Holmes of Kyoto: Volume 4 (eBook)

Mai Mochizuki (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2021
250 Seiten
J-Novel Heart (Verlag)
978-1-7183-7654-0 (ISBN)

Infos

Kyoto bustles with the arrival of the New Year and Aoi Mashiro continues to work at the antique store Kura in the Teramachi-Sanjo shopping district, alongside the owner's grandson, Kiyotaka Yagashira. On Valentine's Day, the two of them are invited to a storytelling session at the Yoshida-Sanso Inn, hosted by the popular mystery author Kurisu Aigasa. There they find out that someone tried to murder her three months ago, and her sister asks Kiyotaka to find the culprit.

Textauszug

Chapter 1: A Bisque Doll’s Tears

1

Kyoto Teramachi-Sanjo’s antique store Kura has many different items on display. A Shino tea bowl which is considered a national treasure from the Momoyama period, an old Kutani plate, a jar from China’s Ming dynasty... I get to admire all sorts of antiques on a daily basis while I’m working here, which I really appreciate. All of them are beautiful, and I never get tired of looking at them. I was never this fascinated with antiques until I started working here.

That said, there’s just one thing I can’t bring myself to like: the bisque doll... It’s an antique doll from the West. It wears a frilly white blouse with a red ribbon in front and a red skirt. It has long, flowing blonde hair, and there’s a hint of loneliness in its glossy blue eyes. Despite thinking that it’s very beautiful—or perhaps because of its beauty—I shiver when I look at it. The first time I came to Kura, I felt scared when I saw it. I’m not sure if it’s because my first impression has stayed with me, but I still feel uncomfortable around it.

I still have to take care of it, though. I combed its hair, dusted it off, and carefully sat it in its chair, the way I always do. Then I immediately looked away, my eyes settling vaguely on the tabletop calendar. It was January 8th. Both New Year’s and the Festival of Seven Herbs were over. The floods of kimono-clad tourists were gone, and the streets of Kyoto were now calm. What hadn’t changed was the piercing cold that seeped in between the fibers of my clothes no matter how many layers I wore. Even though it was my second winter here, I still wasn’t used to the cold. It’s always really warm inside Kura though, and I’m thankful for that...

I looked outside the window. Since it was still winter break, there were a lot of tourists. Tourists, huh? I turned around and looked at Holmes who was sitting at the counter. “Holmes, when people from the Kanto region visit Kyoto, where do you think they should go sightseeing?”

“Sightseeing?” Holmes looked up at me.

“Yes.”

“Did one of your friends from Saitama ask you that?”

“Yes.” I nodded. As usual, he immediately read my mind. “My friend from Saitama is going to Osaka for a relative’s wedding. They said they could come to Kyoto for a day and asked me to take them somewhere nice.”

I was happy to be able to see my friend, but being asked to take them “somewhere nice” was a lot of pressure. I moved to Kyoto one and a half years ago, and thanks to working at Kura, I’ve been taken to a lot of places: Shimogamo Shrine, Ninna-ji Temple, Hyakumanben Chion-ji Temple, Kurama Temple, Kifune Shrine and the river terrace, the Philosopher’s Walk, Ginkaku-ji Temple, Tofuku-ji Temple, Suzumushi Temple, Arashiyama, Tenryu-ji Temple, Genko-an Temple... But deciding on a recommendation was hard. There were too many wonderful places to choose from. If it were the cherry blossom season, I could recommend Ninna-ji Temple or the Philosopher’s Walk. If it were May, I could take them to Shimogamo Shrine. Summer would be Kurama or Kifune, fall would be Tofuku-ji Temple, Genko-an Temple, or Nanzen-ji Temple. But what would be good for winter? I could take them to the Eight Temples and Shrines of Shinkyogoku that we visited at the end of the year, but...

“Can your friend only come to Kyoto for one day?”

“Yes.”

“And I’m assuming you’d be limited to daytime.”

“I think so.” They’d probably leave Osaka in the morning, meet up with me just before noon, and then go back in the evening.

“Does your friend often come to Kyoto?”

“No, they said it’s going to be their first time in Kansai at all.”

“They never came to Kyoto on a school trip?”

“Apparently their middle school went to Hokkaido instead.”

“In that case, I think you should go the orthodox route.” He nodded firmly.

I tilted my head. “Orthodox?”

“Yasaka Shrine, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and then a walk around Gion. It’s not original, but they’ll be able to experience Kyoto’s essence in its fullest.”

“I see. You’re right. I think Makoto will enjoy that.” Come to think of it, I’ve been wanting to go to Kiyomizu-dera Temple too. I went there on a middle school trip before, but I hadn’t visited again since moving here. My friend’s probably expecting a thorough tour since I’ve become a Kyoto resident now... Will I be able to do it? They’re coming all the way to Kyoto to see me, so I want them to have fun.

“Makoto...? Is your friend male by any chance?” Holmes asked quietly, looking down at the accounting book.

I shook my head. “No, she’s a girl.”

“I see.” He looked up and smiled softly. “You’re still friends with her, then?”

He was probably referring to the drama with my ex-boyfriend and best friend. I lost a lot of friends when that happened.

“Ah, yeah. She wasn’t in that group. I knew her because we were in the same club.”

“Oh, you were in a club?”

“Yes, although I didn’t join another one after moving here.” I have my hands full with work now.

“It was a sports club, right?” he asked confidently.

I nodded hesitantly. “Yes. You can tell?”

“Ever since you started working here, your responses to your seniors have been firm. I thought the habit might’ve been drilled into you from a sports club hierarchy. Was it tennis?”

“Y-Yes. Oh no, is it because my right arm is thicker than my left?” I unconsciously rubbed my right arm. I played a lot of tennis for four years until my first year of high school, and my right arm is still thicker. It secretly bothers me.

“Not at all. Everyone’s dominant arm tends to be thicker, so it’s not because of that. I just had the feeling that you’d prefer solo sports like tennis or track and field over team sports like basketball or volleyball. You didn’t have the aura of a former runner, though, so I guessed tennis.”

I did choose tennis because I preferred playing solo. No wonder he’s Holmes.

“Tennis is fun,” Holmes continued. “Would you like to play sometime?”

“Oh, you play tennis too?”

“Yes, I’d say it’s one of my better sports.”

“It does seem like it’d suit you.” He’d be like a fairytale prince, playing tennis with that graceful aura.

“Did you know that in tennis, the most blackhearted player wins?”

“Huh?”

“I’m confident in my ability to attack my opponent’s psyche. My wickedness isn’t just for show.” Holmes chuckled.

I silently nodded. I take that back. He’s definitely not a fairytale prince. As his appearance suggests, Holmes is indeed kind and chivalrous. He has a gentle, refined demeanor. But on the other hand, he’s quite an eccentric and he’s wicked at times. He’s stubborn and hates to lose. He also has a bit of a blackhearted side. It threw me off at first, but now I’m completely accustomed to it. I’m rarely surprised by his quirks or two-facedness anymore.

“Oh right, I have a recommended route from Yasaka Shrine to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Would you like me to teach it to you in advance?” Holmes suggested.

“Y-You will?” I leaned in excitedly. I was really thankful since I wasn’t sure if I’d be a good guide.

“Of course. Come to think of it, I haven’t been to Kiyomizu-dera in several years now even though I live nearby. I’d like to visit too.”

“I really want my friend to have fun, so I appreciate it.”

“In that case, how about this Saturday? I’ll ask my father to watch the store. We can visit Yasaka Shrine and then go to Kiyomizu-dera.” He smiled gently, his eyes narrowing into arcs.

“O-Okay!” I nodded eagerly.

Yasaka Shrine and Kiyomizu-dera Temple. It really is an orthodox route, but then again, it’s orthodox for a reason. Excited to get to do some sightseeing, my heart raced as I marked the date on the tabletop counter.

2

Then it was Saturday. After enthusiastically getting ready in the morning, I got on the bus to Yasaka Shrine. Since Kiyomizu-dera was going to be an uphill walk, I made sure to wear flats. Actually, either way, Kyoto sightseeing mostly consists of shrines and temples which all have stairs and gravel. High heels are problematic—I’ll have to tell my friend that. One time when I was visiting a nearby shrine, I happened to be wearing sandals and a piece of gravel got under my foot, which sucked. I considered wearing sneakers today because of that, but since it was a bit of a special outing, I went with a cute pair of mid-calf boots that were easy to walk in. It might be rude to Holmes to think this, but even though he’s just going to teach me how to show my friend around, going to Yasaka Shrine and Kiyomizu-dera with him feels like...a date. Wait, what am I thinking? I already decided not to see him that way. Despite cautioning myself, I suddenly felt anxious. I looked at my reflection in the window and adjusted my bangs.

I got off the bus at Gion, right by the entrance to Yasaka Shrine. The large vermilion two-storied gate at the...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 29.10.2021
• Reihe/Serie: Holmes of Kyoto
• Reihe/Serie: Holmes of Kyoto
• Übersetzer: Minna Lin
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror ► Krimi / Thriller
• Schlagworte: female protagonist • History • Light Novel • Mystery • Romance • Slice of Life • Trivia
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-7654-5 / 1718376545
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-7654-0 / 9781718376540