Azusa squealed in joy. “Thank you, Aoi!” She hugged Aoi tightly and stuck her tongue out at Kiyotaka.
“I’m starting to think she’s somehow worse than Ensho.” Kiyotaka grimaced. “It’s rare to get that kind of invitation from Aoi. I’m so jealous.”
Yilin giggled. She could never tell if these two got along or not.
Suddenly, Takamiya made his entrance. “Thank you all for coming today,” he greeted the crowd with a smile.
Yilin straightened her back. Her mission today was to confirm whether Takamiya was in possession of a rare jewel that was suspected to be the Sun-Drop. If she didn’t get the chance to ask, then Kiyotaka would instead.
Takamiya spotted the young appraiser and walked up to him. “Hello, Kiyotaka. Thank you so much for your help.”
Kiyotaka turned to him and shook his head. “I didn’t do anything. Thank you for hosting such a wonderful party tonight. I brought these flowers for your Sèvres vase.” He offered Takamiya the bouquet of roses.
“Why, thank you.” Takamiya accepted the bouquet and shifted his gaze to Yilin. “Thank the rest of you too. You look like a moon goddess, Yilin.”
Feeling a rush of excitement at his words, Yilin bowed and thanked him.
Takamiya then turned to Aoi and smiled. “Oh, is your outfit themed after the harvest moon? It’s lovely. The rabbit netsuke is adorable too. It’s ceramic, yes?”
“Thank you.” Aoi looked down at the netsuke. “Yes, it is. I actually made it myself.”
“Huh?” The surprised voice came not from Takamiya but Kiyotaka.
“Is that so?” Takamiya asked, widening his eyes. “I’m impressed.”
“I recently got into pottery, so I wanted to try making a netsuke,” Aoi explained. “It’s amateur work, but since I made it myself, I feel attached to it.”
“Netsuke are all about the charm, so as long as it has that, you’re golden.”
As they were talking, Kiyotaka knelt down and stared intently at the netsuke. “You made this, Aoi? Its round form and sweet eyes are absolutely adorable. It’s a work of art.”
Aoi shook her head weakly. “I actually wanted it to be jumping, but I couldn’t get it right, so it ended up round like this. Please don’t look so closely or you’ll see how rough it is around the edges.”
“Wait, don’t hide it!”
The women behind Takamiya squealed as they listened to the couple’s conversation.
“Kiyotaka, these ladies have been helping me out,” said Takamiya. “They say they’re your fans.”
Kiyotaka stood up and bowed. “I’m honored.”
“They’d also like to take pictures of you. Would you be all right with that?”
Kiyotaka froze for a second before smiling. “I’m happy to be of service.”
The women’s faces lit up.
“Could you please lie down on that long sofa, then?” asked one.
“Can you place the roses on your lap too?” asked the other. “And rest your chin on your hand?”
So began Kiyotaka’s photo session. The women had quite the aesthetic sense—the sight of Kiyotaka reclining on the sofa and propping his chin on his hand with a bouquet of roses in his lap was so sensual that it sent a shiver down one’s spine.
Azusa bit her lower lip. “I hate to admit it, but good looks are the one thing he has. I’m going to take some pictures too.” She took out her phone and went to stand next to Kiyotaka’s fans.
After the photo session, one of the women said, “I hear you’re engaged, Kiyotaka. Congratulations! How about a celebratory dance?”
“Congratulations,” said the other. “Please dance with me next.”
“Oh, I’d like to dance with you too,” Azusa chimed in.
“Wow,” Yilin murmured. “They phrased it in a way where he can’t use his fiancée as an excuse to decline.”
“Yeah.” Aoi laughed in amusement.
“Doesn’t it bother you, Aoi?”
“It’s just dancing, so I don’t mind. I’d actually like to watch, since I can’t dance myself.”
“Is that right?”
“Do you know how to dance, Yilin?”
“Well enough to get by, I suppose.”
“This might be your chance, then. Why don’t you ask Takamiya to dance with you?”
Yilin’s eyes widened. Dancing would give her an opportunity to talk to him one-on-one. “That’s a brilliant idea.”
“Right?” Aoi walked over to Kiyotaka. “Holmes, go ahead and dance with everyone,” she said with a beaming smile.
“We got the fiancée’s permission!” the women squealed.
Kiyotaka facepalmed but then, as if realizing Aoi’s intent, smiled at the women and said, “Just a little, then.”
The women cheered, and Kiyotaka began to dance with them on the spacious floor. Seeing this, the musical ensemble switched to playing a waltz, prompting other guests to join in. Staff members moved the tables aside to create more space.
“It’s just like a European party,” Takamiya said with a delighted smile.
Yilin gulped and approached him. “Um, Takamiya, may I please have this dance?”
“Oh, I’d love to.”
Suddenly remembering that she needed Kiyotaka to observe Takamiya when she asked the question, she frantically looked in his direction. The appraiser was currently dancing with Azusa. Noticing Yilin’s gaze, he gave her an acknowledging nod and directed his dancing in her direction.
“You’re not plotting something by dancing with me, are you?” Kiyotaka asked.
“No, of course not,” said Azusa.
Yilin couldn’t help but smile at their conversation. She took Takamiya’s hand, and they began to dance. Takamiya moved slowly, but his steps were firm.
“You’re quite skilled at this, Takamiya,” she said.
“Ah, I’m just leveraging past experience. When I was younger, I traveled all over the world. In foreign high society, no one will give you the time of day if you can’t dance.”
“I know.” Yilin laughed. In Asia, one could get away with not being able to dance, but it was essential in European social circles. “Did you travel the world for work?”
“Yes, it was mainly for trade, though I did visit museums along the way. For a long time, work was my hobby.”
“What do you like the most in museums?”
“Hmm, it’d have to be the paintings, since I always wanted to become an artist.”
“I see.” Yilin’s heart was pounding. “What about jewels?”
“I think they’re beautiful, but not to the point of desiring them.”
“So you don’t own any?”
“I have a few, but not that many.”
“Are any of them perhaps particularly rare?”