Vol 2 Chapter 4 Part 2.md

The next Saturday, our plan was to take a look at Tofuku-ji Temple, where Akihito’s next filming would take place, and then go to his aunt’s house.

“If you’re visiting Tofuku-ji Temple in autumn, you must not go by car,” Holmes declared while driving the company’s Jaguar. I was sitting in the passenger seat and Akihito was sitting in the back. The three of us had met up at Kura, then gone to the underground parking lot on Oike Street. Now we were on our way to Tofuku-ji Temple…by car. Akihito and I silently exchanged glances.

“Uh, Holmes, aren’t you contradicting yourself?” Akihito asked, leaning forward a bit. I nodded in agreement.

“Naturally, I won’t be driving directly to Tofuku-ji Temple. Your aunt came to Kura the other day to lend me the house key, so I’ll be parking the car at the house and then walking to Tofuku-ji from there.”

“Ohhh, I get it now.” Akihito nodded.

Holmes dropped me and Akihito off near the temple first. “I’ll head over as soon as I park the car, so you two can start walking first,” he said before driving off to Akihito’s aunt’s house.

“Man, he’s a smooth guy, huh? If it were me, I would’ve parked at my aunt’s house first, and then the three of us would’ve walked to the temple together.”

“He really is. It might be because he’s always attending to the owner.”

“I thought so too. Sounds like a tough job though.”

“The owner is a free spirit, after all.”

We continued to talk as we walked towards the temple gate.

“Aoi, is this your first time going to Tofuku-ji Temple?” Akihito looked at me. He really was a tall, handsome guy. But for some reason, I don’t feel anything when I look at him.

“Yes. What about you?”

“I only came once in elementary school, so I don’t think I remember any of the specifics. Well, let’s look at the Sanmon gate first, since it’s a National Treasure of Japan and everything,” Akihito said lightly, leading the way. He folded his hands behind his head as he walked, saying, “But even though it’s a National Treasure, there’s no way it’ll beat Nanzen-ji’s Sanmon gate.”

Nanzen-ji was the temple featured in the program that was going to be airing tonight. I heard that Holmes went there with him to check it out beforehand.

“Was Nanzen-ji’s Sanmon gate that amazing?”

“Yeah, I was floored. Wait, you haven’t been there before, Aoi?”

“No, not yet.”

“You really should. The aqueduct was really good too.”

“I’d like to.”

“Sorry, Aoi, I ended up going on a date at Nanzen-ji with Holmes before you could.” He peered at my face with a mischievous grin.

My face went bright red. “Wh-What are you saying?!”

He laughed and I glared at him as we passed through the Rokuhara gate, which was the entrance to the temple grounds.

“The Sanmon gate’s over there…” Akihito said.

“Wow!” I exclaimed the moment I looked up at the towering gate in front of us. It was huge, and the dark brown roof contrasted beautifully with the white walls. It was so tall and wide that it seemed to be saying, “This is the entrance to another world.” I was overwhelmed. It might’ve been the grandest of all of the gates I’d seen so far.

“I-It’s really impressive. The Sanmon gate at Nanzen-ji was even better?”

“Well, they’re both amazing in their own way. But if I had to pick one, I think Nanzen-ji’s was superior.”

“Really?! It must be incredible.”

Akihito took out his phone and started taking pictures. While he praised the gate, I stood a short distance away, gazing up at it.

“Sorry to keep you waiting—you’re still here?” came Holmes’s voice from behind us. We turned to face him.

“Hey, Holmes. Nanzen-ji’s Sanmon gate was great, but this one is too,” Akihito said, putting his hand on Holmes’s shoulder in an overly familiar way.

“This Sanmon gate is said to be the oldest one in Japan, and it’s a designated National Treasure,” Holmes explained as usual. “This hand is quite unwelcome.” He lightly brushed Akihito’s hand away.

“Ah! Now that’s just mean.”

I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Geez, you’re so unfriendly,” Akihito sulked. “Hey, does that mean that this one’s better than Nanzen-ji’s?” He looked up at the huge gate, seeming to have pulled himself together.

“It’s a matter of personal preference, but unfortunately, Kyoto’s ‘three great gates’ are at Nanzen-ji, Chion-in, and Higashi Hongan-ji. Tofuku-ji’s isn’t one of them.”

“For real?” Akihito asked, surprised.

“Wow.” I was also impressed.

“However, as with all things, you should decide with your own heart. Instead of ranking one above the other, I think they both have their merits.” Holmes placed his hand on his chest and smiled gently.

I was touched by his words. It’s true that social standings and popularity exist, but everything comes down to your own preferences. Just like he said, I’ve seen a lot of shrines and temples now, but I never thought to rank them. They were each amazing in their own ways.

“I see. It’s like that with women too, right?” Akihito said. “You have your own preferences, but they’re all good in their own ways.” He nodded.

I didn’t know what to say. Geez, this guy…

“Now then, let’s continue,” Holmes said, ignoring him and starting to walk.

“Okay,” I said, giggling and hurrying after him.

“Hey, wait for me!” Akihito frantically ran to catch up with us.

We headed towards the main building.

“Tofuku-ji Temple was founded by Michiie Kujo. He wanted it to be as large as Todai-ji Temple and as magnificent as Kofuku-ji Temple, both of which are in Nara City. Thus, he combined the two names into Tofuku-ji. The temple has suffered many fires, but as you can see, it’s been restored. You could say that it’s loved by the people.”

While listening to Holmes’s explanation, I made a praying motion to the beautiful golden statues of the Gautama triad and gazed up at the dragon painting on the ceiling. Then, we headed to the temple’s main attraction: the Tsuten bridge.

“I’ve been looking forward to Tsuten-bashi,” Akihito said excitedly, holding a brochure.

“It’s pronounced Tsuten-kyo. Please be careful when you’re talking about it on TV,” Holmes snapped.

Since it was autumn, quite a few people were there to see the colorful leaves. To be honest, I wasn’t anticipating much when I stepped onto the bridge.

The elegant wooden roofed corridor crossed a valley and was higher up than I expected. It was like a midair observation deck that passed right through the fall foliage. A path surrounded by vivid red. The beauty rendered me speechless.

Red leaves floated on the river far below us. It felt like I was witnessing a marvel of nature. Red leaves floating on a river… Oh, now I remember. This temple was an important place for Izumi and Holmes. Izumi had been moved by the beauty of the red leaves floating down the river, and she recited the first part of “Chihayaburu” by Ariwara no Narihira: “Even in the ages of gods and miracles, I have never heard of the Tatsuta River…” She forgot the rest of the poem, and Holmes finished it for her: “The Tatsuta River’s waters dyed in such crimson.” Yeah, that would make anyone fall in love. Having someone like Holmes complete her poem in such a lovely place would’ve been like an arrow through her heart.

“Even in the ages of gods and miracles, I have never heard of the Tatsuta River’s waters dyed in such crimson…” I murmured, looking down at the river dyed red from the fallen leaves.

“Ariwara no Narihira, I see,” came Holmes’s gentle voice from behind me.

I flinched. Ariwara no Narihira wasn’t the issue here… This was the poem that brought Holmes and Izumi together. I accidentally said it out loud when I remembered that, and he just had to hear me. Knowing him, he realized that I said it because of Izumi, right? Oh no, this might get awkward.

“U-Umm, sorry. I just happened to remember,” I admitted, shrugging.

Holmes chuckled. “It’s all right. Thank you for your concern.”

Oh right, it happened a long time ago for him. Maybe I didn’t need to be nervous.

“There’s a poem of Ariwara no Narihira’s that I like more,” he continued.

“Huh?” I was surprised by his nonchalant response.

“It goes, Through you, I learned and I wonder: doth the people of this world call this ‘love’?”

Even I can interpret something like that. Let’s see… “I learned this feeling because of you. Is this what people call ‘love’?” It’s a heart-fluttering love poem.

“You like that poem?” I looked at him, surprised. I hadn’t expected that.

Holmes gave a small nod. “Yes, I admire it. I’d like to experience such feelings one day, too…but I’m sure it’s not possible,” he whispered to himself, gazing into the distance with his right hand on the railing. There was sorrow in his eyes.

My heart stung when I looked at him. I think I understand now. He might’ve put his feelings for Izumi behind him, but he still remains traumatized by her betrayal. For Holmes, who has the ability to see into people’s minds, it must’ve been shocking to witness his girlfriend being swayed and then taken away by another man. After all, he said that he was so shocked, envious, and frustrated that he considered going to Mount Kurama and becoming a priest. It must’ve destroyed his self-esteem. And now…he might be rejecting the idea of love.

“I think I understand,” I said.

“What?”

“I’ve…gotten over Katsumi, but I think the scars are still there. I feel too cowardly to fall in love again.” Thanks to what Holmes said, I finally understood myself. Even if things happened that made my heart skip a beat, there was a barrier in place that prevented my feelings from going further. It’s because I don’t want to be hurt again. “I hope our wounds will heal.” Our gazes met, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Indeed…” he murmured softly. The pain in his voice made my heart ache. The two of us silently continued to look down at the bright red leaves floating down the river. It must be the beautiful scenery that’s making my eyes well up.

“Oh, Aoi, did the autumn leaves move you to tears?” Akihito said cheerily, walking up to us.

I hurried to wipe my tears. “Y-Yes. The scenery was so breathtaking… I was thinking that if any of my friends visit Kyoto in autumn, I’ll make sure to tell them to see Tofuku-ji Temple,” I said earnestly.

Akihito folded his arms. “I see,” he said, seeming impressed. “‘If any of your friends visit Kyoto in autumn, make sure to tell them to see Tofuku-ji Temple,’ huh? I like that. Can I use it?”

“Huh? Um, sure?”

As soon as I nodded, Akihito took his phone out of his pocket and wrote the sentence down. I guess he’s going to use it during the filming. Despite what we say about him, he is an enthusiastic worker. I can tell that he’s betting on this job.

After enjoying the view from the Tsuten bridge for a while, we went to see the head priest’s rock garden and then left the temple.