-- Ichijōdani, Echizen Province, at the hour of the rooster (around 2 PM).
The air surrounding Ichijōdani is cold, and the breath people exhale turns into a white mist before disappearing.
Compared to my hometown of Omi, it was a place where the temperature was significantly lower throughout the year...
That said, I couldn't just spend the whole day idly.
Kawai Yoshimune was the head of the four magistrates of Ichijōdani and the highest-ranking minister of the Asakura family.
And then, he revealed to me the true meaning of the invasion of northern Omi.
In other words, the invasion of northern Omi was merely a diversionary tactic to help the Asakura family seize control of Wakasa Province, their true objective...
And on top of that, my father and I—the Asai forces who fled to Asakura—were engaged in a military operation where we could be "cut off at any time."
When you think about it that way, every day is truly precious.
It was now clear that they had to train hard in order to survive.
Every single second counted—it was a tense, high-pressure battle that continued day after day.
"Get up, you little brat from Asai!! Is that all the strength you have?!"
In my hazy state of consciousness, I heard a voice scolding me, and then a large amount of water was doused in my face.
Choking on the cold liquid that had entered my mouth, I regained consciousness, gripped the bamboo sword tightly, and shakily stood up.
"Do you have time to be unconscious, you pathetic loser?! While you're wasting your time... Bizen-no-kami, whom you must defeat, is gathering his strength!!!"
He must have doused me with water earlier. The big man, holding the empty bucket, encourages me.
Magara Naosumi.
He's a giant, standing over two meters tall—and he's the younger of the twin brothers who are training me.
"Get serious! Cast aside your doubts!! Don't give up, Masayuki!!! Surpass him, show me you can surpass your big brother!!!!"
"Y-yes...!!"
From the training ground where I was, thick plumes of white steam were rising.
It wasn't just me; Naosumi and others were also cheering me on and encouraging me with passionate support.
"Come on!"
—It's rising from his body, the one who has been tirelessly training me these past few days.
His feet, stomping firmly on the training ground's soil, truly resembled those of a mighty tree rooted firmly in the earth.
His arms were as thick as logs, and the bamboo sword he held in one hand looked like a child's toy.
His name is Magara Naotaka.
He is the leader of the Magara clan, the most elite unit of the Asakura family's retainers, and like his younger brother Naosumi, he is a man of immense size.
Unlike his younger brother, who is overly passionate and hot-blooded no matter what he does, he is a calm and composed warrior who doesn't show his emotions on the surface.
However, a fierce determination burned in the eyes of the man who was training me—and it seemed that, fundamentally, he possessed the same passionate personality as my younger brother.
"Woooooooooooooooooooo!!"
"--sweet"
He parried my slash with his bamboo sword, and then, with a return strike, swept his own bamboo sword to the side.
That blow came with superhuman speed—I couldn't even dodge it, and I was hit with a tremendous force in the side, sending me flying.
The bamboo sword that hit my side was crushed and broken, and as I collapsed onto the ground, my distorted vision showed me Naotaka's back as he prepared over 20 replacement bamboo swords that day alone.
"Get up, get up! What are you doing, Masayuki?! Is that all your feelings amount to?! Don't you feel sorry for Princess Yui?!"
I can hear Naosumi's voice, but I already know that without him telling me.
Every single night, when I come home covered in wounds, she forces a smile from her tearful expression and tends to my wounds.
If what Yoshimune told us is true, then we Asai forces will probably be treated as disposable in this battle.
But if I were to die a pointless death there, I wouldn't be able to face my wife, Yuihime, who has supported me all this time.
"Ugh... Aa!!"
"--Mmm...!"
He forced himself to put strength into his hips, gripped his bamboo sword tightly, and pressed closer and closer to Naotaka.
He pulled out a new bamboo sword, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and assumed his unique stance.
He's probably trying to test whether I understand his teachings.
"Aa
Even while screaming, my mind remained calm.
The Magara brothers taught me the importance of observing the opponent's limbs.
When a person moves their body, they always use their muscles. Therefore, observing the muscles of an opponent can help you understand the range of their movements.
The Magara brothers say that being able to discern this even through clothing and armor will increase one's chances of surviving on the battlefield.
"Here it goes!!"
To be honest, I haven't yet mastered the secrets they've been teaching me.
But even so, I feel that I've changed quite a bit since I started receiving training from the Magara brothers.
At the very least, they can no longer easily dodge a single blow from my bamboo sword with just body movement.
"Haa!!"
"--Huh!"
He deflected my attack and knocked my bamboo sword upwards.
At that moment, I sensed that Naotaka's massive body was sinking and he was preparing to charge up.
"--Mmmph!!"
A deadly strike that involves deflecting the opponent's sword, then rotating one's own body and slashing upwards at an angle in an instant.
It is also a secret technique that he has used to defeat countless soldiers and generals.
And the moment I recognized that movement—my consciousness was once again snatched away.
◆
In the end, I finished my four-day makeshift training without ever managing to graze the Magara brothers with my bamboo sword.
By the time I regained consciousness, it was already getting dark, and I was lying on the wooden floor of the Magara residence—right next to the hearth.
"—Are you awake?"
Naotaka, his massive, muscular body bent over, was poking at the ashes in the hearth with a fire poker, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.
"...I am truly sorry."
"..."
"What good will apologizing do, Masayuki?"
As I involuntarily let out an apology, Naosumi said in a low tone, but still with his usual overbearing intensity.
"So you were practicing with your brother just to apologize...? Did you make him go through such a difficult time that he felt the need to apologize...? That's not right! You should have said it with a happy expression! 'Thank you very much!'"
Saying that, he slapped me hard on the back with his huge hand.
Naosumi was probably holding back quite a bit, but to an ordinary person like me, it was still a pretty tremendous blow.
It was so intense that for a moment I thought I couldn't breathe.
"It's okay, it's okay, don't worry, don't worry! You worked really hard, your brother and I know that very well! It's okay, it's okay, you've made so much progress today compared to yesterday!"
"..."
"—Yes, that's right."
Naotaka continued stirring the ashes with his fire poker, and without looking at me, he muttered:
"—Progress is being made, steadily. To the point where I still want to see more growth."
"See! That's what my brother said... Don't get gloomy, don't get gloomy! Darkness is enough in the sky! We are always the sun! Just like the sun! We should shine brightly on our surroundings!!"
Naosumi said that and patted me on the shoulder again.
"You're married to Princess Yui! If you keep hesitating, it'll ruin the reputation of your brother, who desperately wanted Princess Yui!"
"--Naosumi"
Naotaka said in an even lower voice.
"—Just be quiet for a bit."
"Yeah!"
Then, Naotaka glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, before shifting his gaze back to the ashes in the hearth.
"—That's an old story. It's nothing for you to worry about."
"...yes"
But there's no way I wouldn't be bothered by that.
He was the leader of the militant faction that formed the core of the Asakura army, and he desperately wanted Princess Yui.
Perhaps, because of what I did, he couldn't get the woman he loved.
"—Brother, you see! He wrote love letters to Princess Yui every single day! And sometimes he would pick beautiful flowers and give them to her!! And yet, Lord Yoshikage!!! He gave Princess Yui to Masayuki!!!!"
"So, shut up."
"Yeah!!"
With a deep sigh, Naotaka murmured:
"—Well, there's no point in hiding it. Princess Yui is a truly wonderful woman. In fact, I have personally asked Lord Yoshikage many times if I could have her as my wife. I think you can see the result from the current situation."
"...it is"
"—But that's nothing for you to worry about."
Naotaka muttered this to himself as he pulled the fire poker towards him, digging out what had been buried in the ashes.
That's a lot of chestnuts.
The chestnuts looked delicious, having been slowly roasted in the ashes.
"—Naosumi. Bring me a bag. I want Masayuki to take this home. Chestnuts are considered auspicious. Masayuki must survive."
"...Why?"
I shouted, "I get it, big brother!" and shifted my gaze from Naosumi, who had started searching for the bag, to Naotaka, looking him directly in the eye, and asked him.
"I should be a rival in love to Lord Naotaka, shouldn't I..."
"—As long as Princess Yui is happy, that's all that matters to me."
He grabbed the chestnuts, which must have been quite hot, in his palm, and then, incredibly, cracked one open with his fingertips—after eating the inside, he murmured:
"—A long time ago, I visited Princess Yui's house when you were away."
"..."
"Princess Yui was sewing. She was happily mending your underwear."
"..."
"—And then I realized. I don't exist in that person's world."
Naotaka once again cracked a chestnut between his fingertips and thrust it towards me.
As I gratefully accepted it, feeling the heat burning my palms, I looked at his face.
There was a bright, cheerful expression on their face.
"That's why I'm going to train you. So that Princess Yui won't be sad."
"...thank you"
"Yes, that's good."
A stuffy voice shouted from the corner of the room, "I've been found!!" and perhaps because of that, Naotaka gave a wry smile.
"—That younger brother of mine is annoying, but... he's a good man. What he says is surprisingly insightful... Masayuki."
"yes"
"You're too concerned about what others think. You should be a little more assertive. That's just right. And finally, be more positive. If you're too concerned about what others think... you'll be crushed by all sorts of things."
"It's the same on the battlefield," Naotaka said in a reassuring tone.
"—Remember this. Those who die in battle look around, trying not to be killed. They don't realize that this is the cause of their death."
"..."
"Those who survive only see what's right in front of them. To survive, they first eliminate the enemy in front of them. If they can't eliminate the threat in front of them...there's nothing left but to die."
"Focus on the enemy in front of you before worrying about your surroundings..."
"--ah"
Then Naotaka chuckled softly.
"—That's right. If you survive... I'll train you again. Whether you're in Kita-Omi, Ichijodani, or anywhere else. If you die... well, I suppose I'll take Princess Yui as my own."
"..."
It's the kind of feeling that makes your stomach churn just thinking about it.
Just imagining it makes me feel sick.
That just goes to show how attached I am to my wife.
(I will definitely make it back alive...!)
Yes, I've decided.
Even if the other party is my great elder brother.
"Hey big brother! Is a burlap sack okay?!"
"—That's enough."
Naotaka placed a handful of chestnuts, still in their hot ashes, into a small hemp bag that Naosumi had given me, and handed it to me.
"—Eat this tonight. And prepare for tomorrow's battle. We will too."
"thank you very much...!"
"That's not true!!!"
Naosumi pointed at me and shouted from a terrifyingly arched position.
"It's not 'gozaimashita' (a polite way of saying "it was")!!! It's 'thank you very much!'!!! The correct way is 'please continue to support us in the future'!!!!"
"—Yes, that's right."
Naotaka said with a low laugh.
"—We've only known each other for four days. Our relationship will continue. It must continue. You yourself, with your own hands."
"...yes!"
And just as I was about to thank them and leave the Magara residence, it happened.
"Are the Magara brothers here? It's me, I have something I want to tell you—oh...?"
The front door of the Magara residence was gracefully and elegantly opened—and a slender, gentle man who at first glance could only be mistaken for a woman entered.
It has beautiful, deep black hair that reaches down to its shoulders.翠髪Water release
Her hair is soft and fluffy, and looks incredibly soft. Her bangs reach between her eyes and eyebrows, but they're not too thick, and her forehead is still visible.
She had fair skin, large eyes with upturned outer corners, and a mole near her right eye, which added a distinctive feature.
Her eyes were blue and moist, reminiscent of lapis lazuli.
His body looked rather slender, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that his arms, though thin, were well-toned and densely muscled.
Although she was dressed in an outfit resembling that of a "walking shrine maiden," her demeanor was not feminine at all; rather, she was dignified.
The fact that he carries two pairs of large swords, four in total, at his waist suggests that he is a warrior, regardless of his skill level.
"Who are you? I've never seen you before. Are you a new servant hired by the Magara brothers?"
"Uh... no, I..."
I was taken aback by his childish and impolite way of speaking.
Seeing my confusion, the effeminate man gave me a clearly suspicious look.
"—Nagashige, that man over there is named Masayuki. He is the heir to the Asai family."
"Hey, Naotaka! And... I see... Huh? So this is the person?"
The man called Nagashige waved to Naotaka, who was slowly approaching from behind, while bouncing up and down—then he bent down and peered up at my face from below.
"So this is Masayuki, the one everyone's been talking about lately. I see... He looks like a pathetic guy who just ran away from Omi with his tail between his legs. The guys from Omi are basically cowards, just like the Rokkaku clan."
"-- Nagashige"
"I don't like it, Naotaka. I know."
The extremely rude woman-man, while holding my hand, tilted his head and looked up at me.
"I'm sorry. I tend to say whatever I'm thinking without thinking..."
"Well, um... I..."
"I haven't introduced myself yet, Masayuki-sama. I'm Tomita Nagashige. I'm a Shinto priest who came to the Asakura family from Izumo. Lately, I've been doing nothing but military service."
With a cute, alluring smile, Nagashige gently leans his mouth close to my earlobe.
"Hey, Masayuki-sama, do you want me too? -- What do you think, tonight?"
"Wha...!"
Naotaka glanced at me, who was flustered, and said with a look of exasperation:
"—Nagashige. What is it you wanted to talk about? Tell me what you need."
"Yeah, that's better. Okay, I'll come in."
He winked at me, gave me a sly smile, and then, as if this were his own home, Nagashige took off his shoes and stepped onto the wooden floor.
"--Masayuki"
"Y-yes..."
I was so shocked that I was stunned, and Naotaka sighed, but with a serious expression, he said:
"—You should stay a little longer, too."
"He is an extremely important person in the Asakura family," Naotaka said, and slammed the open front door shut.