Ayani Kika was seated not far away, eating her meal at an unhurried pace.
Between the softly cascading strands of black hair that fell gracefully around her face was the serene countenance of a young woman in her prime. Her delicate features seemed to ripple like reflections in water—refined and elegant, imbued with the clarity of spring water.
Kotomi Izumi was the type who, if she delayed a meal even slightly, would feel all her strength drain away. She would grow too lazy to move, wanting only to collapse limply onto the floor or a bed.
Right now, her stomach was growling loudly with hunger. But the moment she saw Ayani Kika sitting alone by the restaurant window, calmly dining by herself, a powerful survival instinct surged within her. No matter how hungry she was, she suddenly didn't want to eat anymore. She only wanted to turn around and leave as quickly as possible.
At this moment, survival instinct triumphed over appetite.
Kotomi even felt she could hold out long enough to find another restaurant outside.
Just as she was about to make up some excuse and slip away to eat elsewhere...
How could Saori Funamoto, who felt this was the perfect time to showcase herself, possibly let such an opportunity to perform in front of Miss Izumi slip by?
I have to let Miss Izumi see how perceptive I am. If I miss such a perfect opportunity, I'll truly become the disgrace of the Funamoto family! My heart is roaring—it's telling me I can do this!
Saori gave herself a silent pep talk. Wearing an expression that was part composed and part eager to please, she said,
"Miss Izumi, although the exterior view of Harugamo Inn's restaurant isn't some famous scenic landmark, after our careful maintenance and renovations, it has developed a unique charm of its own.
Sitting in the restaurant, enjoying delicious food while admiring the scenery—what a delightful experience that is~
Because of that, some of the best scenic seats in the restaurant require reservations half a month in advance. Many guests often find that their stay dates don't align with the availability of those seats, and they'll even adjust their lodging schedule just to secure one.
If you're interested, Miss Izumi, I'll arrange it immediately. All of the Funamoto family's businesses exist to serve the Izumi family, so you don't need a reservation. Just choose whichever scenic seat you like."
After saying that, Saori respectfully ushered Kotomi into the restaurant. Still in a daze, Kotomi found herself walking in almost absentmindedly. Yui Yuigahama and Yukino Yukinoshita followed behind her.
By the time Kotomi realized what was happening, she was already standing in the middle of the restaurant.
In that instant, she only wanted to shout the name of a certain plant in her heart.
Damn it!
Saori had never been this attentive even to her own mother. The moment she brought Kotomi inside, she scurried off to retrieve a top-down seating chart of the restaurant. She even summoned the restaurant manager. The two of them held the chart open from either side, spreading it wide before Kotomi.
The scene carried an inexplicable sense of déjà vu. Saori and the manager looked like envoys from the Warring States period, presenting a map of their nation before surrendering to a more powerful emperor. They would extol the fertility of their lands, the advantages of their geography, desperately offering strategies and suggestions—anything to secure a respectable position after capitulation.
And Kotomi Izumi was that mighty emperor, standing before the map with solemn authority, her arms draped around her beloved consorts on either side, gazing down upon it with supreme arrogance.
Unfortunately, Kotomi currently had no such imposing aura. She glanced at the seating chart with helpless eyes, sighed softly, and randomly chose a seat without listening to Saori's enthusiastic explanation. She deliberately selected a spot farther from the window, hoping to create distance between herself and Ayani Kika.
"Eh? Miss Izumi, although Seat No. 1 that you chose is also a scenic seat, I actually recommend Scenic Seat No. 6. The view from there is even better," Saori continued.
Kotomi merely shook her head.
"I'm too hungry right now to care about the view. Just arrange this seat for us. And please have a server come over—I'd like to order."
With that, she turned and walked toward the seat she had chosen. Yukino and Yui followed closely behind.
Ayani Kika, seated by the window not far away, naturally heard their conversation. She set down her chopsticks and lifted her gaze toward Kotomi's direction. Her hearing was excellent. Even from a distance, she could clearly make out Kotomi's voice and what she was saying.
I'm sitting at Scenic Seat No. 3, and she chose Seat No. 1… She's trying to keep her distance from me. Being this socially anxious doesn't seem like her style.
I thought the moment she entered the inn, she'd come over in a high-profile manner to greet me, maybe even have a server bring over another chair.
Does she not want me to meet the two girls by her side? ...I see. That explains it. No wonder she pretended not to know me and deliberately chose a seat far from mine. It seems the two girls beside her are both quite special to her.
As Ayani murmured these thoughts to herself, the doubts lingering in her mind suddenly cleared. A meaningful smile curved her lips. Elegantly lifting the wine glass at her side, she drained the sweet liquor in one swallow.
She picked up a napkin and gently dabbed her lips.
"Thank you for the meal."
Then she rose to her feet. After casting one more glance in Kotomi's direction, she turned and left the restaurant.
With Miss Izumi appearing in Harugamo Inn's restaurant, the entire staff naturally focused all their attention on Kotomi. Whether she intended it or not, her beauty and status made her the center of attention the moment she appeared.
As a result, no one noticed Ayani Kika quietly leaving. She was more than happy about that.
Although she wasn't wearing geisha makeup today, as a regular guest of Harugamo Inn, both Saaki Funamoto and Saori Funamoto were well aware of her identity. Each time she visited for the hot springs, the mother and daughter received her with great enthusiasm.
This had even led some to speculate whether she was some kind of important figure.
After all, without her geisha makeup, Ayani Kika's style was completely different from when she wore it. No one would casually connect the two images.
When she reached the restaurant entrance, Ayani paused briefly. She looked once more toward Kotomi in the distance and let out a soft laugh, speaking as though to herself—or perhaps to Kotomi.
"I won't comment much on Saaki Funamoto as a person, but Saori Funamoto is a good person with rather decent acting skills. I'm just not used to being warmly entertained.
"Being able to leave so easily like this—Kotomi, you unintentionally did me a favor.
"I can also guess why you're pretending not to know me. Since you helped me out, I'll help you in return. Leaving early is probably the greatest help I can give you right now.
"I'm off first. Enjoy your lovely lunch with those two beauties, you little heartbreaker~"
After sitting down, Kotomi Izumi flipped through the menu and casually ordered several meat dishes that looked particularly delicious. For her staple, she chose plain white rice, and for her drink, she naturally went with an ice-cold Pepsi.
She then handed the menu to Yukino and Yui, letting them choose whatever they liked.
Pretending to play on her phone, Kotomi glanced toward the window seats. When she saw that Ayani Kika had already left, she froze for a moment before quietly letting out a sigh of relief.
When she had entered the restaurant earlier, she and Ayani had locked eyes. Not going over to greet her had been somewhat impolite, but Kotomi genuinely had no idea how she could explain her relationship with Ayani Kika to Yui and Yukino right now.
Of course, if Yui had been the only one by her side, Kotomi would have walked over without hesitation, greeted Ayani openly, and introduced her generously to Yui.
"She's a childhood friend of mine."
No matter what Kotomi said, Yui would believe her without question.
But now it wasn't just Yui beside her. Yukino Yukinoshita was also present. If Kotomi simply explained that Ayani was her childhood friend, Yukino wouldn't accept it so easily.
After all, at the restaurant entrance earlier, Saori Funamoto had already introduced Ayani Kika's identity—the number one oiran of Gion.
In the end, it was all that damn BYD Saori Funamoto's fault. Why did she have to bring up that Ayani Kika was the top oiran of Gion? Kotomi really wanted to sew her mouth shut with a needle and thread. She cursed silently in her heart.
After they finished ordering, the restaurant manager respectfully withdrew and hurried toward the kitchen, calling for the head chefs to personally prepare the dishes.
Saori Funamoto, meanwhile, continued chatting with Kotomi.
Although she had triggered a Shura field the moment they met and had nearly upgraded it to a "Three Kingdoms" level situation just now—making Kotomi itch to seal her mouth shut—she had to admit that Saori was exceptionally good at conversation.
If this were a drinking table, once Saori started persuading people to drink, someone who originally planned to have just two cups might end up finishing three in the blink of an eye. Someone intending to stop at three might suddenly find themselves downing six.
Even outside of drinking situations, if one had a desk mate like Saori back in school, she might not help much with academics, but one would never feel bored. Even if the phone smuggled into school ran out of battery, chatting with her all day would still be entertaining.
Yet the more they talked, the more Kotomi felt that Saori wasn't as much of a frivolous rich girl as she outwardly appeared.
Her speech might not sound especially scholarly, but when others were speaking, her expression and posture showed genuine patience and attentiveness.
That wasn't how a spoiled, idle heiress typically behaved.
Is she pretending to be frivolous?
This conclusion quickly formed in Kotomi's mind.
During the conversation that followed, Kotomi deliberately steered the dialogue in subtle ways, probing Saori's responses. Before long, she was certain.
Saori Funamoto was indeed pretending.
Her acting was extremely natural and convincing. If not for the fleeting expressions and gestures she had revealed while listening earlier, Kotomi might not have discovered it so quickly.
No wonder people often say the best actors become politicians or businessmen.
As for her purpose...
Kotomi didn't know much about the Funamoto family. But recalling the earlier exchange between Saaki Funamoto and Saori, she felt Saori's decision to act frivolous was likely connected to her elder sister.
Saori's older sister—Mari Funamoto.
Kotomi had never met her, but from the earlier conversation between mother and daughter, it wasn't hard to tell that Mari had likely been the type of "other people's child" since she was young.
Even within the family, she was probably used as a comparison.
Why can't you be more like your sister Mari?
Thinking of this, Kotomi took a sip of the freshly served oolong tea and asked casually,
"Saori, I've been at Harugamo Inn for quite a while now, and I keep hearing about how outstanding your sister is. Hehe... how come I haven't seen her? Is she not here, or does she simply not wish to meet me?"
"My deepest apologies, Miss Izumi."
Saori lowered her head slightly.
"My sister recently became pregnant with her second child. She's not at Harugamo Inn at the moment and is resting at home. Her eldest daughter just started third grade in elementary school as well, so things are rather busy at home.
"But—no matter what—your presence at Harugamo Inn is the greatest honor for the Funamoto family. As the eldest daughter, her failure to come and greet you in person is indeed discourteous.
"Mother was rarely so angry with her. She even said that tonight she would personally bring people to my sister's house and give her a severe scolding—so severe she'd beat her until she miscarried the child in her womb."
Saori didn't offer any meaningless excuses like "My sister didn't know you had arrived." That sort of polite phrasing might work for ordinary people.
Saying such things to Kotomi Izumi would only waste time—and might even affect Kotomi's impression of her.
So Saori chose to be direct.
After all, Harugamo Inn was one of the Funamoto family's primary businesses. As the eldest daughter, how could Mari Funamoto possibly lack her own "eyes" within the inn?
From the moment Kotomi stepped into Harugamo Inn, Mari's informants had likely already reported:
"Kotomi Izumi has arrived."
Kotomi's decision to linger in her room for half an hour earlier wasn't solely to build up her appetite or avoid encountering Ayani Kika and triggering a "king meets king meets king" Shura field.
She had also been giving Mari Funamoto time.
Time to see whether she would rush over to Harugamo Inn to greet her.
From the moment Kotomi arrived until now—including that extra half hour in her room—more than an hour had passed.
Yet Mari had not appeared.
What did that imply?
The answer was obvious.
Interesting. I wonder whether this eldest daughter of the Funamoto family has an issue with me—or with the entire Izumi family?
A faint sneer curled at Kotomi's lips as she thought to herself.
Saori kept her head slightly lowered, looking ashamed on the surface.
But in truth, she felt a trace of hidden excitement.
To put it bluntly, the opinions of the Funamoto clan members about who should become head of the family didn't matter.
What truly mattered was whom the Izumi family wanted to assume the position.
Whoever the Izumi family supported would become the Funamoto family head—even if that person had a poor reputation within the clan.
Conversely, if the Izumi family opposed someone, then no matter how respected or capable that person was within the Funamoto family, it would be useless.
If one applied that logic...
Wasn't this precisely the difference between Saori Funamoto and Mari Funamoto?
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