Chapter 8: Träumerei
Day three of our school trip.
Since our group had checked off all our required sightseeing landmarks on Day Two, the entire third day was completely free.
After finishing breakfast, the four of us gathered in the inn lobby.
By tacit agreement, none of us brought up Sugiuchi's confession from the night before. When Sugiuchi had returned to our room last night, he had put on a brave grin, laughed “Welp, crashed and burned just like I figured!”, and flopped straight onto his futon.
Nobody in the room had teased him for it—least of all me, since watching him had hit far too close to home.
If the day ever came when I...
If Mizuki and I ever had to part ways someday in the future—
Would I even be able to force a smile the way Sugiuchi had?
“So, what's the plan for today, team? Sticking together as a group, or doing our own thing?”
Renji looked around at the three of us.
“Sorry, guys. There's somewhere I want to check out on my own today, if you don't mind.”
The instant I said that, a faint shadow flickered across Kashiwagi-san's face.
I wasn't oblivious to what she had been hoping for today—yet I had already promised myself that I would spend our free day with my girlfriend.
“I made plans with some of the other girls for today too. Sorry,” Mizuki added smoothly without missing a beat.
“O-Oh, I see... Then let's make today an independent free day for everyone!”
Forcing a bright smile, Kashiwagi-san gave a small nod.
Seeing her expression, Renji immediately flashed a gallant grin.
“Ooh! Does that mean you and I get to go on a solo Kyoto date today, Kashiwagi-chan?!”
“Not in a million years.”
“Ouch! Zero hesitation!”
Kashiwagi-san's instant rejection was razor-sharp, making Renji slump his shoulders in mock heartbreak.
“...”
Catching Renji's eye, I sent him a silent look of apology.
Sorry for making you cover for me, man.
Don't sweat it. Just buy me a juice later, his eyes seemed to reply.
Knowing he had deliberately played the clown to lighten the mood for Kashiwagi-san made me grateful to have him as a friend.
Giving the three of them a quick wave, I headed out of the inn first.
Once outside, I turned down the street toward the station.
—Ten minutes after parting ways with the others at the inn.
Alone, I walked down a side street lined with shops catering to sightseers until I found the kimono rental shop I had booked online in advance.
It was a cozy, traditional shop just a short walk from our inn.
Stepping inside, I gave my reservation name at the counter, and the staff brought out a full men's kimono set from the back.
In the changing room, I took off my school uniform and slipped my arms through the sleeves of the kimono.
...Come to think of it, I hadn't worn a traditional kimono since my Shichi-Go-San shrine visit at age five.
Thankfully, the shop attendant tied the sash and adjusted the collar for me so I wouldn't look like a total amateur.
To finish the outfit, I put on a chestnut-brown men's wig I had brought in my bag, along with a pair of non-prescription glasses.
Stepping in front of the full-length mirror, I blinked at my own reflection.
“...Whoa.”
Staring back at me from the glass was a brown-haired guy in glasses whom I barely recognized myself.
Feels weird as heck looking like this... but it beats getting spotted by classmates.
Leaving my school uniform checked at the rental counter, I stepped back out onto the street.
—Five minutes later, I arrived at our rendezvous spot in front of a small wooden bridge on the quiet outskirts of Gion.
Only a few tourists were strolling along the canal at this hour, keeping us well out of the main school-trip crowds.
And leaning lightly against the bridge railing ahead of me was a lone young woman.
She was dressed in a deep indigo kimono, paired with a flowing blonde wig and oversized sunglasses.
At a casual glance, she looked just like a young European tourist enjoying a traditional kimono experience in Kyoto.
...Seriously, even in a disguise, she turns heads from fifty meters away.
No matter what color hair she wore, there was no disguising proportions like hers.
Even now, practically every pedestrian crossing the bridge was doing a double-take as they walked past her.
Walking up to the railing, I called out to her.
“...Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Not at all. I just got here myself.”
The blonde beauty—Mizuki in disguise—turned and smiled at me.
Even behind the tinted lenses of her sunglasses, I could tell her eyes were crinkling with amusement.
“How does my disguise look? Honestly, I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb.”
“I think it suits you really well.”
“That's not what I'm asking—I mean does it actually work as a disguise?”
“It's fine. You look really cute, Iori.”
“Again, not the point...”
When I sighed, Mizuki simply let out a delighted little giggle.
—I want to tour Kyoto together with you, Iori.
To make that wish of hers come true on Day Three without causing a riot among our classmates, we had come up with this slightly ridiculous plan:
Book separate appointments at kimono rental shops, check our school uniforms, and disguise ourselves with wigs and glasses.
Part of me felt like we were acting like undercover Hollywood celebrities—though given how fanatical Mizuki's school fanbase was, the precautions really weren't overkill.
If anyone from our grade spotted the two of us on a kimono date in Gion, I wouldn't make it back to Tokyo alive.
“Shall we get going, then?”
Stepping away from the railing, Mizuki naturally slipped her fingers into mine.
“W-Whoa, hey—”
“Is holding hands no good even like this?”
Tilting her chin down, she peered up at me over the rim of her sunglasses.
My heart did an immediate backflip in my chest.
“...I'm not saying it's no good.”
“Good. Because being able to walk together like this is the whole reason we dressed up in disguises, right?”
...Just because we're wearing wigs doesn't make us invisible, you know.
I swallowed the retort before it left my mouth; knowing Mizuki, she probably wouldn't even care if our cover did get blown.
In my palm, the warmth of her fingers felt vividly, unmistakably real.
◇
Hand in hand, we strolled down the stone-paved lanes of Gion.
Historic wooden machiya townhouses lined both sides of the narrow street, with several other kimono-clad couples strolling leisurely along the walk.
Blending right in among the sightseers, the two of us walked side by side.
Before long, a long-established traditional confectionery shop caught our eye, and we ducked under the curtain for a mid-morning break.
We ordered plates of freshly made, translucent kuzumochi topped with rich dark-sugar syrup and roasted soybean flour.
Taking a delicate bite with her wooden pick, Mizuki let out a tiny sigh of delight.
“This is really good.”
“Yeah, it really is.”
Cool and delicately chewy, the kuzumochi melted on the tongue alongside the deep sweetness of the brown-sugar syrup and nutty kinako.
Leave it to a historic Kyoto sweet shop—even setting aside the atmosphere, the flavor was in a league of its own.
“Come to think of it, the two of us don't eat traditional Japanese sweets very often at home, do we?” Mizuki mused.
“True... though I've always had a soft spot for them.”
“I know.”
Watching Mizuki happily savor another bite across the table, I could see how relaxed and soft her expression was even with the sunglasses on.
Ever since we started dating, she had been smiling more and more often—just like she used to back when we were little kids.
Seeing that change in her made me happier than words could say, and yet...
...At the same time, it still scares me a little.
Every day we spent together as lovers, every time we touched and laughed like this—
I could feel myself becoming more and more hopelessly dependent on her presence.
“—It's like being so happy that it actually makes you scared.”
What I had told Renji at the batting cages back home was the unfiltered truth.
Before we started dating, if Mizuki had ever walked out of my life, the wound would have been devastating—yet eventually, somehow, I might have been able to pick up the pieces and keep living.
Now that I knew the warmth of having her as mine, however...
“Iori.”
“Hm?”
Leaning across the small table, Mizuki lightly brushed the corner of my mouth with her thumb.
“You had a little kinako powder on your cheek.”
As she let out an affectionate little laugh, a sudden, overwhelming ache rose in my chest—so intense it almost felt like wanting to cry.
Noticing the look in my eyes, Mizuki tilted her head in quiet concern.
“What's wrong?”
“...Nothing.”
To hide my expression, I picked up my empty kuzumochi dish.
Stacking it neatly with hers, I carried the tray back to the counter.
“Come on, let's keep moving so we don't run out of time.”
“Okay.”
As soon as we stepped back out onto the stone lane, Mizuki slipped her hand right back into mine.
Without hesitation, I laced my fingers firmly with hers.
“That really was delicious, wasn't it?”
“Yeah.”
I silently prayed that we would be able to keep having ordinary, happy conversations like this forever.
Right as we rounded the corner into the next side alley, however—
“...!”
My feet froze on the cobblestones.
Walking directly toward us from thirty meters up the lane were two unmistakable guys in Shirayanagi Academy uniforms.
...Yamazaki and Kurata?!
Both of them were boys from our exact homeroom class.
Thankfully, both of them had their noses buried in their smartphones as they ambled down the street and hadn't looked up at us yet.
With my heart hammering in my throat, I resisted the urge to duck into a bush—which would only draw attention—and forced myself to keep walking at a casual tourist pace.
“...Hm?”
Right as we passed each other on the narrow lane, Yamazaki glanced up from his phone screen straight at us.
Every muscle in my back went rigid—until Yamazaki's eyes slid right past my brown wig and glasses and dropped back to his phone.
“Man... look at all the couples in kimonos around here. Wish I had a girlfriend to tour Kyoto with.”
“Tell me about it. Every guy on earth who has a girlfriend should just explode.”
Grumbling to each other, the two of them strolled right past us without breaking stride.
Neither of them even glanced back.
“.........”
Once they rounded the corner behind us, I let out a breath I felt like I'd been holding for a solid minute.
I was pretty sure that close call had just shaved three full years off my lifespan.
“Hehe.”
“...What are you laughing about?”
“Good thing our disguises worked, huh?”
Behind her sunglasses, Mizuki looked thoroughly amused by my near-heart attack.
Must be nice having nerves of steel while I'm out here walking a high wire without a net.
“...Hah.”
I let out a weary sigh, yet Mizuki hadn't even flinched when our classmates walked two feet past us.
In fact, she hadn't even loosened her grip on my hand while passing them.
“Being secretive is a lot of work, isn't it?” she teased.
“...Whose fault do you think that is?”
Dating the most famous girl in the academy really wasn't for the faint of heart.
Which reminded me of something I had been meaning to ask her.
“Hey, Mizuki.”
“Mm?”
“Do you... actually want to make our relationship public at school?”
After seeing how boldly she had fed me Pocky on the train and how openly she had told Sugiuchi she was dating someone—
I had been wondering if keeping us a secret was bothering her.
“...Hmm.”
Pausing to think it over for a beat, Mizuki tilted her head.
“Personally, I'm fine keeping things the way they are right now.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah. Because when it's just the two of us knowing at home, nobody else gets in our way.”
Stopping in the quiet alley, Mizuki turned to face me and gently rested her free hand against my cheek.
“So in exchange... promise you'll never let go of me again, Iori.”
Through the dark lenses of her sunglasses, her ruby eyes locked straight onto mine.
In a flash, my mind went back to elementary school—
To the day I had cowardly let go of her hand because I couldn't handle the stares around us.
“...I won't. Never again.”
“Mm. Then I don't need anything else.”
Smiling softly, she lowered her hand from my cheek and resumed walking beside me.
“—Stay with me forever, okay? Promise.”
Her childhood promise echoed warmly in my ears.
After surviving that close encounter, we spent the next hour leisurely exploring the backstreets of Gion.
Cobblestone alleys, the distant plucks of a shamisen drifting through wooden lattice doors, and the occasional glimpse of an apprentice maiko hurrying past.
Wrapped in the timeless atmosphere of the old capital, we walked unhurriedly side by side.
“Hey, Iori. Let's take a photo together.”
“...Sure, though are we keeping the wigs and glasses on?”
“Yep. To commemorate our secret mission.”
Pulling her smartphone from her kimono sleeve, Mizuki held it up in front of us.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with the historic street of Hanamikoji in the background, we took a two-shot together.
When we checked the screen afterward, the sight of a brown-haired guy in glasses standing next to a blonde girl in sunglasses looked like a surreal comedy skit.
“Are you sure this counts as a romantic commemorative photo?”
“I think it's great. It's uniquely us.”
At her words, I took another look at the photo on her screen.
Bizarre as our disguises looked, I had to admit we would never forget the story behind this shot.
“Walking around taking couple photos like this is really nice, isn't it?” she murmured.
“What do you mean?”
“It makes us feel like a normal high school couple.”
“...Technically speaking, we are a high school couple.”
Even if we were currently dressed like undercover agents because one half of the couple was anything but ordinary.
“Hehe, true.”
Mizuki laughed softly beside me.
By the time our feet started feeling tired from walking in wooden sandals—
We arrived in front of a quiet, retro coffeehouse tucked down a side street.
“Is this the place?”
“Looks like it.”
Written across the antique wooden signboard by the door was 『Café Serenade』.
Housed in a renovated traditional wooden building with warm stained-glass accents, the shop blended seamlessly into the Kyoto streetscape.
Before I left Tokyo, Manager at Café Nocturne had written down the address for me—apparently the owner here was an old acquaintance of his.
“If the two of you get some free time in Kyoto, drop by for a date!”
I could still picture Manager's meddlesome grin as he handed me the map. Ever since Mizuki started working at Nocturne, my boss had been having way too much fun playing Cupid.
When I pushed open the heavy wooden door, the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee and warm air enveloped us.
Behind the polished counter stood a poised woman in her forties with a gentle, welcoming demeanor.
“Welcome to Serenade.”
“Um, hello... The manager of Café Nocturne in Tokyo recommended that we stop by while we were in town...”
The instant I mentioned Nocturne, the proprietress's eyes went wide—and then her whole face lit up with a delighted smile.
“Oh, my goodness! Don't tell me—you two must be Iori-kun and Yukimura-san!”
“Huh? Uh, yes, that's us...”
“Welcome, welcome! Thank you for coming all the way from Tokyo! Oh, that man already called ahead and told me all about you two! Come on, sweetheart, take off those sunglasses so I can see... My word, he wasn't exaggerating—you're a knockout!”
Ushering us inside like VIPs, she led us straight to the most private booth at the very back of the shop.
It was a plush two-person sofa seat overlooking an enclosed inner courtyard garden, where crimson autumn maples still clung to the branches beside a mossy stone lantern.
“Nobody from the street can see back here, so you two can take off your disguises and relax! Our house specialty is homemade anmitsu—I'll bring two bowls right out for you!”
“...Thank you so much.”
Sinking into the sofa seat beside Mizuki, I finally let my shoulders relax.
Following Mizuki's lead as she folded her sunglasses away, I took off my fake glasses as well.
Letting out a long breath, I realized just how tense I had been keeping watch for classmates out on the street.
Beside me, Mizuki took a sip of water and looked noticeably more at ease too.
“Here you go—two house-special anmitsu!”
A few minutes later, the bowls set down before us looked like miniature works of art.
Glistening cubes of translucent agar jelly, plump simmered azuki beans, chewy white shiratama dumplings, and colorful seasonal fruit, all drizzled generously with dark brown-sugar syrup.
Taking a spoonful, I couldn't help letting out an impressed murmur.
“Whoa... this is incredible.”
“Mm. It really is delicious.”
Mizuki's eyes lit up slightly as she tasted hers.
Refined and never overly sweet, every single ingredient had clearly been prepared by hand from scratch. If Manager's friends all ran shops of this caliber, I had to respect his connections.
Between bites of anmitsu, I let my gaze drift out the window.
In the quiet courtyard garden, the late-season maple leaves glowed softly in the pale afternoon sun.
With only a couple of quiet regulars at the front counter, the peaceful hush made it easy to forget we were in the middle of a school trip.
After a quiet moment, Mizuki spoke softly.
“Going on a trip together like this... it's been ages since the last time we traveled together when we were little, hasn't it?”
“...Yeah. My parents used to take us on summer trips every year before they got transferred overseas.”
“Mm. Those trips were always really fun.”
Mizuki's eyes narrowed fondly at the memory.
Back in elementary school, she had still been so quiet and reserved around everyone.
Because Shizuka-san was never home to take her anywhere during summer vacation, my mom and dad had practically adopted Mizuki into every single family outing.
My mom, in particular, had made it her personal mission to get young Mizuki to smile, dragging us to beaches, aquariums, and hot springs.
At the time, I had half-worried my parents' overbearing enthusiasm was overwhelming her.
“I know it's a little late to ask now... but did my mom ever overwhelm you back then? She was always pretty pushy about dragging you along.”
“Not at all. It made me really happy,” Mizuki replied, shaking her head with a gentle smile.
Hearing her say that warmed my chest.
I still remembered the summer my mom found out Mizuki had never seen the ocean before and booked a beach trip that exact weekend.
When a young Mizuki had stood frozen at the edge of the sand, unsure what to do with the crashing waves, I had taken her by the hand and led her into the shallow surf.
After we splashed around clumsily together for half an hour, I remembered seeing the faintest trace of a smile on her face for the very first time.
Thinking how those childhood summers had led the two of us to where we were sitting today made me want to thank my mom the next time she called.
Smiling wryly to myself, I reached for another spoonful of anmitsu—
“Hey, Iori.”
“Hm?”
“Are you... actually having fun right now?”
Out of nowhere, Mizuki asked that question.
“...Where did that come from all of a sudden?”
“I was just wondering if you were enjoying our date today.”
Setting her spoon down neatly beside her bowl, Mizuki turned on the sofa to face me.
With her sunglasses off, those clear ruby eyes of hers looked straight into mine.
“Because ever since our school trip started yesterday... you've looked like something's been hurting you inside.”
“...Do I really look like that?”
Instinctively, I averted my gaze from hers, afraid those eyes would see straight through every defense I had.
Staring down at the dark syrup pooling in my bowl, I found my appetite had vanished.
“Is it about Kashiwagi-san?”
“...”
My breath caught for a second... before I let out a slow, defeated sigh.
At the end of the day, trying to hide anything from my childhood friend was a fool's errand.
“...Yeah.”
I gave a quiet nod; lying to her now would only be insulting.
“I've been agonizing over it this whole trip.”
Resting my spoon on the saucer, I looked out the window at the courtyard.
Pale winter sunlight slanted across the moss-covered stone lantern.
“I keep wondering whether it's really okay to keep hiding the truth from her like this...”
The words Kashiwagi-san had spoken to me on the forest path at Shimogamo Shrine yesterday—
And the brief shadow of hurt that had crossed her face in the lobby this morning when I said I was going off on my own—
Both lingered in my chest like a tiny splinter I couldn't pull out.
“Are you afraid of hurting her?”
“...No.”
At Mizuki's quiet question, I slowly shook my head.
Pretending I was keeping the secret purely for Kashiwagi-san's sake would be a lie.
For over a year, while spending time with Kashiwagi-san as a friend, my heart had belonged entirely to Mizuki.
Once Kashiwagi-san learned that my girlfriend was the very girl she had compared herself to for so long—
“The truth is... I'm just a coward who's afraid of being hated by her.”
My voice sounded pathetically small in my own ears.
Once I admitted it out loud, the ugliness of my own hesitation was undeniable.
Beside me, Mizuki said nothing, simply watching my profile in silence.
After a long beat, she turned her gaze toward the window alongside mine.
Framed against the pale winter light, her profile looked almost heartbreakingly fragile.
“Hey, Iori.”
“...Yeah?”
“Why don't the two of us just run away somewhere together right now?”
For a full second, my brain couldn't process what she had just said.
“...Huh?”
“Instead of going back to the inn, we could board a train to somewhere far away where nobody knows us, and live together just the two of us.”
Her tone was completely calm and unhurried.
It didn't have the playful lilt of a joke—nor did it sound like a desperate plea.
She suggested eloping together as naturally as if she were suggesting another stop on our sightseeing walk.
“...You know we can't do something like that.”
“Can't we?”
“Of course not. We're still second-year high schoolers—how would we even survive on our own?”
Running away together into the night sounded like something out of a tragic old novel.
In real life, it was completely impractical and reckless; I wasn't naive enough to indulge a daydream like that.
“I think the two of us would manage just fine, though,” Mizuki murmured in her usual even voice.
Whether she was half-teasing to take my mind off my worries or genuinely meant every word, I couldn't quite tell.
Either way, I couldn't keep running away from my own responsibilities.
Taking a slow breath to steady myself, I looked back at her.
“...I'll handle things with Kashiwagi-san properly.”
Putting a firm end to my wavering, I spoke the promise aloud.
“I'll bring things to a clean conclusion myself... so you don't need to worry, Mizuki.”
“I see.”
Mizuki gave a simple, unhurried nod.
Her expression seemed to say that whichever way I chose to handle it was fine with her, so long as I stayed by her side.
Looking back down at the table, I finished the last few bites of my anmitsu.
Despite how exquisite the dessert had tasted a few minutes ago, I could barely register the sweetness anymore.
“We should probably head back to the rental shop soon.”
“Yeah.”
Setting our spoons down on the saucers, we stood up from the booth.
After thanking the proprietress and paying the bill at the front counter, we stepped back out into the crisp late-afternoon air.
“Curfew's coming up fast, huh?”
Checking her phone screen outside the shop, Mizuki murmured the observation. Sure enough, we were cutting it fairly close to the five-o'clock check-in time.
Since we still had to return our kimonos, change back into our school uniforms, and ride the bus back in separate intervals, we needed to hurry.
“Thank you for today, Iori. I had a really wonderful time.”
“Yeah... me too.”
I meant that from the bottom of my heart.
Walking through Kyoto with Mizuki today had genuinely been fun, and seeing her smile had made all the cloak-and-dagger sneaking around worth it.
All that remained was for me to settle my own unfinished business so no shadows would hang over us anymore.
“Iori.”
“Hm?”
As we walked hand in hand back toward the bridge where we had met—
Beneath the golden glow of the Kyoto sunset, Mizuki paused and looked back at me.
“Someday, when we don't have to hide anymore... let's come back to Kyoto together, okay?”
She smiled the exact same pure, unguarded smile she had shown me when we were children.
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