Chapter 396: 152. Shoe-making, basic operations 3
"Introducing someone without warning, the lady might blame you," Fujiwara Reya said irritably.
"She won’t," Yukino Ritsuko blushed a little, but her smile remained, "Madam is a very kind person. If you tell her about your difficulties, she will surely understand."
Old Lady Amaterasu, gentle?
*Fujiwara Reya thought it was the biggest joke in the world.*
*If he could beat her, he would definitely ride her and return all the indignities he suffered since childhood.*
"Will Mr. Fujiwara go with me?" Yukino Ritsuko continued to ask.
"Uh," Fujiwara Reya shrugged, "let’s go together. It’s about time I see some sights."
"Great!" Yukino Ritsuko was genuinely happy.
*To her, there seemed to be nothing more worth celebrating than helping Fujiwara Reya.*
*As long as I arrange it properly, nothing will go wrong...* Fujiwara Reya smiled on the surface but urgently thought of a countermeasure. At the Mountain God Festival, he would wear a Mountain God mask, so others wouldn’t be able to see his face. *As long as he arranged it properly, separating his time with Yukino Ritsuko from his time with his aunts, it definitely wouldn’t end disastrously like the summer festival!*
Having been promised, Yukino Ritsuko was in good spirits and talked about many things at the hall.
A dense and incredibly delicate routine, but it didn’t involve the hall’s operations. The rain outside continued nonstop, and the only sound in the room was her constant voice. During this, their eyes would occasionally meet, gradually forming some sort of connection.
Fujiwara Reya formed a plan in his mind.
*But he couldn’t implement it yet, because there was still Miss Ryoko in the room.* He had to wait until she left and only Yukino Ritsuko was left in the room to freely move forward.
Finally, when it reached noon, Yukino Ritsuko saw Kitagawa Ryoko off.
Fujiwara Reya took his brushes and sketching paper, went down to the backyard on the first floor, and sat in the pavilion waiting.
The rain kept falling.
From morning to noon, it rained nonstop.
A snail crawled on a branch by the small pond. Rainwater dripped off the branch, silently absorbed into the black and soft ground. Only the occasional sound of a car tire rolling on the asphalt road reached his ears, akin to the rustling sound of fingers rubbing against finely textured glossy fabric.
To validate this metaphor in the future, Fujiwara Reya summoned the Snow Woman over.
"Snow Princess, lie down."
The Snow Woman obediently placed her feet on his shoulders.
"It’s been more than a month, time to play with Snow Treasure." Fujiwara Reya grabbed her small white silk feet; his palms brushed across the stockings, making a soft rustling sound.
Like celestial music, it stimulated the eardrums.
While touching her feet, Fujiwara Reya observed the Snow Woman’s expression.
She tilted her head slightly, frosty eyelashes gently quivering, blue eyes shimmering with a mystique like moonlight. Her whispering ’ya’ was mysterious and tender, as comforting as a sea breeze.
"Get up," Fujiwara Reya patted his thighs.
The Snow Woman immediately sat up, snuggling obediently in her master’s arms.
Listening quietly to her evenly continuous breaths escaping from between her lips, a peaceful and gentle ambiance enveloped them. As he listened to the beautiful sounds, Fujiwara Reya gently embraced her waist, this adorable and innocent Shikigami, her entire life culminated in this moment. In the rainy courtyard, he’d never heard such slight noise before, yet her expression remained pure, her breath remained soft, as if tenderly reduced to only a thread of pulse.
"Mr. Fujiwara!"
A sudden shout broke the tranquility of the courtyard.
Turning his head, Fujiwara Reya saw Yukino Ritsuko running over angrily, her figure slender, like a beauty stepped out of an ukiyo-e painting. She pulled the Snow Woman behind her and, with a flushed face, questioned him, "What were you doing to Snow Princess just now?"
The sky’s dark clouds began drifting westward, casting numerous beams of light slanting down through the clouds.
"I touched her feet," Fujiwara Reya remained calm, picked up his sketchbook, and leaned against the pillar to look at her.
Her black tight-fitting business skirt, with slender and shapely legs in black stockings. As the sunlight spilled outside the pavilion, she was also tinted with a faint scene, astonishingly beautiful, her hair was black and straight, and her eyes deep as the sea.
*This view was truly refreshing, Fujiwara Reya felt as if he was seamlessly merging with something.*
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Yukino Ritsuko was a bit embarrassed.
"Sorry, please come over here," Fujiwara Reya said with a smile.
Yukino Ritsuko looked at his face, then at the sketchbook in his hand, surprised. But she didn’t think much of it and soon pressed down the hem of her skirt with both hands and sat next to him. In her hurry to rush over and confront him, she hadn’t had time to change her shoes and ran over in her high heels.
"Miss Yukino seems like a young lady," Fujiwara Reya joked.
"Why say that all of a sudden?" Yukino Ritsuko gently brushed her hair by her ear, her soft black hair tightly framing her fair and beautiful face, making her whole face appear delicate and lovely.
"You know, I’m about to move back to the shrine soon."
Her joyful mood suddenly disappeared, and Yukino Ritsuko pursed her lips, smoothing the hair by her ear, "I know."
"Do you like living with someone?" Fujiwara Reya asked.
"I don’t know, haven’t had much experience," Yukino Ritsuko took out a handkerchief from her pocket, lowered her head to wipe the water stains off her shoe, as if to hide her disappointment. "Do I look like a yokai who would enjoy living together?" she retorted.
"Many things are more complicated than they seem," Fujiwara Reya said with a laugh.
"Hmm..." Yukino Ritsuko slightly raised her head, seeming to contemplate something as she gazed at him. Her eyes were unusually clear, possessing an incredible transparency, like viewing the sky.