"Haaah!" Moroha jumped to the side and just barely avoided Jutaro's wooden
sword. It was a subtle motion, and she managed it at the last second, but the
sidestep she made was pretty impressive.
Jutaro was undeterred, however, and came at her again with a blow from
below. But even that was easily avoided.
She could read all of his movements. I wasn't too surprised. She hadn't
triggered her Apotheosis, but her abilities were still far beyond human.
"Gh!"
Jutaro thrust his weapon toward Moroha's throat, but she shifted to the side
again. He found himself only striking thin air.
"Don't neglect your legs."
"Uwah?!"
A thud rang out as Moroha swept Jutaro's legs. He was knocked off-balance,
and quickly tried to readjust his posture. Moroha made her move once he was
distracted by his own motions.
It happened in a flash. With speed invisible to the naked eye, Moroha brought
her sword crashing into Jutaro's stomach. He was blasted backward and
collapsed. His wooden sword whooshed out of his hand.
"Was that... two strikes...? Or three...?"
"Mmm... I could barely see it, I could not."
Hilde and Yae murmured to each other. It seemed like they were unable to
comprehend the vast number of attacks that had just unfolded.
"Guhhh...!"
Jutaro stood himself up and charged toward Moroha once more, his posture
looking different from before. Wait... I've seen Yae do that before.
"Kokonoe Secret Style: Flying Swallow Rend!"
The tip of his blade danced as he jumped forward, aiming a graceful strike at
Moroha's shoulder.
"You're still too slow."
Moroha simply shook her head and sidestepped the attack. She then used
Jutaro's own momentum against him, slamming her sword into the side of his
neck.
"Hngh!" Jutaro fell to his knees in front of her, his wooden blade on the
ground beside him.
...How scary. If that was a real fight, he'd have been decapitated.
"You've still got much to learn."
"Jutaro-sama!"
As Moroha let her weapon rest, someone cried out and ran toward the
defeated man. It was Ayane, the Kokonoe family servant. She'd come along for
a visit with Jutaro.
Jutaro was completely beaten. He didn't even have the strength to raise his
head, but the shame-filled glance he aimed at Ayane before passing out stood
out as strange to me.
"Geez... Didn't you go a little hard on him?"
"He's fine. I'm hardly gonna beat him within an inch of his life. He'll open his
eyes in no time."
Moroha shrugged in response to my words. Beating a man unconscious still
seemed pretty bad in my eyes, though.
I walked over and cast [Cure Heal] on Jutaro, along with [Refresh] for good
measure.
"Dang it... Kohaku? Take Jutaro to the medical center."
"As you wish."
Kohaku transformed into her beast form, and I lifted the still-unconscious
Jutaro on to her back. Ayane anxiously followed them both.
Moroha casually spoke to me as she watched them leave.
"He's getting better, you know? He might even catch up to me one of these
days. I can feel a pretty burning desire from him. It's a strong will to get
stronger. But he's also kinda desperate..."
"He is impatient, he is... Mmm... I wonder if he is troubled, I do..." Yae
mumbled and folded her arms. She was worried about her brother. Yae cared a
lot for her family, so I wasn't surprised.
Yae's brother, Jutaro, was visiting us for the day. He had won the fighting
tournament we'd put on a while ago. But then in the exhibition match
afterward, he lost to Moroha.
Today, he'd come in an attempt to regain some of that lost honor. But he'd
been defeated yet again. That was plain as day. The gulf between them was
way too vast. Moroha was the god of swords, so it was kind of hard to even
come close to her on her own turf. Though, to be honest, I think Jutaro was
more interested in learning from her than just winning.
Still, I couldn't help but feel bad. Ayane had come from Eashen with him, and
she watched him get beat down pretty roughly... I could see the panic on her
face, so I felt a little bad about letting Moroha go so far.
"I have never seen brother lose so badly, I have not. There are only a few
people in Oedo stronger than my brother, there are."
Heh... Well, I guess Jutaro is pretty tough by mortal standards. It's not really
fair to judge him against a literal god. Especially not one that can be such a nogood bully...
"Were you thinking something rude just now?"
"No! Not at all."
Moroha was sharp as ever.
"...I will go and see how my brother is doing, I will."
"Oh, I'll come as well."
I felt like even if he had something seriously wrong with him, Flora would be
able to deal with it. I headed from the training grounds with Yae and walked
through the castle until we reached the medical center. Jutaro was on a bed in
the corner of the chalk-white room, breathing slowly.
Flora was there, dressed in her usual nurse getup, and Ayane was sitting
uneasily by his bedside. Kohaku was also there, in her tiny form. She was curled
up on the bed next to him.
"Ahh, Master. He is fine, you see. He has just fainted, you see?"
"I see. That's good to know."
...Guess Moroha was right, then. Probably shouldn't have doubted her.
"I am sorry that this has happened..."
"What do you mean? My brother has no restraint in matters like this, he does
not. It was his own decision."
Ayane bowed her head to Yae and apologized, but Yae simply shook her head.
She was probably upset about inconveniencing everyone. But in the end, Yae's
family was my family, and I wouldn't consider something like this a bother.
"My brother has been acting strangely today, he has... Has something
happened, has it?"
Ayane reacted with silence, only stopping to glance nervously in Jutaro's
direction. It seemed like something had happened, but I certainly had no idea
what. We left Jutaro behind and walked out to the courtyard garden outside
the castle.
This area was considered Cesca's domain, and she treated it with as much
care as she did Babylon's garden. It wasn't exactly as teeming with life, but it
was a comfortable and relaxing place to hang out. It honestly irritated me that
such a stupid, perverted maid had such hydroponic talent. She'd even been
personally praised for her horticulture by Uncle Kousuke. Given that he was the
god of agriculture, that wasn't a casual compliment. Then again, she'd probably
been specifically engineered to tend to plants.
Yae and I sat with Ayane in the courtyard and asked her what was going on
with Jutaro.
"Recently, Jutaro-sama has been lost in thought almost every day... When I
ask about it, he simply tells me everything is fine... I wonder if he has some kind
of deep trouble that he cannot talk to me about..."
"My brother seems that troubled, he does? Hmm... Perhaps he is frustrated
after hitting a roadblock in his pursuit of sword mastery..." Yae folded her arms
together and tilted her head. If it was a problem with his swordplay, then
obviously he wouldn't want to bother Ayane with it. But still, I wondered just
what his issue was...
If he was troubled by his swordplay reaching its peak, then I hoped that his
loss against Moroha wouldn't deepen that unease. I didn't exactly want him to
lose faith in himself.
"U-Uhm, Your Highness? G-Grand Duke? I-It may be terribly impolite of me to
ask, but could you ask Jutaro-sama about his troubles?! As I understand it, men
have an easier time talking to men..."
"Me? I mean... I guess if it's just listening to him... I dunno if he'll want to talk,
though."
To be honest, if he had issues with swordplay, I was hardly suited to giving
him advice. I didn't exactly have much in the way of swordplay.
But... if he was going to be my brother-in-law... I figured it'd be good to hear
him out if he had a problem.
I left the two of them behind in the courtyard and headed back to the
doctor's office.
When I got back, the guy was awake in his bed. Flora was holding a
smartphone over him, taking a few candid shots of his forehead. Or at least,
that's what it looked like she was doing.
Flora's mass-produced smartphone had the added ability to look through
things, much like an x-ray scan. It was a function granted by enchanting the
device with my [Long Sense] spell and had great medical applications.
"There's no problem with him, you see. He's the picture of health!"
"I'm in your debt..."
He bowed to Flora and smiled, but his expression immediately shifted to a
pensive one.
I asked Flora to step aside for a bit and took a seat next to his bed. He looked
a little discouraged, but that didn't seem to be the problem most prominently
on his mind.
"Jutaro... I know you're not feeling well, but is there anything on your mind?"
I decided to just ask him directly. For a while, he made a face like he didn't
know what to say, but eventually, he just turned and started muttering.
"Uhm... Well... Ahh... C-Can I tell you a story about a friend?!"
"...Sure."
A story about a friend? I don't buy that for a second. Man... I asked you
straight, and you're gonna beat around the bush?
"This friend of mine... is in love with a woman, you see... But the woman will
soon have a formal marriage interview, and be married off elsewhere... S-So,
you see..."
"Huh?!"
"Wh-What is it?"
"...Nothing. Please continue."
A formal marriage interview?! For real?! Wait... if the guy in this story is
actually Jutaro, then... is the girl Ayane? Is that why you looked at her like that
earlier... Wait, is Ayane getting married off?!
"The person this woman is set to marry is the successor of one of the richest
clothing traders in Oedo. The family is quite enthusiastic to take her in and
would like her to be married by the end of this year... And I, er... Ahem, my
friend... is understandably upset, but he feels it is not his place to step in."
"W-W-Wait a second! How can he just give up like that?"
"It is a matter of social standing... The man who will marry her is the head of a
household, and a rich merchant. My friend, however... is a lowly soldier. Even if
he was in good standing with Ieyahsu-sama, he is not of noble blood. It is clear
as day that the woman would be happier if she married into the wealthy
family."
Hmm... I guess I can understand the concerns here... It's true that the Kokonoe
family is highly praised and respected in Oedo, and they even work directly with
Ieyahsu himself... but the family honor lies with Jutaro's father, not Jutaro.
Not to mention the fact that the position wasn't exactly fixed, even if they
worked for Ieyahsu, there was no guarantee his successor would keep them on.
Jutaro could wait until his father passed, but there was no guarantee he'd come
to head the family and the family would have the same level of importance by
the time that came about. It wasn't like he could just change the house he
served, either.
Well, technically he could. Jutaro won the Brunhild contest, and many mighty
contenders from Eashen were in attendance. If he introduced himself to anyone
that saw him, they'd probably consider taking him on... But that probably
wasn't a real option either.
"So, for the happiness of the woman... he believes he should stay away from
the situation. At least, that's what my friend says."
Yeah, I get it... You're thinking about her happiness because you don't want to
ruin things for her. It was the same for me. When I decided to marry Yae and the
others, I wanted to be sure that I could provide for them, and actually make
them happy...
Suddenly, out of nowhere...
Shit!
"Love! Solutions! Decisions! Justice! Let's connect the red string of fate, you
know?! Have no fear, Mochizuki Karen is heeere!"
"Wh... Where did you come from?!"
"Ghh..."
Karen appeared, striking a ridiculously flashy pose. She was also winking. I
hated it. She must've teleported in from somewhere else. I was a fool to think
even the smallest whiff of a love story would go by unnoticed in her territory. I
wondered just how many Brunhild locals had been subjected to her meddling.
"Where did you come from?"
"That's a stupid question, you know? Wherever there are love troubles, there
is Mochizuki Karen, you know?!"
Jutaro stared at Karen in a mixture of blank confusion and disbelief.
"U-Uhm..."
"You don't need to say a thing, you know? Leave it all to me! Touya and Yae
have been helped big-time by my incredible advice! It's proven! Tried and
tested!"
Hm...? Seems like that got his attention. She's not exactly lying... She has been
helpful here and there when it comes to my love life.
"...Well, if he must."
"Hey, Touya! Don't act like I'm forcing him into anything, you know?!
Hmmph!" Karen grumbled loudly. Since she was the god of love, I always
figured she'd be a little more professional... But she always came across like
some kind of tacky gossip. I wasn't entirely convinced she'd be able to help in
this situation.
There had been cases where love didn't bloom even after people consulted
with her, after all. But Karen always said that failed romances were never
failures, and you just need to learn from them to make the next love even
stronger. Frankly, I didn't see the point in resisting her any longer. She had her
eyes set on the prize, so we just had to go along with it.
I didn't exactly feel great about it, but consulting the god of love was worth a
shot at least.
"So... what should we do here?"
"Love is a battle, you know?! First thing's first, know thy enemy! Then, plan
your attack!"
She'd caught me off-guard there. That was surprisingly decent advice. It was
definitely true that you couldn't do much without knowing anything about the
other side. A little bit of early investigation would serve us well.
"So, Jutaro... what kind of person is the clothing merchant guy?"
"Oh... Well... I have not much interest in clothes, so I am unsure."
Hm... Even if Ayane and that guy get married, I wouldn't want her to be with a
person who was unpleasant or cruel.
I decided that we needed to figure out what kind of guy this merchant was.
Alright... For the sake of Jutaro, Ayane, and love! Let's get snooping!
◇ ◇ ◇
"So? Did you find anything out?"
"Yes, we did." Three girls were kneeling before me and Yae. They were my
special ninjas, serving directly under Tsubaki. Sarutobi Homura, Kirigakure
Shizuku, and Fuma Nagi.
It had been a few days since I'd given them their mission. I asked them to look
into the young heir of the clothing merchant family. I wanted to know about his
personality, his reputation, rumors about him, and who he was friends with.
Basically, I'd sent them to do some basic information gathering.
"To start with, his name is Surugaya Ichinose. He's twenty-six years old, and is
the successor to the Surugaya Outlet."
Shizuku began speaking first. Twenty-six, huh? Jutaro is twenty-two, if I
remember right... And Ayane is twenty. That's a little bit of an age gap, but it's
not all that bad. Single men around that age are pretty common in Eashen, I
think. Women usually get married before or around Ayane's age, though.
"From what I uncovered in town, there are no bad rumors about him at all.
Apparently he is the studious type and has a hard-working demeanor. He even
avoids indulging in things like drinking and gambling."
"And his appearance?"
"One moment."
My smartphone suddenly vibrated, and Yae took out hers as well. We'd both
received a message. The sender was Shizuku, and a picture was attached.
"Hm... He looks very polite, he does... A gentle, easygoing face, he has..."
Yae was right. The image showed a calm-looking young man. He had a soft,
smiling face and wore a casual, well-made uniform. So this was Jutaro's rival...
"But even if he looks nice, maybe there's something darker under the
surface... Did you find anything like that?"
"Nooope... He's a good guy through-and-throuuugh... He was pleasant even
when he discovered Homuraaa..."
"Wh— You idiot! They do not need to know about that!"
...He did what, now?
"I... I was in disguise and watching him from the top of a tree... But my eyelids
were drooping, and... I regret to say that I fell asleep..."
"You fell from the top of the tree right next to him, Homuraaa..."
"...Oh geez."
What kind of ninja falls asleep on top of their target?
"Please forgive me..."
"Even though she was toootally suspicious, the guy just asked if she was okay
and checked her for injurieees. He has to be a good persooon."
Apparently Homura responded to his queries with a moment of concussed
confusion. She just saluted at him and vanished into thin air, then he went
about his day.
Ugh... This is irritating. Why is he nice? Aren't the villains supposed to be
irredeemable and gross? If he was an abuser or some kind of corrupt merchant,
that'd be one thing, but...
"Oh, there was one thing that came up, though."
"Mm?" Shizuku noticed Yae and I grumbling and quickly gave us a final piece
of information.
"Apparently he is searching for a cloth made from Fire-Rat pelt. According to
our intel, the person he's been betrothed to desperately wants one."
"A Fire-Rat?"
"It is a monster, natively known as the Fire-Rat in Eashen. Most adventurers
know them as Burning Rats. They are typically found in the volcanic regions of
Eashen... You can also find them in the desert regions of what was once
Sandora."
Oh... Those things? Now I remember. It's a large rat with a flaming tail, and it
employs the flames in combat. It was around the size of a large dog, if I recalled
correctly.
Well... I only recalled seeing it in the guild's bestiary. I had never seen it in
person.
But why would Ayane want that...?
"The pelt of a Burning Rat is pure white and completely resistant to fire. You
can clean it perfectly by immersing it in flames. It's a really valuable material
and isn't often found on the market. Burning Rats are difficult to hunt due to
their dwindling population and relative strength."
Plain white fur...? Does she want to incorporate it into a wedding dress, or
something?
"So he wants to present it to her to get the marriage rolling?"
"Yes. He is sparing no expense in the matter, and is looking for any possible
lead on the pelt."
"Hmm... But if he gets it, then the wedding will be brought forward, it will...
Why would Ayane want that, why would she?" Yae folded her arms together
and sighed. I was equally confused.
Ayane was the daughter of a landowner who moved to Oedo in order to study
under Yae's family... If she married, then she'd have to leave everyone she
knew behind. Why would she be eager to get the marriage underway?
Fire-Rat cloth... Hm... Cloth... Fire-Rat... Why does that sound so familiar to
me?
"Oh!"
Of course! I pulled out my smartphone to look it up, and the first page told me
everything I needed to know.
The robe of the Fire-Rat was an integral part of the story of Princess Kaguya,
from the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter! In the story, Princess Kaguya was
approached by five princes who wished to marry her. She said she'd marry
them if they fulfilled her impossible tasks, involving finding treasures that
couldn't be found.
The robe of the Fire-Rat was one of those impossible treasures. Perhaps
asking for a Fire-Rat cloth was Ayane's indirect way of refusing the proposal.
"Yae... Do you know the story of Princess Kaguya?"
"Kaguya? I do not... Which country has a princess named Kaguya, Touyadono?"
"Oh. What about you guys?"
I turned to the three ninjas, and they shook their heads. I was a little
surprised, but reasonably I had no reason to be. It was a story from Earth, in the
end. I needed to remember that I was only speaking and understanding the
people around me thanks to the influence of God Almighty. It was entirely
possible that me hearing such linguistic similarities was entirely coincidence
based on my subjective understanding. Translation was a difficult art, after all.
But even so... it was possible that Ayane was rejecting the proposal with an
impossible demand, just like Princess Kaguya did.
And in that case... Jutaro still had a chance!
◇ ◇ ◇
"Let's get a Fire-Rat cloth."
"I don't really know where to find that..."
Jutaro was training at Oedo castle when I swung by to see him with Yae. He
was studious as ever...
"It's one of the demands made by the young woman, the one your friend was
pining after."
"Huh?! Ayan— Ahem... Th-The young woman, you say?"
"That's right. The girl you...r friend is in love with. I think she's issued such a
difficult challenge as an excuse to refuse his proposal. She probably can't
outright say no due to social obligations, but if she makes such an unreasonable
demand with a straight face, then it would be a plausible way to reject him."
"An excuse to refuse him...?"
I saw a small sliver of happiness appear on Jutaro's face, but we had no time
to slack off. We had to actually put the work in.
"So why don't we get the Fire-Rat cloth first? Beat the guy to the punch. If we
did that, then the talks would be stretched out much longer and she might not
even marry the other guy. Plus, your friend could give it to her and use it as a
chance to profess his feelings."
"Oh, but... isn't it something that's incredibly hard to find?"
"Brother... Touya-dono is capable of teleportation and searching magic, he is.
We already know where to find one, we do. The rest is up to you, it is."
Yae spoke to her apprehensive brother in a firm tone. She stared him straight
in the eyes, the determined flames dancing along her expression. He finally
relented beneath her gaze.
"Very well, then. Let us go."
Alright, about time! Yae and I looked at each other with a grin.
"Oh... W-Well, I'll do it for the sake of my friend! Yes, my dear friend! I'll help
him out, this time! Aha..."
...Both Yae and my own expressions soured a little, and we let out a pair of
sighs... Still, we shook our heads and carried onward, regardless.
"Alright! Let's get a Fire-Rat cloth for the sake of Jutaro and Ayane. Then,
Jutaro can finally tell her how he feels!"
"Yeah! Wait... What?!"
"Heh, too late. You already agreed."
"...You are a terrible liar, you are... Please learn to weave stories better."
Yae simply shrugged her shoulders in resignation. Frankly, I felt the exact
same way. The two of them were so stupidly honest by nature that you could
tell they were related.
"N-No! Of course not! I am in no position to tell Ayane who to marry!"
"...C'mon, cut the nonsense already. Like Yae said, you're no good at lying.
We're either doing this, or we're not. Personally, I think if you give up here,
you'll only come to regret it later."
Jutaro went quiet for a while, but eventually, he spoke up with nervous
conviction.
"...I will do it, then. I do not wish for any regrets."
He turned to us with serious eyes. I was just glad he finally admitted he was
talking about himself.
"Touya-dono, open us a [Gate]. We will head toward this Burning Rat, we
will."
"No problem." I cast my spell, and a portal of light opened up. We passed
through the other side into a rocky, burning environment. We were in a
mountainous area connected to the Rabbi Desert, known as the Tecracala
Gorge.
The ground itself was a reddish-brown in this place, kind of like the Grand
Canyon back on Earth. I could only really see dust and rocks, with the odd plant
here or there. I looked around more closely and saw something white. It was an
animal skeleton. I wondered if it was a skeleton that belonged to a Burning
Rat... Whatever it was, it was rare. That meant it was mine for the taking.
"Now I just gotta look up the precise locations..." I searched for Burning Rats
with my smartphone. I decided to add in a few parameters to the search. I
wanted the largest possible one.
"Got it. It's not too far, so let's walk over."
Yae and Jutaro were fairly hardened fighters, so they'd be fine in a place like
this. We began walking toward the place that was outlined on the map. We
clambered over rocks and continued over the rough terrain. I thought just
because the target was close in terms of distance, it'd be easy... but I was
wrong.
I suggested using [Fly], but Yae immediately vetoed that suggestion. What a
pain...
"It's supposed to be around here..."
"I do not see it, I do not..."
I looked around the place, but couldn't see much. There were massive
boulders around the place, so it was hard to see.
"Hm?"
"What's up?"
Jutaro suddenly crouched down and brought his hand to the sword hilt. We
followed suit.
"...The air is warmer around there. Is the Burning Rat around, perhaps?"
Jutaro pointed toward one of the massive boulders. He said it was warmer...
But frankly, the whole place was warm to me. I checked the map, and it actually
did correlate with Jutaro's instincts.
The Burning Rat's tail was always aflame, so it would make sense for the air to
be hotter where it is. That seemed pretty obvious in retrospect. Just as I
thought that to myself, something leaped out in front of us.
From the shadow of a massive boulder came an equally massive white rodent.
It was a Burning Rat, that much was for sure, but the size was not at all what I
expected. The guild's bestiary had me assuming it'd be around the size of a dog.
However, this Burning Rat was clearly the size of a large elephant. Clearly
someone was measuring wrong when he recorded information about the
species!
"Kyikyikyaaaah!" The Burning Rat's entire body suddenly shuddered and lit up
with flames. It had immediately designated us as hostile.
The Burning Rat shook its body, sending several flaming projectiles into the
air.
"Look out!"
Yae and Jutaro spread out on my command. The projectiles landed exactly
where we were, exploding on contact with the ground.
"Touya-dono! Is this the Burning Rat, is it?!"
"The size is off, but yeah, I think so! This one might be a Behemoth, I dunno!"
If this thing was left alive a few more years, it'd probably end up being
terrifyingly huge. We'd end up needing a Frame Gear to take care of it.
To be honest, this thing was so large that the young merchant probably
couldn't have used his vast fortune to take care of it. In that regard, we were
pretty lucky.
"Alright, guess I'll use my Water magic to subdue it, and then..."
"Excuse me, Grand Duke... Could you leave it to me?"
"Huh?"
I shrugged, then watched as Jutaro charged toward the Burning Rat. This
monster was definitely at least on the level of a silver adventurer. It wouldn't be
an easy victory...
I was about to warn him, but I found Yae tugging on my sleeve. ...Alright, I get
it. It's something he wants to do for Ayane. I'll let him tough it out alone.
"Alright, fine! Go fight it alone! But if you get in serious trouble, I'm stepping
in!"
"Very well! Thank you! I feel as though if I can take down this creature, I may
be able to pass the barrier that I have reached in my training!"
Jutaro earnestly pointed his blade at the Burning Rat. To be honest, I still felt
uneasy about his chances. Jutaro, like most people in Eashen, had no magical
aptitude at all. All he had to defend himself was his swordplay.
In other words, he had no magical means to supplement his physical skills. He
had nothing but his own finesse to face off against the huge Burning Rat. Just
watching the scene unfold had me a little nervous.
I thought of at least supporting him with magic, but Yae stopped me.
"...The opponent may be a monster, it may... But my brother considers this a
true duel, he does. That is why you cannot use any of your magic to help him,
you cannot. This must be a fair fight."
I understood what she was saying. My magic would tip the scales way too
much. But still, if it looked like he was about to die, I'd definitely intervene. I
wasn't going to entertain any samurai honor nonsense at that point.
"Kyikyaaah!"
"Hmph!" Jutaro just barely avoided the monster and its burning claws. He
swerved his body to the right and retaliated by slashing its right foreleg.
"Kyih?!"
It was a shallow wound. That certainly could've gone better. But he couldn't
get too close, since the flames billowing from its body were too intense.
Eashenese samurai used their swords to make clean, precise cuts. He was at a
disadvantage against such a large monster, especially one with active area
denial. Even if he managed to get a good slash in on the rat, it wasn't likely he'd
do enough to critically wound it. He also risked dulling the blade if it happened
too many times.
Jutaro understood that, surely.
The fight raged on between the two of them, with Jutaro taking a defensive
position. The Burning Rat spewed forth more fireballs from its fur, making
Jutaro stumble here and there.
"Kyiiiiaaah!"
"Ngh?!"
The beast suddenly opened its mouth, stood on its hind legs, and let loose a
billowing torrent of fire. It can breathe fire like a Dragon?!
Jutaro responded to the attack by leaping to the left and hiding behind a
boulder. He was definitely getting worn out. It was hot enough just passively,
and the added heat from the monster was clearly doing little for his fatigue. If
he got tired, then his speed and strength would fall as well. He needed to pull
out.
"Yae."
"Not yet, Touya-dono. My brother has not given up, he has not. I look forward
to seeing how this goes, I do. He is reaching for his victory..."
Yae was staring at the fight, clearly transfixed. She believed in him. She
believed that her brother could win, no matter what.
...And so did I. Even if I was worried, I wanted to share in Yae's conviction.
Jutaro could win this. He had to do it for Ayane.
"Kiyaaaaaah!"
The Burning Rat prepared another breath attack. Jutaro, seeing an
opportunity, charged out at full pelt. I had no idea what the madman was doing.
He dashed across the ground faster than the flames could move and kicked off a
nearby rock. The motion spring boarded him into the air.
"Kokonoe Secret Style: Hornet Jabber!" Jutaro yelled out, and he dug his
blade into the monster's throat. He kept the sword running until he'd gutted
the Burning Rat from neck to belly.
Were you aiming there this whole time?!
"Kyiiiih!"
The Burning Rat squealed as blood pooled from its mouth. It fell over, dead.
Then, its flames slowly began to fade out, until there weren't any left on its
body at all. All that remained was an oversized rodent.
He'd won.
"Ngh... Hhh... Gh..." Jutaro fell to his knees, breathing heavily. He looked
positively exhausted.
"Brother!"
"...Do not worry. I am okay. I have done as I intended..."
Jutaro smiled at his sister, but he certainly didn't look alright. I wondered if he
just wanted to look cool in front of Yae.
I quickly cast [Refresh] and [Mega Heal] on the poor guy. His injuries were
healed, and he caught his breath again. I tossed the Burning Rat carcass into
[Storage]. The people at the guild would be able to skin it and take it apart
much better than I could.
Once we had the material, we'd be able to sell the rest of it. Though, I heard
that Burning Rat meat wasn't all that tasty, so it probably wouldn't fetch a high
market price. That was a shame, but it was just one of those things.
"Now, all you have to do is tell Ayane your feelings."
"Ahaha... Somehow, that feels more formidable a task than slaying this rat..."
Jutaro's face went red, and I didn't think it was just from the heat. I could
certainly understand his feelings in that regard... Confessing was scary.
But either way, there was no escaping it. Not if you wanted the person you
love right by your side, anyway.
◇ ◇ ◇
"One Fire-Rat cloth, as ordered."
"Ohh! This is splendid, it is!"
A few days later, we were at Fashion King Zanac's Brunhild branch, picking up
the finished product we'd commissioned. Zanac had worked wonders with the
material, creating a beautiful white cloth. It looked pristine.
The Fire-Rat cloth could be cleansed of dirt in flame due to the fact that it had
incredible resistance and insulation against fire. In terms of adventuring
equipment, it was top-notch. The processing made it shrink a bit, but that
wasn't an issue given how big the creature was.
After Zanac handed it over, I felt the softness in my hands... It was hard not to
want to run my hands all over it. Ohh... This is nice... This is really nice...
I resisted the sudden, strong urge to rub it up against my face. I didn't want to
smother myself in Ayane's gift, after all.
"Are you fine with me keeping the rest of it?"
"Sure. That should cover the costs of making it."
"Thank you so much! Accessories we make with its pelt should sell well..."
Even if there was only a small portion of the pelt left, that was relative. The
monster itself was massive, so I was sure that Zanac would be able to create
earmuffs or cloth pouches from the rest. He'd definitely make a lot of cash from
that.
It was pretty costly to process the Burning Rat's pelt because it was a material
that could only be suitably handled by the best of the best. I said I'd pay for it,
but Jutaro refused. And that was when Zanac came in with a compromise. He
said he'd process and stitch it all together for us, in exchange for the rest of the
pelt. Thank goodness for his shrewd business sense...
"Brother, you must take this to Ayane, you must. There is no time to waste,
there is not!"
"R-Right!"
Jutaro took the Fire-Rat cloth, which had been neatly placed into a paper bag,
thanked Zanac, and ran out of the store. I opened up a [Gate] to the Kokonoe
Dojo back in Oedo, and we stepped through.
Yae walked to her house and went to find Ayane. There were only a few
students in the dojo, but Yae and Jutaro's mother, Nanae, was back at the
house. Confessing while she was there would be awkward, which was why we
wanted to call Ayane out.
Jutaro started fidgeting and breathing heavily.
"Guuuh..."
"Just relax, man. Talk to her like you usually would."
"Wh-What?! How can I act casually at a time like this?! T-Tell me, Grand
Duke! How do you do it? H-How did you handle Yae?"
Huh? Me and Yae? Well, uh...
"...There was a duel involved."
"That does not help at all!"
Yeah... My case was definitely an outlier. I think in Jutaro's case, he's just
gotta tell her straight.
Yae suddenly came charging back toward the dojo alone, prompting the
already panicky Jutaro to get even more concerned.
"Th-This is bad, it is! Ayane was called to the storefront of the man she is to
be betrothed to, she was! She is headed there now, she is!"
"Wh—?!"
The moment he heard that, Jutaro went charging out the door. He was fast!
We followed after him, running through the streets at full pelt, turning corner
after corner. After what felt like five minutes of full running, we came out in the
middle of a bustling city street.
Jutaro continued running down the street until he saw the person he was
looking for.
"Ayane!"
"Hm...? Oh... Jutaro-sama? And... Yae-sama? A-And the grand duke?! WhWhat is going on?" Ayane just stared at us in confusion, clutching a bag in her
hands.
Jutaro had charged all this way to see her so he was completely out of breath,
and people in the surrounding area were looking at us suspiciously. Having him
confess like this was just unfair.
"Sorry, I'm gonna move us someplace better."
"Huh?"
I opened up a [Gate] beneath us, moving only us four to another place. It was
a quiet, forested area outside Oedo. It was the place I'd first landed in when I
came to Eashen.
We stepped out into a forest with a large camphor tree, under which there
was a torii arch with a hokora shrine, protected by two lion-dog statues.
"E-Eh? H-Huh? This is... the town's shrine grove?"
"A-Ayane! There's something I want to tell you!"
"Y-Yes?!"
Jutaro's sudden proclamation startled all of us, but it also made Ayane drop
the bag she was holding. And that bag spilled open, revealing a soft-looking,
white material...
"Oh no! It got dirty! Oh wait, that is fine..."
"A-Ayane... Wh-What is that...?"
"Oh, this? It is the cloth of a Fire-Rat... They say you can clean anything made
of Fire-Rat fur if you throw it into a fire... A-Are you okay?"
Jutaro's face was as pale as the cloth. Oof. Sorry, man...
"Ayane. Did you receive that as a gift from the man who wishes to marry into
your family, did you?"
"Huh? Yae-dono? How did you know that? Y-Yes, you are correct. Though, I
honestly did not expect him to find it... I was quite surprised."
Ayane laughed softly, which made Jutaro's expression shift to one of misery.
Were we too late...? Why's she looking so happy, anyway? If it's a reluctant
marriage, then shouldn't she be looking a little more disappointed? Although... I
guess we never bothered looking into Ayane's feelings, did we?
"My sister will be delighted when she sees it. I must get this to her right
away."
"...What now?"
HOLD UP. Get this to who? Your sister? Why would you need to... Don't tell
me...
"Uhm... Ayane? By any chance, is your sister marrying some good-looking guy
who's the successor to a clothing merchant household?"
"Yes, she is! Did you hear about it?"
"Whaaaaaat?!"
Ayane's eyes widened as the three of us yelled out in exasperation. What the
hell?! That's not the story I was told at all! Jutaro, you idiot!
"Jutaro! What's the big deal here?!"
"Oh, I... I heard about it from my colleagues in the bar!" It was just hearsay?!
You dumbass! They clearly got Ayane confused with her sister! Are you kidding
me right now?!
"So this was all a big misunderstanding, it was... This feels like a bad joke, it
does."
I exhaled and pinched the bridge of my nose. So did Yae. I could understand
her feelings. Even though we'd struggled so much, we didn't even need to.
What was that one Aesop's fable about great efforts yielding little? The
mountain had labored and brought forth a mouse? Yeah, that's definitely
appropriate for this situation! Except the mouse was a goddamn rat, and it was
mountain-sized!
"Um... Is everything okay?" Ayane looked over at us with concern on her face.
Things were definitely not okay.
I just shook my head. However, Jutaro stepped forward and approached
Ayane once more.
"Ayane, please look here." Jutaro reached into his paper bag and pulled out
the Fire-Rat cloth. It was obvious that it was bigger and far higher in quality
than the one Ayane had.
"H-Huh? Jutaro-dono?"
"...I got this for you. For the same reason the young merchant got one for
your sister..."
"What...?" Ayane gazed from the cloth to Jutaro with a stunned look on her
face.
"That... Well, if it's okay with you... I'd like you to stay... Stay by my side,
always."
"Jutaro-sama... I, well..."
"I-I want you to be my wife, Ayane. It may not be as lavish as the life of a
merchant's wife, but it would be one filled with love."
He reached out and grabbed her hands, locking their fingers in an embrace
beneath the soft cloth.
A gentle breeze blew through the forest. It felt as though time itself had
stopped.
Yae and I held our breath as we watched Ayane and Jutaro stare into each
other's eyes.
...How much time has passed, exactly? Couple seconds, maybe? Three? Four?
Feels longer.
Ayane's hands crept forward until they took the cloth from Jutaro. Then, she
held it against her chest and spoke her answer.
"Yes... If you would accept someone like me... I want to be by your side...!"
Ayane looked up at him with teary eyes.
"Ayane!"
The moment he heard her words, he reached out and embraced her tightly.
How very bold of him.
"Jutaro-sama!"
Ayane hugged him tightly back, wiping her tears against his chest. The couple
smiled and sniffled as they did nothing but hold each other for a while.
Heh... They're trapped in their own little world. However, there was a sudden
interruption.
"Hmph! I am your sister, I am... Do you not feel a little embarrassed to be
flaunting your affections so brazenly in front of me, do you not?"
"Ah, no... Yae, I just..."
"Y-Yae-sama?! I... I did not mean to put on a public display!"
The two of them were completely red in the face, and they backed off from
each other a little.
C'mon, now. It was your brother's confession. It's not that big of a deal.
What's with that reaction?
I shrugged and hoped that the couple would find further happiness.
"Congratulations are in order, they are. Ayane... Or should that be elder sister
now, should it?"
"Fufu... Do not be hasty, though... We have not yet received the blessing of
Jubei-sama or Nanae-sama."
Ayane smiled and wiped the happy tears from her eyes. I hadn't thought
about that. Her being the daughter-in-law of Jubei would also make her my
sister-in-law.
"Oh, you're right! I need to tell father and mother! Touya-dono, could you
make us a [Gate] now?"
"Sure thing."
I grinned slightly and warped us off to the Kokonoe household.
◇ ◇ ◇
The house was in an uproar due to the sudden news. When Jutaro told his
parents about his engagement, Nanae responded by throwing her arms around
Ayane and welcoming her to the family. Jubei, on the other hand, just told his
son off for taking so long in getting around to confessing.
He might've been yelling, but anyone could see in his eyes that he was happy
and proud. I was glad it went over well.
After that, Jubei called in his students from the dojo and started a round of
drinking. Apparently some of the students had crushes on Ayane as well, but
they'd been beaten to the punch by Jutaro in the end. Regardless, everyone
started drinking sake and having a good time.
I participated in the feast by bringing some food and drinks from [Storage],
but I neglected to drink any alcohol.
"Yeah, I'll be back later. Yep. Thanks, everyone." Since I was having dinner in
Eashen, I made sure to call Lu and tell her not to worry about cooking for me
and Yae.
I'd stepped out into the garden of the Kokonoe household, which was
separate enough from the dojo that the loud partying sounds were distant. I
looked up at the full moon and enjoyed the breeze.
"Here you are, you are."
"Oh, Yae. You aren't with Jutaro?"
Yae walked out from the nearby corridor and came out to stand by me.
"He is still back at the dojo, he is. He is very happy right now. He laughed so
much he nearly fell over."
Frankly, I couldn't blame him for letting loose. Jutaro was normally such a
serious guy, and he definitely wasn't a moron. He was just happy that things
were going his way.
Apparently their marriage had been set for one or two years from now. They
were waiting for my marriage to Yae, so my status as grand duke of Brunhild
would have greater bearing on Jutaro's social position. He'd be brother-in-law
to a world leader, after all.
They didn't seem to mind at all. Their feelings were in the right place, so they
were as good as any husband and wife already.
"Ayane was clinging to the arm of my brother all night, she was. It is already
as if they are married, it is."
"They're a good couple. I'm happy for them."
"...If I must be honest, I am happy. However, I also feel a little bit lonely about
it, I do. My brother will be building a new family with Ayane, he will. There is no
room for me in that family, there is not. I know it is stupid... but part of me feels
as if I have lost my brother, it does."
Yae let out a little laugh. She clearly loved her brother very deeply. I didn't
have any brothers, but I could still see where she was coming from.
I moved closer to Yae and took her hand in mine.
"Even if your brother gets married, there'll always be room for you. Family
isn't broken so easily, Yae. Even if his position changes slightly, he will always be
your brother."
"...You are right, you are... My brother can have his family, but I am his family
as well, I am. My brother will always be my brother, and I will always be his
sister, I will. Thank you, Touya-dono."
Yae smiled beneath the pale moonlight. She looked beautiful. We stared at
each other for a few magical moments and brought our faces closer together...
"Ooh! Grand Duke! I was looking for you!"
The two of us were startled by the sudden voice and jumped away from one
another. It was Jutaro. He came running down the hallway toward the two of
us.
Wow. His body is totally bruised... That's... Yikes.
Yae, who was completely red in the face, turned to her brother with a pout.
"B-B-Brother! You must learn to read the atmosphere, you must!"
The accused party turned toward her and frowned.
"I do not know what you mean... Ahaha... Reading the atmosphere? Is that
not more of a feminine concern? That sounds like something Ayane would say.
Usually, you only care about the blade."
"I-It is none of your business, it is not! What about you, hm?! You are so dullheaded that I wonder if Ayane even knows about your feelings, I wonder!"
"Huh?! What do you mean by that?!"
I looked at the bickering siblings and smiled.
Even though they were squabbling, I could feel the love they shared. After all,
they got along closely enough to squabble like this.
I closed my eyes and heaved a satisfied sigh. I was blessed to have such
wonderful people in my family.