirt style.

“How about this one?” She held it up against Minamoto Kiyomoto.

After looking at it for a moment, she said, “This one will do.”

“You’d better take a good look,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said. “If it’s just because it looks good, I look good in anything. It has to be—”

“Go try it on. If it doesn’t work, we can change it,” Kamibayashi Miko stuffed the jacket into his arms.

“Oh, can you hold my coffee for me, thanks.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto changed into the clothes, walked out of the fitting room, and showed Kamibayashi Miko.

“Miss Kamibayashi,” he said, “let’s just settle down here, right near the Kamo River.”

He did a little spin, his back to Kamibayashi Miko, and continued:
“Your work doesn’t have to be in Tokyo. Here, there are cherry blossoms in the spring, we can drink on the terrace on summer nights, the banks are covered in red leaves in the fall, and we can watch the light snow on Mount Hiei in the winter. In contrast, Hakusan Shrine has nothing.”

“It’s precisely because it has nothing that I live there. Try this one on.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto took the clothes and pants she handed him, really wanting to ask her:
Then why are there wind chimes hanging in the courtyard?

Why is the area outside the shrine a famous spot for hydrangeas?

Why did you allow him to transplant all sorts of flowers there?

And why, did you decide to study at the University of Tokyo?

“That’s fine too,” he said, walking into the fitting room. While changing, he said to Kamibayashi Miko outside, “Living in a place with nothing gives you the mood to travel around. If your home is too nice, it’s not as interesting to go out.”

Kamibayashi Miko didn’t know what to say.

She remained silent, subconsciously taking a sip of the coffee in her hand. Only when the coffee was in her mouth did she realize.

Kamibayashi Miko frowned slightly, looking with disgust at the straw that had obvious bite marks.

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