Alinea

After visiting the Hakone Glass Forest Museum, the students were once again led towards the old Homura House. They would be doing a small tour later just to see some parts of the estate, and then have dinner in the great hall before returning to their ryokan.

This Homura House, after all, was not as big as the one in Tokyo, since it was built before the Homura and Kazehaya houses were united into one clan. At least, that's what she heard from the others.

Ara wondered why the houses united in the first place. As she understood, even before becoming a branch family, the Kazehayas were deemed as noble as the Homuras, with their own people, resources, and connections. To downgrade into simply being an underling was a curious case.

But of course, she would never ask that question to Aoi or to Kaze-nii. She would wait to go back to Tokyo and get the answer she's seeking from Ryuu.

Arriving back to the estate, the tour of the house began. This time, they were assigned a female guide, while Kazehaya Aoi and some servants tagged along, trailing behind them. As they walked, Ara noted that the place was prepared for a quick tour as barriers were placed on some areas so students couldn't pass. There were velvet queue ropes placed as guides as well so students would know where to go next.

The Homura House was a curious building, as it resembled the famous Kinkaku-ji or "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" that was built by the shogun, a hereditary feudal lord, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in thirteen-ninety-seven. It was one of the very famous tourist spots in Kyoto, and they found out why it was similar.

"The Homuras first came to Japan in the late Muromachi period, the same era when the Temple of the Golden Pavilion was constructed," the guide started as they trudged the length of the engawa.

"As you know, the Golden temple was originally an estate of the Saionji family, but the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu that time bought it and converted it into what it is now in 1397," the guide droned on, and normally, the students were not really interested since they already knew their Japanese history well. But the guide was a very pretty, bubbly lady, and so they all eagerly hanged on to her words.

"When the Homuras arrived, the founding father fell in love with the Kinkaku-ji, and so he commissioned an architect to build this estate similarly, but not immediately, because they were not a prominent family before."

 "Those who have seen the Koutaishidenka and Homura International's CEO Kazehaya Gin, and our very own Kazehaya Aoi over there, might wonder why they don't look Japanese." The female guide gave an enigmatic smile as she said this, and waited for the people who snapped their heads to look at the hazel-eyed, c.h.e.s.tnut-haired Aoi to nod in agreement before continuing her story. "It's because the original Homuras and Kazehayas were foreigners."

Ah, so that's why…

"The Homuras and Kazehayas were originally not from here, but became legitimate Japanese when they aided Oda Nobunaga in driving out the fifteenth and last shogun of the Muromachi period, Ashikaga Yoshiaki from Kyoto."

The Muromachi Period was also known as the Sengoku period or Warring States period, as the supporters of the previous emperor were continuously resisting against the feudal lords.

"However, after aiding Oda Nobunaga, the Homuras and Kazehayas withdrew from politics and settled here in Hakone. They focused on business and trade instead, and so they became the huge enterprise, Homura International that we know now."

As to why they didn't delve into politics even if they were powerful enough, the guide didn't say anything and switched into showing the different treasures and things in the old mansion. Because the Homuras transferred to Tokyo a century and a half ago, the old manor became somewhat like a museum, although it was not open to the public.

The house, although looked so traditional didn't only have Japanese things, however. The place was filled with many different treasures from other countries as well – mostly antique weapons and furniture. There was a cased pair of English Flintlock Sea Captains pistols from the seventeen-nineties, a Japanese War Lord's musket that was around four to five hundred years old, Japanese and western swords, bowie knives, Scottish dirks and so on.

Strangely, the place had some religious relics and crests in it, as well as objects related to mythology. However there was no specific religion at all as everything was mixed up: Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Confucian, Hindu, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism – everything's in the same room, including items for paganism. 

Strange…

"You might be confused about the mixture of things in this room. The first Homuras were avid collectors. That's why the room is like this," the guide explained just as they explored the chamber.

Ara, just like the others looked around with interest until her gaze locked with the object on the far wall and she stopped in her tracks, her mouth wide open in shock. Since she suddenly stopped moving, the girl behind her smacked against her back, making her topple forward.

Ara put up her arm to brace herself, ready to break her fall, but all of a sudden, servants and even Aoi himself were there by her side, pulling her back up on her feet in a flash.

Huh?

Ara was too surprised to register what just happened.

"Ara-sama, are you okay?" Aoi asked worriedly as they ushered her towards a waiting chair that another servant had prepared.

Eh? Aren't you all overreacting?

"I'm okay. No need to sit actually," she said as she attempted to stand up, but was gently pushed back down.

"Ara-sama we must check if you have any injuries," another servant said as she kneeled on the floor to check her legs.

"No, actually, I'm okay,"Ara assured them, but her words fell on deaf ears. Even as she tried to tell the teacher she's fine, the teacher himself said she should rest to make sure things were okay.

But I didn't even fall…

Ara was not able to do anything but resign to her fate when Kazehaya Aoi instructed the guide to go on ahead with the students and leave her there in their care.

As soon as the students left, all the servants who remained bowed to her immediately, and Ara felt like palming her face. The way they treated her with reverence was totally overkilling.

"Ara-sama, are you sure you are alright? You are not in pain anywhere?"Aoi confirmed with her, and she nodded. "We apologize, but we were instructed to take good care of you, and to be careful since Ara-sama is still recovering from your accident."

"I'm totally fine. I was just distracted earlier because I was looking at something," Ara assured them.

She hesitated a bit before asking something that bothered her earlier. "Are all the things here just a collection?"

Aoi considered her inquiry first before answering. "Yes. All are just something the ancestors collected over the years."

"Even the crests?"Ara asked again because the room had many of them.

Aoi nodded. "Yes Ara-sama, all the crests here are part of the Homura House's important collection.

Oh, so it's like that.

"I see," Ara murmured as she sighed in relief.

For a moment she thought the crests in the room had some other meaning and was shocked, and so she tripped. She then recalled that her kind, the demigods and deities of her world were part of what people in this place called myths and legends, although many people from a long time ago truly worshipped them. 

"That's good," she added as she turned her gaze onto the far wall where a huge crest in a form of a fire wheel with a dragon was mounted. That particular object rendered her speechless because she had drawn the same crest just a while ago when she did a sketch of her former fiancé, Ivan of Kres.

Yes, the huge crest on the wall was the Flame Emperor's symbol – the symbol handed down from the God of Flames himself, Kresnik.

Just a collection, huh?

"I see…"

Ara guessed she was just surprised because it was something she was the least expecting to see in this place. But she should have known that the Homura clan would have it in their collection. After all, Kresnik was the God of Flames, and the name Homura meant "flames" in English. 

Her gaze wandered inside the room again and realized just now that most of the relics on display had anything to do with the fire element. With this, she was finally able to settle her mind that indeed, it was nothing but a collection. 

A few minutes after, when they were sure that Ara was totally fine, Aoi led her to the rest of the group to join them in touring the rest of the place, until the time they had to go back to the ryokan where they were staying. 

In her room, as she rested a bit before joining the girls in the bath, Ara realized that her future husband's family had a rich and interesting history. It seemed, she had a lot of things to talk about with Kou when she returned, she thought just as her phone rang, indicating a message. 

"The conference ended. I'm on my way back to the Cedar Palace," Kou said, and Ara's lips turned up in a smile as she clicked on the call button. She had one naughty pup to scold tonight.