Minamoto no Yoshitsune: Chapter 4
Yoritomo: I’m the man who tried to kill his own brother.
A shiver ran down my spine, and at the same time, I felt like something was connecting in my head…
Yoshitsune: —Contradictions exist within everyone.
Yoshitsune: There is only one person I know who can cut that down.
(Could it be that Yoshitsune-sama was talking about Yoritomo-sama...?)
Yoritomo: Well then. Shall we end the conversation here? I'll inform Kagetoki about the job.
Yoshino: Ah, yes...! Thank you very much.
I stopped my thoughts, which probably wouldn't lead to an answer, and bowed to Yoritomo-sama.
(In any case, I feel like I've made some progress.)
Thus, my new life gradually changes its colors...
Kagetoki: Yoshino, please check and sort these scrolls as I taught you yesterday.
(I'll do my best to help today too.)
Following Kagetoki-san's instructions, who is mainly responsible for the shogunate's internal affairs, I've been doing simple chores like organizing documents and taking minutes of meetings for the past few days.
(If I make a mistake, Kagetoki-san will calmly question the cause, so I have to be careful!)
I spread the scroll on the desk with a bit of nervousness.
The scroll I was given was a record of the calculations for the necessary troops and provisions for the battle with Yoshitsune-sama.
Yoshino: We need this much food...
Kagetoki-san, who was sitting across from me, reacted to my murmured words.
Kagetoki: This battle will be larger than ever before.
Kagetoki: We need to gather them from various places and prepare them in abundance.
(Even so, I'm surprised that they've calculated everything down to such detail.)
The scroll also detailed the number of soldiers needed to transport the provisions.
(Just to transport the provisions, this many people are needed!)
Yoshino: It must be really tough to fight a war.
Kagetoki: Of course it is. It's not just about fighting.
Kagetoki: If we run out of provisions on the way, the lives of the soldiers will be in danger.
Kagetoki: We need to secure the routes and personnel for transporting provisions, and then build our tactics based on that.
Kagetoki: Naturally, we also need information about the enemy.
Yoshino: ...It's like the battle starts from the preparation stage...
Kagetoki: Yes. There's no room for delays or misjudgments.
(I see, even one mistake could cost many lives...)
Kagetoki-san's words, which always sound harsh, seem to take on a different meaning when I hear these kinds of stories.
(Kagetoki-san doesn't compromise because he thinks so deeply about the shogunate.)
Kagetoki: What is it? Why are you staring at me?
Yoshino: N-no.. it's nothing. I'll let you know when I'm done.
I hurriedly returned my gaze to the scroll and started working.
Morinaga: Hey, you're working hard.
Tamamo: I brought you a reward.
Yoshino: Ah, Morinaga-san! And Tamamo too.
(They came to check on me...!)
Tamamo and Morinaga-san visited me, carrying a furoshiki bundle in their hands.
Kagetoki-san, still looking at the scroll, replied to them.
Kagetoki: Eating and drinking in the archives is prohibited.
Tamamo: Don't be so stiff. I had the best shops in Kamakura make these sweets.
Yoshino: Eh, you had them made...? Tamamo did?
Tamamo: I asked my favorite shop. I thought I'd let you try them too.
Yoshino: You already have a favorite shop!?
(Even though you haven't been in Kamakura for long.)
Tamamo: Building a foundation is essential for a fun life.
Tamamo: Sweet shops, restaurants, kimono shops... Oh, and recently I've made more acquaintances at gambling dens too.
Yoshino: Even gambling dens...?
Kagetoki: Morinaga, the gambling den was your doing, wasn't it?
Kagetoki: Refrain from taking an already suspicious creature to a suspicious place.
Tamamo: How rude to call this nine-tailed fox a suspicious creature.
Morinaga-san laughed nonchalantly next to Tamamo.
Morinaga: Tamamo is a good gambler, and it's fun to take him along.
Tamamo: Morinaga is also surprisingly strong, despite his fluffy appearance.
(Morinaga-san is good at gambling. It's surprising, but somehow I can imagine it...)
Kagetoki: You two are a troublesome combination.
Kagetoki-san said flatly, moving the scroll from the desk.
Kagetoki: Well, if the offering is sweets, I'll accept them. Bring them out.
Kagetoki: Yoshino, let's take a break.
(Huh? He said 'eating and drinking in the archives is prohibited' earlier.)
Yoshino: Do you like sweets?
Tamamo: The epitome of unexpectedness. Your personality should be more suited to savory foods.
Kagetoki: I don't particularly like them.
Kagetoki: Sweets enhance brain function. Consuming them is a result of prioritizing work efficiency.
Yoshino: That's your reason!?
Kagetoki-san continues to speak with a straight face.
(He's serious. It's very much like him...)
Kagetoki: Since we're at it, I'll bring out the ones I carry with me too.
A mountain of tsubaki mochi (camellia rice cakes) appeared from the opened furoshiki cloth.
Kagetoki-san calmly piled them up on the desk.
Yoshino: Oh, isn't that too much?
Kagetoki: This is normal.
Kagetoki: Since we're stopping work, it's better to take in sugar all at once.
Tamamo: Who can eat this much tsubaki mochi?
Tamamo complained while sitting down next to Morinaga-san.
Kagetoki: You're a luxurious fox. If you insist, I don't mind sharing my mizuame (starch syrup) with you.
Tamamo: ...Oh? What do you want me to do with mizuame?
Tamamo narrowed his eyes, unusually wary.
Kagetoki: Eating it with mizuame will increase the sweetness even more. The taste will also change, so you won't get tired of eating it, right?
Yoshino: What an extreme idea...!
Morinaga: That's Kagetoki for you.
(The way he dismisses it with a single word, Morinaga-san is quite easygoing...)
Tamamo: Kagetoki, you... don't put mizuame on my sweets, absolutely not.
As Tamamo was admonishing Kagetoki-san while taking out the contents of his furoshiki, footsteps approached.
Shigehira: What are you all doing here?
Tamamo: Oh, Shigehira. Did the smell lure you here?
Shigehira: What smell? I just came to return the book I borrowed...
Shigehira, holding books under his arm, looked at the desk and opened his eyes wide in surprise.
Shigehira: ...What's with that mountain of tsubaki mochi!?
(Ah, a good reaction... I knew it.)
Morinaga: It's Kagetoki's.
Shigehira: Ah, the usual... as always, prioritizing efficiency.
Kagetoki: You came at the right time, Shigehira. Let's give you some too.
Shigehira: No, I'm working, so I'm fine...
Morinaga: Come on, come on. Take a break, take a break.
Morinaga-san, with a smiling face, put his hands on Shigehira's shoulders and forcibly made him sit down.
Tamamo: Shigehira, we have sweets here too.
Morinaga: You can eat as much as you like.
Shigehira: Please stop talking to me like I'm a child.
Shigehira-san, trapped between the two, sighed in resignation.
Our eyes met, and he gave me a slightly annoyed look.
Shigehira: Just so you know, I didn't bring any sweets as a gift.
Yoshino: It's okay, don't worry about it!
(That's what you're concerned about? You're so serious and conscientious...)
Tamamo: Well then, let's eat.
Yoshino: Yes! Let's dig in.
The sweets Tamamo and the others had prepared were kinton (sweet mashed chestnut).
My face naturally brightened at the sight of the many tsubaki mochi and kinton.
(They both look delicious!)
I took a bite of a tsubaki mochi, and a gentle sweetness filled my mouth.
Yoshino: This is so delicious!
Kagetoki: Is that so? I get them from the closest shop to the Imperial Palace, so if you like them, it's easy to get more.
Yoshino: Even the location of the shop is rational...
As I admired him, Tamamo offered me a plate.
Tamamo: Yoshino, you should try my recommendation too.
Tamamo: This kinton is made by a craftsman with decades of experience using the finest ingredients.
Yoshino: Thank you! I'll try the kinton now...
Yoshino: Wow, what an elegant taste!
Tamamo: Right? That shop makes other fine sweets too.
Yoshino: Wow... Tamamo, you're a yokai fox, but you're quite the gourmet.
Tamamo: I don't need nutrition like humans, but... food is my entertainment.
Tamamo: Delicious food pleases my tongue.
Tamamo: I'll take you there sometime, Yoshino.
Yoshino: Really? I'm looking forward to it!
(I've heard Kamakura is a lively town, I'd like to see it too!)
Yoshino: Even so... Tamamo, you're amazing, you've already settled into life in Kamakura so well.
Tamamo tilted his head at my words, which were tinged with envy.
Tamamo: But I hear you're often talked about among the samurai.
Morinaga: Ah. It's because you've been treating their injuries after training recently, right?
(I have been doing that as part of my work at the Imperial Palace...)
Shigehira: ...I heard that at the training grounds, they're fighting over who gets treated by you first.
Kagetoki: What a pointless competition.
Morinaga: It's a group of men, after all. Girls have never approached the training grounds before.
Morinaga: Well... if they want to be treated that badly, it means I can be stricter with them, right?
Yoshino: ...Morinaga-san, your smile is a bit scary.
(Morinaga-san''s training is really merciless... even though he's usually so kind.)
Yoshino: But, even if they want to be treated, there's only so much I can do, and I haven't done anything major.
Tamamo: But I'm sure the orders for medicine within the Imperial Palace have increased, haven't they?
Yoshino: Yes, little by little...
Thankfully, I've made more acquaintances while working at the Imperial Palace, and they call on me when they need medicine.
(I'll have to wait until I break my contract with Tamamo to open my own shop, but...)
(I'm so happy to be able to work as a medic like this!)
Shigehira-kun glanced at me while eating tsubaki mochi.
Shigehira: It's a big deal just to go to war, but it's crazy to volunteer to be worked hard like that.
Shigehira: I can't understand it.
Shigehira: Even though you took on the medic job yourself... Kagetoki-san also readily gave you work.
Kagetoki: Unfortunately, I'm the type to use anything that's available.
Morinaga-san rested his cheek on his hand and looked at Kagetoki-san with amusement.
Morinaga: So, how is it? How is Yoshino's work?
I flinched as his gaze pierced through his glasses.
(Especially when I first started, I didn't know the ropes and caused Kagetoki-san a lot of trouble...)
Kagetoki: Since she hasn't run away, it seems she at least has guts.
Tamamo and Shigehira: .....
Morinaga: Many vassals have their spirits broken by Kagetoki's strictness.
Kagetoki: She doesn't particularly excel at anything, but she seems to have good discipline.
Tamamo: Hey, can't you praise her a little more properly?
Morinaga: No. It's rare for Kagetoki to say this much.
(Oh... I guess I can take that as a small sign of approval...)
Yoshino: Thank you very much, Kagetoki-san!
Kagetoki: I don't recall doing anything deserving of thanks. I'll continue to work you hard, so be prepared.
Yoshino: ...I'll do my best, so please go easy on me.
Even as I replied, a warmth spread through my chest.
(I hope I can gradually get to know the people of the shogunate like this.)
Even though I've only helped out a little, I'm starting to understand how the samurai are approaching the battle with conviction.
Tamamo: Good for you, Shigehira.
Tamamo: You came to check on Yoshino, worried that Kagetoki might be bullying her, didn't you?
Tamamo: You said it earlier, right? That you came to return a book.
Shigehira: Yes, and then I just happened to find everyone here.
Tamamo: Is that so? But you seemed to be looking for Yoshino earlier.
Shigehira: You were watching!? ...It's not like that, it's just Tamamo's imagination.
Morinaga: Shigehira is so cute.
Shigehira: Stop with the malicious jokes... ugh!
Morinaga-san shoved a tsubaki mochi into Shigehira-san's mouth as he was about to retort.
Morinaga: Now, now, now. Here, have a sweet and calm down.
Shigehira-san glared at Morinaga-san with a resentful look, perhaps because his mouth was full.
Yoshino: S-Shigehira-san, are you alright? Do you need some tea?
Shigehira: ...Being kind won't make me approve of you.
Yoshino: I'm not thinking about that. But...
(If what Tamamo said is true, I want to thank him properly.)
I turned to Shigehira-san and bowed my head.
Yoshino: Thank you for your concern.
Yoshino: I accepted the job at the Imperial Palace for my own reasons, and I haven't achieved any real results yet...
Yoshino: But recently, I feel like I've gotten closer to everyone through my work, and I'm happy about that.
Shigehira: ...Oh, really.
I'm probably not mistaken that Shigehira-san's ears, turned away from me, are slightly flushed.
Tamamo: You've become quite positive.
(I feel like my thoughts are gradually settling.)
(If it were now... could I have given a different answer than before?)
Ironically, it was Yoshitsune-sama, my greatest enemy, who gave me the opportunity to change.
(The next time we meet will be on the battlefield. I need to make up my mind before then.)
As I was walking down the corridor after finishing some work, I passed by some maids.
Maid 1: Are you going to the festival later?
Maid 2: Of course! I was invited by someone I've been interested in, so I'm really looking forward to it.
(The festival... Oh right, it's being held in town today.)
(I don't have anything to do after this, maybe I'll go.)
I walked through the evening streets of Kamakura, listening to the festival music.
Lanterns were hung from the eaves, and the stalls were bustling with people.
(It's fun just walking around like this.)
(I wanted to invite others too, but...)
(I decided on the spur of the moment, so I couldn't.)
(Everyone is probably busy preparing for the war anyway.)
As I walked, the smell of food from the stalls tickled my nose.
(I haven't had dinner yet, maybe I'll buy something. Let's check out the different stalls!)
After browsing a few stalls, I bought some dango (rice dumplings).
While avoiding the crowds, I somehow ended up behind the shrine.
(It's a bit scary because there's no one around...)
As I tried to hurry back...
Samurai 1: Hey, hey, are you alone, miss?
Samurai 2: It's a lonely festival to be alone, right? We'll play with you.
(Who are these people...?)
Suddenly, I was surrounded by several men who had called out to me from the darkness with rough voices.
(They have swords at their waists, and judging by their appearance, they're probably ronin...)
Samurai 3: We just arrived in Kamakura tonight, so we don't have anyone to play with either.
(Oh no, what should I do...?)
Yoshino: Excuse me... I'm with someone.
I lightly bowed my head and tried to pass by, but...
Samurai 1: Don't be so scared, okay?
Samurai 2: Being alone in a place like this, you must have been expecting something, right?
My arm was roughly grabbed and pulled towards them.
I tried to shake them off, but they wouldn't budge.
Samurai 2: Relax. We'll be gentle.
Yoshino: No, someone, please...
Just as I was about to be dragged into the bushes...
???: It's quite sinful to take advantage of a woman at a festival.
A calm voice echoed from somewhere.
The next moment, someone jumped down from a tree.
My arm was quickly pulled, and I bumped into the person's chest.
I looked up in confusion, but...
The man wearing a fox mask distanced himself from the ronin and stepped forward, shielding me.
Samurai 1: W-Who are you!?
???: I'm no one worth mentioning.
Samurai 2: Don't mess with us! Give us back the woman!
The ronin, their eyes gleaming, drew their sword in unison and lunged at the man.
???: If you insist on attacking, I have no choice.
???: --Prepare yourselves.
With a flash as he gripped the hilt of his sword...
In an instant, several swords were knocked away.
(T-This fierce swordsmanship... I remember it.)
(Not just that, but the voice I've been hearing...)
As the stunned ronin slowly backed away, the man in the fox mask stepped forward.
One of them shouted, and they all started running away.
After watching them leave, the man in the fox mask silently turned his back to me.
Yoshino: Yoshitsune-sama...?
When I called out to him hesitantly, the man turned around and removed his mask...
Yoshitsune: How did you know?
He tilted his head in wonder.
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