86. End of Entrance Exams, Start of Cohabitation. And a Trip to Japan. (3)

“Excuse me. Ticket check, please.”

I was dead asleep when a woman’s voice reached me, close by. Instinctively, my eyes flickered open to a uniformed woman standing in the aisle, looking down at me.

After blinking for a good two seconds, it finally dawned on me that the conductor had come for a ticket check. I guess they still do that quite a while after departure…. I thought, and hurriedly woke Aki.

“Aki, wake up. They’re here to check tickets.”

“…Hmm?”

“Tickets, tickets! …Ah, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright. It happens often.”

The uniformed conductor smiled gently. Not a forced smile masking irritation, but a genuine, understanding crinkle of the eyes that made me feel even more apologetic.

I pulled out my ticket from my wallet and held it out, and Aki, after swallowing the s*liva that had pooled at the corner of her mouth, did the same.

The conductor took both tickets, glanced at them briefly, and then returned them to us with another smile.

“Thank you for your cooperation. Are you newlyweds?”

“Huh, are we?”

“You were sleeping so sweetly, leaning on each other, I just had to ask. My apologies if I’m mistaken. Have a pleasant trip~”

Before I could even respond, the conductor was already moving on to the next car.

Aki and I watched the receding figure of the conductor, then simultaneously turned to look at each other, silently.

“She asked if we’re newlyweds?”

“Uuung, so it seems…?”

“Looks like Aki and I seemed like newlyweds to her.”

“……”

Aki’s face flushed slightly.

Usually, she’s such a chatterbox, but her lips are pressed tightly shut right now, so she must be a little embarrassed. Well, regardless of how Aki feels, I felt pretty good. Being mistaken as newlyweds with such a pretty girlfriend, that is.

I also started to wonder if Aki and I look that good together, if we seem so in love at first glance that we could be mistaken for newlyweds.

‘Come to think of it, we used to get these misunderstandings often back in high school….’

Considering it wasn’t just a one-off thing, it seemed that Aki and I had always looked like newlyweds to anyone who saw us. I smiled and took Aki’s hand.

“How about we just get married, seeing as how things are?”

“…Wh-What?”

“People keep mistaking us for newlyweds, you know? It’s tiring to explain that we’re not every time, so if we just got married, we could just smile and nod…. Ow, ouch….”

*Pinch-*

Aki pinched my side.

It wasn’t a particularly strong pinch, not really painful, but I figured she’d pinch harder if I didn’t pretend it hurt, so I let out a yelp.

“Woo-joo-chan, don’t you know you’re supposed to propose in a *slightly* more romantic setting…?”

“Ah, ah. I know, sorry. Sorry…!”

“Hmph…”

Aki’s face flushed red as she slowly released my side.

Rubbing the spot where Aki’s hand had been, I threw another joke her way.

“But you know. Does that mean if I propose in a romantic place, you’ll say yes?”

“…Depends on how romantic it is.”

“Oh, so you’re not saying no?”

“……”

“Ow, that actually hurt this time…!”

“That’s why you’re not romantic, Woo-joo-chan…!”

“I know, sorry, sorry! It really hurts, really! Ah, ah… Urk!”

This time it wasn’t a joke; it really stung. I couldn’t help but let out a groan, and Aki stopped twisting my side and abruptly let go.

“Ah, that really hurt…”

“Serves you right. …Idiot.”

Aki huffed air through her nose.

My side was genuinely throbbing, but like Aki said, it was my own fault. Aki was seriously asking something of me, and I cluelessly cracked a joke in response.

‘Okay, that’s enough joking around…’

Time to smooth things over. We came all the way to Japan, just the two of us, and I don’t want Aki sulking the whole time.

I subtly took Aki’s hand, gauging her reaction. If she stayed quiet, that meant a minor pout; if she told me to let go, it was a medium pout, and I’d have to start coaxing her with sweet words. Thankfully, it was the former this time.

Aki merely glared at me with her beautiful eyes, but she didn’t pull her hand away. So I leaned in close to Aki’s ear and whispered.

“Should I prepare a bouquet and a cake?”

“You need to prepare a ring too. …Nothing too expensive, though.”

Aki muttered, still a little pouty.

Even when she’s sulking, she’s thinking of me, adding that little caveat – it’s so endearing. I interlaced our fingers tightly, expressing the overflowing affection in my heart with actions.

*Chuu.*

“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”

I wanted to k*ss her lips, but we were still on the train, and there were too many eyes. The result of my best self-restraint was a light k*ss on the cheek.

“……”

“Why?”

“……Come here.”

*peck*

This time, it was Aki who gave me a k*ss on the cheek.

My affection, filled with sincerity, seemed to melt away her sulk. Aki glanced around cautiously, then ever-so-slightly turned her head to stamp a little love seal before darting back.

The quickness of her movements, like a bird pecking at seeds, made me chuckle.

“What are you laughing at…?”

“Hmm, what do you think I’m laughing at?”

Why else? Because you’re adorable, that’s why.

Hiding my true feelings, I simply took her hand without saying more.

Aki seemed curious about the reason for my laughter, but didn’t press the matter further.

—Next stop, Shin-Osaka. Shin-Osaka Station.

“Oh, aren’t we supposed to get off now?”

“We’re getting off at Kyoto Station, silly Uju-chan.”

“Ah.”

* * *

Kyoto Station.

After exiting the train, we hailed a taxi near the station. But the moment we approached, I was taken aback. Aki exclaimed, ‘Ah, Uju-chan. Don’t touch the handle!’ I was bewildered, not knowing why, when suddenly the taxi door opened automatically.

“Wow, what is this? Do taxis in Japan have automatic doors?”

“Huh? Ah~ no. Not automatic, but manual. The driver opens and closes it themselves with a button or lever or something.”

“Oh, really?”

I almost thought it was really automatic.

Come to think of it, it looks just like a regular passenger car, so how would the door open automatically? I sneaked a peek at the driver’s seat after getting in the taxi, and just like Aki said, there was a lever of some sort besides the gear stick. It seems the driver uses that to open and close the back door.

“Welcome. Where shall I take you?”

“Ginkaku-ji in Sakyo Ward. Please drop us off on the opposite side of the main gate.”

“Ginkaku-ji, understood. Sightseeing, are you?”

“Yes, that’s right~”

“……Aren’t we not going for sightseeing?”

I whispered quietly to Aki. Though the driver is a local Japanese so he wouldn’t understand Korean. After I whispered, Aki nodded as if confirming.

“Yeah, but I had to say it like that. If we play tourist, most people assume we don’t speak Japanese well and won’t bother us. But since the Ginkaku-ji area is pretty affluent, if they think you live around here, they might start asking all sorts of annoying questions.”

“Ah, I see…”

So, Aki’s grandfather lived in a wealthy neighborhood.

‘Well, to be fair, the house did look incredibly grand.’

I guess it makes sense they’d live in such a place.

Suddenly curious, I gently tapped Aki’s hand.

“So, has your grandfather lived here all along?”

“No, he used to live in a place called Rokurokuso-cho. He moved here after he retired. It was when I was in my third year of middle school, so… hmm, it’s been about three years, I guess?”

“Rokurokuso-cho? What’s that?”

“It’s a neighborhood name. It’s one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the Kansai region, and it’s not too far from here. If we turned the car around and went, we could probably get there in about two hours.”

“That’s closer than I thought. What’s your grandfather like?”

When I was little, around six years old, Aki told me he was a really scary person.

But since then, I hadn’t actually seen him or really asked about him, so my image of Aki’s grandfather had remained the same since then. A terribly strict and authoritarian man, who even at home wore wide-sleeved silk robes and sat in seiza while enjoying green tea. Like something out of an Edo shogunate painting, that’s how I pictured him.

“Is he still really strict? Like, gets angry if you go out without permission, and scolds you if you don’t listen?”

“Heheh, no. He was strict when he was Minister of Foreign Affairs, but he’s become much gentler since he retired. The last time I saw him, he saw my face and said, ‘Oh my, our granddaughter’s here~?’ and was so affectionate.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Since this was the first time I was meeting him since getting to know Aki, I was worried about what to say. It was a relief to hear he’d mellowed out. This was a formal introduction, so I couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous, but this at least took some of the edge off.

Screech-.

“We’ve arrived, ma’am.”

We chatted away, and before I knew it, we were at Ginkaku-ji.

The taxi ride took about thirty minutes, and then we walked from Ginkaku-ji to Aki’s grandfather’s house, which took another ten minutes.

And so, at approximately 5 PM.

Just as Aki had said before we left, it took exactly five hours to get to her grandfather’s house.

“Okay, we’re here. This is my family’s main house.”

Aki said to me in front of the castle gates, no, the main gate, with a seemingly nonchalant voice.

I remained silent and looked around.

There was a tennis court on the property, and a parking area with cars lined up in a row. At the far end was a covered outdoor terrace and a small lounge area.

And to top it all off, a tall tiled-roof house that required me to crane my neck to see the roof, even with my height.

“………”

By now, this isn’t a home, but a resort. No, I should call it a proper castle.

Even from the photos, it looked immense, but seeing it in person, the scale is so vast it makes your jaw drop.

“Grandpa, we’re here~!”

Aki pressed the doorbell mounted on the wall beside the main gate.

A buzzing vibration and a brief melody, then a voice drifted from the intercom.

[You’ve arrived, young lady?]

“Yes. Just now. Is Grandpa upstairs?”

[My goodness, of course. Come on in, I’ll open the gate for you right away.]

Clang, creak-.

The firmly shut main gate swung open.

And beyond, a long corridor stretched out seemingly forever.

“Ah, it’s open. Let’s go, Uju~chan!”

“……”

Young lady, did I hear that right?

Doubting my own ears, I unconsciously glanced at Aki.

She wore a purely innocent expression, tilting her head as if to ask what was wrong.

“Why? Is there something on my face?”

“……No. Let’s go in. To say hello.”

“Heh, okay!”