In the three years I hadn’t seen her, Floortje had grown a little more mature, and more beautiful. She was still just as slender too: one wouldn’t think a girl of her build could possibly do sumo. The unannounced visit of the crown princess had the entire village welcoming her on their knees and keeping their heads low. She helped Maxim climb down first, then descended together with her maid.
“I’ve brought Floortje, Erhard. It’s going to be all right now.”
“You’ve been to the royal capital, huh.”
“Well... I went by horse to the county town and found Yustin there. When I explained the situation, he took me with him in a speedy coach, and the two of us raced to the royal capital to see Floortje.”
Well, that certainly worked out well. Had he not gotten a hold of Yustin in the county town, he would’ve been stuck traveling to the royal capital for another week. And then he could’ve run out of money or been robbed by bandits. He had undertaken such a journey on his emaciated horse without regard for such dangers, all for my sake.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, don’t mention it.” My dear neighbor was being shy.
Inspector Joseph stepped forth, continuously bowing.
“Greetings, Your Highness. What brings you to such a remote place?”
“Maxim tells me you’ve banned Erhard from sumo. Is that correct?”
“Yes, I judged it too much of a luxury for an exile,” he said after a brief pause.
“A luxury? Sumo hardly brings any expenses with it.”
“It is not about money, it is about honor. A sumo fever is currently sweeping through the whole of Aryaka. It is a glorious martial art that saved our kingdom in times of peril. I couldn’t possibly allow the man who orchestrated the rebellion to do sumo,” spoke Joseph, having raised his head to look at Floortje directly.
“So that’s how you see this.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I believe a rebel who ought to have been executed does not deserve this kingdom, this village, or the people who live in it. Should I be ordered to stand down, I shall request to be relieved of my post as an inspector.”
The massive red dragon entered the conversation.
“This guy is a real stick-in-the-mud.”
“Phalaris! I believe you’ve been told to assume human form if you want to speak.”
“Whoops.”
Smoke covered the dragon, and then was blown away by the wind, revealing a stark naked boy. Floortje’s maid hurried to put a robe over him.
“I don’t think sumo is so full of honor and glory. It’s an awesome martial art, but why not let even criminals do it if they want to?”
“But Lord Phalaris, we would be setting a bad example. The people, they...”
“Ugh, I can’t do this. These bureaucrats are so stubborn.” Phalaris shrugged.
“What do you want to do, Erhard?” spoke Floortje.
“I... A criminal like me cannot desire anything. I shall abide by the kingdom’s rulings.”
“And how do you really feel?”
“I...”
I wanted to do sumo. But to desire such a thing...
“Be frank.”
“I want to do sumo. Even if it’s only training and nothing else.”
“Good—I was worried you were tired of this life and wanted to be done with sumo.”
“Then you needn’t worry, Your Highness. Erhard trains in silence every single day after working the farms,” spoke Maxim, leaning precariously far forward.
“Glad to hear it.”
“With all due respect, Your Highness, I insist this man should be banned from sumo.”
“Please, Your Highness. We beg you, let Erhard do sumo.”
Maxim and Lotta prostrated themselves before Floortje, their foreheads touching bare ground. Why were they going this far for me? I felt tears welling up. My attempt to hold them in proved futile.
“Maxim, Lotta...”
Floortje clapped her hands together.
“Then why don’t we decide through sumo?” she suggested with a smile. “Come forth, do...” Floortje stopped short of completing the summoning spell, instead staring intently at the crude ring I had near my hut. “Since there’s a ring here already, let’s use it. Fix it up, Adela.”
“Yes, milady.”
The maid in a yellowish coat began repairs on the ring, using a hoe. She also installed new bales in place of the damaged ones. Floortje stood in front of the inspector.
“Why don’t you have a bout with Erhard and the winner will have his way?”
“It is acceptable.”
“Are you sure? He’s strong.”
“I have confidence in my sumo too. Losing to a criminal would be out of the question.”
With that, Joseph took off the top of his uniform, revealing his powerful muscles.
“I see you’ve been working out. How is your sumo?”
“General Maurilio taught me some while I served.”
“You were in the army?”
“Yes. You’ve sent me and my horse flying, Your Highness. I traveled with you until we liberated the royal capital.”
“Were you a scout?”
“Yes—the very first one you sent flying, Your Highness.”
So Joseph had been in that army I had sent after Floortje. It stood to reason he regarded the liberation of the capital, as well as the sumo that had allowed it, as something sacred.
I entered my hut and put on my mawashi with Maxim’s help.
“There’s no way you’re going to lose, right?”
“I wonder about that. He studied sumo properly, unlike me.”
“It’ll be fine, I’m sure.” Maxim laughed lightly and patted me on the shoulder.
Three years prior to this, I’d had a good bout with Floortje. I’d relied on my demonic strength and nothing else: no technique, no tactics, just the sumo of a savage beast. I couldn’t do such a thing again. I couldn’t show Floortje, a yokozuna, such unseemly sumo. If I didn’t fight within the confines of human strength, using the sumo I had cultivated, I couldn’t look her in the face ever again. Even if I lost to Inspector Joseph as a result.
Stepping out of my hut, I saw the inspector wearing a mawashi too. His stare directed at me was as grim as ever. There was animosity in his eyes.
Once Floortje’s maid stepped away, the crude ring I used to know looked good as new. Excellent work. Creating and servicing the dohyō in sumo is the job of a yobidashi—and come to think of it, this maid was a yobidashi. That logo on the back of her happi coat was proof.
“Today’s yobidashi will be Adekichi from my stable, and I, Floortje, shall perform the duties of the referee.”
As Floortje lightly waved a war fan, the maid opened her folding fan and announced me and the inspector.
I climbed the dohyō. It had been roughly half a year since my last bout. This opponent was far more serious than those at the ritual matches conducted at the village shrine during the annual festival. Standing on the other side of the lines in the ground, Inspector Joseph bent his knees. So did I.
“Face each other.”
Our tension grew. The space between the two of us began to fill with hostility that twisted and warped as mine collided with his. Ah, I finally get to fight a real rikishi. My heart pounded with excitement. As our breathing synchronized, the two of us moved with our whole bodies, crashing into each other.