The Book Of Letters 16 Aoko And Opening Nigh

"Did Akashi ever teach you high cla.s.s etiquette before?" Midori asked, tying up my side hair to the back.

"Uh, not really," I answered.

Midori sighed. "Just follow my lead later."

The reason we were getting ready was because Mr. Wataru wanted to thank us for the successful delivery mission the other day. He invited us to an exclusive opening of a new museum wing of antique magic jewelries before it would be open for the public next week. Midori said there would be a lot of VIPs coming so we had to dress the part.

"Done!" said Midori. She took out a hand mirror to show the back of my head. She did a braided updo hairstyle and added a bow with a round blue crystal barrette to my hair.

I was impressed by Midori's hairstyling skills. "I love it! Where did you get this barrette, by the way?"

"It's a gift from Mr. Wataru," said Midori. "As if the invitation wasn't enough, he bought some antique hair accessories from an auction."

"Did he get you anything?" I asked.

"He bought me earrings, and he insisted on giving this one to you," Midori answered. "Anyway, we should get going or we'll be late."

I wasn't used to wearing high heels so Midori let me wear her golden leathered flats instead. Midori picked up her high heels with a green jewel on the strap. As the two of us went downstairs, Esuke and Hibiki were already finished cooking dinner for themselves.

"You two look magnificent!" Esuke excitedly complimented us.

Hibiki turned his face away when he looked at me. "S-sorry. I was about to sneeze. You look great, by the way."

"Thank you," I smiled, though a little confused why his face was red. I turned to Midori. "By the way, how do we get there? Do we use our broomsticks?"

"Of course not, silly," Midori laughed. "I borrowed my family's carriage for the occasion."

She opened the door and outside, a coachman donning all-black tuxedo suit bowed before us. The carriage was green, adorned with silver designs with two white horses at the front.

"I didn't know your family was rich," I whispered to Midori.

"My family runs a charm mining business," said Midori. "This is our second carriage that only I can use for these kind of occasions."

The coachman helped us got onto the carriage. The inside of the carriage was illuminated with green illumination crystals, and the seats were cushioned too. Esuke looked at us from outside the carriage, telling us to have fun at the party. Hibiki, however, seemed to be worried.

"Be careful out there," he said.

"I will be," I told him, showing a very short metallic tube hanging on my bracelet. "Besides, it's just an opening ceremony, what's the worst thing that could happen?"

The coachman took us to the museum, and we waited in line of the traffic until he could drop us at the red carpet. I clung onto Midori's arm, nervous of having bright lights shining on us. There were politicians and celebrities behind and front of us that I felt like I didn't fit in. Midori, however, looked so beautiful and glamorous that all the men's eyes were on her.

"Stand up straight, Aoko," said Midori. "Be proud of yourself. After all, you are Aoko Ito, the woman who faced so many dangers and survived."

"Thanks, Midori," I smiled and straightened up my back. Though inside of me, I could feel my stomach curled and my head filled with anxious thoughts of what to say and what-if scenarios.

We were ushered to the new wing that Midori was talking about. Upon entering, there were already so many important people gathering and chatting. I saw celebrities that I was a fan of and I tried to stay professional. The displays were covered with white silk sheets, with men in black vests on stand-by. Midori was excited for the unveiling, since she is a charm user and all.

"How much do you know about charms, Aoko?" Midori asked.

"Not a lot," I answered. "I only know that charm users are capable of channeling their magic through certain mineral stones."

"True," Midori agreed. "Charm user's magic is much different than other magic users. The mineral stones that you said can only be used by us, and not others. Our connection with these stones are being studied, but in the old days, it is believed that we and the stones share the same veins of magic."

The 'veins of magic' that Kurai once told me about was a theory about how magic flows through the people and the objects around us. It made me wonder what purpose we non-magic users have to this world full of magic.

It took thirty minutes of waiting before the announcer of the event introduced Mr. Wataru to the crowd. Mr. Wataru gave a speech about the history of the museum, charm users and accessories.

"And eight hundred years ago, to lessen the ha.s.sle of carrying magic charms in a bag, a jeweler named Kira Houseki, incorporated her charms into her jewelry, whilst retaining the magic usage. She had created several of magical jewelries for the kings and queens. Tonight, we will present you Kira Houseki's personal jewelry collection, never seen before, donated by her descendant and owner of Houseki Dazzling Co., Safaia Houseki."

After Mr. Wataru gave the speech, a man in his thirties bowed before the crowd. He had brown asymmetrical hair style and neatly-trimmed beard. He donned a dark blue tuxedo with a blue crystal brooch shaped like a coiled snake on his collar. He stood behind the podium to give his speech.

"It is an honour to present my ancestor's collection to the world. Her designs have inspired so many jewelers around the globe, and I, representing the Houseki family, would like to thank all of you for coming to tonight's opening, and we hope that you enjoy yourselves as well. May I present to you, Kira Houseki's personal jewelry collection!"

The men that were on standby pulled the sheets, blinding us with the dazzling accessories. There were so many items to look at, ranging from Kira's necklaces and earrings, to her bejeweled bags and dresses. Midori tried her best to contain her excitement.

While we were looking at the necklaces, the men in vests offered to give us the history behind the creations. Midori agreed but then Safaia approached us, offering to tell the history instead.

"Long time no see, Midori Shinju," Safaia greeted and kissed the back of Midori's hand.

"You know him?" I asked Midori in a soft voice.

"Yes, back in elementary school," said Midori, seemingly uninterested with Safaia. "We were rivals in magic."

"Such a pity that a talented person like you to be wasting her potential in delivering letters," said Safaia. "I could offer you a much better position... as my wife that is."

I cringed. It was a horrible pick up line that almost made me vomit. Midori wasn't even impressed by his words at all. She simply smirked at him and flipped her hair.

"Nice try, but I love my job more than your attempts at winning my heart," said Midori. "Now, when are you going to impress me with your family history?"

Safaia clicked his tongue and proceeded to talk about the necklaces. I felt this weird tension between them that I backed out to check on the other accessories. I let the waiting men to tell me about the history of the making of the jewelries. By the time I was finished listening to all of them, I got bored and went back to Midori's side.

Champagnes and desserts were offered by the waiters and Midori made me take one even though I didn't like alcoholic drinks. I kept the gla.s.s in my hand and while Midori was being flocked by young men who knew her family, I slipped to the balcony to pour all of the champagne out.

"I want to go home," I sighed.

"Why don't you just go home now?" a male voice asked. I turned and surprised to the familiar wolf mask sitting on the railing, wearing a white swallow-tail suit.

"Phantom Wolf!" I shouted, before realizing I should lowered my voice. "What are you doing here? Is there a forbidden treasure here?"

"Yes, but I can wait till the party is almost over," he said. "For now, I'd like to know more about you."

I asked him straightforwardly. "Are you trying to flirt me?"

"What if I am?" he asked, smirking at me as he crossed his legs and rested his chin on the back of his palm. "Though, I do genuinely wanted to know you more. I still remember how we first met when you jump into action while being chased by a lioness."

"That was the only time we've ever met," I said.

"Still, and I'm glad we met again. So what's your favourite food?"

"Anything that is cheesy, especially Sora's Street Food's tender chicken with hot cheese sauce. You should try it out sometime."

"I love that one too! The savoury chicken was perfectly seasoned and well blend with the cheese sauce. They always serve it fresh from the fryer that when you take the first bite, you let it dance around in your mouth before the flavour sets in."

"You like to eat it while it's that hot? Kind of like Hibiki."

"Sometimes you want to taste it at its optimum. Maybe you should try that out. Okay, how about this? We say our favourites at the same time. Favourite colour in three... two... one..."

"Purple!" we shouted together.

"No way!" he exclaimed. "I thought you like blue!"

"Is it because I'm wearing blue right now?" I chuckled. "Well, I still do, but I kind of like purple more. It reminds me of my boyfriend."

Phantom Wolf went quiet for few seconds. "What's he like?"

I rested my arms and stared at the moon. "When I first met him, he was rude, short-tempered and always flick my forehead whenever I say or do something dumb to him. Over time, I realized that he can be quite a sensitive person. He tend to keep things to himself because he doesn't want to that person get hurt, even though that sometimes ended up hurting himself."

As I said those words, and image of him popped up in my head. My heart started to ache remembering him, and my eyes started to swell.

"Are you okay?" Phantom Wolf asked.

"Yea, I just miss him, that's all," I said, covering my eyes. "Sorry, I just have dust in my eyes."

"You don't have to lie," said Phantom Wolf, handing me his handkerchief. "I can see that you love him so much."

I took the handkerchief, and pushed it against my eyes. "I really don't want to ruin my makeup."

"You can just remove it. You'll still look pretty without it."

"You sure? Your handkerchief will get stained."

"Then you make sure to wash it, so that you can give it back the next time we meet."

The way he said it sounded like he antic.i.p.ated for another meeting. I tried removing the makeup that Midori tried to her best to put it on me, feeling guilty that I had ruined it with my crying face. I tried so hard to hold my sniffles, but the phantom thief insisted that I should blow my nose onto the handkerchief. He even patted me on the back as I cleared my nose out.

"Feeling okay now?" he asked.

"Yeah, though I need a mirror to look at myself," I said.

"Let me look at you." Phantom Wolf touched my chin and turned my head to his direction. He remained silent, created this weird tension that made me feel awkward.

"Is there some makeup left on my face?" I asked.

"There's smudges on your left eye," he said.

I rubbed the clean part of the handkerchief against my left eyelids. "How about now?"

"Beautiful," he complimented. He jumped off the railing and stretched his back. "Well, off to stealing!"

"What are you stealing exactly?" I asked.

"Tokage Medallion, made by the founders of Tokage Clan," Phantom Wolf replied. "It is said that it contains the map and key to an underground chamber. History said one of the members misplaced it and it's been pa.s.sed around by rich people, even until now."

"But the jewelries unveiling here are Kira Houseki's," I said. "Does this mean she's a part of the clan?"

"No, and the medallion isn't on the display right now," he said. "Somebody has been wearing it without realizing."

Before I asked who he was referring to. There was a scream coming from inside the museum. I rushed to see what was going on, but Phantom Wolf grabbed my hand to stop me.

"Do you always jump in without thinking?" he asked. "You have to be careful. We don't know what happened in there."

We peered from behind the curtains, only to see that there were few bodies lying on the floor, paralyzed. Those who were trying to run away got shocked with electricity by a silver-haired man, donning black robes and holding a cane. The ones left standing were Mr. Wataru, Safaia and Midori, who casted a barrier to protect themselves.

"Where is the medallion?!" the man demanded. "The one that you bought from the auction, old man!"

"What is he talking about?" Midori asked Mr. Wataru.

"The only thing I bought from the auction was the jewelries for you and Aoko," he said.

I gripped on Phantom Wolf's arm and whispered. "Were you referring to my barrette?"

"At least you realized it," Phantom Wolf answered. "If you remove the big crystal off, there's a map under it."

I took off the barrette, twisted the big crystal off and found what appeared to be a small map on the base, and a key with a lizard insignia fitted inside the crystal.

"We can use this to apprehend that man," I said, putting the two halves back together. "You distract him, while I knock him out."

"How about you stay back, let a professional thief do the job?" he said, holding the barrette. "Besides, do you know who that man is? He's a wanted criminal. Kogami the ruthless charm user, Tokage Clan's follower."

Another barrette appeared in his hand. He stepped out of the curtain, showing the copied barrette in his hand and p.r.o.nounced himself. "Looking for this, Kogami? This doesn't suit your style at all."

"Phantom Wolf!" Kogami exclaimed, pointing his cane at the thief, sending a stream of electricity. Phantom Wolf leapt and quickly split himself into two, showing off his familiar user's skill.

"My, which one is me?" Phantom Wolf asked, splitting himself again into four. Midori, Mr. Wataru and Safaia ran to the back of the display for safety, much to my relief. I put the barrette back on and removed the tube from my bracelet, getting ready in case Phantom Wolf fails.

"Come here and fight like a man!" Kogami yelled.

"Alright!" all of the clones yelled. Phantom Wolf split into a total of ten, and all drew their swords to attack Kogami. Kogami twirled his cane and hit the tip against the floor, sending a wave of electricity around him. He destroyed all nine clones, leaving Phantom Wolf getting blasted by the shockwaves. I almost yelped when the barrette and the sword in his hands disappeared.

"You lied!" Kogami thrusted the cane on Phantom Wolf's chest. "Where is it?!"

I threw back the curtains, running towards Kogami with the tube inside my fist. Midori yelled to stop me but I was already determined. Kogami blasted bullets of electricity and I swiftly avoided them. When I got close, I kicked the cane off his hand and threw a punch, but he blocked it.

"So you have it, milady," Kogami chuckled. His hand reaching to the back of my head.

"Hey, heads up," I said. I clicked the b.u.t.ton of the tube inside my fist, and it instantly expanded into a long baton, knocking Kogami's nose that he bled. Midori rushed in to pick up the cane and paralyzed him.

"Seriously Aoko? You know how dangerous that was!" Midori scolded, then relaxed herself. "Though I admit, that was impressive."

"Nah, he just underestimates me," I said, offering my hand to Phantom Wolf. "Just like you."

Phantom Wolf snickered as I pulled him back up. I must have pulled him too hard that our faces almost touched. We both immediately backed away.

"Indeed, I misjudged you," said Phantom Wolf. "Hey, you got something in your hair."

He quickly s.n.a.t.c.hed the barrette, and kissed me on the forehead. He whispered to my ear before he threw a smoke bomb on the ground. I managed to see him running to the balcony through the smoke, and he turned to me to wave a goodbye. I couldn't forget the words he whispered to me.

「If we had met long ago, would you have loved me instead?」

❤︎

「The police finally arrived and apprehended Kogami. They questioned Mr. Wataru, Safaia, Midori and I, though mine felt the longest because they were asking about Phantom Wolf. I didn't want to mention about conversing with him, so I lied about being captured by him because of the barrette situation.

Mr. Wataru apologized for giving a forbidden treasure, as he didn't realized it was a Tokage medallion in disguise. I said that it was fine, just surprised that it was in an auction.

I thought about what Phantom Wolf had said, and I just never thought that he actually liked me. If I ever meet him again, I'm going to give back his handkerchief and tell him how I feel.

I still love you, Kurai.

Love,

Aoko」