I am not going to lie to you, this is probably the worst chapter so far. Not only is it the shortest by far (only just below 5k before I did the top and bottom), but I also wasn't feeling it several times while writing it. I might have did something stupid in it. And yes, this is the chapter in which Nobukatsu is nearly X'd by Nobuna, but is saved due to... I don't know. Anyway, the next chapter is pretty long, from what I've seen (I think it's the last chapter of volume 1, I went through the pages, so either I'm blind or retarded, or it is the last chapter) so I guess you'll get your money's worth back with it. Just think of this chapter as a prelude or something. Whatever makes you feel better at night. Wink, wink.
TheMysteriousOtaku - Thanks, though this is shorter and of lesser quality in my opinion. You can't really do much with a mostly comedic chapter with a serious character, and two moments of seriousness, which is when Nobuna is trying to merc her own brother, and when he kisses the back of her hand like a knight at the end - which I excluded from this, since to me, that was the moment he went from "foot soldier" to retainer, so it'd be redundant to include it here, but I may add something extra in the next chapter to make up for it. Sorry for all you fans of that scene. I liked it too.
Grey Wolf4 - So my question to you, as I know you will inevitably answer it, is why Yoshimoto... not like... I had any extra plans for her character in the first place :P Well, Nagahide is in this chapter, but not much. I'm not good with types like hers - by that, I mean the points. They... confuse me. I want to give her entire character a 53 because of that, but her appearance is too much, so that tips the scale back to 83. By the way, Bontenmaru is a 666 for me, no puns intended... I don't think it was a pun, but it is now cause I say so, and if you say differently... then beware the very obvious pitfall in front of your house, that you will fall into eventually.
Again, lesser quality and quantity for this chapter. I blame my lack of sleep (18 hours a day is a lack, right?) so yeah. I promise next chapter will be ten times better. I'll even use Kaioken. Plus, there is ACTION. Ya can't go wrong with some good ol' fashioned action.
PS. I listen to Pokemon Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness music while writing these chapters. They are phenomenal pieces of music, especially the battling ones. Mirror B is my favorite for obvious reasons.
Ambition of Jun Nerone
Chapter 4: Saving Private Nobukatsu – page 147
In order to prevent further intensification of the standoff between Nobuna and her younger brother, Nobukatsu, Inuchiyo absconded from Kiyosu. The person who gave her this idea, was Jun Nerone, a man with black hair like a Japanese, but blue eyes like a barbarian. Wearing clothing that could only be called "barbarian" he appeared from out of nowhere. The place he appeared in, where he helped fight against the Imagawa, and then ask to be Nobuna's retainer, was the Nobi Plains.
However, even with his intervention, the internal rebellion of the Oda clan did not cease. Three days after Inuchiyo absconded, Nobukatsu's chief retainer, Shibata Katsuie, nicknamed Riku, visited Nobuna at Kiyosu castle. Her look was a melancholic one, and her sigh reflected this.
From a young age, she was known as the "strongest" of Owari; a girl commander who, if given a spear, shows a prowess of being invincible in the whole of Japan. However, because of her straight forward personality, she was unable to have a sense for things like politics or the like.
As they say "God doesn't bestow two gifts".
However, while she served Nobukatsu as his chief retainer, Katsuie was Nobuna's fan since long ago. Though Nobuna was blunt, poisoned tongue, and her quirky and eccentric actions stood out against the backdrop that was Japan, there had been rare occasions that Nobuna would show cute expressions, one that made you give her a second look.
However, after losing her father, the person who understood her the most, Nobuhide, she closed off her heart, made her tongue sharper, and started getting irritated and displeased with her retainers.
That is why those around Nobukatsu became more arrogant and thought that he would serve as a better Lord, due to his "sociability" and thus they started to plan a rebellion.
This time, because of Inuchiyo, one of Nobuna's pages, had cut down Nobukatsu's page, Nobukatsu and the young samurai around him planned their next rebellion. Saying something like "This time for sure, let's chase out that foolish daughter of Owari" showed that they never learned their lesson from the other times they had staged a rebellion.
And thus, Nobukatsu gave Katsuie an order that she didn't like. To "negotiate with sister by suggesting her to hand over Inuchiyo". If the answer brought back was "no" then a rebellion was sure to take place.
That is why Katsuie is now in the main citadel of the Kiyosu castle, in a specific room that Nobuna uses for tea ceremonies. There in that room, sat three people. Katsuie, Nobuna, and strangely, Nerone, though he had a faraway look on his face. Perhaps it was due to Inuchiyo absconding, or maybe it had something to do with Nobukatsu…
Katsuie stared at him, but she couldn't get a read on him. The first time they had met, was on the battlefield, after he helped save Nobuna's life. She had seen his muscles, his scars, and knew that he was strong. However, even after that, she was unable to see for herself, how strong he actually was. The best way to do that, would be with a spar, however, she was always too busy to ask him.
She wanted to know; "how strong was the man who saved Nobuna".
However, now was not the time, she declared. After mulling over what she should say, Katsuie finally spoke up.
"Um… Nobuna-sama. I have been sent here regarding the incident with Inuchiyo."
Nobuna stared at her with an unyielding gaze. "…If it's about Inuchiyo, she is absconding. Even I don't know her whereabouts." With her cheeks slightly puffed up, Nobuna turned her gaze towards the window, and stared out of it, as if by doing so would lead her to Inuchiyo.
For Nobuna, Inuchiyo had been accompanying her since childhood like a small dog. She had become a friend and only retainer she could open up to. No, Inuchiyo, to Nobuna, was more like a younger sister. The two were close and knew many things about one another. That is why, in this situation, Nobuna was unable to behead Inuchiyo. Which is why, when Nerone suggested her to abscond, Nobuna was glad, but at the same time, worried. "Will this be the last time I see Inuchiyo?" she had asked herself. But no answer came.
Katsuie, who knows this, had suffered from several headaches as she thought about what Nobuna's condition would be.
"N-Nobuna-sama, he said to hand over Inuchiyo… otherwise, he would rebel again… is what he…"
"Since he's an idiot," Nobuna cut in. "he must have been egged on by those surrounding and said that because of that, right? Riku, can't you suppress Nobukatsu?" Katsuie prostrated herself, and cried out.
"M-my humblest apologies! I may be able to brag about not having lost to anyone on the battlefield, but, um, for things like this, the only ways I can think of are threatening them or cutting them down." Her words were straightforward, and came from the heart. Even if she tried to think up a solution, she would only suffer from a headache.
Nobuna sighed. "Haah, jeez, you definitely sound like Riku. If you can't suppress Nobukatsu anyways then, isn't it fine to take my head in the next battlefield." Katsuie was aghast.
"T-there's no way I can do that! If I have to take a stand against the Princess, then it would be better to commit seppuku!"
After taking a few calming breaths, Katsuie continued. "Then, Nobuna-sama. Are you saying that no matter what, you won't have over Inuchiyo…?"
"I can't hand over something which isn't here." She replied, waving away the question as if it didn't matter at all.
"Then, once again, there will be an internal strife…"
"If he continues to provoke me any further, I will confront him face to face. Tell that to Nobukatsu, Katsuie."
"W-what!?" Her surprise showed on her face. She was confused at Nobuna's words, and yet… why did she have a bad feeling about the look in her eye?
"If he rebels against me the next time, no matter how much Mother appeals for his life, I will kill him. Convey that to him."
"T-that is-!"
"Suruga's lord, Imagawa Yoshimoto, has finally started preparing for the march to the capital. If Yoshimoto starts moving, the first to be invaded would be us. I don't have the luxury to worry about internal strifes in Owari."
It was at the end of these words, that made him have a reaction. He, who had just been blindly staring out the window with a dull look on his face, turned his head. Some time ago, he and Inuchiyo had been attacked by Nobukatsu's men. Their goal was to stop them from completing the errand he had received from Nobuna. However, they failed. Because of that, Nerone was injured and Inuchiyo was forced to abscond because she had killed one of Nobukatsu's pages.
The wound Nerone was inflicted with, was an arrow wound. Though, it wasn't one to the shoulder, or leg. It was through the wrist. Dealing lots of damage with the possibility to even kill him, he had managed to seal the wound through the use of cauterization. However, even then, the damage was done. Right now, he could hardly move or even feel his right hand. He's said that given enough time, the wound will heal, and he'll be able to move his right hand again, but Katsuie doubts his words. Though she does not have much medical knowledge, she has arrived at this conclusion.
Seeing him respond ever so slightly, Katsuie turned her head towards him, perhaps wondering what he had to say about this. Nobuna slowly followed her gaze, and stared at the black haired, blue eyed youth before her.
Then, letting a sigh pass through his lips, he faced forward, and looked directly at Nobuna.
"With the threat of Imagawa Yoshimoto looming near, dealing with internal strife is bothersome, so executing Nobukatsu would be considered a wise decision if not for the fact he was your brother."
"H-huh? Why?" Nobuna was confused, and Katsuie had no words to say. She was shocked at what she heard.
"It is true that you can't afford to be distracted, however, having a brother – especially a younger one – means taking care of them. Nobuna, if you execute Nobukatsu, then there are only bad things waiting for you afterward." With that line said, he stood up. Turning around, he hardly sent one last look towards Nobuna, before making his leave. Nobuna didn't know what to say. Katsuie could hardly comprehend his warning. Once Nerone was gone, Nobuna rose up from her sitting position slightly, and with a furious look, shouted.
"Ah! What is his problem? Thinking that he might provide some insight on this matter, I invited him here, but he instead does nothing, and leaves while hardly saying anything!"
Though Nobuna was angry, there were still other things to discuss. Katsuie quickly reminded her of this fact and the two returned to their original subject.
"Riku, if there is a battle right now in Owari, both sides would be trampled by Imagawa in no time. If you believe this Nobuna to be the Lord of Owari, lure out and capture Nobukatsu at once. That is for Owari, for its people, and for conquering Japan."
"…" Katsuie sat in silence. It was true, she believed that Nobuna was the Lord of Owari, however, she served under Nobukatsu as his retainer. But… Even then… "B-by your will." Katsuie agreed to Nobuna's plans with a difficult expression on her face.
"You don't have to be pained by it." Nobuna replied, looking Katsuie in the eyes with a worried, and yet fierce, gaze. "My eyes are always looking ahead, whether it be ten or one hundred years from now. Even if no one understands, I have confidence. If you feel pained by it, then instead of praying the Buddhist prayer, pray 'It is for all the people in Japan'. It's fine for me alone to bear all the sins." Her expression was with resolution, and her eyes showed resolve. She was prepared to take everything upon her shoulders, just to achieve her ambition.
Katsuie lowered her head. Though she didn't understand the complicated stuff, she was by no means a fool. She did understand that Nobuna was indeed the Lord of Owari, and thus, she must serve her with all her loyalty at her side, even if she has to fight against Nobukatsu, who she served.
-Line skip in process-
It was around one day later. A meeting was called in Kiyosu castle, and in the main room, nearly all of Nobuna's retainers were here. The meaning of the meeting was clear, considering that Nobukatsu had been "captured" by Katsuie and brought before her.
He was arrested by her, and brought to stand before his sister, and execution is not off the table for nearly rebelling again. The retainers sent pitying gazes towards Nobukatsu, who had tears in his eyes.
"Uwaah, I-I am being pitied by everyone? Then, won't someone, please plead for my life, it's my honest request!" Though looking left and right, at the various assembled retainers, nobody stood up. They sat, looking away from Nobukatsu, not brave enough to say anything for him and to Nobuna.
"Leave it to me." Katsuie said from his side. Nobukatsu looked up at the girl, who smiled in return. Turning to Nobuna, she drew in a deep breath and exhaled before speaking. "Being his chief retainer, Nobukatsu-sama's misconduct is my misconduct too. I may not understand complex things, but, please forgive everyone with just taking my head here!" Declaring that with a loud voice, she hung her head down and prostrated herself before Nobuna. Closing her eyes, she waited for her response.
However, Nobuna denied her.
"Katsuie. There's no way we can win without you. If we calculate the gains and losses of this decision, it is already decided that it should be Nobukatsu who should die."
"Uwaah? Sister. I won't oppose you once more, so please forgive me!" Nobukatsu screamed out, tears running down his face. "My eyes have opened! The fool was me, who kept on thinking of my small dream of making the Nagoya specialty, Uirou popular across Japan and revolting against you every time! Sister!"
Having finally awoke from his ambitions, Nobukatsu begged for his life.
"I don't want to die! However, please don't kill Katsuie, she hasn't ever opposed you, not even once! But I don't want to die too!" Shaking her head, Nobuna finally declared her verdict:
"From today on, Riku will serve under me as a substitute for my chief retainer. The group serving Nobukatsu shall be exiled. And Nobukatsu shall commit seppuku here."
"S-seppuku? That sort of painful way of death is impossible, I can't do that, big sis?" 'I mean, who would want to self-disembowel yourself?' I thought to myself. This was getting hard to watch, and I was slowly moving pass being irritated. I was silent this entire time, hoping that Nobuna would snap out of it, but… perhaps I should've actually tried to change her mind over the small time I had to? Perhaps the thought of a 'brother' dying had sent memories of my own brother dying back to me, and thus made me unable to act due to the painful memories. The act of talking to her about Nobukatsu froze me. I was nervous; no, I was just scared. Perhaps, I thought, if I did nothing, then I wouldn't be affected by it? If I looked away, I wouldn't feel the same anguish I felt that day?
What can I do now, in this situation?
Thinking this, I stormed my brain for words I can say, for phrases that can stop Nobuna. However, none came to mind.
"I see. If you are going to refuse, I will just have to personally behead you." Retrieving the sword from a nearby page, she stood up. She walked over to where Nobukatsu was sitting with a dark look in her eyes.
"Princess, Nobukatsu-sama is your brother; please forgive him." Though she hung her head once more, it didn't have an effect on Nobuna.
Staring on from where I sat, I had the impression that Nobuna had become an evil being – a demon. From the Fool, she became a Demon. With flames behind her, and a dark look, it could even be compared to the Demon Lords you'd fight at the end of some games, or read about in some novels. No one could oppose her.
It could be said: Nobuna is beautiful. Nobuna is divine. But, she is also dreadful.
The retainers had bowed their heads and started to tremble; accepting the fate of Nobukatsu, and what this might cause in the future.
Nobuna raised her sword to the exposed Nobukatsu's throat. He trembled, he cried, and he begged, but Nobuna did not listen. Just as she started to raise the blade, to bring it down upon Nobukatsu like a guillotine, I stood up. Standing up, I moved towards Nobuna, faster than anyone around me could react, to try to grab me and stop me. I moved away from them, and their grasps only met air.
With my left hand, I grabbed Nobuna's wrist, stopping her from moving the blade. She turned her eyes towards me, and I could see it. There were tears within her eyes, but also darkness.
"Hold on. I will not let you kill your brother." I said to her, a hard expression on my face. I stared into her eyes, and she into mine. I could tell she was angry, but the voice that came out was more calm, contrasting her enraged appearance.
"Nerone, even you will be beheaded if you don't let go."
I sniggered slightly, and that caused one of her eyebrows to shoot up.
"Do you think I can't kill you?" She asked me. The sword she held started to tremble. Was it from anger, or was it…?
"Can you? Yeah, sure. You can kill me. But, right now? No. I might not have full use of one of my hands, but with the look your giving, you wouldn't even be a match; not even a warm-up." My words clearly pissed her off, but I wasn't done. "To kill your brother will turn you into a demon. You will continue on, with a darkened expression, and kill everyone close to you. Is that really something you want?"
"That's right! I said I am fine with that, so let go!" She threw her arm to the side, and broke out of my grasp. She pointed her blade at my throat. The point of it nearly touched my Adam's apple, but I ignored it. "If it's for the sake of all the people of this nation, then I don't care what I have to do! As long as my retainers don't faithfully follow my orders, the dream of uniting Japan is impossible, you know? Since they are all just fools who can't understand what I say anyways, they just have to stay quiet and listen to what I say until they die! I don't need a younger brother or retainers who will oppose me, now and ever!"
"Nobuna." I said without the usual "sama" I attach to it when speaking. "That road is the worst possible path you can ever take. Kill and kill, control Japan by fear and threats will mean your death. You will be betrayed, and your story will end. Japan will not be unified by you, no, it will be closer than conquering than the act of unification. A demon who walks the path of flames, will die within the fire."
"And what do you know!?"
"Because I too, have lost a brother." My words shocked her for an instant, but she quickly gained control over herself. "It was tragic, yes. But I was able to change for the better because of it. However, you will only walk down a dark road filled with the corpses of your friends until someone kills you. Rulers in the past would be assassinated, whether through poison, or some other means. Whether it be Rome, Greece, or even England, it happens because of corruption, no matter which side it is from."
"S-shut up! They don't matter; what matters now is Japan! I will be the one to unify it, and I don't care if I have to cut you or anybody else down to achieve this goal!"
"Then answer me this; do you really want to kill your brother? Your own flesh and blood brother? Do you despise him? Or do you love him?"
"Of course I love him! What kind of sister wants to kill her younger brother? You idiot, don't make me spout the obvious!" As she said this, tears freely flowed down her cheeks.
"Sister!" Nobukatsu cried, down at her feet.
"Then, isn't it fine for you to let him live? You're the Lord of Owari, you're the most important person here. Who could tell you to kill him?" Walking away from her, I showed her my back. However, she did not move. Then, turning around, I pointed at her. "I've decided!"
"W-what?" She was confused at my words, so I quickly explained.
"Earlier, you sent me for my first errand, correct?" She nodded at my words. "And I managed to complete it, in such a way, that the reward you planned – besides my beheading if I failed – wouldn't be enough, right? And so, I had told you if I wanted something, then you'd give me it. Are you with me so far?"
"Yes…? But what does this have to do with…?"
"This is what I want!" I pointed at Nobukatsu. "For you to forgive your brother and to let him live! But, of course, there is always some catches… If Nobukatsu agrees to change his name and become your retainer, then I'm sure everything will work out well, don't you think?"
"But, what? I don't…" Nobuna was still confused, but Nobukatsu jumped at the chance.
"Yes! I agree! Please forgive me sister!" Nobukatsu stared up at Nobuna, tears in his eyes. Nobuna looked around the room awkwardly, and with a red face, she finally answered.
"I-I-I got it! I forgive Nobukatsu!" She then lowered herself to where Nobukatsu was sitting. "K-Kanjuurou… Instead of a sword, I will give you an Uirou." Nobuna motioned towards a page, who came forward. The page then handed Nobuna an Uirou, and she then gave it to Nobukatsu, who accepted it joyfully. "It's your favorite food right? Then take it."
"…Is it alright, sister?"
"It's a sign of reconciliation."
"…T-thank you for the food…" He took the Uirou from her hands, and plopped it in his mouth.
"How is it? Tasty?"
"…It's salty."
"Stupid. That's the taste of your tears."
"No. It may be the taste of your tears." Nobukatsu countered with a smile.
"Hmph." Nobuna crossed her arms, and looked away as she puffed out her cheeks a little. "The thing flowing down my eyes is water."
It was a good moment. And just as I thought I'd get out of this scot free, Nobuna turned towards me with a diabolical smile.
"Now then, Nerone. For insulting me in front of my retainers, I will cut you down!"
"Go ahead and try it~!" I said with some enthusiasm.
Nobuna, picking up the sword once more, ran towards me. She slashed downwards at me, but I sidestepped towards the left. She then quickly redirected her blade to her right, and tried to cut through my waist. However, seeing this, I went low to the ground and rolled out of the way.
Just as the blade went over my head, I quickly thrusted my foot up, and kicked Nobuna in the wrist, causing her to let go of the blade. With my other foot, I kicked the handle of the sword away, and then using my left hand, I flipped back up into the air and onto my feet.
Needless to say, Nobuna wasn't being very serious in that small "fight" if you could even call it that. However, kicking her hand was probably not a very good idea, judging by the anger in her eyes.
However, before the fight could continue, one of her retainers, a female, stood up and spoke.
"Well, well. Both the Princess and Jun-dono too, please keep it at that."
The retainer who had enough courage this fight was Nobuna's military commander. I had heard about her, but I haven't had the chance to meet her yet. From what I hear, she had rose from the ranks of a page. Her name was Niwa Nagahide. I also heard that she was pretty close to Nobuna, and seeing as how she's older, she has often been said to be like an "older sister".
But, seeing her up close, she did not seem like that of an adult, but more of an elder sister– a person who seemed like she had a friendly smile. This must have been the reason why she's often remarked as Nobuna's older sister, even if they're not even related.
"With the idea given by Jun-dono, Nobukatsu-dono swearing loyalty to the Princess, and changing his name is worth ninety points. For solving this crisis without the spill of blood, I thank you, Jun-dono." Bowing her head towards me, she wore a pleasant smile.
"Thanks, I guess? You don't have to call me by my last name; feel free to just call me Nerone." I told her as I moved a few inches away from Nobuna, who didn't seem to notice.
"Then, Nerone-dono. However, while the method to get to this conclusion seemed like it would work with just you convincing her to change her mind, why did you instead decide to use the reward from your errand to finish it? Couldn't you have just convinced her, instead of requesting it?"
"Yeah, but there are always underlying motives in everything. And besides, convincing her otherwise might not have worked, so using my request seemed like the best way to get it done. Nobuna-sama didn't want to kill him, so it seemed to be the most effective way to stop her."
"Hm, then, eighty-three points." With this, she sat back down.
I couldn't understand her points, though.
-Line skip in process-
Nobukatsu ended up changing his name to Tsuda Nobuzumi. Tsuda being the surname of the branch family, and Nobuzumi being like the flow of the Kiso river or something. It was a bit much, to be honest. He was then placed underneath Katsuie, as she was given the task of training him to be a military commander. Though hesitant, he accepted the position with only a small amount of gusto.
Once everything was done and over with, Nagahide had sighed and given the entire case "93 points". I still don't understand what those points mean, but I guess it's out of one hundred, which means it's pretty high.
Though when Nobuzumi picked his new name, he was awarded with the grand total of three points.
After wrapping that up, I had returned to the Five Leaf Aralia tenement. I had picked out some of the leaves, and started to boil them. Once it was finished, I ate the boiled leaves. Sure, I had already bought some bread and rice, but eating these leaves has turned into a bit of a habit.
With Inuchiyo gone, it made me a bit gloomy. I couldn't even train properly without her anymore. To me, the best training method was sparring, but I was comfortable training by myself. But that was before being transported to Feudal Japan. After that, I found a real challenge in Inuchiyo – someone who will continue growing stronger, unlike my old man, who, unfortunately, will hardly be getting stronger, at least physically.
And so, I found a good partner in Inuchiyo. With her, I thought to myself, I would be able to get much stronger. However, now that she was gone, I felt awkward training by myself, whether it was by doing pushups, or practicing my swings.
As I released a sigh, I heard the front door open. A few moments later, three familiar faces walked in.
The first in, was Nene from across the street. Bounding into the main room, she had a very energetic smile as she ran over to me.
"Nero-sama! I heard you admonished the Princess this time! No matter how many lives you have, it won't be sufficient at this rate!" As she happily giggled, I pat her head. The next who spoke up, was Katsuie who was wearing a yukata, instead of her armor and other clothing.
"Nerone, you were too disrespectful towards Nobuna-sama! Though I may want to behead you right now, I will overlook it this time.
"I'll keep that in mind, the next time I say something disrespecting to her, I'll go to you – we'll see if you can cut me down, where Nobuna-sama failed." Though I was joking with a smile on my face, Katsuie didn't laugh. I had a feeling as if she was deciding whether to cut me down here and now or later. Thankfully, she chose the latter, as she only grumbled in response and sat down.
The next, was the then Nobukatsu and now Nobuzumi.
"Hey, Jun-kun. I bought the Nagoya specialty 'Uirou' as thanks for today. Be thankful!" With a laugh, he handed me the Uirou. I stared at the snack, and then looked up at him. For him to give me this, where it is his favorite food, can only mean one thing…
"You ate the rest on the way here, didn't you?"
"N-no!" He immediately denied. "I mean, yes, but… sorry." He apologized, looking down. Laughing, I placed a hand on his head and ruffled up his hair a bit.
"Don't worry. And call me Nerone. I'd let you shorten it down to Nero, but you're not cute enough for that."
"H-hey! I'm not cute; I'm handsome!"
"You keep telling yourself that, brat."
"…Thanks, though. Nerone. You really saved me."
"…I didn't say you could leave out the honorifics.
"S-sorry! Nerone-kun."
"But, yeah. You're welcome I guess, but do you know what this means?"
"Um, no?"
"You. Owe. Me." I made sure to drag out each word, and I even emphasized the 'me' by pointing at me with my thumb. Nobuzumi was a bit scared to find this out, but I laughed it off. "Don't worry; it won't be anything bad. Just some small tasks, for example… Finding out where Inuchiyo is and bringing her back, for starters."
"R-right! I'll make sure to find her and let her know that she can come back!" Nobuzumi promised, and with that, I gave him one last pat on the head and smiled.
"Yep! Or else I'd kill you." Of course, the last part I said in my head. It might've been a joke. Emphasis on the 'might'.
"Anyway, now it's time to toast!" Nobuzumi changed subjects quickly. "Since the Oda house has become one, let us toast to the future!" Though he looked to be only a kid, I guess since this is a different time, even kids can drink sake… Well, first time for everything.
I quickly found out that I hated the taste of sake. Also I get drunk really fast, and ended up blackening out within five minutes. Needless to say, I woke up with the world's largest migraine.
And now that we've finished this, I can now go to sleep... in one in the afternoon. Well, I just need sleep, okay? I didn't stay up all night. I actually wrote the majority of this yesterday, so I just needed to finish today.
Next chapter: Saving Private Dousan.
Man, so many people need to be saved, huh? Nobuna was surrounded in the first chapter, the third was Inuchiyo, now the fourth with Nobukatsu, and it will end with the fifth being Dousan. Of course, there was also Nerone in the third chapter when he was shot through the hea- I mean wrist, with that arrow, but he's the main character, so there is no possibility that he will die... until I say so.
I have no medical knowledge, so do not say anything about that scene, btw.
With that, please review, and PLEASE USE SOME CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. I mean, I know this story is nearly perfect, no matter what I say about it, but please say something I could fix :(
Also favorite and follow if you wish to show your support. If not, then beware the very obvious pitfall in front of your house, that you will fall into eventually. Ciao.
