The Time Traveler of Kyoto: A Century-Old Bond Sleeping in the Ancient Capital - The Antique Dealer Man — Does the Mirror Dream?

Last night's events won't leave my head. Tachibana Yui remained seated by the window, pretending to watch the blackboard. The Japanese Culture Studies lecture hall was filled with cold fluorescent light, and the professor's voice echoed distantly. She had her notebook open and pen in hand, but the hastily scrawled characters had nothing to do with the lecture content. Mirror. Taisho. Chiyo. Light. She'd written them unconsciously. Realizing what she'd done, she set down her pen. It wasn't a dream—she was certain of that much. But there was no way to verify it. The air of the Taisho-era main hall, the orange glow of gas lamps, Chiyo's calm voice. It had all felt real. Yet here she was now with her smartphone and university notebook, an ordinary autumn morning. The gap between last night's events and this present moment was too vast for her mind to process. She remembered her translucent fingers. For just an instant, her right index and middle fingers had become thin, and she could see through them. She'd tried to dismiss it as her imagination, but deep down, she couldn't convince herself it was. The student next to her glanced over. It was unusual for Yui to space out during class, and their expression showed concern. Yui hurriedly straightened her posture and pressed her pen to the notebook. But no words came. When the lecture ended, she stepped into the hallway. Kamigamo University—a mid-sized private university with about eight thousand students, built along the upper reaches of the Kamogawa River—was bustling with the lunch break crowd. Voices of friends talking, the smell of fried food drifting from the cafeteria. The usual scenery of everyday life. Yet Yui's feet naturally turned toward the library. She'd heard that Kamigamo University's library had an excellent collection on modern Kyoto history. Taisho-era photographs, maps from that time, records of customs and manners. She wanted to corroborate last night's events—or at least, even if it had been a dream, she wanted to know more about the Taisho period. That impulse was what moved her feet. At the counter, she checked out three books. A Taisho-era Kyoto photo collection, a regional history of the Higashiyama area, and a research book on daily life customs from that period. The librarian at the desk looked up with a slightly puzzled expression. "What's with the sudden interest in Taisho-era Kyoto?" "Just some research I need to do," Even as she said it, she knew it was a terrible answer. She left the library cradling the books. The three volumes together were quite heavy, and when she tried to fit them into her backpack, the zipper would only close halfway. No, this was completely overstuffed. She gave up and decided to carry them by hand. ＊　＊　＊ After school, she walked to Teramachi Street to clear her head. Teramachi Street ran north and south through central Kyoto, lined with used bookstores and small cafés. About fifteen minutes' walk from school, the autumn afternoon light slanted across the stone pavement. Ginkgo leaves were beginning to turn yellow, and with each breeze, a few would flutter down. She entered a small café facing the street. As she opened the door, the scent of coffee mingled with the warmth of wood enveloped her. About half the seats were occupied, and it was quiet. A two-person table by the window was free, so she sat there. She ordered a blend coffee and spread out the materials she'd borrowed from her backpack. As she turned the pages of the Kyoto photo collection, photographs of the Higashiyama area from the Taisho era appeared. She stopped. There was a photograph of a stone pavement similar to the path of Kagura Mori Shrine where she'd stood last night. Gas lamps on both sides. People in traditional clothing walking. The photograph was in black and white, but the overall structure overlapped with the scene she'd witnessed last night. (It was real after all.) The conviction solidified in her chest. If it had been a dream, it would have been hazier. The coldness of that stone pavement, the smell of rain, the texture of Chiyo's voice—it had all been vivid and real. On another page was a photograph from Taisho 13 along the Kamogawa River. What appeared to be the exterior of Mikazuki-ro—a high-class restaurant from the Taisho era, supposedly a two-story wooden structure on the west bank of the Kamogawa near Gojo Street—was visible in the photograph. The caption mentioned it was a place where Kyoto's political and business elite gathered. Yui's finger stopped on the photograph. She had a feeling this place's name had appeared in Chiyo's diary. She'd have to reread the diary later. She opened the map page and studied the Higashiyama area of the Taisho period. Compared to the present day, some of the roads were laid out differently. That's when she felt it. A gaze directed at her. She thought it might be her imagination and looked back down at the materials. But she still felt it. Someone was watching—or rather, watching these resources. She slowly looked up. A young man was sitting diagonally across from her. Black shirt. Jet-black hair slightly long, bangs falling somewhat over his eyes. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties. His expression barely moved—not stern, but calm and still. Deep green eyes were quietly fixed on the photograph materials Yui had spread out. A small silver piercing glinted on his left ear. Their eyes met. The young man didn't look away. He showed no sign of being flustered. He simply watched her quietly. (Why is this stranger staring at my materials like that...) "Um, is there something you need?" Her tone had become a bit sharp. She was aware of it. But she couldn't bring herself to be welcoming when a complete stranger was staring at her intently. The young man paused for a moment. "My apologies. I saw the photograph of Kagura Mori Shrine," His voice was low. Calm and unhurried. She thought she detected a slight Kyoto accent in his speech. "...You know about Kagura Mori Shrine?" She'd asked without thinking. Caught between caution and curiosity, unsure which would come out first, her question came out ambiguous. "I'm Shinonome," The young man introduced himself, then let his gaze return slightly to the photograph materials. "I run an antique shop called Shinonome-do on Shinmonzen Street. I often look at materials from Taisho-era Kyoto," Shinonome-do—Shinmonzen Street was frequented by shrine and temple staff, as well as people involved in tea ceremony and flower arrangement. It was probably a shop that dealt with hanging scrolls and tea ceremony utensils on the surface. It wasn't strange that someone like that would notice her looking at a Taisho-era photo collection. Her caution eased slightly. Only slightly, though. Yui angled the materials a bit toward him. It was meant as permission to look. "I'm researching something. About the Higashiyama area during the Taisho period... like how some of these roads have changed from now," "This alley here," Shinonome Sousuke—the young man—casually pointed to a specific spot in the photograph. "It's been built over now. But the road on the east side of the shrine remains the same even today. The stone steps at the base of the approach path too," Yui leaned forward involuntarily. It was precise. Compared to what she'd seen last night, it was exactly right. The road on the east side of the shrine—the direction she'd exited the grounds last night—remained unchanged even now. But the adjacent alley was indeed obscured by buildings in the modern day. "...How do you know so much detail?" "I'm somewhat skilled at overlaying old maps with current ones," With that, Sousuke picked up his coffee cup. Yui thought he was a person of few words. But the few words he spoke contained proper information. Yui opened the map page and asked about several places she'd been curious about. The location of Mikazuki-ro, changes along the Kamogawa, the evolution of roads in the Higashiyama area. Sousuke answered each question matter-of-factly but accurately. He didn't say unnecessary things, but he answered what was asked. Before she knew it, they'd been talking for about fifteen minutes. "Kagura Mori Shrine... it hasn't changed much since the Taisho era, has it?" It was a casual comment. She'd meant it as a way to continue the conversation while looking at the materials. Sousuke paused for a moment. He slowly placed his coffee cup back on the saucer. His gaze turned downward. "That shrine has... something special," He spoke quietly, in a low voice. Something jumped in Yui's chest. Her pulse quickened. Chiyo's face floated into her mind—the Taisho-era main hall, candlelight, those translucent fingers. The moment the Musubi Mirror—an ancient bronze mirror of unknown provenance and donor, with spiral patterns carved on its back—had glowed flashed before her eyes. Did this person know? What did he know? "...What do you mean by that?" Her voice rose slightly. As she asked, she realized she was leaning forward. Her elbows were on the table, and without noticing, she'd closed the distance between them. Sousuke looked up. His deep green eyes met hers directly. But he said nothing more. "Perhaps another time," With just that, he quietly stood up. He took out his wallet and headed toward the counter. He paid for his coffee and walked toward the door. A business card was left on the table. Yui picked it up with both hands. Shinonome-do　Shinonome Sousuke Simple white card with just the shop name and his name. Only a phone number and address were added in small print. That was all. The door chime rang. Sousuke was leaving the shop. As he pushed open the door—he turned back just once. It might have been mere coincidence. Many people pause before exits. But Sousuke's gaze turned toward Yui for just an instant, and then he disappeared beyond the door. Two seconds. Three seconds. Yui sat there holding the business card. She felt her coffee growing cold. She watched Sousuke walk along Teramachi Street through the window, disappearing into the crowd. (What was that person...) "Perhaps another time." That was all. Yet why had he said it so definitively? The weight of those words—"something special"—wouldn't leave her mind. Yui noticed her cheeks were slightly warm and turned her gaze outside the window. Autumn dusk was beginning, and the light on the street was gradually turning orange. ＊　＊　＊ That night, she returned to the shrine. The grounds were quiet. Visitors had long since gone home. The light in the shrine office glowed warmly, and she could hear her father preparing dinner. "I'm going to organize some records before I come up," When she called out to her father, she heard back, "Take your time." Yui walked along the small path that led from the shrine office to the side of the main hall. She held a flashlight, illuminating her feet as she walked. There was no rain tonight. There were clouds, but the moon was faintly visible through them. The wind was cold, and the cedar leaves in the grounds rustled softly. She opened the main hall door. The interior of the main hall, unchanged from usual, was illuminated by her flashlight. When she switched on the lights, the wooden pillars and ceiling brightened. Beyond the partition separating the worship hall from the inner sanctum—an area normally entered only by the chief priest—the Musubi Mirror was enshrined. She slid open the partition door. Only as the daughter of the chief priest could she enter this place. She'd come here countless times since childhood. But tonight, something felt different. In the beam of the flashlight, the Musubi Mirror came into view. A circular bronze mirror about sixty centimeters in diameter. Its surface had a greenish tint, and spiral patterns were carved on its back. According to what her father had told her, there was no record of who had donated it or from where it had come. A

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Episode 2

Name: The Time Traveler of Kyoto: A Century-Old Bond Sleeping in the Ancient Capital
Author: Novelia

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