Chapter 561 - Kiyomizu-dera (1/2)

When Zhang Heng returned, he found Akane squatting by a wooden basin preparing nigiri sus.h.i.+.

Nigiri sus.h.i.+, hand-pressed sus.h.i.+ rice topped with sliced fresh fish, was considered a more luxurious dish. Legend had it that Tokugawa Ienari, the Tokugawa shogunate’s eleventh shogun, was a greedy and l.u.s.tful man. His favorite concubine’s adopted father was a man named Sekio Nakano. Thanks to too many people wanting to become high-ranking officials through Sekio, many luxury shops were set up nearby his residence. A sus.h.i.+ restaurant owner had the idea of setting up a business selling nigiri sus.h.i.+ next door to Sekio. (Frankly, it was not really that high-end, but the trend soon caught on, and stalls were being set up on the streets).

“Is that tonight’s dinner?” Zhang Heng asked, placing the soba noodles and roasted glutinous rice b.a.l.l.s on the table. He had already finished the oden on the way back.

“No. I’ll be visiting Kiyomizu-dera tomorrow. This is for tomorrow,” answered Akane.

Zhang Heng heard of the famous temple located in the Otowa Mountain in the east of Kyoto before. Built in 778 AD, it was the oldest temple in Kyoto. Although the building had withstood fires and reconstructions, the scenery from there was no less stunning. Visitors ascended the mountainside to admire cherry blossoms in spring and maple leaves in autumn. In later generations, Kiyomizu-dera was included in the World Heritage site and has since been one of Kyoto’s must-see attractions.

“Are you going to see the cherry blossoms? Can I come along?”

“Um, something like that.” Akane nodded slowly. Somehow, the question made her blush a little. “Don’t you need to do your translation work?”

“It’s fine. My employer usually doesn’t get up until midday. If you’re going to be there for a while, I’ll just leave first.”

“Oh, okay. Then help me make more nigiri.”

“Thank you.”

Zhang Heng had been touring Kyoto with Gabriel a lot later, but the French merchant had a preference for places that offered food, drink, and play-he was not interested in shrines and temples at all. In contrast, Zhang Heng, who had never been to Kyoto, was very interested to see what the centuries-old Kiyomizu-dera looked like. Since Koyama Akane was going, he thought he might as well tag along

The next morning, before the sun rose, Akane knocked on the door to Zhang Heng’s room.

When he opened the door, Akane was carrying a lantern and the nigiri sus.h.i.+ box they prepared the night before.

Since they were going to the temple, she was in a formal kimono with red, blue, yellow, and white, held together with a sash. On her feet, she wore white tabi* and zori*.

Because she spent most of her time in the dojo, she was always dressed in dogi* and hakama*. This was the first time Zhang Heng had seen Akane out of her uniform. She actually looked feminine, and he couldn’t help but stare a little.

The gawking made Akane a little uneasy. “What?!”

She lowered the lantern, trying to hide her face in the darkness, and said sternly, “Hurry up and get ready. We’ll leave soon.” “Alright. I’ll get changed.”

Zhang Heng disappeared into his room again. Akane began to exhale, but Zhang Heng suddenly turned around again and asked, “Er… what should I wear to the temple?”

“Anything you like. Just don’t bring your sword.”

“Okay.”

Akane watched Zhang Heng enter the roomhe had forgotten to close the door behind him, and for a minute, she did not know what to do. Even though she could not see anything from where she was, she could hear the rustling of the fabric as he put on his clothes. Her face flushed, and she wanted to get away from the door, but she was worried that doing so would make her look suspicious.