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Volume 2 Chapter 3 Part 2

「…. Have you stole it? 」

「No! I earned it all from actual business transactions! I just snuck a little bit of rice past the borders, but that’s pretty much it. 」

Inuchiyo suddenly readied her spear.

「Trafficking goods between the borders is illegal. 」

「Wait! Wait! I only bypass our enemies’ borders! That was the only thing I could do since that idiot Nobuna doesn’t take border taxes and is so stingy with rewards for her retainers! 」

「… Okay. If that’s how it is, then I will let it slide this time. But only once. 」

Inuchiyo said while returning to her seat.

「Yeah, thanks. So as I said, eat more, Inuchiyo, and then let your breasts grow as big as the ones Katsuie has! If you want your boobies to be bigger, you have to stop eating that non-nutritious Five Leaf Araila soup and try to introduce more protein and fat into your diet. Trust me, stuffing yourself silly with them is going to work wonders for you. 」

「Stuffing myself silly? You want me to die from overeating? 」

「No, No. I mean that if you ate more meat and fish and drank more milk, then the size of your breasts will one day grow by leaps and bounds! 」

「You’re lying. Milk is not tasty at all, so I’m not drinking it. You’re definitely making fun of me now, Yoshiharu-san. 」

「No, no, no, you’ve got it all wrong, Inuchiyo. Back in my world, it’s a trend for girls who want their breast to grow to drink a lot of milk. That is why their breasts are all very well developed. 」「

「But… but milk… stinks. 」

Inuchiyo was feeling conflicted about this. If drinking milk will make her breasts grow as big as Katsuie’s, then… but it’s true that she thought that milk stinks, not to mention that it’s something that only babies and little kids are supposed to be drinking, and Inuchiyo is not a baby anymore…. but then again, once Inuchiyo looked down at her cutting board-like chest, she realized that it was really not all that different from that of a child’s.

For a good moment, Inuchiyo was struggling about what she should do, switching back and forth between her desire and her anxiety. However, to all the other onlookers, she just looked like a normalgirl who was staring blankly into space for some indiscernible reason.

「Alright, alright, forget about it. Just make sure to eat some fish first, okay? 」

While looking at their table gradually being filled up with Inokuchi’s specialty, Inuchiyo’s stomach begun to grumble without her even realizing it.

「T-Thank you for the meal then. 」

「Since that devil Nobuna is not here today, let us enjoy this meal to the fullest without holding anything back! Wahahahaha! 」

「Yes, let’s….oh, so delicious~~~! 」

Whether she simply liked the fish or actually desired to have her breasts grow bigger by taking in more nutrients, Inuchiyo ate every single fish that was placed in front of her from head to tail.

Maeda Toshiie, nickname Inuchiyo… Even though she is usually the silent type, she can be rather gluttonous whenever food is involved.

「….Hoooo….Ah, this fish is also yummy…! 」

「You know, you sure got this cheerful look on your face when you eat properly.. Now I more or less understand why you were looking so happy when Nobuna was feeding you Uiroumochi. 」

「Yes! *CHEW CHEW!* *CHEW CHEW!* 」

「Here, here, Inuchiyo! You want some more? Look, I got some delicious fish for you right here! 」

「Thank you *GULP!* *CHOMP!* very much! 」

「Hehe, looks like I caught myself a wild Inuchiyo thanks to all that food. We should do this more often, because you look absolutely cute right now. 」

「Un, let’s do this again! 」

「Just kidding~~! I’ll be takingthat fish for myself! 」

Yoshiharu took away the fish that was dangling right in front of Inuchiyo’s mouth.

「Hawu, hawu hawu! 」

Inuchiyo’s mouth was opening and closing like that of a goldfish that’s been thrown out of the water as she was chasing the fish in front of her eyes while making sounds that could only be described as the barking of a small dog.

「Hehehe, man, who knew that this could be so much fun? 」

「Mou, now you’ve made me angry, Yoshiharu-san! 」

*PINCH!* The sharp, burning sensation that assaulted Yoshiharu’s cheek when Inuchiyo pinched it brought Yoshiharu back to his senses.

「If you have the energy to tease me, then why don’t you try to think of a surefire way to get us accepted as Takenaka Hanbei’s retainers? 」

「Oh, right, that’s what we came here for, right? I almost forgot! Speaking of which, I wonder where is the interview going to be held… 」

Just when Yoshiharu was about to stand up and look around, an old stranger suddenly approached and greeted him and Inuchiyo. His attire and the way he had his hair done seemed pretty formal. He looked as if he was a pretty influential warrior in Mino. Although he had a somewhat aloof face, it seems like he does not have any ill intentions toward them. He had a hunched back and a friendly attitude, but at the same time he somehow he gave off a feeling that he was also someone who was hiding the true extent of his skills from those around him

In essence, he gave off a rather mysterious aura.

「Youngsters, you’re here to serve Takenaka Hanbei, correct? 」

「You’re right in assuming that, old man. I am the world’s most ordinary ronin: Sagara Yoshiharu, and this is my younger brother… 」

「….younger sister. Youn.ger sis.ter. 」

「Inuchiyo. Do you know a lot about Takenaka Hanbei? 」

「I’d dare to say that no one knows her more than I do. 」

The old man accepted Inuchiyo’s one of the dishes that Inuchiyo handed to him, and the three of them started talking while eating.

「I am Takenaka Shigetora, Takenaka Hanbei’s uncle. Because Hanbei’s parents died young, I am like a father to her, and I have been watching over her since she was but a child. 」

「Oh? So you must be a rather powerful warrior, right? 」

「I’m called Ando of the Iga Keep, head of the Mino Three. I used to serve the Saito Clan as one of the previous Daimyo’s retainers. I was once Saito Dosan’s right-hand man, but I’ve since retired despite all that. Now that Yoshitatsu-dono is in power, my position in the Saito clan is pretty much non-existent. Still, it’s a good thing that there is someone like Hanbei in our family. Unfortunately, Hanbei herself isn’t passionate enough to carve out a career for herself, and instead wants only to live a peaceful life… 」

「So essentially, you want Hanbei to succeed in life for the reputation of the clan to increase? 」

「Hanbei is one of best Onmyoujis in Japan, but because in terms of military prowess she is even better than her lord, Saito Yoshitatsu, many of his retainers in the Saito clan question whether it is wise to keep a retainer with such unknown powers as hers around. In addition to that, because I used to be known as 「The Viper’s Right Hand」, I’m now considered an unpredictable factor, so it has become somewhat difficult for the Takenaka clan to gain the trust of the Saito clan. Occasionally, there were even rumors that I was using Hanbei’s strength to capture Mino for myself too. 」

「What? Doesn’t that mean that you are the cause of over half of the bad rumors about Hanbei!? 」

「Indeed I am. Tomorrow, that she will move out to Inabayama for the first time. But because of the situation, I do not have any retainers to go with her and serve her, and even her steed is but a weak, old horse. With all that has happened, I have all the more reason to see that she is not belittled by anyone for any reason. She must look decent and dignified at the very least, and have elite warriors there to protect her at all times. 」

「So that’s why you’re in such a hurry to find retainers for her, aren’t you, old man? 」

「Indeed. Hopefully, we can find heroes who will not hesitate to cut Yoshitatsu down if the need arises, no matter the circumstances. 」

「Old man, these kinds of dangerous speeches is precisely what caused you to be known as an unpredictable factor, you know? 」

「I know, but in the end, it’s just a precaution. But as for you, warriors from Owari…I can’t help but worry about your skills with the arquebus. 」