A Trip to Kyoto
Late afternoon on the second day of the exchange gathering.
Jinhyuk tugged his backpack into place with a practiced hitch and offered an awkward smile.
"I'm not sure it's all right to just take off like this."
"Of course it is. You came to this gathering for Muramasa, didn't you? Staying on after you've already gotten what you wanted would just be a waste of time."
That morning, after they'd stuffed themselves at breakfast, Jin Taegon had made the offer. Jinhyuk was welcome to stay until the gathering wrapped up — but if he'd rather not, he was free to leave early.
Jinhyuk had given it about three seconds of thought before taking him up on it. He'd accomplished what he came for. Now he just wanted to enjoy Kyoto.
"Thank you for bringing me to the gathering. Without your help, Chairman, I wouldn't even have gotten a look at Muramasa."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you. Thanks to you, the family was able to save face."
A warm exchange of gratitude passed between Jinhyuk and Jin Taegon. Then Jin Seohui stepped forward from behind them.
"Check your phone once you leave the shrine. I've sent you vouchers for a famous hot spring ryokan and restaurants in Kyoto, plus your return flight tickets. I also listed a few well-known spots and some of my personal favorites."
Jinhyuk's eyes lit up. He'd been at a complete loss over which hotel to book and where to even start sightseeing. Jin Seohui had solved the whole problem in a single stroke.
"Thank you, Seohui. Once we're back, let me treat you to a nice dinner."
Jin Seohui smiled faintly and pointed to the bandage wrapped around her forehead.
"No need to thank me. This is just payback for settling the score properly. Though I'll still take you up on that dinner — separately."
"Pfft."
A snicker from behind made Jin Seohui's brow furrow. She'd been wondering why he'd been so quiet today.
"Grandfather, just send Seohui along too. She looks like she wants to go to the ryokan with him."
Jin Seohui whipped around with a snarl. Jin Seojun stepped between them and offered a light greeting.
"Please stop by Genex whenever you have the time. We'll prepare whatever you need."
"Thank you!"
Jin Seojun was slated to succeed Jin Taegon at the helm of Genex. The company ranked among the world's foremost steel corporations, producing the iron that went into weapons and armor — a connection that would surely come in handy someday.
"Then I'll see you in Korea."
After saying his goodbyes to the Genex family, Jinhyuk headed down the stairs. He'd already bid farewell to Gaigen, Gyuto, and Sachika. Sachika had taken his hand and stressed it over and over: when the cherry blossoms bloomed, the shrine would be painted in pink, so he absolutely had to come visit.
A shrine drowned in pink? Yeah, I can't pass that up.
Truth be told, he would have come back even without Sachika's invitation. The kaiseki he'd demolished that morning had been absolutely incredible.
"Hey, Yu Jinhyuk!"
Hiyori waved from the foot of the stairs, calling his name like they'd been childhood friends for over a decade.
"Why're you leaving so soon? Stick around, eat something, lounge a bit."
On any other day, he probably would have. But right now, he still had the rest of the swords to find.
"I'll come back later."
"Fine, fine. But answer me before you go. You're Runner, right? Yeah?"
"Yep."
"Oh. Straight answer. I figured you'd try to weasel out of it."
Hiyori giggled and held out her hand.
"Honor to meet you, Runner. Let's keep climbing hard."
He smiled and shook it.
"Though I have to say, I'm surprised."
"About what?"
"I figured you'd challenge me to a fight before I left. That's why I was waiting."
"Puhahaha!"
Hiyori clutched her stomach, laughing like it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. Contrary to first impressions, she was the type who laughed easily. She finally got herself under control and shook her head.
"I like a good fight, sure, but I'm not so tactless I'd point a spear at my benefactor. Even if it was for mutual growth. Not that I'd land a hit even if I did swing."
Hiyori clenched both fists.
"Your enemies, though — I'll wreck them properly. Just say the word. I'll drop everything and go kill them."
Jinhyuk shot her a thumbs-up. A Ranker player who'd come running whenever he called. Another reliable friend in the books.
"See you around, Runner."
"Bye."
He waved until Hiyori reached the top of the stairs, then turned. With a light step, he started down the mountain.
At last — free sightseeing in Kyoto.
A studio apartment in Hannam-dong.
Fresh from the shower, Cheon Seyeon grabbed a beer and walked over to the sofa. A hiss, then a crown of white foam.
"Ahhh."
Seyeon took a sip and let out a sigh of pure satisfaction. Was there anything better than a beer after a long day's work?
She half-reclined on the sofa and, out of habit, opened Ingsta. She scrolled idly, barely paying attention, when a chime cut through the quiet.
Off on another trip, huh.
On any other day, she wouldn't have tapped it. She had zero interest in whatever that Jin Seohui was up to. But today, some impulse took over. Her finger clicked through to Jin Seohui's Ingsta.
And the photo that appeared—
Crunch.
The beer can crumpled in an instant. She'd only taken a single sip. The contents spilled out, but she didn't even notice. Her eyes were locked on Jin Seohui's story.
Why is he sitting there.
She couldn't explain it. The background was a first-class airplane cabin. A photo of Jin Seohui sitting cozily right next to Yu Jinhyuk. That was all she'd written — just a handful of characters. No explanation of why they were going to Kyoto. Which only made the imagination run wilder.
Why are the two of them going to Kyoto alone.
The beer can, already crushed, started to tear. If beer cans could talk, it would have asked: What did I ever do to you?
Seyeon trembled for a long moment, then let out a short, dry laugh.
Look at me. What's the big deal? They can go on a trip together if they want.
She shrugged and stood up, then walked to the trash can to throw away the shredded beer can.
"They can go? They can not go!! Men and women don't even sit together after age seven!!!"
She looked like she was going to toss it in nicely — then full-swung the beer can into the bin. The upper half of a perfectly intact trash can went flying.
"Hooo."
She slowly evened out her breathing.
Calm down.
If she sent a CocoaTalk asking about it now, she'd look desperate.
I have to hold it in.
On top of that, she didn't even understand why she was overreacting like this. She needed to keep her composure.
"Hold it in? How am I supposed to hold this in!!"
She smashed her finger against the phone's screen and fired off a CocoaTalk asking Jinhyuk what he was doing. Then she stared a hole through the unread 1 that refused to disappear. Go away. You have to go away. Then he has to reply. Only then would she be able to sleep.
She waited.
Jinhyuk had sent a photo of Kiyomizu-dera, the famous tourist temple. Seyeon sat up at once and zoomed in. No trace of anyone else.
She read her reply over two or three times, then hit send. Good. That sounded natural.
"Hooooooo."
Seyeon leaned back against the sofa and pressed a hand to her chest. Jaw clenched, she checked Jin Seohui's story again. No question about it. She'd posted that on purpose.
She got me again today.
She clenched her fist. And made a firm resolution. Someday, she would pay her back.
After that, she poured everything she had into listing restaurant names and reasons to visit them — so he wouldn't even need to look at whoever had recommended places first.
Jinhyuk turned onto a walking path beyond the temple. Far enough from the main tourist spots that the trail was nearly empty. His companions began to manifest one after another via Card Manifestation, all of them dressed in kimonos they'd prepared in advance.
"Here. One for each of you."
He handed out the dango he'd just bought. Not quite the flavor he'd imagined, but sweet and chewy — excellent all the same. They strolled side by side down the quiet path.
Jinhyuk looked over his companions one by one.
Seira and Darc look like foreigners. Elia's covering her ears with her hair, so that's fine. Momo looks like a kid. And Kancho...
Kancho walked along with his ears twitching, clearly enjoying the dango. His bipedal gait was extremely unnatural, but from a distance, people would probably just take him for a pet raccoon dog.
Still, he couldn't help tensing up whenever someone approached from the other direction. Without a single exception, every pair of eyes locked onto their group.
That's just unfair.
They said the hanger mattered more than the clothes, didn't they? This had to be her first time wearing a kimono, and yet the noble air radiating from Seira was overwhelming. She looked so right in it that it was almost absurd — a perfect fit. She herself was so used to stares and attention that she didn't care in the slightest. Well, thanks to that, nobody was looking at Kancho, so maybe it was a blessing.
"The cherry blossoms must be gorgeous when they bloom."
Kyoto was packed with cherry trees wherever they went. Sachika was right — coming in season would be spectacular.
"Cherry-wha? What's that, sir? Is it tasty, sir?"
"It's a flower. Super pretty. All pink."
He showed Kancho photos on his phone, but since it wasn't something you could eat, Kancho didn't look particularly impressed.
"I'd like to come back when they're in full bloom."
Every head turned. Darc, who was usually indifferent about everything, expressing himself this eagerly? And about flowers, of all things?
"Live long enough," Elia murmured, "and you see everything."
"You and cherry blossoms do not belong together," Seira said.
"Puheheheh! Did you start drinking this morning, sir?!"
The scolding poured in, but Darc didn't argue back. He simply reached toward a cherry tree, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"Everyone's got one, you know. A memory tied to flowers. Don't they?"
Darc asked, looking their way. Jinhyuk and the others stared at him, struck speechless.
In the land of the one-eyed, the two-eyed man is the freak, huh.
Jinhyuk nodded with a sad look in his eyes. It wasn't that they didn't want those memories. They'd simply never had the chance.
"Not a word. Figures."
Darc left his one-line review of the party and shook his head. The look on his face said he didn't even want to talk to them.
They were about to start walking again, a faint bitterness lingering, when—
"Huh? Where'd Momo go?"
Momo was nowhere to be seen. Thanks to her innate trait, Presence Suppression, her presence registered at less than zero.
"Looks like she made a run for it, sir! I'll go catch her, sir!"
Kancho prepared to give chase with a grim, determined face.
At that moment—
A massive explosion swallowed the area.