A Chance Encounter/A New Beginning

The strings were thankfully not tangled to hell and I got the lady out of it quickly and unscathed for the most part.

The first I did was get both of us away from that place. I've had enough of that creepy string room. Going back to her, the area around her neck wasn't as red and her fair skin showed no signs of change in color. She must've slipped and somehow got caught up in all that. Why would there be such a place in Kiyoko's house anyway?

Next, I checked her pulse and everything I could without getting too touchy. First, I'm not trained for this and second, she's not in immediate danger where overextending myself was necessary. Her breathing normally was enough assurance she's alright for now. I'd suggest Kiyoko to take her to a hospital as soon as I returned to the shop.

With the situation mostly under control, I began retracing my reasoning. What made her slip in the string room in the first place? She didn't look like a thief especially wearing a furisode on a house… was she a visitor? If so, a lighter kimono could work as I'm pretty confident this wasn't the correct outfit for her purpose. The questions popped up nonstop.

Her eyelashes quivered. Soon enough, she regained consciousness. And obviously, seeing a stranger first thing upon waking up made her scramble to the exit… only to bump her head at the door. Well, anything would be better than her getting tangled back.

“Owwww….” Her tiny sniffles while curled into a ball made me unsure if I found it adorable or sympathetic.

“Uh… I'm nobody suspicious—”

“STAY BACK!” She reached at the back of her obi glaring daggers at me.

I took a step back. She might have a blade with her after all. “Fair enough. Although, I'd prefer if you at least teach me how to go back to the shop. I'm kinda lost so…”

She took deep breaths trying to collect herself. Unlike the store owner, she's nowhere near as elegant, her crumpled up kimono wasn't helping either.

When she faced me again, she's calm. Too calm in fact, as if she’s a different person. “Go first please. I'll tell you where to go… oh! Is it done?”

“You're missing a few pages, miss,” I shrugged off her aggressive pointing that I stand in front but complied. I'm a little annoyed myself since my upset stomach was gone as if nothing happened. This might be the first time I'm angry because I'm not sick.

“The event,” Was her short explanation.

“Uh, yeah.”

She went quiet for a moment, tempting me to turn around and check if she's showing signs of discomfort after being caught up in that room. However, my instincts told me I'd get in deeper trouble if I did that. She might actually be carrying a weapon with her judging by the way she angled her arms. Also, given how drastic her personality changed within a few seconds, it's safer to obey her at this point.

I sensed something poke me from behind. It felt like a stick or something similar. I began walking. “Actually, I'm having a little chat with the organizer and had to run to the bathroom for a bit. I got lost then found you strangled with those strings.”

“Please don't mention you saw me in that room.”

“Sure. But no funny business on your end either.”

“Wait,” The footsteps behind me stopped. “You're not a thief, are you?”

“You can go ahead and ask Miss Kiyoko,” I threw in an honorific in case she's the type to get upset over those. Despite not having any resemblance, I had a feeling they're siblings, provided they were indeed blood-related.

She took me to a path I had no recollection of going into. When we finally reached somewhere familiar—the first door I opened—I found Kiyoko looking at me, her arms crossed.

Upon seeing the girl behind me, she sighed. “Dear, try to be creative on the excuses… for your sake,” She pointed with her eyes at the nearby sofa. “You two, sit.”

There's nothing to lie about except for the place where I saw this gray-haired girl. That, honestly speaking, was the hardest hurdle. Kiyoko, for some reason, seemed to have a rough idea, only waiting for me to slip up. I told the girl found me while I'm lost and assumed I was a thief hence the escort at cane-point. Over-explaining might tip her something was indeed off. That also meant not mentioning her to seek medical attention. It's obvious this girl valued secrecy over health. 

She turned to the girl after I was done. Her kimono was obviously not worn right and that's coming from me who had little to no idea how its supposed to be. The creases definitely didn't help and of course, Kiyoko saw through that.

“Do you have anything to say, Senna?” she asked in a soft tone. Perhaps she wasn't so angry like she's making me believe.

Senna shook her head.

“I'm glad you're safe. Although you got lucky it's this person, you shouldn't let your guard down next time. Remember to break his neck, okay? Thoroughly.”

Please don't smile at me while giving her such dangerous instructions!

“Hm, but with your dress ruined, I doubt you'd make it in time for your errand. Oh goodness, if only I can accompany you…”

“Uh,” I meekly raised my hand. “I'd hate to interrupt but I think I'd best be on my way… now…”

“Haa…”

That scoff irritated me. To think it came from the girl I saved moments earlier kinda pissed me off. I looked at Kiyoko whose giving me a conflicted smile herself. Dammit, I don't wanna take the hint!

And thus, began my days working as an errand boy.

***

Without any orientation, I was suddenly thrown into the job. Kiyoko said it'd help me with my romance problems and promised to pay me some decent sum, provided I do well. The judge? Obviously, this girl.

Senna was feeling the ground with her cane before taking small steps. I'm sure she wasn't visually impaired, but if she's in a hurry, maybe I needed to call a taxi or she couldn't have wasted time getting changed into an elaborate outfit. Either way, I needed to mind my actions. It's a tricky situation knowing nothing about the job nor the employer.

“I've read about your journal,” she said. “Mister Tsukishima is a regular at the events. No successful—no, no fruitful matches to date. Preferences are… none, as far as I remember. Sometimes slow on the uptake, like earlier.”

“Well, in my defense for the last bit, I already sensed it. I just wanna go home.”

She looked up. Tall buildings ate most of the orange sky which in turn was eaten by the indigo of the approaching night. There's a bunch of crows circling overhead but they looked like specks of black at this distance. “You can go home if you want.”

“Really? Like, are you sure?”

“As thanks for covering up for me.”

We reached a more crowded area. Seeing someone wear a kimono in a modern, day-to-day setting was rare, so some people started taking pictures. I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen her before, given the fact she's been doing this for quite some time now (I might be wrong with my deduction though).

People, especially teenage girls, were too eager to interact with her. ‘It's Lady Yuugure,’ they repeated over and over while pressing the shutter without permission. I did my best protecting Senna or Kiyoko would have my head on a platter.

“Are you fine with the pictures?” I couldn't help but ask. Personally, I found them intrusive and annoying.

“Yes. Why not take advantage of it and be in as many of them as you can. It might help with your image, who knows?”

We reached a pedestrian crossing. At first, I was mulling over how we could cross quickly when she's taking her sweet time; I've seen the elderly walk faster. Funny enough, it's a stupid thing to ponder, since people helped us—her specifically—take a leisurely walk spanning three go signals.

Red. Green. Red. Green. Red. Green. The journey was unbelievable.

Never have I dreamed I'd take this long to cross a damned road. Whenever the light turned red, I was always taken by the urge to sweep her off her feet and run.

I couldn't help but clutch my chest in fear. What if we got run over? But more importantly…

This attention is killing me!

It might not be me but the fact I was with her entitled me to secondhand anxiety.

“People liked beauty the most,” she spoke, sensing my anxiety. “Physical beauty. The core doesn't matter until much, much later in the game.”

“Thank you for rubbing it in my face. I try prettying myself up too, you know,” In fact, I followed a slick, cool guy look I saw on a magazine yet all I could get was a couple of stares. Without the hot guy genes, it didn't have the same effect.

“Cosmetics can only go so far. And if that doesn't work? Then what?”

I had some answers, although it's highly doubtful if those were the ones she sought.

“If you already know you're lacking, then feed off of someone else's beauty," She stated this unpleasant answer matter-of-factly, as she had intended me to experience it through the unsolicited pictorial. "You'd be surprised by the amount of love you'd garner that way.”

As I journeyed with her, the more I get the feeling I should've turned back at the first opening. Falling in love was a wonderful thing, if most people were asked the question. I also felt that way too. My need for romance—this hunger continued eating at me until there's a gaping hole in my heart. I desired love.

But this… the love these two introduced… it's nothing like musings of those who viewed it with rose-tinted lenses. This one's… more raw… pure.

Ugly.

And personally, the kind of romance I've been searching.