Chapter 27: The President is Smiling
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 27: The President is Smiling
It seemed the President’s claim of having visited Asakusa often was true; she had the entire layout of the shopping district memorized without even glancing at a map.
Thanks to her, all I had to do was trail along behind her.
After browsing the colorful paper umbrellas and embroidered temari balls at a paper craft specialty store, our second stop was a shop that sold all sorts of sculptures.
According to the owner, foreign tourists visiting Asakusa often bought the small statues sold here as souvenirs.
The President scanned the inside of the shop before pointing her fan at a particular Buddhist statue.
"How about this Vaisravana statue? It’s large and ornate, so I think it would make for a fine decoration at home."
"Well… it’s certainly impressive, but isn’t this a bit too big?"
I grimaced at the Vaisravana statue, which was nearly the size of a person.
It looked like it was made of brass, and a quick glance at the price tag showed about six zeroes.
Sure, it might not be expensive for someone with the President’s wealth, but wouldn't it be more of a burden for the person receiving it?
However, the hearty-looking owner seemed to interpret the President's choice differently.
"Hahaha! Young lady! You've got a good eye for statues! This is one of the finest pieces in my shop!"
"Heeheehee, I am Saionji Kumiko. Thanks to the aesthetic sense I've cultivated since childhood, my eye for this kind of art is second to none."
"Then how about taking a look at this piece over here!"
"Oh my, this is another beautifully shaped statue."
The owner, now excited, began showing her other statues, and the President, puffed up with pride, played right along.
Since this was the usual pattern, I was looking at my smartphone to kill some time.
Just then, the President, who had been deep in conversation with the owner, suddenly straightened her back with a snap! Her expression was stiff as she spoke.
"Oh, oh my. Look at me. I had other things to attend to, but I got completely lost in our conversation."
"What? You're leaving already, young lady? I was about to show you my prized collection. What a shame."
"I shall visit again another time."
The President bid farewell with the archaic speech of a noble lady and promptly walked out of the shop.
"……?"
What was that all about? Normally, she would have kept talking for another fifteen minutes.
I gave the owner a slight bow and left the shop, following the President outside.
She was crouched in front of the store, a hand cupped to her ear, muttering something to herself.
"President? Are you feeling unwell?"
When I asked in confusion, the President let out a sharp "Eek!" and shot to her feet.
"No! It's nothing! I just suddenly have to go to the bathroom!"
"Ah, then we should go to the tourist information center nearby."
"Then please lead the way. I've never been there before."
"Yes. You can count on me."
As the President requested, I started walking toward the tourist information center located near the center of the Asakusa shopping district.
*
[Miss, this is no time for such talk.]
Saionji Kumiko, who had been in the middle of a debate about Buddhist statues with the shop owner, was so startled by the voice that suddenly sounded in her ear that she instinctively straightened her posture.
"Young lady, what's wrong all of a sudden? You feeling sick?"
"Ah, no. I just felt a sudden chill."
She brushed it off with that excuse, then placed a hand on her earring-style Bluetooth earpiece and spoke through ventriloquism.
'Minami, please speak a little more quietly.'
But Akagi Minami, on the other end of the line, had her own points to make.
[Miss, you are in Asakusa on a date, not to look at statues. Please look behind you. Is Kim Yoo-Sung not staring blankly at his smartphone? Not boring your partner on a date is the most basic of basics when it comes to dating skills.]
"……!"
Only after hearing Minami's critique did Saionji Kumiko belatedly realize her actions were not appropriate for a date. She hastily wrapped up her conversation with the owner.
"Oh, oh my. Look at me. I had other things to attend to, but I got completely lost in our conversation."
"What? You're leaving already, young lady? I was about to show you my prized collection. What a shame."
"I shall visit again another time."
After making a smooth excuse, she hurried out of the sculpture shop.
Immediately after, Kumiko crouched down and asked Minami a question.
'So, where should we go next?'
[We have seen the paper umbrellas, temari, and statues you mentioned as gift examples. Now it is time to go see kimonos and yukatas.]
Kimonos! Yukatas!
Even to Saionji Kumiko, who was completely clueless about romance, it sounded like the perfect topic to showcase her charms.
[If you can just stall for a little while, Miss, we will go ahead and recruit the kimono shop owner. You just have to play along.]
'Stall for time? How am I supposed to…'
"President? Are you feeling unwell?"
Startled by Kim Yoo-Sung's voice suddenly coming from behind her, Saionji Kumiko shot to her feet.
"No! It's nothing! I just suddenly have to go to the bathroom!"
It was a hastily made-up excuse, but on second thought, it was the perfect pretext.
All she had to do was wait it out in the restroom for a bit.
But Kim Yoo-Sung, unaware of the circumstances, spoke up first, perhaps out of consideration for her.
"Ah, then we should go to the tourist information center nearby."
Kumiko felt a slight pang of guilt, but she squeezed her eyes shut and decided to lie.
"Then please lead the way. I've never been there before."
"Yes. You can count on me."
[Five minutes. Just hold out for five minutes, Miss.]
*
"Oppa, stay right here."
Akagi Minami said, taking off the headset she was wearing.
"What?"
Just as Akagi Shinjiro was about to ask what she meant, Minami, who had already swapped her heels for sneakers, kicked open the limousine door and shot out at an incredible speed.
"Minami!"
Shinjiro hastily stuck his head out.
But Minami was already sprinting at full speed from the parking area toward the kimono shop in the district, about two kilometers away.
Perhaps because it was the first day of Golden Week, Asakusa was bustling with families out for a weekend trip.
Running in such a place was an act practically begging for an accident, but for Minami, a kunoichi who had undergone the harsh training of the Koga-ryu, such adverse conditions weren't even an obstacle.
"Hup!"
She cleared the promenade, crowded with tourists, by using a small sign set up outside a shop as a foothold, leaping lightly as if crossing stepping stones.
As she twisted her body gracefully in mid-air and landed on the sidewalk, passersby saw her and applauded.
"Ooh!"
"Amazing! Miss!"
"Are they holding some kind of event?"
But Minami had no time to react to their attention.
'100 meters straight, then 300 meters after a right turn.'
Fwip!
The moment her feet touched the ground, she exploded into another burst of acceleration.
She tore through the streets at an incredible speed, following the map imprinted in her mind.
The sight of her, dressed in a neat office suit and running faster than most track athletes, was truly spectacular and certainly drew the eyes of those around her.
"Wow! A butterfly!"
At that moment, a small child suddenly darted out from a blind spot on the straight path.
"……!"
It was too late to brake mid-sprint, so Minami narrowly avoided both the child and the mother chasing after him by flipping over their heads in a somersault.
She gave a reassuring wave to the bewildered mother who was staring at her, then started running again.
'Three minutes left.'
It was about time for the young miss, who had gone to the tourist information center with Kim Yoo-Sung, to start getting antsy.
Searching for a shortcut to the kimono shop, she spotted a calico cat walking along the top of a wall in a densely packed residential area.
Without hesitation, Minami stepped on a nearby mailbox and leaped up.
"Nyaaaaa!"
The calico cat, startled by her sudden appearance, fled in a panic.
Minami, an animal lover, apologized internally before she started dashing across the top of the wall.
'Two minutes left.'
A break in the wall forced her to jump onto the roof of a private home.
Light footwork is a kunoichi's basic.
Quietly, but quickly.
Running across the rooftops with steps that made almost no sound, Minami finally reached a side street that led to the arcade shopping street where the kimono shop was located.
'One minute left!'
As the girl in the black suit suddenly dropped down from a residential roof, the people walking nearby jumped back in surprise, but with a shameless resolve, she immediately kicked into her final spurt.
A straight dash, then an immediate left turn.
Screeech!
Having covered a distance of about two kilometers in just five minutes, she slid the door open, panting for breath. She presented a black card to the kimono shop owner, who was staring at her with wide, astonished eyes.
"I'd like to rent this shop for one hour!"