Chapter 42: The Minamoto Clan of Kyoto

“A water-filled iron bucket has a hole.”

After finishing his morning practice, Minamoto Kiyomoto watered his vegetable garden and soaked in the hot spring, thinking about the dream he had last night.

Was it because of Yuka’s teasing during the day? Or was it Himemiya Izayoi’s whipping of his wallet at night?
He went to school in the morning and continued to dissect the corpse.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s group was assigned the corpse of an elderly man. The girls didn’t want to touch it, and the boys wanted to touch it even less, but medical students had to.

After class, before he had even taken off his white coat, he posted his thoughts on the class in “Miss Kamibayashi and Her Two Tenants.”

“In this life, one cannot have everything one wants, nor can one do everything for oneself.” (Su)
“Come to the coffee shop.” (Yoru)
“It’s the 20th. Remember to pay the rent.” (Shen)
“In this life, one cannot have everything one wants. I have to go back and take a bath.” (Su)
“Did you wet your pants? (Kind)” (Shen)
“Is Miss Kamibayashi on her period today? Her temper isn’t very good.” (Su)
“(Caramel macchiato, pink lips holding a white straw.jpg)” (Yoru)
The Himemiya Izayoi in the photo was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with a light pink sleeveless knitted sweater over it. Today, she was going for a pure and sweet style.

She was a little less cute than yesterday, and a little more like a young girl.

“I’m going to post a photo of the old man’s stomach.” (Su)
Minamoto Kiyomoto walked on the ginkgo avenue, zoomed in on Himemiya Izayoi’s photo, and from a medical perspective, carefully studied her collarbone.

“Is that Minamoto Kiyomoto?”

“Yes,” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked up, zoomed out of the photo, then swiped the phone screen, replacing it with a frontal view of a human skeleton.

“We have something to ask you.”

There were three people in front of him: a middle-aged man, and the remaining two girls were about the same age as Minamoto Kiyomoto. They were both good-looking, one tall and one petite and cute.

The three of them had an outstanding temperament, like some kind of earl or viscount, and they spoke with a natural air of superiority.

“Who are you?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked with confusion.

“We are also surnamed Minamoto,” the middle-aged man took the phone from his hand and handed it to the petite girl.

The girl smiled apologetically at Minamoto Kiyomoto and turned off the phone.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at the three of them, “Are you the Minamoto clan of Kyoto?”

“Did your mother tell you about us?” the middle-aged man said.

“No, Himemiya Izayoi told me.”

“Kiyomoto-kun,” the middle-aged man said, “we have no intention of making things difficult for you. We just have something to discuss with you, and also to tell you some things.”

“What if I don’t want to know?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked.

The tall young woman, who was probably about 1.78 meters tall, took a step forward with her long legs, “This is not a question of whether you want to or not.”

“Kiyone,” the middle-aged man said indifferently.

The tall young woman named Minamoto Kiyone raised her heroic eyebrows and stepped back.

The middle-aged man’s gaze was fixed on Minamoto Kiyomoto, and the meaning he conveyed was no different from what Minamoto Kiyone had said.

Minamoto Kiyomoto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, “Miss Kamibayashi… Divine Miko, does she know you’re looking for me?”

“This is our family matter. Although the Divine Miko is of noble status, she cannot control our Minamoto clan. Please come with us,” the middle-aged man said in a calm tone.

After speaking, the middle-aged man turned and walked towards the Akamon Gate.

“Let’s go,” Minamoto Kiyone moved aside slightly, gesturing for Minamoto Kiyomoto to follow.

“Kiyomoto… Brother Kiyomoto,” the petite girl holding Minamoto Kiyomoto’s phone said, “please rest assured, we will not harm you.”

“Wait a moment,” Minamoto Kiyomoto turned around and looked at the “Faculty of Medicine Main Building” at the end of the tree-lined avenue.

“What’s wrong?” the girl asked subconsciously.

Minamoto Kiyone looked impatient, and the middle-aged man also stopped and looked over with a frown.

“Too slow,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“What’s too slow?” As Minamoto Kiyone was speaking, the petite girl suddenly hid behind her.

“What’s wrong, Kiyomi?” Minamoto Kiyone looked down and asked the petite girl.

“Di-Divine Miko,” Minamoto Kiyomi buried her head in Minamoto Kiyone’s back and pointed towards the “Faculty of Medicine Main Building.”

Minamoto Kiyone looked up. In the mottled shade of the ginkgo trees, two girls were walking towards them.

The one in front was wearing black jeans and a black silk satin shirt with multiple ruffles on the front. Her temperament was extremely noble and otherworldly.

That fairy-like person was now looking at them with the eyes of someone looking at a specimen.

Minamoto Kiyone quickly averted her gaze and looked at the girl behind the Divine Miko.

A sweet outfit, holding a cup of Starbucks coffee in her hand, taking a sip from time to time, and looking at them with a smile.

Minamoto Kiyone had a dizzying feeling that the world was rapidly expanding and she was rapidly shrinking.

The middle-aged man’s face was ugly. He strode between Minamoto Kiyomoto and the two girls, waiting nervously for the two female university students to walk over.

The Divine Miko, with a gloomy, snow-white face, walked up to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“What did I tell you yesterday?” she said to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“Hmm?” Minamoto Kiyomoto was stunned, not understanding why she suddenly asked this.

“Recite what I told you yesterday,” after saying this, the Divine Miko added, “recite it backwards.”

“Hoho, someone’s in for it,” Himemiya Izayoi was behind Kamibayashi Miko, laughing very happily.

“My memory is fine,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said in annoyance.

He thought for a moment and recited:
“The first sentence, ‘Is there also one named Seiran,’ this sentence was not said to me. The first sentence, ‘Let’s go.’; the second sentence, ‘In order to prevent her from telling anyone about this and taking revenge, from today on, besides the campus, you will stay by my—'”

Minamoto Kiyomoto stopped reciting.

“Be gentle, I’m afraid of pain,” he closed his eyes and put on an expression of preparing to be beaten.

Kamibayashi Miko stared at him for a while and said in a disdainful tone, “Move aside.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto immediately flashed behind her. Himemiya Izayoi, who was beside him, offered him the caramel macchiato she had been drinking. He waved his hand, indicating that he didn’t want it.

While they were talking, the three members of the Kyoto Minamoto clan waited there without saying a word.

Kamibayashi Miko glanced at them, her gaze falling on the phone in Minamoto Kiyomi’s hand.

Minamoto Kiyomi reacted, quickly stepped forward, and carefully handed the phone to Minamoto Kiyomoto with both hands.

After Minamoto Kiyomoto took it, she quickly retreated behind the middle-aged man.

“Your Excellency Divine Miko, I am an elder of the Kyoto Minamoto clan, Minamoto Nagatoku,” the middle-aged man introduced himself.

Because it was lunchtime, there were many people coming and going near the Akamon Gate.

These people frequently looked at the six people with outstanding temperaments, and because the atmosphere seemed a bit confrontational, they thought they were filming a movie.

“Let’s talk somewhere else,” Kamibayashi Miko turned and walked in the direction she had come from.

“Your Excellency Divine Miko,” Minamoto Nagatoku said quickly, “this is a family matter of the Minamoto clan.”

“I don’t know anything about the Minamoto clan. Miss Kamibayashi and I are a family,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

Minamoto Kiyone, who was proud of her family, stared at him with contempt and anger.

Minamoto Nagatoku’s words just now were directed at Kamibayashi Miko, but Kamibayashi Miko didn’t even turn her head.

She glanced at Minamoto Kiyomoto with a warning look, telling him to stay by her side, then walked straight towards the campus Starbucks.

Himemiya Izayoi, while drinking her caramel macchiato, sized up the Minamoto clan trio with her big, rolling eyes, laughed, and turned to follow the two of them.

“Father?” Minamoto Kiyone looked at Minamoto Nagatoku.

Minamoto Kiyomi looked back and forth between the two of them.

Minamoto Nagatoku pondered for a while and finally followed.

The six of them sat in a corner of Starbucks. Minamoto Kiyomoto bought three cups of coffee, one for Kamibayashi Miko and himself, and refilled Himemiya Izayoi’s caramel macchiato.

On the table in front of the three people opposite them, there was nothing, completely clean.

Faye Wong’s Chinese song was playing in the store. There was no need to understand the lyrics. Just listening to the婉转 and melodious voice was calming.

Kamibayashi Miko and Himemiya Izayoi did not speak, sandwiching Minamoto Kiyomoto in the middle and letting him handle the matter.

“Relax. We won’t harm you for no special reason,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, then asked, “What do you want to discuss with me? And what do you want to tell me?”

“Kiyomoto-kun,” Minamoto Nagatoku began, “we are a family. If it weren’t for your mother back then, you would be the new head of our Minamoto clan.”

“Am I that amazing?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked Himemiya Izayoi.

“You can’t even last fifteen minutes. What’s so amazing about you?” Himemiya Izayoi rested an elbow on the table, propping up her chin.

“…”

Faye Wong’s singing drifted between the six of them for a while.

“Izayoi,” Minamoto Kiyomoto took a sip of the bitter-sweet coffee. “The Bible’s Proverbs says, ‘A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.’ What do you think?”

Himemiya Izayoi’s lips left the straw, “I don’t read the Bible. I read the ‘Book of Documents’.”

“‘Book of Documents’?”

“Yes, for governing the world, and also for naming. For example, the phrase ‘forever clearing the four seas’ was used by the Minamoto clan for generational ranking,” Himemiya Izayoi took another sip of coffee.

Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded, then as if remembering something, he looked at the three Minamoto Nagatoku.

“Sorry, please continue,” he said.

Minamoto Kiyone glared at him. Anyone with a bit of intelligence could see that Minamoto Kiyomoto was deliberately ignoring them just now.

Minamoto Nagatoku’s face was calm, not annoyed.

“Your father was the previous head of the Minamoto clan. In order to gain the recognition of the ‘Suzaku Flute,’ he forcibly contracted the Suzaku shikigami and was unfortunately burned to death in the end.”

“…Continue,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“Your mother was pregnant with you at the time. She originally did not approve of your father’s adventurous pursuit of power. After your father’s death, she took you and left the Minamoto clan, leaving Kyoto. The Lord of Kyoto and your mother have a good relationship, so he specifically ordered that no one should disturb you and your mother.”

“I was wondering why I still felt a sense of closeness to the Lord of Kyoto even after hearing that he had wiped out the entire Yanagi family. It turns out it’s hereditary!” Minamoto Kiyomoto said to Himemiya Izayoi.

Himemiya Izayoi looked him up and down, finally pursed her lips and shook her head, looking away with disgust.

The gentle afternoon sun shone through the coffee shop’s floor-to-ceiling windows, sprinkling on her slightly swaying hair, like a sparkling black sea.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s gaze turned to Minamoto Nagatoku, gesturing for him to continue.

“Kiyomoto-kun, that wasn’t your original name. The name your father gave you was ‘Kiyoaki,’ using a phrase from the ‘Book of Documents’ that Lady Himemiya just mentioned, ‘Like the sun and moon shining, bright in the four directions, manifest in the western land,’ hoping that you would learn from the ancient sage kings and become a living saint. But your mother changed ‘aki’ to ‘su’…”

“Let’s not talk about feelings,” Minamoto Kiyomoto put his coffee cup aside. “What is your purpose in looking for me?”

Minamoto Nagatoku fell silent.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at Minamoto Kiyomi and Minamoto Kiyone again. The former lowered her head, and the latter’s face was expressionless.

“‘Mahavairocana Sutra’?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked.

“Not just the ‘Mahavairocana Sutra’,” Minamoto Nagatoku said. “We hope you can return to the Minamoto clan.”

“Ah, I agree with that,” Himemiya Izayoi interjected, then said, “but it doesn’t matter now.”

“Oh? Why?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked her curiously.

“With your talent, by the time of the Kamo River Festival in August, you should be able to get a seat in the Seiryoden. At that time, I’ll help you say some nice things. It won’t be a problem to create a Shikoku Minamoto clan or something.”

“The Minamoto clan is the imperial family, the direct bloodline of the third-generation Lord of Kyoto. There has only been one family since ancient times! Who do you think you are? Stop dreaming!”

“Kiyone! Shut up!” Minamoto Nagatoku reprimanded in a low voice.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked over. Minamoto Kiyone’s face was full of anger, glaring at him and Himemiya Izayoi.

“If you want to learn the ‘Mahavairocana Sutra,’ I will teach it for free the next time I participate in a ‘battle.’ I hope we meet again at that time,” Minamoto Kiyomoto took back his coffee cup. “You can go now.”

Minamoto Nagatoku and Minamoto Kiyomi stood up, nodded to Kamibayashi Miko and Himemiya Izayoi, and quickly left, pulling the still-glaring Minamoto Kiyone with them.

Faye Wong’s “Fleeting Years” was playing in the store.

“Minamoto Kiyomoto… Minamoto Kiyoaki…” Minamoto Kiyomoto murmured.

“I think the name ‘Minamoto Kiyoaki’ suits you better,” Himemiya Izayoi said, looking at him sideways.

“Miss Kamibayashi, what do you think?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked Kamibayashi Miko.

“‘Su’ or ‘aki,’ it doesn’t matter if you’re arrogant, as long as you live with integrity and dare to take responsibility for your actions.”

The sunlight shone on Kamibayashi Miko’s face. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with a blue light, so beautiful that one wanted to embrace her.

She took a sip of coffee and added, “Most importantly, be obedient to me.”

“That means you’re biased towards Minamoto Kiyomoto,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

He leaned back, clasped his hands behind his head, and said lazily, “The name doesn’t matter. This time, it has given me a deeper understanding of curses.”

Both miko looked at him.

“Miss Kamibayashi told me, ‘A curse is both a power and a restraint. A name is the simplest curse.’ My name is Minamoto Kiyomoto, and the power and restraint I have are completely different from the power and restraint I would have if my name were Minamoto Kiyoaki.”

The sun was high in the sky, but a strong wind suddenly blew across the campus, making the Starbucks’ floor-to-ceiling windows rattle.

A cry of surprise came from all around. The female university students who had put on their skirts early quickly held them down.

The divine breath around suddenly became agitated, swarming into Minamoto Kiyomoto’s body.

Minamoto Kiyomoto felt the divine power in his body rising steadily, but he still maintained the posture of his hands clasped behind his head.

He was surprised and happy in his heart, but his expression became more and more composed. He even leisurely recited a poem:

“A great wind rises, the clouds fly.”

The two miko looked at his smug appearance and both had the urge to take their coffee and pour it on his face.

Kamibayashi Miko wouldn’t do it, but Himemiya Izayoi directly lifted the lid of her cup, ready to pour.

“I’m sorry, I got carried away,” Minamoto Kiyomoto quickly sat up straight. “Su, su, I want to be simple, pure, and elegant!”

“‘Su,’ in Japanese, means pure and true,” Kamibayashi Miko reminded.

“That’s even simpler than elegant and simple. I myself am a true and pure person.”

The expressions of the two miko were hard to describe. It seemed they didn’t like coffee that was both sweet and bitter.

Minamoto Kiyomoto turned on his phone and sent a message to his mother.

“Mom, has anyone been looking for you recently?”

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s mother called him directly.

“I shouldn’t have let you go to university in Tokyo in the first place! What’s so good about studying? You just had to learn from your father and pursue power!” his mother scolded as soon as she opened her mouth.

Himemiya Izayoi leaned her ear closer.

“I’m not doing it for power, I’m doing it for beauty. Mom, do you know how beautiful Miss Kamibayashi was when she appeared in the library and asked me to join?”

Himemiya Izayoi said in a voice as light as breathing, “I myself am a true and pure person.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto pushed her away.

“How beautiful?! Tell me!”

“Slender, fair fingers, beautiful long straight black hair, a snow-white dress, holding Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ in her hand.”

His mother did not respond to Minamoto Kiyomoto’s lighthearted joke.

“If you die, I won’t live either,” after saying this, his mother hung up the phone directly.

Minamoto Kiyomoto stared at the phone screen until it went dark.

The darkened screen reflected his gloomy face.

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(End of Chapter)