Chapter 76: A Secret Rendezvous Begins at Kiyomizu-dera (Part 1)
Saku leaned against a vermilion railing as the morning breeze drifted over from Mount Otowa, carrying the crisp freshness unique to the surrounding forest.
Kiyomizu-dera was already bustling with visitors. Western tourists in brightly colored hiking jackets held up cameras and exclaimed at the scenery, but beneath the vast blue sky, even their voices seemed diluted, reaching Saku only as distant noise.
He'd been waiting at the marked location for a little while now.
Yet aside from tourists, there was still no sign of Utaha.
Just as Saku began wondering whether he'd been tricked, a soft, beautiful voice suddenly came from behind him.
"As expected, the view from here really is wonderful..."
That smooth, faintly languid voice could belong to only one person.
Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Her voice could change dramatically, though in a completely different way from Mai's.
Mai adjusted her voice to suit whatever role she was playing.
Utaha's voice changed with her mood.
When cheerful, she sounded bright and charming, almost like a songbird.
When lazy, there was something foxlike about her voice, alluring without becoming vulgar.
And when she spoke gently, her tone became as soft as spring water, almost unbearably sweet.
Once you'd heard Utaha speak, it was difficult to ever forget her voice.
Saku turned around.
Utaha stood less than half a step away.
She wasn't wearing her school uniform today. Instead, she had on an ivory chiffon blouse and a long navy skirt, while her trademark white headband made her impossible to miss.
Her long black hair danced in the breeze, exposing her pale neck.
Morning sunlight fell across her profile.
Those wine-red eyes that normally carried a mixture of teasing and sharpness were now gazing over Kyoto's distant streets with an unusually gentle expression.
"Hey."
Utaha turned toward him.
"Did you miss me?"
Saku nodded without hesitation.
"I did."
"Honestly..."
Utaha sighed.
"If you're going to say that, shouldn't you show it somehow? What a blockhead."
She was already here.
What was the harm in taking the initiative one more time?
Before Saku could react, Utaha stepped forward and wrapped both arms tightly around him.
"Don't say anything."
"Just stay like this for a little while."
Her voice came softly beside his ear, carrying a rare trace of caution.
"Even if you think I'm being greedy, this little bit is all I'm asking for."
Caught completely off guard, Saku's mind hadn't even caught up yet.
He said nothing.
After hesitating briefly over what to do with his hands, he gently placed them against Utaha's back and returned the embrace.
Mm, very voluptuous, even more voluptuous than Mai. Soft, like sinking into a mass of cotton, making him reluctant to let go.
"So..."
After quite a while, Saku finally spoke, feeling his little brother beginning to stir.
"How did you end up here, Senpai?"
"I missed you."
Utaha didn't sound remotely embarrassed.
"Is that not allowed?"
"You're getting bolder and bolder."
Saku wasn't an idiot.
There was no way he could've failed to notice how aggressively Utaha had been closing the distance lately.
Especially after their visit to Fushikawa Fantastic Bunko.
Since then, she'd become far more open about it.
Sometimes, she didn't even seem to care whether Mai was present.
Fortunately, despite the occasional sparks between Mai and Utaha, things had always remained within manageable limits.
Neither girl had deliberately tried to put Saku in an impossible position.
"You've been spending all your time with Mai."
Utaha finally released him.
"Now that Mai isn't here, shouldn't it be my turn?"
Her eyes glanced downward with a teasing look.
"This still doesn't really feel like you."
Perhaps it was because of his presence, but Saku increasingly felt that many of the heroines behaved somewhat differently from the versions he remembered.
Even Yukino no longer seemed exactly the same as in the original story.
But that wasn't a bad thing.
If anything, it made them feel more alive.
Fixed character settings were necessary for anime.
Real people didn't need them.
They were living, breathing people.
And people changed.
Utaha didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she traced one finger lightly against Saku's chest before finally tapping the spot over his heart.
"Do you really understand me?"
Her lips curved upward.
"You little idiot."
"..."
"All right. I'll stop teasing you."
Utaha stepped back with a satisfied expression.
"We rarely get a chance to visit Kyoto, so you're going to spend the day properly accompanying me."
Then she winked.
"After all, I specifically took the day off for this."
With that, she reached into her small shoulder bag and pulled out a neatly folded map.
When she opened it in front of Saku, he saw a sightseeing map covering Kiyomizu-dera and the surrounding Higashiyama area.
A winding route had been carefully highlighted in pale purple.
It began at Kiyomizu-dera, descended through Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, continued past Kodai-ji Temple and Yasaka Shrine, then finally led toward Gion.
The handwriting was unmistakably Utaha's, neat and elegant.
Beside several locations, she'd even written tiny notes such as recommended matcha cafe, good sweets here, and supposedly very effective.
Saku stared at the carefully prepared map.
Then he looked at Utaha.
She deliberately avoided his gaze and turned toward the distant streets again.
"I stayed up making this itinerary."
Utaha finally glanced back at him, her tone carrying a touch of spoiled imperiousness.
"So you're not allowed to refuse."
Saku said nothing.
He simply folded the map neatly and slipped it into his pocket.
Utaha had gone this far.
He couldn't think of any reason to reject her.
As for whether spending the day like this was unfair to Mai?
Please.
Saku was planning on building a harem.
Did anyone seriously expect him to suddenly start worrying about that now?
In his mind, they were equally important.
Every one of them was one of his wings.
"All right."
Saku smiled.
"Let's go."
"Gladly."
Utaha's face blossomed into a bright smile as she took the lead.
But after only two steps, she suddenly reached back and took Saku's hand.
Their fingers closed together.
"Mm."
She seemed satisfied.
"This feels right."
"Come on. Let's go while it's still early."
...
After descending from Kiyomizu-dera, they followed the worship route around to Otowa Waterfall.
Three streams of clear water fell from above, scattering tiny flashes of light beneath the morning sun.
A modest line had already formed among visitors waiting to catch the water, but Utaha merely watched from the side without showing any intention of joining them.
"Apparently, the three streams represent academics, romance, and health."
She shifted her position and took the initiative to wrap herself around Saku's arm, trapping it in an inescapable prison.
"But you're only supposed to drink from one."
"If you get greedy, it's said to have the opposite effect."
Saku looked at her.
"Which one would you choose?"
Utaha tilted her head toward him.
The corner of her lips rose.
"I'm not telling you."
They eventually left through Kiyomizu-dera's main entrance.
The stone steps of Sannenzaka stretched downhill beneath their feet, lined on both sides by old wooden machiya houses with low eaves and dark roof tiles.
The morning sunlight hadn't fully reached the narrow slope yet.
Moisture from the previous night still clung to the stone pavement, leaving a cool dampness beneath every step.
Shops along the street were only just opening.
An old store selling Kyoto folding fans was arranging fan after fan on display racks, while the gentle scent of cinnamon drifted from a nearby yatsuhashi shop.
Utaha's pace noticeably slowed.
She stopped for a long moment in front of a wagashi shop window, staring at the autumn-limited sweets shaped like maple leaves.
"Hey, hey."
She pointed eagerly.
"I want this one!"
Her wine-red eyes sparkled as she looked up at Saku, like a greedy little wild cat, revealing a girlishness never seen before.
…