The Time Traveler of Kyoto: A Century-Old Bond Sleeping in the Ancient Capital - A Promise Between Two Eras

The lingering afterglow of light that had sent the men flying still hung in the air. The shrine grounds fell silent. An autumn breeze rustled the cedar branches, and a single fallen leaf drifted down onto the stone pavement. Yui still stood beside Chiyo, trying to steady her ragged breathing. The space where the men had surrounded them moments ago was now empty. Two prayers had sent them flying—but that reality still hadn't caught up with her. (Is it... over?) Just as that thought crossed her mind, a sound reached them from below the stone steps. Tap. Tap. Tap—. Measured, unhurried footsteps ascending the stairs. There was no urgency, no anger in that gait. Yui turned toward the sound. Chiyo stiffened as well, her gaze following. An elegant black Western suit emerged from the twilight. White gloves, a cane, silver buttons. A man who appeared to be in his fifties climbed the stone steps one by one, slowly and deliberately. His breathing was perfectly controlled. He moved as if taking a leisurely stroll, with complete composure. It was Tatsunousuke Washio. The chairman of the Kurogane Society—a secret organization that controlled Kyoto's financial world behind the scenes during the Taisho era, officially operating under the name "Kyoto Industrial Promotion Association"—and the very person who had orchestrated the Kaguramorī Shrine relocation incident, showing an abnormal obsession with the shrine's land and sacred object. Yui had heard his name from Chiyo, but this was the first time she'd seen him in person. The man finished climbing the steps and stood in the shrine grounds. He surveyed the two shrine maidens. His eyes—were cold. Not angry. Not contemptuous either. Simply devoid of any emotional fluctuation. Eyes that appraised, that calculated. Then, the corner of his mouth rose slightly. "Impressive, Tachibana shrine maiden" His voice was low and composed. Whether he was praising or mocking, his tone gave nothing away. The man tapped his cane lightly against the stone pavement and walked slowly toward them. Yui's feet wanted to retreat. (But if I step back, I lose.) She held her ground. She was aware her knees were trembling slightly, but she clenched her back teeth to keep that trembling from showing. The man reached into his jacket. Slowly, he withdrew a folded bundle of papers. Old paper. The edges were yellowed, and the creases were slightly damaged. He held it between two fingers and slowly unfolded it before Yui and Chiyo. The shrine's crest was stamped on the cover. "A document that disappeared during the Kaguramorī Shrine relocation incident. Are you aware of it?" Chiyo drew in a thin breath. Yui understood as well. That was—a shrine record document, said to contain descriptions of the Musubi Mirror. During the relocation incident of Taisho twelve, part of it had been taken by someone and had gone missing. When Chiyo had told her about it, Yui felt something heavy settle in her chest. Now that document was in this man's hands. The man showed her the contents for only a few seconds, then folded it again. With deliberate, theatrical precision, he returned it to his jacket. "I've already made copies. According to what's written in this document, I've figured out the procedure for drawing out the Musubi Mirror's power. Sooner or later—the mirror will fall into my hands." It wasn't a threat. There was a quiet certainty in the way he stated it as fact. That was precisely what made it terrifying. More than being shouted at, more than being threatened, this calm declaration cut far deeper. Yui's knees trembled. She nearly took a step back. In that moment, something warm touched her from beside her. Chiyo's hand. Slender and slightly cold. But the grip was strong. Their fingers intertwined, holding her back, supporting her—just that simple contact. Yui turned to look at her. Chiyo kept facing forward, but her eyes looked at Yui. A quiet flame burned in her pupils. This is our shrine—the words weren't spoken, but her eyes said it clearly. Yui took a deep breath. Slowly, once. Drawing air all the way to the bottom of her lungs, then exhaling. The autumn air in the shrine grounds was slightly cold and clear. Then she lifted her face. She met Tatsunousuke's gaze directly. "This shrine is a place that the Tachibana family has protected for eight hundred years" Her voice didn't waver. A second later and it might not have come out at all, she thought distantly, but that didn't matter anymore. "There is nothing—nothing at all—that I will hand over to you" She spoke it completely. In that instant, light poured from the inner sanctuary. A pale blue glow leaked from the gap in the doors. It spread gradually, filling the shrine grounds. The Musubi Mirror—the sacred object of Kaguramorī Shrine, an ancient mirror inscribed with spiral patterns—responded. It began to shine, resonating with Yui's words, with the resolve of the Tachibana shrine maiden. Tatsunousuke's eyebrows moved slightly. Just for an instant. A crack appeared in his composed expression for the first time. A wave of light enveloped the shrine grounds. A pale blue radiance so bright it was difficult to keep one's eyes open, dyeing the stone pavement, the cedar trees, the Taisho-era twilight sky. Tatsunousuke took one step—backward. He tried to brace his feet. But the light pushed back. The remaining members standing behind him were swept toward the stone steps all at once. Not a single voice was raised. Just the quiet power of light. Yui stood there, hand in hand with Chiyo. ＊ Pushed back to the bottom of the stone steps, Tatsunousuke remained motionless for a while. His eyes looked up at the shrine grounds—calculating. Not angry. Considering his next move. Eventually the man exhaled softly. "Remember this" With only those words, he and his members descended the stone steps. The sound of footsteps faded. Eventually it was gone. Yui felt her strength draining away. Her knees were shaking. Chiyo pulled her arm supportively. "Let's sit for a moment" The two of them sat down side by side on the veranda of the inner sanctuary. The Taisho-era Kyoto sky was beginning to be dyed by twilight. The ridgeline of Higashiyama turned red, and from the direction of the Kamogawa River, the distant sounds of the city drifted faintly. Human voices, the sound of carts, the bell of a distant temple. Kyoto from a hundred years ago was quietly welcoming dusk. For a while, the two sat in silence. Yui secretly looked at her right hand. The transparency in her fingertips remained. It seemed to have faded slightly when the mirror shone, but it hadn't completely returned to normal. The crack in the Musubi Mirror—despite all that light, there was no guarantee it had been repaired. (When I return to the present, whether I can cross from the sacred rock...) She was thinking this when Chiyo spoke. "Is Sousuke-dono... someone precious to you?" It was an abrupt question. Yui was taken aback. "Precious... well, he's a collaborator" Even as she answered, her eyes wandered for some reason. Once she noticed that, she felt even more flustered. Shinonome Sousuke, the antique dealer at Shinonome-dō. A taciturn, mysterious man with long jet-black hair and deep green eyes. When she learned she was being watched, something had hardened in her chest—but when asked if that was only because he was a collaborator, she honestly couldn't be certain. Chiyo heard that answer and lifted the corner of her mouth slightly. A gentle, knowing smile. She didn't press further. She simply looked up at the twilight sky from the veranda and exhaled quietly. Then. "At that restaurant... someone precious to me died" Her voice was small. But in the silence of the shrine grounds, those words were heard clearly. Yui looked at Chiyo. Chiyo kept facing forward. Only her eyes looked at Yui. The edges of her eyes glistened slightly. She was holding back tears. Holding them back while trying to speak. Mikazuki-rō—the high-class restaurant that had burned down in the autumn of Taisho thirteen, where three people died according to the official record. Though it was officially ruled an accidental fire, one person's identity was never determined. Now Yui finally understood why Chiyo had avoided this topic. Chiyo still didn't say who had died. Or why. Only those four characters—"someone precious"—dissolved into the twilight sky. Yui said nothing. She didn't think she needed to. She felt that simply being here right now was what mattered. Eventually Chiyo turned toward Yui. "I want you to witness the truth of that night with me. I've been unable to face it alone for so long" Her voice was thin. She looked apologetic even as she asked. Yui wrapped Chiyo's hand in both of hers. It was cold and slender. But it was the hand that had held her back moments ago. "I promise" Short and clear. One tear fell from Chiyo's eyes. It wet the veranda board and quickly disappeared. Chiyo didn't cry anymore. She simply nodded slightly and looked at the sky again. Between the two of them, words were no longer needed. ＊ When Yui returned to the present from the sacred rock on Himuro Mountain, exhaustion crashed down on her all at once. The light from the stone faded. The green of the moss sank into the night's darkness. The autumn night air touched her skin with a completely different quality than the Taisho twilight. It was the present. Kyoto in 2024. "Yui!!" She came flying. Her pale purple bob swayed, and when she smiled, her double teeth were prominent—Moeka Natsume, her small, energetic best friend, grabbed Yui's shoulders with both hands. She peered into her face. Her eyes were red. She'd been crying. "How long did you think that would take!? No contact or anything—do you know how worried I was!?" "I'm sorry. But I'm okay" "You're definitely not okay! Your face is—!?" While Moeka rattled on, Yui noticed a figure standing a little distance away. Sousuke Shinonome was leaning against a tree trunk. His long jet-black hair swayed in the night breeze. His deep green eyes watched her quietly. His usual expressionless face—but when Yui met Sousuke's gaze over Moeka's shoulder, his expression softened just slightly. His face barely moved normally, but she could tell. (Why can I tell?) She was thinking this when Moeka shook her shoulders. "So what happened!? Was Chiyo-san safe? That person—Tatsunousuke Washio—did he come?" "Chiyo-san was safe. Tatsunousuke... he came. He came directly" Moeka fell silent. Yui gave her a brief account. Tatsunousuke climbing the stone steps. Being shown the old documents. Chiyo taking her hand. The mirror shining and pushing him back. Chiyo speaking for the first time on the veranda about Mikazuki-rō—. When she finished, Moeka pulled her into a tight embrace with tears in her eyes. "Thank goodness... I'm so glad" "Yeah" She let herself be held for a while. Moeka's warmth seemed to gradually ease the tension she'd felt on the Taisho veranda. Sousuke walked over to where the two of them stood. "I have one report" His voice was low and calm. A hint of Kyoto dialect mixed in with his quiet way of speaking. Moeka released Yui, and both of them looked at Sousuke. "I noted down the surveillance car's license plate. If I can work through a contact, I might be able to identify a person connected to the modern Kurogane Society successor organization" Yui looked at Sousuke. He'd said he couldn't move. Yet he'd still done what he could. "Thank you very much" Sousuke nodded briefly. Then his gaze fell on Yui's right hand. Yui looked at it too. Her fingertips were still faintly transparent. Just one, but definitely. The wood grain of the floor was visible, not as starkly as on that Taisho night, but—it hadn't completely returned to normal. "...The mirror" "I don't think the crack has completely healed. It shone, but—it's not fully repaired" Sousuke's eyebrows drew together slightly. He was think

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Episode 7

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

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