With the arrival of October, the city of Kyoto grew even more hectic. The antique shop Kura, however, remained as relaxed as ever.
Now that Yilin was gone, the store had returned to its previous state. It was mainly staffed by the manager, with me—Aoi Mashiro—and Rikyu taking turns in shifts. On weekends, like right now, Holmes was also present.
I paused my organization of the bookshelves and glanced at the reference books lined up on the counter. They were the ones I’d brought down from the second-floor storage room for Yilin to read.
“I miss having Yilin around,” I lamented.
Holmes smiled. “She was your first mentee, after all.”
“Yeah. She was only here for a month, but I feel a hole in my heart now that she’s gone.” The feeling was probably even stronger because our time together had been so densely packed. “I also really enjoyed seeing how much she absorbed during that time.”
I couldn’t help but want to teach her every little thing.
“Indeed. As for me, I was incredibly concerned by how quickly you charmed everyone.”
“Huh? Are you saying that I charmed Yilin?”
“Yes. I was afraid she’d end up like Azusa.”
“What? But Azusa’s a girl, isn’t she?”
Holmes clenched his fist. “I will be vigilant about gender equality.”
Just then, the door chime rang.
“Hello,” Kaori Miyashita, my best friend since high school, greeted us.
“Oh, Kaori!” I exclaimed, happy to see her.
“Welcome, Kaori,” said Holmes.
She giggled mischievously and pressed her hands together. “I’m going to see a movie with Haruhiko, but I arrived too early. Mind if I rest here?”
“Go ahead,” I replied.
“Shall we take a break too, then?” Holmes suggested, smiling and heading for the kitchenette.
“Oh, I’ll help!” I followed him.
He shook his head. “I can handle this by myself.”
“I was going to ask—are you worried about Kaori too?”
“No, you can be as close with her as you want.”
“Huh? What’s the difference?”
“The difference is...” Holmes pressed his index finger to his chest. “Whether or not they harbor something dark in here.”
“Something dark?”
“Yes, people who harbor such things are drawn to your warmth.”
“Are you saying that Kaori doesn’t? I’m sure she’s had her fair share of painful experiences.”
“The darkness I speak of isn’t necessarily just past experiences; it’s also the person’s inherent nature. Kaori doesn’t seem to be problematic in that sense.”
“I don’t get it.” I frowned.
Suddenly, the door chime rang again. It was strange how this store tended to get multiple visitors at the same time.
“Welcome,” I said, hurriedly leaving the kitchenette.
Our second guest turned out to be Yilin. “Hello. I went to Mibu-dera again and found some delicious sweets. I was hoping we could share them,” she said shyly, taking a box out of a paper bag.
“Thank you,” I said, accepting the box of sweets. “We were just about to take a break. Please have a seat. This is my friend from high school, Kaori Miyashita. And Kaori, this is Yilin Jing, the girl I told you about.”
The two awkwardly bowed to each other.
Before long, coffee, sweets, and wet towels were laid out on the counter. Yilin had brought Kyoto Tsuruya Kakujuan’s Kyo-Chafle. They were soft shortbread cookies made with Uji matcha dough and filled with a layer of matcha chocolate.
“Ooh, this is delicious,” I remarked.
“They’re dangerously addictive,” said Kaori.
“Indeed,” said Holmes.
Yilin nodded happily. “Right? I wanted to buy Tonsho and Ajari Mochi for Juhua—I mean, my grandmother and mother, since I’m visiting them during the next school break. But I heard both of those sweets have a short shelf life, so I asked the store what was popular that could keep for a while. They recommended these, and when I tried a sample, it was so delicious that I just had to share it with you.”
“It really is,” I agreed. “Also, I’m glad you get to meet your mother.”
She blushed and nodded again. “It’s thanks to everyone’s help. I’m so grateful.”
Holmes’s expression relaxed. “You’re still visiting Mibu-dera? You must be deep in the Shinsengumi hole.”
“Yes.” Yilin smiled. “After all that’s happened, I think I understand why I got hooked on the Shinsengumi. I’ve always been restraining myself, so I was fascinated by their intense determination and fiery passion. Even now, that hasn’t changed. I’m hoping I can find fellow enthusiasts at my university.”
“Oh!” Kaori exclaimed. “I love the Shinsengumi!”
“Huh?” Yilin turned to her, startled.
“I’m just a casual fan who got into them from an anime series, though.”
“M-Me too. Who do you like in the anime?”
“It has to be Soji Okita for me.”
“I’m a Hijikata stan.”
“Oh, yeah, Hijikata’s really cool. The Teradaya scene gave me chills.”
“Totally!”
As the two of them chatted excitedly, Holmes and I exchanged looks and chuckled.
“By the way, Yilin, did you see Matsunosuke Ichikata’s performance at Minamiza?” Holmes asked.
“Not yet.” She shook her head. “I’ve been too distracted with other things. The show runs until the end of next month, so I’d like to catch it before it’s gone.” She peeked at me and Kaori. “Um, would you two like to go with me?”
“I’d love to,” I said, beaming.
Kaori blinked. “Huh? I can come too?”
“Yes, of course,” said Yilin. “I received two extra tickets.”
“I already have a ticket too,” I added.
Kaori’s face lit up. “Ooh, I’ll take you up on that, then. I’m excited to see Matsunosuke perform!”
Now it was just Holmes watching the three of us chatter.
“Oh, Holmes has a ticket too,” I said, turning to him. “Would you like to join us?”
He shook his head. “You can enjoy your ladies’ night out. As for me, I think I’ll invite that corrupt priest.”
Corrupt priest? He must be talking about Ensho.
Kaori and Yilin also seemed to know whom he was referring to. We all looked at each other and laughed.
Since I was aware of Holmes and Ensho’s past hostilities, it felt strangely poignant to me. Most of all, I was happy for them.
Relationships could change for better or worse. Two people who once fought like cats and dogs could end up cooperating, just like this. On the other hand, a small misunderstanding could result in broken ties. Holmes was surely aware of that, which was why he placed so much importance on words. It was probably also why he always went to great lengths for me.
I glanced at the stack of wedding magazines behind the counter and smiled happily.