Chapter 183: To the Banquet Hall
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 183: To the Banquet Hall
After meeting up with the Vice President at the shrine, I stopped by a restroom in a nearby park to change into the suit he had prepared for me.
Shhk!
As I slipped my arms into the suit jacket, I found it was a perfect fit.
It felt like a suit I had always owned—no, it fit even better than an off-the-rack one.
After tying my necktie while looking in the mirror, I asked the Vice President, who was standing beside me.
"How did you know my suit size?"
"I referenced the results of your physical examination recorded in the school's database. It's a custom-made stab-proof suit from a place our family does business with, so it should block most blades."
"Ooh..."
So this is the legendary stab-proof suit?
I feel like some kind of special agent from a movie.
Once I was dressed, the Vice President opened the briefcase he was holding in his right hand and showed me its contents.
Inside were a pair of sunglasses, a watch, and a ring.
"Are these some kind of special high-tech gadgets too?"
"They're just ordinary accessories. Did you watch too many spy movies as a kid?"
"..."
He'd hit the nail on the head, so I couldn't think of a comeback.
As I quietly put on the sunglasses and the ring and fastened the watch to my left wrist, the Vice President, who had been watching, handed me something.
"What's this?"
"It's a sticker-type micro-transceiver that you attach behind your ear. Unlike a regular radio, it won't get in your way when you move, and it's quite durable."
As he said that, he showed me the spot behind his own ear. No matter how I looked at it, it just resembled a motion sickness patch.
"Well then, let's get going. The young lady's engagement ceremony starts at twelve."
"Twelve o'clock! Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry!"
The time was just past 10:20.
In a situation where every minute and second counted, I had unintentionally wasted time just changing clothes.
But unlike my frantic self, the Vice President's attitude was surprisingly relaxed.
"Don't be in such a rush. It only takes about ten minutes to get to the hotel from here. Besides, I've already prepared all the information and tools we'll need for this operation."
With that, the Vice President pushed up his sunglasses—now replacing his glasses—with his middle finger and said we should head out.
I quietly followed him, only to be stunned by the mode of transportation parked near the park.
"This is...!"
"Why the surprise? Never seen a bicycle before?"
"No, it's not my first time, but... won't this draw too much attention?"
As I said this, pointing at the tandem bicycle, the Vice President confessed a shocking truth with a deadpan expression.
"To be honest, I used up all my emergency funds having your suit custom-made, so there was nothing left for this."
Ah, ahh...
Right. No matter if the Vice President worked for a rich family, he was still a student.
Just getting a custom suit like this must have stretched his budget thin.
"What are you doing? Get on."
He said, handing me a helmet that had been tied to the handlebars.
Since I was the one receiving all this help for free, I couldn't refuse his gesture. I put on the helmet without another word.
And so, we boarded the two-seater tandem bicycle.
"I know the way, so you just focus on pedaling."
"Right."
Just like that, we rode the tandem bicycle out onto the road.
"Oh, my."
"What in the world?"
"Mom! Look at those men!"
And just as I'd expected, the gazes and endless curiosity of passersby rained down on us.
I couldn't help but lower my head.
"Vice President, can't we go any faster?"
"This is as fast as we can go. We have to obey traffic safety laws."
He replied, stopping at a crosswalk.
A group of elementary school students happened to be passing by, and they stared at us as if we were some strange curiosity.
Then again, if I saw two suspicious men in black suits riding a tandem bicycle through the middle of Kyoto in broad daylight, I'd probably stare too.
"Don't be so embarrassed. That'll only make you look even stranger."
"...That's easier said than done."
It was hard to just put on a brave face when we looked this ridiculous.
Click!
The traffic light turned green.
And so, on our tandem bicycle, we headed for our destination: a five-star hotel in downtown Kyoto.
*
Kyoto Continental Hotel.
An ultra-luxurious resort hotel where even the cheapest standard room cost upwards of 50,000 yen a night.
Today, a major event was being held here.
The engagement ceremony of Saionji Kumiko and Fujiwara Sai.
In Kyoto, an ancient capital boasting a thousand years of history, the union of the Fujiwara and Saionji families—two clans that would undoubtedly be counted among the ten most prestigious—was a major event that shook high society.
This was understandable, as it had taken nearly half a century for the two families to reconcile after their falling out.
Furthermore, a union between the direct bloodlines of the main families, not just branch members, was as miraculous as the sun rising in the west.
A suite on the top floor of the hotel.
"Young Master, we've received word that the Saionji side has finished their preparations."
"Oh? That was quick."
"There's less than an hour until the ceremony."
Dressed in a black tuxedo, Fujiwara Sai nodded at the words of his subordinate, Hanzo, and rose from his seat.
"Then let's go."
"Where are you referring to, sir?"
"To Miss Saionji's waiting room, of course. I'm curious to see how beautifully she's been done up."
"...Please be patient. You'll be seeing her at the ceremony soon enough."
"You know I'm not the type to wait when I'm curious about something."
"...I suppose it can't be helped."
"Excellent."
Only then did Hanzo rise with a reluctant expression, and Fujiwara Sai, humming a tune, called for the elevator.
As the elevator descended, Hanzo, standing behind Sai, asked cautiously.
"By the way, Young Master, may I ask why you've become so serious about Lady Saionji, when you seemed to have no particular interest in her at first?"
Fujiwara Sai replied with a broad grin.
"She's cute."
"In what way, sir?"
"The way she keeps fighting, refusing to give up, even though she knows she can't escape her family's influence on her own."
"...I'll never understand your perverted tastes, Young Master."
"I wasn't looking for your understanding."
"I will respect them."
"You know, that's a surprisingly annoying thing to say."
Ding!
The elevator arrived at the 10th floor.
Having finished his conversation with Hanzo, Fujiwara Sai strode confidently toward the waiting room.
Standing in front of the waiting room door was a girl named Akagi Minami, Saionji Kumiko's attendant.
"Where's Kumiko?"
"The young lady has just finished her preparations and is resting."
"Perfect timing. I can go in, right?"
"...Please wait a moment."
Minami gave a slight bow and was about to open the door to go inside, but Fujiwara Sai pushed past her and barged in without hesitation.
"What are you—"
The flustered Minami turned around, but Fujiwara Sai paid her no mind.
"Wow~ You're truly beautiful."
He let out a short exclamation of admiration upon seeing Saionji Kumiko sitting in her chair.
Usually, due to her Japanese doll-like features, she often wore a kimono at official functions, but that didn't mean a Western-style dress didn't suit her.
Fundamentally, she was a high-class beauty.
Her uniquely un-Japanese, glamorous figure had the power to make any outfit her own.
Saionji Kumiko frowned, clearly displeased by her fiancé-to-be's sudden visit.
"What is the meaning of this rudeness?"
"I just came because I wanted to see your lovely face."
Fujiwara Sai said with a slick tone as he approached her.
The atmosphere was undeniably awkward.
The two were about to be engaged, but they had rarely met in person.
Fewer than ten times, at most.
But on some whim, the prodigy touted as the next head of the Fujiwara family had chosen Saionji Kumiko as his fiancée.
It was nothing more than his one-sided courtship, but the tangled web of debts and grudges between their families was something not even Kumiko could defy.
That was why, despite being forced into this engagement ceremony, she had hidden the truth from Kim Yoo-Sung until the very end.
'Yoo-Sung...'
She repeated his name to herself.
The first man Saionji Kumiko had ever loved.
A year ago, on the day she had snuck out of her mansion alone and he had happened to help her—
Saionji Kumiko's heart had been stolen by him completely.
'I miss you...'
If she could have her way, she would storm out of this hotel right now and be with him.
However, all the privileges and wealth she had enjoyed throughout her life were blessings she had only because she was a member of the Saionji family.
And for those blessings she had received for free, there was a debt that had to be repaid.
This engagement ceremony was part of that debt.
"Smile, Kumiko. It suits you better."
Fujiwara Sai said, cupping her cheek in his palm.
But Kumiko refused him flatly.
"I'm sorry, but I am not a prostitute who sells her smiles to just anyone."
"Yes, that's why I'm trying to make you my fiancée."
With his hand still on her cheek, Fujiwara Sai leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"Because I want to monopolize the smiles you give to everyone but me."
Kumiko shuddered at the obsession she felt from him.