A female Yato’s birthday was always celebrated with much fanfare, but her 20th birthday would always be the highlight of her life.
At that age, the female was expected to join the battlefield along with the men to quench their bloodlust, and at that age, she was expected to make her first kill as a woman. No longer considered a child, she was also expected to have a mate as strong as she was so they together could bear strong children.
In Kagura’s case, she might have reached the age of twenty, but she had not done any of the above.
First of all, she avoided the battlefield.
Second, she could never ever kill anyone, be it an Amanto or a human being.
The last one… well…
She’d rather not comment on that.
On the eve of her birthday, on the second of November, she was well on her way to an onsen resort in Izu Province. Apparently, her Yorozuya family, Snacks Otose, and the Shinsengumi had decided to pitch in together to give her a, according to Gin-chan, “birthday present that she will never forget”.
The female Yato didn’t want to be rude to her dad, or even be snarky about the whole ‘birthday present’ bullshit he spewed. She just decided to accept it, thanked him with fake enthusiasm that probably couldn’t fool anyone, and packed her luggage for a two night accommodation to one of the best onsen ryokan [1] in Tagata District [2]. Personally, she herself didn’t really give a damn about this whole trip, but everyone did pitch in for her to be able to go to this trip. Another good thing about this whole trip was that she would be alone and free to do whatever the hell she wanted, which was to simply lie down, think at times, eat, brood some more, and sleep. Sure, onsen was fun, but she wasn’t in the mood.
But then again, lately, she really wasn’t in the mood to do anything.
The thirty-minute trip from Kabuki-cho to Izu went smoothly. With her backpack on her shoulders, she got down at Atami Station and made the walk to the in. By six in the evening, she had already checked in to the ryokan, and was led to her room by one of the female attendants. The fusuma [3] slid open, and the female staff showed her the amenities of the room. From the entrance of the room was the Japanese room where the lady said would be the place where she would be served breakfast and dinner. To the right of the Japanese room was her toilet and bath, and across the entrance was the living room. Next to the living room was her sleeping room, and a closet to keep her items.
What surprised her was that her room was equipped with a private outdoor bath for her use, and somehow, she was happy that Gin-chan really promised her that it was a birthday present she wouldn’t forget. Despite that, however, it wasn’t enough to lift her spirits. As if pouring more salt to her wounds, Atami Town was well-known as a destination for lovers.
… Well, she really didn’t have a lover but…
“Kagura-sama?”
The voice of the attendant snapped her back to reality. “Hmmm?”
“Kondo-sama has asked me to give you this letter after I have showed you the facilities of your room.” She took a folded piece of paper from the sleeve of her kimono. “Your dinner will be served in a while, so please wait for it.”
“Okay then.”
--------------------
Dinner was served, she was stuffed, yet she still was feeling melancholic.
This would sound so damn tsundere of her, but it wasn’t as if she was really affected by it. Just a bit.
… Or maybe a whole lot more than she would care to admit.
