Chapter 312: Girls' Chat
Bourbon leaned against the cool wall of the corridor, his brow furrowing in the dim light. 'Come to think of it, when did Kazami's efficiency drop so drastically?'
The last time he had ordered his Public Security subordinate to dig into Natsume Natsuki's background, Kazami had only managed to scrape together a frustratingly superficial dossier. Bourbon had explicitly instructed him to dig deeper and uncover the roots of her sudden appearance, yet his inbox remained completely empty.
He would have to find a secure window to contact Kazami directly and extract whatever raw data the man had managed to compile. He would just have to sift through the intelligence himself. At worst, it simply meant operating with extreme caution to avoid the watchful eyes of the Organization, and more specifically, Cointreau.
Aside from a minor, easily smoothed-over incident involving Haibara as the evening's event wound down, the group's return to the sprawling Kamisato Estate was peaceful.
Kamisato Ayato stood in the grand foyer, his polite smile as flawless as ever. "Everyone, the hour grows late. Why not stay the night at my humble abode? I will have Thoma arrange for your safe return tomorrow morning."
A chorus of relieved gratitude met his offer. The day's exhaustion was catching up to them all, and Kogoro Mouri, rubbing the back of his stiff neck, looked as though he would collapse onto the nearest tatami mat if he did not find a bed soon.
With practiced grace, Ayato directed the guest room assignments. "Should you require anything at all during the night, please do not hesitate to ask Thoma or any of the estate staff. I hope you all enjoy a restful evening."
Having ensured his guests were comfortably settled, the head of the Kamisato Clan offered a final, elegant bow and departed, tactfully leaving them to decompress in private.
As night fully descended, a serene quiet blanketed the traditional estate.
Inside one of the spacious guest rooms, Kogoro Mouri was already dead to the world, his thunderous snores vibrating through the paper screens. He shared the room with Okiya Subaru and Heiji Hattori, neither of whom shared the detective's talent for instant unconsciousness.
Subaru sat quietly by the window, the moonlight reflecting off his glasses as he mentally dissected the day's chaotic events. Across the room, Heiji was wide awake, aggressively tapping away at his phone as he mercilessly harassed Shinichi Kudo with a barrage of text messages.
Meanwhile, in a massive, beautifully decorated suite, the girls had gathered. At Sonoko Suzuki's enthusiastic insistence, Ayato had arranged for them to share one large room.
Since Sera Masumi and Kazuha Toyama had only just met, this impromptu slumber party served as the perfect icebreaker.
Halfway through their animated chatter, Kamisato Ayaka had stopped by to check on Natsume. Before the young lady of the Kamisato Clan could even deliver her greeting, she found herself playfully dragged onto the plush futons by the energetic group.
Kazuha propped her chin on her hands, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she observed Ayaka's naturally poised posture. "I have been wondering, what exactly does someone from a prestigious, traditional family like the Kamisato Clan do all day?"
Ayaka blinked, her gaze dropping thoughtfully for a moment. "I suppose it varies from person to person," she replied, her voice soft and melodic. "In my spare time, I study flower arrangement, the tea ceremony, and chess to cultivate my character. When my brother's schedule becomes overwhelmingly busy, I assist with managing internal family affairs to lighten his burden., the Kamisato Clan's ancestral martial art, the Kamisato Art: Tachi Jutsu, requires daily, rigorous practice. One cannot afford to slack off in the slightest." She finished her explanation with a modest, gentle smile.
Sonoko's eye twitched. 'Do high-society ladies really have to endure all that?' She suddenly felt deeply grateful that the Suzuki elders did not hold her to such suffocatingly strict standards. She would have lost her mind years ago.
Ran leaned forward, a sympathetic frown creasing her brow. "With such a packed schedule every single day, do you never get exhausted?"
Taken aback by the genuine concern, Ayaka chuckled softly and shook her head. "Perhaps I did at the very beginning, but over time, it simply became second nature. Besides, my days are not entirely consumed by duty. I have several hobbies to fill my leisure hours, like sampling foreign cuisine, or reading novels published by the Yae Publishing House..."
"Novels!" Sonoko practically lunged forward, her eyes gleaming with sudden, intense interest. "Miss Ayaka, you read novels too? Tell us, what kind? Are there any with sweeping, tragic romances and handsome male leads?"
"Ah?" Startled by the sudden intensity of Sonoko's interrogation, Ayaka leaned back slightly, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "I prefer light novels, actually. Titles like Please, My Kitsune Guuji, Song of Coral, or Princess of Condemnation! Though, I suspect they might not quite align with your tastes, Sonoko."
Sonoko deflated slightly, scratching her cheek. "Yeah, those titles do sound a bit eccentric."
Seizing the lull in conversation, Sera shifted on her futon and grinned. "Speaking of which, I am actually really curious about how you and Natsume crossed paths. Given your status, Miss Ayaka, I would imagine a Demoiselle like you rarely gets the chance to mingle with outsiders."
Instantly, four pairs of inquisitive eyes locked onto Ayaka and Natsume.
"Spill the details!" Sonoko urged, clapping her hands together. "I bet it is a great story!"
Natsume let out a dry, amused chuckle. "Sonoko, what makes you so certain it is a fairy tale? Honestly, the only reason Ayaka and I even grew close was because of a Vision."
Leaning back against the plush pillows, Natsume's expression turned nostalgic. "At the time, I was desperately searching for my brother. I had caught wind that Ei might hold some crucial clues, so I sought out Ayaka's help to secure an audience with Her Excellency, the Raiden Shogun. As fate would have it, I crossed paths with her right in the middle of a rather intense situation. She was in the process of confiscating Visions."
"And I had already heard tales of Natsume's formidable reputation," Ayaka chimed in smoothly. "I was hoping to enlist her aid in persuading Her Excellency to abolish the decree and change her mind..."
Ayaka offered a serene smile. "Fortunately, the ordeal concluded happily for all involved. Natsume successfully convinced the Raiden Shogun to alter her course and abandon her pursuit of an illusory eternity." As she spoke the final words, her voice dropped to a reverent whisper, causing Sonoko and the others to strain their ears, entirely missing the last sentence.
Sera tilted her head, her sharp eyes narrowing in confusion. "Is a Vision really that important? And why would this Miss Raiden go out of her way to confiscate them?"
Ran nodded in agreement, equally perplexed. "Now that you mention it, I remember seeing Lisa, Xiangling, and the others wearing similar gems. But when I asked, they brushed them off as mere decorations. They did not seem to care about them at all."
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]