Chapter 176: Movie Village
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 176: Movie Village
'It's so quiet.'
Perhaps because it was still early, the garden behind the inn was silent.
A cool autumn breeze blew, causing the red maple leaves to rustle and drift down into the pond.
Holding a can of cider in one hand, I walked along the small path, casually taking in the scenery.
'Hm?'
But in the garden I thought was empty save for myself, there was someone else.
It was Hattori Ayame, the student who had just recently transferred from Osaka.
She was sitting on a rock, surprisingly surrounded by a flock of sparrows. They perched on her arms and legs, chirping cheerfully.
Honestly, it was a sight I could hardly believe even seeing it with my own eyes.
It was the first time I'd ever seen wild sparrows act so friendly toward a person.
I was staring at her, completely mesmerized, before I even realized it.
"Who's there?"
Sensing my gaze, she turned her head toward me.
Our eyes met for a split second.
She then let out a small laugh and waved.
"Hey, Kim-kun. Why are you just standing there spacing out?"
"Oh, uh."
Even though I hadn't done anything, I felt like I'd just been caught red-handed.
'I was just staring because it was so fascinating.'
That wasn't exactly something I could say out loud.
"I was just passing by."
I tried to defuse the situation with the most neutral answer possible, but Hattori didn't seem keen on letting me go so easily.
"Why don't you come over here?"
It was already too late to run, so I had no choice but to approach her.
As I drew near, Hattori showed me the sparrow perched on her palm and said.
"This one's name is Chosuke. I've raised him since I was little."
As if it understood human speech, the sparrow on her palm spread one wing and chirped, Chirp!
It was truly something you'd only see in a manga, but considering the world I was in, it was entirely possible, so I decided to just accept it.
"He's cute."
"Right?"
As if she herself had been complimented, Ayame beamed with joy before realizing she had leaned in too close. She cleared her throat with a soft ahem and pulled back.
"I couldn't bring him to Tokyo, so I had to leave him at my family's home. But it looks like he flew all the way from Osaka to Kyoto with his friends to see me."
Chirp!
If that was true, all I could say was that its loyalty was incredible.
No matter how close Osaka and Kyoto were, it must have taken at least a few hours to fly that distance with those tiny wings.
Filled with admiration, I gently stroked its head with my index finger. Chosuke closed its eyes, seemingly pleased.
'...So cute.'
I was smiling like a fool on the inside, genuinely thinking that, when suddenly, Ayame burst out laughing beside me.
"????"
I looked at her, not understanding what was going on, but Ayame was still giggling, her eyes tearing up.
When she finally calmed down, she looked at me and said.
"Kim-kun, you like cute things, don't you? You don't look like the type."
"......"
I avoided her gaze, which was filled with amusement.
It was because she was right.
When I stopped petting him, Chosuke hopped onto Hattori's shoulder and stared at me with his bright, beady eyes.
I felt as if he could see right through me.
Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, I decided it was time to head back.
"Well, I'm going to head back first. You should come in soon too, so you're not late."
As I said that and stood up, Hattori nodded and said she would.
On my way back to the inn, a thought crossed my mind.
'Come to think of it, I don't know anything about Hattori.'
We'd been hanging out for a while, but I'd never been curious about her.
My impression of her was simply 'the popular transfer student from Osaka.'
But our brief conversation just now made me realize she wasn't just an ordinary person.
'She must have some kind of secret.'
In a manga world, it was a classic trope for a transfer student to have a secret.
I didn't know if her secret would be a good thing for me or a bad one, but for now, I decided to just watch and see.
I didn't think there was any need to take the initiative.
*
The morning of the second day of the school trip.
After a simple breakfast, we boarded a tour bus and headed for the movie village.
For the record, the official name of the movie village is Toei Uzumasa Eigamura.
Since that's too long, it's usually just called the 'Movie Village.' It's a massive theme park that recreates the streets of the Edo period for filming purposes, much like a historical folk village in Korea. So while it's usually open to tourists, it's also used as a set for movies and dramas when needed.
The most well-known historical drama filmed here is 'Shinsengumi!', and thanks to that show, the light-blue haori jackets characteristic of the Shinsengumi supposedly sell like hotcakes to Japanese tourists.
Anyway, after about a thirty-minute drive from the inn, we arrived at the Movie Village.
Despite having been on duty the previous night, a still-energetic Matsuda blew his whistle and shouted to the students lined up in front of the bus.
"The bus leaves at 2 PM, so you're free to do as you please until then! However, you are forbidden from leaving the movie village, so keep that in mind! Just be back at the designated time! Alright, dismiss!"
After giving us a few simple warnings and the departure time, Matsuda joined the other teachers and headed into the park.
"Alright, let's get a move on."
"Yeah."
Ryuji and I both nodded at Satoru's excited suggestion.
The reason we were in such a hurry was that the 'Movie Village' was, in a sense, a popular meeting spot.
During school trip season, high schools from all over Japan come to Kyoto.
And when you think of tourist spots in Kyoto, you can't leave out the Movie Village; it's considered an almost mandatory stop.
That's because you can spend a lot of time in one place here without needing to travel elsewhere.
In other words, it was the perfect place for 'picking up' students from other schools.
I watched Satoru's confident back as he walked ahead, then quietly asked Ryuji.
"So, how do you even pick someone up?"
"...Don't you just ask for their number?"
"...I guess?"
I had promised to play along with Satoru, but now that we were actually about to do it, neither Ryuji nor I knew exactly what 'picking someone up' entailed.
It's not like we'd ever done it before.
In any case, it was obvious what kind of looks we'd get from the girls if they found out we were going off to hit on people, so we quickly started chasing after Satoru.
*
"Ryu-chan, where's he going in such a hurry?"
"Probably had to use the bathroom."
"Hmm, you think so?"
It was Karen who replied to Rika's puzzled murmur.
On the first day, Karen had been on her own, as she had to stick with her assigned group. Now that she finally had some free time, she was incredibly excited.
She had already given her group members a heads-up, so no one would bother her for hanging out with her friends from Class B today.
"More importantly, we're finally at the Movie Village! Let's go rent some kimonos. Kimonos!"
"Wait! You're too excited, Karen-chan!"
Rika shouted to calm the worked-up Karen, but unfortunately, Karen was no longer listening.
Watching the two of them, one of the remaining three, the class president, muttered, "Haha, she's full of energy." Sasha shook her head lightly and said.
"That's what you call a muscle-head."
Finally, Hattori, who radiated the aura of a popular girl, gave the two a gentle push from behind and said.
"Don't be like that. Why don't we all go try on kimonos? It's not like we get to wear them every day."
Sasha, being a foreigner, agreed with her.
"That doesn't sound bad."
The class president, who seemed prim on the outside but was actually quite flexible, felt the same.
"True, this will all be part of the memories."
And so, with a thrilled Karen leading the way, the group of girls headed for the costume rental shop, ready to have a blast.
*
Somewhere in Kyoto.
"...There's only one day left."
Kumiko, who had come down to her family's main house in Kyoto for her engagement ceremony tomorrow, let out a deep sigh as she gazed out the window.
By now, the man she adored, Kim Yoo-Sung, was probably in the middle of enjoying his school trip in Kyoto.
Before she could even feel the sorrow of being under the same sky but unable to meet him, a familiar voice came from beyond the door.
"Young Lady, the President has arrived."
"Let him in."
"Yes."
The voice of her attendant, Minami, faded into the distance, and soon the sound of light footsteps approached.
Screech!
When the firmly closed paper screen doors slid open, an old man with a full head of white hair was revealed.
In stark contrast to his white hair and the wrinkles around his eyes, which spoke of the passage of time, the old man's eyes shone with a sharp light.
"It's been a while, Kumiko."
As the old man spoke, Kumiko bowed her head slightly in greeting.
"Have you been well, Grandfather?"
The old man was none other than Saionji Harunobu, the 27th head of the Saionji family and Saionji Kumiko's paternal grandfather.