Chapter 105

Now he realized that this was the way Aoi had been fighting her whole life. There was no shortage of noble causes offering reasons not to save people, but she spared them no attention and lent them no ear. Whenever the world’s injustices caused the weak to shed tears, she was always there fighting for them. Even if she knew it would make a thousand enemies close at hand and ten thousand more beyond the horizon, she drew her sword all the same. Not once had Aoi ever given in to self-deception, and now that Shishi had chosen to walk the same path, she was giving him the strength to see it through. She has bested me, well and truly… After losing his way so completely, Shishi finally stood eye to eye with the samurai before him. And so… “I am in your debt.” …Shishi thanked her as he pulled Byakuran, cracks and all, from the earth. The moment he did, a silver wind sped over Fort Steadfast’s tall ramparts and swooped down beside them. That wind… “Sh-Shiro!” …was none other than the silvery-white wolf who had led Aoi and the rest of the Elm delegation to the Resistance hideout. Upon landing next to Shishi and Aoi, Shiro turned to the heavens and howled. Awooooooo… His cry soared, as though to reach the fading moon. When he did, the obsidian crystal fused into his back flashed, causing rays of light to travel along Shiro’s body like blood vessels. Then he began visibly transforming. His body more than doubled in size, his claws grew longer and sharper, and the obsidian crystal spread until it reached about halfway down his legs. “I-is this…the same as what happened to the Lord of the Woods and the Fastidious Duke?!” Aoi stood aghast. “……………” Shiro paid her astonished gawking no heed. Once his transformation was complete, he stared silently at the byuma samurai. Shishi could tell what the wolf was saying. “You will allow me to ride you once more, then?” Awoo! Shishi was overcome with gratitude at how dutifully Yamato’s guardian deity had watched over him and his daughter. “I apologize for all the worry I caused you. I should be old enough to know better, but all I’ve done is lose my way… I may not have much life left in me, but I feel as though I finally know who I am. And so…I intend to use my remaining time to hold true to myself.” “” Shiro lay prostrate as his way of telling Shishi to hurry. With Byakuran in hand, the dying samurai mounted the great wolf’s back, bleeding all over the beast’s beautiful coat. “Now please, lend me your aid!” AWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! With a great howl, Shiro soared into the air like the wind. He had no need for a running start. With a single bound, the wolf cleared the fortress walls and began making his way toward the Amagi Pass. “M-Ms. Aoi!” Resistance soldiers came rushing over in a panic. “A-are you sure it’s all right to let Master Shishi get away?! Unlike everyone else, he served Princess Mayoi of his own free will! If he gets to Azuchi, our main forces could be in danger!” “Worry not.” Aoi didn’t share their concerns. “Immediate treatment may have saved him, but with how much he is moving, that wound will surely be fatal. My comrades will not lose to a dying man whose sword barely has a single swing left. The most he can do now…is save but one fading life from the ruins of this fruitless war.” Aoi looked in the direction Shiro had gone. Her gaze was tinged with anxiety, but only slightly. Shishi was likely beyond the pass by now, and though she knew she would never see him again, she prayed that in his final moments, he would be able to carry out his will successfully. “Sellout! Traitor!” “Apologize to all the past emperors’ siblings by dying, you shameless coward!” “Thousands of people perished because of you! Burn in hell!” “Give us back our lives! Give us back our country!” The fires of rage devouring Azuchi Castle’s inner castle had finally risen up the whole length of the castle tower. Mayoi had fled, dragging her immobile, gunshot-wounded leg behind her, but she was at the top floor now, and there was nowhere left to run. “Ah! It burns!” She screamed and reeled back as the flames licked at her toes. “Hahhh, hahhh… Khhff! Khoff!” Even breathing hurt. With every breath, scalding air seared her lungs, preventing her from taking a decent inhale. On top of that, she was still fighting through an infection, and her ear and leg were both injured. There was only so much her body could endure. Mayoi sank to the floor and leaned against a pillar, unable to take another step. “““Give them back! Give them back!! Give them back!!!!””” Meanwhile, the jeering and booing continued raining down on her like thunder. There was so much rage in their voices, and they echoed so strongly that the castle tower practically shook. Mayoi gritted her teeth. “What…? What the hell…?” Mayoi dug her fingers into the floor, snapping her long nails, but she didn’t care. She was so mad. That she had taken much from Yamato was undeniable. She had robbed its people of their history, pride, land, and their very lives. She knew all that. But at the same time…what gave them the right to condemn her so harshly? “You people stole everything from me, too, you know!!!!” Mayoi’s furious rebuttal spilled out of her smoke-clogged throat like a sob, and perhaps it truly was. At the same time, her impending death caused her life—her needlessly long, empty existence—to flash before her eyes. When a new emperor took the throne in Yamato, it was customary for all their siblings to commit suicide. This not only prevented power struggles from breaking out and destabilizing the nation, but it also allowed the imperial family to visibly demonstrate to the uneducated populace the lengths they’d go to for national peace. It took ages to cultivate, but by closing off their country so as to keep the influence of foreign culture to a minimum, devising a self-execution method called seppuku that was exclusive to their nation, manufacturing the concept of an honorable death, and fostering the idea that sacrificing your life for others was something to be proud of… …Yamato’s rulers had established a method that effectively gave them a stranglehold on the will of the people. Unsurprisingly, the two sisters Kaguya and Mayoi fell prey to this system the moment they were born. As the older sister, Kaguya was raised in Azuchi Castle so she could become Yamato’s next empress. As the younger one, Mayoi was locked away in a residence on the city’s outskirts to mold her into a tool who would willingly end her own life and demonstrate the imperial family’s devotion on the day of Kaguya’s ascension. The second child’s role didn’t stop there, however. If anything were to happen to the true heir apparent, it was Mayoi’s job as a “spare” to become Kaguya and take the throne in her place. In her isolated home, she was robbed of all freedom and raised solely to carry out that task. She wore the same clothes as Kaguya. She had the same hairstyle as Kaguya. She took the same lessons as Kaguya. She ate the same foods as Kaguya. Nothing else was permitted. She was denied all agency. She wasn’t allowed to read books Kaguya hadn’t read. She wasn’t allowed to eat foods Kaguya hadn’t eaten. She merely imitated Kaguya’s life with mechanical precision, never once afforded any autonomy. If Kaguya got injured, they hurt her in the same spot. If Kaguya got a mole, they used a heated drill to give her one, too. Mayoi’s entire life revolved around becoming the best replacement for Kaguya she could be. There was only one thing that differentiated her, and it was that she never received any of the love her elder sister did. Everyone Mayoi interacted with at the residence was part of the Special Forces, from those who dressed her to her instructors to her guards, and not a single one of them treated her like a person. Thinking back now, Mayoi realized that was part of the Yamato imperial family’s system as well. She was a tool designed to die, so they didn’t want her to get attached to living. They had spent generations polishing and perfecting their methods for raising obedient sacrificial lambs, and their methods worked like a charm. Fish who lived in the lightless ocean depths didn’t need eyes, so they eventually stopped growing them altogether, and in much the same way, Mayoi’s constant suppression wore away at her ability to feel. Eventually, all her emotions atrophied away. Over time, her shriveled-up heart began affecting her body, as well. She lost the ability to see color and taste food. When attendants determined that she needed wounds to match Kaguya’s, she no longer resisted and thus didn’t need to be tied down. Stimuli hardly even registered to her. By the time whispers started floating around about Kaguya’s ascension being imminent, Mayoi had become precisely what Yamato wished her to be. If they had told her to die, she would have thrust a blade into her belly without a moment’s hesitation. The girl had been reduced to an unfeeling doll, waiting for the day she’d be expended. But then she had a visitor. “Heya there, Princess. ’Tis an honor but to be in your presence. That’s what the kids say, right?” A visitor by the name of Jade von Saint-Germain. “…Who are you?” It was the dead of night, and some person she’d never seen before had come knocking on her bedroom door. The hyuma man had a delicate physique. One look at him was enough to tell that he wasn’t from Yamato, and he definitely wasn’t with the Special Forces. So then, who was he? Mayoi cocked her head as she posed her question, but aside from that, her expression remained emotionless as she sat atop her futon. By contrast, the man offered a reverent bow and an irreverent smile, although his shoulders slumped in visible dejection at Mayoi’s response. “Yeesh, I get zero reaction for that? I get the vibe that you aren’t really one for exclamation marks, but I thought you’d be at least a little surprised. I totally just bombed that, didn’t I? That’s an egg on the ol’ face…” He scratched his cheek, then asked if he could come in. She had no particular reason to refuse him. Most people in her position would have been embarrassed or scared, but she hadn’t felt those sorts of basic emotions in a long time. “Be my guest,” Mayoi said. The man thanked her, then slid the door shut and introduced himself. “Guess I’d better start by dropping my deets, huh? The name’s Jade von Saint-Germain, and as of today, I’m a new diplomat stationed at the Freyjagard embassy. ’Sup?” That was enough for Mayoi to comprehend who he was. However… “Deets? ’Sup?” …the unfamiliar words caused some confusion. What were “deets,” and how did one drop them? What was a “sup”? Mayoi hadn’t the faintest idea. An awkward look crossed Jade’s face… “I, uh, I was kinda hoping you’d pick that stuff up on gut feeling, but…‘deets’ is short for ‘details,’ and ‘sup’ is just ‘what’s’ and ‘up’ mashed together. That’s all there is to it.” “Ahhh.” …but after he explained himself, Mayoi finally understood his words. She’d never heard those expressions before. The world was a vast place, however. Satisfied with his explanation, she crawled out of her blankets, sat up straight, and bowed down on all fours. “I am Mayoi, second daughter of Yamato’s Emperor Gekkou. It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you. In my ignorance, I failed to understand your greeting, and I would like to express my sincerest apologies for my rudeness.” “O-oh geez, so formal… Honestly, it was my bad for not speaking more clearly.” Jade gave the girl another few quick bows of his own. He looked perplexed, as though unsure what to make of this odd young woman. At that point, Mayoi gave voice to a very reasonable question. “…Mr. Diplomat, might I ask what you’re doing at my residence?” Jade quickly changed gears and gave her another bright grin. “Well, I was introducing myself to Emperor Gekkou, Lady Hinowa, and Lady Kaguya earlier, but you weren’t in the castle. I figured it’d be rude not to say hi to the whole imperial family. It’s like when you move to a new neighborhood, you know? You gotta do things like this on day one. But if I’m being honest, I have another reason, too…” “And what is that?” “See, Lady Kaguya totally has it going on, so I figured that her sister must be a knockout as well. As a dude, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I didn’t meet you and exchange contact info.” “A knockout????” “Ah, sorry, my bad. Again. It means someone who’s super cute.” “I see…” Mayoi still struggled to comprehend some of Jade’s vocabulary. “But man, I was totally right. Heck, I was probably underselling you. You’re, like, the spitting image of your sister. I practically had to do a double take.” “That’s the way I was raised.” “Oh yeah? Well, hey, beautiful sisters, I can always get behind that!” “Thank you for your kind words.” “Personally, though, you’re more my type. Lady Kaguya’s got her whole menacing aura thing going on, but you’ve got this frail vibe that makes a guy want to protect you. Like, a chivalry kind of deal. That sort of stuff always gets me right in the feels. I’m from the land of knights, after all.” “I see,” Mayoi replied rather perfunctorily to Jade’s compliments. Although listening to an extent, she wasn’t paying the conversation much attention, and the half-heartedness of her responses made that fact abundantly clear. Mayoi’s emotions had weakened such that nothing roused her. Even so, Jade didn’t so much as frown… “I don’t know about you, but I want us to learn more about each other. Is it cool if I drop by from time to time? Real talk, there is nothing to do at the embassy.” …and he assertively closed the distance between them. Why is this man so interested in a mere tool such as I, I wonder? Jade’s actions earned him a tilt of the head from Mayoi. However, her sole purpose was to die, so she decided this wasn’t really worth fretting over. Choosing who she met and spoke with wasn’t Mayoi’s right, so she gave him an answer befitting her station. “I’m afraid that isn’t up to me to decide…” “Oh yeah? Well, then consider this me signing off on your behalf. Boom, it’s a done deal.” “What?” “Lookin’ forward to getting to know you, girl.” Somehow or other, a decision had been reached. Not even Mayoi could remain emotionless in the face of something like that. A hint of surprise crept across her expression. Ultimately, it was all still inconsequential. It didn’t matter what was going through that strange man’s head, nor did it matter if someone from her house found out she’d met with him. A tool didn’t need to consider those matters. “I look forward to getting to know you as well.” Mayoi took Jade’s proffered hand and squeezed it. All she was doing was following his lead with no expression or emotion… “” …yet she realized something by doing so. Now that she thought about it, this was the first time in all her life she’d ever held another’s hand. From then on, Jade began visiting her roughly once a week. “Mayoi, you gotta hear this. The other day, I went to this… What’re those tea party things called again?” “A tea ceremony?” “Yeah, yeah, that. So I was with this important Yamato vassal guy at this tea ceremony, and they brought out some grub.” “They served you grubs?” “Nah, it just means food. Sorry about the slang. Anyway, they brought out some food, right? But for the utensils, they gave me these ‘chopsticks.’ And, like, what the hell?! Using those things is crazy hard! I didn’t even know how to hold them at first, and even once I got that down, my food kept slipping right out!” “I see…” “We were eating these simmered potatoes, and I kid you not, I dropped them on the floor right in front of this vassal guy’s face. He practically laughed me right out of the room. How rude is that? And also, what’s so fun about sitting around drinking tea with a bunch of dudes? Like, doesn’t that defeat the whole point?” “Tea ceremonies are a popular pastime among Yamato gentlemen.” “That’s what they tell me, yeah. The point is, would you mind teaching me how to use chopsticks so I don’t blow it so bad next time?” “If you asked, I’m sure they would be more than happy to provide you with a knife and fork…” “I mean, sure, but it’s like…even though you guys have been ramping down the whole national isolation stuff under Emperor Gekkou’s reign, chopsticks and tea ceremonies are still part of Yamato culture. It’s my job to respect stuff like that. Plus, I can’t stand it when I screw up the little stuff. Nothing pisses me off like having someone think I’m an idiot. That’s why I gotta get my chopstick technique down before my next tea ceremony. C’mon, Mayoi, I’m begging you here!” “…Very well. I suppose there’s no harm in it.” “Thanks a million!” The topics of their conversations ranged from Jade griping about his work… “Hey Mayo-Mayo, I brought you something real cool today.” “You did?” “Big time. Grandmaster Neuro wanted to see me, so I had to pop back over to Freyjagard real quick, and while I was there, I spotted something real nifty in the Drachen market. I was all, ‘Mayoi’s gotta check this out,’ so I bought it.” “I see…” “Ta-daa! A ‘lemon’ fresh from the Lakan Archipelago!” “A…lemon?” “Oh-ho? Judging from your reaction, this is your first time peeping at one of these bad boys.” “It is.” “Hee-hee-hee. I’m telling you, this is one tasty treat. I’m so glad I decided to shell out that dough. ♪ Go on, try a bite. I already cut this one up, so go ahead and take a big ol’ chomp.” “Munch… (>x<)” “Pfffft! Man, you should see your face right now!” “~~~~~~~… Are these poisonous?” “Nah, ’course not. They’re just super sour.” “I think my cheeks are stuck like this.” “Yeah, it’s pretty rough if you try to eat ’em straight, but if you drown ’em in South Freyjagard sugar, they are choice. Here, have this one.” “Munch… (>x<)” “Ah-ha-ha-ha!” …to strange items Jade purchased… “Hurrah!” “What is that noise you’re making?” “It’s something you just kinda say when you’re amped up or trying to liven the mood. Everything just feels more fun once you start shouting it. Go on, give it a shot. Hurrah!” “Hur…rah.” “No, no, no, you gotta mean it. Oh, and pro tip, ‘whoo-hoo’ is basically the same thing but cuter, so it’s a great choice for the ladies. Hurray!” “Whoo-hoo…” “Don’t be shy, now!” “Whoo-hoo.” “I wanna hear an exclamation mark at the end!” “Whoo-hoo!” “Hurrah!” …to bizarre cross-cultural exchanges. There was no real rhyme or reason to the content of their chats. However, they always took place in the dead of night, and they were always in Mayoi’s bedroom. After the first few instances, Mayoi realized what was going on. It was obvious that Jade ensured the Special Forces members guarding the Mayoi’s residence were unaware of the clandestine meetings. She gathered that he’d even hired a ninja to help him get in and out of the building. The structure wasn’t especially well protected, but that the ninja was able to enter so easily with Jade in tow meant they were quite skilled. Perhaps they were even Special Forces deserters. Mayoi didn’t report any of what she discovered to the staff. She told herself that, as a tool, it didn’t matter who dealt with her or how. And at first, she even meant it. Over time, though, that became an excuse. She started going to bed later and later each night, and began thinking about Jade frequently. With every thought, something in her chest stirred, although she couldn’t decipher what it was. Then, a few months after they started meeting… “Whew, we finally made it. I gotta say, we ended up cutting it pretty close.” “Pant… Pant…” Jade had taken Mayoi, and the two of them followed a fugitive ninja named Sasuke out late at night to climb a nearby mountain. They typically only spoke in Mayoi’s bedroom, yet this time, Jade had insisted he had to show her something. However… “…It’s pitch-black.” …Mayoi couldn’t figure out what that could be for the life of her. She had gone along with his requests as she always did, but…when they finally made it to the summit, there was nothing to see except the vast, bleak night. Mayoi turned to Jade and cast him a bored look… “All right, all right, hold your horses. I told you, it’ll all make sense in a sec.” …and the man grinned back at her. What was going to make sense? She was about to ask as much aloud, but she never got a chance. Light erupted—blinding and white and shining from one side. Mayoi snapped her eyes shut by reflex, then slowly opened them so that they could adjust. “Ah…” Dawn stripped away the veil of darkness, replacing it with the vibrant, colorful hues of a pale-pink flower field that went as far as the eye could see. “Is the view here unreal, or what? There are lotus flowers everywhere, and from this high up, you can watch the whole hill slowly turn pink as the sun rises. With how much of a shut-in you are, I figured you might not even know you had such a primo spot right by your house.” The sight before her left Mayoi speechless. As Jade gave his little speech, he reached down and plucked two of the lotus flowers growing by his feet. “Here, take a whiff of this.” “Snnfff. …!” “It’s wild how sweet they smell, right? Back when I was a kid, I used to snack on these.” A nostalgic smile spread across Jade’s face as he started to take Mayoi by the hand. There were a couple of other nice spots with good views, and he wanted to show her all of them. Then he noticed something. “Wait, hey, Mayoi, why are you crying?” “B-because…hic… Because I…!” The girl’s voice was practically a scream, and she crumpled to the ground where she stood. Her vision grew bleary from the tears forced out by swelling emotions, and she all but scooped at her face as she wiped them away. They were obstructing her view, and she resented them for that so much she couldn’t bear it. She never knew. She never knew that sunlight could feel so warm. She never knew. She never knew that soil could smell so sweet. She never knew. She never knew that the wind could whistle so gently. She never knew.