Vol 2 Chapter 1 Part 7

When we left the room, guests had already arrived and were chattering away in the hall. The first people I noticed were some familiar faces: Ueno, Mieko, and Akihito.

“My stage play just had its final day last week, so I’m going back to Tokyo the day after tomorrow. I’m glad I get to come to the owner’s party first,” said Akihito, who looked sharp in his party suit. He was as frivolous as ever, but at least he looked good on the outside. Phew, so he did come. This should satisfy Kaori.

Relieved, I looked around at the rest of the guests. Next to Akihito was a middle-aged man wearing a suit and light-colored sunglasses. He had a well-kept beard and vaguely seemed like he was from the entertainment industry.

“Oh, that’s Producer Shimizu!” Yoshie exclaimed. So he was from the industry!

“Is he the producer of Heirloom Hunt?”

“Yes. Seiji used to work with him, but I thought they weren’t in contact anymore…” she murmured, as if she hadn’t expected him to be here. She must not have heard about him ever since the dispute two years ago.

Next to the producer were two familiar-looking people.

“Oh, could those two be the entertainers, ‘Masamune’?” Yoshie remarked.

Suddenly, it came to me. “Yeah, that’s Masamune.” They were a performing duo who wowed their audiences with acts like pantomiming. They even performed overseas. Since their names were Masataka and Muneyoshi, their duo was called Masamune.

“Is the owner friends with Masamune?”

“I don’t know… They’ve probably never met. I’m sure Shimizu must’ve brought them here. I’m going to go greet them.” Yoshie headed towards the owner, who was cheerfully chatting up his guests. I could see Akihito blatantly ogling her. She must be his type. I bet he’ll be surprised if he finds out she’s in her forties and dating the owner, I thought, giggling.

“Did something funny happen?” came Holmes’s voice from beside me.

“Oh, no. But Akihito—” Turning around, the sight of Holmes in a formal suit made my heart skip a beat. The sleek, jet black attire went amazingly well with his shiny black hair, refined facial features, and slightly pale skin. On top of that, there was his graceful demeanor and his gentle smile. This must be what the young aristocrats of the Meiji and Taisho eras looked like.

What am I going to do with myself? He’s too amazing! I was a bit frustrated that he was making my heart race so much.

“You caught me off guard. Did Yoshie do your hair and makeup?” Holmes asked, looking genuinely surprised.

“Oh, yes. She did it for me in addition to lending me the dress. D-Do I look weird?” I looked up at him, feeling uncertain.

“…You look beautiful. It suits you well,” he answered in a Kyoto accent. His words pierced straight through me. U-Using that accent here is not fair.

As I stood there, more and more guests arrived, and Holmes would immediately go to greet them. The ones I somewhat knew were Yanagihara, who was the owner’s appraiser friend, and Hanamura, the ikebana teacher I met before at Kyoto Hotel Okura. There were also many people who I was told were the owner’s cousins. Were they once his rivals?

“Aoi!”

I turned to the familiar voice and saw Kaori with her parents. As you’d expect from their family business, they were all wearing kimono.

“Oh, Kaori!”

“In the end, my family was invited anyway. Sis didn’t come though, since she’s doing a TV interview.”

“Yeah, I wondered if that’d be the case when I heard that the owner ordered a tailor-made kimono from Miyashita Kimono Fabrics. You look great in your kimono!” It was a semi-formal kimono, deep red with maple leaves. Naturally, she wore it well.

“Thanks. You look great too! Hey, is that hot guy over there an actor? And even Masamune’s here! Oh my gosh!” She excitedly grabbed my hand. Seeing her look at Akihito, I smiled. She really is a fangirl.

Then the manager showed up and stood in front of the large doors that had “Showroom” written on a nameplate. He bowed before everyone and said, “Thank you everyone for coming to my father’s birthday party today.” His voice was ever so slightly shrill—he must’ve been nervous. He bowed again. Everyone stopped talking and turned to face him.

“Th-This house was originally the personal art gallery of Kuranosuke Yagashira, keen-eyed merchant and teacher to my father. The Yagashira family’s prized collection is on display here, in this showroom. P-Please take a look before mealtime,” the manager said stiffly. He then opened the large double doors with a clank.

“Ooh!” The guests walked towards the showroom, starry-eyed.

“It’s the owner’s collection! C’mon, Aoi!” Kaori looked excited.

“Yeah!” I nodded, and we went into the showroom together.

I only took one step inside before I was rendered speechless. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call this a small museum. The Renaissance-style parlor was decorated with numerous works of art. Paintings and scrolls adorned the walls, while round tables were placed at fixed intervals, holding ceramic jars, flower vases, pitchers, and large plates.

“My, they’re all fantastic.”

“Seiji’s really something.”

The guests were enchanted.

“We ask that you please do not touch anything,” the manager cautioned nervously.

Holmes was standing in front of the jar on the table farthest back in the room, explaining it to the guests. It was a smooth, jade green piece.

“This is called ‘celadon’—or ‘seiji’ in Japanese—and it originated in China. It’s one of my grandfather’s most prized antiques. The Chinese are known for their mastery of celadon pottery. Its simple yet sublime beauty and its abundant grace are said to embody the aesthetic sense of the Chinese people. There are only a few dozen pieces like this one confirmed to exist in the world. It was originally discovered by my grandfather’s teacher, Kuranosuke, in mainland China. It’s an incredible, priceless piece, so please take this opportunity to admire it,” Holmes cheerfully explained.

I can’t believe something like this would be in a normal house! (Okay, maybe “normal” isn’t the right word.) I was simultaneously impressed and appalled.

After Holmes finished his overview of the collection, he whispered into the manager’s ear, “Dad, I’m going to check on the party room.” He then left the showroom. This exhibition must be to buy time until the food is ready.

As I watched him leave, Akihito walked up to me, grinning from ear to ear.

“Hey there, Aoi. You’re looking mature today. I like it.”

“Thank you, Akihito.”

Next to him was the pantomime duo, Masamune.

“Wow, it’s the entertainer team,” Kaori said quietly, her eyes sparkling with joy.

I quickly introduced her. “Akihito, this is my friend, Kaori Miyashita. Her family runs Miyashita Kimono Fabrics.”

“Oh, I see. That’s why you look so lovely in that kimono. I’m glad to meet a high school girl who can wear traditional clothes so nicely.” Akihito took her hand, radiating charm.

“I-It’s no big deal.” Kaori looked down, blushing.

Akihito was being his usual frivolous self, but I let it slide since Kaori seemed to enjoy it. I heard the manager call my name. He walked up to me quickly and said, “Sorry, I have to leave for a bit. When the guests are called to the party room, could you make sure to lock this room before you leave?” He handed me an antique-looking key.

“Oh, okay. I will.” I accepted the key, and the manager hurriedly left the showroom. What could’ve happened? He looked pale, so maybe the nervousness was making his stomach hurt, like he’d told me before. I feel like I’ve been given a huge responsibility, though… I mean, isn’t this room full of amazing works of art? Holding the key was making me feel anxious.

Then, one of the members of Masamune, Masataka, went “Whoa!” and looked up at the ceiling. “I just noticed that chandelier.”

We looked up at the chandelier. It was made up of countless shining crystals, and the design looked like it belonged in a palace’s party hall.

“You’re right. How Renaissance.”

“Yeah, I bet this chandelier’s worth a fortune, too.”

“Wow!”

We looked up at the ceiling, sighing in awe.

“The party room is ready. Please head over now, everyone,” came the manager’s voice from the other side of the doors.

“It’s finally party time! I’m excited.”

The smiling guests streamed out of the room. I walked with them, but stopped in front of the doors. Kaori, Akihito, and the Masamune duo left the showroom. With no one left inside, I locked the doors tightly. I tried turning the doorknob to make sure, and satisfied that they were locked, I headed for the party room.

At the time, I had no idea whatsoever about the shocking incident that was going to occur.