Chapter 5 part 2

After Akihito left, the store suddenly became much quieter, with only the soothing jazz music playing in the background. Holmes was organizing documents and I was putting the empty coffee cups on a tray.

“It really is hard to get used to wearing a yukata. I think work will be slower than usual.” The sleeves kept getting in the way. Maybe I should tie them back?

“It’s not what you signed up for, so you don’t have to work too hard during this period.”

“Oh, I couldn’t do that. One of my classmates works at a small restaurant, and she said she has to wear a kimono all the time. If she can work hard in that, then I will too.”

Holmes chuckled. “Your sincerity is commendable.”

“Huh? Sincerity…?” No one had ever called me sincere before.

“Yes. Even though my father and I always say we’re grateful just to have someone to watch the store while we’re gone, you try to find ways to help out because you want to work for your pay. I can see that you stick to your virtues.”

“I-It’s nothing that impressive. If I listened to you two and got paid to sit around doing nothing, I wouldn’t be able to handle the guilt. And besides, it’s boring to do nothing.” It was embarrassing hearing his overestimation of my character. “Plus, I’m not sincere. I get swayed by the most minor of things.” I started wiping the table with a tea towel so that I wouldn’t have to make eye contact with him. If I did, he’d probably see through me…

“You haven’t seemed too happy lately. Did something happen?” Holmes asked quietly.

Oh, he already did. I smiled in self-deprecation and stopped wiping the table. I looked up and saw the throng of people walking outside the display window. The tranquil store interior made me feel like I was in a different world.

“You see… umm…”

Just as I hesitantly opened my mouth to speak, the door chime rang. A young woman in a dress had entered the store. She had a slim figure, wavy hair that reached her shoulders, and a sweet aura, but she also had a somewhat scared look in her eyes. I was so surprised by her sudden appearance that my greeting was delayed by a moment.

“Izumi…?” Holmes said, seeming surprised.

“H-Hello, Kiyotaka.” The woman shrugged her shoulders.

Holmes looked ever so slightly bewildered for a moment before returning to his usual smile. “Long time no see. I’m glad you seem to have been doing well.”

“Oh, don’t be so stiff,” she said, seemingly troubled by his attitude.

Holmes simply continued to smile. “I heard you’re getting married. Congratulations.”

Married. I had a hunch, but that word convinced me. This was Holmes’s ex-girlfriend. Her name was Izumi, and she was beautiful and sweet. Her frail aura felt similar to Saori, the Saio-dai.

“I actually have something I’d like you to appraise.” Izumi fidgeted as she walked up to him.

“Please have a seat,” Holmes said, standing up and pulling a chair out.

Izumi hesitated before sitting down. “Thanks.”

The store was consumed by an indescribable tension. I silently went to the kitchenette and started making coffee. Holmes always does it when he’s here, but…for some reason, I didn’t want to let her drink his delicious coffee.

“As you said, I’m…getting married.” I could hear her strained voice from here.

“Congratulations,” Holmes repeated in a calm tone.

“Thanks. So, I received tableware as a celebratory gift from my aunt in Kobe. My fiancé said to find out how much it’s worth…” She seemed hesitant to ask.

To be honest, I was surprised. It was a gift from her aunt, right? Not her fiancé’s? And yet he told her to get it appraised? It was a bit hard to believe. Well…maybe he had no intention of selling it and was just curious about how much it was worth? I smiled wryly as the coffee dripped into the pot. Its fragrant aroma drifted through the store.

“Here it is.” Izumi gently placed a box on the table. Holmes put on his usual white gloves. I wanted to see it too, so I hurriedly poured the coffee into cups and set them on the table.

“Allow me to take a look, then,” Holmes said, carefully opening the box. Inside was a square dish with a landscape painted on it. The colors were pale and elegant. It was clearly from the West—did Holmes know how to appraise Western antiques? The store had items from all sorts of countries, but thinking about it, I’d never seen him appraise a Western antique before.

“Royal Copenhagen, I see.”

“Oh, so it really is. That’s what my aunt said, but we only knew Royal Copenhagen for their Christmas plates.” Izumi shrugged sheepishly.

When you think of Royal Copenhagen, you think of their yearly Christmas plates. Sadly, my knowledge was on par with hers.

“Indeed, the Christmas plates are their most famous products. After all, the tradition has continued since 1908 without fail,” Holmes explained with ease.

“Oh, really?” Izumi looked surprised. Was this her first time seeing Holmes doing his job like this? Although to be honest, I was also secretly impressed that Holmes was knowledgeable about Western antiques as well.

“My fiancé said, ‘Copenhagen always has cobalt blue designs, so this might be something else.’”

“It’s true that Royal Copenhagen has long been heavily influenced by Japan’s Imari ware from the Edo period. They’re known for their hand-painted cobalt blue patterns, but they also have many other products. This one is from a series created over sixty years ago, depicting various European landscapes. As for the price… There are a lot in circulation, so I’d put it at twenty to thirty thousand yen.”

“Twenty to thirty thousand…” Izumi nodded. She looked neither happy nor disappointed. “I’m glad I found out. It’s a lovely plate, so I’ll take good care of it.” Her tone of voice became more formal, perhaps due to Holmes’s influence.

“Please do.”

I breathed a small sigh and turned away to dust a shelf a short distance away from them.

“Kiyotaka…that was amazing. I knew you could do appraisals, but I didn’t think you’d be this good.”

“Well…it’s the family business.”

“You said ‘long time no see,’ but for me, that’s not the case,” Izumi said boldly. I instinctively stopped in my tracks.

“Huh?” Even Holmes was confused.

“I’ve passed by this store several times and caught sight of you. I’ve also been to Kyoto University’s campus. You’re going there for grad school, right? That’s amazing.”

Holmes hesitated before saying, “Thank you.”

“I-I’ve actually considered breaking up with my fiancé many times. He keeps cheating on me…” Izumi cast her eyes down, her cheeks bright red.

Holmes said nothing in response. Apparently the “pushy, egotistical, good-looking man” hadn’t changed his style and was using the same approach on other women as well.

“But every time I caught him, he said, ‘You’re the only one for me’…and I just went along with it. But each time, I remembered you and wanted to see you again. It was too late, though, so I always passed right on by.”

Holmes continued to remain silent as he listened to her pour her heart out.

“But then, when I finally couldn’t tolerate his two-timing anymore and told him I was breaking up with him, he cried and apologized and asked me to marry him. I was touched at the time and agreed, but I’m worried about when we really do get married. Will he keep cheating on me either way? Is this really the right person for me? And whenever I think about marrying him, your face always comes to mind. You treated me so well, but I was too young to understand. I was such a fool.” Izumi trembled as she spoke, tears streaming down her cheeks. This was that weakness—that vulnerability that stirs up a man’s protective nature… I felt uneasy.

Just as Holmes opened his mouth to speak, Izumi cut him off. “You don’t have to say anything. I know I’m being stupid.”

Holmes closed his mouth in understanding.

I assume she’s feeling worried before her marriage and came here to vent. But is that really all it is?

Amidst the silence, Izumi wiped the tears in her eyes and sighed. “Kiyotaka, do you still like classic poetry?”

“Classic poetry…? Yes, I suppose.”

I’d been listening attentively to their conversation, and her sudden irrelevant question confused me greatly.

“Please look at this too. I’ll be back in two days to pick it up, so before then,” Izumi said, taking a small box out of a paper bag.

“By the day after tomorrow?”

In other words, the fifteenth.

“Yes, please take your time looking at it… It was made on a mountain in Shiga prefecture.” Izumi quietly stood up.

“A mountain in Shiga…” Holmes knit his brows ever so slightly.

Izumi placed her hand on the door and turned around to face him again. “Thanks for today. I’m glad I made up my mind to come here. That yukata suits you really well,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you.”

Izumi left the store. Without saying a word, Holmes opened the small box she’d left behind. Inside was a pale orange matcha tea bowl with a design of green…

“Are these leaves?” I asked without thinking.

He nodded. “Yes, it’s Japanese mugwort.”

I leaned in a bit. “Is this valuable?”

Holmes said nothing in response and continued to squint at it. It didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about its value at the moment.

“You like classic poetry, Holmes?” I asked, changing the topic.

He smiled slightly at that and said, “To a normal extent. Classic poetry…was how we got to know one another.”

“Really?”

“Yes. In our second year of high school we went to Tofuku Temple as part of a school trip. It’s in Higashiyama-ku, which is famous for its autumn leaves.”

“A school trip…” I was a bit startled.

“When she saw the bright red leaves floating down the creek, she said, ‘Oh, this reminds me of that famous poem! Even in the age of gods and miracles, I have never heard of the Tatsuta River… Um, how did the rest go again?’ and I answered, ‘The Tatsuta River’s waters dyed in such crimson.’ It was the famous poem ‘Chihayaburu.’ After that, she apparently fell in love with me, thinking that I liked classic poetry.”

“I-I see.” Having such an attractive guy complete her poem while she was already moved by the sight of the river covered in bright red leaves was bound to rouse her heart.

“But, while I liked classic poetry, I didn’t love it to the extent that she thought I did.” Holmes shrugged sheepishly and I couldn’t help but giggle. He only said the line because he knew the answer.

“Women are easily swayed, huh?” he murmured to himself, holding the tea bowl.

I sighed. “You might be right.” I get swayed by minor things all the time.

“Oh right, we were interrupted earlier.”

“Huh?”

“We were discussing how you seemed unhappy lately. What happened?”

“Oh…well, my previous school in Saitama…is apparently coming to see the Gion Festival as part of a school trip kind of thing.”

Holmes’s eyes widened in surprise.

“It’s for cultural research or something. So, a girl from my friend group texted me saying she wanted to see me, and she asked me to go to their hotel lobby. My ex-friend’s in that group too, so I’m scared that I might run into my ex…but I do want to see my other friends, so I ended up agreeing to go.” I laughed hollowly.

“I see…” Holmes stood up slowly. “I think it’s a good idea. You still feel uneasy, right? Since they’re coming here, you might be able to get the closure you need without having to go all the way to Saitama yourself,” he said, looking down at me with a firm gaze.

“Yes…you’re right.”

“When are you going?”

“The fifteenth—yoi-yoi-yama. She said to come to the hotel on Shijo-Muromachi Street at 7:30 p.m.”

The days leading up to the Gion Festival’s main procession are a countdown, with yoi-yoi-yama being two days before. Food stands and illuminated yamaboko line the streets, celebrating the start of the festival. On that day, I have work at Kura until 7 p.m., so I’ll be able to head straight there afterwards.

Just like Holmes said, I thought it was a good opportunity. Still, I couldn’t shake my fears.

“Don’t be so anxious. Remember, action is worry’s worst enemy.” Holmes patted my head and smiled warmly.

My chest tightened. “Holmes…”

Just then, his smartphone buzzed. He looked at the screen and said, “Right, I need to deliver some documents. I’ll be right back, so please watch the store while I’m out.” He took out a brown envelope from a drawer and hurried outside.

“Oh, okay,” I replied, though he was already gone by then.

My eyes gravitated towards the tea bowl that’d been left on the table. Japanese mugwort… I’ve been working at Kura for a few months now, and my eyes have been trained a considerable amount in this time. This tea bowl…was clearly made by an amateur. Was it made by Izumi, then? Did she want him to appraise her own work?

“Kiyotaka, do you still like classic poetry?”

That’s what she said before presenting this tea bowl. She also said it was made on a mountain in Shiga… It might have something to do with a poem. Right, that has to be it! It contains a message based on a poem!

I immediately looked up and turned to the bookshelf and its neat assortment of reference materials. I took out an atlas first to see where Shiga’s mountains were. They were listed in alphabetical order in the index. Mount Bungen, Ibuki, Kanakuso, Oike, Shirakura… There were many more than I expected.

“I can’t tell which one…” I stared at the names for a while but nothing came to mind at all. Shiga was famous for ceramics and Shigaraki ware anyway, so maybe the Shiga mountain part wasn’t too important. Let’s try Japanese mugwort, then.

“Mugwort is called ‘four-directional grass’ in Japanese because its roots grow in four directions. It goes by a variety of other names as well, and is called sashimogusa in classic poetry. It’s mentioned in two poems from Hyakunin Isshu.”

“Hyakunin Isshu…” That was an anthology of one hundred poems by one hundred poets—the same one that “Chihayaburu” was from.

This time, I opened up a poetry compilation. Sashimogusa… Sashimogusa…

Before long, I found the two poems that contained the word.

“My life relied on vows that were as dew on sashimogusa. Alas, another autumn has passed. — Fujiwara no Mototoshi”

And the meaning…

“Your words of promise were as transient as the dew on mugwort. I lived a long life believing in them, but in the end, my wish was not granted.

“Explanation: The author asked for his son to be promoted, but his wish was not granted. The poem was written as a complaint.”

Uh… it’s probably not this one. Let’s take a look at the other one.

“Though I am like this, I cannot say. Like the sashimogusa of Ibuki, unknown, my feelings burn. — Fujiwara no Sanekata”

The sashimogusa of Ibuki… Shiga’s Mount Ibuki. I looked up the meaning with a trembling finger.

“I love you so much, but I can’t say it. Since I can’t say it, you must not be aware. My feelings burn for you like the mugwort of Mount Ibuki.”

My heart leaped. This tea bowl…contained Izumi’s wholehearted confession. She must’ve thought that giving him a tea bowl linked to a classical poem would reach his heart more than simply saying “I still love you; I can’t forget you.” Like when she fell in love with him after he finished her poem.

She wanted him to look at this tea bowl, sense her feelings…and accept them. That’s why she’s coming back in two days—to hear his answer.

Holmes would’ve identified the message at first glance. What is he going to do? He loved her so much. He’d have to be swayed by such a sweet confession wrapped in a riddle, right?

“I love you so much, but I can’t say it.”

Cold sweat formed on my forehead as I quietly returned the books to the shelf. I sat dazed for a while before the door chime rang, signaling Holmes’s return.

“Sorry, that took longer than expected. Was everything all right?”

“Yes. There weren’t any customers, and no one called.” I smiled, picked up the feather duster, and turned away.

On the fifteenth, the streets will be adorned with yamaboko for yoi-yoi-yama. By a strange coincidence, I was also going to have to settle something for myself that day.