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Volume 2 Chapter 1 Part 9

Inuchiyo served tea wordlessly, while Dosan received it silently as well.

「Not at all, I have already chosen retirement. What I want to say today is nothing of great importance to the Oda clan. 」

「So you’re just here to chat? Because of that bastard Azai Nagamasa, my whole body is now bruised and hurts all over, so why not come here tomorrow? 」

「Hohohoho! The news of Omi’s Azai Nagamasa proposing to Nobuna-sama have already spread through Aoshuu city. 」

「That’s a bit fast. 」

「It’s probably Nagamasa who spread the word himself. He is saying he hopes this marriage between Omi and Owari proceeds smoothly and as fast as possible. He seems to be trying to make this marriage a fact even before Nobuna-sama gives him her reply. 」

「Damn, that’s too underhanded. As expected from someone who knows how to play with the feelings of others. 」

「Also… 」

「Anything else you want to say, geezer? 」

「I can’t really agree with your actions today, since you’re always looking forward while running around for Nobuna-sama. 」

「Me? What’s wrong with me? 」

「Nobuna-sama is facing one of the biggest decisions in her lifetime, yet you chose to hide in Inuchiyo-dono’s room and sulk while lying down. This is not the Sagara Yoshiharu I know. 」

Troubled, Yoshiharu lowered his head. Even so, there was no lies within Nagamasa’s cold words.

(I’m just making a fuss like a kid.)

Yoshiharu grumbled silently in his heart.

「… Yes, you’re right, geezer. But who Nobuna wants to marry is up to her, right? As her retainer of the lowest rank, I have no right to say anything, since the difference in our positions is just too big. 」

Saito Dosan’s expression became serious all of a sudden.

「You big fool!!! 」

He shouted at him. Yoshiharu’s body was pushed back by the pressure formed by Dosan’s words.

「W-Whoa, that almost scared me to death! 」

「Brat! You are just running away! 」

「Why…Why does everyone say I’m running away!? 」

「What is it about the lowest position among Nobuna’s retainers? What is it about having no right to say anything? What is it about too great of a difference in positions? If that’s so, all you have to do is to climb up in the ranks! Shouldn’t everything be alright if you become someone of great standing yourself? 」

Dosan patted Yoshiharu’s shoulders with the fan in his hands.

「I was but a merchant selling oil, but now I’m a daimyo too! No matter what Nagamasa might plan to do, just remember, this is not the era of considering positions! Listen, brat! For humans, positions and social standing are nothing permanent! So, instead of lamenting your lowly position, why don’t you think of doing something to increase your strength and value. 」

Dosan repeated his earlier statement.

「Becoming…someone great ….? 」

「Yes. Sagara Yoshiharu, you said you came from the future, and you want to let Nobuna-sama rely on you, right? 」

「Yeah. I still don’t know the reason I came back to the Sengoku era, but I have thought about it. I might have come here from my era so I can be by the side of the genius who is misunderstood by the world. 」

「If so, then at the coming battle of Mino, make an achievement that no one else can! Make yourself into a retainer that no one can replace and contribute to the Oda clan like nobody can. If you do so, Nobuna-sama will definitely keep using you for your value, and you will become an Oda clan’s general in no time! 」

(If it’s that, then I might just be able to it.)

「General.. you mean to say having my own retainers, and having a province on my own under Nobuna’s command? You mean I should become someone like that, geezer? 」

「Yes. At that time, you won’t need to be so timid. You will be able to say out loud that you object to Nobuna’s marriage with Azai Nagamasa. 」

「But…. 」

「Listen, brat. As you have seen, Azai Nagamasa is a handsome man who has attracted many girls to himself, but he has sealed his heart due to him being a hostage of the Sasaki clan, and he has decided to never truly love any girl. He has used the Sasaki clan’s retainers’ wives and daughers an uncountable number of times, and thrown them away like used tools. 」

「….What!? 」

「Because of this, Nagamasa allowed the Azai clan to obtain independence from the Sasaki clan. As a Sengoku era’s daimyo, he is someone to be feared. But as a man, that is also his fatal weakness. 」

Yoshiharu’s heart started to pound loudly, as if was being affected by something.

「Yes… I guess that means that what I heard this morning in the teashop were Nagamasa’s real intentions after all. 」

「Yeah, and that means that from now on, Nagamasa will never develop any semblance of love for Nobuna-sama. 」

Yoshiharu’s heart felt like it was being shattered into pieces while Dosan continued to say:

「Political marriages are the common thing in this Sengoku era. For someone like Nobuna-sama, a marriage can even mean a trump card to expanding her power. To chase after the dream of conquering the world, she has no choice but to abandon her dream as a girl. This is an obvious decision that any daimyo would arrive at. 」

But…

「For the dream of conquering the world, she plans to abandon another irreplaceable dream. If she does, her life will be filled with memories of loneliness and solitude. Even if in the end she obtains the world, do you really think she’s going to be fine with that. 」
Biting his lips, Yoshiharu spoke as though he was talking to himself.

「There is no helping it. This is the rule in the Sengoku era, where wanting to get both the world and love is not possible. Nagamasa also said that. 」

Yoshiharu understands this more than any others, but he doesn’t want to accept this kind of thing. His own voice, due to his strong unwillingness to admit it, started to tremble as if he was choking

「Brat, that’s all I have to say to you tonight. After this, it’s your call what to do. 」

Dosan finished and slowly walked out of Inuchiyo’s house.

After Dosan left, Yoshiharu remained in seiza position like a statue, not moving at all.

「Yoshiharu-san, Five Leaf Aralia soup is ready. 」

With a face full of worry, Inuchiyo pulled on Yoshiharu’s sleeve to get his attention.

「Oi, Inuchiyo. 」

「For today’s soup, I added some overseas chilis. It’s delicious, so ask Nene to come over too. 」

「Nobuna and Nagamasa’s marriage… what is your opinion on that? 」

「I strongly object against it, of course. 」

「Yeah. If you said that to Nobuna, do you think it would stop her from getting through with this marriage? 」

Inuchiyo shook her head lightly.

「No, I’m afraid that’s impossible. 」

「Eh? Why? How about Katsuie or Nagahide? 」

「If it’s not going to be Yoshiharu-san, any attempt at persuasion will most likely fail. 」

「Why? 」

「Because the one retainer who really understands Nobuna-sama’s dreams is you. 」

Inuchiyo looked at Yoshiharu and said lightly.

Unifying the world, growing Japan to a country where it is going to be as strong as the European countries, and then travelling beyondthe sea using a big ship, using her own eyes to look at the 「World」she had never seen before. These are Nobuna’s dreams.

But Nobuna also had another, smaller dream, the one she told Nagamasa about directly, didn’t she?

(I at least want to choose my own husband!)

Though she is a female daimyo, this speech could come from a kid; not speaking with common sense at all, it might even be something that people would ignore. But, undeniably, those were her real intentions and desires that slipped through her mask under her confusion.

This is what Nobuna has buried deep inside her heart, a hypocritical yet pure dream. Because of this, Yoshiharu can never accept Nagamasa’s ‘For the world, abandon love’ statement. By not caring about Nobuna’s real intentions and proposing a political marriage, Nagamasa will only be chaining Nobuna down forever.

Yoshiharu could never forgive that sort of thing.

「I understand, Inuchiyo. 」

(I am definitely here to help make her wishes come true…that’s why I came to this world.)

This might not be the truth at all, but that’s what he chose to think. That, and he had sworn an oath to Nobuna as well.

(I forgot what I should do just because of my own lowly position. But thanks to Dosan and Inuchiyo, I finally remembered.)

「Thanks, Inuchiyo! 」

Yoshiharu held Inuchiyo’s hands tightly, his eyes glittering with joy.

「I have decided! I will score myself an outstanding achievement during the battle for Mino! And then, I will become a general worthy of the Oda clan, and stop this marriage between Nobuna and Nagamasa! To match up with her who has set her eyes on the ‘world’, that guy must at least be better than that! 」

「And I will help you out however I can. 」

「If that’s the case, then we’ll definitely stop him! Just you wait, Nagamasa! I will destroy this plan of yours! I’m going to Aoshuu city to spread rumors that you are a womanizer! You just wait and see, Nagamasa! He… Hehe.. .Hehehehehe. I 」

*PINCH!*

Inuchiyo pinched Yoshiharu’s cheeks.

「You laugh like a pervert, Yoshiharu-san. Focus on the battle for Mino first. 」
「I know, I know! 」

Yoshiharu rubbed his cheeks, but suddenly he tilted his head.

(Hmmm? Why, after deciding that I should stop Nobuna’s marriage, does my heart feel so at ease… wait, I know. It must be because I can let Nobuna who feels that she is popular suffer a shock when the marriage is going to bedestroyed! Yes, it can’t be wrong! That idiot, how dare she send Nene to me to disrupt me from flirting with girls?! Well guess what, now is the time for payback! As long as I can’t find a girlfriend, she will remain single along with me too! What goes around comes around! Just you wait and see!)

Being convinced by this kind of stupid reason, Yoshiharu let out a sinister laughter, while Inuchiyo at the side thought to herself as she looked at him:

(Troubled, fussy, laughing, wearing a sinister smile… Yoshiharu is quite strange today.)