"When do the cherry blossoms bloom? When do they bloom in the mountain village? When do the cherry blossoms give off their fragrance? When the laughing seven-year-old children are at play. When do the cherry blossoms drift? When the singing seven-year-old children fall asleep. When do the cherry blossoms wither? When the dead seven-year-old children ascend to heaven."
Holding Kotomi Izumi's small hand, Ayani Kika seemed to be in a much lighter mood, softly humming the nursery rhyme.
Kotomi Izumi listened quietly, a strange feeling rising in her heart. She clearly did not know the name of this nursery rhyme, nor did she remember ever singing or hearing it before. Yet for some reason, as she listened to Ayani Kika sing, an inexplicable sense of familiarity welled up within her.
It was as though, many years ago, in some village, there had once been a girl who often sang this very rhyme by her ear...
Kotomi Izumi shook her little head, trying to dispel the odd sensation from her mind. Instead of fading, however, her memory of the lyrics seemed to deepen invisibly.
An image also surfaced in her mind, hovering somewhere between clarity and blur—
A young Kotomi Izumi, dressed in a kimono, met a girl about her own age in a village. There was no television there, no internet. Even the interior style was old-fashioned, entirely traditional Japanese. Being in that village felt as though time itself had returned to the Showa 52 era.
For a moment, Kotomi could not tell whether the entire village had simply preserved the appearance of that era, or whether the time when she and that girl met there had truly been during that period.
That girl always wore an off-white kimono and sang nursery rhymes. Whenever she hummed, cherry blossoms the same pink as her hair would drift through the air—brilliant, yet heartbreakingly beautiful.
The image in her mind wavered between sharpness and haze. Kotomi Izumi could clearly see the blossoms dancing in midair and clearly hear the pink-haired girl's song, yet the girl's face itself was indistinct, like a crayon drawing slashed apart by a blade.
"Kotomi? Kotomi? Kotomi?"
Ayani Kika's voice pulled Kotomi Izumi's drifting consciousness abruptly back.
Kotomi Izumi lifted her head and met Ayani Kika's gaze, which carried both concern and something more complicated. Ayani Kika asked,
"Are you all right?"
Unlike her earlier teasing tone, this question was filled entirely with pure concern, without a single trace of playfulness.
"I-I'm fine..."
Kotomi Izumi shook her head. The faint daze on her face was like someone just waking from a long dream. She rubbed her cheeks and asked uncertainly,
"What just happened to me?"
Hearing her say that only deepened the concern in Ayani Kika's eyes and heart.
"We've already reached the building where I live. I was about to tell you to remember the location so that next time you come to see me, you can come straight here. But when I looked down, I saw that your eyes were vacant—it was honestly a little frightening—and there was an expression on your face that felt very familiar to me... ahem... a kind of sadness I don't quite know how to describe."
So that was the kind of expression I had while I was immersed in that image... Kotomi Izumi thought silently. When she heard Ayani Kika describe the sadness on her face as something hard to put into words, she found herself deeply unsettled.
Why had there been sorrow on her face just now?
Was it because of that village in her mind that seemed trapped in the Showa era? Or because of that pink-haired girl in an off-white kimono, singing amid drifting cherry blossoms?
Or was it...
A faint ache pulsed in Kotomi Izumi's head. She felt as though she had forgotten many things—forgotten them so completely that, had she not heard Ayani Kika sing that nursery rhyme just now, she might never have realized it in this lifetime.
For now, she had only become aware of it. As for when she might truly remember, she had no idea. Perhaps she should first ask Ayani Kika the name of that nursery rhyme.
But before asking, she needed to ease Ayani Kika's worry.
She hadn't expected that her absent-minded expression would cause Ayani Kika so much concern. Though she said nothing aloud, the feeling in Kotomi's heart was like sitting under a quilt in winter, holding a cup of sweet, steaming milk.
"Maybe it's because I went to bed too late. I only fell asleep around five in the morning. Even though I slept until noon, I still felt sleepy and couldn't quite open my eyes when I got up.
"I'm gentle and considerate, kind and adorable—basically the kind of good girl you couldn't find even with a lantern—but I'm not perfect. I do have a tiny flaw. For example... I have pretty bad morning grumpiness.
"If I don't sleep well at night, my mood the entire next day drops into a low state and stays there until I finally get another proper rest."
Although Kotomi Izumi had no idea why sorrow had surfaced on her face just now, she attributed it all to a lack of sleep in order to ease Ayani Kika's worries.
Ayani Kika's gaze never left Kotomi's face. Listening to her explanation, she immediately recognized it as an excuse. There was no way simple lack of sleep could have caused that expression.
Because the heavy sorrow that had appeared on Kotomi Izumi's face was far too familiar to Ayani Kika.
Ayani Kika had forgotten many memories—not because of amnesia, but simply because too much time had passed. Over long years, certain memories fade.
Yet no matter how much time had gone by, the brief days she had once spent with her, the promise between them, and the sorrow on her face back then remained as vivid as yesterday.
What Kotomi Izumi did not know was that when sorrow had surfaced on her face just now—
A tear had slipped down Ayani Kika's cheek.
The familiarity that sorrow stirred within her felt like a reunion that had crossed vast stretches of time.
Ayani Kika had wanted to pull Kotomi Izumi into her arms and sob openly, even if they were standing in the middle of the street. But she did not, because she knew Kotomi would feel shy.
She quickly wiped away the tear before Kotomi fully came back to herself.
Ayani Kika knew Kotomi was lying, but she did not expose it. She understood why Kotomi had lied—because Kotomi herself did not know why that sorrow had appeared.
For Kotomi's sake, and for her own, Ayani Kika chose to pretend to believe the excuse. After taking a moment to steady her emotions, she forced a small smile.
"Then you need to make sure you get a good night's sleep today."
"I'll definitely be in bed before midnight tonight," Kotomi Izumi said seriously.
"Come on."
Ayani Kika squeezed Kotomi's small hand and continued,
"The apartment building I rent isn't very tall. The ground floor counts as the first, and there are only six floors in total. I live on the second floor. There's an elevator installed, but since I'm only on the second floor, I always take the stairs. By the time you finish waiting for the elevator, you could already have walked up.
"When I first rented this place, I planned to live here with my younger brother. But recently, Ko Shiba seems to prefer staying in the hanamachi. At first I thought it was strange, but after asking around, I found out he's dating someone—a girl from another okiya."
As she spoke, Ayani Kika's face revealed the pride and relief of an older sister. Her tone gradually turned reflective.
Kotomi Izumi was not surprised at all to hear that Ko Shiba was dating.
With his delicate features, he was undeniably handsome. Of course girls would like him.
"A girl from another okiya? Is she a geisha too? Or an apprentice who wants to become one?"
As they entered the apartment stairwell and began climbing, Kotomi asked curiously.
"At first, I thought she was either a new geisha or an apprentice who had just arrived in Gion. I was a little worried. If she were from our own okiya, it wouldn't have been too bad. Our okiya may not have many newcomers, but we still have quite a few capable and popular geisha. For now, we don't have to pin all our hopes on a single newcomer.
"Other okiya aren't weak either. But since the title of oiran belongs to me, nearly every okiya in Gion hopes to nurture a promising geisha who can one day take that title from me. Naturally, they value newcomers immensely.
"Geisha sell their art, not their bodies. During their professional careers, they cannot date or marry. If they wish to fall in love or get married, they must retire first. This rule applies whether they are full geisha or apprentices training to become one.
"So if Ko Shiba were dating a geisha or apprentice from another okiya, she would definitely have to retire.
"If another okiya had finally managed to train a new geisha or recruit a new apprentice, only to have her forced into retirement because of something like this... setting aside whether they would hold a grudge, at the very least a rift would form.
"Most of the okiya in Gion maintain relatively harmonious relationships. But if something like that happened, no matter how cordial things had been before, from that point on the two houses would meet like enemies. And our okiya wouldn't exactly have the moral high ground."
"After all, it would basically count as poaching," Kotomi said. "If things really blew up in Gion over this, some people might even suspect that your okiya's owner deliberately sent Ko Shiba to use his good looks to steal away a newcomer after hearing another house had one."
"Our owner wouldn't do that. She has very good relationships in Gion. She wouldn't stoop to poaching like that," Ayani Kika explained before continuing,
"Fortunately, after asking around, I learned that although the girl only arrived in Gion this year, she isn't an apprentice. She works as a cook at that okiya, responsible for preparing all three daily meals for the geisha there."
As they spoke, they arrived at the door of the apartment Ayani Kika rented.
She took out her key, unlocked the door, then stepped aside to let Kotomi enter first.
"Come in. When you open the shoe cabinet, the blue-and-pink slippers are for you."
"Wow, that's so thoughtful? You even prepared slippers for me?" Kotomi Izumi asked half-jokingly.
"When I first rented this place, I imagined inviting you over someday. So when I was buying household items, I deliberately bought a pair of slippers just for you," Ayani Kika said matter-of-factly.
Kotomi Izumi walked inside and opened the cabinet. Sure enough, there was a pair of blue-and-pink slippers decorated with small plastic flowers.
After taking off her shoes and trying them on, she found they fit perfectly. Surprised, she asked,
"Wow, they fit exactly. How did you know my shoe size? Did I ever tell you before?"
"When appreciating beauty, you start with the feet. The first time we met, I didn't just carefully look at your face—I also carefully looked at your feet. I had a rough idea of your shoe size, so I tried buying a pair. The fact that they fit proves my visual estimate was quite accurate," Ayani Kika replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Kotomi had originally wanted to blush and protest, Don't say it so naturally—why were you carefully looking at my feet?
But the moment she remembered that she herself was a serious foot enthusiast, she found herself at a loss for words. In the end, she could only mumble a vague, "Oh."
Seeing her reaction, Ayani Kika sounded slightly disappointed.
"I thought I'd get a more interesting reaction."
"Don't casually expect that kind of thing!"
...
Ayani Kika led Kotomi Izumi into her bedroom. When the door opened and Kotomi saw the room inside, she found it a little strange. But remembering who lived there, it somehow felt reasonable.
The hallway, living room, kitchen, restroom, bathroom, and storage room were all modern in style. Yet the bedroom was completely different—entirely traditional Japanese.
Tatami mats covered the floor. The bed was a futon laid out on the ground. Even the vanity was a low table. The décor and furniture inside the bedroom were utterly distinct from those outside.
It felt somewhat odd. Yet considering that Ayani Kika lived here, it also made sense.
After all, she probably loved vintage styles. Turning her bedroom into a traditional Japanese space suited her personality quite well... Kotomi Izumi thought silently.
"Here."
Ayani Kika suddenly spoke, accompanied by the crisp jingle of metal near Kotomi's ear.
Kotomi turned her head and saw that Ayani Kika was holding out a spare key.
"Is that the key to your place?" Kotomi asked.
Ayani Kika nodded and said matter-of-factly,
"When I had keys made, I made three in total. One for me, one for Ko Shiba. And this one—"
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