Chapter 11

Tsuiraku was an unincorporated island situated in the vast Xuicurian Sea, named for the Xuicuria Dynasty that bordered on the northern and eastern edges of the water. They were the largest neighbor to Yuilen Kingdom, the country both Kaede and Gakuto hailed from, and the two had a rather friendly coexistence.

Tsuiraku was hardly a massive island, but it was large enough to house a reasonably populated village; three separate shrines; a dock with weekly ferries to and from both Xuicuria and Yuilen; a disused lighthouse; and a duo of ancient caves, with tidepools that were a welcoming invitation to both local fishermen and a steady amount of affluent tourists eager to see some natural beauty.

It was also home to Mt. Ochiru, a worn-down mountain that was more like a really steep hill than a towering rock that required expeditions to tackle. It wasn’t even the tallest peak in the Xuicurian Sea, that title belonging to Nipaburi, a nearby undersea mountain that barely peaked above the waves. Two of the three shrines were located on Ochiru, one roughly halfway up the slope and another at its peak. The third shrine was on the far edge of the village, located near a sheer cliff that dropped directly into the sea. It had a nice overlook of the natural beauty on the uninhabited side of the island and was the most active of the three shrines, despite all three shrines remaining functional and providing service to any parishioners who entered.

The remaining land on Tsuiraku was forested, including the areas surrounding the two shrines on the mountain and the surrounding foothills. The island had a lot of natural beauty and it probably led to the upbeat energy that Kaede and Gakuto felt when they entered the village itself.

Despite it being quite early on in the morning, the sun just barely starting its daily ascent, the main road through the village was already abuzz with activity. Fishermen selling their early morning catches were set up alongside women selling the produce from their gardens. No one glanced twice at the pair of teens dressed in nice clothes, with tourists being a normal sight on the island.

Kaede had her gaze down slightly as Gakuto led them down the road, passed the hawkers and the locals haggling, as he turned off the main road to one of the side paths.

“Do you know where we’re going, Gakkun?” Kaede’s voice was tiny as she shuffled closer to him. As far as she knew, he had never been to this island before either, but since he was walking with confidence, she figured he must have an idea of where to go.

“A resthouse would have a sign, and it wouldn’t be too far off the central road.” Gakuto replied as they came out onto another wide road, this one less crowded than the previous one. “It would more than likely be closer to the ocean side of the island than the mountainous side, preferring the picturesque views over being the shadows during some of the day.”

Gakuto gestured for Kaede to follow him to the left, on this larger road.

“You seem to know a lot about this, Gakkun.”

Gakuto stopped, turning to face Kaede. “I learned all of this from my father. We traveled around a bit before he joined the Imperial guard, and he would always manage to find a place for us to stay, even in smaller villages than this. I don’t recall us ever staying on an island, but he always said that ‘resthouses were made for people seeking a good time on their trip, and that nice views tend to warrant repeat visitors’.” An unassuming smile crossed his face, as if he was looking back in time, before letting out an awkward chuckle. “I don’t think he always meant scenic views…”

Kaede tilted her head, curious at the way Gakuto trailed off, but not wanting to force him to speak more.

Unlike Kaede, Gakuto was born outside the palace walls, having moved into the back palace around the time she was six. Until then, she hadn’t seen anyone her own age anywhere in the expansive grounds of the Emperor’s stronghold. He had moved in when his father, Ryuta, had joined the Imperial guard.

Kaede and Gakuto had practically latched onto each other from that moment on, her finally having someone her own age to talk to, and him trying to get comfortable in his new home. If his father and him had merely roamed from place to place before then, it now made sense to her. They didn’t have anyone their own age until then.

Gakuto turned, leading Kaede back down the road a little ways before stopping, eyeing the nobori, reading ‘Nagato Resthouse’, flapping in the wind. She leaned around his shoulder, reading the sign before following him inside, passed the noren hanging across the entrance.

“Good morning!” An older woman in a dark blue kimono bowed as Kaede and Gakuto entered the foyer. Kaede instinctively dropped into an elegant bow to match as Gakuto gave a slight sheepish one.

“Hello, ma’am.” Gakuto said awkwardly. Outside of a select few people in the back palace, Gakuto wasn’t the social type and he didn’t have the years of practiced manners and etiquette that Kaede had. He had also been doing his best to keep his nerves in check, having the same trepidations about their situation as her.

Kaede brought her left yukata sleeve up to her mouth, covering it as she let out a soft giggle before clearing her throat, bowing to the older woman once more.

“Good morning, fair lady.” Kaede put on a shining smile as she stood at full height before continuing.

“My name is Yumekawa Kaede and this is my friend, Gakuto.” She gestured to him with all the smoothness of a shop owner showcasing a specific area of their store. “We had a slight… mishap, and inadvertently boarded the wrong ferry last night. It is such an embarrassing situation, really. We simply thought we could just wait around for a few chimes, once landing, and take the ferry back to the mainland, but discovered that it only runs between Tsuiraku and Yuilen once a week. We were perhaps wondering if we could impose our presence upon your establishment until then, as we don’t know anyone on this island and don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Kaede ended that with another polite bow.

The older woman let out a vigorous laugh and Kaede snapped back to full height, her face flushing slightly.

“What a polite young lady you are, Kaede!” She thumbed through a book filled with hastily scribbled notes before landing on one that was only partially filled out, before turning it to Kaede. “Sign your name here and the amount of people with you. We’ll be more than happy to accommodate you for the week!”

Kaede grabbed the small brush and wrote the details the older woman had requested in her neatest calligraphy before gently turning the book back to the woman.

“What beautiful handwriting.” The older woman said, scribbling some notes herself after Kaede’s. “My name is Yukiko. I’m the owner of the Nagato Resthouse.” She looked at Gakuto, who was standing to the side awkwardly. “You don’t have to be so shy, young man.”

Gakuto scowled slightly, as Kaede let out another giggle.

“A week’s lodging will be eleven gold pieces.” Yukiko said as Kaede retrieved the coins, before gently placing them on the open logbook. “It includes a room with a view, two meals per day and access to the bath. Now if you would like to grab your luggage, I’ll show you both to the room.”

Kaede and Gakuto exchanged glances, before Kaede laughed nervously. “We don’t have any...”

“No luggage? Ah, it must’ve been put on the other ferry.”

Kaede tried to explain but Yukiko gestured for them to follow after her, not allowing her to get a word in.

“That’s a shame, and you can’t very well go around only in your lovely yukata for a week, Kaede. I think I might be able to help though, my daughter is about your age and I’m sure we can get something to fit you.” She turned her gaze on Gakuto, sizing him up. “I don’t know if I have much for you, but I’m sure something from my late husband might fit you. Maybe something comfortable to sleep in, at the very least.”

Gakuto tried to interject but Yukiko carried on, leading them up to the second floor, never stopping to catch a breath.

“The bath is down a path out the door to the left beside the stairs there. The kitchen and dining area are on the opposite side. All the rooms are on the second and third floors, but there’s not really anyone here right now. It’s the quiet season, with the mainlands having all their midsummer festivals, not a whole lot of people traveling out to a tiny island like this. I hope you two don’t mind the silence.”

Kaede was nodding along as Yukiko droned on, leading them to a second set of stairs to the third floor. “My daughter, Yurika, will be around sometime after the lunch chime. She went into the village to get some produce from one of the young ladies who lives near the shrine. Oh, you should check out the shrines while you’re here, always a lovely spot for tourists to see. With a week here, I’m sure it will be a nice distraction from your poor luck.”

Gakuto was slowly tuning Yukiko out as they reached the third floor landing before she snapped him back to attention. “Gakuto, was it? An interesting name. I think someone in the village had a name similar to that. He left the island several years ago though. You’re the same age as sweet Kaede here? You two aren’t eloping or anything of the sort, are you?”

Gakuto flushed red and flailed his arms in front of him as Kaede tilted her head slightly.

“No, Gakkun and I aren’t like that!” Her bright smile radiated more cruelty than she knew as Gakuto’s embarrassment was replaced by dejection.

“Oh, is that right? A shame, though I think my daughter might be happy with that. You seem to be her type, strong build with a bit of a shy side. You’ll meet her when she gets back from the market. She’ll bring some clothes for you to try on Kaede.” Yukiko tilted her head to the side. “Then I guess two rooms is better for you both? And no, no, I won’t charge you extra. Like I said, it’s a bit quiet around here so there’s plenty of space right now.”

Kaede was already digging for more coins. “Are you sure, Yukiko-san? I don’t want to impose more than we already are, it’s not trouble to pay more…”

“Please, please, just Yukiko. Oh, aren’t you just the sweetest, Kaede? You don’t worry about it at all.”

Yukiko opened one of the doors in the hallway and then the one right next to it, spreading her arms towards them. “Take whichever one you feel comfortable in, Kaede, Gakuto. I assume rooms next to each other would be ideal for a pair traveling together. Ah, listen to me ramble on about this and that nonsense. I’m sure you two are exhausted from your trip.”

Before either one could reply, Yukiko had somehow guided them each into a room, Kaede’s on the left, slightly further from the stairs than Gakuto’s.

“Please, please, have a good rest here and I hope to see you both at dinner.” She clapped her hands together suddenly, as if realizing something, startling them both. “Dinner is about halfway between the fifth and sixth chimes after the midday one! I’ll have extra servings ready for you both!”

After that, Yukiko was off down the stairs swiftly, as if their attendance was a foregone conclusion. Both Kaede and Gakuto leaned into the hallway, looking at each other shocked before sharing a quick laugh.

“Yukiko-san is quite something, isn’t she?”

“Seems like this will be an interesting, yet uneventful week, at least.” Gakuto said, leaning against the doorframe.

“Really? I certainly don’t think it will be uneventful, Gakkun!”
Gakuto raised an eyebrow as he saw a wide smile cross Kaede’s face, curious as if she had a different idea in mind.

“It’s my first week outside the palace! I’m going to make it eventful!”

Gakuto sighed, turning towards the window at the opposite end of the hall. “Please don’t… this is already stressing me out.”

Kaede didn’t hear that as she turned into her room, a bit of mischief twinkling in her eyes.