Chapter 055: The Shihoin Family Gathering
Kushi... kushi-bukuro?
So what exactly was that?
Matsushita Yusuke decided not to ask out loud. Judging by Soifon's current expression, asking would probably earn him another strike.
But it was fine. Having spent this much time around her, he'd gotten reasonably good at reading her face before she said anything.
"You have no idea what it is. I can tell just from looking at you. Don't even try."
He'd prepared himself for this before they left the shop.
Soifon took a breath, resigned, and explained.
"A kushi-bukuro is a small pouch for carrying a comb. Generally worn at the hip. A convenient item for women who want to keep their hair in order."
A simple description, which left room for more.
She stood with one hand on her hip, holding up the pouch, expression doing what it usually did when she was making a point she considered obvious.
"But even someone like you should be able to work out the implication. If you can maintain your appearance at any moment, and carry yourself with the right bearing while doing it, you're probably someone with money or status. Or both."
People who struggled to get by didn't put much effort into how they looked. That was the observable pattern.
"So over time, this kind of object became a marker of something. Typically only unmarried women from noble families carry one."
"That fits you then, doesn't it?"
Matsushita Yusuke tilted his head.
"You're not married yet. And a lower-ranking noble is still a noble."
"You idiot! I hadn't finished! I'm a member of the covert operations unit. Even wearing one extra layer is an inconvenience in my line of work. Adding something like this to the equation only makes it worse!"
She stopped. Her chest rose and fell a few times. The expression on her face went through a complicated several seconds.
"Also! Don't casually bring up other people's marital status. It's rude."
"Understood. Please continue."
Where were we.
Soifon pressed a hand against her cheek, which was slightly warm. She settled herself and went on.
"A comb is also considered a protective object in noble tradition. It represents cleanliness and good health. And your pouch has a lining, which means it can hold a fragrance ball as well. It's a newer compound style, more versatile than the older ones..."
She turned it over in her hands and flipped it to show him the reverse side, lowering her voice slightly.
"See this empty space here? That's where a family crest emblem would be attached. Older versions didn't have that feature."
"Let me see..."
"Where are you looking? Here. Right here."
Their heads drifted a little closer.
"So what makes this one special?"
"Young people in the nobility tend to like this design. The comb and the fragrance ball in one, without needing two separate things. And the color is bold enough that older tastes probably wouldn't appreciate it."
"Right, right. So you like it?"
"Obviously I— hey!"
She caught herself and took a swing at him.
Matsushita Yusuke was already moving back with a grin.
"Come on, just say you like it. All that going around in circles just makes things awkward for everyone."
"Gh..."
He watched her struggle with the expression on her face, and something in his chest went light.
"Well, if you like it, then I'm not going to return it. Come on, didn't we still need to pick up a gift?"
Soifon looked at this person who had somehow completely reversed the dynamic on her, and the expression she was pulling couldn't quite decide what it wanted to be.
She closed the distance in one step and kicked him in the back of the leg.
"Stop acting like you're in charge!"
"These are new clothes! If you're that unhappy about it, just pick up the pace yourself..."
"Hmph."
"Soifon. Honestly. You really like it, don't you?"
"It's acceptable!"
The notification appeared in the corner of his vision, and the smile that spread across Matsushita Yusuke's face took on a particular quality.
[Soifon Affection +5]
Knowing her personality, even when the meter was fully maxed she probably still wouldn't say anything that sounded warm. She'd just stand there being difficult about everything until it was too late to change, and then cry and demand to know why she'd been left behind.
Well, well. A whole dramatic falling-behind arc in the making. That was something to look forward to.
Back to the present.
The gift selection was, again, handled almost entirely by Soifon.
For all her daily bluntness, she had a careful and particular eye for the smaller details when she thought they mattered. She put genuine thought into what she was choosing, and somewhere along the way also quietly picked out a separate gift on Yusuke's behalf.
"Give this to Yoruichi-sama. Even if she doesn't have an immediate use for it, it's something you can hand to her without looking careless."
Matsushita Yusuke noticed their selections were different from each other.
"There's a distinction in that too?"
"Men's and women's gifts aren't the same. It's part of noble etiquette. Something you need to be paying attention to."
Reasonably complicated.
The practical upside was having Soifon here to flag it. He didn't have to think about it himself.
"Thank you, Soifon."
"..."
She looked over at him.
She didn't say anything sharp back. She reached up, quietly, and touched the pouch hanging at her hip. On the side Matsushita Yusuke couldn't see from where he was standing.
"It's nothing. We're in a working relationship. If you embarrass yourself, it reflects on me too."
She said it, then exhaled softly, like someone confirming something to themselves with a small nod.
Right. That's all it is.
"Come on. We can't be late to Yoruichi-sama's gathering. We need to arrive early."
To say that noble households had a different scale to them was an understatement.
The venue was deep within the Shihoin family estate, requiring a proper amount of walking and several redirections before they reached it.
Along the way, they passed a number of faces Matsushita Yusuke didn't recognize. Soifon moved through them easily, exchanging greetings and small pleasantries with the relaxed composure of someone who knew exactly where she was in the social map. The people she was talking to were clearly not ordinary.
Matsushita Yusuke was less naturally inclined to participate in any of it.
He got a quiet pinch on the side from Soifon.
"Think of this as building connections for later. Just make the effort."
He hadn't expected her to take the time to explain rather than just shove him forward.
That was new.
The difficult, short-tempered person walking next to him was behaving noticeably more gently than usual.
Was five points of affection actually doing that much? Had something genuinely shifted in how she saw him?
Impossible to know.
The two of them walked into the main Shihoin residence. They hadn't gone far inside when they spotted Kishinoshin, already working the room, greeting arriving guests with the smooth and unhurried ease of someone who did this in his sleep.
The man never stopped being on duty.
Work hours or not, social occasion or not, he was there doing the job.
The Shihoin family had genuinely gotten lucky landing a supporting noble family like his.