Holmes of Kyoto: Volume 9 (eBook)

Mai Mochizuki (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2022 | 1. Auflage
250 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
978-1-7183-7664-9 (ISBN)

Infos

It's January, and Aoi has settled into her life at university. Meanwhile, Kiyotaka is training at Kotani Brewery, a longstanding sake brewery in Fushimi, Kyoto. But even though they aren't far apart, Aoi hasn't had a chance to see him yet. She has, however, been helping out the flower arranging club that her best friend Kaori is part of. Things seem quiet until the club leader, Ikumi, declares that she's quitting, while over at Kotani Brewery, a family heirloom goes missing. Behind both of these events lie painful emotions that soon come to light. Then, Kiyotaka and Akihito join forces in a revenge play set in Hirakata Park!

Textauszug

Prologue

It was mid-January. The Teramachi-Sanjo shopping street was bustling as usual, but inside the small antique shop Kura, there was only quiet jazz music, the ticking of the grandfather clock, and the soft sound of me opening a book. Since I’d been given permission to peruse any of the books and materials in the store, I, Aoi Mashiro, was sitting at the counter, reading a book about art. I’d been doing this a lot as of late, whenever there wasn’t any work to be done.

It had been nearly ten months since Kiyotaka “Holmes” Yagashira, who taught me about antiques, had left for training. His absence meant that I had fewer opportunities to see antiques, which brought on feelings of impatience rather than sadness. Wanting to see as much art as possible, I started visiting museums more than I used to, both in the city and around Kansai.

“This one is in the National Museum of Art in Tokyo...”

I was frustrated to learn that the art in the book was on display in the Kanto region. Why didn’t I go to this museum when I lived in Saitama? I knew it was to be expected since I hadn’t been interested in art and antiques at the time. I’d only developed this interest after working here—after meeting Holmes, the young apprentice appraiser with an exceptional eye for observation and appraisal. His sharpness had earned him the nickname “Holmes of Kyoto,” and he was currently away for training to broaden his horizons.

Holmes had returned to work at Kura in December, but as soon as the New Year holidays were over, he’d left for his new placement. This one was nearby, so I didn’t think I’d miss him, but he was so busy that I hadn’t been able to see him at all.

“I guess there’s nothing we can do,” I said, lowering my eyes.

Suddenly, the door chime rang. I closed the book and looked up, but I didn’t say my usual “Welcome.” A well-built man wearing a kimono, hat, and scarf was standing there holding something wrapped in cloth.

“Hello, Aoi,” he said, bowing and taking off his hat, revealing a familiar bald head.

Being in his presence always made me nervous.

“Ensho...” I murmured with a gulp.

“Thanks for coming on New Year’s,” he said, grinning and taking off his scarf.

I awkwardly shook my head. “You don’t need to thank me.”

After a series of events, this former counterfeiter had become the apprentice of Shigetoshi Yanagihara, a famous appraiser. At the beginning of the year, I had attended his unveiling party in Gion. It was still hard to believe that Ensho of all people was now an apprentice appraiser, just like Holmes. I felt like I was having a weird dream.

“Is Holmes in?” he asked, looking around the store.

I shook my head. “He’s away for the time being.”

“Oh, he’s already off to the next place.” He sighed, disappointed.

Ensho used to be prickly and intimidating, but he had become much softer as of late. Perhaps that was why he didn’t strike fear into my heart anymore.

“You knew that Holmes was undergoing training?” I asked.

“Yeah, I heard about it at the party. Where is he now? Is it really far again?”

“No, he’s in the city this time. It’s a sake brewery in Fushimi.”

“A sake brewery? Never would’ve guessed.”

“I heard that the owner knows the people there.”

It was a small brewery that was mainly family-run. They had started a new line of business and had requested Holmes’s help.

“Oh, please have a seat,” I added. “I’ll make coffee.” I gestured at the seats and went into the kitchenette.

“Thanks, don’t mind if I do.” Ensho sat down and placed the cloth-wrapped object on the counter. “Well, it’s good that he’s getting all that experience. He’s a sheltered boy, after all. Being exposed to the harshness of the world will do him good.”

I chuckled in the kitchenette. “I don’t think the world is very harsh to him, though.” I finished preparing the coffee and served it to Ensho.

“No matter where he goes, everyone ends up deferring to him ’cause he does everything perfectly, eh? Figures,” the man murmured cynically as he sipped the coffee, immediately realizing what I was getting at. That perceptiveness of his was similar to Holmes’s, even if their appearances and auras were completely different.

“Do you need Holmes for something?” I asked.

“I don’t need him. I just wanted him to take a look at something I bought at a flea market earlier.”

In other words, something had caught his eye among the many miscellaneous antiques, and he’d come here to have his hunch confirmed. I found myself curious as to what it was.

“Um, would you mind showing it to me?”

“Right, you’re a high school girl appraiser.”

“I’m not in high school anymore, and I’m only an apprentice of an apprentice.”

I had begun university last April, and almost a year had passed since then. Even though others told me that I’d become more mature, apparently, Ensho still thought I was a high school girl. I couldn’t help but be disappointed.

“Oh, so you’re in university now. Kids grow up so darn fast.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“Sure, but you haven’t changed at your core. How can that guy be such a wuss when it comes to you?” He rested his chin in his hand, seeming slightly amused.

“What?!”

My cheeks burned at the fact that he could see through our relationship. I wanted to object angrily, but if I said the wrong thing, he’d surely make my life even harder.

“Or maybe there’s another reason... Yeah, it has to be that,” he said to himself.

I tilted my head. “Another reason?”

“It’s nothing. Aren’t you frustrated that Holmes won’t do anything to you?”

“No!”

Suddenly, I recalled something that had happened a few days before Holmes had left for his next work placement. The two of us had been alone in the store that day, and I had been helping him prepare the tax return.

* * *

“Holmes, I sorted out the receipts by month,” I said, placing a stack of clear folders on the counter.

It was the first day of work after the New Year.

“Thank you. My father really doesn’t know how to handle these things, so it turned into a mess while I was gone. I expected it, though,” Holmes said, sighing as he looked at the computer screen.

The receipts had been neatly organized up until March, when Holmes had still been managing the store. Everything after that, though, had just been tossed into a box—which looked more like a recycling bin at this point. It was a sad state of affairs.

“But he’s an author, so he has to do his own tax return, doesn’t he?”

“I do that for him too. I’m basically his secretary.”

“You really can do everything, huh?”

“This kind of work is tedious but not difficult. Some people are more suited to it than others, and I don’t mind it.”

“More suited to it...” I looked down at the account book and grimaced as soon as I saw all the numbers.

Maybe I’m not suited for this.

Naturally, all of the receipts were from the previous year.

“A year goes by fast, huh?” I muttered.

He made a pained face. “Last year was one full of regrets.”

That came as a surprise. Holmes had begun his training last year. At the beginning of spring, he’d worked as a curator at Shokado Garden Art Museum in Yawata City, and after that, as Ueda’s secretary in Umeda. From fall until winter, he’d been an assistant in New York, at one of the most influential museums in the world of art. In my eyes, it looked like he had been actively working and enjoying himself at all of those jobs. Was I mistaken?

“Working at Shokado Garden Art Museum and being Ueda and Hopkins’s secretary were all amazing experiences, and I enjoyed my time there. What I regret is my personal life.”

“Huh?” I tilted my head.

“First of all, there was your nineteenth birthday. I was working, so I was only able to have dinner with you.”

Right, Holmes had been working at the museum at the time. My birthday was in the middle of Golden Week, which is a profitable time of year for museums. Since he couldn’t take the day off, he’d rushed over from Yawata City after work to have dinner with me. The restaurant was Fortune Garden Kyoto on the north side of city hall. It was a five-minute walk from Teramachi-Sanjo, making it so that I could go there right after work. It had a modern stone exterior designed by Goichi Takeda, who was known for his work on the city hall’s architecture, and the interior was sophisticated.

“But I was really happy,” I insisted. “Even though you were busy, you made time to celebrate my birthday at a fancy restaurant.”

I had told him that I didn’t want an expensive present, so he’d given me a type of casual kimono called a tsumugi. It had a cute design—light yellow with brightly colored small flowers—and he had smiled and said, “Since you’ve gotten used to wearing kimono, I’d like you to wear them more often. This is for everyday use.” I had been so moved by the...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 21.4.2022
• Reihe/Serie: Holmes of Kyoto
• Reihe/Serie: Holmes of Kyoto
• Übersetzer: Mai Mochizuki
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• Schlagworte: Cozy Mystery • Drama • female protagonist • History • Light Novel • Slice of Life • Trivia
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-7664-2 / 1718376642
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-7664-9 / 9781718376649