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The reason Kiyomizu-dera is called Kiyomizu-dera is because of the famous Otowa Waterfall.
The water cascading from high above is known as sacred water. Flowing down from the top of a stone altar, it splits into three separate streams.
From left to right, they represent: Success, Love, and Longevity.
Visitors to the temple are supposed to choose only one stream to drink from, and only take a single sip.
The temple itself doesn't strictly enforce the "one sip" rule. However, a sign nearby explains that if you drink from more than one stream, your wish won't come true.
Drink from two streams, and your chances supposedly drop to one-half. Drink from all three, and they become one-third.
Oikawa didn't believe any of that. He didn't believe in wishes coming true, and he certainly didn't believe the math written on the sign.
Still, while he didn't believe it, someone else clearly did.
That someone was Shizuka-sensei.
At some point, Shizuka Hiratsuka had managed to acquire an enormous beer bottle from who-knows-where. Without hesitation, she marched straight toward the stream representing Love.
Under the stunned gaze of the temple staff, she filled the entire bottle to the brim.
The employee stared blankly before hurrying over, "Ma'am, the more of the water you drink, the lower the chance of your wish coming true."
"I know." Shizuka calmly screwed the cap back on.
"Then why are you—"
She replied with a perfectly straight face, "It only says I have to drink it in one go, right? I can finish this in one gulp."
The employee was speechless.
Judging by the way his face twitched, he was probably cursing internally.
All around them, people burst out laughing.
Oikawa tried his best to hold it in. But he failed.
"Oikawa. Do you find this funny?"
A chilling voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
"Shizuka-sensei... everyone was laughing. It wasn't just me." Oikawa was bewildered. There had to be at least a dozen people laughing. Why had she singled him out?
"They laughed... so that means you have to laugh too?" Shizuka glared at him before speaking with deliberate emphasis. "Oikawa-kun, you don't happen to think it's embarrassing for a teacher who's still unmarried, do you?"
A death question. This was absolutely a death question.
Oikawa immediately shook his head so hard it nearly became a blur.
"Of course not! A highly educated woman with a rich life like you is the dream marriage partner of countless people. If teacher-student relationships weren't forbidden, I'd absolutely pursue you myself. You're basically the perfect goddess in my eyes!"
His expression was filled with sincerity.
Every word sounded heartfelt.
"Hmph. At least you know what's good for you." Shizuka rolled her eyes at him and walked away.
Oikawa let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
For a moment there, it felt like he'd taken a stroll past the gates of hell.
Yeah, right. With a personality that terrifying, no wonder she's still single.
He silently raised a middle finger in his heart.
Just then, Shizuka suddenly glanced back.
Oikawa instantly switched to his brightest smile.
A wise man doesn't pick fights he can't win.
...
Soon it was Oikawa's turn.
He pulled out an oversized bottle of his own. Compared to Shizuka's beer bottle, it wasn't much smaller. Then he enthusiastically filled it from the Success stream.
The temple employee's mouth twitched. He looked one step away from snapping.
Before the man could say anything, Oikawa raised a hand, "I can finish it in one go too."
The employee forced out a smile and nodded.
Looking at the bottle filled with water, Oikawa nodded in satisfaction.
'Time to taste success!'
...
..
After touring Kiyomizu-dera, the group visited Nanzen-ji, then walked all the way to Ginkaku-ji.
By the end of it, Oikawa felt completely drained.
He couldn't understand why Kyoto had so many temples. Every few blocks there seemed to be another one.
After making the entire circuit, he was mentally exhausted.
Kiyomizu-dera had at least been interesting. Nanzen-ji and Ginkaku-ji, on the other hand, had bored him to death.
The one thing he could praise was the scenery. The autumn leaves were beautiful, and strolling along the riverside created an incredible atmosphere.
Yui worked tirelessly to create opportunities for Ebina and Tobe to spend time alone together. Unfortunately, the two of them didn't seem to be hitting it off very well.
Which wasn't exactly surprising.
Finally, after a simple dinner back at the inn, the boys headed to the third floor.
Some started playing dominoes. Others broke out UNO.
A few groups were playing King's Game. The losers had to do the usual tired punishments, like confessing a secret or sending some mildly suggestive pictures.
Oikawa's verdict? Painfully boring.
These guys clearly didn't understand the true essence of King's Game.
What was the point of playing with only guys? The real thrill came when girls were involved.
"Oi, Oikawa, want to play Monopoly?"
Zaimokuza burst into the room, practically forcing the invitation on him.
"I'm taking a bath first. Go on without me." Oikawa waved him off without much interest.
And he really needed a bath right now.
...
After showering, Oikawa pulled on a hoodie, threw a jacket over it, and headed back downstairs.
His destination was the vending machines on the first floor.
After hesitating between coffee and a fizzy drink, he ultimately chose the latter.
Then he settled into a sofa in the lobby, sipping his soda while scrolling through Twitter for the first time in a while, curious to see what nonsense his readers had been posting lately.
After reading a few more comments, he felt a little disappointed.
The internet's creativity had really gone downhill. Everything was the same old recycled jokes.
Nothing worth reading. No new insults, no fresh curses.
What, was Kaori not important enough to earn better material?
Just as he was starting to get annoyed, a familiar figure entered his field of vision.... Yukino Yukinoshita.
She was dressed casually, her hair still slightly damp from a shower. After coming downstairs, she walked straight toward the souvenir shop.
There, she stopped in front of a display case.
And hesitated.... For a long time.
Eventually, she seemed to make up her mind and reached toward one of the items inside.
Then, at the last second, she cautiously glanced around.
Her eyes landed on Oikawa.
The two stared at each other for several seconds.
Immediately afterward, Yukino withdrew her hand, composed herself, and casually walked away as though nothing had happened.
A teasing smile appeared on Oikawa's face.
He looked toward the display she'd been eyeing. Inside sat the reigning champion of Japan's "Most Popular Animal" rankings for years running: A panda.
For girls, pandas had approximately the same destructive power as Uchiha Madara.
At that moment, footsteps sounded on the stairs again.
Yukino walked over to him.
"Oh my. Fancy meeting you here."
With her arms folded, hair tied up, and posture perfectly straight, she looked down at him slightly from where she stood.
"What, was the Yukino I saw a minute ago actually a ghost?" Oikawa tossed a small bag toward her.
Yukino caught it neatly.
"This is… just how many snacks were you hoarding?"
She opened the package and, with elegant precision, began munching on the contents.
Oikawa chuckled. "So why'd you come downstairs? Did your classmates finally bully you out of the room?"
"My classmates keep turning every conversation toward me." Yukino continued nibbling on the beans as she answered. "I really don't understand why they're so interested in discussing those topics."
"Probably because you're smart... and pretty."
Yukino's movements paused briefly. But Oikawa didn't notice and continued talking, "A lot of people are jealous of you, actually. I've even heard girls from Class F talking about you before. They admire you and wish they could be like you. But you shouldn't let that bother you. Being envied isn't a bad thing."
"Why do they want to be like me?" Yukino asked, still confused.
"Probably because you're cool. Yeah. Really cool."
Oikawa smiled at her.
Only then did he realize that with her hair tied up, Yukino gave off a completely different impression.
How to put it... She looked a bit like a wealthy mature lady, not in appearance alone, but in the aura she carried.
"...I'm cool?" Yukino sounded uncertain.
Her expression dimmed slightly.
"I don't think I've done enough. Compared to Haruno, I'm still far behind..."
"You were better than her during the school festival. You were better than her at the sports festival. And in my eyes, you're better than her too." Oikawa didn't hesitate for even a second.
The praise wasn't empty flattery. He genuinely meant every word. Truthfully, he'd never thought Haruno was all that amazing in the first place.
She was the kind of adult who excelled at manipulation. Despite being only in her twenties, she carried herself with the cunning of someone twice her age.
Living with a person like that would be exhausting.
"Really?" Yukino still sounded uncertain.
She had never once believed she was better than her sister.
"But during the sports festival, you were the executive committee chair. I was only the vice chair..."
Oikawa cut her off, "Yukino, you've already done more than enough. Have a little confidence."
Yukino fell silent.
It was impossible to tell what she was thinking. The only sign of life was her hand. Every few moments, she'd pop another snack into her mouth.
Oikawa didn't interrupt her thoughts.
Instead, he stood up and walked over to the souvenir shop.
Stopping in front of the same display case Yukino had been staring at earlier, he picked up two panda plushies.
After paying, he returned to her side.
"This one's for you." He held one of the pandas out to her and smiled. "Remember today and promise me something. From now on, do what you want to do. Be a little more confident. And a little happier."
Yukino looked up at the hand holding the plush toy.
Her eyes trembled with uncertainty. She simply stared at him, seemingly unsure what she was supposed to do.
Their gazes met.
For a moment, time itself seemed to freeze.
Then, a suspicious figure suddenly appeared between them.
The person tugged at the collar of their coat and attempted to sneak past unnoticed.
"Going out this late, Shizuka-sensei?" Oikawa spoke with a faint smile.
Shizuka immediately stopped walking.
Without turning around, she pinched her voice and replied, "You've got the wrong person."
"Is that so?" Oikawa remained completely calm. "That's a shame. I was planning to ask Shizuka-sensei for help with something later. If she happens to be missing from the inn, I imagine the teacher on duty would be quite troubled."
Trying to sneak out? Not a chance.
Oikawa was the type to hold grudges.
Shizuka had spent all day giving him a hard time. Now that an opportunity for revenge had finally appeared, there was no way he was letting it slip away.
"You're ruthless." Shizuka turned around, removed the sunglasses she'd been using as a disguise, and shot him a glare.
Oikawa wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
Worst-case scenario, they both went down together.
"I... I was just going out for... ramen."
After a brief pause, she added reluctantly, "Want to come?"
"Just ramen?"
Oikawa didn't believe her for a second.
Ramen was the excuse.
The real objective must be alcohol.
In fact, Oikawa felt like he understood this old woman better than she understood herself.
"Fine. What do you want to let me go?" Shizuka glared at him resentfully before accepting reality.
"I want yakiniku."
Oikawa immediately named his price.
The inn's dinner had been terrible. His stomach had already filed several complaints.
"Y-You're pushing it!"
Shizuka's eyes widened.
Oikawa simply scratched his head. "Come to think of it, I believe the teacher on duty tonight is Hiraken-sensei. He taught me back in my first year. As a good student, I should go greet him."
"...Deal." The word practically came out through clenched teeth then she added, "But you have to swear you won't tell anyone."
"Trust me. My reputation speaks for itself." Oikawa patted his chest confidently.
"Heh."
Shizuka let out a cold laugh.
Judging from her expression, she was probably thinking about "Copycat-sensei."
Oikawa felt wronged.
He was Oikawa.
Copycat-sensei was Copycat-sensei.
He had already made a clean and sacred separation between the two.
Besides, he was obviously an honest young man who always kept his promises and never lied.
The world simply misunderstood him.
"Then I'll return to my room first. Good night." Yukino politely bowed toward Shizuka.
Unlike Oikawa, she couldn't casually joke around with their teacher.
Besides, she felt she shouldn't intrude on what was clearly about to become an illicit yakiniku adventure.
"Why are you going back to your room?" Oikawa grabbed her wrist before she could leave. "Shizuka-sensei's treating us. Do you know how rare that is?"
"I really shouldn't."
Yukino still tried to refuse. "And these clothes aren't exactly suitable for going out."
She spread her hands, the sleeves of her oversized loungewear hanging past her fingers.
Then she lowered her gaze toward the hand still wrapped around her wrist.
"So what?" Oikawa shrugged. "You can wear my jacket. It's not even that cold."
Without waiting for an answer, he took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
Then, before Yukino could come up with another excuse, he grabbed her hand and pulled her straight out of the inn.
He even hoped to rope in more people, just to make Shizuka's wallet hurt a little more. For the first time, he realized revenge could be surprisingly sweet.
.
.
.