Chapter 5: After the Festival

A cheerful rhythm could be heard as I walked through town: kon-chiki-chin, kon-chiki-chin. It’s played by the Gion Festival musicians to drum up excitement for the coming festival.

Although “kon-chiki-chin” is the traditional onomatopoeia for the Gion Festival’s distinctive rhythm, personally, I can’t hear it that way. It sounds more like “pyo-pyo kon-kon kan-kan-kan.” I honestly have no idea what part of it is supposed to sound like “kon-chiki-chin,” but that’s what everyone else calls it, so I guess I should too.

The Gion Festival is the most famous of Kyoto’s three major festivals. The city was filled with a joyous air leading up to the biggest event of the summer. I was excited for it too, but… Right now, something else had my attention. I was in a state of shock from a text message I received out of nowhere.

I took a deep breath and stared at the yamaboko that were already starting to be set up. Yamaboko are a type of festival float with a long spear or polearm atop a mountain-shaped platform. During the climax of the festival, there is a procession featuring many of these floats.

The city is packed with tourists every year at this time. It’s probably natural to think that if you’re going to visit Kyoto, you should time it for the cherry blossom season, the autumn leaves, or the Gion Festival.

I took another deep breath and entered Teramachi-Sanjo’s “Kura” as usual. The door chime rang through the store.

“Oh, hey there, Aoi,” someone said at the same time. In the cafe area was a handsome man grinning and raising his hand. Next to him was Mieko, who had a relaxed smile on her face. That handsome man was…

“Akihito?” I said. That’s right—it was Akihito, the actor and second son of the Kajiwara family who we met around ten days ago at the Kurama mountain lodge. “Wh-Why are you here?”

“He said he came to see dear Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka’s good-looking, but Akihito is quite handsome too. I was so surprised to hear that he’s an actor,” Mieko said excitedly. I could understand her enthusiasm. Akihito was attractive, although he seemed a bit—no, very frivolous despite already being twenty-five. Holmes was much more mature than him in comparison.

“I came on behalf of my family to give our thanks again, although I wanted to come earlier than this,” Akihito said. There was a large box of sweets on the table.

“Where is Holmes, anyway?” I asked.

As I looked around the store, Holmes came out from the kitchenette in the back and said, “Coffee’s ready.”

I gasped when I saw him—he was wearing a dark blue yukata, the casual summer version of the kimono. Holmes looks so good in a yukata! It complemented his lustrous black hair and elegant neck, adding a hint of sensuality to his usual charming self. O-Oh no, my heart is racing.

“I’ll make your café au lait right now, Aoi,” Holmes said with a smile that pierced straight through my heart.

I stood frozen in place, lost for words.

“Is something wrong?” Holmes tilted his head.

“Oh, no, I was surprised by the yukata.”

“Ah, the owner said to wear it from the tenth until the end of the Gion Festival. Apparently it’s how people who do business in Kyoto show their festive spirit. My father also wears one when he comes to the store,” Holmes said with a chuckle.

I see. Good job, Owner!

“Oh yes, it was Seiji who asked me to come here, too. He said to give this to you,” Mieko said, handing me a paper bag.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“He told me to prepare a yukata for the ‘cute part-timer.’ You’ll be wearing one too,” she explained with a mischievous grin.

“A yukata? For me?”

“Yes! I brought it from my store.”

Oh right, Mieko owns a women’s clothing store in the same shopping street as Kura.

“Kids these days don’t know how to put on a yukata by themselves, so I adjusted the length for your height, like we do for children’s yukata. Try putting it on by yourself first. I’ll teach you how to tie the bow on the sash another day, but for now, you can use a pre-tied one.” Mieko eagerly held out the bag and I accepted it, still taken aback.

“I-I see. Thank you very much.” I passed through the kitchenette to get to the changing room.

“Looks like I came at a great time! I get to see Aoi in a yukata,” Akihito said loudly enough that I could hear. Well, that’s embarrassing. I’m amazed he can say that so easily. That aspect of his personality probably doesn’t sit well with Holmes. I imagined Holmes frowning in disapproval and smiled.

All right, let’s do this. I’ve worn a yukata with my friends before in Saitama, so maybe this won’t be too disastrous, I thought, taking the yukata out of the bag.

“Wow, this is cute!” It had a clean yet flashy design, with bright red carnations on white fabric. I didn’t know Mieko had such good taste. That’s a clothing store owner for you.

Umm, it goes right side first, right? I thought as I put on the yukata. Since Mieko adjusted the length for me, it was easier than I expected. I then put on the simple, pre-tied sash and straightened it.

“I-I’m done,” I said softly, gingerly stepping out.

“Oh, how cute!—Wait, you’ve become a ghost!” Mieko immediately said upon seeing me.

“Huh? A ghost?” My eyes widened in confusion.

“Your yukata is backwards, Aoi,” Holmes said, chuckling. Oh no. I’d put the kimono on in the way a dead body is dressed for a funeral.

My face flushed. “H-How silly of me. W-Wait, but I thought kimono are worn right side first.” That’s why I put the right side on top of the left.

“‘Right side first’ means having the right side on the inside,” Holmes explained gently.

“Yep,” Akihito said, nodding and standing up. He went around behind me. “An easier way of understanding it is, when a man hugs you from behind, you want his right hand to be able to easily slide in.” He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and peered around into my face.

“U-Um…”

“Kimono are designed in a dirty way,” Akihito said with a suggestive grin. My cheeks were burning. H-His face is so close. He really is a playboy!

“Excuse me, but could you refrain from sexual harassment in our store?” Holmes quickly grabbed Akihito’s wrist and twisted it.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch! I-I get it, okay?!” Akihito pulled away from Holmes and rubbed his wrist.

“Ahaha, you got your just deserts, Akihito. Aoi, go and fix your yukata. You don’t deserve such an early death,” Mieko said, laughing.

“Oh, right.” I hurried back to the changing room.

G-Geez, Akihito’s something, all right. But thanks to him, I don’t think I’ll ever forget how to wear a kimono. “When a man hugs you from behind, you want his right hand to be able to easily slide in.” I imagined being embraced from behind by the person I like. His hand slides under the kimono, onto my chest…

Suddenly, Holmes’s face came to mind.

A-Ahhh! What am I thinking?! I shook my head to clear it and fixed my yukata.

“Geez, didn’t realize you had a jealous streak, Holmes,” I overheard Akihito saying in an amused tone. My heart skipped a beat. J-Jealous?

“It was the natural course of action to take against someone harassing our valuable part-timer.”

“Part-timer? Does that mean you and Aoi aren’t going out?”

“Correct. She’s a student working part-time at our store.” Holmes’s nonchalant answer made my chest ache a bit for some reason. It’s the truth, though.

“Huh. Well anyway, yukata sure are nice. Now I want to wear one too. And then have a girl slide her hand inside from behind.”

“Why don’t you shove your own hand in?”

“You are mad at me, aren’t you?!” Akihito exclaimed.

I secretly smiled to myself. Holmes’s sharp remarks were more pointed than usual. My condolences, Akihito. Holmes dislikes guys like him to begin with, since they resemble the person who stole his former girlfriend. But if he still dislikes that personality type now, does that mean he has lingering feelings for her? My chest tightened ever so slightly. What was that?

I pulled myself together and came back out. “I fixed it.”

“Ooh!” everyone exclaimed.

“Lovely!”

“Yep, you’re a real cutie, Aoi.”

Mieko and Akihito openly praised me. But what does Holmes think? I surreptitiously looked towards him.

Holmes met my gaze and smiled. “Very cute. It looks good on you.”

“Th-Thank you.” Ahhh, my cheeks are burning up.

“Good, good. Ghost incident aside, you wear it very nicely. Since there’s nothing to worry about, I’ll be returning to the shop. I’ll prepare a few more for you, so keep it up until the festival is over, okay?” Mieko gulped down the rest of her coffee and hurried out of the store. She was like a small typhoon.

After she left, Akihito chuckled. “Man, that was a lively old woman, huh?”

“She runs a clothing store on this street. She’s also an old friend of my grandfather,” Holmes said, placing my café au lait on the table with a clunk.

“Since Akihito brought konpeito from Ryokujuan-Shimizu, let’s have tea.” Konpeito is a type of sugar candy that comes in different colors and flavors.

“Ryokujuan-Shimizu?” I tilted my head.

“Huh, you don’t know them? Their premium konpeito is famous in Kyoto.” There was a hint of pride in Akihito’s smile.

“Ryokujuan-Shimizu is a shop located in Sakyo-ku that specializes in konpeito. They were founded in 1847, meaning that they’ve protected their traditional manufacturing technique for over a hundred and fifty years. Even the Imperial House purchases from them, so it’s certainly high class. They have many different flavors, but all of them taste delicious and refined,” Holmes explained cheerfully.

“Ugh, this is why I hate educated guys,” Akihito said, clicking his tongue.

“My academic background is unrelated to konpeito. Could you not take out your insecurities on me?”

“I-I’m not insecure!” Akihito snapped.

Holmes grinned. “Forgive my rudeness then. Oh, but since you chose the path of entertainment, it’d be good to develop that further. That path is one where if you have even the slightest complex, you can use it to stimulate your career.”

Akihito clammed up for a moment, perhaps overpowered by Holmes’s smile and words. “Y-Yeah. I’m gonna take Dad’s parting words to heart and become the best damn actor you’ll ever see.”

The author Kajiwara had left Akihito the painting “Dragon Over Mount Fuji” by Hokusai. It contained his hope for Akihito: “If entertainment is your passion, then master it.”

“Was Ayako all right after we left?” Holmes asked quietly.

Right. That day, Ayako ran out of the mountain lodge before Holmes could finish explaining Kajiwara’s gifts. I was worried about her since we left without seeing her again, and it seemed that Holmes was concerned as well.

“Yeah, after I dropped you guys off at the station and went back to the lodge, she was already there in the living room. Afterwards, Fuyuki talked to her alone. He said she broke down in tears when he told her the meaning behind the aquamarine ring. Maybe she felt guilty all this time,” Akihito said, a bit hesitantly.

Holmes and I silently nodded along.

“My parents were really close. Even I thought Mom was like an ideal wife, and Dad loved her a lot. But it’s like, now I’m wondering if they were only like that because of guilt, and I don’t know how to feel about that.” Akihito sighed.

True, that’s complicated.

“That’s a problem between them,” Holmes said gently. “It’s not for you to bear, Akihito. I’m certain that the happiness you saw between them as a child was the real thing.”

Akihito clammed up again before collapsing onto the table with a thud. “Wait, Holmes. How old are you again?”

“Twenty-two. Why?”

“I gotta get myself together…” Akihito muttered, still face-down on the table.

Pretty much… I thought. It would be way too rude to say it out loud.

Afterwards, we enjoyed the premium konpeito and engaged in silly conversation.

“Come to think of it, don’t you live in Kanto, Akihito? Are you able to stay here for so long?” Holmes asked.

“Yeah, I have a job over here. The Gion Festival’s starting soon too, so I might take it easy this year and check it out.”

“That’s good. Please enjoy the festival.” Holmes smiled happily as if he were a tourism ambassador.

“Gion Festival, huh…?” I said. “All of my classmates said not to go, because it’s too crowded. But even though they said that, they gladly went to the festival at Demachiyanagi’s shopping street.”

Akihito laughed. “I get it, though. That’s just how locals are. Back when I lived in Kyoto, I didn’t go out of my way to see the Gion Festival either.”

“Perhaps, but personally, I’d love to get a close look at each of the yamaboko. They call them a moving art museum, after all.” Holmes had his usual smile on, but he declared that rather strongly.

“A moving art museum?” Akihito and I asked in tandem.

“Yes. The Gion Festival originated over a thousand years ago. During the festival, the yamaboko were taken around the town to purify it and ward off disasters.” Holmes retrieved a heavy book from the bookshelf behind him and placed it on the table where we could see it. He flipped it open to a photo of a yamaboko resembling the ones I’d been seeing around town lately. “The Gion Festival’s yamaboko have been in the custody of the thirty-three neighborhood associations for a thousand years. They appear to be identical at first glance, but they all have differences. Please look at these.”

Holmes pointed at photos of two yamaboko named “Yamabushi-yama” and “Taishi-yama.” The decorations on the sides clearly didn’t look Japanese.

“Oh, this one looks kind of Chinese,” I murmured, looking at the photo.

“Yeah, and this one looks Indian,” Akihito remarked.

Holmes nodded. “These wall hangings were brought over from China’s Ming dynasty, while this yamaboko came from India. There’s also an extremely intriguing one named Koi-yama.”

The tapestry in the photo he pointed at had to be European. It depicted a king wearing a crown.

“Is this from Europe?” I asked.

“Even though it’s at the Gion Festival?” Akihito asked, surprised.

Holmes nodded again. “This was created at the start of the seventeenth century in Brussels, Brabant—in other words, Belgium. The design depicts a scene from Homer’s Iliad, featuring Priam, the King of Troy, and his queen, Hecuba. It was brought to Japan and wound up being used for the Gion Festival. It’s still in use to this day.”

“Wait, but wasn’t Japan closed to foreigners during that time?” I asked.

“Yes. However, it’s said that the tapestry passed through Holland, which is now part of the Netherlands. It was the only European country that Japan traded with.”

“Why was it only Holland, anyway?” Akihito asked, even though his question was blatantly unrelated to the Gion Festival. It was a completely ordinary matter of history…but while I’m ashamed to admit it, I’d also wondered the exact same thing. Why was it only the Dutch that were allowed to trade with Japan?

“The extremely short answer is that they didn’t bring Christianity with them.” Holmes’s response was indeed extremely short. It was so straightforward that both of us nodded firmly and said, “I see.”

“Next, ‘Tsuki-hoko’ is decorated with a rug from the Mughal Empire. The Metropolitan Museum of Art requested it once, so it was displayed there for a period of time.”

“Wow, the Met!”

“The yamaboko that leads the procession is ‘Naginata-hoko.’ It’s not clear where this rug originated from, but it’s suspected that it may have come from the Mongol Empire. There doesn’t seem to be anywhere in the world that has the same one.” Holmes pointed at a brown rug on the side of the float. “It’s practically a miracle that Yamabushi-yama’s tapestry and this rug from the Mughal Empire have been preserved in such good condition. The neighborhood associations have maintained them very carefully for the past thousand years, only displaying them during the festival. We’re blessed with the opportunity to see wonderful, historical works of art, the likes of which the Metropolitan Museum of Art would request. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that the Gion Festival is a festival of miracles,” Holmes said with an intense look in his eyes.

I was floored. It…really could be called a moving art museum. A festival of miracles. That’s how amazing it was.

“Now that you know this, I think you’ll have a different experience participating in the festival. Since you live so close, you really should go and take a close look. The yamaboko parading through the streets are treasures that were lovingly crafted by townspeople a thousand years ago.”

I felt my heart grow warm.

“Thanks for the lesson, Holmes. I feel like being around you makes me smarter,” Akihito said seriously. I unintentionally giggled.

Akihito looked at the grandfather clock and said, “Oh, that’s it for me. I have to go to practice.” He stood up to leave.

“Practice?”

“I’m doing a play in Osaka right now. Feel free to come watch.” He took out a flier from his bag that was headlined “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“Shakespeare?” I asked.

Holmes took the flier and examined it with great interest. “Akihito’s role is Lysander, I see. That’s a good fit.”

“Lysander?”

“To put it simply, the character is a ladykiller.”

“Oh, I see.” It made perfect sense. Holmes’s explanations are always so easy to understand.

“I do think I’ll go see your play,” Holmes said with a smile, making Akihito scratch his head bashfully. Maybe Holmes likes all forms of theater, not just kabuki. It’s art, after all.

“Yeah, feel free. See you later, guys.” Akihito waved goodbye and left Kura.