Chapter 5 part 4

It felt like time was passing much slower than usual. The shopping street was full of people, but no one stopped by Kura. It wasn’t the kind of store that one would casually drop into on a whim, especially with an event going on. Since there were no customers, time was trickling by. There was no sign of Izumi either.

Due to the festival, Kura was going to close at 7 p.m. today. It’s usually open until eight, but Holmes said there weren’t going to be any customers anyway.

Time passed and it was now 6:50 p.m. Izumi had yet to appear. Why isn’t she coming? Did she change her mind? I was restlessly wondering when she’d show up, but Holmes seemed the same as always. Maybe she already texted him saying she wasn’t coming? I felt the anxiety coming on and shook my head to clear it.

It was almost seven. I took a breath and said, “Um…I should change out of my yukata now.”

Holmes looked up at the clock. “Oh, it’s already time. Since it’s the Gion Festival, why don’t you keep the yukata on?”

“Huh?”

“Your friends are here to experience the festival too, so they might be wearing yukata as well.”

“Oh…you’re right.”

“And most importantly, it looks good on you.” Holmes grinned.

My face went red. “R-Really? Okay, I’ll go there like this, then. I have a drawstring purse too, so this works.”

Then, the door chime rang. It was Izumi.

“Kiyotaka…” she greeted hesitantly.

“Welcome. Please have a seat,” Holmes said with his first-rate smile. I felt a sting in my chest.

“Thanks.”

“It looks like the festival’s in full swing.”

“It really is.”

They exchanged smiles. The tension from last time was gone… There was a friendly atmosphere between them.

Oh, maybe she knew we were closing at seven and purposely came at the last minute? Maybe she thought they could enjoy the festival together. Maybe they had already agreed to beforehand. Either way, I was the third wheel, and it was time for me to leave.

“Um…I’ll be going now. See you.” I bowed and fled the store. The moment I stepped outside, I winced at the hot summer air. Crowds of sightseers were moving to and fro beneath the dim sky.

There were thirty minutes left until our scheduled meeting, so I walked slowly towards the hotel. Is this heavy-hearted feeling because I might run into my best friend and ex-boyfriend? Or is it because of Holmes and Izumi? Everything’s bothering me, and I have no idea what I’m hoping for. Maybe it’s because I’m like this that I can’t be happy, I thought, a self-deprecating smile rising to my face.

Kon-chiki-chin, kon-chiki-chin, went the festival rhythm. Colorful yamaboko contrasting with the darkening sky, paper lanterns illuminating the road… It was such a Japanese scene, and yet it felt magical, as though I’d wandered into another world. I had to walk slowly because I wasn’t used to the yukata, so even though the hotel was close by, it took almost twenty minutes to get there.

I checked the sign that said “Ryokuen” and entered the lobby. It was a small, old-fashioned hotel that didn’t look particularly traditional. The moment I stepped in, I heard a delighted voice: “Oh, it’s Aoi!” Surprised, I turned towards the voice and saw the group of friends I used to hang out with. I looked around for Sanae, my best friend who’d snatched away my boyfriend, but I didn’t see her. Relieved, I smiled back at my friends who I hadn’t seen in a long time. Holmes was right—they were all wearing yukata. I was so glad that I’d kept mine on.

“Long time no see, everyone!”

“You look like you’re doing well, Aoi!”

“Aoi, you look so cute in your yukata!”

They greeted me with bright smiles. I was so happy to see that they hadn’t changed. I’m glad I worked up the courage to come here, I felt from the bottom of my heart.

“Hey so, Sanae and Katsumi said that they really want to talk to you about something,” one of my friends said with a serious face.

My heart leapt. “Huh?”

The very next instant, as if they’d planned this in advance, my ex, Katsumi, and my best friend, Sanae, came out from behind a pillar. They both wore grave expressions on their faces. My heart was beating a mile a minute at their sudden appearance, and to be honest, it was a struggle to even remain standing.

They walked up to me with pained looks.

“Sorry, Aoi.”

“We’re so sorry.”

Both of them bowed deeply.

“You’ve probably already heard, but the two of us are going out now,” Katsumi said, revealing the truth that I didn’t want to hear. My heart sank.

“After you left, Katsumi and I were really lonely without you, and we ended up hanging out a lot since we both wanted to distract ourselves from missing you…”

“Wait, I’ll explain. I really am sorry, Aoi. Sanae and I both loved you, so it was really painful losing you…and we started going to karaoke and stuff as a distraction.”

“I-It was my fault. I ended up falling in love with Katsumi.”

“No, it was my fault for not being able to distance myself from Sanae…”

“We really are sorry!” They bowed over and over again, as if competing to see who was more remorseful.

My friends chimed in, as if covering for the two. “Aoi, we thought it was terrible at first too, but Sanae really was thinking about you too much, to the point where she wasn’t eating enough.”

“Yeah, and besides, they didn’t start dating until after Katsumi broke up with you.”

What’s the meaning of this…?

Oh, I see. So that’s how it is. My friends said they wanted to see me, but that wasn’t the real reason they called me here… Those two just wanted to clear their feelings of guilt. No one here cares about me anymore.

If they apologize profusely and I say, “It’s okay,” then they won’t have to feel bad about their relationship anymore, right?

What should I do? Well…I clearly don’t have a choice but to smile and give them my blessing. But what would happen if I said, “Isn’t that just your excuse? Think about how I feel having your apologies forced onto me!”

It’s all a farce. They’re doing this assuming that I’ll forgive them.

I clenched my fists to try to hide my trembling. I felt like I could cry at any moment, but I managed to hold my tears back and form a smile.

“I-It’s okay. It didn’t work out between us because we got separated, so…” I wasn’t saying it for their sake. It was for myself, because I didn’t want to feel any more miserable. “I honestly feel conflicted about my ex-boyfriend going out with my best friend…but there’s nothing I can do if you fell in love with each other.” I’ll tell you what you want to hear the most, so please, get out of my sight. “Don’t worry about me. I hope it goes well for you.” I was positive I was able to maintain my smile until the end.

“Oh!” my friends exclaimed.

“Thank yooou!” Sanae cried, and Katsumi gently patted her on the head. It left a bitter taste in my mouth and I could feel tears starting to well up. Now what? I really am about to cry. It’s so frustrating. I’m pathetic. I hate this…

“Aoi, you’re so cool!”

“Yeah, I admire you!”

“Hey, does everyone wanna go to the festival together?”

They can say those things because they’re excited. Please…just stop. I wish I could leave. It took everything I had to hold back my tears.

“C’mon, let’s go!” one of my friends said, holding out her hand.

“Aoi?” Holmes called out, his voice echoing across the lobby.

“Huh?” I turned around, and sure enough, there was Holmes in his yukata. My mind went blank. Why was he here? The only thing I could hear in my bewilderment was my racing pulse.

His sudden appearance didn’t go unnoticed.

“Who’s that? He’s really good-looking!”

“Guys in yukata are so cool!”

“Do you know him, Aoi?”

My excited friends exchanged looks.

“Oh…yeah, I do.” I nodded hesitantly.

Holmes walked right up beside me and smiled. “Hello, I’m Kiyotaka Yagashira. Thank you for coming all the way from Saitama to see our Gion Festival,” he said, with the air of a tourism ambassador. Why does he always take responsibility for promoting Kyoto and works of art?

“Umm, do you work for the festival?” a friend asked. It was a reasonable suspicion.

Holmes chuckled. “No, I’m a university student studying philology and literature. Oh, you’re all in high school, right? If you’re interested in Kyoto University, feel free to visit. I’ll show you around.”

“Wait, Kyoto University?”

“Whoa!”

Everyone exchanged glances, hands over their mouths in shock. As I stood there astonished, Holmes looked down at me, gazing intently as if he were seeing into my heart. “Are you finished here?” he asked.

“Oh… Yes.”

“Shall we go see the festival, then?” he said, holding out his hand. I felt like I was going to cry. No one here understood me, but Holmes…Holmes knew. He could tell that I wanted to get away. I was on the verge of tears, but I wasn’t going to cry here.

“Yes, let’s go.” I nodded firmly and took his hand.

Everyone’s faces lit up.

“I see how it is, Aoi! So that’s why you’re wearing a yukata!”

“I can’t believe you have a hot boyfriend that goes to Kyoto U! I’m so jealous!”

“And you’re going on a festival date! Tell us all about it later!”

As they were all chattering excitedly, Sanae seemed relieved yet conflicted, while Katsumi looked dumbfounded and didn’t say a word.

“O-Okay. See you next time, guys.”

“Let’s go, Aoi.”

I took Holmes’s hand and we were about to leave when Katsumi sprung forward and grabbed my wrist. “A-Aoi!”

“Huh?”

“What’s the meaning of this? We only just broke up, but you’re already dating a guy from Kyoto U?”

Everyone, not just me, was shocked by his words.

“Wh-What are you trying to say?” I asked, bewildered. But before I could defend myself, everyone else stepped in.

“Hey, Katsumi! What’re you saying when you already have Sanae?”

“And you’re the one who betrayed Aoi in the first place!”

“Yeah! But you regret it now that you know she’s hitting it off with a super hot guy from Kyoto University? Are you serious? I can’t believe you.”

My friends criticized him in unison, and Sanae ran away, unable to endure it.

“Sanae, wait!” Katsumi panicked and chased after her.

What on Earth? First it was a farce, and now it’s turned into a soap opera…

After the shock passed through me, I smiled weakly. It felt like everything that’d been bottled up inside me had disappeared in a flash. Is this what they call “getting over it?” I was glad, though. Now I felt as though I’d truly, truly managed to settle my past love. There was no need to pretend anymore.

As I stood there in place, Holmes said, “Aoi.”

“Oh, right.”

He held my hand firmly and led me outside the hotel.

We walked out onto the street and explored the bustling, festive town…while still holding hands. The paper lanterns hanging in the air illuminated the streets with their warm light.

“It’s too crowded. We’ll be able to walk more easily if we cut through here,” Holmes said, slipping into an alley. It was a very Kyoto-esque narrow path that could only be passed through in single file. It was so peaceful and quiet in there that it was hard to believe we’d just gotten out of a flood of people.

“I-I’m surprised you came, Holmes.” There were so many things I wanted to ask him about, like what happened with Izumi after I left, but those were the first words that left my mouth.

Holmes stopped walking. “I was a little worried. I had a feeling…that you were crying.” Those words pierced my heart. He…really does see through everything.

“Y-You really do know everything, Holmes,” I murmured. He silently turned around and looked at me gently. “I was at my limit. They forced their apology on me, and all of my friends sided with them. No one would consider my feelings… That’s when you showed up, and I was really so surprised.” He’d truly saved me. “I-I gave them my blessing, but the whole time I was thinking, ‘This is for my own sake, not yours.’ That’s…wrong, right? If I was going to give them my blessing, then I should’ve said it sincerely. But it wasn’t possible for me… I’m glad, though. I’ve been an indecisive coward all this time, but now, I’m finally over it. Thank you for being worried about me and coming to save me.” I managed to put on a smile before bowing.

Holmes sighed deeply. “You don’t have to force yourself to smile. That was utterly ridiculous,” he declared in a somewhat angry Kyoto accent.

“Huh?” I looked back up at him, surprised. He was frowning.

“If they felt guilty and genuinely wanted to apologize, then they wouldn’t have had to get your friends to back them up. The way they went about it was absolutely rotten.”

It was hard to believe that that strong language was coming from the calm and elegant Holmes. From those words, I could tell that he was genuinely angry. He was angry…because of what happened to me…

“Holmes…” The burden on my heart was lifted, and warm joy took its place. I’m so happy that Holmes came for me… The moment I looked down, a large hand tenderly patted my head.

“It must’ve been hard, Aoi,” he said gently.

Suddenly, the dam holding back my tears burst. “Holmes…!” I cried.

“Let it all out. You deserve it,” he said, patting my back softly.

Before I knew it, I’d flung myself into his chest and started bawling loudly. I’m…not going to try to hold it in anymore. It hurt so much seeing my ex, best friend, and even the rest of our friend group distancing themselves from me. I couldn’t cry in front of them. I absolutely did not want to let that happen. But here, it was okay to cry. Holmes!

I was enveloped in his warm chest and the gentle motions of his hand. There was a faint, sweet scent coming from his yukata. The red lanterns were blurred by the tears in my eyes.

Somewhere nearby, the sound of the festival rhythm softly rang out.