“The tea is ready!” Reirin cheerfully called out to the Maidens, who were relaxing together in a Maiden Court room. The last time all five Maidens had hung out was when they were making a mirror in the lead-up to the Rite of Reverence. Back then, it had been so cold that not even keeping a brazier in the room could stop their breaths from turning white, but now they could throw open the windows and let a gentle spring breeze inside.
It had been ten days since the girls had returned to the capital with both the Congee Conferment Rite and Repose of Souls Service behind them. Exhausted after climbing a mountain and making the long journey home (not to mention that Keigetsu had the added fatigue of casting a large-scale spell), the Maidens had holed up in their respective palaces for several days, but they had finally recuperated enough to sit down for tea together.
Hosting a full-on tea party would’ve required a lot of work, so this was just an informal gathering between Maidens. Not even their court ladies had been invited to accompany them, and they had formed a table by pushing the five desks they used during their lessons together. The lack of a proper tea table or any flowers to decorate it made the event a complete mess in terms of etiquette, but that lent it the same naughty appeal as chatting during a lecture. To no surprise, this would be Reirin’s first time sitting down for tea without a care for propriety.
“Today, I took the liberty of gathering the morning dew to brew us some first flush tea.”
When Reirin presented her with a cup of first flush tea—made from buds harvested in early spring—Keigetsu took a curious whiff of its fragrance. “Hmm, so this is first flush tea? It has a very fresh aroma.”
“Oh, please,” Seika spat, sulking over the fact that she wasn’t the first to be served. “If you didn’t even notice the smell of chili vinegar before, I highly doubt you could pick out the scent of first flush tea.”
Ignoring that comment, Kasui got up from her seat to help out. “Lady Reirin, you needn’t go to the trouble of serving us. Allow one of us to handle that.”
Meanwhile, Houshun showed off some flower-shaped candies and announced, “Erm, excuse me, everyone! I brought some snacks for us to share.”
After spending the entire rehearsal period for the Repose of Souls playing along with Keigetsu’s act, the three Maidens had developed an easy rapport.
Seeing them act so natural and relaxed around each other brought a smile to Reirin’s face. “I can see you’ve all opened up to each other quite a bit. I’m delighted for the five of us to have this opportunity to drink tea together.” Rising to her feet, she bowed deeply to the seated Maidens. “Allow me to thank you once again for all your help. Had you not aided Lady Keigetsu and myself in covering up the switch, we both would have been executed. Had you not helped teach the locals that song, they might have had their souls leached away by the sorcerer.”
The three recipients of her gratitude practically sprang from their chairs.
Seika insisted, “Don’t be silly! We helped hide the switch to keep ourselves out of trouble, and we assisted with the singing lessons on His Majesty’s orders. There’s no reason to humble yourself before us, Lady Reirin!”
“Precisely,” Kasui emphatically agreed. “If anything, I was happy to repay even a fraction of what I owe you for the Rite of Reverence.”
“It was a memorable experience.” That loaded statement was all the cynical Houshun was willing to offer, but she at least didn’t demand more thanks.
“Hmph. Aren’t you all embarrassingly deferential toward Kou Reirin? You’ve never had anything but complaints for me,” Keigetsu griped with a scowl, propping her chin in her hand. Annoyed, she picked up one of the flower-shaped candies and crushed it between her fingers. “It was always ‘You could never act the part of the prince’s butterfly’ this! ‘You can’t expect us to cover for you’ that!”
“Well, goodness!” Dismayed to be tattled on, Seika hid her mouth behind her fan and shot Keigetsu a glare. “Is it so wrong to speak the truth? We simply pointed out that a talentless, overemotional woman like you might struggle to play a versatile woman of culture like Lady Reirin.”
“Excuse me?! Don’t pretend you didn’t see my brilliant performance. I was the epitome of Kou Reirin! For that matter, getting tricked by a first impression is one thing, but how can you have spent a year and a half with this woman and still not realize her true nature?!” Feeling indignant after that blunt dressing-down, Keigetsu slammed her hands on the table and rose from her seat. “It’s time to face the facts! She isn’t the dainty, ephemeral flower you think she is! If she were a plant, she’d be a shockingly vigorous perilla. If she were an animal, she’d be a boar charging straight off a cliff!”
The very woman Keigetsu kept pointing at only smiled bashfully and said, “From the mint family?! You flatter me!”
In contrast, Seika’s eyebrows shot up in disapproval. “What an outlandish metaphor! I’m clearly not the one with a poor understanding of reality here.” She then spun toward Reirin with a smile. “Lady Reirin, I have faith that you are like a lotus wet with the morning dew.”
Reirin returned the compliment with an elegant nod. “You are far too kind, Lady Seika. That would surely make you the lotus leaf swaying in a lush breeze.”
At that, Seika snickered and turned to Keigetsu with a look of triumph. “Do you see now, Lady Keigetsu? That was a reference to an old poem: ‘Pure is the heart of a lotus wet with dew, fragrant is the lotus leaf swaying in a lush breeze.’ Naturally, Lady Reirin picked right up on this and responded accordingly. That should be proof enough that she is an intellectual, sophisticated lady. This is what highbrow conversation is meant to sound like.” The Kin Maiden puffed up with pride, delighted beyond measure to have someone who could hold their own in a conversation with her.
In the background, Kasui whispered, “It was actually rather kind of her to provide an explanation,” then poured another round of tea.
“How’s that?” Seika demanded of Keigetsu. “A person’s character shines through in the subtlest of ways, and it takes someone of equal intellect to catch those hints. Can you claim to have that?”
“I don’t know about intellect, but your cunning sure is shining through at the moment!”
“That’s quite enough out of you!”
Having taken a seat once more, Reirin watched their argument intently, a hand pressed to her cheek. “Lady Keigetsu and Lady Seika truly do seem to get along well…”
The pair in question would probably insist that they couldn’t stand each other, but from the outside looking in, they had a great rapport. It was enough to make Reirin jealous.
Look, Lady Keigetsu is even showing off her best glare. Oh, she looks ready to throw a teacup… If only I were on the receiving end, I could do such a splendid job of catching it in midair. Reirin nearly pouted at the unfairness of it all, only to furiously shake the thoughts from her head. Stop that, Reirin! Lady Keigetsu already acknowledged me as her dearest friend of all, so it would be far too greedy of me to monopolize her any further!
Part of her wanted to shout it from the rooftops that she was Shu Keigetsu’s best friend in the whole world, and Keigetsu hadn’t made fun of her for feeling that way. Still, the way she was growing more selfish with each passing day was starting to scare her a little. She used to be so much more cognizant of her limitations.
When Keigetsu and Seika finally reached the point of leaning across the table, Houshun started murmuring to Reirin from behind her sleeves. “Ugh, do they ever shut up?” As attuned as she was to words and language, Houshun wasn’t a fan of shouting or loud noises. Her face was screwed into a frown. “The best way to deal with someone as overbearing as Lady Seika is to nod along with whatever she says. Things only get to this point because Lady Keigetsu insists on being the resident Kou Reirin authority. Like, she won’t be satisfied until everyone acknowledges that she knows you best.” Sounding thoroughly uninterested, she muttered, “Gosh, this is so tedious.”