After finishing her sentence, Ayani Kika let out a visible breath of relief.
"I'm so glad you're not angry with . Ever since you ran off that day, I kept wondering why. At one point I thought maybe my geisha makeup had scared you. Then I thought maybe you were upset because I hadn't approached you personally, so you turned away out of spite. I feel a lot better now. May I have the honor of asking your na?"
Seeing the fad oiran so visibly relieved, Kotomi Izumi couldn't help twitching the corner of her mouth.
Was she really this cautious?
At the sa ti, Kotomi felt an inexplicable rush of satisfaction.
The number one oiran in Gion had been ntally distressed for days just because she turned away that day?!
Kotomi wasn't sure how to describe what she felt right now.
She kind of wanted to brag about it.
But she obviously couldn't. She'd not only visited Gion after arriving in Kyoto, she'd also t two oiran...
She needed to find a chance to tell Mashiro to keep it a secret. Whatever happened, this could not get out after they returned ho!
She didn't even want to imagine how gumi Kato and the others would react. One thing was certain—her mom's "love tap" would be coming.
And by love tap, she ant a smack that would leave her butt sore for a week. So sore she'd have to lie on her stomach in class.
Despite the complicated swirl of emotions inside, Kotomi remained composed outwardly. She had two lives' worth of experience, after all. Maybe not enough to call her a master manipulator, but certainly more mature than her peers. She understood the nuances of social maneuvering quite well.
"My na is Kotomi Izumi. This is my friend, Mashiro Shiina. Still, to have the number one oiran of Gion personally ask for my na... I almost want to show off to my friends."
"Haha, Miss Izumi, please don't tease . Oiran or not, in the end, I'm just soone who sings and entertains for a living."
After a bit of chatting, the topic naturally turned to exchanging contact info. But just as Kotomi reached toward her pocket, she caught Mashiro's glance and quickly pulled her hand back.
Her expression beca solemn, as if silently declaring, Don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't going to ask for her number. Not even her Line.
Mashiro, seeing that Kotomi didn't take out her phone, finally looked away. But the grip she had on Kotomi's sleeve only tightened.
"Miss Ayani, I have sothing I need to attend to. If fate allows, may we et again."
"This lady shall always look forward to it," Ayani Kika replied with a gentle smile, and as she spoke, she extended her hand.
Kotomi blinked, montarily confused. After hesitating a mont, she reached out and returned the handshake.
They parted ways with only nas exchanged, no contact info. Who knew when Kotomi might visit Kyoto again?
To be honest, she might never see Ayani again. So many people part with the promise of soday, and that day never cos. Both live their lives, but never cross paths again.
It's like that ti in elentary school when you had a crush on a classmate. Before you could confess, they suddenly transferred schools. Just like that, they vanished from your life.
Years pass—you go to middle school, then high school, then university. You et new people, forget so nas. But that childhood crush?
You always rember her na. You just can't forget.
You don't know if you really liked her, or if she liked you. Maybe it was just because she smiled at you once, or walked a short distance with you alone, and you got the illusion that maybe—just maybe—she liked you back.
But these are all unknowns. Because you haven't seen her in so long, and you probably never will again.
Especially with soone like Ayani Kika—who t Kotomi Izumi by pure chance. After today's farewell, with no contact exchanged, it's likely the two would never run into each other again.
Kotomi figured Ayani must have offered her hand out of that sa sentint.
And Kotomi, moved by the gesture, willingly took it.
Just as Kotomi was preparing to turn and leave with a sense of finality—
Hook.
A mont after their hands touched, Ayani Kika's fingers gently curled and traced the center of Kotomi's palm. A teasing, ticklish sensation jolted through Kotomi like electricity, raising goosebumps all over her body. Her pink eyes flew open in shock as she stared at Ayani's smiling face.
She's flirting with ?!
All of Kotomi's carefully built-up parting emotions vanished in an instant.
But that wasn't all. It wasn't just flirtation—Ayani had slipped sothing into Kotomi's hand while Mashiro wasn't looking.
It felt... like a piece of folded paper.
Kotomi raised an eyebrow slightly, unsure what was written on it. Clearly, this wasn't the ti to check. Doing her best to look nonchalant, she tucked the little note into her pocket.
"Goodbye, Miss Ayani."
"Mhm, take care on your way, Miss Izumi, Miss Shiina."
After they walked away, Mashiro's mood visibly improved. Even though the misunderstanding had been cleared earlier, just watching Kotomi smiling and chatting with another girl had made her feel sour for no reason.
Back at the hotel, even though their train was scheduled for tomorrow morning, Kotomi had already packed away most of the items she wouldn't need again, wanting to avoid a last-minute rush.
Usually, Aimi was the one who packed for her. But that didn't an Kotomi was totally useless—she wasn't entirely a helpless glutton!
Whenever Aimi helped pack, Kotomi would either sit nearby or lie on the bed to "observe and learn." From childhood to now, she'd soaked it in. Maybe she couldn't be as organized as Aimi, but she could manage a proper, orderly suitcase.
And just because Kotomi could cook well, that didn't an she was so perfect, ladylike homaker...
On the contrary—while she looked sweet and obedient, her personality leaned more toward that of a cheeky little rebel. You could tell just by how she wore her school uniform.
She never fastened all the buttons, kept her tie loose and ssy, and never tucked in her shirt.
Of course, this was just her being lazy with her school outfit.
When it ca to regular clothes or important occasions, Kotomi would dress properly. Having lived two lives, she wasn't like other teens who mistook rebelliousness and a lack of manners for individuality or coolness.
After changing into her pajamas, Mashiro Shiina flopped onto the bed. She and Kotomi had stayed up late the night before, and this morning, Mashiro had been jolted awake by her alarm clock, which she forgot to turn off. Right now, she was seriously sleep-deprived and just wanted to catch up on her rest.
Don't get the wrong idea—when we say they stayed up late, it was because they were playing Fireboy and Watergirl. They kept dying on the sa level over and over, each ti getting just a little bit closer to clearing it.
Refusing to admit defeat, the two of them kept saying, "One more round, and then we'll go to sleep." From 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., they played.
Kotomi had Kazumi with her, so falling into a golden sleep state was a breeze. Even with short sleep hours, thanks to Kazumi, her sleep quality was unmatched.
In other words, when Kotomi cuddled with Kazumi, two hours of sleep felt like eight to a normal person.
That's right—because the bed was so big, last night while Mashiro was asleep, Kotomi had quietly summoned Kazumi and, without hesitation, pulled her into bed. Snuggling up with her, she enjoyed a perfect night's sleep.
Now, Kotomi was wide awake and full of energy.
She walked over to the window and took out the little note that Ayani Kika had secretly slipped into her hand. It didn't contain anything strange—just one sentence:
[I'll be waiting for you at igetsu Cafe for one hour.]
The note seed to carry a faint floral fragrance—Ayani Kika's scent. Kotomi had an incredibly sharp nose when it ca to identifying different girls' scents.
For example, if a girl ca up from behind and covered her eyes, using a voice changer to say, "Guess who I am?"
To most couples, this would be a lethal-level question. One wrong answer, and you'd better start writing your will.
But Kotomi had no such fear. Even if you disguised your voice or used a voice changer—she could identify you by scent alone!
Unless, of course, you switched perfus that day.
But most girls stick to one signature scent.
Also, Kotomi had never told anyone about this ability.
Not even gumi Kato knew.
So Kotomi felt totally secure. There was no way a girl would suddenly change her perfu just to trick her.
Failure? Keh keh keh, that word doesn't exist in my dictionary!
By the way, this talent wasn't sothing Kotomi gained after receiving her God-tier heroine system or awakening her Queen of All Females constitution. She had this ability since she was little, as if she was simply born with it.
Back to the main topic.
After reading Ayani Kika's note, Kotomi was indeed a little surprised. Not because Ayani wanted to et privately—Kotomi had more or less guessed that when she felt the paper being slipped into her hand.
What surprised her was the eting place.
igetsu Cafe.
Not so special spot, just an ordinary coffee shop. Business wasn't booming, but it made a modest profit each month.
The thing was, igetsu Cafe wasn't located sowhere far away. It was right across the street from the five-star hotel Kotomi was staying at.
From the balcony, looking down over the city, she could clearly see the cafe across the street.
"If it was just close, that'd be one thing—a coincidence, maybe. But..."
But to have the eting spot right across the street from the hotel I'm staying at... If that's just a coincidence, isn't it a little too perfect?
Kyoto has so many cafes. There are at least seven in the nearby area alone, and igetsu Cafe isn't particularly special among them. Nothing really stands out.
Stylish decor? These days, any decent cafe has upscale interior design.
Great coffee? Honestly, it's nothing to write ho about.
So why did Ayani Kika choose this cafe specifically? Why arrange to et in one located right across from my hotel?
If she already knew where I was staying, then it might make sense. But we barely even spoke the first ti we t. Today was the first ti she actually heard my na. I definitely didn't tell her where I was staying.
Kotomi furrowed her delicate brows, confusion clearly written on her face.
So many coincidences... It's hard not to overthink. Kotomi couldn't help but speculate about Kika's reason for choosing igetsu Cafe.
Don't tell she followed ?!
Did the top courtesan of Gion really stalk ? Am I that irresistible?! Fufufu~ Looks like even a flower courtesan couldn't resist my beauty...
If Mashiro weren't sleeping, Kotomi would have thrown her head back and burst out laughing. She was already itching to write a short story called "The Gion Courtesan Fell in Love With " and post it on Twitter.
Putting the note away, Kotomi walked to the bedside and picked up her jacket, ready to head out—but suddenly felt a small hand tug at her sleeve from behind.
She paused and turned around. Mashiro, who had been asleep just monts before, had sohow opened her sleepy eyes and was now holding onto Kotomi's sleeve.
"Kotomi, where are you going?"
Mashiro's voice was soft and drowsy, ltingly sweet, like a tiny pet afraid of being abandoned. She looked up at Kotomi with puppy-like eyes, as if silently asking: You're not leaving , are you?
Kotomi's heart turned to mush. If not for her last shred of rationality, she might have leaned down and kissed those soft pink lips.
Instead, she smiled gently and sat down beside Mashiro, stroking her golden hair.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with you."
Mashiro's eyes lit up with happiness. "Really?!"
"Really. You said you wanted to nap, right? Go on and sleep. We've got the closing ceremony for the first art exhibition in a few hours. You should rest while you can."
"Kotomi, will you lull to sleep?"
Kotomi paused, then nodded. "Ah... okay."
She had no real experience with lulling soone to sleep. When she was a kid, it had always been Aimi, her younger sister, who lulled her to sleep.
But since Aimi had done it so often—every afternoon nap until the end of third grade—Kotomi had practically morized the lullabies.
Not intentionally. She just heard them so many tis that the lodies got etched into her mory.
Gently patting Mashiro's back, Kotomi began humming one of those lullabies. Her sweet voice carried a soothing magic, gradually lulling Mashiro back to sleep.
One look, and it was clear: she was sleeping soundly.
After confirming Mashiro had dozed off, Kotomi quietly stood up, tucked her in carefully, and left the room.
She made her way toward igetsu Cafe.
Seventeen minutes later.
As soon as she stepped into the cafe, Kotomi spotted Ayani Kika sitting not far away, calmly sipping coffee alone. This beautiful presence in the cafe had been waiting for one person from the very beginning.
And now, Kotomi had arrived.
Ayani Kika looked up, smiled, and waved to Kotomi.
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