The rain had stopped for quite a while, the wind dispersed the clouds, and the moonlight gently sprinkled over the world.
The orange lights illuminated the outline of Asakusa Shrine.
The terrace extending from the side hall, suspended over the artificial lake, was surrounded by sheer white gauze.
This lakeside terrace, with laurel columns planted nearby, was something Kawashima Miki was very fond of. Most nights, she liked to bring the unfinished work from the day here to continue processing. When she felt tired, she would soak her feet in the lake water to relieve the fatigue.
Tonight was no different.
A small laptop rested on the low table, with the light of an oil lamp softly flickering on the tabletop.
In the warm yellow light, Kawashima Miki’s beautifully manicured nails tapped rapidly on the keyboard, her damp black hair hanging down her back. On the table was also a small makeup mirror and a bottle of perfume, along with several articles and essays previously written by Fujiwara Reya.
She typed a few lines.
Kawashima Miki paused, took out the small mirror, and looked at herself.
In the red and white traditional shrine maiden outfit, her lovely hairline, matronly eyebrows and eyes, delicate nose, and full red lips... She was already beautiful, and the classical-style shrine maiden attire made her appear even more elegant.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Kawashima Miki couldn’t help but lick her lips with her tongue.
Not long ago, she had just returned from a tennis match with several Onmyo-ryo board members’ wives, and after showering, she deliberately changed into the shrine maiden outfit, with a mindset of waiting for someone while handling the Empress’s bubble bath work on the terrace alone.
"Did I spray too much perfume..."
Kawashima Miki raised her slender wrist and sniffed.
The rich fragrance of roses, mixed with the sweet weariness after exercise, gently enveloped her fair oval face, swirling softly in the quiet, dark night.
Satisfied, Kawashima Miki put the mirror away.
"Now just waiting for my hubby to come back." She smiled smugly, but the next second, her expression suddenly turned cold, and she muttered resentfully: "The rascal! I’ve been running around all day for you, yet, besides spending my money skillfully, you can’t do anything right!"
The resentful young wife grumbled, waiting for her husband who would return late on the terrace.
Since returning to Tokyo this past month, Kawashima Miki, in her role as the sole shrine maiden at Asakusa Shrine, attended countless board meetings, held several small meetings, and went shopping, to beauty salons, with many board members’ wives she had never met before.
The one thing those wives loved to discuss the most was a lot of useless chatter about pleasure and love.
Every time she heard this, Kawashima Miki just wanted to laugh.
That’s because you’ve never truly encountered real love.
After mocking those pitiful women in her heart, Kawashima Miki devoted herself to managing her Asakusa Shrine.
For instance, the portrait of the Mountain God hanging in the worship hall: during this month, she first moved it to the screen at the entrance, then took it to the backyard to keep it from the tourists, and finally just brought it to her room to hang. While organizing the kitchen and storage room, she found many empty jars and cardboard, took them to the recycling station to sell, topped up some money to buy a large king crab, and enjoyed a nice meal with Yukino Ritsuko and Fujiwara Reya. Also, her favorite activity was to wade barefoot and collect coins thrown by tourists into the worship hall pond. Then, like a squirrel with acorns, she excitedly showed off her loot to Fujiwara Reya in bed.
Fujiwara Reya laughed at her for being like a hamster.
She would then punch him without any politeness.
Since her girlhood, Kawashima Miki liked to fill her life with beautiful but trivial things. During her school days, she liked to collect pins; she stuffed a painted organizer box until it was full of various pins. After coming to Tokyo, she liked to collect high heels, so she set up a dedicated shoe-changing room. Even though she couldn’t wear them often, she continued buying hundreds of pairs just to look at.
Fujiwara Reya had joked many times about her collecting obsession. Each time, she would just chuckle and keep indulging herself by buying all kinds of high heels... After all, she earned the money, so she could buy whatever she wanted.
This zeal for life always propelled her forward. Follow current novᴇls on novel·fiɾe·net
She had also experienced periods of confusion. During the long years with the Empress, she felt like a butterfly trapped inside a room, fluttering around, unable to find a way out. Fortunately, in the end, her little hubby opened the window again, and the exhausted butterfly regained its freedom.
Now she genuinely liked Fujiwara Reya.
It’s an ingrained, profound fondness.
Footsteps came from the hallway, and Kawashima Miki looked up.
"Take a break." Yukino Ritsuko came over with a jug of lemon water.
Thin slices of lemons floated on the surface amidst the crushed ice in the glass jar, looking very refreshing.
"Perfect timing, I was just getting thirsty." Kawashima Miki brushed her bangs aside and smiled, picking up a glass to pour some lemon water.
Yukino Ritsuko sat down too, casually picking up the pipa left on the terrace.
Tonight’s moon was very round, like the full moon in poems, its silvery light pouring over the whole of Tokyo, covering the worship hall eaves with layers of silver frost. Sitting in the moonlight, Yukino Ritsuko looked very much like a fairy from the moon.
"What tune would you like to hear?" she asked.
Kawashima Miki responded with a gurgle, "Anything’s fine."
When Fujiwara Reya wasn’t home at night, this was how the two ladies passed the time.