The man, dressed in the brilliant karinigu robes of a Shinto priest, looked to be a few years older than Kiyoka. Pale and with slightly drooping eyes, the man waved at them with a soft, bright smile.
When the man strode over to where they were, Kiyoka gave him a courteous and respectful bow.
“It has been too long, Lord Komon.”
“Ha-ha-ha. Those straight laces of yours are sounding tighter than ever, Kiyoka. You can always just call me Brother Komon. Wouldn’t mind one bit.”
“I’ll pass.”
Kiyoka looked down at the slightly shorter man as he gave his exasperated reply. It appeared Kiyoka could be relaxed and comfortable around this man.
“Lord Komon… This is my wife, Miyo.”
“Miyo K-Kudou. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
Following Kiyoka’s introduction, Miyo said her name with a bow. She still wasn’t used to her new last name, so she always ended up stumbling over it.
However, the man didn’t seem to notice.
“Miyo, this is Lord Komon Miyakouji, the head of the Kudou family’s main line and the head priest of this shrine.”
“A pleasure.”
“Thank you for showing us your kindness.”
The man—Komon Miyakouji—nonchalantly looked Miyo over for a moment before breaking into a smile.
“Well, I’ll be. Aren’t you a pretty young lady. As Kiyoka said, I’m the head of the Miyakouji family, Komon Miyakouji. Pleasure to meet you.”
“Thank you.”
Komon nodded with satisfaction to Miyo and glanced at Kiyoka with a teasing glint in his eyes.
“Sheesh, I was starting to worry little Kiyoka would be a bachelor forever. Imagine my shock when he turns up with such a beautiful wife on his arm! How can a guy be so perfect all the time—sticks in my craw, it does.”
“Please don’t tease me. How are things in the Miyakouji family? Everything all right?”
“Oh yeah, it’s the same old, same old, believe me. For better and for worse. Frustratingly so.”
Komon shrugged in reply to Kiyoka’s question. He turned his back to the pair, then swiveled his head around to look at them.
“Well, you two. Are you hungry?”
Miyo locked eyes with Kiyoka.
Quite some time had passed since their lunch on the train, and although they had spent most of it sitting down, Miyo was famished at the moment.
“How’s a nice restaurant sound? I’ve reserved us a table for tonight.”
With Komon as their guide, Miyo and Kiyoka walked to a restaurant inside a hotel not far from the shrine.
It wasn’t an inn with a long history, but a newly built Western-style hotel, and there appeared to be not only domestic guests, but also people from abroad staying here. They came across numerous gentlemen in suits and ladies in dresses.
“Hope you’ll excuse me for bringing you here instead of somewhere more typical of the old capital after you came all this way.”
As they sat around a table covered in a white tablecloth, Komon apologetically brought a hand to the back of his head.
Miyo shook her head, and Kiyoka told Komon the two of them didn’t particularly mind.
“That’s a relief to hear. Besides, it might just be exactly what you need. By the time you’re done staying at the Miyakouji estate, you’ll have eaten so many Japanese course meals, you’ll never want to sit through one again. Now’s your chance to tuck into some Western-style food while you still can.”
Although Miyo had met Komon only a little while ago, she could tell that he was a very jovial and friendly man. He readily cracked jokes and chatted away.
Kiyoka seemed to trust Komon, too, even as he maintained a degree of distance from him. Miyo was sure he wasn’t a bad person. At the very least, she didn’t get the sense he would be difficult to get along with.
Although the power balance was tipping in favor of the Kudou branch family, the Miyakouji family was an old lineage, and it still possessed a great amount of power. Miyo couldn’t imagine a half-hearted individual would be able to fulfill the role of family head.
They received some appetizers shortly after taking their seats.
“Shall we get started, then? Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
The three raised their glasses, and with a clink, their meal began.
Komon and Kiyoka were drinking wine, and Miyo water. As usual, Kiyoka had strictly forbidden Miyo from having even a sip of aperitif.
Over the course of the meal, they exchanged idle banter, though Miyo said very little. Kiyoka was already a man of few words to begin with, so almost 70 percent of the time, it felt more like Komon was talking to himself.
“Lord Komon, why did you make a point of having us dine out tonight?”
In a rare move, Kiyoka posed a question to Komon.
Miyo didn’t really understand the intent behind her husband’s query, but Komon seemed to catch on immediately, gulping down the rest of his glass and widening his grin.
“Oh, Kiyoka, you wound me! Can’t a guy take his extended family out to dinner?”
“Please spare me the charade. Is there something you’re worried about?”
After Kiyoka pressed the issue a bit more, Komon immediately gave in. He shrugged nonchalantly.
“All right, you got me. I figured you might like a bit of time to mentally prepare yourselves. I’m sure you’ll agree charging headfirst into our humble abode will be no easy task for someone new to the family like Miyo.”
“…I won’t deny that, but still.”
“Um, what do you mean…?”
Miyo could only cock her head in confusion.
Naturally, she had learned from Hazuki and Kiyoka what to expect in the home of a family whose lineage was as storied as the Miyakoujis’.
She knew the family’s illustrious heritage would make them high-strung and difficult to please.
For a great many years, the Miyakouji family had managed the shrine in the old capital and had produced numerous public servants and Gift-users to serve the Imperial Court and, by extension, the government itself.
Due to their long and significant history, the members of the family had grown obstinate in heart and mind, with certain beliefs becoming deeply ingrained in their psyches. This was also true to a degree of the Kudous, Saimoris, and Usubas, but given the sheer scale of the Miyakouji family, the latter was far more set in its ways.
For this reason, Miyo had needed to mentally prepare herself for the meeting before setting out on this trip.
“I’ll admit Miyo seems made of sterner stuff than I had pegged her for. The Miyakoujis practically wrote the book on obligation and constraint. You couldn’t take just any young lady off the street and marry her into the family; she’d suffocate under all the pressure. Our humble home’s packed full of hotheaded and stubborn fellas and ladies, so watch yourself, okay? Figured I’d take this time to warn you before you settled in.”
“Thank you very much for your concern.”
“Don’t mention it. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other from here on out, so it’s best to start off on the right foot.”
Komon waved lightly. When Miyo looked over to see how Kiyoka felt about all this, he was wearing a serious look for some reason.
That aside, Miyo found it ominous to hear there were obstinate and hotheaded people in the Miyakouji family.
I imagined gossip and harassment, but perhaps I should be worried about something different.
Since Komon had went out of his way to warn her, Miyo mentally put up her guard.
…I need to be careful.
They continued to enjoy the meal and their drinks, and the next thing they knew, the main course of their three-person banquet had come and gone. Now only dessert was left to come.
Kiyoka departed for a moment, leaving Miyo alone at the table with Komon.
“Thank you for coming, Miyo. I couldn’t be happier to have this chance to relax and chat before heading to the manor.”
“I should be the one thanking you. I look forward to getting to know you.”
“Gotta say, you really are a well-put-together little lady. You’re refined, courteous—the whole package.” Komon crossed his arms and nodded. The alcohol seemed to be fully at work. “By the way now, I might come off a bit different at the estate, but…try not to be too surprised, okay?”
“Really?”
“Yes siree. Back at the manor, I’m the family patriarch, so I need all the dignity and sternness to play the part. Some members of the family wouldn’t play nice if I acted otherwise.”
“Um, Lord Komon, have you known Kiyoka for long?”