Matchmaker Mayhem
Chapter 117: Shrine Visit – Testing Fate Again

Chapter 117: Shrine Visit – Testing Fate Again

The afternoon sun hung low over Tokyo, casting a golden glow over the city as Ava and Ryan walked hand in hand up the ancient stone steps leading to the Tokyo Daijingu Shrine—one of the most famous love shrines in Japan. The gentle rustling of leaves, the soft murmur of visitors offering prayers, and the occasional chime of a shrine bell created an atmosphere of quiet serenity.

Ava had to admit, despite her initial skepticism, the place felt magical.

The vermilion torii gates framed the entrance, leading them through a stone pathway lined with cherry blossom trees, their petals swaying in the cool spring breeze. The air smelled of incense, fresh wood, and delicate floral undertones, and the rhythmic sound of a small water fountain trickled nearby.

Ryan, his fingers laced through hers, exhaled contentedly. "Okay, I’ll admit—this is nice."

Ava smirked. "Nice? You, Mr. Skeptic, just admitted a shrine visit is nice?"

Ryan gave her a dry look. "I said it’s nice, not that I suddenly believe in matchmaking luck."

Ava nudged him playfully. "Good, because I don’t need luck. I already landed the best fiancé in Tokyo."

Ryan arched a brow. "Oh? Does that mean you admit you’re incredibly lucky to have me?"

Ava snorted. "Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Kim."

Ryan chuckled, squeezing her hand before leading her deeper into the shrine grounds.

---

As they approached the sacred wishing area, Ava noticed several couples standing in line, eagerly shaking small wooden boxes filled with omikuji—tiny slips of paper that carried random fortunes about love, relationships, and future happiness.

Ava sighed dramatically, folding her arms. "Oh no. Not this again."

Ryan smirked. "Come on, Lee. It’s tradition."

Ava groaned. "Last time we did this, in Senso-ji, I got a bad fortune, and you got a good one. This feels rigged."

Ryan shrugged, clearly enjoying her suffering. "Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something."

Ava shot him a look before reluctantly stepping up to the counter. She took the small wooden shaking box, rolling it between her hands before tipping it forward. A numbered wooden stick slid out.

Ava handed it to the priestess, who took it with a serene smile before fetching the matching paper slip from a set of wooden drawers. She bowed as she handed it over.

Ava grimaced before unfolding the fortune.

"Great curse."

Ryan burst out laughing.

Ava scowled. "Why does fate hate me?"

Ryan took his turn, shaking the omikuji box, rolling his stick out, and exchanging it for his slip. He unfolded it, grinned, and held it up smugly.

"Great blessing."

Ava gaped. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

Ryan waggled his eyebrows. "Guess fate just loves me more."

Ava groaned, scanning her fortune. "Let’s see... ’Your love life will be full of challenges, misunderstandings, and unexpected trials. However, if you remain patient, happiness will find its way to you.’"

Ryan hummed thoughtfully. "Well... technically, that tracks. I mean, you did have to deal with me."

Ava smacked his arm. "Not funny."

Ryan grinned, leaning down to kiss her temple. "Okay, okay. Want to cheat fate?"

Ava narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Ryan gestured toward a small wooden rack nearby where visitors had tied their bad fortunes to strings as a way of leaving their bad luck behind.

Ava sighed, taking the thin strip of paper and tying it securely to the rack. "There. Happy?"

Ryan nodded. "Now your luck resets."

Ava folded her arms. "Does this mean you’re tying yours too?"

Ryan smirked. "Why would I? Mine’s perfect."

Ava muttered something about smug lawyers and rigged fortunes, but Ryan just slung an arm around her waist, pulling her closer as they made their way toward the shrine’s main wishing board.

The wooden board, known as an ema, was filled with small wooden plaques, each one carrying handwritten wishes from couples, singles, and hopeful romantics.

Ryan grabbed one of the blank wooden plaques and a marker.

Ava tilted her head. "What are you writing?"

Ryan smirked. "Secret."

Ava squinted at him. "It’s literally an open board."

Ryan turned slightly, shielding his writing with his body, ensuring she couldn’t peek.

Ava groaned. "Kim, come on. Just tell me."

Ryan finished writing, hung the wooden plaque onto the board, and stepped back. "Nope."

Ava huffed, crossing her arms. "I don’t like secrets."

Ryan slid his arms around her waist, pulling her against him, voice low and teasing. "You’ll find out. Eventually."

Ava exhaled sharply, her heart skipping in that dangerous way it always did when Ryan got like this—confident, teasing, and absolutely certain about her in a way that made her stomach flip.

She glanced at the plaque hanging on the board, but Ryan had written in neat, cryptic Korean, ensuring she wouldn’t be able to read it.

Ava pouted. "Not fair."

Ryan kissed the tip of her nose. "Love isn’t about fairness, sweetheart. It’s about timing."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "Are you quoting yourself now?"

Ryan grinned. "Possibly."

Ava sighed, relenting. "Fine. But if your wish comes true and I don’t know what it is, I’ll be very upset."

Ryan smirked, pulling her closer. "Oh, trust me. You’ll know."

---

After their shrine visit, they took a leisurely stroll through the quieter streets of the city, the bustling sounds of Tokyo fading into a comfortable hum in the distance.

Ava, still mildly grumpy about her bad fortune, poked at her yakitori skewer as they walked along a tree-lined pathway.

Ryan watched her with amusement. "You’re really letting this get to you, huh?"

Ava glared at him halfheartedly. "My job is literally to predict people’s love lives. And I got cursed."

Ryan shrugged. "Doesn’t change anything."

Ava arched a brow. "Oh? Enlighten me, wise one."

Ryan grinned, pulling her against him. "Love isn’t about fate. It’s about choice."

Ava swallowed. "And?"

Ryan brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, his gaze steady. "I already chose you."

Ava’s heart stumbled over itself, her fingers tightening around the thin wooden skewer.

Ryan leaned in, his lips just grazing hers. "So, no matter what a piece of paper says, nothing’s changing."

Ava exhaled, melting into him. "You really are the worst."

Ryan smirked, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. "And yet, you love me."

Ava sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately, yes."

Ryan chuckled, lacing their fingers together. "Come on, Matchmaker. Let’s go get you some good luck before you spiral."

Ava rolled her eyes, but as they walked through the quiet streets of Tokyo, hand in hand, she couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, she didn’t need luck after all.

Because Ryan Kim was already the best fortune she could ever ask for.

---

After leaving the shrine, the streets of Tokyo stretched before them like an invitation, bathed in the soft, golden hues of the afternoon sun.

Ryan’s fingers remained intertwined with Ava’s as they meandered through a quieter part of the city, far from the neon-lit chaos of Shibuya or the high-end luxury of Ginza.

Ava nudged him lightly. "So, where exactly are you taking me, Kim?"

Ryan glanced at her, the usual smirk tugging at his lips. "Wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you, would it?"

Ava sighed. "Should I be worried?"

Ryan chuckled, pulling her a little closer. "Do you trust me?"

Ava squinted up at him. "... Debatable."

Ryan laughed, shaking his head as they turned a corner. "Then I guess you’ll just have to suffer through it."

Ava huffed but let herself be led through the winding side streets of Yanaka, one of Tokyo’s few remaining neighborhoods that had preserved its traditional charm.

The contrast was immediate—no towering glass skyscrapers here, no giant billboards flashing overhead. Instead, narrow alleyways opened into quiet wooden storefronts, charming teahouses, and antique shops that seemed to belong to a different era.

Ava slowed her pace, eyes taking in the rows of old-fashioned shophouses, each with a weathered charm that made the neighborhood feel untouched by time.

"This is..." She trailed off, inhaling deeply as the scent of freshly brewed matcha and sweet red bean pastries lingered in the air.

Ryan studied her face, watching the moment realization dawned on her. "Better than a neon-lit shopping district?"

Ava tilted her head, lips twitching. "I’ll admit, it’s... charming."

Ryan exhaled dramatically. "Wow. That almost sounded like a compliment."

Ava rolled her eyes. "Don’t push your luck."

They continued walking, their steps in sync against the smooth stone pavement, as the soft chime of wind bells echoed from the nearby storefronts. The tranquil hum of a bamboo water fountain added to the atmosphere, and for a while, it felt like they had stepped into a small pocket of Tokyo where time moved slower.

---

Ryan eventually steered them toward a small teahouse nestled between two traditional buildings, its sliding wooden doors partially open, revealing the warm glow of paper lanterns inside.

Ava eyed the quaint shop suspiciously. "Are you tricking me into another matchmaking stunt?"

Ryan held up both hands, looking far too innocent. "Just tea. No matchmaking involved."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "You hesitated."

Ryan grinned but said nothing as he pulled the door open.

The interior was cozy, the walls lined with delicate calligraphy scrolls, shelves stacked with hand-painted teacups and ceramic pots, and the scent of roasted green tea filling the air. A low wooden counter stretched along the back, where an elderly shop owner in a traditional kimono was preparing tea with careful precision.

Ava relaxed almost immediately.

Ryan led her to a quiet corner with a view of the tiny garden outside, where a stone lantern sat beside a small koi pond. He motioned for her to sit before settling across from her, the soft murmur of classical shamisen music playing in the background.

The owner soon approached with a gentle smile, placing a tea set on the table—two handcrafted cups, a small dish of matcha sweets, and a cast iron teapot with intricate floral carvings.

Ava watched as Ryan carefully poured the tea, his movements oddly graceful. "Didn’t peg you for a tea ceremony kind of guy."

Ryan smirked, handing her a cup. "I contain multitudes."

Ava huffed a laugh before taking a sip. The tea was warm, smooth, slightly bitter yet balanced by the sweetness of the small wagashi dessert placed beside it.

For a while, neither of them spoke, just enjoying the quiet moment between them.

Ava exhaled, rolling her shoulders. "This is nice."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Careful, Lee. You’re dangerously close to admitting I was right about this detour."

Ava pretended to consider. "I’ll allow it... just this once."

Ryan chuckled, lifting his cup in a mock toast. "Progress."

---

After their tea, Ryan steered Ava toward a hidden bookstore tucked between two alleyways—a place she would’ve missed if not for the warm glow of lanterns illuminating the entrance.

Ava paused at the doorway, taking in the sight of endless wooden shelves filled with old Japanese literature, delicate poetry scrolls, and rare foreign books.

She turned to Ryan. "Are you seriously taking me to a bookstore on a date?"

Ryan shrugged. "I like watching you nerd out over books."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "You make it sound like a spectator sport."

Ryan smirked, guiding her inside. "It is."

The shop smelled of aged paper, cedarwood, and a faint trace of ink, the air thick with the kind of stillness found only in places dedicated to stories.

Ava let her fingers trail over the spines of books, eyes scanning the beautifully bound poetry collections, her heart warming at the sight of handwritten dedication notes tucked inside some of them.

Ryan watched her, leaning casually against a nearby shelf, his gaze softer than usual. "Find anything?"

Ava picked up a small poetry book, flipping through the pages. The words were written in delicate, flowing script, each line capturing something fleeting yet eternal.

She turned to Ryan. "I think I found something."

Ryan’s lips twitched. "Let me guess—some tragic romance about lovers separated by fate?"

Ava smirked. "Close. It’s a collection of love letters from the Edo period."

Ryan took the book from her hands, flipping through it before glancing down at her with a knowing look. "Ava Lee, are you secretly a romantic?"

Ava crossed her arms, attempting to look unaffected. "I appreciate history."

Ryan chuckled. "Sure, sweetheart."

Ava grabbed another book and smacked his arm with it.

Ryan laughed but didn’t dodge.

A moment later, he stepped closer, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Buy the book."

Ava blinked up at him. "Why?"

Ryan’s thumb brushed over her jaw. "So you can read it to me later."

Ava’s breath hitched slightly, her fingers tightening around the book.

She swallowed, then turned away before he could see how much that affected her.

---

By the time they finally stepped out of the bookstore, the sun had set, leaving the streets bathed in the glow of hanging lanterns and the distant hum of Tokyo nightlife.

Ryan pulled Ava closer, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to her forehead. "Worth the detour?"

Ava sighed, leaning into him. "I hate that you always win."

Ryan grinned, brushing his lips over her temple. "And yet, you love me."

Ava exhaled. "Yeah. Unfortunately, I do."

Ryan chuckled, slipping his arm around her shoulders.

Tokyo buzzed around them, but in that moment, it felt like they existed in their own quiet universe—just the two of them, caught between history, fate, and something entirely their own.

And Ava?

She wouldn’t have it any other way.