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https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330655169485668/episodes/16817330656449441894
After buying Reona new shoes at a department store in front of the station, we walked to the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter. In front of us was a retro-modern landscape of white-walled warehouses and sea cucumber walls.
“Wow, this is the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, isn’t it?”
“It’s like stepping back in time.”
“Well, this is a place where streets from the Edo and Meiji periods have been preserved.”
Reona and Riona were taking pictures with their phones as they scurried around with curious looks on their faces. The summer vacation was a good time to see tourists like us who had come from out of town or out of state.
“There are quite a lot of people wearing kimonos and yukatas,”
“It would look really nice on this street, wouldn’t it?”
“I think there is a store near here where you can rent one, what should we do?”
Hearing their words, I suggested that they should rent one. I suggested that they rent a dress at a store near here.
“Of course we’re going to wear it,”
“I want to wear it, too.”
“All right, then, let’s go rent one.”
We went to a nearby rental store. After the clerk explained the rental process to us, we began to choose what we wanted to wear. Reona and Riona seemed to be quite confused, but in the end, Reona chose a red yukata and Riona chose a blue yukata.
I had no intention of wearing a kimono or a yukata, but since they asked me to wear something for the occasion, I decided to wear a navy blue kimono.
Needless to say, there was no problem in dressing them, as there was a professional waiter there.
“I knew it, you two look great in anything you wear.”
“Thank you, Ryoya kun, you look good too.”
“Ryoya in a kimono is fresh.”
I couldn’t help but let it slip when I saw Reona and Riona in their yukatas, and they complimented me on the way I looked. Even if it was just a compliment, it’s a secret between us that I was happy.
“All right, let’s go then.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
“You’ve got a big voice, onee chan.”
With such conversation, we started strolling around. We walked slowly along the Kurashiki River, taking commemorative photos here and there, and eating and shopping at stores.
“…… Ryoya kun, are you sure you can eat this?”
“They look too green and not very tasty. ……”
“It’s true that you would react that way if you saw it for the first time.”
I bought a blue pork bun called Denim Man and handed it to them. They had a subtle reaction, but they seemed to have no problem with the taste and ate it deliciously.
Other items on sale included a denim burger and a denim soft serve, all of which were blue in color, just like the denim buns. Incidentally, the reason why they are promoting denim so much seems to be because Kurashiki is the birthplace of domestic jeans.
After stopping by an art museum where many world-famous masterpieces are exhibited and taking a river cruise, we took a rest at a rest area on the second floor of the tourist information center.
“I’ve never been here before, but there are so many things to see and do.”
“I can see why it’s such a popular tourist spot.”
“I’ve been coming here many times with my grandmother and I still never get tired of it.”
Both Reona and Riona looked quite satisfied with their visit, so it was a good decision to bring them here.
“Come to think of it, Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter is also a place where you can have a wedding ceremony.”
Reona must be talking about the tourist complex centered around the ivy-twined red brick hotel.
“Ok, let’s go there next.”
“Thank you, Ryoya kun.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
After a short rest, we started walking toward our destination. It took us less than 10 minutes to get there from the tourist information center.
“This place used to be a factory in the Meiji era, but it’s been repurposed as a facility.”
“If you ask me, it looks a little like a factory.”
“The contrast between the red and the green is beautiful.”
The actual red brick archway at the main entrance leads you into the building, past a wide corridor and directly into the courtyard.
“The wedding ceremony that Reona mentioned earlier would have been held in the courtyard square where you are now, or in the wedding space over there.”
“If it’s going to be held in this plaza, don’t think it will be an open wedding surrounded by greenery.”
Reona seemed to be enjoying herself, perhaps imagining what her own wedding would look like. Seeing her like that made my heart ache.
I would love to be next to Reona and Riona in the future, but that must be impossible. I forced myself to push it away, as I couldn’t afford to give off a gloomy vibe here.
“I’m also curious about the wedding space.”
“… Since we’re here, let’s go to the wedding space, too. I’m sure it’s open to the public on non-wedding days.”
The wedding ceremony is a very important event for the bride and groom. After walking for a while, we arrived at the wedding space and went inside.
“It has a calm atmosphere, the red carpet and the white wedding dress look very picturesque.”
Just as Reona had done earlier, Riona looked happy as she imagined herself in her wedding dress.
After all, my heart was still aching, but I managed to hold it in so that they would not realize what was happening. They both looked satisfied, but I, on the other hand, was feeling pretty gloomy.
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