blogombal Page 274
Page 274
Turn around and look.
Yukino Yukinoshita had fallen into a deep sleep, her head resting on his shoulder, without him noticing.
It's normal to feel mentally exhausted after a three-hour car ride, and Luo Chen wasn't surprised at all, even though the tired guy was Yukinoshita.
"She looks so peaceful and cute when she's asleep, so why does she become so sarcastic when she wakes up?"
Luo Chen chuckled and took the opportunity to pinch Yukino Yukinoshita's cheeks a few times as revenge, since Yukino Yukinoshita wouldn't know he had pinched them anyway.
"Hmm~"
Yukino Yukinoshita covered her mouth slightly, hugged Luo Chen's arm, pressed it down, and continued to sleep soundly, like a gentle kitten.
With his hands held down, Luo Chen became too lazy to carry out his revenge plan. He stroked his chin and began to ponder how to deal with Hinatsuru Akina when he saw her next.
Lost in thought, before I knew it, the train announced its arrival at the station.
"The Kyoto Shinkansen has arrived at the station. Passengers, please collect your luggage and prepare to disembark. The Kyoto Shinkansen has arrived at the station. Passengers, please collect your luggage and prepare to disembark..."
"Hello~"
"Wake up."
Luo Chen nudged Ping Nai's head.
"Ok?"
Yukino Yukinoshita opened her eyes groggily, and after meeting Luo Chen's handsome face, it took her a minute or two to calm down before her eyes fully regained their clarity.
"Have we arrived?" Yukino Yukinoshita straightened up, as if she wasn't the one who had been hugging Luo Chen's arm and sleeping on his shoulder just moments before.
Yeah! Anyway, I won't mention it at all!!
"Here, get out of the car."
Luo Chen pouted, too lazy to tease the girl anymore. He took their luggage off his head, one in each hand, and walked out.
Yukino Yukinoshita followed behind, glancing around every now and then, but her gaze remained mostly on Luo Chen's back.
She was sure.
Ever since she got into the car with Luo Chen and set off alone, that strange feeling in her heart seemed to be getting stronger and stronger.
Who knows, maybe, just maybe, she really has fallen for him...
"Young Master!"
Ahead, a stunningly beautiful woman in a kimono appeared and gave Luo Chen a big hug.
Yukino Yukinoshita hesitated for a moment, and before she could do anything, the beautiful woman who was embracing Luo Chen took the lead in separating from him and asked in a friendly manner.
"Young Master, who is this person behind you...?"
Luo Chen introduced himself calmly: "I'm the president of a club at Xiuzhi Academy. I've come to the Kyoto Celebrity Tournament to see what it's like."
Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at Luo Chen, nodded slightly as a greeting: "Hello, my name is Yukino Yukinoshita."
"Yukinoshita?... That surname sounds familiar."
After a moment's hesitation, Hinatsuru Akina asked in surprise, "Is it the Yukinoshita family from Chiba Prefecture?"
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P.S.: The previous chapter wasn't posted? Here it is.
Chapter 300: Be careful! The lady's level is quite high!
Unexpectedly, Hinatsuru Akina had heard of her family. Yukino Yukinoshita nodded gently and hummed in agreement.
Hinatsuru Akina's smile softened: "So, we're kind of acquaintances now. Hecang's business was only finalized two months ago to expand into Chiba. I remember a short-haired woman signed the contract with me back then. Does this have anything to do with this classmate?"
Yukino Yukinoshita's pretty face turned a little cold, and she seemed reluctant to mention that person, lowering her eyes and frowning: "She's my older sister."
"I see."
Hinatsuru Akina was always very experienced in reading people's expressions. After realizing that Yukino Yukinoshita didn't want to talk about it anymore, she changed the subject, "Then, young master, let me take you to your lodgings first."
"Thank you for your hard work." Luo Chen nodded.
Hinatsuru Ayana turned around and smiled faintly: "I didn't have to work hard at all. I just took some time out to come here. Most of the arrangements were actually made by Ms. Manji."
Luo Chen quickly grasped a deeper meaning from those words.
Hinatsuru Asuna has formed a united front with Machi Gohan!
Poor silver... Luo Chen subtly touched the tip of his nose.
Exit the Shinkansen station.
Luo Chen was surprised to find that, unusually, Hinatsuru Akina had driven herself here today.
For the previous meetings, Hinatsuru Akina had always had a dedicated driver.
"Since this is your first time in Kyoto, resources are limited, and you can only be self-sufficient most of the time. Young master, please get in the car."
Hinatsuru Akina explained with a faint smile and gestured for them to proceed.
After a moment's hesitation, Luo Chen chose the front seat over the back seat.
He doesn't have a deep relationship with Hirano right now, but it seems like Hinatsuru Akina is testing him a little bit.
No! We need to be careful.
The lady is quite skilled!
"Please get on the bus, this student too."
After inviting Yukino Yukinoshita to the back seat, Hinatsuru Akina returned to the driver's seat, smoothed her lips, and started the car with a barely perceptible smile.
"Which hotel will we be staying at next?" Luo Chen asked after fastening his seatbelt and adjusting his seat to a comfortable position.
“That’s not true. I’ve been resting at the Kyoto Imperial Household Agency these past few days. The accommodation that Manji arranged for the young master is also at the Imperial Household Agency,” Hinatsuru Akina said.
"Is this convenient?" Luo Chen blinked twice, not expecting that even though he didn't meet Gong Gohan Manzhi, he would still have to stay at Gong Gohan's house.
Suddenly, it gave me a sense of urgency, like I was about to meet the parents, and it made my skin crawl.
Hinatsuru Akina turned her head with a half-smile and said, "I will speak with the young master privately when we get to our lodgings, or would the young master like to hear it now?"
Luo Chen noticed Hinatsuru Ayana's backward glance, his eye twitched, and he chose the former without hesitation.
The car drove for more than an hour.
Finally, we stopped in front of an antique-style mansion.
Kyoto, as one of the most historically and culturally rich cities in Japan, is full of feudal families.
This is why you can see antique-style mansions like the one you see here everywhere.
"Is this the Magi family?"
"It seems to be bigger than I expected."
Luo Chen looked around the mansion from the car.
"The Imperial Kitchen Family is one of the top 20 families in Kyoto. However, the situation is special. They have always been a single-lineage family. Miss Machi is the only one of her generation. Therefore, her parents dote on her."
Hinatsuru Akina calmed down and said, "Alright, let's go visit together."
"Is it appropriate to visit without bringing a gift?" Luo Chen hesitated for a moment.
Yukino Yukinoshita, who had been sitting in the back and almost ignored, quietly agreed, "Since we're going to stay at someone else's house, let's buy a gift before we go."
"unnecessary."
Hinatsuru Akina chuckled and turned to Yukino Yukinoshita, saying, "My dear student, perhaps you are unaware of this, but for the O-Ichi family, the young master in the passenger seat would be the best gift simply by personally visiting them."
"Lady Chuzuru~" Luo Chen said helplessly, "I don't have that much influence. Please restrain yourself and spare me."
"This is not the temperament a young 8-dan Go player should have. You know, the three of you, Fujii, Kuzuryu Yaichi, and Kamina Ayumu, were already invited by several major families long before they even arrived."
0 ··Requesting flowers····· ···
"Of course, that guy Kuzuryu rejected all invitations, Fujii chose the well-established fourth family, the Nijima family, and Kamina Ayumu chose the twelfth family, the Osu family."
Hinatsuru Akina recounts the story in detail.
"Choose a family? What do you mean? I don't know or understand Fujii, but given Kamiya's temper, he shouldn't suddenly choose to join a local family, right?" Luo Chen was completely confused.
Hinatsuru Akina smiled faintly and said, "This involves the long-standing traditions and historical compatibility of the Kyoto region."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.
Hinatsuru Akina continued her explanation: "A long, long time ago, there was an unwritten rule in the Kyoto area that whenever a very important competition was held in Kyoto, all the noble families could send someone to represent them, and then, based on the ranking of the representatives, all the noble families would be re-ranked!"
..... ........ .......
"What's the point of rankings?" Yukino Yukinoshita had never heard of such a strange rule before, which made her more curious about the Kyoto region.
"It has a great effect."
Hinatsuru Akina stretched out her fingers and counted them off one by one, saying softly, "Trade, cooperation, shops, and so on. In short, in the Kyoto area, families ranked lower must unconditionally concede to higher-ranking families if they become competitors in the following year."
"Isn't this ridiculous? It sounds more like a verbal agreement. What if a family ranked lower goes back on their word?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked directly.
"Regret it?"