A Tale From Oedo

"This tastes great!" I chomped down a bite of food. I scooped up some rice

and shoveled another bit of the pickled radish and yellowtail sushi into my

mouth. It was really good...

The fatty fish really made me feel nostalgic. It was also the first time in a while

I'd eaten such delicious daikon radish...

"How is it, Touya-dono. Do you like my mother's cooking, do you?"

"Yeah, I really do. This stuff's amazing, Yae..."

"Oh, my... I am pleased to hear that my food is fit for a world leader, I am...

Thank you so much...!"

"Gahaha! Seems the young lord likes it a lot, honey!" Yae's mother, Nanae,

was sitting opposite me and Yae. Her husband, Jubei, laughed heartily as he

heard me compliment the food.

To be honest, this wasn't actually a yellowtail... But the fish was so close that

it was practically the same thing as the one found on Earth. Besides, who really

cared about getting the name right? It tasted too great to even care.

"This is tasty... I should be able to replicate this..." Lu sighed in relief as she sat

next to me. She couldn't help but look at any dish with a chef's eye, it seemed.

We were visiting Eashen, since we hadn't been there in a while. Because of

that, we were treated to a nice family meal in celebration of Yae's return home.

Other than Yae, we were joined by Lu, Hilde, and Sue. They all seemed equally

impressed by Nanae's cooking.

"Would you like seconds?"

"Oh, thank you... If it's not too much trouble, I'll take some."

Ayane, who served the Kokonoe family as a housekeeper, took our empty

bowls and promptly refilled them with side dishes and rice.

We had rice from Ieyahsu in Brunhild, so we could enjoy this kind of thing

now and again. But it was definitely rare to enjoy home-cooked Japanese-style

food like this, so I took the offer whenever I could.

I'd planned on going to meet with Ieyahsu to thank him for the rice he'd sent,

but it seemed like he was busy in a meeting with the other Feudal Lords.

Yae's father was staying home for the day, but her older brother had to head

straight to the castle and act as a bodyguard for the duration of the meeting.

After the incident with the servile god, the Tokugawa household established

itself as the dominant power in Eashen. The other Feudal lords were basically

treating him as the de-facto leader. It seemed like Ieyahsu had many busy days

ahead of him.

Yae and Hilde headed to train in the dojo after they finished their food. She

wanted to show the Lestian princess more of the Kokonoe style.

They also said exercising after a meal was a good habit to keep up, but I felt

so full that I didn't really feel like moving... I was fine where I was.

I didn't need to do swordplay, so I decided to have some tea with Jubei. Ah...

This is nice, too...

Lu and Sue went into the kitchen with Nanae to ask her about the food and

help her wash up. Ooh... Wonder if they're gonna make this back at Brunhild...

Wait, we don't have any fresh yellowtail there... We could buy some, I guess?

"Is my Yae doing alright over there?"

"She is. She trains with my knights, keeps public order in the castle town, and

goes out hunting now and then. She's doing really well for herself."

"I was not the best of parents if I am honest... I trained my daughter and

raised her to be a blade. But if that blade is something that keeps others safe,

then I am a proud father." I didn't think Yae was just a blade. She was well

respected in Brunhild, she cherished the people there, and her smile was

something else. She respected her family, and the people she cared for. I

honestly hoped that if I ever had a daughter, she'd grow up to be like Yae.

"In a few years I will be relinquishing my duties to my son, I will. Maybe I

could retire to Brunhild and spend some time with my grandkids if I have any by

then... Heh."

"...It might be a bit soon to be thinking about that... But maybe. You never

know." I forced a smile back to Yae's father, but honestly, I just hoped that a

peaceful future like that could come. The looming threat of the Phrase and the

wicked god had me a little concerned.

After speaking a bit with Jubei, I decided to go outside and walk the streets of

Oedo a bit.

"Touya! I'm coming too!"

Just as I was leaving the house with Kohaku, Sue came charging after me. Lu

was still in the kitchen with Nanae. I hoped she didn't get too enthusiastic and

wear herself out.

"Alright, let's go for a walk! C'mon!"

"Whoa!"

Sue suddenly grabbed my hand and jerked me forward. She'd grown a bit

since we first met, and she was clearly a little stronger too.

We left the Kokonoe household and were greeted by the hustle and bustle of

Oedo's streets.

There were people selling stuff on the streets. Cooked veggies, fresh fish, and

even little bags with goldfish inside.

My mouth started watering when I caught a whiff of grilled eel, even though

I'd just eaten.

"It's more crowded than Brunhild here."

"Well, that's just how it is. This is a pretty important city, after all." Oedo was

the center of the Tokugawa territory, said to be the most bustling city in all of

Eashen. Most of Eashen's culture originated within Oedo's walls, and many

travelers came to visit it. It could be said that this city was the cutting edge of

Eashenese culture.

There were still some foreigners here and there, but not really enough that

you'd notice.

The two nations that bordered the sea across from Eashen were Horn and

Nokia, and those countries were extremely isolated. Yulong didn't even exist

anymore, either. Given all that, it wasn't too surprising to think that there

wouldn't be many non-Eashenese people there.

I wasn't from Eashen, but I was a black-haired guy from Japan, and I basically

resembled a native Eashenese person. Sue, however, prancing around in her

fancy clothes with her long blonde hair... Definitely stood out. A sight like her

was quite the rarity in a country like this.

Sue definitely knew that, but she didn't seem to mind. She wasn't selfconscious, at least.

Sue was the niece of a king, at the end of the day. She was probably used to

getting attention from the public even back in Belfast.

"Touya, look! Dumplings! We should eat some!"

"Didn't we just eat?" Sue happily pointed me in the direction of a small tea

shop. There was a small dining area outside, where a few patrons were enjoying

tea and sweet dumplings.

There was a menu fixed on the wall nearby, it was almost all dessert items. It

seemed to be more of a sweet shop than a tea shop. I personally didn't care

much about eating anything for dessert, but I couldn't argue back against Sue. I

took a seat with her and quietly resigned myself to fate, hoping I could get away

with just having a cup of tea.

"Welcome. What would you like?"

"Uhm... I'll have a cup of tea, please. Sue, you wanted dumplings?"

"Mhm! I want mitarashi dango, yomogi dumplings, sesame-sprinkled ones...

Ohh, and red bean paste! Oh... And zu... zuda mochi? I'd like that too, please!"

Whoa, calm down! That's way too much! I made sure to specify to the waitress

that we wanted small portions of each kind of dumpling she ordered. It

would've been bad if we had a full order.

The tea came out right away. I was happy with my choice, it was delicious.

Sue was patient, so she waited until her tea cooled down. Kohaku also got

water in a bowl.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Ooh, that looks so cool!" The plate came out with two little dumplings of

each type. There were two green yomogi dumplings, two black sesame

dumplings, two small red dumplings filled with bean paste, and two rice cakes

with green paste on top. What Sue had referred to as zuda mochi was actually

zunda mochi.

I was glad to see that it existed in Eashen, too. I ate that a lot with my late

grandfather when I was a kid.

I got a little nostalgic, so I asked for a portion of my own. Sue had already

started wolfing down her dumplings in the meantime. She seemed to find each

one delicious... But she was definitely making a mess, she had sticky stuff all

around her mouth.

As I reveled in Sue's soothing smile, some food for me arrived.

It looked great.

"Time for me to try it, then..." I picked up a bit with my chopsticks and

popped it into my mouth. The taste of the edamame and the sweet fragrance

tantalized my senses. It was a little different to the taste I remembered, but it

was still amazing. Just like the fish I'd had earlier, even if it had a different

name, it didn't stop the good taste.

"I want everyone to get a chance to try this..."

"Then let's take some home with us!" She was right, so I decided to do just

that. I asked the waitress for a to-go order and placed the heavy box into

[Storage].

As I leaned back and looked around, I caught a figure in the corner of my eye.

"..."

I could feel the burning stare of a small child not far away. She was about four

or five years old, certainly smaller than Sue.

She looked like she was drooling as she held her finger up to her mouth,

staring at the delicious food Sue was cramming into her face.

Sue herself was finished with her dumplings and moved on to the dango

skewers, but it didn't take long for her to notice the girl.

"...Are you hungry?"

"Y-Yeah!" Sue asked a question as she held out a little bit of food and waved it

toward the kid. The little girl came running over.

I couldn't possibly eat another bite, so I let her have the rest of my stuff.

"Is it good?"

"Mhm! Oedo food is really good!" The little girl was pretty strange, but she

was hungrily devouring whatever we gave her. I wondered if she'd lost her

parents. Looking at her more closely, there were a few odd details that stood

out. To start with, she was wearing clothes that didn't match her size. Same

with her shoes. If it was a size larger, it would be at risk of falling off her. The

kimono she wore was also unusual. Her collar was untidy and her sash was tied

a little too tight.

Her long black hair was glossy and clean, and there wasn't a single blemish on

her skin. She looked pale, but she didn't exactly look malnourished.

I wondered what was up with her... She was a weird kid, for sure. "Uhm... I'm

Touya. This is Sue. What's your name, and where do you come from?"

"Um... I'm Iroha! I'm from there!" She couldn't possibly be correct. The little

girl pointed toward Oedo Castle, the massive towering structure in the middle

of the city.

Huh? You're not one of Ieyahsu's kids, are you? No way... You don't look the

part to be a noble... Are you sure about the castle being where you're from? Or

are you just pointing at it as a landmark?

"What's your dad called?"

"Umm... To... Tojiro!"

Well, that rules out Ieyahsu. I was wondering if you were the kid of one of the

Tokugawa concubines, but I guess not.

I sighed quietly and handed over a fresh set of chopsticks to Sue, who seemed

like her sweet tooth wasn't quite sated.

"Thanks!"

"No problem." Sue started chowing down on some of the extra mochi. Her

mouth was once again stained by syrup. I simply sighed and hoped she wouldn't

spill any on her lap.

Iroha plucked up a bit of mochi before turning to us both.

"Where are you from mister?"

"Oh, I'm from Brunhild... It's a country far to the west. We're staying with a

friend's family." We were actually staying with my fiancée's family, but I didn't

want to complicate matters. Plus if I counted Jutaro as that friend, I wasn't

really lying.

The zunda mochi was done with, but I could see on Iroha's face that she

wasn't quite full. I ordered another portion.

"You're really nice, mister!"

"Of course he is. Touya's a truly good man! As expected of my husband, of

course." We're not married yet... But I couldn't help but grin at Sue's goofy face.

I sat with the two of them, sipping at some more tea as they ate some more

snacks... But then I heard a loud voice from nearby.

"Hey, over there! Found her!"

"Oh?!" I was just listening, when suddenly Iroha put down her plate and ran

away as fast as she could. I didn't even have time to react.

"She ran for it! Chase her down!"

"Guh! She is not getting away this time!" Three men ran right past us in hot

pursuit. The men were all dressed in black leather outfits. No matter how you

looked at it, they were ninja.

I didn't know why I interfered, but I couldn't sense anything good in them

chasing down a kid.

"[Slip]!"

"Gah!"

"Gwaugh!"

"Hgh!" The three men stumbled over their own feet and fell to the ground.

I paid my bill at the tea shop, boxed up the leftovers, and left the shop

immediately.

I shoved the leftovers into [Storage] before pulling out my smartphone and

running a search on the girl's location.

"Where'd she go?"

"She's heading toward Yae's dojo." I looked down at my phone to confirm the

answer to Sue's question. Iroha seemed to have made it away safely. She was

fast on her feet for such a little kid, Yae's place was quite a walk away from

where we were.

As I checked my map, I headed toward a back alley.

"My liege, look at that girl."

"Hm?" I looked over the street outside the alley and saw a young girl wearing

an utterly gorgeous kimono. It was quite the opposite in looks to the one Iroha

had been wearing... But the girl wearing it looked pretty suntanned and her hair

was disheveled. Not to mention the fact that the outfit was a tiny bit too small

for her, as well...

Wait, did Iroha maybe swap clothes with her? Sue went over to ask her where

she got her kimono, and she answered that a young girl had exchanged clothing

with her earlier.

"...Then does that mean Iroha was a noble after all?"

"If she's noble... Then she's gotta be in trouble, right? Why would a kid like

her be chased down by ninjas?" I decided it'd be best to make sure she was

safe. I had a fine enough level of control over [Teleport], so I was confident I

could jump straight to Iroha. It wasn't too far a distance, after all.

I grabbed Sue by the hand.

"[Teleport]!"

"Whoa!" We suddenly appeared directly in front of a surprised Iroha. There

was nobody else around, she'd seemingly been hiding in a back street.

"Wh-Where did you come from?!"

"That's just Touya's power. Are you surprised? Pretty cool, huh?" Sue puffed

out her chest as if to gloat. I had no idea what she was proud of, but her face

was cute.

"Iroha... Why are you being chased down?"

"Oh! Th-They're bad guys! They keep getting in my way!" Hrmph... That

doesn't really give me an answer, though. I wanna know why they're chasing

you... But I guess the details are a bit much for a little kid. I'll just have to ask

one of them.

"Sue, could you take her back to the dojo?"

"Umm... Sure! I'll explain what's happening to Yae and the others." I sent Sue

and Iroha through a [Gate]. I knew they'd be safer with Yae and her family.

"My lord, they're here... Shall we?"

"Yeah, let's hear it from them." I turned around to face the six ninja who had

just appeared in the back street. Wait... There are more of you now? Geez...

"Hey there! Did a girl go by here?!"

"I'm taking care of Iroha now. So why don't you tell m-"

The men immediately surrounded me and drew their weapons. I didn't even

get a chance to ask them a question!

"[Shield]."

"Guh?!"

"Gah?!" Four of the men stopped after seeing two of their comrades blocked

by an invisible wall. One of the ninjas struck my magical shield again before

leaping back toward his allies.

"Bastard! You can use magic?!" There weren't many Eashenese people

capable of casting spells, so seeing it in action was a rarity.

Instead, they had developed ninjutsu and special techniques. They were skills

that had similar effects, but could only be gained through rigorous training.

I wondered if the ninja in front of me had such capabilities, but they probably

did.

As I wondered that, the fattest of the men spewed fire from his mouth and

sent it hurtling toward me. What the... He can use ninjutsu?! "Not so fast,

wastrel!" Kohaku leaped in front of the incoming flames, emanating a

shockwave that repelled them.

"Eek!! Uwaaah!" The tubby ninja, now caught on fire thanks to his own

attack, started rolling around on the floor.

I shot out a little Water magic, since I didn't exactly want to kill him.

"Guh...!" The ninjas glared at me before throwing some small objects at the

ground. Oh, smoke bombs. I remember seeing this in old movies.

I guess they're escaping under the smoke cover, then... Ah.

Before I noticed it, the ninjas were gone. I was honestly a little impressed.

They'd gotten away.

"Not like you can keep away, though..." I casually pulled out my smartphone

and ran a search for ninjas... The results shocked me. Several pins dropped on

the map around Oedo. I wondered why the hell there were so many ninjas,

were they holding a summit or something? But then again, the term ninja was

pretty broad. It could've also been applying the terms to every shinobi in town.

I wondered if the Tokugawa ninjas were all at the castle or something... There

were more than I'd expected.

Whatever, I just need to find out more info...

Then again, I should probably try to figure out whose ninjas these guys

actually are... It could be a problem if they're serving the Tokugawa clan.

I sighed quietly and decided to head back to Yae's place. There were no

enemies there, thankfully.

I opened up a [Gate] and made my way back. I walked into the dining room

and found a tasty display of yellowtail sushi and radish on the table. You're

eating again...?!

Sue looked up from the plate and spoke to me.

"Ah, Touya! Did you sort out the people who were chasing her?"

"Not exactly, no..." I explained what had happened, and Sue opened her eyes

wide in surprise. Lu then walked in with a fresh serving of sushi. I couldn't

believe they were still eating at a time like this. "Hey, Iroha. Just who are you?"

"I'm Iroha!"

That certainly wasn't much of an answer. As I was thinking of what to do with

her, I heard a commotion come from the entrance. I wondered what it was.

"T-Touya-do... G-Grand Duke! Yae! Grand Duke...! A-Are you there?!"

The voice belonged to Jutaro. He was supposed to be at the castle. He

sounded frantic, so I rushed toward the entryway to find him drenched in

sweat. He was panting heavily and on the ground. He'd ran here full-pelt, and

looked completely out of breath.

"Oh...Th-Thank goodness! T-Terrible things have happened... J-Just terrible!"

"Hold your horses, and calm down a moment. [Refresh]." I cast the

restoration magic on him. I had no idea what was going on with him, but he

needed to calm it. "T-Today there was a meeting of feudal lords at Oedo

Castle... But the daughter of one of the lords has gone missing! There's a lot

going on now and I'm not sure what to do, but from what I understand the

Tokugawa security detail could be in great trouble for this! They almost rescued

her, but she was captured in this very town!" Hm? "A-And I heard a report that

the girl was almost found, but she was stolen away by a mysterious and

powerful man who commanded a frightening beast!" Uh oh. I looked down at

my feet for a moment. Frightening beast... Mysterious and powerful...?

"He could be an agent for political manipulation! How am I supposed to find

him?! If I cannot find this fiend and kill him with my own hands, then Lord

Tokugawa-sama's honor will be stained!"

"Uhm... About that... Whose daughter was she, exactly...?"

"Ah, f-forgive my impertinence! She is the young daughter of Lord

Massamune-sama! And then, hm...? Grand Duke...?" I listened to Jutaro's

words, but he quickly noticed that I was progressively sweating harder, and

looking more flustered by the second.

This is definitely my bad.

Am I gonna get punished for this? Holy crap. Date Massamune? That one? The

guy I met a while back? He seemed pretty nice, but definitely incapable of hiding

his feelings.

But wait, isn't he only around my age?! How does he have a daughter at that

age already? I know people marry young in this world but c'mon! Ack... Still, I

need to focus here. This could cause a national incident... Better handle it fast.

I motioned for Jutaro to follow me and we walked into the living room.

The girl was eating some pickled radish as she turned to us. Even though she

was wearing something so tattered, it seemed like Jutaro immediately

recognized her noble status.

"G-Grand Duke... This girl..."

"Y-Yeah. My bad."

"Hm?"

"I-I will let them know at once!" Jutaro went charging out the entrance just as

Yae and the others came walking inside.

"Oh, brother? I do wish he would stay a little longer, I do..."

"He'll be right back, I'm sure." I had a feeling he'd charge right there and then

charge straight back. But it wasn't like I'd be there to cast [Refresh] on him at

the castle.

Yae looked over to Sue and Iroha as they ate some more sushi together.

"Sue-dono... Who is this child?"

"That's Iroha."

"It seems like this kid is actually one of the feudal lords' daughters."

"I-Is that so, is it?! Could she be the child of Date Massamune, could she?!"

Yae opened her eyes wide upon realizing who she was with. Sue just kind of

shrugged and continued eating. Hilde and Lu didn't really seem all that fussed,

either... But I guess those three were royalty anyway.

"Iroha, you're in Oedo because of your dad, right? Why'd you leave the

castle?"

"Was bored... Daddy can't play with me. He promised he'd play when the

meeting was over!! But it was so long...! That's why I went out to play."

"Didn't you think your father would get worried?"

"Don't know." She pouted quietly before explaining that she'd asked to go to

the bathroom then snuck out of the small window in there. Apparently, she'd

sneak out of the castle she lived in at home and play around often, so this kind

of thing wasn't abnormal for her.

Apparently, Iroha could use magic, specifically Earth magic, which was rare for

an Eashenese person. It was trivial for her to get out by manipulating the

ground to make an escape route, or just tunneling through a wall.

"Your father still loves you, Iroha," said Sue.

"...Daddy hates me."

"No way. I love my father, and he loves me. Sometimes he can't be with me

because he has to work, but when we're together we have a lot of fun. Time

spent being upset with him, or thinking he's upset with you, is just wasted

time."

"Mm..." Sue's father, Duke Ortlinde, was pretty busy a lot of the time. He had

to deal with a lot of noble affairs, as well as diplomatic negotiations for his

brother.

That's why he cherished the family time he could get. I definitely wanted to

make sure he and Sue spent as much time together as they could before she

came to live with me as my wife.

The little girl fell silent after listening to Sue's words.

I heard a sliding door being opened and the sound of running in the outside

corridor.

"Iroha?!" The man that yelled out was none other than Date Massamune, the

very same man that I'd met some time ago. He was wearing a beautiful dotted

kimono. Wait a second, guy. Your shoes are dirty!

"Oh, Iroha! Are you okay?! Did he do anything to you?! You there! I cannot

ever forgive you for this!" The feudal lord before me was glaring at me with a

burning hatred in his eyes. It seemed he hadn't been fully briefed.

That reminded me, the last time I met him I was the masked warrior,

Shirogane. This new first impression I'd made on him was definitely bad by

comparison. Jutaro suddenly came running in from behind Lord Massamune.

He'd come back faster than I expected, which made me think he must've met

Massamune on the way to the castle. "D-Date-dono! P-Please do not speak in

such a way to the grand duke! This is a m-misunderstanding, it is! I do hope you

can compose yourself, I beg of you!"

"Enough of your prattling! Tokugawa's guard or not, you will pay for-

Guauugh!" Date suddenly crumpled to the ground. He'd been struck in the head

by someone who appeared from behind him. The man standing above the

fallen lord was none other than Katakura Kohjuro Kagetsunna, Date's loyal

retainer.

He'd struck his master in the side of the head with a sword sheath. I

wondered if it was okay for retainers to do that. "Wh-Why did you do that,

Kohjuro?!"

"Lord Massamune, please think of the current situation. Were you attempting

to pick a fight with the leader of another nation? Please use your head."

Seemed like this guy had some sense. I was glad to hear it. I didn't mind exactly,

but I had to consider Ieyahsu as well. Since I was here under his care, I didn't

want to trigger tensions between him and Massamune.

Iroha suddenly stood up and walked toward her father.

"Daddy... Sue and Touya were really nice to me... They aren't bad."

"I-Is that right?"

"You always get like this, daddy. Mommy's gonna get mad at you if she finds

out."

"Gah!" It was smart of her to involve her mother in this. I could already sense

who wore the pants in that marriage. It reminded me of the Xenoahs overlord.

Iroha continued to talk in front of her fussing father.

"I did a bad thing. I'm sorry I ran away from the castle. I just wanted to play

and I was really bored..."

"Iroha..." Masamune clambered up until he was on his knees, then leaned

forward to embrace his daughter. She hugged him back, placing her little hand

on the small of his neck. Everyone in the room let out a small sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry. It was my idea to bring you to Oedo to begin with, but I got

distracted with work and ended up taking much too long. Please forgive me for

that, Iroha."

"It's ok! I saw a lot of Oedo... And I had some tasty dumplings and some

yummy fish. It was really fun."

"I am happy to hear that..." Iroha began to giggle. Massamune smiled

earnestly back. He didn't look even a shadow of the upset man he was a few

moments ago.

I still felt it was a shame they didn't get to see the sights together, though. I

suddenly got an idea, then turned to Kohjuro.

"Will you be heading back home from Oedo after the meetings are over?"

"That should be right... It would take around nine or ten days to return home.

We cannot move too quickly due to Iroha-sama." My question was answered

fairly promptly.

Unlike other nations, Eashen wasn't as developed. They didn't have

standardized transportation like carriages. They had a lot of rocky roads, so

traveling that far would be pretty rough even on horseback. I wasn't sure if I'd

be able to stomach it.

That's why I decided to make a proposal.

"I'll send you all back to your home in ten or so days using my [Gate] spell,

alright? Don't worry about fees or anything, I'll just let you all through."

"Hm... I would truly appreciate that, but why would you do such a thing for

us?"

"Because we're friends, you dummy! This is nothing, no big deal at all!" Sue

said as she suddenly stomped over and planted her hands on her hips, staring

Massamune down.

"Thank you, Sue!" Iroha smiled and hugged Sue. I was glad that things would

likely go smoothly from here and was even more glad to see that Iroha and her

father were happy.

"I wonder what on earth just happened, I do... Sue-dono is powerful..."

"Sue certainly has the ability to make fast friends."

"Yae, Hilde, would you like to try some of my sushi?" Yae, Hilde, and Lu were

all looking over the scene from the dining table.

With that, all matters were settled. Ieyahsu came to the house not long after

and returned to his castle with Iroha, Massamune, and an entourage of black-

clad ninja.

Eashen wasn't a member of the League of Nations, so I couldn't give him a

smartphone, but I gifted Massamune a Gate Mirror so Iroha could exchange

letters with Sue. I was happy she'd made such a nice friend.

I thanked Ieyahsu for the rice he'd given me and informed him that I'd be

taking the Date party home ten days from then.

It seemed like the meeting between the feudal lords wasn't quite over yet.

The fallout from the monkey incident was still in full swing, and they were still

unsure as to what to do with the territory that once belonged to the Hashiba

house.

Apparently, the emperor himself was coming as well, to bestow honors or

something like that. I think he was going to name the newest feudal lord or

something... But I didn't want to get too involved in that.

They'd be done with it all in about two days, so that gave Massamune and his

daughter plenty of time to sightsee.

I'd never met the emperor of Eashen, though... It would certainly be

interesting to see him.

If I met the emperor, I could ask him if he wanted to join the League of

Nations. I wondered if it'd be okay though, Eashen wasn't exactly a whole

nation or anything...

As I thought about those issues, I said goodbye to Yae's family and headed

home with the others.

"...So that's what happened."

"Yeah, it was rough. But I'm glad I managed to reconcile them both."

"I agree." Leen brought the mochi up to her mouth. The girls were gathered

around the table, eating mochi and different snacks.

"Which do you like the most?"

"Uhhm... I like them both, but I think the taste of this one is a little more

refined... Don't you think?"

"Guh... I guess even though I was taught the recipe, I'm still not quite good

enough." Lu looked over the sushi that Linze and Sakura had tried, it seemed

they preferred the taste of Yae's mother's.

Hmm, I dunno. I couldn't really tell the difference. I think if you keep trying to

chase perfection like that, Lu, you might not succeed.

"This mochi thing is amazing! Can't you make this, Lu?" Elze grinned at Lu,

attempting to distract her from her grumbling. Then she reached down and

took another bite of mochi.

"Um... I don't know the details of the recipe exactly, but it doesn't look too

hard to reproduce. I'm sure I could make it. I think it's made with rice? I'm not

sure, though... I could learn a little more from Aer."

"It is not ordinary rice, it is not. And it cannot be too watery, it can not! You

should be able to use the rice we received from Ieyahsu-sama." That reminded

me, he'd given us a small amount of rice bran for dessert use.

I was glad Yae reminded me, because I'd put it in [Storage] and totally forgot.

Still, food wouldn't spoil in there so it was fine.

"Do you just cook it like ordinary rice, then?"

"Uhh... Not exactly. Here, gimme a sec."

I used my smartphone to look up how to pound mochi and sent it to Lu's

phone. She checked the page immediately.

"Touya-dono. We should pound mochi together next time, we should. I would

like everyone to be able to partake."

"Yeah, that'd be fun. Everyone should enjoy it." The population of Brunhild

was mostly Eashenese. A large chunk of our knights were Eashenese, too. It'd

be fun to get a whole group exercise together, I'm sure they'd find it nostalgic.

I showed the others the video of mochi pounding, and they all seemed

interested. I definitely wasn't as fast as the guys in the video, though.

I turned to the girls and asked them if there were any foods in particular that

they'd like to be made.

Kinako mochi... natto... Isobemaki, ankoro mochi, and zoni... They ended up

wanting a lot of stuff, including a few dishes that had more of a New Years kind

of feel to them. Dumplings were just better to eat in general, though... So that

was my preference.

Sue looked at the video as it continued to play and then looked at me.

"Touya... Can we invite Iroha to Brunhild next time? I wanna play with her

some more."

"Sure. We'll be sure to prepare a bunch of Eashenese stuff to welcome her." I

decided when that time came, I'd invite Yae's family and Ieyahsu to join us as

well. I wanted them to have fun in Brunhild.

Lu continued to feverishly attempt to exceed the quality of Nanae's dish, but

eventually, even she had to admit that the Eashenese housewife was simply far

beyond her skill level.