Chapter 77: A Secret Rendezvous Begins at Kiyomizu-dera (Part 2)
Continuing down Sannenzaka, the two eventually turned onto Ninenzaka, where the shops became even more densely packed.
There were stores selling Kiyomizu ware, tsukemono, matcha ice cream, and all kinds of local specialties. Every storefront looked as though it had been lifted directly from some centuries-old painting.
The number of tourists gradually increased.
Young women in kimono passed by in groups of three or four, their wooden sandals clicking crisply against the stone pavement.
"By the way..."
After finishing the last bite of her sweet, Utaha wiped her fingers with a napkin.
"Do you know how this slope got its name?"
"Because it was built in the third year of the Daido era?"
Utaha blinked.
"You even know that? Not bad."
A trace of approval entered her voice before her tone suddenly shifted.
"Then do you also know that if you fall here, you'll supposedly die within three years?"
"Please believe in science, Utaha-senpai."
"But what if it's true?"
Utaha stopped walking and turned to face him.
Because of the difference in height between the stone steps, their eyes happened to be almost level.
She reached out and lightly pinched the sleeve of Saku's shirt.
The pressure was gentle, yet impossible to ignore.
"Then you'd better hold onto me properly, Jinnai-kun."
Taking advantage of the moment, she simply slipped her hand into his and continued walking as though it were perfectly natural.
「Utaha-senpai's offense is way too strong. I can barely handle this!」
When a beautiful girl who had everything going for her relentlessly tried to win you over, it was impossible for anyone to remain completely unmoved.
Then again...
Saku had to admit he was thoroughly enjoying it.
...
Saku's attention was almost entirely focused on the girl beside him, so there wasn't much going on in his head.
But whenever he did think something loudly enough, someone inevitably heard it.
At Ninna-ji, Yukino and Yui suddenly looked at each other.
Both of their eyes widened in shock.
"Why is she here?"
Yui had received a message from Mai earlier telling her to keep an eye on Saku during the school trip and stop him from flirting with girls everywhere.
She hadn't expected Mai's warning to become reality so quickly.
"Oh no, oh no..."
Yui looked genuinely panicked.
"I promised Mai-senpai I'd keep an eye on him!"
Hikigaya's situation had occupied so much of her attention that she'd completely forgotten about that responsibility.
Yukino shook her head helplessly.
She wasn't exactly pleased either.
But at this point, what could they even do?
For one thing, they had no idea where Saku currently was.
Even if they did, they had no legitimate reason to suddenly chase after him.
More importantly...
Their own situation wasn't exactly going smoothly either.
Just as they hadn't expected Utaha to suddenly appear in Kyoto to find Saku, neither of them had expected Yukinoshita Haruno to appear here.
Calling it a coincidence felt far too convenient.
Yukino strongly suspected Hayama had leaked the information.
Right now, they had enough trouble dealing with their own situation.
There was no energy left to worry about Saku.
"Heh~"
Haruno leaned closer to Yui with her usual mischievous smile.
"Yui-chan, what are you talking about?"
"Are you hiding something from your big sister?"
"I'll be so hurt."
"Don't tease my friend, Nee-san."
Seeing Yukino immediately step in to protect her friend, Haruno burst into laughter and stopped pressing.
Still, her gaze wandered around curiously before she asked another question.
"Speaking of which..."
"Where's that cute underclassman who's been getting so close to Yukino-chan lately?"
"Why are you assuming he'd be with me?"
Yukino answered coldly.
"We don't have that kind of relationship."
Haruno smiled like a little devil.
"Yukino-chan, you've really stopped acting so timid lately."
"You were much cuter when you were little."
"A meaningless provocation."
Yukino didn't even flinch.
"Nee-san, if you think needling me with words will make me follow whatever script you've imagined, then you're badly mistaken."
Once bitten, twice shy.
After finally understanding what kind of person her sister truly was, Yukino had become much better at recognizing the meaning hidden behind Haruno's words.
Naturally, she no longer allowed herself to be manipulated and teased so easily.
"You really have grown, Yukino-chan."
Haruno sounded genuinely impressed.
"But somehow, I also feel like you've learned some bad habits."
"You never used to be this mean."
"I learned from you, Nee-san."
Realizing she couldn't gain any ground through verbal sparring, Haruno could only shrug helplessly.
Part of her was genuinely pleased to see her younger sister growing stronger.
Another part of her dearly missed the old Yukino who had been so much easier to tease.
It was difficult to decide whether she should be happy or disappointed.
"How's the game coming along?"
Since Yukino had taken charge of the project, Haruno truly hadn't interfered beyond providing funding.
She hadn't even told their mother about the investment yet.
Since they happened to meet today, however, she casually asked for an update.
Mostly, she wanted to know whether that underclassman Saku was actually taking the project seriously.
"So far, it's going well."
Yukino answered without hesitation.
"Everything is progressing normally."
"Really?"
Haruno smiled.
"Don't cover for him just because he's your friend. Business is business."
Yukino's expression immediately darkened.
"Are you doubting him, or are you doubting me?"
"I wouldn't lie about something like this."
"I-I can vouch for him too!"
Yui hurriedly jumped into the conversation.
"Jinnai-kun and everyone else have been working really hard lately. They're always busy."
"I've heard that even after he gets home, he keeps working."
She nodded emphatically.
"He really is serious about it. And he works incredibly hard."
Haruno nodded and smiled.
"If even Yui-chan says so, then I can relax."
"To be honest, I worry about Yukino-chan."
"If she got tricked and lost both her heart and her money, wouldn't that be terrible?"
Yukino snorted at her sister's deliberately exaggerated concern and stopped responding.
"Anyway..."
Haruno tilted her head.
"What's going on with you guys now?"
"Did you have a fight with Hikigaya?"
"The atmosphere between the three of you feels strange."
She glanced toward Hayama's group, who were currently browsing souvenirs not far away.
Of course, the person she was really watching was Hikigaya.
In Haruno's understanding, Hikigaya should've been walking around with Yukino and Yui.
Why was he with Hayama instead?
Something had definitely happened.
Yui lowered her head and didn't answer.
Yukino merely sighed.
"Nee-san, you talk too much."
Haruno never received an actual explanation.
But silence could be an answer too.
Her eyes immediately brightened.
She could smell juicy gossip.
...
Meanwhile, Saku and Utaha turned off the main road and entered Ishibe-koji Alley.
The narrow lane was so quiet it almost felt cut off from the outside world.
Tall earthen walls rose on either side, with pine branches and unknown vines spilling over their tops. The winding path softened the sunlight until everything took on a dim, peaceful glow.
Time had polished the stone pavement smooth beneath their feet.
Discreet high-end ryotei and traditional inns lined both sides of the lane, and from behind the occasional wooden lattice window came the gentle sound of a shamisen.
The noisy crowds from moments earlier seemed to have been shut outside by an invisible door.
Even their footsteps felt quieter here.
"This place is nice."
Utaha slowed her pace and looked up at the pine branches reaching over the wall.
"There's no one around."
She smiled faintly.
"Perfect for something to happen."
"...What exactly?"
"For example..."
Utaha lowered her voice dramatically.
"Two sword-wielding samurai suddenly charge around the corner."
"Or the sky splits open, and an isekai summoning circle suddenly appears beneath our feet."
"Absolutely not."
Saku rejected the idea immediately.
"Keep hot-blooded adventure stories inside fiction."
"I'm perfectly satisfied with reality. I don't want to stumble into some hidden world, and I definitely don't want to get transported to an isekai."
He was completely serious.
The real world might lack thrilling adventures, but at least it was safe.
It had order.
If ordinary people like them were suddenly thrown into some fantasy world, they'd probably die before the end of the first episode.
If they were lucky, they might survive by desperately scraping by at the very bottom of society.
So what exactly was the appeal?
And as for receiving some incredible cheat ability...
Didn't Saku already have one?
Why would he voluntarily go to another world just to suffer?
Utaha stared at him.
She'd merely been joking.
Never in a million years had she expected that answer.
Normally, weren't boys supposed to fantasize about being transported to another world, becoming a Hero worshiped by everyone, obtaining some absurd cheat ability, humiliating everyone who looked down on them, and then doing whatever they pleased?
Saku's answer was the exact opposite of everything she'd expected.
After several seconds, Utaha finally burst out laughing.
Even when she tried to suppress it, the amusement refused to disappear.
"Jinnai-kun..."
She looked at him with sparkling eyes.
"You really are different."
"You're very interesting."
Saku nodded solemnly.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
…