Chapter 398: 153. Mrs. Kasahara is narrow-minded, huh
The small blue tape measure made a slight zip sound before pulling out the PVC measuring tape.
The tape measure seemed to wrap lightly around the foot, measuring from the toes to the heel, the heel to the ankle. Fujiwara Reya recorded the numbers in his notebook. Yukino Ritsuko seemed a little restless, her soft and pleasing sole started to twist. Fujiwara Reya restrained it with his right hand.
On the bench, he spread open the notebook and placed her foot on it.
Then, Fujiwara Reya tore off a few pages of paper, ripped them into thin strips. Using these strips, he measured the thickness by crossing them over the instep, making it look like the foot was tied with "shoelaces." Her toes moved slightly at this point.
"Stand up," he said.
Yukino Ritsuko wanted to reply, but couldn’t make a sound from her throat.,
She took off the high heel on her other foot, grabbed the pillar of the pavilion, and slowly stood barefoot on the bench, holding the pillar to maintain balance.
Fujiwara Reya had no distractions at this time.
He bent slightly, gently pressing her instep with his left hand, sketching the outline of her sole with a pencil in his right hand. Yukino Ritsuko lowered her head, staring intently at his every move. The wind rustled the leaves, the sound coming closer. Rain, maple leaves, and her hair swayed lightly together. A few small water droplets fell on her burning neck.
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In the afternoon, Fujiwara Reya went out and bought some leather for shoemaking. Then he went to the Kanto Onmyoryo Headquarters to complete Kawashima Miki’s registration as a shrine maiden. He planned to return to Nagano Prefecture tomorrow; if he wanted to win over the lady, this matter couldn’t be delayed any longer.
Outside the Kanto Onmyoryo, he received a call from Mrs. Kasahara, asking him to come over, dressed formally.
Fujiwara Reya had to go home and change clothes.
Inside the bakery, Yukino Ritsuko was reading a book as usual.
Under the warm yellow light of the chandelier, she seemed a bit sleepy, half-lying on the table with her hair slightly disheveled.
Fujiwara Reya didn’t disturb her, instead, he made his way directly to the second floor.
Only then did Yukino Ritsuko notice the movement and let out a "hmm."
Fujiwara Reya turned around, and in the warm light, Yukino Ritsuko struggled to sit up, groggily rubbing her eyes, then sniffed as she looked toward the stairs.
A slightly bland exchange of glances.
In the dim afternoon, Yukino Ritsuko’s eyes seemed to have a glow, carrying a touch of laziness: "Uh... Fujiwara..."
Like the murmurs of a little girl...
It seemed like she had become a bit sillier.
Her expression appeared a bit confused, but that call of "Fujiwara," her voice soft, carried a warmth that reached deep inside. Not long after, Yukino Ritsuko shook her head, cleared up, and looked at him a bit sheepishly: "After you went out, I got a bit sleepy... almost fell asleep."
"I came back to change clothes, need to go to Tokyo Grand Shrine later," Fujiwara Reya said.
"Uh, okay." Yukino Ritsuko shook her messy long hair, then folded her hands on the table, seeming unsure of what to do, smiled awkwardly. After a while, when Fujiwara Reya finished changing and left, she let out a long sigh, looking quite embarrassed.
Left the bakery.
Fujiwara Reya was a bit hungry, so he found a ramen stall on the shopping street in front of Asakusa Temple..
The noodles were chewy, and the soup was nice.
After the meal, he casually bought a newspaper and read it in the car for a while.
At four in the afternoon, he arrived at Tokyo Grand Shrine, where a servant guided him to the backyard.
In the area not open to tourists, someone was admiring the flowers.
Hydrangeas, camellias, and little mulberry vines; yellow roses and marigolds; pink peonies, four-colored peonies, gardenias, and lilies were even purer in white.
Mrs. Kasahara, in a white floral kimono with a black overcoat, stood under the eaves in the rain, seemingly waiting for someone.
The rain had been falling since morning, and looking out from under the eaves, the dim sunlight barely penetrated through the clouds, like powder weakly drifting in the air, making the courtyard appear even darker.
After cutting down the Indian crepe myrtle beside the stone basin, the moss between the stones of the Zen garden was particularly lush.
Soon, there were slight footsteps behind.
Mrs. Kasahara didn’t turn around, softly saying: "Without tending for over a month, my flowers are getting drowned in weeds."
"Mother doesn’t allow the servants to help," Kasahara Fumi walked a few steps forward, stopping a bit behind her mother, also looking at the garden overgrown with weeds.
"If it’s your own flowers, what’s the point of having servants help tend them?" Mrs. Kasahara smiled, turning her gaze to her eldest daughter.
She was wearing a red kimono, her hair loosely draped over her shoulders.
Her noble and cool beauty appeared even more striking in the dim surroundings.
"Wonderful!" Mrs. Kasahara laughed happily, casually picking a white hollyhock stretching into the eaves, circling behind her daughter, "But why not tidy your hair, it’s not proper for receiving guests like this."
"What kind of guest is he?" Kasahara Fumi retorted unemotionally.
Mrs. Kasahara was accustomed to this, gently combing her daughter’s hair, skillfully tying a bun with a rubber band, and then placing the white hollyhock on the bun. The contact between the flower stems and hair made a sound of mutual friction.
First, she tied up her hair, then inserted the white flower crosswise.
It looked almost like practicing flower arrangement, inserting two or three, before Mrs. Kasahara stood up to view from a distance. The bright orange hair paired with the pure white flower was quite lovely.
"It’s done." Mrs. Kasahara clapped her hands in satisfaction.