Generally speaking, when a girl invites you to her home, what usually happens?
In this regard, Kotomi Izumi could be considered quite experienced. She even counted in her mind the girls' houses she had visited recently.
Megumi Kato's house, Yui Yuigahama's house, Yukino Yukinoshita's house...
She also had to include Seiko Kirigiri's house. Back when Seiko Kirigiri and Naegi-senpai seemed to be having a bit of a falling-out, she had gone there once. Though at the time, only Seiko Kirigiri had been home.
Kotomi Izumi did not know whether she had some kind of talent. Whenever she visited another girl's home for the first time, it was very easy for something to happen between her and that girl—either that very day or in the near future.
For example, the first time she went to the Kato household, her relationship with Megumi Kato had only been that of classmates who had just gotten to know each other not long after the start of school. Yet after some time, their relationship had warmed from classmates... into lovers.
While thinking about how she always seemed to end up having some kind of story with any girl whose house she visited, Kotomi Izumi looked at Ayani Kika, who was waiting for her response.
In the end, Kotomi Izumi slowly said,
"If it's not too much trouble, then I'll come over and bother you today."
Ayani Kika, who had been waiting for her answer all this time, heard those words and the corners of her lips lifted slightly in delight. Though she had appeared calm just now, in truth she had been hoping Kotomi Izumi would agree.
"Of course it's not trouble. After all, I was the one who invited you in the first place. I'm very happy you agreed."
Ayani Kika let out a soft laugh. Compared to her usual smiles, the joy in her expression now seemed far more genuine.
"By the way, where is your home? I always thought geisha lived in the Gion district."
"I rent an apartment not too far from here. Just cross one intersection and you'll arrive.
"Some apprentices who have just arrived in the district and haven't yet become geisha, as well as some more traditional geisha, do indeed live in Gion most of the time.
"But if they're willing and have a certain level of financial stability, they can move out. Compared to the past, things aren't as strictly bound by geisha rules anymore.
"A long time ago, there were countless rules for geisha. Every single one had to be followed carefully. If you didn't, Grandmother would give you a very harsh lesson—she'd smack your palms."
At that point, Ayani Kika added an explanation,
"Of course, this 'Grandmother' isn't a biological grandmother. It's what we call the mentor who teaches us. Some call her 'Grandmother,' others call her 'Mother.'"
"Oh, I see."
Kotomi Izumi nodded, then asked something she was curious about.
"When did the geisha rules start to loosen?"
"Probably during the Heisei era. The early years of Heisei were still fine, but as the geisha industry gradually became a sunset industry, even Kyoto—the city where geisha culture is most prosperous—couldn't stop the overall decline.
"Even though the Kyoto prefectural government invests in Gion every year and each geisha receives considerable subsidies and benefits, it still can't change the fact that there are fewer and fewer newcomers.
"Can you guess how many geisha remain in Kyoto? Only around two hundred. And that's including those who are already thirty years old.
"As the industry declined, people gradually stopped strictly observing the rules. The teahouses first turned a blind eye, then slowly relaxed the regulations. Although the profession itself has declined, compared to the past, it has actually become much freer.
"All in all, if the industry welcomes ten newcomers in an entire year, that's already something to be thankful for."
"Now I finally understand why there are fewer and fewer newcomers."
Kotomi Izumi grasped part of it. The once-prosperous geisha industry was now merely lingering in decline.
In a few hundred years, perhaps traditional geisha would completely vanish into the passage of time. The culture might exist only in archives... or be replaced by technological creations like geisha robots.
To put it nicely, the industry was like the setting sun. To put it bluntly, it was in recession. Under such circumstances, naturally very few girls would want to come to Gion as apprentices with the goal of debuting as geisha.
Unless they truly loved it.
Because of love for an ancient profession, the protagonist carries burning passion and dreams, becomes an apprentice, overcomes countless hardships, and ultimately breathes new vitality into the old industry.
Such a story sounds inspiring and full of fervor. But it is destined to exist only in anime, television dramas, or films. The possibility of recreating it in reality is extremely small.
Ayani Kika smiled with a hint of emotion.
"Geisha also live off their youth. A geisha's career often ends at thirty. If she wants to continue after thirty, she has to lower her price and become a foil for younger geisha. These days, when people choose professions that rely on youth, they naturally pick the one with higher returns. No matter how you look at it, the returns of being a geisha aren't that high."
"Is it the same for an oiran?"
Kotomi Izumi asked curiously. After all, sitting before her was the number one oiran of Kyoto's Gion district. It was only natural to be curious.
Faced with her question, Ayani Kika chuckled.
"In the entire Gion district, only I have become an oiran. Standing out from so many geisha and rising to that position is hardly an easy feat."
"You answered my question, but I can't help feeling like you used it as an excuse to praise yourself," Kotomi Izumi said, unable to suppress a laugh.
"What's wrong with that? I answered your question. Using it as an opportunity to compliment myself a little can count as collecting a fee for my answer."
Ayani Kika shrugged. Even though her intention had been exposed, she remained perfectly composed.
As expected of a mature big sister... Kotomi Izumi thought.
...
As they chatted idly, time passed bit by bit. The waitress brought out the dishes they had ordered one after another.
"Ah... finally, the food's here. I'm about to starve. Ever since I woke up, I haven't eaten a single thing."
After speaking, Kotomi Izumi rubbed her little belly, which had begun urging her to eat as soon as it caught the aroma.
"You only just woke up not long ago. If you had eaten breakfast before coming, would you still have room for tempura?" Ayani Kika asked.
"Of course!"
Kotomi Izumi nodded confidently. She had always been very confident in her appetite.
Ayani Kika looked at Kotomi Izumi, who was brimming with confidence in her appetite, and suddenly fell quiet as if recalling something from the past. Her gentle, deep gaze rested silently on Kotomi. The emotions hidden in her eyes grew even more complicated.
Kotomi Izumi, who was picking up her chopsticks to start eating, did not notice Ayani Kika's gaze at that moment. It was only when she was about to press her palms together and say "I'm going to start eating" that she sensed Ayani Kika looking at her.
Kotomi tilted her little head in confusion. Why did Ayani Kika keep staring at her in a daze today?
Is it because I'm too cute, so staring at my face is a kind of enjoyment...? Kotomi Izumi thought narcissistically.
Though she was thinking that in her heart, she asked normally so as not to draw strange looks in the restaurant.
"Is there something on my face?"
As she spoke, she even poked her own cheek with a finger, looking unbearably adorable.
Hearing her question, Ayani Kika snapped back to her senses and quickly withdrew her rather obvious gaze.
"Sorry. I was just thinking about something, and I happened to be looking at you while I was thinking."
"It's fine, it's fine~"
Kotomi waved it off casually, not taking it to heart.
Then she pressed her palms together devoutly toward the food and said,
"I'm going to start eating!"
After that, she eagerly picked up a piece of shrimp tempura, dipped it into the standard tempura sauce, and took a big bite. The fresh, tender shrimp wrapped in a thin, crisp batter, combined with the faint sweetness of the sauce—what she swallowed was not just tempura, but a sense of blissful satisfaction.
"So good~"
Kotomi's cheeks puffed out as she chewed, her face brimming with happiness.
Whether it was high-end cuisine or plain, simple fare, Kotomi Izumi could eat it all with joy.
Perhaps it was because when she had been an infant, she had been placed in a cardboard box by unknown biological parents and abandoned in a park, nearly freezing and starving to death. That experience left her with a subconscious craving for food that was difficult to satisfy—like a voice constantly whispering in her ear:
'Eat more. Eat more. Even if you burst from overeating, never let yourself starve to death.'
Ayani Kika took small bites. Most of the time, she barely ate, instead watching Kotomi's blissful expression as she enjoyed her meal.
It was just an ordinary lunch, yet the look on Kotomi's face made it seem like she was doing the happiest thing in the world.
Perhaps, for Kotomi Izumi, eating was indeed one of the happiest things in the world.
Only after Kotomi finished did Ayani Kika speak again.
"Watching you eat is a pleasure."
"Hm? Why?" Kotomi asked in confusion while wiping her mouth with a wet towel.
"Because when you eat, you look so happy. Even just watching you gives people a healing feeling. I used to not understand why there were so many mukbang streamers online. What could possibly be interesting about watching someone eat through a screen? Now, I understand."
Ayani Kika said with a light laugh.
Whenever she spoke in that tone—like an elderly person sighing about the younger generation—Kotomi always treated it as a joke. After all, Ayani Kika was only in her twenties. She was hardly at the age to be lamenting youth or the internet.
Still, no matter what, being praised made Kotomi happy. She grinned.
"Maybe it's because I'm cute~"
"You being cute is a fact," Ayani Kika said lightly.
"Ah..."
Kotomi's cheeks instantly grew hot.
Strangely enough, there had been nothing flowery about Ayani Kika's words—just a simple statement. Yet it felt like an arrow shooting straight into the deepest part of Kotomi's heart, turning her face red as shyness flooded her chest.
"I didn't expect you to be so easily embarrassed," Ayani Kika teased with a smile, having seen right through her.
"I'm not!" Kotomi retorted, her little face flushed.
Ayani Kika smiled faintly, stood up, and extended her hand toward Kotomi.
"Come on. Let's go to my place. Do you need to hold my hand? Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll keep your head down from embarrassment and accidentally walk into a utility pole."
"I won't walk into a utility pole... No, I'm not embarrassed!"
The blush on Kotomi's adorable face deepened. She grabbed her bag and sprang to her feet in one swift motion, refusing to let Ayani Kika hold her hand.
To prove that she truly was not embarrassed, Kotomi marched toward the exit on her own.
Watching her leave, her slender waist swaying with each step, Ayani Kika could not help but wonder—did the blush make Kotomi's pretty face even cuter, or did Kotomi's pretty face make that blush even more enchanting?
Before she could reach a conclusion—
Thud!
A dull sound rang out.
Kotomi Izumi's little head smacked straight into the doorframe.
"Pfft—"
Even though she had just joked about Kotomi bumping into a utility pole out of embarrassment, it had only been teasing.
But seeing Kotomi actually walk into the doorframe, Ayani Kika could not hold it in and burst out laughing. She quickly stepped forward, half amused and half exasperated.
"Are you okay?"
"Mm... Why don't you try hitting it too," Kotomi said pitifully, covering her forehead.
Ayani Kika extended her hand again with a smile.
"And you said you weren't embarrassed? You just went 'thud' right into the doorframe. That sound almost made me think something exploded in the kitchen. Stop pretending to be strong and let me hold your hand."
"I told you I'm not embarrassed!" Kotomi insisted stubbornly.
"But you walked into the doorframe."
"Walking into a doorframe is walking into a doorframe. You said utility pole earlier, so this doesn't count as being embarrassed!" Kotomi argued righteously.
After saying that, she carefully pushed open the door first. Once Ayani Kika stepped out, she closed it and asked,
"Which way to your place?"
"Left. Are you sure you don't need to hold my hand?"
"I said I don't. Don't underestimate me. Do you really think I'm some kindergarten kid who hasn't even graduated yet, walking into utility poles because I'm embarrassed?"
Kotomi muttered as she started walking forward.
"In my eyes, you really are just a kindergarten kid who hasn't graduated yet..."
Ayani Kika murmured softly, so quietly that only she could hear.
Thud!
Another dull sound rang out.
After bumping into the doorframe, Kotomi's little head now collided with a roadside utility pole.
Ayani Kika sighed with a smile, shaking her head before quickly walking up to her.
"Are you sure you don't need me to hold your hand?"
Kotomi's voice turned weak.
"J-Just this once. But let me say this first—I'm letting you hold my hand because I suddenly feel cold, and I want you to warm it up for me. It's definitely not because..."
Her voice grew softer and softer toward the end.
"All right~ Don't worry. I'll definitely warm you up nicely."
Ayani Kika held Kotomi Izumi's small hand, the corners of her lips curving into a smile that seemed as though it would never fade.
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