After revealing a gentle smile, Kotomi Izumi let out a light laugh and said:
"I just suddenly felt like expressing a bit of what's on my mind. I'm fine, don't worry."
Kotomi's sudden remark felt like a surprise attack to Yukino Yukinoshita. A blush spread across her delicate face, and she said with feigned indifference, her cheeks slightly red:
"I-is that so? That's good then..."
"If you could say something like, 'I-I wasn't worried about you at all!' right now, I'd probably grin like an idiot for the entire day. After all, that would perfectly match your cold, tsundere little tigress personality."
Kotomi Izumi said with a mischievous grin.
"H-how boring."
Yukino Yukinoshita let out a soft snort, her face flushed as she tried to keep her tone calm.
After drinking from the spring and leaving Otowa Waterfall, the three of them arrived at the Kiyomizu Stage—the most iconic spot of Kiyomizu-dera.
Compared to spring and autumn, there wasn't any particularly breathtaking scenery around the stage at this time. However, in contrast, there were far fewer tourists than during those peak seasons.
"I really want to see what the Kiyomizu Stage looks like in spring and autumn. Next time, I want to bring my mom and Yuka along..."
As she spoke, Yui Yuigahama kept pressing the shutter button on her phone, capturing photo after photo.
Even though this wasn't the best season to visit Kiyomizu-dera, for Yui—who was here for the first time—the sights that didn't rely on seasonal beauty still dazzled her. She couldn't stop herself from taking picture after picture.
"Be careful with your phone storage. If I remember correctly, your phone doesn't have much space to begin with. A single photo might not take up much, but once you accumulate a lot of them, you'll suddenly find your storage full. When you check, you'll realize your photo gallery is taking up a huge chunk."
Kotomi Izumi reminded her. She had experienced this herself—when her phone warned of low storage, she checked and found that her gallery was occupying an enormous amount of space.
Well, it made sense. Although Kotomi didn't have that many photos, the number of suggestive images and videos she had downloaded from various websites was countless.
Sometimes, when she wanted to revisit a particular image, she would spend an entire afternoon digging through her gallery.
"Come to think of it, my phone did give me a low storage warning a few days ago... Looks like I should learn how to use cloud storage sometime. I heard that uploading photos there not only saves phone space, but also makes it easier when switching phones—you don't have to spend time transferring data."
At this point, Yui Yuigahama smiled sweetly. She wrapped one arm around Kotomi's, while using her other hand to switch her camera to selfie mode. Holding it up high, she found a good angle.
"But for now, I still have enough space. Kotomi, let's take a photo together~ It's not every day we come to Kiyomizu-dera."
"Sure."
Kotomi Izumi nodded. She leaned in, pressing her cheek against Yui's. With a click of the shutter, the moment was captured.
In the photo, Yui Yuigahama held onto Kotomi's arm, both of them wearing radiant smiles filled with happiness.
They looked just like a newlywed couple visiting Kyoto for their honeymoon.
Watching the sweet atmosphere between Kotomi and Yui as they took their selfie, Yukino Yukinoshita tried to act indifferent. However, the sour feeling in her heart spread honestly and unmistakably.
Although Kotomi didn't notice Yukino's jealousy, she still adhered to the principle of fairness. After taking a photo with Yui, she turned to Yukino and invited her:
"Yukino, come take a photo too. If you visit a scenic spot and don't take a few pictures together, wouldn't that be a waste of such beautiful scenery?"
"Yukinon, come join us!"
"F-fine. I don't really like taking photos, but since both of you insist, I suppose I'll go along with it..."
Yukino Yukinoshita said stubbornly, her cheeks flushed. At the same time, she felt a bit better.
What a cold, tsundere little tigress who loves to say the opposite of what she means... Kotomi teased her silently in her heart.
Of course, she wouldn't dare say that out loud. She felt that if she did, Yukino would pounce on her and scratch her to pieces.
Click.
With another shutter sound, a new group photo was added—this time featuring Yui Yuigahama, Kotomi Izumi, and Yukino Yukinoshita together.
"This is our third group photo."
Yui Yuigahama looked at the picture on her phone and let out a goofy, happy smile.
"When we get back, I'm going to print all three of our group photos. And from now on, every time we take one, I'll print it and put it into an album. That way, when we graduate from high school, we can flip through it and remember all these wonderful moments."
"Then we should take a lot more photos. For example, the one we just took today—since it's not the best season, there are no cherry blossoms or red maple leaves around the Kiyomizu Stage.
"So when spring comes and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, we should come back and take another group photo.
"And in autumn, when the red maple leaves surround the entire stage, we should take yet another one.
"Then, when we place these three photos from different seasons together, the result will definitely look amazing!"
Kotomi Izumi shared her idea. Even though both spring and autumn were still far away and would have to wait until next year, it didn't stop her from imagining it vividly.
"That's such a great idea! Let's do exactly that! When we get back, I'll buy a big album and fill it with nothing but photos of the three of us!"
Yui Yuigahama nodded enthusiastically, her eyes fixed intently on Kotomi.
"It is indeed a good idea," Yukino Yukinoshita said, crossing her arms and smiling faintly. Her gaze also lingered on Kotomi.
Hopefully, the next time we come to the Kiyomizu Stage, I'll be able to openly hold both of them—Yui Yuigahama in my left arm and Yukino Yukinoshita in my right. To make that dream come true, I'll need the determination to leap from the Kiyomizu Stage! Kotomi thought to herself, getting more immersed in her imagination until she let out an involuntary chuckle.
"Why do you always make strange laughing sounds whenever you're thinking something to yourself?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked sharply.
"Ah, it's nothing. I just suddenly thought of a Kyoto proverb—'to leap from the Kiyomizu Stage.'"
Kotomi Izumi quickly snapped out of it and responded with a smile.
It wasn't exactly a lie. After all, what she had been thinking did include the phrase 'leap from the Kiyomizu Stage.'
Kotomi reassured herself silently.
"It sounds familiar, but I can't quite remember what it means right now..."
Yui Yuigahama said somewhat embarrassed, realizing that sometimes she couldn't quite keep up with Kotomi and Yukino's conversations.
Yukino Yukinoshita explained at this moment:
"'Leaping from the Kiyomizu Stage'—the earliest legend tells of a man being chased by enemies. He jumped from the main hall of Kiyomizu-dera and miraculously survived without injury. His pursuers were so shocked that they believed he was protected by the Bodhisattva Kannon, and they no longer dared to seek revenge.
"There is also another legend. A woman prayed to the Bodhisattva for wealth and prosperity, and later she truly married into a wealthy family. Believing herself to have been too greedy, she threw her child from the main hall as atonement. Just as she knelt on the ground, sobbing after casting her own child down, the clear cry of a baby came from below. The Bodhisattva had protected her child. From then on, she let go of her burden and lived her life in peace.
"'Leaping from the Kiyomizu Stage' usually means making up one's mind to do something—taking decisive action with the resolve to face even death."
Kotomi Izumi picked up the conversation and added:
"If you jump from the Kiyomizu Stage and survive, it means you'll have good fortune and your wishes will come true. Even if you die, you'll be taken by the Bodhisattva to the Western Paradise, so it's not necessarily a bad thing. From the Edo period onward, over the span of about 150 years, around two to three hundred people are said to have jumped from the stage."
"Two to three hundred people jumped from the Kiyomizu Stage?! That many..." Yui Yuigahama exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah, it kind of makes me want to try jumping too~"
Kotomi Izumi said it half-jokingly. Just as she pretended to take a step toward the railing of the Kiyomizu Stage, before her foot could even move forward, Yui Yuigahama and Yukino Yukinoshita grabbed her from both sides.
"Kotomi, please, don't do something like that..."
Yui tightly clung to Kotomi's left arm, her voice trembling as she pleaded, afraid that if she loosened her grip even slightly, Kotomi might actually leap from the stage.
Yui didn't stop to consider whether Kotomi was joking. Her trust in Kotomi was such that, even at a moment like this, she instinctively believed her words were real.
"Have you lost your mind? Look at how high this is! Even if you don't die from jumping, you could end up crippled. I don't know what you're hiding in your heart, but I'm begging you—don't do anything foolish!"
Yukino Yukinoshita said urgently, her voice growing hoarse by the end.
Just moments ago, when Kotomi looked like she was about to step toward the edge, Yukino had recalled the heavy emotions that had flickered in her eyes earlier.
Because of that, she subconsciously believed Kotomi might truly jump.
Clutching Kotomi's right arm tightly, she stared at her with intense concern.
This feels amazing...
Kotomi couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She hadn't expected that her casual joke would, by sheer coincidence, allow her to openly hold both of them again.
After savoring the moment for a while, Kotomi finally spoke, putting on an embarrassed tone:
"Yui, Yukino, thank you... but I was really just joking earlier. Don't take it seriously."
"Seriously, even as a joke, you can't say things like that!"
Yui Yuigahama glared at her, her eyes slightly red. The tremor in her voice became even more obvious.
Kotomi's joke had genuinely frightened her to the point of tears.
"A terrible woman who makes girls cry with her jokes."
Yukino Yukinoshita let go of Kotomi's arm, crossing her own arms as she spoke coldly.
"Sorry, sorry. I'll treat you both to takoyaki pancakes. Don't be mad, okay?"
Kotomi Izumi said with an apologetic smile.
"You think takoyaki pancakes alone are enough to make up for it? How insincere," Yukino said faintly.
"Then what would count as sincere?" Kotomi asked.
"I want two servings of takoyaki pancakes." Yukino raised two fingers in a V sign.
"You really do love takoyaki pancakes, huh? We just had pizza not long ago," Kotomi teased with a smile.
"It can't be helped. The takoyaki pancakes here at Kiyomizu-dera are a bit small. One serving just isn't satisfying enough."
After being called gluttonous, Yukino's cheeks flushed slightly as she tried to sound perfectly reasonable.
After buying the takoyaki pancakes, the three of them sat on a bench not far from the Kiyomizu Stage, taking small bites as they ate.
True to her word, Yukino ate two servings by herself—one in each hand.
"The takoyaki pancakes at Kiyomizu-dera still aren't as good as the ones in Chiba. After eating them, my mouth feels a bit dry," Yukino commented after finishing.
"After eating two in one go, even the ones from Chiba would make your mouth feel dry," Kotomi replied with a helpless smile.
"In that case, I'll go buy some drinks," Yui Yuigahama said as she stood up. "Kotomi, Yukinon, what do you want to drink?"
Kotomi Izumi: "I'll have Pepsi. If they don't have it, then a vanilla soda is fine."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Just mineral water for me."
"Okay~ Wait here for me a bit."
After saying that, Yui walked toward a nearby vending machine.
Left behind, Kotomi and Yukino sat quietly on the bench, admiring the distant scenery of Kiyomizu-dera.
"I really want to see the cherry blossoms here in spring... and the red maple leaves in autumn," Yukino said suddenly.
"Let's come back together next year," Kotomi replied.
"The three of us together?" Yukino asked.
"Mm, the three of us together." Kotomi nodded, finishing the last bite of her takoyaki pancake.
Then, silence lingered again for a while.
After a moment, Yukino spoke once more:
"I read in a magazine before that everyone can choose a flower to represent themselves. I tried to think about which flower would represent me... but no matter how long I thought, I couldn't come up with anything."
"I've seen that idea before too. But I think even if you can't figure it out right now, there's no need to rush. Taking your time to think about which flower represents you—that process itself is meaningful."
"I see. The result is important, but the process is just as important—is that what you mean?"
Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes lit up. Kotomi's words gave her a sudden sense of clarity.