After Ayaka had stumbled upon me and Thoma, as I recovered from my encounter with the Electro Cicin Mage and then the conversation I had with Kujou Sara. She had asked me to join her for a meal tonight, which I had initially been sceptical about, seeing as I didn't want Yoimiya to worry about where I had wandered off to again.
But with Thoma reassuring me that he would let her know the reason for my absence whilst he visits her for business, I was left with little reason to decline Ayaka's offer. So I accepted.
Ayaka had since lead me away from the room she found me in. And with the interior of this building being quite safe from Kujou Sara's spying, so I didn't have to worry about being seen in my already recovered state. Gee, having a Vision capable of healing my injuries sure has its benefits, huh!
* * *
It didn't take us too long to get where Ayaka wanted to go though, that being another private room — but this one had a large dining table in it.
Of course, this was an Inazuman dining table, where it was sunken into the floor somewhat, and the trench between the floor and table served as a place to place your legs whilst you sat on the edge of the floor before the trench.
Ayaka: "Please, take a seat. I've arranged for food to be brought in here, to us."
As Ayaka requested, I took a seat down at this sunken table, but she didn't follow suit like I expected her to. Instead, she still stood near the door with a smile on her face.
Ayaka: "Is there perhaps a specific meal you would like to request? Our chefs really are quite talented, and I.. I suppose I wouldn't mind making something if you'd like!"
Y/N: "... I assume most things that would require Liyue specialties are probably not possible here, right? *sigh* No, I don't have any requests... thanks for asking though..."
And just like that, I couldn't help but feel down again about my whole situation: of being stuck on this nation, practically alone as an illegal outcast with nary a friend by my side that comes from Liyue. It seemed I had also brought down Ayaka's mood somewhat too, as her smile quickly disappeared from her face and she looked down at her hands for a moment.
But only for a moment... as then her smile seemed to creep back onto her face, as she assumedly had an idea about something, to which it didn't take long for her to fill me in on said idea.
Ayaka: "I see... then perhaps, you may be interested in trying a collection of Inazuman snacks and meals then, if it pleases you. To find something new that you might enjoy just as much as before?"
Y/N: "I... I don't want to be a bother..."
Ayaka: "It won't be a bother, honest. And then afterwards, perhaps you might join me for a chat and some tea?"
Y/N: ". . ."
Ayaka: "Please, Y/N, allow me to do my best to accommodate you. After all, I would quite like to see your smile return to your face and— oh! I mean... umm..."
Y/N: "If you really wish it, I suppose I've no reason to decline it... Thank you, Ayaka."
And then, it looked as if her smile grew even wider still. And now, positively beaming, Ayaka made her way towards the door once more.
Ayaka: "Fantastic! Thank you ever so much. I'll go and make the request with our cooks now. I'll be just a moment! Please, excuse me."
Ayaka then gave me a small bow, before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. Leaving me alone in this room... This room has quite the relaxing atmosphere, I feel really quite relaxed in here, but I suppose that's been a consistent experience with the Kamisato Estate...
* * *
A couple minutes of silence later and the door re-opened to reveal Ayaka had returned, her smile was still on her face. And unlike last time, this time she came and walked over to the table I was sat at before taking a seat herself, directly opposite from me – and yet, because of the small size of the table, she really wasn't that far away from me at all.
Ayaka: "There will be a little wait for all the dishes to be prepared, but that gives us some time to talk, no?"
Y/N: "I suppose so."
Ayaka: "...? By chance, are you uhm... are you still upset with me about before...?"
Y/N: "Not particularly, no. I'm sorry, I know I'm not being particularly... engaging in conversation. I'm just... I guess I'm just a bit wary is all."
Ayaka: "Wary? Of me?"
Y/N: "Of this whole situation."
Ayaka: "This whole situation? I'm not sure I understand? Did I do something to offend you?"
Y/N: "It's not you, no. It's just that... less than a month ago I was surrounded by many good friends that I could rely on, I had a home of which I could step outside without worrying a soldier would arrest me on sight, and I... I had people very close to me. And now I have none of that, and I'm in a foreign land. Entirely alone once again."
Ayaka: "You aren't alone! You can always speak to m— to Yoimiya, right?"
Y/N: "I guess... but... If I stick around her for too much longer then I'm going to land her in trouble..."
Ayaka: "I am not sure whether you are incredibly considerate and kind to others, or if you're just looking for excuses to oppose me!"
Y/N: "I... I think I'm just feeling defeated. And there's no point dragging other people down with me at that point, right?"
Ayaka: "I see. I am sorry to hear that, but please know that—"
*knock knock!*
???: "Miss Kamisato? I am very sorry to interrupt, but your dinner is ready."
Ayaka: "Oh? Excellent, please do come in."
And then the door to the room opened, and several people came in, they all seemed to have a uniform on – I presume they're the estate cooks? Regardless, I thought it best to keep my head facing downwards, at the table. No need to let too many people see me after all, gossip from the general staff could end up undermining this whole operation Ayaka wants me to be involved with...
Wait, that cook outside the door referred to her as Miss Kamisato, right? But I've just been calling everyone by their first name... is that considered rude in this nation? Should I be doing similar to the staff here do, and referring to Ayaka as Miss Kamisato instead...?
It only took a couple moments and all the staff had placed their plates of food upon the table and left the room. Leaving just me and Ayaka alone once more... she seemed to be enjoying the look of these foods, or maybe she was just looking for a dish in particular? Her eyes seemed to dart from one dish to the other before resting on one in particular.
Y/N: "Is your favourite dish here, Ayak— Miss Kamisato?"
Ayaka: "Hmm? Did you just...? Please, you need not be so formal with me. I know that the staff here may refer to me as such, but yours is... a special case."
Y/N: "I see... alright, if you're sure?"
Ayaka: "I am, thank you. And, as for your question, I... I must admit, I am quite fascinated by food from overseas. Though I don't get to try it very often... So, if I had to choose something from Inazuma, then probably... Chazuke."
Y/N: "Chazuke?"
Ayaka: "Ah, yes. My apologies. Here, it's this dish here..."
Ayaka: "This particular version is Unagi Chazuke, it is a light and tasty main dish. With well-boiled tea poured over rice with unagi on top and then allowed to steep quietly until the rice grains have absorbed the fragrance of the tea. It has quite a lingering sweet aftertaste."
Y/N: "You speak quite fondly of it... Is it really that good?"
Ayaka: "Yes, I suppose I am really quite fond of it... uhm... But not when anybody else is watching... So I tell you that in confidence. Okay?"
Y/N: "Heh, and who do you think I could tell? Even if I wanted to, I don't exactly have much anybody left in my life to really gossip with!"
Ayaka: "Y/N..."
Y/N: "It's fine, don't worry about me. If I couldn't handle this much, I wouldn't have left that beach with Yoimiya. I would have just—... never mind."
Ayaka: "Hmm? ...Are you certain you would not like to speak more with me about this?"
Y/N: "I'm fine. Let's just... Let's just eat, before it gets too cold? What would you recommend?"
Ayaka: "If you're sure? I suppose a good start would be to just try a bit of everything... do you have any allergies I should be aware of...?"
* * *
The two of us, Ayaka and myself, we shared that table filled to the brim with well-cooked meals for a good long while. So long, in fact, that we had managed to clear most all of the dishes between us.
Whilst I'm not sure I'll remember the names of many of these dishes that Ayaka introduced to me just yet, I suppose they were really quite nice to partake in. Ayaka seemed to enjoy the buffet too, as she ate far more than I expected of someone of her status to indulge in. Although, I noticed that near the end, when it was becoming clear that we were nearing the end of our feast, that Ayaka seemed to get a bit embarrassed about something – maybe it was because she noticed that she ate quite a large percentage of it... or maybe it was just something else entirely?
Ayaka: "Well, this was quite an enjoyable time. Thank you kindly for indulging me so, Y/N. I hope you enjoyed this meeting between us also?"
Y/N: "I suppose... I suppose I did, yes. Thank you for having me. I suppose I should probably—"
Ayaka: "Wait. y–You're not leaving , are you?"
Y/N: "Well... It's getting quite late, so..."
Ayaka: "That's exactly why you can't leave now! The area around the estate can be very dangerous after night falls... a–and Thoma already let Yoimiya know that you were going to be with me tonight. So... I think... I think it would be best that you remain here, in the safety of the estate."
Y/N: ". . ."
Ayaka: "Please, let me confirm to you now that this won't be a burden or an issue upon myself or the staff here at all."
Y/N: "I... I guess, but—"
Ayaka: "Great! Oh... I mean! Well, would you like to accompany me then? Somewhere a bit more comfortable to remain whilst our stomachs relax."
Y/N: "Shouldn't we clean up our dishes first? We've left quite a mess..."
Ayaka: "Oh? Well, yes, I suppose we could."
And so the two of us got to stacking up the plates, bowls and silverware that we had just eaten with. Ayaka insisted that we only need leave the dishes on the table however, so we made a neat collection of all the dishes on the side of the table nearest to the door – hopefully at least now it won't be too much a pain for the estate staff to clean up after our very messy feast.
After cleaning up, Ayaka then led me out of the room and then through the estate's hall, and then into yet another room. But this room was quite different: I noticed a weird table in the center of the room, sat upon a tatami mat. And in the corner of the room, there sat a couple of folded... fabrics? They look sort of like foldable mattresses, maybe? They looked very familiar... oh! They're those things that Thoma had brought over to Yoimiya's shop recently, to help her and her pops deal with all the incoming refugees hiding in her home! I think they called them futons, right?
Ayaka: "You look confused... Oh! Is this your first time seeing a kotatsu? This table, here, I mean."
Y/N: "Well, it doesn't look familiar to me, no. You called it a kotatsu? What's so special about one of these compared to your average table then?"
Ayaka: "Oh, I'm sure you'll love it! Here, let me show you."
Ayaka then took me by the hand and lead me further into the room. And, with her hand wrapped around mine, I can't help but notice... her skin is really, really soft, and smooth, and gentle...
And I think Ayaka just realised what exactly she just did, as when we reached the 'kotatsu' she quickly let go of my hand, and I think I heard her whisper an apology, but who to...?
Ayaka: *ahem* "a–Anyways! Here, come and sit down over here. And place your legs under the cover, I'm sure it'll surprise you!"
Ayaka seemed to have collected herself quickly enough though, and she then invited me to sit down at this table whilst gesturing down at it. Choosing not to be difficult, I do just as she says: I sat down on one of the sides of the table and placed my legs underneath the covers of the kotatsu... it was ... surprisingly warm underneath?
Ayaka: "Surprised? This table actually has a charcoal firepit built in, which is rather useful during the winters due to its warmth and cosiness. And then, during the hot summer days you can replace the coal for a box of ice cubes to create a cooling atmosphere on hot summer days. What do you think?"
Y/N: "It's... It's actually quite nice. What an interesting piece of furniture."
Ayaka: "You really like it? Oh good. So you wouldn't mind if we continued to chat in here, where it's a bit more comfortable than the dining room, would you? I can join you, right?"
Y/N: "I mean... it's your estate, not mine... and I guess I don't mind anyways. Help yourself, I suppose!"
Ayaka: "Hehe, well then. If you'll excuse me."
Ayaka then lowered herself down to the ground with a level of elegance that I wouldn't normally expect to see someone display whilst in the sanctity of their own home, and yet... it really fit the image I had of this girl. An elegant and sweet girl who really seemed quite compassionate, despite my initial first impressions of her.
After lowering herself down to the ground, she was now kneeling with just her knees breaching the kotatsu's warmth. She also had chosen to not sit on the opposite side of the kotatsu to me, but instead on one of the sides adjacent to me... and now that she was so close, I couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by her aura. So I instead moved my focus towards the woodwork of the kotatsu, to look as if I was admiring the handiwork of the craftsman who built it.
Ayaka: "Ahhh, it really is quite comfortable under here. I make sure not to use it too often, only for special occasions or when I'm feeling down. It makes it feel a lot more special that way."
Y/N: "And do you always, uhm... use it like this? Kneeling like that I mean."
Ayaka: "Oh, well... I suppose not. But normally I do not have company to share it with so—"
Y/N: "Don't ruin your own experience on my behalf. Please, use it as you normally would. I'd feel bad otherwise."
Ayaka: "I... I see... huh. Okay... please, pardon me."
I could then see Ayaka fidget around a little bit as she moved from a kneeling position to one where her legs could now actually enjoy the warmth of this kotatsu with me... and I knew that, given the size of this table, there was little chance we could both fit under this table with our legs straight out. So I moved my own in advance, to give way to Ayaka's, but it seemed I didn't give her enough space, as I felt one of her legs rub up against one of mine.
It didn't take long until Ayaka had realised just what exactly her leg had made contact with, and she quickly pulled it away and then angled herself so she was pointing her legs away from me, giving me a bit more space for my own legs to relax again. Although I couldn't help but notice that during that whole debacle, where no words were needed, she refused to look at me... and from the side of her head that I could see, it seemed her ears were flushed a deep pink colour as they poked out from her silky white-blue hair.
A couple moments of silence remained, where the two of us just sat beside each other and enjoyed the warmth of the heated table quietly, with the company of a new acquaintance beside us. It was... nice. To relax like this, it was quite pleasant, despite all that has happened to me in the past couple weeks... I can't help but feel somewhat at peace and rather relaxed.
Ayaka: "I hope this isn't too strange of me to say, but it is... quite pleasant to see such a content look upon your face. It seems you enjoy the joys of the kotatsu as much as myself. Perhaps we could arrange to do this again sometime?"
Y/N: ". . ."
Ayaka: "Sorry, was that weird of me to say? I apologise for being so presumptuous, I just—"
Y/N: "It wasn't that... please, don't worry about that. I just... I mean... this has been a nice change of pace, where I feel like I could properly relax without worrying about the Shogunate knocking down the door after me. But... I guess I'm just a little homesick."
Ayaka: "Oh. Well, I suppose I can't say I know exactly how you feel. But, if you need anything, anything at all, then please do tell me. I want to help you acclimate as best I can."
Y/N: "... Thanks, thank you Ayaka. I mean that. Truly."
Ayaka: "Oh? Uhmm... th–thank you. I'm glad to hear that I'm not being too much a pain."
Y/N: "You're not, no. I'll tell you if you do ever overstep anything, and I want you to do the same with me too. But how about we talk about something else, something less depressing, instead? I've a couple questions about Inazuma and the way these commission things that I've been hearing about recently... if you wouldn't mind?"
Ayaka, it turns out, did not have any objections to this. And so we spent the next couple of hours just talking about things. We started with the current state of Inazuma, and all of the decrees that were upsetting the general peoples of Inazuma.
And then she taught me about the 'Sanbugyou' or, as it's more familiarly referred to as, the Tri-Commission. Which is a collective term for three organizations which oversee every matter in Inazuma. From the sound of it, it would seem that these three Commissioners are roughly equivalent to the Liyue Qixing and the Eight Trades in Liyue.
The three Commissions all consist of several clans each per Commission. And of these several clans, one clan takes the leadership role for each of the three Commissions. With the Kujou Clan being the head of the Tenryou Commission; the Hiiragi Clan being head of the Kanjou Commission; and the Kamisato Clan, which Ayaka is a part of, being head of the Yashiro Commission.
After getting this basic lesson in the politics of Inazuma from Ayaka, we ended up talking much more casually. We covered many different topics of conversation, and I tried to keep the discussion geared away from my time back in Liyue – so I ended up learning a whole lot about Ayaka. Currently, we were discussing her hobbies.
Ayaka: "I have great affection for the arts: music, song, poetry, shougi, and dancing. And you?"
Y/N: "Well, I listen to– I used to listen to a lot of poetry, back in Liyue. And Rock 'n' Roll concerts too, when I could. Otherwise it was just herb gathering mostly... what's shougi?"
Ayaka: "Oh? Shougi is a two-player strategy board game that me, Thoma, and my brother would play... when he's around. You may know of a similar game to it perhaps, have you per chance heard of the game of chess before?"
Y/N: "Hmm... chess? Oh! Yes, I remember I had to play some chess as part of my training, but only enough times to understand the basics, before I then started having to play Liyue Millennial instead."
Ayaka: "Oh! You know Liyue Millennial too? Perhaps we could play sometime... and I could also teach you shougi too, and we can play that sometimes as well...?"
Y/N: "Sure, I guess that wouldn't be so bad... oh, but wait. You've not been able to get imports from other nations because of that decree, right? So you'll have one of the older versions of Liyue Millennial I'd imagine?"
Ayaka: "Hmmm... I think we have the eighth edition, I believe? But that couldn't have changed too much, could it?"
Y/N: "Well... the last time I played it, we were on the thirty-second edition, so... I'll probably have to read through the instructions to see what rules don't exist yet. But I suppose I'll save that for next time I come to visit?"
Ayaka: "Next time...? So that means that you really will come again, to spend the day like this again... with me?"
Y/N: "Well, as long as I'm being used as a pawn for the safeguarding of the Inazuman people, I'm going to need somewhere to blow off some steam and lay low, wouldn't you agree? And you did say that I could use this estate of yours as a safe house, right?"
Ayaka: "I did say that yes. You will always be welcome here, and I will do my best to accommodate you, should I have the opportunity. However I may be pre-occupied with work... and please, don't feel like you are just a pawn to the Kamisato clan, to me. You are going to be more than that, I am most confident of that."
Y/N: "th–thanks... *yawn* oh... s–sorry."
Ayaka: "Oh no, don't worry! It is getting quite late after all, and the warmth of this kotatsu is likely further inducing drowsiness too. Fortunately, there uh... just so happens to be a couple of fresh futons here in this room. So we can set those up quickly enough and—..."
Y/N: "Wait. You don't mean that you're going to sleep on one of these, are you? Don't you have a proper resting quarters you can use?"
Ayaka: "Well, yes... but... well, I thought it would only be right of me to sacrifice that luxury tonight, so as to accompany you. It would not be fitting of me to abandon you now to sleep alone after asking you to stay the night after all."
Y/N: "Well, I appreciate that. But..."
Ayaka: "Please, I've already made the relevant arrangements for this. And... I've always wanted to try something like this... like I had read in some of those light novels I had read before: the ones where two.... friends... where these two friends spend the night together and chat until they fall asleep. It sounds like quite some fun, wouldn't you agree?"
Y/N: "Well, I suppose if you really want to... then sure. I suppose I'm already here after all, right!"
Ayaka: "You will! Oh great! Thank you so much!"
The look of excitement on Ayaka's face was truly a warm sight to see, the joy radiating from her had quite a childlike quality to it... as if this was something she had been wanting to do for a very long time, but had never been able to. And now that I had agreed to this... well... I suppose it's a sleepover with her, right? Now that I had agreed to a sleepover with her, her inner child was seemingly leaking into her otherwise formal attitude and making her far more excitable than seemed to be the norm.
Just seeing her this happy over something so simple... I can't help but find it really rather endearing. If she really does have some nefarious plan with me, like I first expected from my initial meeting with her, then she is an amazingly good actor.
But, no. I really do think that this is genuine. That she genuinely does enjoy my company, and that she wants to spend time with me like this. And, didn't she mention a little earlier that she didn't really have any friends, or at least not any friends that didn't work for her, right? So does that mean she wants me to be her first friend that doesn't have an obligation to listen to her orders...?
But if that's the case... boy, she's starting off quite strong isn't she! A sleepover so soon? I guess that's what happens when you take advice on how to make friends from fantastical fiction like those light novels she told me she had been reading earlier. Although... what do I know of making friends? Like really, my circumstances of meeting new people back in Liyue were probably not what one would call conventional. Maybe the way it's written in these light novels is actually the normal way and I'm the odd one after all...?
. . .
Ah well, but I suppose I'm here now! I guess I might as well just go along with it and help her lay out these futons. And I guess maybe I could try and be a good friend to her too, like she is trying to be to me. And... it might be nice, to let people back in again and to really try and live my life once again.
But again, I do want to eventually head out and find out what amounts of my history that this nation still holds. My only real commitment left is just to wait until the fireworks show with Yoimiya so that I can watch that with her. And until then, I suppose I can just keep an eye on the streets of Inazuma for victims of the Vision Hunt Decree.
Ayaka: "Oh, this is actually quite exciting, isn't it! But what to talk about until we fall asleep, I wonder? Oh, aren't we supposed to have cups of hot cocoa too? And pillow forts, how do we make a fort with only two pillows?! Oh! How about a pillow fight! That sounds like fun! Hehe!
After the fireworks show though... who knows what lay ahead...?
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