Chapter 49

「政略結婚だ、とはっきり言っておきながら、何のつもりなのでございましょう?」"he said it was a marriage to forge a political alliance. I wonder what he thinks he's up to?" Tama grumbled to Matsu, the head servant of the Fujii family. The two women were of the same age group, and found they had much in common. Matsu smiled as she nursed a cup of tea. 「ま、お二人共若いのですから、いいではありませんか」"well they are still young. Who knows?" Matsu replied. Tama wanted to say how old Tanyuu - Tobihi, really - was, and realized she was unsure herself. Just much older than her present appearance. At first Yasunaga had this-and-that delivered to the guest quarters. Hot chocolate, which was the talk of town that year (first appearance of chocolate in Edo era Japan), fresh seafood tempura, sushi made by well-known chefs bearing rare catches, a wide assortment of Edo's finest and latest culinary culture. Tama wound up eating most of them, but at the sight of hot chocolate Tobihi asked none other than Matsu to reheat it. Matsu took the brown concoction to the kitchen and wondered why it needed to be hotter. When she returned Tobihi simply stated it tasted better warmer. Tobihi and Tama shared it on the engawa of the Fujii home. It was a strange flavor to Tama, though Tobihi appeared to be fond of it. It was then Yasunaga dropped by. Matsu addressed him as "bocchan," (something like diminutive "young master"), for which he was visibly embarrassed and chased Matsu out. Matsu took it in good humor and wished him luck. She even made sure to call him 「坊ちゃん」 "bocchan." Tama could almost see steam rising from his face. 「あの、チョクラートというのはいかがでしたかな、淡幽殿?」"how's the 'chokurato,' Miss Tanyuu?" he addressed Tobihi. The tremor in his voice gave out his nervousness.

「不味くはなかったな」"not bad," Tobihi replied cooly. She scanned his face with a glance, sized up the situation, and formulated a plan...all in a split second. It was clear to Tobihi that Yasunaga had inadvertently fell for her "Tanyuu." It complicated his position, but only caused Tobihi to pity him. She wanted to let him live beyond his scheme. 「わざわざお見えになる程の何の御用ですか」"do you have a business with me that calls you here?" she offered, though her voice was icy. He blushed and stammered, fumbling for a piece of paper in his sleeve pocket. 「ただ、寸法を取らせていただきたい」"I just need to take some measurement" he answered. Tobihi and Tama looked at each other, since "measurement" under the circumstances would only be for a wedding gown. 「着物の寸法ではなく、私の趣味の設計図用の寸法です」"not for kimono, but something I'm building" he said, sensing the incongruity. He asked Tobihi to sit up straight and measured her sitting height, depth of seat, and height of her knees in that position. Tobihi instantly knew Yasunaga's idea. She had seen it abroad a few times by then. Tama still looked askance at him. When he finished he bowed like a employee and left. Tobihi was pleased she had an idea.

A few days passed. Yasunaga visited again, this time a strange contraption in tow. Tama did not think anything could surprise her any more but Yasunaga proved her wrong nevertheless. Young Yasunaga was nervous as he presented a wooden wheelchair to Tobihi. She accepted his offer to try it, and to Tama's surprise the wheels glided and rolled lightly upon the wooden floor of the engawa. Matsu caught sight of it, which caused her to grin. 「杖でお歩きになれるのは承知しておるが、お疲れになった時はこれで楽に立ち回れると思いまして」"I know you can get around on canes but I thought this may allow you to get around when you are tired" explained Yasunaga voluntarily. Tobihi's "Tanyuu" remained silent for a moment, but decided to go straight to the point. 「何故ここまでする?貴方にとっては私は単なる売り物でしか過ぎないのであろう?」"why? Am I not a mere merchandise for your gain?" she said, turning around on the wheelchair.

Yasunaga jumped at her directness and piercing cold eyes and looked down, as if in shame. Tobihi pursued, concealing the growing tenderness she felt for the young man「私を貴方の雇い手に引き渡すのは何時だ?」"when do you plan to hand me over to your employer?" 「引き渡す?淡幽殿を?とんでもない」"hand you over? No, that is out of the question" he blurted out. Tobihi's eyes narrowed. Her gaze accused him of lying, and he gave in to the pain of it. 「本当に、淡幽殿を引き渡すつもりなど一とない。彼らはただ、時折お目にかかる機会を要求したのみだ」"no, I do not plan to hand you over. They...they asked for occasional visits." 「時折私の身体を標本抽出する機会、という意味であろう?」"occasional sampling of my bodily tissue, you mean?" she demanded further. 「へっ? 抽出?」 "wha...? Sampling?" he repeated. Tobihi said that in order to assess his knowledge. He seemed to be genuinely confused. In fact, the idea of tissue sampling seemed to cause his nausea. Tobihi kept up her posture, nodded, and explained her meaning. 「そう、抽出。例えば血、髪、皮膚、尿」"yes, sampling. Of such things as blood, hair, skin, urine, ..." Yasunaga started to turn green at the mere mention of such. Tobihi relented at that and changed pace. 「是非、逢ってみたいものだ。早いところ呼ばれたらいい」"I would like to meet them. Why not summon them soon?" That proved too much for his nerve, and he simply left silently.

Ginko lit another cigar, still sitting by the boulder. He wondered why he felt he needed to remember that nun. How, at a time like this, is that relevant? Yet something propelled him. He exhaled deeply, letting his head bump the boulder, mumbling 「蟲愛ずる姫」"mushi-mezuru-hime. The mushi princess..." The princess. Yes, that was where all of this started. That nun gave him that old book, "Who did she say the author was? An ancient author from the Heian era" he thought.

Back at the workshed, a villager stumbled upon them some hours later. At first they appeared dead, but the nun groaned. He yelped in horror and ran out to summon the others. Ginko recalled faintly hearing a conversation after that. 「ありゃあ、どうすんべ?化野さんちの次男坊江戸から帰って来てたから連れて行ってみっか?」"les'ee if that Adashino boy is home from Edo." 「何だ、夏休みかね?」"what, is he back for th'summer?" 「おお、医学校の三年目だってよ」"yeah. In the third year of medical school I'ear." "'Adashino'? Weird name" he thought, as the villagers tossed him into a flat cart, though they set the nun down much more gently beside him. His consciousness faded, and the next moment he remembered he lay in comfortable futon. A beam of bright sunlight broke through between wooden shutter doors. The nun was sitting by his head, changing a wet cloth on his forehead. He was startled but the nun had a firm hand on him. 「ああ、気がつかれましたか。良かった」"good. You are awake" she said. She was a woman, about fifteen to twenty years his senior. Her countenance appeared healthy, unlike the night he found her. She had the same navy blue habit on as that evening, just dry. 「尼さん」"Miss sister," Ginko tried to speak, only to find he was too parched to. The mistress of the house entered the room, followed by a boy about Ginko's age. They smiled to see the white haired stranger regain consciousness, if not only to show the boy's skills. The proud mother's smile evoked a rare emotion in Ginko's heart. If he had a mother, would she smile like that for him? As it was, he did not even remember her face.

In the days that followed his recovery was much slower than he would have preferred. The nun stayed by his side, insisting she had to see to his complete recovery. The mother and her boy rather welcomed her presence, as she performed rites of this-and-that only monks and nuns could perform. Ginko watched them with a slight amusement, as he considered much of it nonsense. Nevertheless he found the boy's company satisfying. It eventually developed into a friendship. The nun, introduced herself something Bikuni. Her name was as unusual as Adashino's. Something to do with skin diseases. Was it chicken pox? Ring worm? Leprosy?

「...コ、やっと見つけた。こんな所で何をしている?」"here you are Ginko. What in the world are you doing here?" The voice that broke his concentration was Tanyuu. He lifted his eye in silence. She sat down beside him, placing her cane on her right. 「蟲姫」"mushi-hime" he said softly. She chuckled. 「愚問かも知れぬが、何故私を蟲姫と呼んでくれる?深い訳でもあるのか?」"it might be a silly question coming from me, but why do you call me that? You seem to have a reason" she asked. Ginko realized she caught him off guard yet again. "Tsk," he said to himself. Just when he was trying to think. But her presence was not unwelcome at all. His defenses had been rather ruthlessly taken down since that night and he found himself impulsively wrapping his arms around her. His face was buried between her shoulder blades. There he inhaled the air around her deeply. Where was he? What he felt as he watched young Adashino and his mother was squarely countered by what he experienced with Tanyuu, fulfilling his all too human need to be loved. Tanyuu wiggled herself enough to turn. Without hesitation she put her lips against his. It was a light touch at first. They were immersed in the ecstasy of being the object of the other's desires. Unmatched statuses be damned. Moments his lips were free he called her 「蟲姫」"mushi-princess."

The nun watched as young Adashino the medical student felt his ankle and explained his guesses to Ginko. He took it in his hands bending and extending it. 「ほれ、ここ。未だに変だろ?」"see here? You feel it here, don't you?" he said as he applied pressure on one point. It caused Ginko to wince and Adashino released it. 「古傷の後始末うまくしないとこう、跡になるんだな。ずいぶん痛んだに違いない。本当に心当たり無いか?」"I think this is tissue left over from an old injury. It would have hurt quite a bit. Are you sure you don't remember that?" 「記憶喪失の前の事だろ、多分。何もまるっきり思い出せないんだ」"it must have been before I lost all my memories. I really have no recollection" he answered. Young Adashino went straight into instructing him on healing measures to take to ease the residual pain and regain function. Ginko actually did follow Adashino's advice, which returned his gait to normalcy. 「かたじけのうございます、化野先生」"thank you, Doctor Adashino," said the nun, addressing him as a doctor knowing he was a student. Adashino blushed and declined the honorific, but she insisted on it the rest of the time she was with them. She produced a small scroll. Handing it to Adashino she said 「金銭ではお支払いできませぬ故、これをお受け取りしてほしゅう存じます。これなら、古品屋に見せれば、十分になる位の値になりましょう」"since I cannot compensate you monetarily I would like you to have this as a payment for everything. If you show this to an antique dealer it should fetch enough." Adashino must have been a collector of rare artifacts already. He accepted it readily. Unfurling it his eyes widen in astonishment. It was an artifact indeed, a copy of ancient collection.

Ginko's literary skills were still in development at this point. The nun whose name he still could not recall left rather abruptly. The boys spent some time attempting to decipher ancient Japanese writing. Ginko felt like a bump on a log but Adashino found his intuition useful. The scroll contained Mushi-mezuru-hime, a story about some young girl, a nobility, within an emperor's court. She was a bizarre individual who loved mushi. They laughed at the bloke who failed to capture her heart. Then they wondered. Exactly what beings was she so enamored with? They both knew the term was open to interpretation. Ginko opined the word probably referred to insects. Adashino laughed, agreeing it probably was, but there was nothing to prove it was so. In fact, young Adashino was becoming rather fascinated with Ginko's description of these ethereal beings. Anyway it was more interesting that way. Ginko teased Adashino when he saw that particular look in his eyes. 「架空の娘に惚れてどうすんだよ?」"you fell for an imaginary girl, didn't you?" Adashino denied it but his blushing confirmed it was so. But then Ginko was in no position to tease him. He, too, found his heart captured by this very strange girl.

His strength returned in due time. He thanked the boy and his mother as he left. Adashino told him where he planned to take a new residence in a few years. Little did they know then that Io and the suiko incident would take place there. Since then Ginko made a point of visiting him now and again. Now, he skipped over something important. It remained tantalizingly near his mind's reach.

Just as Ginko's rational self was kicking him for his weakness one of the village women caught them kissing. She teased the blushing couple, called them cute, and told them to return to the doctor's house. The wedding was tomorrow. On the short trek back Tanyuu asked him again. He told her a truncated version. Tanyuu was familiar with the story, but predictably questioned 「蟲、とはいえやはり、昆虫の事ではないか?私達の見える蟲、とはとても思えん」"don't you think 'mushi' refers to insects, as opposed to 'mushi' the beings we can see?" Ginko shrugged. Tanyuu tried to keep a dignified face but he could tell she was flattered. He added「実在人物だったとは夢にも思わなんだ」"I just never dreamed I would find the real deal." 「そうすると、イオちゃんが化野先生の蟲姫という訳だな」"so, to Doctor Adashino, Io-chan is his mushi-princess" she said after awhile. 「かもな」"maybe" was his answer.