A hotel somewhere in Tokyo.
Beep!
[Master, it is said that the young girl of the Saionji family has arrived.]
“Yeah. Come down now.”
Fujiwara Sai, the second son of Fujiwara, a Japanese family that has been passed down since the Edo period, got up from his seat after answering that.
“Master, are you leaving?”
“Ah, it’s going to take a long time, so if you have business to do, it’s okay to leave work first.”
“You’re overworked. How can I do that as the master’s escort?”
The man in the dark robes worn by old ninjas said so and bowed his head deeply.
Before long, the moonlight shone in the room, and the figure of the man revealed in the darkness was overwhelming.
From https://noblemtl.com
Muscles that have been trained to the limit so that they can be recognized even through thick clothing.
The strong limbs were like a wild beast.
It is fundamentally different from ordinary people.
To be specific, it was like a character from an action cartoon that fell into the love-comedy universe.
Fujiwara Sai laughed as he heard the honest vassal’s words.
“Hanzo, you’re too inflexible.”
The dark-haired ninja called Hanzo at the young master’s rebuke skillfully countered it.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Then, let’s go down together at this point. It seems like the escort will accompany me from the other side anyway.”
“Won’t your gaze on me feel burdensome?”
“If it’s burdensome with just that much, I wouldn’t have been able to get to a position where I could overtake you and carry you as an escort.”
Saying that, Fujiwara Sai patted Hattori Hanzo’s shoulder, a giant two heads taller than himself.
“Follow.”
“I will obey your orders.”
The master and servant with different shades got on the waiting elevator and headed to the restaurant in the hotel lounge.
***
Saionji Kumiko thought as she rode the limousine to the meeting place.
‘… uncomfortable.’
I definitely thought it would be something I would do someday.
But I never thought that that time would come before I even graduated from school.
If he had a normal personality, he would have refused at least in one word, but this time it is a request from his beloved grandfather.
Since it was an order given as the 27th head of the Saionji family, she had no choice but to do anything about it as a member of the family.
Since entering Ichijo Academy, Kumiko Saionji, who has such a brilliant brain that she has never missed the first place in her grade, knew.
Responsibility of those who stand above.
This is commonly referred to as ‘noblesse oblige’.
Since I was born into this world and have enjoyed many benefits until now, there is only one thing left to pay off in the future.
This confrontation will be the first step.
But she still had regrets.
A very big regret called ‘Kim Yoo-seong’.
“Lady, are you okay?”
“Yes? Oh, yes.”
To Izumo Koga, who was sitting right next to him, Kumiko answered with a surprised expression on her face and straightened her posture.
“I fell in love for a moment.”
Then Koga Izumo nodded as if he understood.
“It’s the first time I’m going to a standing position, so I think you’ll be very upset. But don’t worry too much. Seeing a line doesn’t necessarily lead to an engagement or marriage. I know because I’ve done it a lot.”
“……”
From the listener’s point of view, it was a cheer that seemed to be energizing.
Then Minami, who was sitting quietly next to him, said:
“Girl, I think we’ll be arriving at the hotel soon. Are you sure you won’t be more happy than that?”
Then Kumiko snorted and swept the long straight hair that she was proud of, behind her shoulder.
“School uniform is like a student’s suit. If you’re a man who gives you a pint glass for going out to the table wearing this, you should know the level of it.”
“All right.”
From https://noblemtl.com
Minami, who was the first to bow down to Kumiko’s stubbornness, shook her head and looked out the window.
It was because she already knew what the young lady was thinking about going to school wearing a school uniform.
‘Kim Yoo-seong, you are a sinful man.’
Despite the fact that it may instill a sense of rudeness in the face of the first meeting, the young lady wanted to destroy this standing position as she endured it.
A passive rebellion that shows in a detour, because it is not possible to do it actively from my point of view.
He wanted to support such a young girl, but it was impossible with his own power as a simple servant.
‘Girl, be strong.’
From https://noblemtl.com
Minami muttered to herself like that, and looked out at the scenery outside the window that was passing quickly.
Fall rain was pouring down from the dark sky.
***
Between Saionji Kumiko and Fujiwara, the two met at a restaurant in a 5-star hotel in Roppongi.
When she got off the limousine with the Akagi and Koga Izumo, whom she had brought as attendants, the general manager of the hotel, who was already waiting at the front door, approached.
“Welcome. My name is Hashimoto, the general manager of this hotel. Master Sai is already waiting in the hotel lounge, so I will guide you.”
“Oh, I’m begging you.”
As Kumiko said so and bowed her head slightly, Hashimoto, who bowed politely, took the lead and guided her and her companions.
‘What kind of person is Sai Fujiwara?’
I’ve never heard of the name.
This is because, since she was a child, she was rumored to be a prodigy of the Fujiwara family, or Kirinah (麒麟兒).
I heard that the head of the Fujiwara family, who recognized the dazzling talent of his second son from an early age, sent him abroad to study abroad to avoid friction with the eldest son, so it was after he became a college student that he returned to Korea.
Perhaps he persisted in mysticism after that, but he rarely appeared in public places, but I heard that there are many people paying attention to the future as the power succession structure is tilted from the eldest to the second son.
Ding Dong!
When the elevator door opened, she saw the restaurant, which was lavishly decorated from the entrance with thousands of flowers.
“This.”
As she muttered with a puzzled expression, Hashimoto, the general manager of the hotel, who was walking in front of her, said:
“This event was specially ordered by the master for the young girl of the Saionji family who visited today.”
“Kuh-hum. Okay, so let’s go.”
Kumiko, dissatisfied with the fact that she had lost her attention for a moment, hurried her steps after coughing a little.
And finally we arrived at the meeting place.
What was waiting there was a gray-haired nobleman.
“Welcome to Saionji. My name is Fujiwara Sai.”
“…I’m Kumiko Saionji.”
“Because of living abroad for a long time, there are parts of me that I am not good at in Japanese, but I ask for your understanding. Then, please sit down.”
After Fujiwara Sai said that first and sat down, Kumiko followed him quietly and sat down on the other side of the table.
He said as he drank the water from the glass.
“Your uniform suits you very well. You seem to have come right after school, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. It happened by chance. I didn’t have time to change my clothes because I had a tight appointment.”
“Well, even if it’s a little late, it’s okay to change into comfortable clothes.”
“It’s okay. Rather, it can be said that school uniforms are the most comfortable clothes for students.”
“Huhu, I don’t know for sure because there are no dress restrictions in foreign countries.”
“Ho-ho, didn’t it say that if you come to Rome, you should follow Roman law?”
On the surface, it was a peaceful conversation, but the two were already fighting a fierce swordsmanship.
That’s probably because what we’ve exchanged so far has been the ‘Kyoto-style way of speaking’.
Even if it is a general compliment if you hear it from someone else, if you hear it from someone from Kyoto, you’re indirectly sarcastic about the other person’s behavior.
And Saionji Kumiko realized because of Fujiwara Sai’s very aggressive words and deeds.
He realized that he wasn’t the only one who didn’t like this place, which was created unilaterally through conversations with adults.
Therefore, even though they met each other for the first time, the two did not add or subtract from biting each other with the ‘Kyoto-style way of speaking’.
It was when the food they had been waiting for came to a temporary ceasefire after the fierce fight between the two.
Even if they fight when they fight, whether they think it is necessary to supplement their stamina, the blades of the horses that stabbed each other sharply stopped for a moment.
And after tasting the appetizer of the course meal, Saionji Kumiko spoke out for the first time.
“The food tastes pretty good.”
Then, Fujiwara Sai smiled and nodded his head.
“It’s a dish made with special care by the chef here.”
After exchanging words one by one, there was a strange silence.
Rather, the escorts standing behind the two of them were even more nervous.
Kumiko opened her mouth after taking another bite of the escargot served as an appetizer.
“It seems that the search war is over soon, so can I be honest?”
“what?”
“I have no intention of getting married yet.”
At this point, it was nothing more than a bombshell remark beyond rudeness, but Fujiwara Sai smiled contentedly as if he liked Kumiko’s words.
“Hearing those words, I’m rather fond of you.”
“Yes? What is that….”
When Kumiko asked with a puzzled expression, Sai Fujiwara put down the fork she was holding and said.
“You’re the first person to treat me like this. Saionji-san.”
🤮