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Volume 3 Chapter 7 Part 3

Hanbei, who was planning to put her pyjamas back on let out a nervous noise and even forgotten to cover her breasts after listening to Yoshiharu and Nene.

「Attacking Wakasa is just a misdirection! Nobuna-sama had deceived even her own retainers, and her real motive is to launch an assault on Echizen’s Asakura Yoshikage at the same time she is moving towards Wakasa in the west! 」

「…What…!? 」

「*Cough* I’m sorry, Yoshiharu-san. If I knew the details of the 「Retreat at Kanegasaki」 earlier, I would have seen through Nobna-sama’s plans sooner…! 」

「What is going on, strategist-dono? 」

「Damn, this is so not good! 」

「Nobuna-sama had long seen that the Asakura clan has no intentions of following her, and wanting to conquer the area near Kyoto sooner, she wants to launch an assault to conquer Echizen in one fell swoop! But if Azai Nagamasa knew this, he will be caught in a bind between the Oda and Asakura clans, so Nobuna-sama kept Azai Nagamasa in the dark and went straight to Echizen instead! 」

「….How can that be possible…!? If that’s the case, Azai Nagamasa will definitely betray Nobuna! This situation is the same as in the games that I played! But, thinking about this logically, Nagamasa should not betray Nobuna, since the way he looks upon Nobuna is totally different compared to the past! What I think is, he really admires Nobuna as his sister now, so he shouldn’t be making any moves against her! 」

Yoshiharu explained earnestly.

「Azai Nagamasa is a filial person, though he had once banished his own father Hisamasa to an island to become the head of his clan. I’m afraid he won’t be able to go against his father’s wishes this time. 」

「That’s too ridiculous. A talented warrior like Nagamasa… Just because of this… How can he… How can he possibly…?! 」

「Everyone’s outlook on life is different. Compared to Nobuna-sama, the very reason Nagamasa lacks the capability to rule the world is his virtue and his strong filial piety. Such a virtue is his biggest weakness in her eyes. 」

Hanbei’s brain was running at full speed in order for her to analyze the situation they were currently in in an instant.

「The Oda clan’s troops moving from western Omi have most likely turned east and are now moving towards Echizen province’s territory. Their target should be Kanegasaki Castle. If they conquer Kanegasaki, what lies ahead is just Kinometōge, and from there, the distance to their base camp, Ichijodani is just going to be literally a few steps away. Nobuna-sama is just too isolated. If Azai Nagamasa of northern Omi and the Kuchiki clan under him end up defecting… 」

「…. I know! I know… but how could that ever… 」

「If that happens, they will face not just the Echizen’s Asakura clan’s army of 20000 and northern Omi’s Azai clan of 15000’s pincer attack, but when they are retreating back to Kyoto, the western Omi road will be totally sealed off by the Kuchiki clan’s troops. If that’s the case, the Oda troops will be completely surrounded, trapped between 3 different armies! All the warriors…all the soldiers… will be in grave danger… and the Oda clan’s army will be decimated in no time… 」

Hanbei explained the cruel facts of reality to Yoshiharu with difficulty through her intense coughing fit.

「…I’ve been too careless…! Damn it…! 」

Yoshiharu was deathly pale in the face as he stood up.

「I have to see for myself what Nagamasa will decide to do! I’m going to Odani Castle now! 」

「*Cough* *cough* I’m going too… 」

「No, Hanbei-chan. You just lie here quietly and rest! That’s the best thing you can do to help us now. Isn’t that right, geezer? 」

「Hohoho! Yes, yes. If you want to be back to full health, then you should rest for about a month! 」

「But I cannot do that! I’m Yoshiharu-san’s advisor… 」

「No. You absolutely cannot be allowed to run around in your current state! 」

Manase Belchior suddenly spoke in an uncharacteristically strict tone as he chastised Hanbei.

.

「… I understand. 」

Looking at Hanbei’s unwilling expression, Yoshiharu’s mind started to worry.

(Might Hanbei’s illness be a critical one?)

But right now, he had no time to worry. The most urgent concern right now was to check on the intentions of Azai Nagamasa at Odani Castle and see whether Nagamasa would really defect and betray Nobuna, and then to reach Nobuna’s side by any means possible if that does end up being the case.

「If that’s the case, let Nene go with you! 」

Yoshiharu lifted Nene off his back where she had been nagging him with a「Try your best. 」, and caressed her small head.

「This is a very dangerous job, so instead of taking you with me, I will leave you in charge of the calculations and allocations of the funds for Nobuna, okay? 」

「Ok, I got it, Nii-sama! I’m skilled at fund calculations, so I will do my absolute best with it! 」

「I’m sorry Goemon, but I need you to go with me this time. 」

「Understood, Sagara-sama. 」

「If that is how it’s going to be, then at the very least go and take Zenki with you. 」

Hanbei said with a light, frail voice.

* * *

Odani Castle in the Omi province, Azai Nagamasa’s bedroom.

Stripped of her armor and wearing a cherry colored robe, Nagamasa was letting Oichi, in his own male robe, lay across her lap like a pillow. Nagamasa blushed faintly as Oichi laughed, waving the fan in his hand. If one did not know better, they might thought that the roles of the husband and wife were swapped with these two.

「Nee-sama’s luck is strong. It really gives me a scare after hearing what happened at Kiyomizu-dera, Saruyasamaru. 」

「…D-don’t call me by that name… That…is just a nickname to make people think I’m a man! 」

「Then, Nagamasa? 」

「That name is too manly, not cute at all… 」

「Hahaha, just joking. I understand, Oichi. 」

「…Hmmm.「

Correct.

The gentleman who is skilled at cross dressing, Tsuda Kanjuuro Nobusumi, and the lady who cross dresses out of necessity, Azai Nagamasa. Ever since that day when they met each other at the natural onsen by accident, the two of them have actually fallen in love.

Nobusumi had changed his flirty nature and doted solely upon Nagamasa, and in Nagamasa’s love-deprived heart, she thought only about Nobusumi.

Nagamasa was cleaning Nobusumi’s ears as he lay across her lap, and with a soft laught, she said:

「For the first in my life, I feel like I’m slowly becoming myself. All of this is due to you being here. 」

「Me too. To think that it’s such a wonderful thing to be wedded as husband and wife, this is far from what I was expecting. 」

「One day, I think I will report to father and go back to being a girl. 」

「Is that going to be okay? Hisamasa-dono seems like a really stubborn person. 」

「Once we have our own child, I think even father will give in. 」

「Will such a thing happen? As you’re probably aware, I cannot give birth. 」

「Hmm… as long as we keep living in happiness like this, there will definitely be one in the future. 」

「Ah, I get it. You are saying that you are going to be the one giving birth. Silly me! Hahaha! 」

「Hehe. 」

Compared to the time when she was competing for Nobuna with Yoshiharu, this feminine Nagamasa was like a totally different person. Right now, Nagamasa’s heartfelt ambition had long since disappeared, replaced by the feeling of a brother… no, sister that admires her god-sister.

In Nagamasa’s heart, she felt very satisfied with the current situation.

Of course, that did not mean that she had given up on being a Sengoku era warrior. It’s just that her own ambition had changed into a dream: the one of conquering the world by herself had been overwritten by up by the one of her doing that with her numerous comrades, and the dream that she had forsaken, the happiness of living her life as a girl, has come back to her.

Every minute, every second of this happiness satisfied Nagamasa.

「One day, Omi will ride to war against the Takeda clan or the Echigo clan. At that time, I will definitely ride with Nobuna-nee-sama and let the name of ‘Japan’s greatest army’ ring out across the world. 」

「But in front of me, you are always my cute Oichi-hime. 」

「Mhmm. 」