Since Ikki talks much about him, Kyoko expressed interest in meeting his brother, Shun. They hang out at Asakusa during the day. Shun and Ikki return to the dorm in the evening for Saori's visit at night.
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The weather for today is sunny, cloudy mix.
This week begins the June chapter.
[May 27, Sunday - week 1]
Ikki arrives at Asakusa Station with Shun and sees Kyoko waiting for him.
"You're here!" Kyoko waves. "Ah! Nice to meet you, Shun." Kyoko shakes Shun's hand as the latter does the same.
"Nice to meet you too, Kyoko-san. My brother has talked a lot about you."
For context, Ikki and Kyoko meet daily during lunch, and the former has talked much about Shun with her. Likewise, Kyoko already knows who Shun is based on his celebrity status from the Galaxian Wars. Though she never saw him in person, she has seen articles talking about him. That's when she got the idea of meeting with Ikki and his brother on a Sunday.
"This is the first we meet without a uniform. If my brother hadn't said so, I wouldn't be able to tell that you attend our school."
"Same here, but then again I already know who you are because of the articles. I have to say you look much better in person. Of course, we'll have to see each other in uniform eventually."
Kyoko is wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a jean jacket, while Shun wears a large pink sweater as an outer layer with a white-collar shirt underneath. Ikki is simply wearing classy, simplistic attire.
"What is this place?" Shun asks.
"This is the Asakusa district. I thought it would be nice to invite the two of you here since Sumida Park is close by. By the way, I'm surprised you two made it here easily. You didn't get lost on your way, right?"
"No, the signs were clear enough," Ikki says.
"That's good to hear. Come on! Let's start the trip."
"We can't last long since we must return by sunset for a meeting."
"Don't worry, Ikki. That's why I chose this place as a hangout point. It's just visiting a handful of places, especially the shrines. We'll end at Sumida Park once we're done with the tour."
They head towards the Kaminari gate once they exit the station.
"This is the starting point of our tour. Once we pass this gate, we'll end up in Nakamise Street," Kyoko says, pointing towards the gate.
"Looks really old," Shun says, amazed.
"It is. It's over a thousand years old."
"A thousand-year-old gate?" Ikki wonders.
"You think a gate like that has some kind of secret," Shun whispers.
"Yeah, I can't help but imagine some kind of power," Ikki whispers.
They pass through the gate and enter Nakamise Street, a place filled with shops on both sides. These shops mostly sell local artisan goods.
"Look at these, brother! They're so cute!" Shun enthusiastically holds two small porcelain dolls wearing a kimono. "It's a matching pair!"
"If you get two, you'll save more than if you buy just one," Kyoko says.
"I agree they're good looking, but you can't get carried away because you'll drain all your allowance."
"But we'll get our allowance today, Big Brother."
"That's true..."
"Allowance?" Kyoko asks.
"Yeah, that's why we must return by sunset."
"You mean allowance from Miss Kido?"
"Yep, we get it from Saori-san," Shun says.
"There are plenty of shops, plus ones that sell snacks."
"Snacks, you say?" Ikki asks. "Maybe those will be better."
Shun returns the dolls and follows the pair to another shop that sells local sweets. They end up at one that sells yokan, pieces of jelly sweets. Kyoko buys a set of six for the three of them. They each consume two parts.
"Kyoko-san! This is amazing! I really like these!" Shun says.
"I agree. These taste really good," Ikki says.
"Brother! Let's buy a set so we can take it to the dorm."
"I don't see why not."
Shun buys the same set and holds the bags of sweets once delivered.
"I bought two sets since some of us may want to eat more just in case."
"You're very thoughtful, Shun," Kyoko says.
"He's always been like this," Ikki says.
"I see... He's the type to put others before himself."
They make it to the entrance of the Sensoji temple. The temple itself is crowded, with locals and tourists looking around.
"This temple otherwise looks old too," Shun says.
"It's the city's oldest temple," Kyoko says.
"What's it dedicated to?" Ikki asks.
"I found this visitor's pamphlet in one of the stores we went," Shun says as he reads from the guide. "It's a guide to the temple and here's what it has it say. This is a temple dedicated to the goddess, Kannon."
"Kanon?" Ikki asks, raising a brow.
"Kanon? As in Gemini Kanon?"
"That's referring to Kanzeon. Legend has it that two brothers caught a statue at the Sumida River and threw it back. But the statue returned, and the temple was built as a result," Kyoko explains.
"Thanks for the clarification," Ikki says.
"I wonder what's inside," Shun says.
"Does the guide say something?"
"No, just an overview. We must see what it looks like."
They enter the main building and notice an adorned gold altar.
"That's so pretty..." Shun says, with sparks in his eyes.
"It's very shiny..." Ikki agrees.
"So this is what the inside looks like. This is actually my first time seeing it. I didn't expect the interior to be this majestic," Kyoko says.
"First time, Kyoko-san?" Shun asks.
"I moved here recently."
"That's right. Kyoko came from the countryside," Ikki explains.
"It's so pretty and shiny that I can't get my eyes off it," Shun says.
"We can't spend the day here, Little Brother. We need to go."
"It's already afternoon, so let's visit Sumida Park," Kyoko says.
"Oh right, you said that. Okay, let's go there."
They head to Sumida Park and sit on the bench overlooking the river.
"What a relief," Ikki says, sighing.
"I know what you mean. It was crowded but fun," Shun says.
"The sun is setting so we need to return."
Kyoko stands up. "I'm glad the two of you enjoyed the trip."
"Thank you for inviting us, Kyoko-san." Shun stands, too.
"I'll see you at school tomorrow." Ikki does the same.
"Same here. Someday we'll meet at school, Shun."
"I hope it will happen soon." Shun nods.
They part ways as the sun sets into the evening.
To be continued...