Chapter 52: The Daily Life of a Little Loli (Please Collect)

  Although he was slightly disappointed that he couldn't get Takigawa Kazumasa, this disappointment soon dissipated. Meeting Takigawa Katsushige and his son Takigawa Motojiro was like hitting the jackpot. What more could he ask for? He brought the father-son duo back to Nunozu Castle, where they were greeted by Oguchi Kuniyasu, who had been waiting for a long time.

  "Master of the mansion! Taira no Munemori, the chief retainer of the Oda family, requests an audience."

  "Oh! Is it Hirate Hiro's later life? Let's take a look! The reputation of Hirate Masahide was very great, and in order to persuade Oda Nobunaga not to cut his belly, it is said that his death had a great impact on Oda Nobunaga, and then let the middle school student become the famous demon king of the Warring States. This Hirate Hiro was only a wise minister when he was alive, but his death brought about a change in an era. How many people have died more meaningfully than him?"

  The garden of Nunojō Castle, directly across from the main hall, was a beautiful autumn scene. The clear creek flowed into the pond, and the leaves fell gently to the ground. However, Hikokuro Matsumoto, who sat amidst this scenery, wore a gloomy expression. His earnest attempts at persuasion had been completely ineffective. He had thought that the young master of the Kira family would be just a spoiled child due to his noble status, but he was unexpectedly difficult to deal with.

  "Lord Kira, I'm sure you understand that the Shogun has good intentions towards you. The Owari Shibata clan and the Mikawa Kira clan are from the same origin, and we have been fighting together against the Imagawa for over 30 years. My lord Oda Nobunaga hopes that you, Lord Kira, will stay in Mikawa to resist the Imagawa's tyranny."

  "These things are not quite understood at home! If possible, please ask the head of the household to go to the temple and talk to the old man about it!" Kiryū Manzaburou replied with a puzzled face.

  "Cough! But Ma Shou is in Sanhe, whereas Lord Kira is leading an army of two thousand on Tsushima... Is this not..."

  "Hmm, I'm so tired! The problem with the Heihandō is too troublesome. My family's head is about to burst from thinking and still can't figure it out. If you don't want to go to Mikawa, then I'll just discuss it with my trusted retainer, Yamamoto Kanetsugu!" Kiryū Mantsumaru didn't hesitate at all in selling out Yamamoto Kanetsugu - isn't that what a master is for?

  He got up in a very unimpressive manner, rubbing his eyes like a child and walking out with big strides. He walked around the courtyard and stood on the upper level of the Tian Shou Pavilion, where he could see Ping Shou Zheng's pensive expression across from him. He sighed silently: "This Ping Shou Zheng is indeed a loyal minister, unfortunately, due to his stance, he can never be used by our household!"

  "Oh, Onii-chan! Shouko has been looking for you for a long time!" A cute little girl wearing a pink kimono jumped up and down excitedly, waving a small pinwheel in her hand. This was a toy that Yoshirou Kirishima had given to him, which he had been holding onto tightly for the past few days, not even letting Akane touch it.

  "O-nii-chan! Katsuragi found many beautiful leaves, red ones, yellow ones, and brown ones. Akane told Katsuragi that the leaves fall down in autumn, and Akane also said she'll take Katsuragi to see Kyoto's autumn. O-nii-chan! Are the leaves in Kyoto pretty? Are they prettier than here?" Little Lori snuggled into Yoshirou's arms had countless things to say, these past few days every time she got a chance she'd talk with Yoshirou for ages, and every time he'd carry her back home.

  "The leaves in Kyoto are beautiful, and there are many gardens in Kyoto with many beautiful houses, and many delicious foods. When the time comes, brother will take Shoujou to play." Kiriyama Mantarou really liked this little sister, pure and lovely carefree, telling him a joke can make him laugh for a whole day, sometimes thinking about it again will make him laugh once more.

  "It's a promise! Pinky swear!" Shouko stretched out her little finger and hooked it with him, Kira Kosaku Maru heard this and smiled, stretching out his hand to hook with the little loli and pressed together. The little loli jumped up happily: "This is Shouko's first time making a pinky promise! Onii-chan! Is Shouko the first person in the world to make a pinky promise?"

  Kira Kosaburoumaru gently scratched the tip of his index finger on Katsuragi's small nose and affectionately rubbed her hair: "Yes, yes, yes! You are the first one! The secret handshake is something that only brother thought of, so you must be the first person in this world to know it."

  "Kazuko is the best! Oni-chan is also the best! And Akane too!" Kazuko's small face was filled with happiness, like a flower, as white and pure as clouds in the sky. Watching this brother and sister playing happily, Akane sitting not far away burst into a heartfelt smile. This older loli prays for health every day, hoping for happiness, and every traditional noblewoman's life revolves around family harmony and happiness.

  Heihachi Masahide's troubles soon came to an end, and the guests who had come to visit the Oda family also disappeared, as bad news arrived again from the Mikawa front. The Imagawa family had once broken through the Anjo Castle's main gate, but the Matsudaira family, eager for quick results or seeking revenge for Tadakatsu Honda, made the same mistake they had six months prior and nearly a hundred Matsudaira soldiers were trapped by the Oda forces, with not one escaping. Many people including Honda Tadakatsu, Honda Tadamasa, and Matsudaira Kōtarō died in battle, and the Matsudaira family was ruined once again.

  Although the Matsudaira family suffered another defeat, the attitude of the Imagawa family's fierce attack did not diminish. Taigen Sotetsu sat in the central army and personally directed the battle. The three armies of Mikawa, Tōtōmi, and Suruga took turns attacking, and at one point even reached the front of the Ni-no-maru gate. Fortunately, the Oda family dispatched 2,000 reinforcements in time, with the overall commander being Oda Nobumitsu, the former leader of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake and the lord of Kiyosu Castle in Owari Province.

  The Oda family was in disarray, and the pressure on Tsu Island also decreased. Kira Mansaburou immediately contacted Hattori Hanzo and set out to leave Tsu Island that day, heading north along the Kisogawa River into Mino Province. Without mentioning the Kisogawa River, he couldn't remember it, but as soon as he mentioned it, he remembered the leader of the Kisogawa River, Honekawa Dōsetsu no Mikoto. When asked, he found out that Honekawa Dōsetsu no Mikoto was currently at war with the people of Mino Province and had no chance to see this legendary Japanese "Guan Yu".

  Because the Kirishitan army's march was not very convenient, Kira Yoshinaka also did not go to Inokuchimachi to stroll around, but only brought Masako, Akane and Mawari samurai to tour the mountains and rivers of Minō with a light vehicle. Yamamoto Kanbei was entrusted by him to transport the Tokai-bought Tokoname-yaki to Inokuchimachi for sale. He brought the small lords along the way from Kamigata, not even daring to fart, and the daimyos also turned a blind eye, hoping he would hurry up and pass through quickly, so they could carry goods without paying taxes.

  Tokoname ware is a type of ash glaze pottery that roughly originated in the late Heian period. Initially, due to technical limitations, it could only produce rough and misshapen bottles and jars for use by common people in neighboring countries. Later, because some people from the Kamakura shogunate thought this was good enough, simple and suitable for samurai use, Tokoname ware gradually gained fame. Over time, Tokoname ware slowly developed new techniques, producing various sizes of bowls, plates, and other utensils, still mainly as affordable goods for the masses.

  The Oda family makes a lot of money from taxes every year, plus the annual tax collection from Atsuta-cho and Tsu-shima-cho, and occasionally they also get some "yamagane" (a type of tax). With this wealth, Oda Nobushige, the wealthy landowner, was able to buy his way into a government position, spending 700 kan on the post of Mikawa no Kami. He spent 4,000 kan to have his son, Oda Kanzaburou, leave Kyoto and head to Owari Province, where he patiently taught the foolish sons of local wealthy landowners about poetry and kemari (a type of kickball).

  It is precisely because of this that the Oda family's humble origins were able to rise so quickly, not only avoiding being targeted by the imperial court and shogunate, but also largely escaping criticism from public opinion in the Tokaido region. Later, Oda Nobunaga would even go on to emblazon his military flags with the phrase "Eiraku tsū" every day, probably as a fine example of carrying on the family business.

  Note: Saitō Yoshimasa is also known as Saitō Dōsan. At this time, Mino no Kuroba was not yet a Buddhist priest and did not have the Buddhist name of Dōsan. Generally, documents from that period refer to him as Saitō Yoshimasa or Saitō Hidetatsu.