Nijo Castle, Cherry Blossom Garden.
Along the path, pale pink cherry blossoms adorned every branch, creating a sea of pink as far as the eye could see.
"How beautiful the cherry blossoms are."
Kurumi Tokisaki stood by the path, catching a falling petal in her palm before turning to Luo Shu with a smile:
"What do you think, Shu-kun?"
"...Mmm, not bad, quite nice."
Luo Shu's tone was somewhat perfunctory, yet his eyes remained fixed on Kurumi Tokisaki.
"The blossoms pale in comparison to you," he muttered under his breath—quietly, but well aware Kurumi could hear.
However, Kurumi Tokisaki pretended not to hear this and simply turned her head to gaze at the sea of pink-white blossoms adorning the tree branches, smiling as she said:
"Indeed, compared to beautiful cherry blossoms, Shu-kun prefers looking at beautiful girls, doesn't he?"
"I can't argue with that." Luo Shu nodded in earnest agreement, as he truly did find Kurumi Tokisaki exceptionally beautiful.
Seeing Luo Shu's frankness, Kurumi couldn't help but chuckle before teasing:
"Shu-kun must be seeing the cherry blossoms for the first time, right?"
"I'd thought about coming before, but ended up not bothering since it seemed too much hassle."
Luo Shu openly shared his thoughts, which had always been rather pragmatic.
Whether it was the cherry blossom parks near Togetsukyo Bridge or Nijo Castle, he'd only visit them incidentally for specific purposes.
Compared to sightseeing and taking photos, he much preferred local cuisine and cultural performances.
He disliked stagnant things, favouring instead those that moved forward continuously.
Perhaps this habit stemmed from watching nature documentaries as a child, though Luo Shu couldn't say for certain.
"My, my, it seems Shu-kun and I are kindred spirits."
Kurumi pressed a finger to her lips, smiling at Luo Shu:
"While the cherry blossoms are indeed beautiful, I'd rather spend my time on more meaningful pursuits than linger here."
Hearing this, Luo Shu responded with a peculiar expression:
"Then why are you accompanying me?"
"Because Shu-kun specifically mentioned wanting a date~"
Kurumi brushed aside a stray lock of hair from her forehead, smiling:
"That's why I specially changed into this kimono, perfect for strolling through the Cherry Blossom Garden."
After a moment's consideration, Luo Shu explained: "Actually, dates don't necessarily mean cherry blossom viewing. To be honest, my main focus at Nijo Castle is scouting locations for ceremonial purposes."
"There's a strong possibility this will become the site for my ritual, so truthfully, it's not exactly ideal dating material."
"Oh? Is that so?" Kurumi gave Luo Shu a slightly surprised look before asking with a smile: "Then where does Shu-kun think would be the best place for a date?"
Luo Shu pondered the question seriously:
"For a date with you, Kurumi... how about a cat cafe?"
"Drinking sweet coffee while playing with cats together sounds rather nice, doesn't it?"
At these words, Kurumi stopped walking immediately.
Standing beside the cherry tree, she turned to face Luo Shu, cheeks slightly flushed:
"That suggestion is too cunning!"
"Shu-kun only proposed that because you know I love cats, didn't you?"
"That was part of it." Luo Shu didn't deny his ulterior motive; instead, he laid his cards on the table: "There seems to be a cat cafe in an alley near Nijo Castle."
"So, shall we go?"
No sooner had he spoken than both his hands were gently grasped by small fingers.
Turning his head, he found two Kurumis had appeared beside him, clutching his hands and pressing against him while complaining:
"How mean, making such an irresistible suggestion now."
"Exactly, exactly."
"Only letting the original go to the cat cafe is too unfair~~"
"Right, right~~"
In the span of a single breath, Luo Shu found himself surrounded by over a dozen Kurumis.
Even the original Kurumi Tokisaki was stunned by the scene:
"What are you all doing here? Weren't you supposed to be on perimeter watch?"
"We can do that anytime~" the gothic-dressed Kurumi muttered.
"I think 'I' just wanted to see the cats while also having Shu-kun accompany me," the long-haired, eyepatch-wearing Kurumi protested unhappily.
"So envious... getting to hold the cats," Loli Kurumi said with longing. "I want to hold the cats too, and then have Shu-kun hold me."
"You lot..." Kurumi Tokisaki's composure was crumbling.
Wanting to play with cats was understandable, but what kind of thought process led to wanting to be held by Luo Shu while holding cats?
Why is her younger self so shameless?
"...All of you, return to me now!"
Left with no choice, Kurumi Tokisaki pulled out her gun-shaped Spiritual Equipment and fired a shot at her own head with a bang.
Instantly, all the Kurumi clones dissolved into shadows, swiftly retreating into Kurumi Tokisaki's own shadow.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu—who had been pushed to the ground and had his cheek inexplicably bitten by one of the Kurumis—clambered up, dusted off his trousers, and glanced at all the tourists around them whose vision was obscured by his illusion technique. He sighed in relief:
"I knew you liked cats, but this is a bit excessive, don't you think?"
Kurumi Tokisaki's face flushed at his words, especially when she noticed the lingering lipstick mark on Luo Shu's cheek, making the situation even more awkward.
To be fair, she would never do something like this herself, but her clones were another matter.
Those clones, aware they were bound to Luo Shu in the future and split off during a time when she held some affection for him, didn't care whether the original liked it or not—if they wanted something, they went for it, even resorting to sneak attacks.
This left the original in an extremely awkward position.
"Wipe off that lipstick... Never mind..."
Kurumi Tokisaki pulled out a handkerchief, intending to toss it to Luo Shu to handle himself, but after a moment's hesitation, she stood on her tiptoes and quickly wiped the mark from his face, then said:
"Those were just clones helping gather intel on Nijō Castle's surroundings. I didn't expect them to act like this..."
She tried shifting the blame.
But Luo Shu responded with surprise:
"So you're saying the intel on Nijō Castle is done, and we can go to the cat cafe now?"
Kurumi Tokisaki froze for a second before letting out a helpless laugh. "...Can I say that wasn't what I meant?"
"What do you think?"
Luo Shu grinned, took Kurumi Tokisaki's hand, and turned toward the exit.
"We've got some time before the Keikain family comes knocking. I assume you wouldn't want to miss out on the cat cafe later, right?"
Hearing this, Kurumi Tokisaki fell silent for a moment before sighing and muttering:
"You... you must've used the Mysticism Encyclopaedia to divine the cheat sheet for winning me over, didn't you?"
She sighed again.
"But since you've suggested it, I suppose I have no choice~~"
"If it's just for a little while, I don't mind going to the cat cafe."
Luo Shu didn't bother calling out her thinly veiled eagerness, simply leading her straight to the cat cafe he'd looked up on Google the day before.