KANA 43

 The Fierce Saintess

Episode 43: Joukyou 4 (1687) - Part 5

Your gift will give me the strength to post the next chapter, the next story.

I would be grateful for your support.

For Kana-hime reader, sorry for the late update. Been busy taking care of my father. 
For now I'll be posting in bulk of what I have in the backlog. 

Take a good care of yourself and your familiy. 

Thank you and enjoy.

*****

「Three rolls of Yoru no Ume, please. Here is the payment upfront.」

Ever since what happened at the chimaki shop, Kurogane made sure to hand over the money at the same time he placed an order. He had realized that doing so resulted in the goods being handed over remarkably quickly.

As proof, the shop clerk, who had been in a heated argument with a samurai appearing to be a prior customer, immediately went into the back upon receiving the coin pouch, returning with three items wrapped in bamboo husks in hand.

Quickly wrapping them in the furoshiki cloth he brought along, he tucked the pouch with the change back into his bosom and left the shop, pretending not to notice the samurai who looked as though he wanted to say something.

「That's why I've told you time and again that I will definitely pay the money later!」

On top of hearing such a voice, several samurai were eyeing the furoshiki bundle carried by Kurogane as he exited the shop with envious looks, and some even began approaching him, so he hurriedly left the area.

Though he didn't think anyone would attack him over mere sweets, one could never be too cautious. On the way back, he decided to return at a brisk pace while keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings.

When he went to deliver the requested sweets, Kurogane asked Old Man Hon'ami for the location of the dojo Princess Kana attended, and immediately set to work putting his idea into shape.

First, he looked up the shortest route from the estate to the dojo, using it as a baseline to formulate several variations for the round trip. Furthermore, he verified safer routes that involved a slight detour, as well as places to seek refuge in an emergency, writing them all down on paper.

The errand for the following day was written as 'Kameya, Matsukaze, Large Round, one', and looking at the map, it was near Hongan-ji Temple, just a short distance from the estate. Therefore, while running the errand, he walked around checking the alleys where nearby beggars, thugs, and the like were likely to be.

There, he noticed that there were unexpectedly many beggars. Among them were those with children, whose gaunt, young bodies were painful to watch. Glancing sideways at a child frantically shoveling into their mouth whatever an old person carrying a wooden bucket—perhaps returning from visiting a grave—had handed over, he headed toward his destination shop, an indescribable feeling of guilt lingering in his chest.

Kameya's Matsukaze was a sweet wrapped in a bamboo mat tied with bamboo string, and it looked like it would be quite large when unrolled. Slinging it over his back using the furoshiki cloth, Kurogane returned to the estate for the time being.

In the afternoon, he continued to inspect the surrounding areas. The landlady of a teahouse where he stopped by to take a break turned out to be well-informed, eagerly sharing various details without even being asked, so he decided to take the opportunity to ask her a few things.

When he first asked when the beggars began to increase in number, she explained that due to a famine that occurred several years ago, many farmers suffered from starvation, abandoned their land, and became outcast (hinin).

She mentioned that if one was registered as a hinin, they could enter a hinin shelter, and the hinin chief would arrange work for them. Plus, since they could beg, they at least wouldn't starve to death.

Slightly relieved by that explanation, Kurogane took the opportunity to ask why samurai were loitering around the sweet shops as well.

She then told him—claiming it was just between the two of them—that those wandering about were samurai from the Kobushin-gumi, who held no official duties within the samurai class. As the tri-monthly interview day with the Kobushin Commissioners drew near, they would scramble to obtain gift sweets in hopes of currying a little favor.

「Shops like ours don't have anything to do with it, but I hear it's quite an ordeal for the shops featured in famous guidebooks.」

Thanks to that, he understood why those samurai had looked so desperate the other day. Their official employment was on the line.

(Still, there's so much I don't know.)

Kurogane knew nothing about the famine in particular. Back when he traveled around following the medicine peddlers, he had seen a few impoverished villages, but perhaps because he was just a child, he hadn't realized it was so severe.

Besides, even if it was just dried rice reconstituted with water, he had always been fed at least once a day, and while in the village, meals were provided twice a day, even if mixed with coarse grains.

(I thought I was abandoned, but maybe... I was entrusted to a safe place after all...)

Looking back, on cold nights, the old man had always held him tight so he wouldn't freeze, and had taught him many things needed to survive. He had truly believed him to be his father and adored him. He realized only now that this was why being left behind had hurt so deeply.

Too much time had passed, and the face of the man who had been his father was faint in his memory. All he remembered was the feel of his thick palms. Even so...

(I just hope I can tell him someday that I'm doing well...)

He had come to be able to think that way.

Two days later.

「Could you please take a look at this?」

Kurogane waited for Princess Kana's calligraphy practice to finish, then showed Old Man Honami what he had researched and compiled over the past few days.

「Hmm. So you have given thought to how you ought to act as an escort, after a fashion.」

「Yes. I've also included routes that take a slight detour so that the path back and forth can be varied irregularly.」

「Well, I suppose it's barely a passing grade. Here, Princess, take a look as well.」

「Hmm, indeed. It seems you have gained a bit of motivation. However, with this, I cannot tell where the sweet shops are located. Making a detour without any enjoyment along the way is hardly acceptable to me.」

「I will look into it immediately and add them to the notes.」

Hearing that, Princess Kana pinched the bound booklet with her fingertips, gave it a light flutter, and said,

「Starting next month, I am scheduled to attend the dojo on days ending in three and seven. I shall inform Father that the duty of guarding me on those occasions is entrusted to you.」

「Thank you very much!」

「Then our opinions must certainly be taken into account as well.」

「Indeed. My preference is...」

The young foxes bustled over to Kurogane's side, attempting to convey their preferences in sweets, but—

「What are you saying? Suou and Kaou are staying home to mind the house.」

「「Wh-Why, Princess?!」」

「Because neither of you can conceal yourselves in shadows yet. One can hardly walk through the town accompanying foxes.」

As divine messengers continue their training, they become able to hide within their master's shadow, but the young foxes had not yet mastered that technique.

「But we accompanied you last time!」

「Indeed we did!」

「That was because we traveled by palanquin back then. Besides, Suou, you start walking through the air almost immediately, do you not? That is terribly conspicuous.」

「In that case, by palanquin...」

「Then I would not be able to make any detours along the way! Well, do not worry so. I shall properly buy souvenir treats to bring back.」

「「How could this be...」」

Perhaps seeing the disheartened young foxes made them look pitiful enough.

「If you could at least disguise yourselves as small dogs, one might still be able to carry you along.」

When Old Man Jiro said that—

「「Dogs...」」

The young foxes began whispering secretly among themselves.

「Suou, desperate times call for desperate measures. Here, we must use that technique...」

「No, Kaou. A technique like that is...」

「My, is there some sort of method?」

To Old Man Jiro's question, Suou answered with a slightly troubled expression.

「While we cannot yet perform shape-shifting, we can perform illusion trickery...」

「How does that differ?」

「Shape-shifting alters the physical form itself, whereas illusion trickery is merely an art that makes one appear that way.」

「So rather than turning into a dog, you make yourselves look like a dog. And how is it done?」

「Princess, please write 'dog' on a paper talisman and place it on my head.」

「Understood.」

When Princess Kana placed the smoothly written talisman as requested, Suou leaped up with a light tap, spun around in midair—

Poof!

With a popping sound, he took on the form of a dog. Although his fur was somewhat brownish, in appearance he looked exactly like a lapdog Japanese Chin.

「Indeed, you look like nothing other than a dog.」

However, as Suou himself remained silent with an utterly reluctant look on his face, Kaou offered an explanation in his place.

「This is an art used by wild field foxes (*yako*), what one might call the art of tricking humans.」

「Ho, wild foxes, you say? But surely wild foxes cannot write talismans.」

「That is why they use tree leaves. They scratch characters into tree leaves as if using their claws, using them as a substitute for talismans. The reason their disguised forms are often women or children is simply because those characters are easy to write.」

Apparently, for wild foxes, the characters for 'woman' and 'child' were simple, but those for 'monk' or 'man' fell into the difficult category. While stories of foxes disguising themselves using tree leaves had existed since ancient times, even Old Man Jiro was unaware that they were used in such a practical manner,

「Hmm. I had no idea that tree leaves served as substitutes for talismans. But with this, you can accompany us without issue.」

Admiringly, he scooped up Suou, who had turned into a Japanese Chin, laughing that his weight hadn't changed at all.

That night.

「Now then, I must make preparations as well. Even though my escort has been decided, being defenseless goes against my nature. Besides, as they say, a stitch in time saves nine.」

Under the candle light, Princess Kana chuckled to herself while grinding ink, bearing a face that clearly plotted something.

Watching her, the maidservants let out sighs, yet because their mistress looked so thoroughly entertained, they refrained from speaking unnecessary words.

* * *

「Ghh-gh-gh-gh!」

Princess Kana was currently struggling against a bow in front of a straw target bundle.

「Now, now, Princess. Rather than pulling by brute force with just your arms like that, look, do it like this.」

Old Man Jiro smoothly drew his own bow beside the princess, demonstrating the proper form of drawing bow.

「I thought I was doing it just like that, but does it not look so? That aside, Old Man Jiro. My bow seems to have a considerably different shape from everyone else's.」

No matter how one looked at it, it was far shorter than what the others held, and its shape appeared crooked and bent. Furthermore, it was decorated with maki-e lacquerware, crafted in a pointlessly luxurious fashion, which caught her attention as well.

「Yours is what is called a shortbow, which is more of a portable bow. Lord Yasutomi brought it out from the storehouse to serve as practice equipment until a bow tailored to your height is made. Well, since the string is strung to match your strength, drawing it shouldn't be too difficult.」

「If I could at least nock an arrow, it would lend a bit more atmosphere.」

「That can only happen after your shooting form is established. Someone who hasn't mastered even the absolute basics nocking an arrow is simply dangerous. First, you must steadfastly learn the fundamentals.」

「I want to try it just once...」

「It would only increase the number of holes in the tatami mat, I suspect.」

Behind the straw target bundle, a tatami mat was propped up—likely in case an arrow went stray—and on it were marks where arrows had struck time and time again.

「I don't think that would happen. If I get just a little serious!」

「Using divine power to shoot is forbidden. The target bundle will break.」

「Ugh... But if that is the case, there would be no reason to bother coming to the dojo.」

「Princess. Coming to the dojo isn't just for practicing oneself; observing the practice of others is also important. It is called 'mitori-geiko'—learning by observation. You closely watch others draw their bows and treat that as your own lesson.」

「For example, among the people in this room right now, whose shooting posture do you consider skilled?」

At Old Man Jiro's question, the princess looked around her surroundings.

「Those two over there.」

Of the two she pointed out, one was a muscular young samurai drawing his bow with great power, while the other had a slender physique, yet their movements were free of waste and so graceful one could easily be captivated.

「Well then, which of them would you like to become like?」

「The slender one, I suppose.」

「In that case, try drawing once more while picturing that person's movements in your mind.」

As told, she closed her eyes and envisioned that shooting form. Drawing the bow as if overlaying those movements with her own, it drew far more easily than before.

「Ghh!」

「Look at that, it has gotten a bit better.」

(I see. Watching is indeed a form of practice as well...)

「Ahhh, the sweets soak right in.」

「You worked very hard.」

「Gosh, my arms are completely exhausted. Come to think of it, Kurogane, can you use a bow?」

Princess Kana asked Kurogane while feeding skewer-removed dango to the two Chin dogs on her lap.

「Only a shortbow (*hankyu*). But what I was taught was how to shoot targets while on the move, so I think it's quite different from what is learned at a dojo.」

On the way back from her first practice, Princess Kana was enjoying her long-desired detour.

It was a small teahouse, but a shop renowned for its mugwort dango being cheap and delicious.

When eating things served outside, she was required to recite a Purification Mantra according to the instructions of her father, Yasutomi, who insisted on 'Purification without fail!', yet the dango eaten outside for the first time tasted exceptionally delicious. The tea, which was slightly more bitter and astringent than what was usually served at the estate, also felt as though it enhanced the aroma of the mugwort.

「Even so, Princess, the outside world must be quite a novelty to you. On the way there, you were looking around continuously.」

「Indeed it is.」

Seeing the princess grin, Old Man Jiro chuckled wryly for some reason.

An impatient carpenter walked by at a brisk pace with a toolbox slung over his shoulder, and sisters carrying long cases on their backs—perhaps on their way home from shamisen practice—walked past holding hands.

By the time the temple bell chimed the seventh hour, the princess and her group had returned to the estate.

* * *

Village of the Kuramashū.

It began around the time the bell for the evening sixth hour was about to ring, triggered by words spoken as if suddenly remembered by Kōta of the Hagane-gumi.

「Oh right, Renkō said he saw Kurogane the other day. Said he was walking behind a princess holding a dog and an old man.」

Renkō was Kōta's eldest brother, currently serving on temporary guard duty for the temple faction.

「Just as expected, babysitting! That's about the best kind of work for scrap iron like him!」

Kōsa laughed mockingly. However—

「He said he looked like he was laughing happily. I can't even imagine that blunt guy smiling.」

The moment he heard those words, an unpleasant irritation welled up inside Kōsa.

(Happily? A piece of trash like him? Ha, I'll teach him his place. Ah, right. I just thought of something good...)

「Hey, lend me your ear for a second.」

*****

just in case you missed it, Honami and Jiro is same person. His full name is Hon'ami Kōden Jirōzaemon.

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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