"Tell me, Kensuke-dono...Who am I supposed to be? Luis Frois or Akechi Juubei Mitsuhide...whose role am I supposed to fulfill? Luis Frois, just a missionary or Akechi Juubei Mitsuhide, the one who betrays Oda Nobunaga at Honnou-ji..."

Erika's voice trailed off as pieces of the ceiling began to fall down between us as the raging fire spread rampant throughout the temple. It became excruciating to breathe as smoke billowed from the red blazes. There isn't much time left until the temple collapses upon us…

Erika bit her lip as her eyes furrowed in cold anger.

"We all have roles to fill. You were given the role of the Heavenly Man of Dengaku-Hazama, but in the end, you were just a spectator to this farce. As for the final act in this play, I must kill Oda Nobunaga. If I were to not do it, then what is my purpose...my meaning of existence? To bear the name of Akechi Juubei Mitsuhide. At long last, I'm done with this...the play shall come to a close and the strings that hold me are cut. Now the puppet can sleep..."

I gazed into Erika's face, deep into her wavering eyes and saw the contradiction between her words and her true beliefs. "...If this is what you really wanted, then why are you crying Erika?"

"...Eh?" Erika's eyes widened in shock as she slowly raised her hand and felt warm tears on cheek. "...Am I crying?"

"Erika...those last words aren't what you really believe in. For so long, you've been enduring it, haven't you?"

Erika shook her head roughly, her tears still flowing endlessly even in the heat of the burning temple.. "No...it's not true… This is what I had to…"

"It's alright, Erika. You can stop pretending now." Erika had a blank expression as she turned to look at me, her eyes meeting mine in desperation.

"You know, Erica...do you really have to perform your role?"

"What a foolish thing you're saying. Every person has their own role they must perform..." Erika's voice was quiet as if she was doubting her very words.

"...Even if it's hurting you, Erika? Is it necessary to perform a role that lies to your true self? You may say you're just a puppet on a stage. But you have something a mere puppet does not. You have your own will, Erika."

"...What?"

"Even if Akechi Mitsuhide and Oda Nobunaga has their own roles, you have another role you can fulfill. One that you shouldn't forget about!"

"A role I shouldn't forget?" There was a hint of desperation in Erika's confusion.

"Yes. Before you are Luis Frois or Akechi Mitsuhide, you are 'Erika'! That is the most important role than the other two! By not being yourself and pretending, you're killing your own self!"

Erika shook her head fervently as if she wanted to deny those words. "...No, no…"

"You don't have to worry about being Luis Frois nor Akechi Mitsuhide if you don't want to. If it hurts you, then it's okay to run. Because you are 'Erika' before you are anyone else. Value your own self more!" I could feel my own tears running down my face. "It's good enough already, Erika. You don't have to continue with this. Please!"

Erika closed her eyes as she glanced away. "But this story already is at its end...as I kill Oda Nobunaga, I will die as well by your hand. As it should be in the real history."

"And why does the true history matter here! Even the true history is not completely known! But it doesn't matter! You shouldn't be bounded by such a thing!"

"However!" Erika cries out with a pained face. "The road I have taken is already…everything was for that..."

"If that was the case, then why did you show yourself to us at the meeting? Wasn't that your way of saying that you needed help! You could've killed Kuon already, yet you didn't. You yourself know the answer, Erika!"

One of the beams supporting the temple fell down between us this time with a loud crash. Are we running out of time? Erika still stood there, still unmoving as if nothing happened.

"The curse of 'it is something I have to do'..." Kuon murmured as she struggled to stand up. "How foolish can humans be. You drove yourself into such a corner by your own hand. And your pain goes unnoticed by others, you're slowly killing yourself as you suffer over it. You keep asking yourself for the answers, yet your own mind betrays you with the wrong ones. Such a terrible curse..."

"Kuon…" I rushed over to support her, and Kuon leaned on my shoulder as she asked me and Erica.

"But even so...Kensuke. We can help Erika, right? If you don't know you did wrong, then we will tell you. If you want to run away, then we will embrace you. If you want to cry, then we will lend you our shoulders. That is something we can do right?

Despite the temple falling apart around us...I no longer feel despair as I recall back the memories. "That's right, from the first day that Erika met us, the time we spent isn't fake."

Kuon agreed. "Even so, we still cherish it. If it was fake, then all we need to do is make it real this time."

The two of us faced the person that we wanted to save. "Erika!. "Don't hesitate! Don't worry. Just believe and do what you really want. People do not have a set role...it isn't necessary to have one either. You don't have to continue this if it's painful for you. Even if there's a wall, it can be climbed over. You have all the time to think about what you want. But in order to do that, you have to live!"

Kuon and I both gripped my katana; its edge shimmering in true white light. This katana was the beginning of my journey. Its mysterious power brought me into this world. And while it did lure demons, it also gave me the strength to deal with them. It is the key to everything right now...this is what Erika was searching for all this time. She was searching for the key that will free her.

"Don't hesitate! We accept you, we admit who you are, and we love you. So accept your existence and cherish it please! Kuon and I. Hiyo and Koro. Kensuke-tai. We'll embrace you closely! Now, free yourself from the curse of that history."

With our memories and emotions of the time spent together pouring into the blade, we slashed at the "chains" binding Erica to her pain.

"Ah…My role...it's finally over." Erica murmured with a faint smile. "My soul...I can feel it. My existence...is being freed? Such warm emotions embracing me. It's finally over."

Erica cried out with relief as her long journey came to a close.

I smiled, shaking my head at her last words. "It's not over yet, Erica. We can start over from the beginning...this time, a new history for Erica."

"Is that so...a new history will start?"

"Of course it will. A history with you, Kuon, me and the others. If you hope for it, then it'll start. Your desire will make it happen. A history where you aren't Akechi Mitsuhide nor Luis Frois, but just as Erica."

"...Thank you, Kensuke-dono. Kuon-sama." Erica's body began to glow bright with yellow light as parts of her began fading away like a mirage. "Perhaps when with the start of another story, if it's possible to meet again…"

"Of course, at that time, I'll welcome you!" Kuon answered without hesitation. "Therefore, return to us as soon as possible!"

"Until that moment then... Kensuke-dono. One last thing. " Erica turned to me with already half her body faded away. "With my disappearance, the demons should disappear, but beware of the White Robes...you who have a connection to Hongou must be careful."

Erika shook her head and gave me one of the brightest smiles I've ever seen her had. "But if it's you, then I don't have to worry. After all, you saved me. Thank you, Kensuke-dono, Kuon-sama. See you later..."

The rest of Erika's body then disintegrated into particles of dazzling yellow lights and erupted into the sky like fireworks, illuminating the darkness with a heavenly glow, filling me with a gentle warmth.

"...See you again, Erika."

"..." The birds were singing the arrival of the dawn as I slowly roused myself from sleep. Waking from a most restful sleep that cleansed my soul, I blinked several times as I took in the daylight coming in through the window. "...Where am I?"

I half-risen myself from my futon as an unknown but gentle voice, one that of a man called out to me. "Oh, you've finally awakened, young lady? Well, I can't say that you haven't earned a nice rest after what you've been through"

Slightly startled, I turned to the source of that voice and found myself gazing upon the back of a man, dressed in a simple white yukata. He was sitting outside on the veranda; his windswept brown hair was quite similar to a person I know very well.

I slowly tried to rise, but I found myself without the strength to do so and nearly fell back onto the futon. The man quickly got up from his seat and rushed towards my side to steady me with a hand on my shoulder. "Woah there, don't try to get up by yourself yet. Your body and soul haven't recovered quite yet, but that's something that'll get better over time. Would you like some water?"

The moment he mentioned it, I became more aware of my dry throat and my stomach rumbled loudly, signaling my hunger. My cheeks quickly flushed with warmth as I turned my head sideways and nodded.

"Haha, don't worry! I'll get someone to prepare some light breakfast for you soon." He poured me a cup from a pot nearby and helped me drink slowly, more to my embarrassment. It appears that my body is still rather weak.

"Thank you, mister…" I didn't know who this man was, yet why did he seem so familiar to me? Was it because of his similarity in presence and appearance? Maybe I'm a bit delirious from waking up.

He refilled the cup with more water and raised it to my lips. "It's no problem. I'm sure you have your own questions, but we should probably wait until you eat something at least before answering them."

As I drank from the second cup, I could hear several footsteps outside leading towards this room. Two women dressed in frilly clothes lined with lace entered the room; one carrying a tray of clean towels and the other carrying a large pan of water.

"Ah, our guest is awake then, Goshujin-sama?" The light-blue, short haired woman with pink eyes addressed him, setting down the towels beside next to me.

"Yeah, she just woke a moment ago. I was just about to send for someone for food." The "Goshujin-sama" set the cup down and then went to the woman with the pan and received it from her. "Here, let me help with you that."

"Humph, it's alright, you didn't have to help me." The sharp response from the green-haired woman took me by surprise, but her gentle smile suggests it was just a jest. She readjusted her glasses and examined me critically. "You didn't do anything perverted or weird to her, right?"

"How mean!" The labelled perverted cried out. "Do I look like a person who would do something to a recovering person!"

In a tone that implies disbelief, she quickly responded with, "Of course, Ero Ero Majin-sama."

The brown haired man fell to his knees and moped behind the giggling, light-blue haired woman. "Sobsobsobsob. Do you hear that, Yue? My own wife doesn't trust me."

"Now, now Goshujin-sama." The person named Yue comforted her master by patting his back, still unable to keep herself from laughing. "Ei-chan only teases you because she loves you."

Ei stuck her tongue at her master as she grinned mischievously. Unexpectedly, I let out laughter and attracted the attention of the three people. "Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh."

It was a situation that reminded me so much of time spent with him and his companions; this atmosphere of warmth and camaraderie.

"Well, at least that got a smile out of you, huh?" The man just smirked and got to his feet, brushing his clothes with his hands. "Speaking of which, I really should go get something for you to eat. I'll be right back. Yue, Ei, take care of her please."

"Yes, yes, hurry up and go!" Ei dismissed him with a wave as she prepared a wet towel. "I'm sure she'd like to freshen up a bit so you shouldn't be in here."

"Would you like us to help you?" Yue asked me.

"...Yes please." I consented; my cheeks flushed in embarrassment. I didn't have the strength to lift up my arms. As they helped me out of my current attire, which I realize was a simple yukata and not my original clothes. I immediately felt the warmness of the wet towel as Yue and Ei scrubbed my arms and back gently.

As they finished, I recovered enough strength to wear the fresh yukata that the two of them provided me. I bowed my head to the two of them as I managed to gather my thoughts more clearly now. "Thank you very much. However, may I ask for your names?"

Yue shook her head softly as she bowed in return. "Don't worry about it, you're still recovering. My name is Dong Zhuo, and my true name is Yue. Pleased to meet you."

My eyes widened at her name as Ei began to speak. "I'm Jia Xu. My true name is Ei."

Dong Zhuo? Jia Xu? "But those names belong to…"

"That's right, I'm sure you heard of the stories of Dong Zhuo the Tyrant and his advisor Jia Xu." Ei confirmed my thoughts as she placed all the dirty towels onto the tray. Yet as she finished, she met my eyes: hers had much sorrow in it. "Just like you heard of the story of Oda Nobunaga and his general Akechi Mitsuhide."

I shivered as a chill went through my spine. Oda Nobunaga and the one who betrayed him… Akechi Mitsuhide. I began to hyperventilate, unable to calm down as the memories flooded back into me until Yue clasped her hand over mine and pulled me into an embrace. "It's alright now. You're with friends now. No one will hurt you here. You don't have to do anything that you don't want to any more. It's okay to cry now, you've been enduring so much for so long."

I couldn't hold in in any longer as I cried without restraint into Yue's chest. Her warmth enveloped me as she hummed a gentle song. It reminded me of my late mother, one who taught me so much.

"You and I are not so different, you know." Yue admitted to me. "Long ago where I once lived, the land began to fall into more chaos. I couldn't bear the fact that the people were suffering so much. Yet in my desire to help the people, my friends and I were being used by the ones who wanted to use the chaos to their advantage. In the end, I played the role as a tyrant, and I was told that my death would've brought the end to the chaos."

"I was ready to die for the sake of people that would've plunged the land into more chaos in their struggle for power." Yue gave a mirthless laugh. "It was then that I met Goshujin-sama. It was when the Allied Coalition surrounded Luo Yang, and Ei-chan asked me to escape with her. Did you know what he told me then?"

I shook my head against her chest. Indeed, I knew of the infamous story of Dong Zhuo's rise to power and how various warlords banded together in order to dispose of him. I enjoyed reading stories...the Romance of the Three Kingdoms was one that I had read before.

"Even so, we can't turn back time. All we can do is accept our roles and move on. Though that doesn't mean that our roles are set in stone. If Dong Zhuo is known as a tyrant, then it's better to kill that person. However, the most important thing is that the person known as Yue is still alive. You can't change anything if you're dead. Live on and help change this world for the better. That is your role as Yue and not as Dong Zhuo."

I let out a short gasp as his words echoed in my head once again. "That is the most important role than the other two! Value your own self more!"

Ei rolled her eyes in amusement as she shrugged her shoulders. "He also said he couldn't bring himself to kill a cute girl, anyway."

"That's true." Yue laughed as she released me from her embrace, wiping my tears away with another towel offered by Ei. "I'm sure you understand now. Even if I were Dong Zhuo, I am also not the same person as the Dong Zhuo of the true history. Even if he may be someone different than me, that doesn't mean that I'm not just as real. I have my own story...just a girl named Yue who fell in love with someone, became one of his maids, and then one of his wives."

"The time we spent together isn't fake. So accept your existence and cherish it please!" I see now, just as he said to me. As I recalled his last words to me, I clutched my chest as my heart throbbed. I couldn't help but smile at the words of the one man who had fought so hard to acknowledge me.

A few moments later, a pleasant and fragrant smell flowed into the room.

"Ah, I brought breakfast!" The brown haired man carried in a tray with a bowl of rice porridge with some side dishes. But with him was someone I did not expect to see at all.

"Oh, looks like you finally sorted out your feelings, eh Kinkan brat?" There standing before me with her proud, tall figure with wild, flowing blonde hair was Mouri Sanzaemon Yoshinari.

"...Touko-dono." I gaped at her with wide eyes. This person who was said to have died defending Kensuke-dono's retreat at Kanegasaki.

"Surprised to see me?" Touko-dono took a deep inhale from her pipe before breathing it out. "I don't blame you. To this day, I'm still surprised that I'm still even standing here right now. I was resolved to die as a warrior that day, though it looks like it was not my time to die yet."

"But how…?"

"As I stood there against the demons, weaponless and unable to move my limbs, I thought I finally met my end as a valiant warrior on the battlefield." Touko-dono scoffed as she took another inhale from her pipe. "Can't remember what happened next. I woke up here afterwards."

"Valiant warrior indeed." The man groaned, shaking his head in exasperation. "It took her just a few days to fully recover from all of her wounds. Normally it would takes a regular person weeks. And after that, she went onto to challenging nearly all of my wives who can fight."

Touko-dono roared with laughter. "Hahahaha, I couldn't stand not being able to fight against such renowned warriors for long. I can see how and where that young master got his skills from after seeing them in action. Though, despite all of his teachers, his swordsmanship resembles yours the most."

"That's not all he got from this no good guy." Ei sighed as she poked her husband's forehead. "Just as much as a womanizer as he is from what we've been hearing. I mean, you're also one of his wives, aren't you?"

Touka-dono coughed for a bit, looking slightly abashed. "Well, the details doesn't matter much."

"Ei-chan, don't tease Touko-san too much about it." Yue covered her mouth with one hand as she giggled. "I'm sure he loves her and his wives just as much Goshujin-sama loves us."

"Ahahaha." The brown haired man rubbed the back of his head. "Well he's my nephew after all. I do hope I raised him well...I tried to distract him from the passing of his parents as best as I could by teaching him with everyone else."

Now I know why this man's appearance was so familiar to me. He who shared the same blood as Nitta Kensuke. ""No need to worry about that, Hongou-dono. Kensuke-dono speaks highly of you and your wives; he cherishes his memories with you all very dearly."

"That's good to hear." Hongou-dono gave me a slight bow. "I see that you know my name. Then let me introduce myself formally then. Hongou Kazuto, uncle to Nitta Kensuke, and the husband of Yue, Ei, and a lot more. Though, you may recognize my former title as the Heavenly Messenger. One that's apparently shared, by Kensuke right now."

That's right. This man...I was told by them that he was similar to Kensuke-dono... that was he was the predecessor. If Kensuke-dono was the Heavenly Being of Dengaku Hazama, then Kazuto-dono was the Heavenly Messenger of the Three Kingdoms.

Hongou-dono met my eyes with a firm gaze. "So young lady, have you decided who you are then?"

I didn't understand the question. "Who I am…?"

"Whether you are Luis Frois or Akechi Juubei Mitsuhide?"

Ah, I see now. I shook my head at those answers. Thank you, Kensuke-dono and Yue-dono for giving me the right answer. Even if Luis Frois or Akechi Mitsuhide may have chosen their respective paths in the "true history", I am not them entirely. "I may have those two names, but right now I'm just Erika. A person who was freed and saved by Kensuke-dono and Kuon-sama."

Kazuto-dono grinned alongside the others. "A good answer and resolve. Then when you get better, that's when we'll begin."

The tension in the room raised for a moment. Yue-dono and Ei-dono gave a solemn nod, while Touko-dono tapped a few ashes from her pipe, unable to hold back her excitement.

Tilting my head in confusion, I asked. "What will begin?"

Hongou-dono gave me the same, familiar smirk as the same person who come to respect and fell in love with. "Why, to help Kensuke, of course. After all, I'm sure you and Touko-san want to meet up with him once again. And I'm sure you want to fight the true enemy after all. The one who chained you with the burden of the true history."

My eyes widened as I comprehended what he was proposing.

"That's right. We'll fight against the White Robes. Kensuke will not be alone with this. This time, all of the warriors from the Three Kingdoms era will stand by his side. After all, his older sisters are rather protective of him. Myself included. Especially when it's an old enemy of ours."

"Haha, looks like we're going all out for this." Touko-dono grinned, seemingly eager to step onto the battlefield once again.

And I too, find myself eager to fight. Not just because of what they did, but also because I wanted to protect the ones that told me that they'll love me for who I am.

"Beware of the White Robes...the one with the connection to Hongou...hah…" I reminiscenced over the last words Erika said. Sitting on the veranda of the room where I resided while working for the Kensuke Regiment, I studied the katana that started it all.

Even after Erika's defeat at Honnouji Temple and the disappearance of the demons, I felt that it was not over yet. My thoughts still lingered on her actions and the final warning she gave me. Erika was desperate to perform her role for a reason, even if it hurted her so much. She had to kill Kuon, even if she didn't want to do it herself because it was the "true history". Because it was her "role". Why did it matter so much?

But how did Erika knew about the "history" where Akechi Mitsuhide betrayed Oda Nobunaga? Though Kuon and the others did try to figure out how many events that my presence in this world changed, it was clear that Erika knew about it long before.

These "White Robes" that she mentioned...were they the ones that told her? I have no idea who they are, and even with Hikari's intelligence gathering, she could not find out anything about them. All I can conclude is they had something to do with my Uncle.

Which leads me to this katana that was in my Uncle's storeroom...one of the connections that I currently have of him and my older sisters' right now. Why did my Uncle ask me to find this katana? He told me that he had met his wives in another time and world, just like how I met Kuon and the others. I knew that the older sisters and him cared for me as if I was their son or younger brother after I lost my parents. Without their training, I doubt I could've survived in this world at all. For that, I'm always thankful, but did they also trained me because they foresaw that I'd need it?

I unsheathed the blade for a closer inspection. Despite using it all this time, the blade didn't require any maintenance at all. Even Koyasha and Ayana had to maintain their spears' sharpness after a battle or so. I know there was something more to this blade..just the fact that it radiates a powerful aura before demons is enough to suggest this isn't a regular blade.

A soft voice called out to me in the midst of my thoughts. "So there you are, Kensuke-sama."

I re-sheathed my katana and glanced up at the quiet girl with her eyes hidden behind her brown bangs. "Ah, Shino. Are you done with your work now?"

Shino took a seat right next to me. "Preparations have been completed. It's nearly time for lunch as well."

The sun was overhead, signifying it was past noon. "Ah, I didn't realize it was that time already."

Shino sighed softly as she leaned her head onto my shoulder. "Kensuke-sama, are you still thinking about Erika-san?"

Am I that easy to read? Then again, Shino is always perceptive to everything. I gazed at a few clouds passing by. "Yeah, just for a moment. With everything that's been going on, I haven't had the time to think much about it."

"You don't hold a grudge against Erika-san?"

I shook my head. "Even if she did all those things, I don't think she was completely to be blame though. She felt like she had to accomplish her mission, but I'm not sure why she thought she had to. There's only one clue though…"

"The White Robes and your Uncle…" Shino mused. "Kensuke-sama, you said that your Uncle had lots of wives, but you never really talked much about him in much detail before."

I pondered about that for a moment. "I suppose I haven't. Most of the times I only explained that I learned how to do something from one of my older sister or another. Though, that being said, he was the one who taught me our family's swordsmanship style."

"Ara. Your family had their own style for you inherit? Doesn't that imply that your family had some standing?" Shino's bangs shifted around, revealing her curious eyes. "What kind of person was your Uncle?"

"My Uncle was the successor to the dojo. His older sister, whom was my mother, would've been the first in line to succeed it. However, she left it to him after she got married." I paused for a bit, recalling what Kaoru mentioned a few weeks ago. "I thought it was just a regular dojo, but when Kaoru-chan said that my family crest were from the descendents of the Seiwa Genji…"

"Ah yes...that was a major surprise to us as well." Shino admitted. "Have you asked Kazuha-sama about it yet? She might know more since the Ashikaga line came from the same descendants."

I shook my head. "It slipped my mind with everything happening at the time."

Indeed, Kaoru's revelation was before the battle where we had to stop both Miku and Hikari from fighting against each other. And shortly after that, we had to deal Erika and the demons.

Shino nodded at that and waited for me to continue.

"When both of my parents passed away, he took me in after the funeral. It was then where I met all of his wives."

I gave Shino a glance. "Did you know that in my world, polygamy isn't commonplace anymore? I'm sure that there's some other country that allowed it, but for the majority, people usually only have one spouse at a time."

"I see...that's why Kensuke-sama was surprised with Kuon-sama proclaimed her Tenka Fubu plan. Though, if it wasn't commonplace in your world, where did your Uncle meet your older sisters then?"

Indeed, Shino was fast to notice that fact. "I didn't really pay much attention to it, mainly because I didn't really believed it at the time. He told me that he met them once in another world and time. I thought he was just humoring me, but now since the exact same thing happened to me…"

I laughed on the similarity of both of our situations. "He must've met them like I met all of you."

"I guess being a womanizer is something you inherited as well, right, Kensuke-sama?" Shino giggled as she teased me. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her into an embrace as payback for her cheeky remarks. Shino gave a surprised squeal before she reciprocated my hug.

After a while, when we both settled down, Shino asked, "Though...if he did go to another world to meet your sisters, then where exactly were they from? You once said to us that we were well known in your world in the future, should the same hold true for them as well?"

"You're right. My sisters were not ordinary people at all." I drummed my fingers on the wooden surface of the verdana as I recalled the old times. "They didn't outright tell me who they were since they introduced themselves with their true names only. Though the signs were always there. Such as the Chinese architecture of the home we were living in. Training in distinctive weapons like the halberd or the guan dao. Or tutoring me in politics and strategy, with books such as Sun Tzu's Art of War that was annotated by one of my older sisters…"

Shino's eyes widened with each description as she came to the same conclusion I had. "Then, they were…"

"Yeah, my guess is the same as yours. They were from the same era where your epithet 'All Knowing Kongming' comes from. My older sisters were the famous heroes from the Three Kingdoms era in China."

"Nothing out of the ordinary here." I murmured to myself as I observed the location of my target under the veil of night in the cover of trees. I clutched the little wooden figurine that my dear Master carved in the likeness of me for comfort. I did not observe anything yet there's an ill feeling of foreboding here.

I shook my head, hoping to clear my mind of thoughts of him...any more would be distracting me from my mission right now. The main objective of my mission is obtain information on the site. Though my Master has prohibited me from taking any risks to complete this mission, I must still fulfill my role as a ninja.

Information is crucial to warfare, and I must not fail him and Aoi-sama. The unified forces had no choice to leave this area as is because of the pressing non-stop events after the Battle of Kanegasaki. Now that the demons are taken care of, our campaign to help Mari-sama can begin.

However, it is strange. There were no signs of life in this area. This can't be though; these isn't any reason for anyone to abandon this castle. The only time where I could not sense any sign of life like this was during the campaign on Echizen. This is troubling. Did demons attack the castle, leaving behind no survivors? If it was demons, how long ago was the attack? Or was it something else?

I paused for moment to consider my options. This major development here could change the campaign completely, but more information is still needed to confirm it. Therefore, infiltration is needed. The state of the castle must be confirmed. If it was abandoned or attacked, then there should be signs of battle or lack of supplies. Yet if it was maintained and untouched, then something else is at hand.

Infiltration would be a lot more riskier as it would be more likely that it would be a trap. If there were other people here, then it would be easier to disguise myself and slip in that way. No matter, it's simply one less option to go about it.

However, this plan of action goes against Master's order: that my life is worth more than any mission. I gave a faint smile before catching myself. A few weeks ago and a smile would've been impossible for me. It's one of the signs that shows that I have been indeed spoiled by my Master's kindness. Ninjas are supposed to be tools to be used, not to be treated as humans. It was something that I've been taught as part of the Hattori-clan.

While I still uphold the ninja code, I took my Master's words in consideration. After all, while I am Aoi-sama's vassal, I'm also a member of the Kensuke Regiment...and most importantly...one of his wives. To live for him is my duty…

I decided to get a closer look, but not too deep so that I could pull out at any moment if things ended up badly. Swiftly I made my way towards the fort's wall so I can scale up it. I'm still sensing no signs of life, which is still disturbing. Normally there would be a night watch. No matter, I can only see it for myself.

As I made over the wall, my instincts told me to me move instantly and I leapt immediately away. Several shurikens struck where I was previously at just a few seconds ago. Shurikens meant an enemy ninja was here. On my guard, I drew my kunai and deflected some more shurikens coming at my way and threw my own with my free hand at the direction of the attack.

Cling! Clank! My shurikens flew in different directions as my assailant repelled the attack with their own kunai. However, in doing so, they revealed themselves. I have to retreat here. The enemy ninja's level was high enough for me to not notice them so I cannot be certain if I can best them in combat. Nor can I be sure that there weren't any other ninjas around either.

I dropped a smoke bomb; under its cover, I quickly leapt over the wall to make my way towards the forest. However, as I reached the ground, I had to dodge more shurikens from the left and right. With my back to the wall, I find myself surrounded by more ninjas in black garbs. So, I was correct that there were other ninjas yet that doesn't exactly help my situation at the moment. How could I not have detected any of them before it was too late?

A confident yet mocking voice rang out. I couldn't pinpoint from which of the ninjas it came from...each of their face were covered in masks. Masks that bear the likeness of demons. "Well, isn't this the infamous Hattori Hanzou? Not that I'm surprised to see you sniffing around here, but even so..."

I tensed as I didn't expect to be recognized. Still, in this situation, I need to find a way to escape. Buying some time, I decided to make small talk. "And to whom am I speaking with?"

"Telling will be too much information for someone of your caliber. What you uncovered here had little purpose. However, I cannot let this opportunity to finish you slip away."

Strange. There were currently three ninjas that I could see in front of me. However, I cannot feel a human presence from them. I suppose that is why I could not notice them, but that brings even more questions. It can mean several things: one, they're either puppets or two, they're illusions meant to distract me. Fighting a puppet or illusion user is not something I would like to do now…and there's still a possibility of something else.

Instinct took in again, and I leapt from an attack from below ground. A pair of hands erupted from the ground and sought to grab where my ankles once were. Never again will I make the same mistake again after being injured from the demons' attack at Kanegasaki. Yet as I was in mid air, two of the ninjas on the ground drew their ninjatos and leapt to attack me. However, I took note of several facts and made my next move on it.

I threw shurikens slightly above one of the ninjas, which caused them to crash onto the ground. I took the second one's attack without fear as it phased through me...just as I thought, this one was an illusion and the other was a puppet. Illusions does not leave behind a shadow, which is one of the weakness of the technique. As for puppets, they are controlled by ninja wire, and thus cutting the wire would sever the control of the puppet momentarily. However, if it wasn't the fact that the moon is bright tonight, then I couldn't discern through illusions by their shadows as easily.

I mustn't relax my guard right now.

"Impressive...to even aim and cut the ninja wires so precisely in the darkness of the night. You live up to your name as a Hattori ninja. However, you made a huge mistake."

My eyes widened as I realized what he meant as I took the kick from the ninja I thought was an illusion, sending me crashing onto the ground. I see now. In that moment where I thought I passed through the illusion, he substituted the illusion with another puppet. To use the substitution technique with illusions is unheard of! Is this his special house technique?

As I struggled to stand up, shurikens flew at me again and I rolled around to my left to dodge them. But at that moment, the third ninja on the ground that didn't join in the attack stood right before me with his ninjato raised.

"It's over now, Hattori Hanzou. Given enough time, you would've grown to be too strong of a threat."

Stabbing downward with his ninjato, the sharp steel sank into the body of Hattori Hanzou. Or so he thought.

"Using the substitution technique with my own puppet to save yourself. Impressive yet it doesn't change anything. You are still weakened from the previous attack. And I still have numbers on my side."

Indeed, it appears I took too much damage from the attack I took as it started to bruise. I bought myself some time and space with that substitution, yet it also gave him time to control the puppets once again. What to do now…

Suddenly, several more shurikens came from behind the assailant and cut the strings from the puppet ninjas.

A familiar, orange haired girl stepped out from the shadows alongside with a purple haired girl with an eyepatch on her right eye. "Ara ara, I didn't expect to see you here...Tobi Katou."

Tobi Katou...a capable person who once sought to be a vassal of Miku-sama yet he was dismissed for being too mysterious. It turns out he also sought to be a vassal of Hikari-sama after the dismissal but was also found to be too suspicious.

"Mutou Kibee, Yamamoto Kansuke. I should've anticipated your arrivals since this is the site of the Takeda's next campaign as well." Katou commented rather dispassionately. "No matter. It appears we're at a stalemate right now."

Katou was outnumbered right now, but that's only because we're outside of the fort walls. Thus the stalemate: he can't pursue us right now, yet we can't infiltrate the fort. All of us understood that.

"We'll meet on another battlefield, on another day." With that note, Tobi Katou disappeared into thin air alongside with his puppets.

Mutou Kibee or Hifumi-sama clicked her tongue. "What a troublesome special technique."

I bowed my head in gratitude. "Thank you, Hifumi-sama and Koi-sama. It's to my shame that I got caught so easily by him…"

Hifumi-sama shook her head as she checked my injury. Deeming it not too serious, she nodded to Kansuke-sama to dress the wound. "No, even Koi-chan and me would have trouble taking him on by ourselves. Even if he was a talented person, we had absolutely no information on where he came from. That's why we refused to accept him as a vassal."

For the Takeda, information is their foremost importance and pride. To not even appear in any of their investigations was indeed suspicious. A talented person will have their name would leave behind tales of their merits. Even if they choose to hide it, an origin is something that could not be hidden so easily.

"We tried to keep a tab on him, but he disappeared from sight after dismissal." Koi-sama commented as she wrapped my wound tightly with fresh bandages. "How do you feel, Konami-chan?"

I clenched my fist in slight frustration. "Better than before, yet I lament at the fact that I could not obtain much from my earlier infiltration."

"We've done what we can. We can't risk any more attempts right now. Learning that Tobi Katou is here will certainly change the campaign plans just a bit. Let us return."

The three of us began heading back. I have to train much more, Tobi Katou was not using his full strength during our confrontation. That mere thought is frightening enough...for the sake of my Lord, my Master, and my friends, I have to get stronger.

"Okashira, it's time for lunch! Didn't Shino-chan come and get you for it? Everyone is waiting." A cheerful and bright girl with orange hair called out to me and Shino. Shino was still in a bit of disbelief after hearing who my older sisters were. "Eh...what's wrong, Shino-chan?"

Shino snapped to her senses after Hiyo's questioning. "Ah...it's nothing. I was just talking with Kensuke-sama. Let us go for lunch then?"

Hiyo nodded eagerly. "Yeah, we have to eat well, finish up the remaining work, and rest up for tomorrow."

That's right. Tomorrow is when we march out towards Suruga Province to reclaim Sunpu Castle for our companion Mari. Hopefully, we will be able to convince Takeda Nobutora, Hikari's mother, to surrender peacefully. We attempted to send a messenger horse to ask for an audience, yet the messenger never returned. Taking it as a sign of hostility, we had no choice but to declare war.

Konami-chan and the others were sent to investigate Suruga, but they haven't returned yet. I can only hope that all goes well.

Author Notes:

This has been one of the ideas I've been thinking about ever since I ended my first fanfic story. It's a crossover between Shin Koihime Musou and another of Baseson's work, Sengoku Koihime, which has Kazuto's nephew as the protagonist and the Warring State Period as the world. I don't really expect to be back to writing fanfics full time though, this one chapter actually took me over a year to complete because I wrote paragraphs at a time.

If you have or have not read Sengoku Koihime, just know that I will altering the canon for both VNs slightly to better fit the story. Next chapter will include brief descriptions of characters and terminology to help those who haven't read it, though please do note that I cannot read Japanese so some of it may not be completely accurate. Not to mention that I barely have any idea on what the Warring States Period was like compared to the Three Kingdoms Period.

I choose to use official English names instead of Japanese names for the Three Kingdoms characters for better clarity. I don't want to have to go to the trouble of trying to find the Japanese names for some of them again, and I'm lost on the details on courtesy names and what not.

Since Eiyuutan came out, I might introduce the new characters into this fic. Sengoku Koihime X is the upgraded version that is coming out in April, and while I do know the new characters, I don't know how they're like in the game so I'm not sure if I'll include them.

That being said, I would've like to write short omakes on Kensuke's life with his older sisters, but perhaps for another time.

If you have any questions, leave a review or PM, and I'll answer them. Though, don't expect an update any time remotely soon. I haven't started planning out a second chapter yet since that would require some more research on the Warring State Periods. I'm absolutely certain I got something wrong in this one chapter already.