vncnus Page 25
Page 25
“Takada-senpai.” Her tone became serious, her fingers unconsciously tightening their grip on the wooden edge of the fence. “Actually, I…”
Just then, an even stronger mountain wind suddenly blew across the Qingshui Stage, making a whooshing sound.
The wind swirled up a few fallen leaves and ruffled Miwako Sato's short hair.
A few strands of hair brushed against her cheeks and even obscured her eyes.
She instinctively raised her hand to tidy herself up, but the sudden gust of wind interrupted her unfinished words.
Yuuki Takada almost instinctively reached out to brush the hair off her face, but his fingertips stopped abruptly just before touching her cheek, hovering in mid-air.
Yuuki Takada saw the fleeting panic in her eyes, and the momentary confusion and helplessness after being interrupted.
The wind gradually subsided.
Miwako Sato tidied her hair herself, her fingertips trembling almost imperceptibly.
She lowered her eyes, avoiding Yuuki Takada's hand hovering in mid-air and his searching gaze.
A faint blush rose on her face, whether from the wind or something else, it was hard to tell.
"The wind... is a bit strong," she said softly, looking back at the distant mountains. Her brief, hesitant words from earlier seemed as if they had never happened.
Yuuki Takada silently withdrew his hand and put it back in his trench coat pocket.
Feeling the hairpin in his pocket, he decided to take it out and put it on for Sato Miwako: "I saw that you were quite interested in this hairpin earlier, so I bought it."
"Hmm..." Yuuki Takada glanced at it and nodded in satisfaction: "Pretty good, it looks pretty good."
Seeing this, Sato Miwako couldn't hold back her tears any longer and bowed deeply to Takada Yuuki: "I'm sorry! Takada-senpai."
"Back when we first met, if it weren't for my rash actions, you wouldn't have gotten into so much trouble later."
"First, without clarifying the situation, they rashly arrested you and brought you back to the Metropolitan Police Department, where they questioned you presumptuously."
"That... Matsui Shoyu's death was also caused by me. If it weren't for my mistake, he wouldn't have died in prison."
"I...I...I..." As she spoke, Miwako Sato poured out all the pain she had been suppressing for so long.
With a broken voice and tears streaming down her face, she said, "I know I've let Takada-senpai down, and I hope Takada-senpai can forgive me."
"I forgive you," Yuuki Takada said calmly.
“Ah…” Sato Miwako stared at him in surprise.
Yuuki Takada sneered, "I forgive you. If I hadn't, given my temper, I would have had Inspector Megure fire you long ago."
"I'll never see you again."
Sato Miwako's face instantly drained of color, turning pale and weak.
So... so Takada-senpai had already forgiven me, otherwise he wouldn't have taken me out on the mission under those circumstances.
On the contrary, it is my own attitude that is indeed somewhat disheartening.
"Shouldn't you be the one making changes?" Takada Yuuki looked at her distraught and self-doubting appearance, his sneer deepening, the chill in his eyes almost tangible. "Whether you think I'm hypocritical or magnanimous, it doesn't matter."
He abruptly raised his hand, pointing to the hazy rooftops of Kyoto below, his voice rising sharply, filled with long-suppressed anger and an almost cruel bluntness:
“Sato Miwako, look down, look at this city, look at what the police badges above our heads represent.”
"Even if we weren't involved, from the moment Matsui Shosuke was captured, his death was already inevitable?!"
"Do you think your tears of remorse, your bowing and apology here, will change anything? Will they reveal the truth? Will they erase everything?!"
He almost roared it out, and a vein throbbed faintly on his forehead.
His usual composure and calmness were suddenly torn open.
"I forgive you? That's because I know what I should do and what I need to do now."
"Rather than wallowing in useless self-blame and crying like a coward, I need a partner who can stand up and get to the bottom of things, not a burden who can only say 'I'm sorry'!"
With a loud "boom"!
Miwako Sato felt as if her world had been cleaved open by this merciless rebuke.
All her emotions seemed about to erupt at this moment, but thinking about the scene before, Sato Miwako realized her mistake and said gently, "Takada-senpai, I was wrong. I acted impulsively and made a mistake."
"Please forgive me, Takada-senpai."
Yuuki Takada shook his head and said coldly:
"Regarding your situation, I learned something from Inspector Megure. I know your father's death has had a great impact on you, so I hope that whatever you do, you can maintain a calm mindset and approach everything with a positive attitude..."
"Takada-senpai, I...I..." Sato Miwako looked at Takada Yuuki in front of her, but couldn't bring herself to say what was on her mind.
"I just hope you can think carefully about what I told you," Yuuki Takada said softly.
A subtle, suspended atmosphere filled the air.
The unspoken words, like a feather brushing past, were swept up by the wind and drifted on the cliff of the Qingshui Stage, their destination unknown.
They stood side by side, gazing at the same scenery, yet their thoughts were quietly churning in the unfinished words and the moments of interruption.
“Let’s go.” After a while, Sato Miwako seemed to have regained her composure, her tone becoming light again. She pointed to the back of the stage and said, “Shall we go see Otowa Waterfall? They say the spring water there is very effective.”
“Okay.” Yuuki Takada nodded in response and followed in her footsteps.
The two joined the flow of people heading towards Okunoin, sunlight filtering through the ancient buildings.
The long shadows cast behind them were temporarily hidden in the scent of incense in the ancient temple, and the tremor brought by the gust of wind was temporarily concealed.
Only those unresolved words, like unsolved fortune slips, sank into the depths of each other's hearts.
Chapter 38 Descending the Mountain and Leaving the Temple
Kyoto city.
Qingshan Temple.
Yuki Takada and Miwako Sato followed a path to Otowa Waterfall.
Miwako Sato took a step forward, picked up a drop of spring water, closed her eyes as if making a wish, and then drank the water in one gulp.
"So, do you know what I was about to ask?" Sato Miwako subconsciously glanced at Takada Yuki and said softly.
Yuuki Takada glanced at him and smiled faintly: "If you told me your wish just now, then your wish would not come true, so I don't want to know what you asked."
As his voice fell, it seemed to gently blend into the murmuring sound of the waterfall.
Sato Miwako paused slightly, then a faint, somewhat helpless smile appeared on her lips: "Takada-senpai... no, you actually believe this..."
She didn't finish speaking, but simply shook her head gently and turned her gaze back to the three cascading springs.
Water droplets refracted tiny sparkles in the sunlight, and the spray carried the coolness of the mountain forest as it brushed against my face.
"It's just a folk tale, yet you've used it as a shield," Miwako Sato muttered softly.
"It's better to believe it exists, otherwise, why would you have come all the way here to make a wish?" Yuuki Takada walked a step behind her and also looked at the waterfall.
He stood tall with his hands in his trench coat pockets, his expression appearing exceptionally gentle in the misty steam.
"Besides, if I voice my wish, won't the pressure just shift onto me?"
"What if it fails to happen? Wouldn't that be my responsibility?"
Yuuki Takada turned his head slightly, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at her.
Miwako Sato couldn't help but laugh out loud at his absurd reasoning, her shoulders twitching slightly.
"Sophistry!" Sato Miwako turned around, no longer dwelling on the probing question from before, and simply made a joke: "Takada-senpai, it's not good for you to play along like this."
Sato Miwako looked at the clear spring water flowing out from time to time in front of her and gave a simple evaluation:
"However... the water here is really clear and cool, with a... refreshing taste."
“Hmm…” Takada Yuuki took a deep breath, the fresh air unique to the mountains and forests filling his lungs, and said softly, “Otowa Waterfall, it is said that these three clear streams represent wishes for wisdom, health and longevity respectively.”
"Whatever you just promised..." He paused, then looked at her slightly and said, "...I believe I will help you achieve it."
The reason Takada Yuki said so much to her was simply to give her a firm blessing.
Sato Miwako felt a slight warmth in her heart.
She didn't say anything more, just nodded, her gaze lingering again on the flowing spring in front of her.
The temple bells rang out from some distant corner, long and serene, which only made the sound of the water stand out even more, yet strangely brought a sense of peace to the heart.
The two stood side by side, silent, enjoying the brief tranquility away from the hustle and bustle of the world.
"It's getting late..." After a long while, Sato Miwako finally spoke softly, breaking the comfortable silence, "Takada-senpai, shouldn't we be going?"
"Yes." Yuuki Takada nodded in response.
His gaze lingered for a moment on Sato Miwako's temples, which were slightly damp with mist, before he asked, "Let's go, would you like to try the matcha warabi mochi from that old shop near the temple gate? I heard they use good tea from Motoyama."
“Okay.” Sato Miwako readily agreed, a relaxed smile on her face.
They slowly descended along the cobblestone path they had come from.
"If I remember correctly, Takada-senpai, you came to Kiyosanji with me for a visit, not just for this simple reason. So what you just told me must be your real purpose for coming to Kyoto."
Miwako Sato suddenly stopped in front of Yuuki Takada and asked in a cold voice.
Yuuki Takada glanced at Miwako Sato in front of him, then burst out laughing. "No, Sato, what are you thinking?"
"Didn't I already make it clear to you before we left? We're coming to Kyoto City today to see the Higashi Horse Racing Track?"
“We had plenty of time beforehand, so we brought you to visit nearby attractions. But I noticed you were on edge the whole way, probably because of the bombing incident, so I brought you to Qingshan Temple.”
"Wait a minute, the Donghuang Racecourse is our focus today. It's the start of the Emperor's Sho Spring Race."
Yuuki Takada's smile froze instantly. He shrugged and said calmly, "No, Sato, what are you thinking?"
"Didn't I make it very clear to you before I left? Our main purpose in coming to Kyoto today is to enjoy watching the Emperor's Sho Spring Race at the Tokyo Racecourse."
"Of course, what I just said was just a side effect."
Yuki Takada tried his best to explain, making it sound reasonable and logical.
Sato Miwako scrutinized his composed expression, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly, but the hint of inquiry deep in her eyes did not completely disappear.
Takada was always like that, leaving no room for error. His use of "by the way" and "relaxation" often carried a deeper meaning.
However, since he had genuinely come out for entertainment, she could no longer refuse to go with him to watch the Emperor's Sho Spring Race at the Donghuang Racecourse.