Chapter 162 School Trip (11)
"Bathing?"
Asu Mai shook her head slightly, tying the belt of her yukata in her hand: "I want to bring Toru's scent back."
After seeing Asu Mai off, Toru Watanabe took a Coke from the mini refrigerator and poured it on the tatami in the Japanese-style room.
Call the front desk.
"Yes, I spilled it accidentally. Please help me replace it. If there is any additional cost, it will be included in the room rate."
The person on the other end of the phone promised in a gentle Kyoto accent that someone would come and replace it right away.
Toru Watanabe didn't like being present when the staff were changing items, so he decided to go out for a walk.
After taking a quick shower in the room's own bathroom, I changed into casual clothes, picked up The Little Prince, left the window wide open, and left the room.
Walk out of Dongshan Villa, step on the bluestone road, and blend into the bustling crowd.
After rejecting several attempts to approach him, he walked into a quiet and elegant cafe, ordered a cup, read a book by the window, and occasionally stared at the bustling ancient street in the distance.
I read the book three times before going back.
The next morning, Toru Watanabe walked into the large tatami restaurant while trying to push his hair back with his hands.
Everyone sat on the tatami and ate the delicious breakfast.
The seats are random, and most people sit with the team members they are working with today.
"Good morning, Kiyono-san."
"Good morning." Qingye Rin said perfunctorily, put some vegetable salad into the bowl, and didn't even look at Watanabe Toru.
When she thought about Toru Watanabe watching a pay movie in his room last night and doing that kind of thing while talking to her, she didn't want to pay any attention to him for the time being.
"Didn't you sleep well last night? Did you dream about me?"
"What did you say?!" Opposite Kiyono Rin, Tamamo looked at him with displeasure on her beautiful face.
"Did I talk to you? If your ears are not used, you can donate them to someone in need." Watanabe Tetsu answered in the tone of Kiyono Rin.
"Watanabe Toru-kun." Kiyono Rin raised her head.
"Sorry, let's talk later. I'm starving." Toru Watanabe sat about three feet away from them.
Breakfast was vegetable salad, grilled mullet, pork salad, and miso soup with fried radish and tofu.
Watanabe Toru drank the flavor-enhancing soup and found it delicious, so he took another sip before picking up the grilled mullet meat.
"Senior, where did you go last night?" He heard Ikki Aoi's voice while he was concentrating on eating.
"...shopping." Asu Mai's voice came in a calm tone.
"Alone?"
"……Um."
"Why didn't you ask me to join you? Qingye and I wanted to go play yesterday, and we even went to look for the senior!"
"…I miss someone."
"Senior, today we are going to..."
The grilled mullet meat had a very elastic texture. Watanabe Toru ate two bites in a row before turning his chopsticks to other dishes.
At this time, you absolutely cannot go to see Kiyono Rin!
After breakfast, Toru Watanabe went back to his room and took a shower.
I always feel like I've been taking too many showers recently - I'll have to take at least two showers tonight, and I don't know if taking too many showers is any bad.
When he came out, there were only a few classmates left in Dongshan Villa.
As he walked through the door with his hands in his pockets, a group of girls suddenly called out to him.
"Watanabe-kun——"
Toru Watanabe turned around and looked at the four female classmates in front of him. He had seen them before and remembered their names, but had never spoken to them.
"What's up?" He took his hands out of his pockets to avoid coming across as too arrogant.
"I like you!"
“…”
"I like you too!" The second one is an ordinary girl with a round face.
"you……"
"Me too! I like Watanabe-kun very much!" The third one is a girl with short hair.
"No, wait..."
"Watanabe-kun is at the cultural festival! At the sports festival! So handsome! Watanabe-kun, I've fallen in love with you!" The fourth one is a lively girl with big breasts.
Watanabe Toru looked at the four people: "Now...what should I say?"
"Ahahahaha! Watanabe-kun, you idiot!" The four girls linked arms, looked like they had succeeded in their prank, and ran away laughing.
Toru Watanabe adjusted the position of the black diving watch on his wrist and continued walking along Sannenzaka.
The small Japanese wooden house is low and simple, with a brick roof and insect cage windows of an ancient machiya building.
The geishas, wearing kimonos and with pale faces painted, walked hurriedly on the cobblestone road in order to get to the performances.
Kyoto, which was built in imitation of Luoyang and Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty, has gone through thousands of years of wind and rain, and has the charm of "The streets are waiting for the rain, and I am waiting for you" in "Blue and White Porcelain".
Because there was still time, when passing by an ice cream shop, Toru Watanabe stopped and lined up to try the matcha ice cream.
In front of him were Chinese, Koreans, and even a white couple wearing kimonos, and at the front were a few girls wearing Kamikawa High School uniforms.
After they bought it, they confessed their love to him as if they were taking turns high-fiving him as they passed by Du Bianche.
"Watanabe-kun, I like you~"
"oh."
"Watanabe-kun, I love you the most!"
"Thanks."
“I like it, I like it!”
"I know. I know."
"Please date me."
"Forget about this."
Just like before, after the confession, the four girls quickly slipped away.
The Chinese, Koreans, and white people in front looked back in confusion at Watanabe Toru who was left at the scene.
A Chinese girl wearing a cherry blossom-colored kimono, about 28 years old, with her hair tied up, looked like a beautiful young woman. After buying the ice cream, she said to Watanabe Toru in the Japanese she had just learned:
"Watabe-kun, I like it."
"Oh, I like you too. Also, my name is Watanabe, written in Chinese characters, it means Watanabe at the ferry."
"You can speak Chinese!" The beautiful young woman looked at him in surprise.
…
When the white couple told Watanabe Toru that they liked him, Watanabe Toru responded with "thank you" in French.
Do these people consider this as one of the island nation’s customs?
After experiencing it twice, Toru Watanabe roughly guessed the reason why Ikeda Kazumi agreed to vote for Kyoto.
Ice cream in the fall is cold, but just as delicious.
Toru Watanabe took a bite, held it up to the sky, took a photo, and sent it to Kumiko who was probably in class.
"I heard that the most authentic matcha is from Uji, Kyoto. I wonder if I can try it tomorrow."
Maybe he is really in class, the message prompt is "unread".
Toru Watanabe didn't mind. He ate while walking and occasionally nodded to the female classmate who confessed to him on the road.
Is this considered group molestation? Can I call the police?
He arrived at the "Kiyomizu-michi" bus stop and took the bus to "Damogawa" - the girl he wanted to say he liked was waiting for him there.
On the bank of the sparkling Kamogawa River, Kujo Miki's car was already parked there.
Toru Watanabe opened the car door but did not get in. He supported the roof and reached out to Miki Kujo.
"You made me wait, and you are the first one." Kujo Miki extended her hand with a bad tone.
"You came too early. There is still..."
Miki Kujo withdrew her hands, hugged her arms, stopped her steps as she was about to get off the car, and crossed her legs again.
"Drive back to Tokyo."
The car's accelerator buzzed, but it didn't move.
Being caught between a young lady in love and a future young master is a very difficult job.
"Wait, wait!" Watanabe Toru bent down and reached out to help Kujo Miki again. "I was wrong. I remembered the time wrong. I'm sorry!"
"What do you mean by misremembering the time? Do you think I'm an idiot?" Kujo Miki waved his hand away. "I'm sitting in the car. Do I have the final say on whether I come early or late?"
The female driver quickly turned off the engine and got out of the car to avoid the dilemma of whether or not to actually start the car.
She bowed to the two of them and apologized: "Miss, Master, I'm really sorry! The car was in good condition today, so we arrived earlier than expected."
"I told you, how could Miki love her more than me? I was ten minutes ahead of her," said Toru Watanabe.
"Ten minutes?" Kujo Miki turned her head and looked at him outside the car door. "You seem satisfied?"
"Fifteen minutes next time!" Toru Watanabe extended his hand again.
"Half an hour." Kujo Miki handed her hand to him.
"Half an hour is nothing. For you, I can wait here the night before."
"Then let's do this next time."
"...No, I don't think we should restrict the expression of love to the length of time we wait for someone."
Jingliu got out of the car at another door.
"You, yes, I'm talking about you, robot." Watanabe Toru pointed at her, "You are not allowed to follow me. From now on, it's just me and Miki's time alone."
Shizuru ignored him, walked around the back of the car and went behind Kujo Miki.
Kujo Miki glanced at her and said, "You can stay here today and go out and have some fun."
"Miss……"
Miki Kujo glanced over there.
Jingliu lowered his head: "Yes."
"I can't command you anymore. When I become the head of the Kujo family, I will fire you first!" Watanabe Toru said proudly with his face raised.
Jingliu looked at him with murderous intent. If Kujo Miki hadn't been there, he might have robbed him.
Miki Kujo glanced at Toru Watanabe and said, "I find that you are becoming more and more arrogant."
"Then don't fire her. I was just joking."
"I'm talking about the head of the Kujo family." Kujo Miki said with a horrified expression.
"Wait, are you really planning to fire the robot? Even though her skills are a little bit inferior and I hate her, she is a woman after all. I would be the first one to disagree if she were replaced with a male bodyguard!"
Under Shizuru's angry eyes, Kujo Miki grabbed Watanabe Toru's ear and said, "You are so smooth-talking."
After the car left, she asked, "Where to?"
"Let's take a walk around the neighborhood first, and then have lunch." Watanabe Toru stopped being serious.
The two held hands and walked along the Kamogawa River.
In autumn, the sky is clear, the water is gurgling, the waves are shimmering, and the clear autumn breeze blows through the water plants by the river, which is refreshing.
Miki Kujo wore a simple white short-sleeved shirt with English letters printed on it today, and a light long skirt on the lower body.
Normally, the temperature in her environment was not considered low, but on this late autumn morning, the wind by the river brought a hint of chill.
"Are you cold?"
“Somewhat.”
Toru Watanabe took off his red and white baseball-style jacket and put it on her.
The coat was a lot bigger for Miki Kujo, and her fair little hands could barely get out of the sleeves, which was very cute.
Watanabe Toru put his arm around her waist and sniffed her hair: "I missed you very, very much yesterday."
"How much do you miss it?" Kujo Miki said with a smile.
An old man walking his Shiba Inu came towards him. He squatted down to tie his shoelaces, and the Shiba Inu turned around and looked at the old man as if the picture was paused.
Watanabe Toru put his lips close to Miki Kujo's ear and whispered, "I want to swim down the Kamogawa River all the way back to Tokyo where you are - I miss you so much."
“Does the Kamogawa go through Tokyo?”
"Who knows." Watanabe Toru said with a smile.
"So you're lying to me?"
“Reality serves art. It doesn’t matter where the Kamogawa flows. What’s important is that I want to swim back to Tokyo to find you.”
"You keep sweet-talking me all day long." Kujo Miki said unhappily.
The Shiba Inu and the old man surpassed them.
At this time, the Shiba Inu was already on the old man's back. It put its front legs on the man's shoulders, and looked around at the scenery with a face that seemed to be always smiling.
This reminded Toru Watanabe of the rickshaw at Kiyomizu Temple.
"You haven't told me how much you miss me," he said to Kujo Miki.
"I don't miss you."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true." Miki Kujo looked at the Shiba Inu.
"Then why did you arrive at the date before me?"
"You want to die, don't you?"
"Hahaha, I know that your love for me is all in your heart and you don't say it out loud."
"The driver was driving too fast. How could I wait for someone?" Kujo Miki said unhappily. "I miss you...at most, I can only swim at home."
Watanabe Toru held her tightly in his arms: "It's 370 kilometers from Kamogawa to Tokyo. You're just swimming in a swimming pool. You're too small!"
"Who knows if you are really swimming?" Miki Kujo felt a slight sense of oppression and leaned her head comfortably in his arms.
"I'll swim for you now!"
"Go ahead, I'll watch."
"I really went."
"Um."
"I really, really want to go."
"Go, go quickly." Kujo Miki pretended to push him away.
Watanabe Toru hugged her even tighter, and whispered in her ear with a smile, "The river water is too cold in autumn, let's wait until summer."
Miki Kujo was tired from walking and wanted to find a place to rest for a while.
There happened to be a bench nearby.
A cat emerged from the landscape bushes, leaped lightly, and sat down on the bench in a sphinx-like posture.
Its eyes, large and transparent like glass beads , stared motionlessly at the Kamogawa River.
The scene looked like aliens coming to Earth and missing their homeland.
"What should we do?" The two stood there, and Watanabe Toru asked Kujo Miki.
"Drive it away." ordered Miki Kujo.
"The Kamogawa River advocates the integration of man and nature. Look at the other people, there are still people sitting on the ground. Let's not disturb it. Go to the front, there are other seats."
“Are people and nature more important, or am I more important?”
"Is that even a question? Of course you are important."
"Then drive it away."
"no problem."
Watanabe Toru walked over and squatted in front of the cat: "Friends from Kyoto, can you please make way? We are guests from Tokyo and came here specially to see the Kamogawa."
The cat ignored him.
"I don't understand?" Watanabe Toru said in a Kyoto accent (if someone from Kansai heard this, they would definitely fight with him), "Hey, don't embarrass me in front of my girlfriend, or I'll be rude."
The cat turned its furry round face, looked at him, then continued to gaze into the distance, missing the scenery of its hometown.
Watanabe Toru raised his head and said to Kujo Miki who was standing there, "I think this cat may think I'm a fool."
"I think you're stupid, too."
"I see. I was wondering why I would do something like this. Now it makes sense."
Miki Kujo looked down at him coldly with a tense face.
But if you look closely, you can see that the corners of her mouth raised, then smoothed, raised, then smoothed, and finally she burst out laughing.
Because I laughed despite not wanting to, I forced myself to look disdainful before laughing.
Watanabe Toru stood up with a smile, put his arm around her slender waist, and said with a sigh, "Let's go, let the cat stay here, and we two fools can go sit somewhere else."
"What did you say?"
"I am a fool."
"snort."
The two walked forward, and fortunately no cat jumped out from the bushes again.
Watanabe Toru wiped the chair clean, and the two finally sat down and quietly enjoyed the scenery of Kamogawa.
Tourists hopped over the rocks in the stream and took photos on them;
A woman in her thirties sat on the riverbank eating roasted rice cakes with a bottle of 120 yen green tea beside her;
On the path beside the stream, under the wooden terrace of a Japanese restaurant, a young Chinese man who came to Kyoto University for graduate studies was holding a guitar and singing the Chengdu version of "Kyoto".
It's like crying, it's really unpleasant to hear.
In the song "Walking to the end of Hanami-koji and sitting at the door of the tavern", Watanabe Toru pointed at the ducks in the water grass and said, "I wonder how much meat will be left after plucking the feathers."
“Isn’t it man and nature?”
"Hey——" Watanabe Toru said jealously and coquettishly, "Are people and nature more important, or am I more important?"
Miki Kujo rolled her eyes at him as if she couldn't stand it, very charming.
Watanabe Toru laughed, leaned over and kissed her.
This was a kiss without any lust, only a faint warmth lingering in the heart.
The water of the Kamo River is crystal clear, and the splashes of water hitting the rocks sparkle in the warm autumn sun.
