On Japan, in the Setagaya district, there was a certain estate. To be able to own even a modest estate in the city—while the grounds were not especially large—was still enough to show this family's power.
Hanging on the estate's gate was an emerald-green plaque, on which the three characters "Kiryuin" were written, announcing that this was the Kiryuin residence.
In one of the side courtyards inside the estate, Kiryuin, who now looked fresh and radiant, was wearing a rare kimono and sitting neatly before the low table. Her slender hands moved slightly, as graceful as flowers blooming under her fingertips, performing the so-called Japanese tea ceremony.
At this moment, Kiryuin no longer carried any of her usual arrogant, moneyed aura. She looked even less like a queen, and more like a woman who had softened herself into water, brewing tea elegantly for her husband.
Yukio sat across from her with a smile, watching this warm scene with interest. The sight made the two elders beside them exchange a look and nod. "You young people can sit together, drink tea, and chat. We old folks won't stay here and be an eyesore."
Yukio rose to see them off, but where was this little woman in front of him now? Kiryuin sprawled openly on the tatami, propping her head up with both hands and resting the back of her neck on them.
Her snow-white legs were utterly impolite, directly propped up on the tea table where she had just been making tea. She was even shaking them idly, looking thoroughly like a spoiled, rich-kid delinquent.
Still, her little feet were lovely—arched, soft, round, and lustrous like pearls. They looked like a mischievous child both lively and stubborn, bouncing toward Yukio with a wiggle.
"Ah, I'm exhausted." Once Kiryuin saw the two elders of the family leave, she immediately returned to her true nature. "Seriously, every time I come home, I have to put on that act. It's so annoying."
When they were taking a special exam at Advanced Nurturing High School, Kiryuin had once told Yukio that if nothing unexpected happened, after she came of age, her family would push her into a political marriage with another powerful family for mutual benefit.
Yukio had accompanied Kiryuin home today precisely to help her resolve this matter. What Yukio needed to do was simply communicate a little with Kiryuin's elders and make it clear that both sides could cooperate in certain areas for mutual benefit and mutual victory.
The two elders had happily welcomed Yukio in, and before Kiryuin could even speak, they had already taken out the etiquette for family juniors, doing their utmost to win Yukio's goodwill. They absolutely could not make any mistakes, continuing the scene where Kiryuin had just made tea for him.
That sort of money-loving performance, to Kiryuin, could be called familiar.
"You're lying there, so where's my tea?" Yukio had long since grown used to Kiryuin's money-grubbing style. He was simply curious. Since her legs were already on top of the tea table, where had the tea gone?
She had spent half the day chatting with the two elders and talking about benefits and cooperation, and in the end, he did not even get a single cup of water?
"You want tea?" Kiryuin lifted her eyebrows, smiling very lightly and very smugly, not bothering to hide it from Yukio at all.
Today's trip had practically loosened all the shackles weighing on Kiryuin's back, so she could be lighthearted with anyone. Especially for someone like Kiryuin, that was no easy thing.
"Stop talking nonsense." Yukio casually sat down beside Kiryuin, not being particular at all. "I'm thirsty."
"Haha." Kiryuin lived happily and freely. Facing Yukio, she lightly lifted her chin, signaling him to come closer. "Junior, since you worked so hard for me today, shouldn't your senpai at least offer you a cup of tea to quench your thirst?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Kiryuin nimbly swung herself upright and stood. "Let's go, junior. Senpai will take you to sneak something good. Those old fossils have a lot of excellent tea hidden away, and they didn't even offer it to you earlier."
"…" Yukio blinked slowly. Somehow, this felt less like visiting someone's home and more like breaking into someone's house. But thinking about it, he relaxed. Wasn't Kiryuin-senpai always like this? She deliberately picked only safe thrills.
With him here today, even if they were discovered, nothing would happen. And even if they were discovered, he could guarantee there would be no issue at all. But this bit of excitement was probably exactly what Kiryuin liked.
So, avoiding the elders and the household staff, Kiryuin took Yukio straight to the small courtyard where her elders lived.
The security guards and housekeepers they met along the way all acted as if they had seen nothing. After all, the two of them were not sneaking around. They were openly and brazenly passing through.
The staff also understood that one of them was the young miss of the household, and the other was the future new son-in-law, so of course no one would come over and stop them.
Very soon, Kiryuin smoothly led him into a small pavilion behind the courtyard. With her hands and feet moving briskly, she dragged Yukio through the window and into the building, directly finding the place where the elders kept their good things.
No matter how one looked at the interior, it was not especially luxurious. It looked like a low-key bedroom for the elders. Kiryuin directly squatted down, lifted the floorboard, and pulled out a small golden box from underneath.
After taking it out, she opened the box. A wave of aged, antique fragrance drifted out. Yukio did not care much about the smell. His gaze was fixed on her instead.
Because Kiryuin had her back to him, she was half-squatting, and the way her kimono rounded out when lifted by her form looked almost like a silent invitation.
Yukio had no choice but to silently begin reciting in his heart: Be rich and strong. Be democratic. Use that to steady his mind and keep his blood from breaking through reason.
"What do you want to drink, junior? This old man has quite the collection." Kiryuin did not turn around. She simply thought Yukio's silence was because he could not choose. "There's Gyokuro, Sencha, Kakegawa. Which one suits your taste, junior?"
Seeing Kiryuin start to ask, Yukio, who had already barely suppressed his thoughts, quickly praised her. "You really know your way around this stuff, senpai. How many times have you done this?"
"Hehe." Kiryuin looked visibly pleased. From inside the little golden box, she found the extremely precious and well-categorized tea leaves, then casually crossed her arms as she picked through them. "Ever since I was little, I came here once or twice every month."
Yukio was left completely speechless. He could only silently raise his thumb. In the end, who was having more fun and being more provocative here—him, or Kiryuin-senpai?
Once or twice a month since she was little? This tiny courtyard of the elders had never been emptied out by senpai? For her to even say the elders had a lifetime of treasures was being modest.
"Fine. Since you don't have a preference, I'll take all of them today." Kiryuin thought for a moment and found picking too troublesome, so she simply picked up the golden box and prepared to leave.
Yukio looked stunned. "Ahem, Senpai, in the future, if we have a daughter, we absolutely can't raise her like this."
Surely he could not let her touch his own collection, right? Yukio also had some precious items in his own private collection, after all. People inevitably had at least a little collecting habit.
"Hehehe." Kiryuin hugged the little box and laughed again, as if she had heard some great joke. "How could that happen?"
"Huh? Junior, don't be like this. In the future, we should raise our children from a young age and get them into the habit of collecting good things. Then senpai can take you to steal from the children~"
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