KANA 42
The Fierce Saintess
Episode 42: Joukyou 4 (1687) - Part 4
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*****
In the end, Kurogane, who had crawled into his futon without eating dinner, was woken up by Shutetsu the next morning at the dawn sixth hour and brought to a doorless building at the edge of the row house area.
It appeared to be the place where servants ate their meals. Right by the entrance stood two hearths and a water jar, and on a counter beside them sat lined-up bowls filled with rice and miso soup, along with plates of pickles. In the wooden-floored room just beyond, several people could already be seen eating.
「Meals are served here twice a day, at the sixth hour in the morning and evening. Breakfast can’t be delayed, but if you’re going to be late for dinner due to work, as long as you ask in advance, they’ll leave it in your room in a stacked meal tray.」
As he spoke, Shutetsu picked up one of the stacked wooden meal trays, placing a bowl of rice, miso soup, and a plate onto it, followed by a teacup of plain hot water and chopsticks.
Kurogane hurriedly followed suit, piling his own tray, but by the time he picked up his chopsticks, Shutetsu had already stepped up into the wooden room scattered with woven straw floor cushions and started eating with his tray set before him.
Arranging a straw cushion beside him, Kurogane sat down and began to eat as well. Perhaps because he hadn't eaten dinner the previous night, he finally realized he was far hungrier than he had thought, shoveling the food down into his stomach.
「I don't know what you think, but being able to eat a meal is an important thing.」
Shutetsu muttered after pouring hot water into his rice bowl and eating every last grain clean.
(Come to think of it, Shutetsu has always eaten cleanly without leaving a single thing behind...)
Looking at his own bowl with rice grains sticking to it, Kurogane similarly poured in hot water, scraped off the remaining grains, and gulped it down.
Once he finished placing his used bowl, plate, and chopsticks into the designated tub, Shutetsu informed him that their master had requested his presence at the dojo to assess his swordsmanship skills, which they hadn't been able to do yesterday. With that, Kurogane returned to his room to prepare.
He headed to the dojo accompanied by Shutetsu, who came to fetch him. Upon entering, the old man he had seen during yesterday's meeting was sitting in the formal seiza posture.
「This is Honami-dono. He will observe on behalf of Lord Yasutomi. Take your stance.」
Saying so, Shutetsu handed him a wooden sword. As Kurogane took a hassou stance, Shutetsu took a joudan stance, though held slightly low. Then, the moment Honami's voice echoed with 「Begin!」—
Whoosh!
Thud!
He somehow managed to block and survive Shutetsu's strike targeted at his shoulder, but by that point his arms were already numb. From then on—
Thwack, clack, whoosh, thud—
Kurogane was completely overwhelmed just defending against Shutetsu's downward swings and upward thrusts. Back in the village, because of the vast difference in their physical builds, he had never sparred directly with Shutetsu. He knew Shutetsu was strong, but he had never imagined it was to this extent.
Though he felt superior in speed, with his arms numb, striking back yielded little power. Far from it—when he aimed a blow at Shutetsu's torso, it was parried back and knocked away, causing him to accidentally drop his wooden sword.
「That is enough.」
In the end, it was over without him showing a single redeeming performance. It irked him that while he was soaked in sweat, his opponent maintained a cool, nonchalant expression.
Old Man Honami remained silent, seemingly deep in thought, which did not strike Kurogane as a favorable sign. He called Shutetsu over to his side and spoke to him in hushed tones, but being a short distance away, Kurogane could not hear what was said.
(This is bad. Am I getting dismissed after all?)
As he wiped away his sweat while thinking this, Shutetsu came over after receiving something from Old Man Hon'ami.
「Honami-dono has ordered an errand. He says it is a good opportunity to learn the streets, so off you go. However, you are to return by the eighth hour of the afternoon.」
Handing over a pouch containing coins and a piece of paper as he spoke, Shutetsu left him with the task. Relieved that he wasn't getting dismissed immediately, Kurogane looked at the paper. Written alongside an extremely crude map was the name 'Kawabata Dōki' and 'Suisen and Hitsuji, four of each'. The location was Ichijō Karasuma, which was somewhat distant from where they were.
Seeing that it was already close to the fourth hour of the day, he realized he would never make it back in time if he strolled casually, so Kurogane straightened his appearance and departed immediately.
Because he had been made to walk through the streets of Kyoto several times as part of his training in the village, he thought he had a decent sense of direction, but it took much longer than expected.
Asking people for directions along the way, he finally arrived at a shop. On the store curtain hung at the entrance, the characters 'O-chimaki-tsukasa' were displayed alongside 'Kawahata Dōki'.
(So it was the name of a shop...)
However, Kurogane, who had only been taught basic reading and writing, couldn't read the characters for 'O-chimaki-tsukasa' on the curtain. Thus, he had no idea what kind of shop it was, nor did he think narcissus flowers or sheep would be in a place like this.
After pondering what to do, he decided he had no choice but to show the paper he was given, ducking under the curtain and stepping inside.
Yet, although a young man who appeared to be a shopkeeper was present, there was nothing placed inside the store.
(Huh...?)
「Are you running an errand?」
The shop clerk asked with a smile as Kurogane stood bewildered, but Kurogane couldn't help feeling that he wasn't particularly welcome.
「Ah, sorry. I'd like the items written on this.」
Showing the paper in his hand to the man, the clerk glanced at it, frowning slightly as he spoke,
「Whose errand are you on?」
He asked. He had a pleasant face, but for some reason, Kurogane felt that if he gave the wrong answer, he wouldn't be able to buy anything at all, making him slightly cautious.
「Um, I was asked by Honami-dono...」
「Which Honami-san would that be?」
「Ah, um, the one at the Tsuchimikado household...」
「Ah, Master Jiro over at Lady Chino's place. In that case, please wait a moment.」
Showing an overtly relieved expression, the shop clerk said this and disappeared into the back of the store, returning a short while later carrying a paper parcel.
「Here you are, thank you for waiting. Suisen chimaki and Yōkan chimaki, four of each, right?」
However, since he did not hand them over immediately, Kurogane gave him a puzzled look,
「The payment, please.」
When told this, Kurogane finally realized he hadn't paid. However, the problem was that he didn't know the total cost, so he handed over the entire coin pouch he was given. Checking the contents, the clerk said,
「Precisely the right amount. I've put the change back inside, so please give my regards to Master Jiro.」
Saying so, he handed over the clinking coin pouch and the paper parcel, bowing his head.
(Chimaki, huh? So I was made to run all the way out here just as a gofer for sweets...)
Though he felt a bit annoyed upon receiving them, he suppressed it, knowing he wasn't in a position to be picky, and left the shop. Just then, he heard the shop clerk speaking to someone.
「Lately, maybe because our chimaki have become famous, there are a lot of samurai trying to buy on credit. I thought for sure that fellow just now was one of them...」
Understanding the reason behind that unnatural smile, Kurogane ran back to the estate.
The next day, he was ordered to run an errand right from the morning. As on the previous day, Shutetsu handed him a map and a coin pouch, but this time it was easy to understand. It simply read 'Matsuya, six osen'. However, looking at the map, it said Fushimi, which was quite far, so he decided to set out without delay.
As it seemed to be a famous establishment, many passersby he asked were familiar with it, allowing him to arrive at the shop without getting lost. What surprised him was that because it was written as osen, he had assumed it was a rice cracker, but it turned out to be a rice cake topped with sweet red bean paste.
「Today we have osen-mochi, it seems. Kurogane-san ran the errand for these as well.」
The soft voice of a maidservant was heard alongside the sound of a plate being set down.
「Hmph, I believe employing him as a snack errand boy is perfectly fine.」
「Indeed it is. Oho, this too is quite delicious.」
「However, if that is the case, it does not have to be him.」
「But Princess, if you are to attend the dojo, surely an escort is necessary?」
「That is true. But if so, it is merely a matter of borrowing Shutetsu from Brother.」
「Oh, in that case, you might not be able to stop by sweet shops. Shutetsu-san is serious, so he won't let you make any detours.」
Listening through the sliding screen to the lively conversation during snack time, Kurogane sat alone in the adjacent room drinking tea poured by a maidservant. Though he scowled at the talk between Princess Kana and the foxes, he couldn't talk back since he had indeed merely bought what he was told to.
(Even so, I went pretty far to buy them, so they could at least show a little gratitude!)
Thinking this, he popped an osen-mochi from the plate in front of him into his mouth.
The next day, tasked with an errand once again, Kurogane looked at the paper reading 'Toranoya, three Yoru no Ume', thinking,
(How long am I going to keep doing this?)
He wondered. However, as he walked while looking at the map marked 'Karasuma Ichijō Nishi-iru',
(Could this perhaps be a test from Honami-dono?)
The thought suddenly struck him. If so, he had to pass it no matter what.
(What on earth am I being tested on? Think, think!!)
'If you attend the archery range, an escort...'
'Sweets on the way back from practice...'
'A good opportunity to learn the streets...'
'Lately there are a lot of samurai trying to buy on credit...'
Words he had heard recently and things he had seen spun around in his head. And by the time he reached his destination shop, he finally reached a single conclusion.
(I don't know if this is the right answer, but I'll try it anyway...)
* * *
「Father, I have a matter to discuss with you.」
The one who entered after excusing himself was the eldest son. He bore an unusually serious expression. Yasutomi set down his brush, nodding to invite him to speak. After hesitating for a moment, he took a deep breath as if resolving himself, and began to speak slowly.
「Ever since the recent giant spider incident, I have been constantly wondering whether I am suitable to be the next head of the Tsuchimikado family. Shamefully, I could do nothing but be protected. I was unable to fight like Kana. That is simply because my divine power is low. Therefore, I came here thinking it would be better if my younger brother Yasutsura, who possesses higher divine power than I, were made the next head instead.」
Yasutomi was taken aback by the proposal blurted out all at once. The divine power of his eldest son, Yasumasa, was by no means low. Princess Kana was simply exceptionally gifted. The difference between Yasumasa and his younger brother Yasutsura was not as vast as Yasumasa made it out to be.
Yasutomi gazed at his quiet eldest son. Since childhood, he had been a wise boy who enjoyed quietly reading books and doing calculations.
He was particularly quick at calculations; around the age of five, he amazed everyone by demonstrating square root extractions using an abacus. Perhaps due to his scholarly nature, politics did not suit his character, but Yasutomi believed that was no problem, as he would learn such things as he matured.
「If you ask me, you excel in learning and possess leadership. You are an irreproachable successor.」
「That is overestimation on your part, Father.」
「Besides, if Yasutsura is made head of the house, what do you plan to do?」
「I wish to master astronomy under Master Yasui in Edo. Currently, astronomy centers around Edo. I have heard that a new astronomical observatory is to be built there as well...」
To Yasutomi's regret as Chief of the Onmyou Bureau, astronomy was currently centered in Edo, and in mathematics as well, the Seki school was celebrated, making things far more active over there. In fact, Yasutomi's top pupil, Yasui Santetsu, had been employed as the first Shogunate Astronomer and had moved to Azabu in Edo with his family.
(That Sukezaemon also recognizes Yasumasa's talent and dotes on him, and Yasumasa is quite attached to him as well...)
「Mastering scholarship, is it? So that is your true desire.」
「...Yes.」
Looking at his eldest son, who looked down while clenching his fists on his knees and giving a firm response, Yasutomi recognized that his resolution was firm.
「Very well. Then let us do this. Yasumasa, upon your coming-of-age ceremony, we shall have Yasutsura become your adopted son. That way, you will temporarily become the head of the house before passing it to Yasutsura. No one can complain about this arrangement.」
「Th-thank you very much!」
「Furthermore, regardless of what you think of yourself, Kana praised you greatly. She said that because her elder brother worked so hard, she was able to work hard as well.」
Hearing those words, Yasumasa smiled lonely.
「Even so, Father, you too must have thought it: how wonderful it would have been if Kana were a boy.」
Unable to deny those words, Yasutomi could only silently watch his son leave the room.
*****
Thank you for reading. If you want to help me please buy me a ko-fi.
It will give more motivation to work on more chapters.
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