The President is smiling.
It seemed the President's claim of having visited Asakusa often was true; she knew the layout of the entire shopping district like the back of her hand, without even glancing at a map.
Thanks to her, all I had to do was trail along behind her.
After browsing colorful paper umbrellas and temari balls with various floral patterns at a paper craft shop, our second stop was a store that sold all sorts of sculptures.
According to the owner, foreign tourists visiting Asakusa often bought the small sculptures sold here as souvenirs.
The President scanned the shop before pointing to a Buddhist statue with her fan.
"What do you think of this Vaisravana statue? It's large and ornate, so it would make a fine decoration for a home."
"Well… it's certainly impressive, but isn't it a bit too big?"
I grimaced, looking at the Vaisravana statue that was nearly the size of a person.
It looked like it was made of brass, and when I snuck a peek at the price tag, I saw about six zeros.
It certainly wouldn't be expensive for someone with the President's wealth, but wouldn't the recipient feel burdened?
But to the hearty-looking shop owner, the President's choice seemed to mean something else.
"Hahaha! Young lady! You've got a good eye for statues! This is one of the finest pieces in my shop!"
"Hee hee hee, I, Saionji Kumiko, have cultivated an aesthetic sense since childhood, making my eye for this kind of art quite exceptional."
"Then how about taking a look at this piece over here!"
"Oh my, this is another beautifully shaped statue."
The excited owner started showing her other statues, and the smug President played along.
It was the usual pattern, so to kill some time, I was looking at my smartphone screen.
The President, who had been deep in conversation with the owner, suddenly straightened her back and spoke with a stiff expression.
"Oh, oh my. Look at me. I had other things to do, but I got lost in our conversation."
"What? Leaving already, young lady? I was about to show you my prized collection. What a shame."
"I shall visit again next time."
The President bid farewell in the archaic tone of a noble lady and promptly left the store.
"...?"
What was that about? Normally, she would have talked for at least another fifteen minutes.
I gave the owner a slight bow and followed the President out of the store.
The President was crouched in front of the store, her hand to her ear, muttering something.
"President? Are you feeling unwell?"
When I asked in confusion, the President let out a sharp "Eek!" and shot up from her spot.
"No! It's nothing! I just suddenly need to use the restroom!"
"Ah, then let's go to the tourist information center nearby."
"Then please lead the way. I've never been there before."
"Yes. Just follow me."
As she requested, I started walking toward the tourist information center located near the center of the Asakusa shopping district.
***
[Young Mistress, this is not the time for such talk.]
Saionji Kumiko, who was in the middle of a discussion about Buddhist statues with the owner, was so startled by the voice suddenly in her ear that she instinctively straightened her posture.
"Young lady, what's wrong all of a sudden? Are you sick?"
"Ah, no. I just felt a sudden chill."
After making a quick excuse, she placed a hand on her earring-style Bluetooth earpiece and spoke without moving her lips.
'Minami, please speak a little more quietly.'
But Akagi Minami on the other end of the line had her own points to make.
[Young Mistress, you are in Asakusa on a date, not to look at Buddhist statues. Look behind you. Is Kim Yu-seong not staring blankly at his smartphone? Not boring your partner is the most basic of all dating skills.]
"...!"
Only after hearing Minami's point did Saionji Kumiko belatedly realize her actions were not appropriate for a date, and she hastily wrapped up her conversation with the owner.
"Oh, oh my. Look at me. I had other things to do, but I got lost in our conversation."
"What? Leaving already, young lady? I was about to show you my prized collection. What a shame."
"I shall visit again next time."
After skillfully making her excuse, she hurried out of the sculpture shop.
Immediately after, Kumiko crouched down and asked Minami a question.
'So, where should we go next?'
[You have seen the paper umbrellas, temari, and the Buddhist and Ebisu statues mentioned as gift examples. Now it is time to look at kimonos and yukatas.]
Kimonos! Yukatas!
Even to Saionji Kumiko, who was clueless about romance, it sounded like the perfect topic to showcase her charms.
[If you can stall for a little while, Young Mistress, we will go ahead and arrange things with the kimono shop owner. You just need to play along.]
'Stall for time? But how am I supposed to...'
"President? Are you feeling unwell?"
Startled by Kim Yu-seong's voice suddenly coming from behind her, Saionji Kumiko jumped to her feet.
"No! It's nothing! I just suddenly need to use the restroom!"
It was a hastily made-up excuse, but on second thought, it was the perfect one.
All she had to do was hold out in the restroom for a bit.
But Kim Yu-seong, unaware of the situation, spoke up first, perhaps out of consideration for her.
"Ah, then let's go to the tourist information center nearby."
Kumiko felt a slight pang of guilt but decided to close her eyes and go along with the lie.
"Then please lead the way. I've never been there before."
"Yes. Just follow me."
[Five minutes. Just hold out for five minutes.]
***
"Brother, stay put."
Akagi Minami said as she took off the headset she was wearing.
"What?"
Just as Akagi Shinjiro was about to ask what she meant, Minami, who had already swapped her dress shoes for sneakers, kicked open the limousine door and dashed out at incredible speed.
"Minami!"
Shinjiro hastily stuck his head out.
But Minami was already sprinting toward a kimono shop in the shopping district, about two kilometers away from where the car was parked.
Perhaps because it was the first day of Golden Week, Asakusa was bustling with families and tourists out for the weekend.
Running in such a place would normally be a recipe for disaster, but for Minami, a kunoichi who had undergone the harsh training of the Koga-ryu, such adverse conditions were not even an obstacle.
"Hup!"
She navigated the promenade, crowded with tourists, by using small signs placed outside shops as stepping stones, leaping lightly from one to the next.
As she twisted gracefully in mid-air and landed on the sidewalk, passersby saw her and applauded.
"Ooh!"
"Amazing! Miss!"
"Is there some kind of event going on?"
But Minami had no time to acknowledge their attention.
'One hundred meters straight, then turn right and three hundred meters more.'
*Fwoosh!*
The moment her feet hit the ground, she accelerated explosively again.
She ran at an incredible speed, following the map imprinted in her mind.
The sight of her running faster than most track athletes while dressed in a neat office suit was truly remarkable, drawing the attention of everyone around her.
"Wow! A butterfly!"
At that moment, a small child suddenly darted out from a blind spot on the straight path.
"...!"
It was too late to brake suddenly while running at full speed, so Minami avoided both the child and the mother chasing after him by performing a narrow somersault over their heads.
She gave a reassuring wave to the bewildered mother and started running again.
'Three minutes left.'
The Young Mistress, who had gone to the tourist information center with Kim Yu-seong, would be getting antsy soon.
Searching for a shortcut to the kimono shop, she scanned her surroundings and spotted a calico cat walking along the wall of a densely packed residential area.
Without hesitation, Minami used a mailbox on the street to leap up.
"Meeeooww!"
The calico cat, startled by her sudden appearance, fled in a panic.
Minami, an animal lover, apologized silently and began to run swiftly along the top of the wall.
'Two minutes left.'
When the wall ended, she had no choice but to leap onto the roof of a nearby house.
Light footwork is a kunoichi's basic skill.
Quietly, but quickly.
Leaping from roof to roof with footfalls that made almost no sound, Minami finally reached a side street that led to the covered shopping arcade where the kimono shop was located.
'One minute left!'
When a girl in a black suit suddenly dropped down from the roof of a house, the people walking nearby jumped back in surprise, but with a straight face, she immediately broke into a final sprint.
A straight dash, then a sharp left turn.
*Screeech!*
Having covered a distance of about two kilometers in just five minutes, she panted for breath as she held out a black card to the stunned kimono shop owner.
"I'd like to rent this shop for an hour!"