Chapter 169: Fujiwara Sai
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 169: Fujiwara Sai
A hotel somewhere in Tokyo.
Beep!
[Young Master, the young lady of the Saionji family has arrived.]
"Alright. I'm heading down now."
Fujiwara Sai, the second son of the Fujiwara (藤原) family—a noble house whose lineage stretched back to the Edo period—rose from his seat as he spoke.
"My lord, are you heading out?"
"Yes. This will likely take a while, so if you have other business, you may leave first."
"You jest, my lord. How could I, your bodyguard, do such a thing?"
The man, dressed in the kind of stealth attire one might expect of an ancient ninja, bowed deeply.
As the moonlight streamed into the room, the man's figure, revealed from the shadows, was overwhelming.
His muscles, trained to their absolute limit, were visible even through his thick clothing.
His powerful limbs were like those of a wild beast.
He was fundamentally different from an ordinary person.
To be specific, he looked like an action manga character who had been dropped into the world of a romantic comedy.
Fujiwara Sai chuckled at his steadfast vassal's words.
"Hanzo, you're far too inflexible."
At his young master's chiding, the black-haired ninja called Hanzo skillfully retorted.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Well then, let's go down together. They'll likely have their own escorts anyway."
"Will the stares directed at me not be a burden to you?"
"If I were bothered by something so trivial, I never would have risen to a position where I could bypass my older brother and have you as my personal guard."
With that, Fujiwara Sai clapped the shoulder of the giant, Hattori Hanzo, who stood a full two heads taller than him.
"Follow me."
"As you command."
The master and servant, looking as if they were from different genres, took the waiting elevator down to the restaurant in the hotel lounge.
*
Saionji Kumiko was lost in thought as she rode the limousine to the meeting place.
'…How uncomfortable.'
She had always known this day would come.
But she never imagined it would arrive before she had even graduated from school.
Her usual personality would have been to refuse flatly, but this was a request from her beloved grandfather.
Moreover, it was an order given by him as the 27th head of the Saionji family, leaving her, a member of the clan, with no way to refuse.
Saionji Kumiko, whose brilliant mind had never once let her miss the top rank in her grade since enrolling at Ichijo Academy, understood.
The responsibility of one who stands above others.
What is commonly known as 'Noblesse Oblige.'
Having lived a life of privilege since birth, all that remained was to repay that debt.
This matchmaking meeting would be the first step.
But a lingering attachment still held her back.
A very large, lingering attachment named 'Kim Yoo-Sung.'
"My lady, are you alright?"
"Hm? Ah, yes."
Startled by the question from Koga Izumo, who sat beside her, Kumiko straightened her posture.
"I was just lost in thought for a moment."
Koga Izumo nodded in understanding.
"This is your first matchmaking meeting, so I imagine you must be very anxious. But please, don't worry too much. Just because you attend a meeting doesn't mean it will automatically lead to an engagement or marriage. I know from experience."
"……."
It was the kind of encouragement that left the listener feeling neither particularly cheered nor un-cheered.
Just then, Minami, who had been sitting quietly beside them, spoke up.
"My lady, we'll be arriving at the hotel soon. Are you truly not planning to change?"
Kumiko scoffed, sweeping her pride and joy—her long, straight hair—over her shoulder.
"A school uniform is a student's formal wear. If he's the kind of man who would chide me for wearing this to our meeting, it would speak volumes about his character."
"Understood."
Yielding to Kumiko's stubbornness, Minami shook her head and gazed out the window.
She already knew exactly why her lady was insisting on wearing her school uniform to the meeting.
'Kim Yoo-Sung, you're a sinful man.'
Despite the risk of coming across as rude to a person she had never met, her lady was willing to take that chance because she wanted to sabotage this meeting.
It was a passive rebellion, an indirect protest, as her position prevented her from doing so more actively.
If she could, she would have cheered her lady on, but as a simple servant, it was beyond her power.
'Good luck, my lady.'
Minami murmured to herself, watching the scenery fly past the window.
A dreary autumn rain was falling from the dark sky.
*
Saionji Kumiko and Fujiwara Sai met at the restaurant of a five-star hotel in Roppongi.
As she stepped out of the limousine, accompanied by her attendants, the Akagi siblings and Koga Izumo, the hotel's general manager, who was already waiting at the main entrance, approached them.
"Welcome. I am Hashimoto, the general manager of this hotel. Young Master Sai is already waiting in the hotel lounge. I will personally escort you."
"Oh, thank you for your trouble."
As Kumiko spoke with a slight bow, Hashimoto, who had bowed deeply in return, led her and her party forward.
'I wonder what kind of person this Fujiwara Sai is.'
She had heard the name before.
Ever since she was a child, he had been rumored to be the prodigy (神童), the brilliant child (麒麟兒), of the Fujiwara family.
The head of the Fujiwara family, having recognized his second son's dazzling talent from a young age, had sent him to study abroad to avoid conflict with the eldest son. She had heard he only returned to the country after starting university.
Even after his return, he seemed to maintain an air of mystery, rarely appearing at public functions. However, she had also heard that as the power succession began to shift from the eldest son to the second, many were paying close attention to his movements.
Ding!
When the elevator doors opened, the sight of the restaurant, its entrance lavishly decorated with thousands of flowers, greeted her.
"What is this?"
As she murmured with a stunned expression, the general manager, Hashimoto, who was walking ahead, explained.
"This is a special event the Young Master ordered in honor of the young lady of the Saionji family's visit today."
"Ahem. I understand, so let's proceed."
Annoyed that she had let her gaze linger for a moment, Kumiko cleared her throat and quickened her pace.
And at last, she arrived at the designated place.
Waiting there was a nobleman with gray hair.
"Welcome, Miss Saionji. My name is Fujiwara Sai."
"…I'm Saionji Kumiko."
"Due to my long time abroad, my Japanese may be a bit clumsy, but I ask for your understanding. Please, have a seat."
As Fujiwara Sai spoke and sat down first, Kumiko quietly took the seat across from him.
He took a sip of water from his glass and spoke.
"The school uniform suits you very well. You must have come straight from school?"
"Yes. As it happens, I did. I didn't have time to change as our appointment was so pressing."
"Oh dear. You could have arrived a little late. It would have been fine to change into something more comfortable."
"It's quite alright. In fact, one could say that for a student, the school uniform is the most comfortable attire."
"Haha, I wouldn't know. There are no dress codes where I studied abroad."
"Hoho, isn't there a saying, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'?"
On the surface, it was a peaceful conversation, but the two were already engaged in a fierce duel with live blades.
This was because their exchange so far had been in 'Kyoto-style speech.'
What might sound like a normal compliment to an outsider becomes an indirect criticism of the other person's actions when heard from someone from Kyoto.
And from Fujiwara Sai's rather aggressive words and actions, Saionji Kumiko realized something.
She wasn't the only one displeased with this arranged meeting, which had been unilaterally set up through conversations between their elders.
That was why, despite meeting for the first time, neither of them held back as they tore into each other with 'Kyoto-style speech.'
The fierce battle between the two reached a temporary ceasefire when the food they had been waiting for arrived.
As if they both believed that even in a fight, one needed to replenish their energy, the sharp verbal blades they had been thrusting at each other were momentarily sheathed.
After tasting the appetizer of the course meal, Saionji Kumiko spoke her first genuine words.
"The food is quite good."
Fujiwara Sai smirked and nodded.
"That's because the chef here took special care in preparing it."
After that brief exchange, a strange silence fell between them.
It was so tense that the bodyguards standing behind them seemed more nervous.
Taking another bite of the escargot appetizer, Kumiko spoke.
"It seems the preliminary skirmish is over. May I speak frankly?"
"About what?"
"I have no intention of getting married yet."
At this point, her statement was less rude and more of a bombshell, but Fujiwara Sai simply smiled with satisfaction, as if he was pleased by her words.
"Hearing you say that, I find myself liking you even more."
"What? What do you mean…."
As Kumiko asked back with a bewildered expression, Fujiwara Sai put down his fork and said,
"You are the first person to ever treat me this way, Miss Saionji."