Chapter 20: Lady Tsubaki’s Secret

Ōigawa Castle – Isshiki Masataka

1561. Summer.

Since I needed to report our victory to Ujizane-sama at the Imagawa Residence, I had to take off my armor and wear my hitatare¹It’s a traditional clothing that were worn by the members of the samurai clans. I’ll give you the picture at the end of the chapter.. Why? Well, it was because Ujizane-sama disliked anything that had to do with conflicts.

Even when Tsuratatsu declared a fight against us at the Imagawa Residence, he didn’t order for him to be cut down on the spot.

It was probably because Lord Yoshimoto’s death still lingered in his mind.

Reporting while wearing our armor would bring out the image of conflict and war, hence we had to take off our armor first.

“Mother, I have returned. I brought news of our victory over Inoo Tsuratatsu.”

“Phew… It seems you weren’t injured anywhere.”

She touched my body all over, not minding the hitatare I was wearing. If the retainers were here, they would’ve stepped in to stop her, but it was just us and two of her maids here.

Well, it was just this much; I could put up with this. 

It was only after she was satisfied that she let me go.

“I’ll be heading to the Imagawa Residence to report our victory. After that, I’ll have to head to Okazaki.”

“It’s one task after another—you’ve grown busy, haven’t you? But I suppose that’s only natural. You are the head of our Isshiki clan now.”

She probably said that to herself, not me. Honestly, it would be hard for me if she kept treating me like a child like this.

Soon, I would have to welcome my bride from Okazaki.

Even back in my previous life, the situation where a mother-in-law not getting along with her daughter-in-law was quite common. If she and Hisahime-sama didn’t get along, I’d get caught in the middle, and god knows what kind of disaster would befall me.

If Mother didn’t stop coddling me like I was a little boy, Hisahime-sama would think of me as a mothercon or something, and that can’t happen no matter what.

“I’ll be leaving again soon. If anything happens, please let Masatomo know, okay?”

“Understood. Be careful, okay?”

“…”

Well, it seemed like it’d be a long time before that could happen.

As I left the room and walked down the hallway, two shinobi were waiting for me in the garden.

“Rakudo? You did well.”

“We merely fulfilled our duties as usual.”

“If you say so. The person next to you, she’s… Yukime, right? For the leader of Sakae’s Women Unit to come to me, now that’s a rare sight.”

Sakae’s Women Unit was a unit made up entirely of kunoichi. They were pretty much a special force that operated in places where only women could go in. Yukime was their leader.

They generally operated under Rakudo’s orders, since he was Sakae’s overall leader. That was the reason why Yukime never came to me directly like this. After all, the necessary interactions and information were exchanged through Rakudo.

But it seemed like it was different this time.

“During our mission, we had to send the Women Unit to infiltrate that person’s place. From that, we managed to obtain something. Yukime.”

“Yes.”

At Rakudo’s words, Yukime then handed me a bundle of papers from her pocket. Among them were even sealed envelopes.

By the way, that person that Rakudo mentioned was none other than Tsuratatsu’s wife, Tsubaki.

“This is?”

“I will take over and provide an explanation from here on out. But what follows isn’t something that is meant for other people’s ears.”

“Understood, we’ll continue in my room. Kojūrō! Are you there?!”

I could hear someone’s footsteps echoing from the end of the hallway.

“Did you call me, my lord?”

“Until I said otherwise, do not let anyone near my room. No matter who it is. You are also not to say any word about what you’ve heard.”

“Understood.”

This was Hikami Kojūrō, the grandson of Hikami Tokimune, the head of the Four Retainers. He was my page.

Kojūrō, Rakudo, and Yukime then quietly followed behind me. When we arrived at my room, we went inside, leaving Kojūrō behind.

“Tell me.”

“Yes. Under the orders of our leader, we of the Women Unit investigated Tsubaki-sama. With the help of Inoo Tsurayoshi, whom we managed to bring to our side, we successfully made contact with her.”

“I see. And then?”

“We tried to inquire why she looked so distraught, but she just handed us this bundle of papers. Then, she asked us to protect Tsurayoshi, and that was the extent of our interaction. She would later be slain by her own father, Udono Nagamochi, as you have already known.”

After hearing all that, I reached out to the bundle of papers. They were all letters for Tsubaki from Nagamochi-dono.

Their contents, though, were extremely shocking.

“What should we do about this?”

“If we keep our mouths shut, no one will know about this.”

The two shinobi said that they could turn a blind eye to the matter, but I didn’t have that option.

I had to tell everyone the whole truth and handle the matter accordingly.

“By the way, Yukime.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Can you guys change your appearance?”

“…Change our appearance?”

Well, of course she’d be confused by that. But I didn’t really have time to elaborate.

If there was anyone who could do the job, I wanted them to be summoned here immediately.

I needed to go to the Imagawa Residence soon, after all.

“If you need it, I am able to, but there is someone better than me.”

“Then call that person immediately. I will bring her with me to the Imagawa Residence.”

“Understood.”

It would be up to Ujizane-sama to decide what to do with this information. If he could make the right decision, then we could finally draw the curtain of this Hikuma Castle matter to a close.

* This is what’s a hitatare look: