Welcome to another M-rated chapter! As always, read at your own risk...

It's a continuation from the previous chapter, as you can see from the title. Which means some flashbacks as well, here to introduce you to our beloved Heroic Vessel's thoughts and living conditions after I simply implied them in the previous ones. Hope you guys like it! Also, can't wait for HF Part III, coming up next week! Hopefully they don't delay it...

Mailbag time! Open wide!
Guest: Yes, they will retain some genuine emotions... after they've done their job of collecting the basic foundations first. The newer Heroic Vessels will have an easier time when compared to SHIROU – as you can see from how his emotions and actions fluctuate wildly to the point of OOC-ness in HV-S01: RKR & HV-S02: QGF. People protested that, not paying attention to what I said in AN and implied in the stories. Your analysis of how I portray Alaya is otherwise spot on.
superpierce: I'm still hovering on how she should look like a few years from now. Do you have some reference material I can use? Anybody who looks like they can be a grown-up Chiyome?
Royal Freshness12345: You must stay quite close to those particular latitude lines if night time still tortures you. Well, I am the same, but luckily I've got a good AC in my room.
VenatorSama: I'm not familiar with JoJo apart from casual reference, so I can't confirm your suspicion. If you're familiar with Nioh gameplay terms, they're exactly that.
Stratos263: If you play Nioh, then you'll realize that's actually a perfectly viable strategy achievable through RPG min-maxing. Of course, I don't incorporate that idea in-story, so your comment is justified. Glad I can still put some tension into an old reader like you (not in terms of actual age, of course).
Gogogo king: Like in HV-S02, it depends on who can complete their preparations first. If the HVs can summon their Reality Marbles and Knight Arms to ambush those targets, then they'll hold a significant advantage because everything is designed to nullify people like Arcueid or Arjuna Lily. If they can establish their Marble Phantasms or Authorities first, then it'll be difficult.
Stratos263: As with all tragic and misrepresented heroes. You're right... though historically Chiyome's lived quite a comfortable life despite what should've been a less-than-ideal arranged marriage. Shingen really took good care of her.

My uneventful married life pretty much ends today, as I find a dead body near where I'm supposed to scout in Takeda territory.

Chiyome wanted to go back to have me meet with her parents. After a few weeks of living together, she's started to get homesick though she hid it quite well. Although I've met with the in-laws, I haven't spent a great deal of time with them because they initially thought their daughter chose the wrong man. It didn't matter when I told them of Kusanag-no-Tsurugi – they simply saw blacksmithing an artisan art which wouldn't rise their daughter's social status.

Well, to be fair, they had a point. She was slated to be the chief priestess of the entire Takeda territory since she was small, owing to Yamata-no-Orochi inside her granting her great mystical powers and demanding respect from anyone – how could she become a simple housewife from then on? If she simply didn't marry and kept the status quo, money and prestige would've come rolling in automatically anyway.

While they didn't hate me, it didn't mean they approve of our marriage. It's only due to Chiyome's insistence they allowed the wedding to happen – even so, they were politely quiet during the ceremony, displaying their mild disapproval passively.

We're here to report about the financial success the two of us have achieved with the Oda contracts… omitting a few details, of course. Besides, these two elders are retired shinobi anyway, and they could've found out what they wished without me telling them. Perhaps they've already done that and simply maintain their stubborn stance to this day out of spite? Or have they figured out something about me Chiyome hasn't?

The latter was quite unlikely, but it wouldn't hurt to prepare…

Unfortunately, they were both not home when we arrived. Neighbours said they're summoned to the Kōga shinobi compound… which would be troublesome for me to enter so openly in what amounted to nothing more than a courtesy visit. Therefore, only Chiyome went there, while I strolled around to try snoop anything which might be useful to Kippōshi.

There's no telling what my existence could've changed everything around me, no matter how minor I think it is. Have Takeda Shingen heard of me the same way I've gathered intel about her? How has she reacted?

Which leads me to this moment right here, as Chiyome prods carefully at the 'dead body' I've found.

She doesn't recognize it, but I do in first sight.

Katō Danzō. A kunoichi who was supposed to be executed by Takeda Shingen after a failed plea of safety… or that's how popular myths about her tended to go.

"She's… not human…?" My wife mutters, the rushed ritual circle engraved to the ground for emergency checks shining every now and then. "There are no visible external marks… Shirō, don't tell me you're asking me to check even though you already know everything about this already?" She narrows her eyes at me, annoyed, as that thought crosses her mind.

"I want your opinion… as a woman, not an investigative coroner," I admit, slightly afraid I've hurt her feelings. I can't stand crying girls, so…

"Hmph! Then say so from the beginning!" She throws her face to one side, but her tone sounds pleased. "Let me make this clear: You're asking my opinion as a fellow woman… as well as someone you've saved, right? Is that even a question, my dumb husband?"

I exhale a relieved sigh, reaching out one hand to pat her head. "You know me so well."

"Hmm… Good enough…" She hums happily, nuzzling her crown to my palm. "Must I be here, then? Just do what you love to do; I will support you all the way. That's what a wife is for, anyway."

"I think a wife should be a husband's rein instead of a blind supporter, but that's just me," I honestly admit.

Giggling, she lightly slaps my arm. "And that's why I love you."

- Munyu.

My eyes widen at the sudden contrast between her cute reaction to what she's actually doing – which is grope Danzō's large breasts with her other hand. Chiyome is small enough… and the offline karakuri is 'large' enough to create the overwhelming and bursting texture pushing up in-between her fingers.

"Chiyome… C-Can you tell me what you're doing… molesting her?" I nervously ask, since there's no data in me to react to this new phenomenon.

"Oh, skipping the 'it' straight to 'her', hm…? I'm quite jealous how quickly you're smitten by the beauty in front of us," she narrows her eyes while saying coldly, her fingers not missing a beat in massaging the flesh bags as if to conform its properties in her brain. "It's just a woman's jealousy, dear husband; don't think too much about it."

'I won't if you stop leaking out that killing intent of yours…' I sweat-drop internally. "Just… tell me what you think of this situation, okay? Properly, please."

"Haa… You're no fun to tease."

"I don't know where you get that trait from," I sigh, defeated.

"Fine, fine. As you can see, she's a mechanical life form. No obvious external damage, so what shut her down is either a lack of energy or a spiritual attack." Lifting various parts of Danzō's limp body, my wife continues, "She's certainly built for combat purposes… assassination, maybe? Though I still don't get what advantages large breasts bring to the field."

I resist the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose. "My dear wife, if you would…"

"So you're the type to like big breasts, too? Hmph! Just wait until I'm fully grown!" She mocks up an angry glare, though as is often the case, her delicate features and small size makes it adorable instead. "It's your duty to massage mine to become bigger, you know!"

- …

"Thank you for your insight, Chiyome. I'll continue on my own, then."

"H-Hey, wait! I-I'm only joking, Shirō!"

- Gyuts. Gyuts. Gyuts.

Clenching and unclenching. Contracting and extending. Rotating and flexing. Blinking. Breathing. Sensory check completed.

"How's your body?"

The person who asked her that question was undoubtedly her second 'father', though he didn't like to be called that way. Thus, she immediately asked this redhead whether he'd like her to consider him her husband instead.

Amidst the shocked looks, she curtly explained she wasn't programmed to feel this way by her first 'fathers'. Instead, this was the oath she pledged to her self and soul whenever she'd owe someone her life in the future. In it, she'd swore to serve that person until her death or destruction – whichever came first – and the closest familial bond between a man and woman other than being directly related with one another… was a union of love.

Of course, she acknowledged there could be a mix between the two. Who was she to judge? Father and daughter, mother and son, brothers and sisters, same-sex cousins… She herself wasn't human, so she'd refrain from limiting her views in the same way she'd witnessed them do – much to their eventual detriment, she evaluated.

Katō Danzō wasn't someone so narrow-minded and small-chested. The latter was true both literally and figuratively.

She prided herself in her ability to create her own emotions, unlike her 'juniors' who couldn't even perceive them well enough to turn into their advantage. She was truly blessed with having two 'fathers' who were at the peak of their powers when they 'birthed' her, making her one of a kind and unmatched across generations. Yes, her ability to express those emotions was a far cry from her sensory capabilities to acknowledge, absorb, and process them, but that very nature alone told her she had a soul.

She was alive. Not an object – a living person.

Fortunately, at least one of her 'fathers' also thought the same. Kashin Koji, meanwhile, soon departed to chase other opportunities and interests.

"This is a masterpiece. As expected from you, my beloved lord."

She tried to present him her best smile, having learnt it's the best method to communicate and connect with someone. However, he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head quickly, appearing uncomfortable at her expression – making her new heart skipped a beat. Had she made a mistake? Did her facial muscles' programming change… and led to her making a monstrous expression instead?

"Maa, maa… Don't be so nervous, Danzō-tan. Shirō-han here is just shy against direct confessions from women… especially in front of Chī-tan," Shuten-dōji slurred, clearly heavily drunk. Considering she visited out of the blue, it's debatable whether she came here in response of Danzō's reawakening or just by random chance. "Hah… Otakemaru did a really shit job all those decades ago…"

Chiyome's eyebrows twitched at the nickname, lightly blushing at its reveal to her husband. "S-Shirō… Don't ever c-call me 'Chī-tan', alright…?"

"Of course, Chī-tan." Naturally, the twinkling in her husband's eyes meant he wouldn't acquiesce her request. "…I'm joking. Don't pout, alright?"

Danzō observed the married couple's exchange, ended with the redhead pinching the long-haired beauty's cheeks. "Hmm… Lord, please do that to me, too… Or Chiyome-sama can do it too. Go ahead. I think the quality of my cheeks is a testament to your abilities."

Chiyome made a confused and shocked face at that request, before gingerly doing exactly what the busty woman asked. "Y-You're right… It's so smooth and plump! A-Amazing!"

As the two ladies made their acquaintances, Shirō shifted his attention to the lightly-hiccupping Shuten-dōji. "Shuten-sama, can you tell me more about Otakemaru's creation of Danzō-"

"And whether he's a threat or not?" Her eyes gleamed sharply through her drunken stupor, showing she's not actually inebriated. "Of course he still is. That one is always a thorn on our side since the time of Yoritomo-kun."

'That long ago…? Not even a Heroic Vessel can permanently eliminate him?'

Knowing what he's thinking, as one of the view who knew of Alaya's presence a long time ago as well as today, Shuten-dōji cut off his thoughts, "The one who made Danzō was one of his slippery avatars, Kashin Koji – you may know him as the dark sorcerer affiliated with the Fūma-shodaime. The real him… Well, you can already simulate what will happen if your ilk fought with full power, no?"

"Yoritomo did? Then, that yōkai is a serious threat…" he mumbled, already sorting through the objects inside Unlimited Blade Works with the potential to finish the job once and for all. He knew somewhat of that Heroic Vessel's powers, which specialized more in spiritual attacks and confinement, so perhaps another approach – one of pure brute force – would be better. "Shuten-sama, I have to trouble you to-"

- Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Slurp…

"Yeah, yeah… Ahh…" She dismissively waved her hand, using the other one to wipe off the excess alcohol flowing down her lips. "Do you think I'll let that traitor do what he pleases? Even though my direct interceptive powers are shackled here, so will his. He thinks of me as the traitor, I think of him as the traitor… Yadda-yadda…"

He smiled while sighing at the same time. "Shuten-sama, I think I'll take away this sake…"

"No! Not my drink…! You're evil! Evil, I tell you!"

The two other girls watched on silently as Shuten-dōji's diminutive body – even smaller than the petite Chiyome – tried her best to climb over Shirō's tall frame, who held her drinking gourd as far away from her hand as possible. Chiyome and Danzō were somewhat concerned this faux-wrestling match could wreck the house, since their physical strength far outstripped the former two, but eventually it came to nothing until Shuten-dōji left, annoyed she had accidentally pledged an oath of abstinence for a month.

Yes, to an immortal being like her, a month passed by like seconds, but she hated it when someone was able to force her to do anything she didn't want to.

"My lord is amazing…" Danzō clapped her hands somewhat monotonously, though her expression conveyed her admiration properly.

"Ha… Ha… Uughm~ ! Ha… Ha… Ha…! Ha… Agh… Ha~ !"

Danzō quietly observed Chiyome's reactions as Shirō's relatively-oversized dick stretched the petite girl's snatch open repeatedly. It's clear this new 'mother' of hers – though Chiyome insisted on maintaining a relationship closer that to a sibling – hadn't stopped orgasming in a while, given how her inner pussy walls were constantly half-pulled out along with Shirō's dick's movement. She could only imagine how good it felt… Her larger frame meant she could accommodate her lord's member fully relatively comfortably, unlike Chiyome who must've been overwhelmed on many occasions with her tight, undersized hole.

"Mngh! Aaaagh?! Ugh… Uugh~ !"

- Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!

With one final flourish, Chiyome's body jerked upwards unnaturally, smacking her stomach against Shirō's own as she felt several jets of hot cum shooting upwards into her belly. Danzō's sharp senses allowed her to hear exactly what's going on inside the miko's body, which eased her rationalizing the sharp increase in her body temperature and moisture in-between her legs.

The now-human doll moved quickly, wet towel already in hand to wipe Chiyome's sweat off. The smaller girl smiled in gratitude, weakly saying, "Haa… D-Danzō-san… I-I'll leave you to handle this b-brute…"

"Understood," she replied, proud to be able to comprehend the joke. "My lord, if you will…"

She saw him shaking his head while chuckling, before moving his body closer and turned his back to her. "Please."

Danzō beamed, enthusiastically mopping off the various liquid covering his body.

Soon, Chiyome's soft, steady breaths could be heard as she fell asleep, tired.

"My lord… I shall clean your front," Danzō cheerfully whispered, letting the unfamiliar giddiness welling up from her new heart taking over. "May I?"

- Pat.

He rubbed her head, patting it firmly. "You don't have to ask permissions for everything, Danzō. Is that not the purpose of your new body? Chiyome and I didn't save you because we want a mindless slave, you know?"

"Still, it's… something I'm comfortable with," she reasoned, tracing his well-muscled chest and abdomen lovingly. "You have brought me back from death, after those I called family has abandoned me… I shall dedicate myself to you, if I may."

"There you go again. Mgh…" He sighed in pleasure as her hands moved to gingerly caress and wipe off his cock. "Danzō… Y-You're experienced…?"

She nodded. "Is that… a negative aspect? Do you think of me-"

"No, no, I couldn't care less," he quickly cut her off. "I just… want to know if we're doing something uncomfortable for you."

- Thud.

In the midst of a semi-handjob, she muttered with her face pressed against his collarbone, "If it's what you or Chiyome-sama ordered, even though you don't like it… I shall do it without hesitation. But… to be honest, I don't like embracing those who I have to kill straight after."

"Y-Yeah… Noted," he breathed out, his voice lightly spiking when she teased his tip with her thumb. "Do you have any preferences, then?"

She looked up, surprised at his question as if no one had ever asked her that before. After a few moments of deliberation, she guessed, "Perhaps… I would like to try something new. Like… becoming one with a man I love, my lord."

"Who is that?"

Her expressionless face stretched slightly wider with a thin smile. "You, of course."

- Thud.

The dull sound was from her pushing him down onto the futon, before twisting to one side and covering Chiyome's naked, sleeping body with a blanket.

"I realize you are tired. Therefore, do sleep; I… shall do the moving."

She made a hand-sign, snuffing the floating candles illuminating the room into pitch darkness.

"Haha… You're just moving me as you wish; having fun?" He teased her, to which she replied with rolling Chiyome slightly to one side.

Their new position became almost like a Nanban sandwhich: Chiyome at one end, Danzō hugging her like a pillow, with Shirō bringing up the rear.

- Munyu.

Without even looking, as if she'd recorded his body shape into memory, she easily moved her bouncy ass to envelop his rock-hard cock – stimulated by the earlier handjob – and inserted it just by shuffling her body back. "H-Haa… ! M-My lord… i-is my body to y-your liking?"

"Definitely," he said softly, not wanting to wake up Chiyome. "You feel amazing."

"I'm g-glad…" she breathed out hotly, hugging back of her lady's head to her bountiful chest. "Please, relax…"

He did as he was told, merely wrapping his longer arms around the two girls.

- Zuru… Zuru… Zuru…

She began to gently grind her hips into his own, her pussy walls wriggling and sucking in his dick automatically as if it was alive. It's a remnant of the skills 'inputted' into her by her 'fathers' in the chase to create the perfect kunoichi. Unlike most shinobi, female workers certainly had an advantage in terms of ability to draw information from targets with their body. Only the most handsome men could achieve the same success in a similar task… and they're very far and few in between.

"Mgh… Danzō… You're great…" her lord whispered into her ear, nuzzling his face into the nook of her neck, eliciting alien tingling which spread through her body. "So comfortable…"

That's the route she's going for. She knew there's little sense in emulating what Chiyome had – especially her partial yōkai transformation – so she chose something the smaller girl couldn't. Additionally, with her new body, she had better minute control of her muscles, almost unnaturally so, compared to her stiffer, cruder older body. Anything to make her lord felt the best, she'd do.

However, her new heart almost skipped a beat when she looked down… and was met with a pair of heterochromatic, dark-purple-and-slitted-golden eyes.

"…can you hold me tighter? Your rocking is making it hard to sleep," Chiyome protested, before fully turning around and nuzzling her face into Danzō's bountiful chest. "No need to hold back with your moans… I can handle it…"

- Zzz…

And just like that, the Sengo Clan's current matriarch fell asleep once again.

Danzō felt another new sensation – it appeared today's activities were very productive in that term – which was the small outpouring of cold sweat.

"Kya!" She twitched when Shirō licked said moisture from the back of her neck. "M-My lord…! Chiyome-sama wishes to rest…!" She whispered sharply, but he wasn't hearing any of it.

"Weren't you the one who wanted to please me? Then, do your best to accommodate both of us, alright?"

"H-Hahn~ "

A moan she couldn't recognize escaped from her mouth as he began to match her grinding movement with his own. She felt his tip engorging slightly, using minimal circular touches and kisses around the deepest area near her womb's mouth. At times, he poked into the thin walls between her pussy and anus; in others, he leaned backwards and ground the spot directly underneath her bladder; occasionally, he poked and drilled right at her cervix's opening, mimicking what she observed to be Chiyome's weak point.

She bit her lips, trying to not scream despite Chiyome verbally allowing her to do so. Tightening her abdominal muscles to prevent the shaking from waking the miko up, she only made herself more sensitive instead, as her inner walls clenched down to meet his strokes.

- …

"E-Eh…? My lord…?"

All of a sudden, he stopped. He reached down to her stomach, pressing hard with one palm on her navel. Despite not being able to see his face, she could feel a playful grin forming across his lips.

"I think you don't have any experience of this."

- Schk. Schk. Schk.

With gentle movements, he stroked her sensitive spots with just his glands alone. Scraping her pussy folds with the neck, poking some places with the tip, he rotated his angles randomly in accordance to how her ass shook with pleasure. She's trembling hard from the mini-orgasms, breathing out silent groans partially from her inhibition against screaming and waking Chiyome up, and partially from the fact the waves of pleasure drove her to the start of hyperventilation.

"Aaa… Aaa… Aaa…" Only pitiful, inhuman moans escaped her throat, croaking like a dead frog when he scraped a particularly thin spot on the wall between her vaginal interior and anal cavity. "O-Ooooooohhhhhhhh…"

- Spurt.

"O-Ogh?!"

Her mouth unconsciously opened into a cone with her tongue wagging straight, as he silently cummed straight inside her without moving.

Normally, such a thing wouldn't be a problem for her, but the fact he'd warmed her body up very well – due to him designing it in the first place – and his palm unknowingly squishing down her womb's outer flesh downwards to meet his tip meant it was enough to send her over.

Around Chiyome's body, Danzō's entire being trembles and twitches silently, as the long orgasm rolled from the centre of her navel to the tips of her fingers and toes, curling them over.

The three of them went to sleep just like that.

"Is Nō asleep?" The beautiful black-haired girl laying down on top of my lap asks.

Well, that's not quite the accurate description, is it? As a matter of fact, many of the women in or near my household have well-groomed black hair – the only difference often comes down to how they style it and how long they keep it.

In both of those terms, Kippōshi is… about average, I think? Not in terms of lustre or other factors of beauty, but merely in terms of length and style. Average waist-length hair… and simple bangs and trim which can be accomplished by a skilled twist of a wrist and tanto in the middle of a battlefield. Besides, she seems to be into some Nanban cosmetics lately… which I should monitor because the experimental nature of this era's ladies' products can bring about negative consequences.

"I think you should check up on her yourself. I believe she'll be happier if you do," I answer, continuing to comb her hair as per her request earlier this evening.

She nonchalantly and playfully pokes at my well-built thigh with some of her fingers. "I have, though. Of course, etiquette demands her to be awake when I do so every time, so I prefer doing it earlier so as to not cut into her sleep. Besides… my question just now is legitimate for someone who has two high-level shinobi as his women, no?"

My eyebrows twitch. "So you have heard of it. As expected of Kippōshi…"

"No, it's just you reek of female bodily juices."

"A-Are you serious?"

A cat smile appears on her lips. "Maybe, maybe not."

I shake my head. "It's likely Kazumasu or Goemon are the ones who've met Danzō, right? Why had that younger cousin of mine not visit me properly, I wonder?"

Kippōshi giggled. "Maybe because she's jealous of Himiko-sama's preferential treatment towards you? You are the Minamoto Clan Head, no? Don't bother yourself with such small stuff."

"Why the hypocritical advice? I know you're secretly spoiling Nobukatsu, even after what he did," I reveal what I know.

- Bikun!

Bullseye.

She shifted her eyes to anywhere but my own, before I gently but firmly hold her face in-between my palms to force her slightly blushing cuteness at my direction. "Why can't you be honest with yourself?"

"Mugugugu… Y-You're not fair…" She mumbles, furrowing her brows in annoyance.

Patting her cheeks, I answer her earlier question, "Regarding Kazumasu, I simply think she's too fascinated in meeting Danzō. She has that effect on people."

"Enough for you to fall in love with her?"

I smirk. "I think that's because she fell in love with me."

She laughs at my frank admission as to how a Heroic Vessel's emotions work, purely because she has no idea of it. Chiyome already has some ideas, but the other girls are still far from me being able to share things without verbal interaction.

"Wait 'till Himiko-sama hear that. She'll cry when her precious 'Onī-chan' is taken away by some hussies." The gleam in her eyes means she's up to no good – perhaps she'll be the one to rat me out to the current Empress and the de jure Minamoto Clan Head.

…that is, if I am not in contact with her regularly through magical communication. Yes, she did pout when she was first introduced to Danzō, but surprisingly she sent her well-wishes, just like the time she wasn't able to attend my and Chiyome's wedding because… well, she's the Empress. Can't be seen visiting some blacksmith's and miko's wedding.

"It's late," I cut off our line of conversation. "You should rest; big day tomorrow."

"What? I don't think a simple rescue mission is too heavy a burden for the great Sengo Muramasa, isn't it?" She stretches out her hands, mimicking what I did earlier to cup my face between her palms. Stroking me lovingly, she adds, "And I believe in the Shirō who saved me back then… because that's something even more impossible."

"Don't sell yourself short. At that time… if Gasha-Dokuro honestly sensed you wished to become that monster you're afraid of, I wouldn't be able to stop you without hurting you," I sincerely explain.

I can imagine it's still as fresh as yesterday for her. The scent of burnt flesh, the sensation of charring bones, the screams of the damned and vengeful, the vision of wasted earth… And those were just the things I experienced. Considering Kippōshi spent quite some time inside those hellish flames, I could only imagine it's so much worse for her.

And that's the first clue I realized she wasn't the same person as the 'female Nobunaga' Alaya knew, and certainly far above the male conqueror 'Emiya Shirō' learnt in school. There's no way her original personality would've survived if something like that happened repeatedly throughout her childhood, and would've just accelerated her transition to become the feared and loathed Demon King she'd become at the time of her death.

To me, simply seeing a young girl being tormented by thing she couldn't control was unbearable. Was it smart for an apprentice blacksmith, not even worthy of a direct audience with a noble, to run in and hug said noble's eldest daughter out of nowhere? But because I'd more likely die all the same by doing exactly that, I chose the path of saving another.

Always. Never falter.

"Do you… believe that at the time?" She weakly whispers, flashes of fear of the truth coming out of her gaze.

She has been nagging me to stop calling her 'Kippōshi' even during our private time. Understandable, since she wants to be seen as a woman and not the little brat who depends on me for every single thing when growing up, owing to the environment she's nurtured in. Once she gained enough confidence and power, though, of course those people who mistreated her were gotten rid off or made to follow her plans by hook or by crook, leaving only those who truly believed in 'Tenka Fubu' as her closest retainers.

Additionally, I removed some remnants who aimed to stir trouble, without involving Nobukatsu's frankly admirable self-sacrifice.

But right now, she's undoubtedly 'Kippōshi'. Not 'Oda Nobunaga', not the 'Demon King of Sixth Heaven'.

"Absolutely," I answer without hesitation. "The flames didn't hurt me just by looking at it… because I trust you."

"Just in that first sight alone?"

"How many times we've had this conversation, Kippōshi-chan? Hm?" I smile at her, noticing the small blush returning to her face at the childhood nickname I call her with. "I just have a feeling, that's all. Maybe… Maybe it's precisely because it's our first meeting that I didn't have any bias towards you? Unlike those bas- people your father had around to take care of his children?"

"Ufufu… It's fine to call them that, you know. You have my permission," she giggles, removing her palms to grab my own with them. "Yes, maybe that's the reason why. I am so fortunate."

Sensing something is up, I brave myself to ask, "…why this conversation now? Do you have something else in mind?"

- …

What worried me the most is she doesn't answer immediately. When she's not boisterously making decisions or bravely arguing with people she shouldn't – i.e. her normal behaviour – I have no doubt there's something big enough to make her feel personally threatened.

What is it? Or is it a 'who'? I must allocate some resources into researching whatever she says next – either time, energy, materials, or all of them – and solve them for good.

"Do you ever have the experience… of knowledge of one's past self?"

- Thump.

That is definitely the proverbial sound of my heart hitting the floor.

I use all of my hard-learnt emotional skills to keep a natural, confused face to ask back, "What do you mean? Like Samsara?"

"Yeah, something like that. I know it's said to be impossible – but you know full well how these scriptures are! They're more often than not worse to read than their writers! Those logheads!" Kippōshi gets uncharacteristically fired up, being very defensive against the argument I haven't started yet. "The reincarnation cycles are made pure to ensure the balance… Pooh! Then how can a soul learn and improve to escape it in the first place? Be logical! Chance? Luck?"

Is this how women normally are, and are the ones around me simply exceptional in character? To be fair, Kippōshi has also an unnaturally level head for someone her age, going back to the moment I first met her, so is this just an outburst piling on inside her, waiting to be released?

- Haa… Haa…

She pants lightly after that rant, her face reddening with both exertion and slight embarrassment she's lost composure in front of me. "S-Shirō, um… Just now, sorry…"

"No need to. If not in front of me, then where else can you do so? It's fine – I'm made of sterner stuff," I smile, trying to calm her down by patting her cheeks with my hands which are wrapped in hers from earlier. "But your theory is sound… To the point I'm sure you're experiencing one right now, right?"

"U-Ugh…"

"Haa…" I feign a disappointed sigh, still struggling to maintain my façade above the shock. "Really, with everything we've been through, do you have so little faith in me?"

"Of course not!"

Her body shoots upwards, instantly shifting in place in order to kneel right in front of me. Granted, the situation means her face is far closer than what's necessary – to the point a slight extension of my tongue will be enough to French kiss her right now – but she's too agitated to realize.

"What if me telling you this will bring misfortune upon you?! What if… What if you start to see me as a lunatic…? I-I can't stand that!" She leans her upper body forward, eyes slightly tearing up in heartfelt confession.

- Chu.

While her mouth is still slightly opened from her speech, I slip my tongue in, simultaneously firmly holding her shoulder in place with my arms.

- Chu… Chupu… Chupo…

Her lips are stiff from shock, so I take the opportunity to lewdly bite her lower one before going in again. The tip of my tongue licks against her tender gums and mushy tongue base, before she instinctively moves the latter to match me. Knowing she's a novice, I patiently guide her, using my tongue as a fleshy appendage to initiate a hot handshake with her own – firstly knocking our tips together, then slowly curling the sides to interlock them in a half-braid, constantly switching from side-to-side for a few seconds.

"Puha-!"

"Calmed down yet?"

Her eyes are incredibly wide, trembling in surprise at my loving ones – an expression I always reserved from showing her, knowing what it'd do to her focus in conquering Nihon – before raising one disbelieving finger to touch her moist lips, panting in unfamiliar exertion all the while.

"S-Shirō…"

"You know, I think I've said this to you many times." Choosing to abandon my earlier amazement of her 'reincarnated person' status, I stay resolute in its outcome. "I… don't know what I should do with this information. But I know one thing: I'll always stand beside you, no matter what happens."

- Stroke…

Caressing her hair in a different manner than the usual brotherly pat, I continue, "If you think I'll receive misfortune, then the blades of Muramasa will cut even fate itself for you. If you think you'll lose control, the tempered soul of Muramasa will ensconce you. If you think no one is by your side…"

- Chupu.

Still shaking, she shows a whimsical smile at me. "H-Ha… H-Haha… N-Now who's the one ranting…?"

"Why must you be so competitive?" I chuckle, before tackling her to the ground.

The move disarrays her sleepwear kimono – deep crimson, the same colour as her hellish flames – and reveals her perky breasts which are one cup bigger than Chiyome's.

"Ahh… Guards… Help… I'm being assaulted by a brigand…" Kippōshi monotonously and mischievously states, clearly having no intention of resisting or even re-dressing herself. "H-He's going to r-rob my virginity…"

I want to laugh, but I simply lift my body slightly to free up my hands – which are doing exactly that: pinning her down – to pull in her kimono shut.

"That's a bad habit of yours, Tatsumi," I call out to a random spot in the wall, lifting the tense Kippōshi into my arms and hiding most of her front side from view. "You'll get yourself shot at one of these days."

The girl in my arms also does exactly that: summoning a sleek, crimson-and-gold decorated long one-handed rifle into her free hand… before shooting it without my permission.

- Click!

…and that is the sound of Tatsumi's hand clutching the hammer near the back of the firearm, his other one shifting the barrel to one side.

He immediately retreats and kneels submissively, apologizing, "Sorry for barging in, Clan Head, Princess General. It's just… a bad habit, as you said."

"Then get the fuck out!" Kippōshi angrily spits out, eyeing the corners where her bodyguards are supposed to be.

One advantage of having Gasha-Dokuro as her Guardian Spirit is the ability to connect and sense when and where the emotions of her troops – or the opponents' – are going. While my methods are different, both of us can feel they're just knocked out without injury by Tatsumi, so punishing him for this any further is perhaps inappropriate.

She then returns her gaze to the still-kneeling Mutsu Clan Head, before harrumphing. "Hmph! Shirō, clean things up for me!"

"As you wish."

"Nobunaga-sama, I feel this is also something you should hear," Tatsumi stops her steps. She whirled around fiercely, the action almost undoing the thin obi she uses as sleepwear, but he's unmoved by the silent threat. "Rather… I think this has more to do with you than Shirō."

I, too, try to keep my annoyance from tainting my voice… though judging from Tatsumi's smirk, I've failed. "What do you want?"

His stance relaxes slightly, removing the subservient air he portrays earlier. However, one thing which significantly changes is that earlier smirk, replacing it with a solemn expression.

- Pata.

"No…" Kippōshi whispers out, falling to her knees weakly.

The thing Tatsumi has just pulled out is the bottle which belongs to Kohaku, last seen when she's serving warm milk inside it for Kippōshi.

This time, Tatsumi fully bows without any pretence of bravado. "Kohaku… My wife has passed away. She wishes to send this back as a representative of her body."

- …

A few seconds pass without anyone doing or saying anything, all of us still trying to process different things.

No doubt within Kippōshi's mind… memories of her time together with that common-blooded half-sister of hers flash continuously without end. I shift closer to Tatsumi, and as etiquette dictates, take the well-worn bottle to present it to her. Heartless, yes, but something the grief-filled heart of mine robotically makes me do.

Sometimes, being a Heroic Vessel can become a hassle in times like this.

I can feel Kippōshi losing control near me through the empathetical connection between us, her sadness and anger and regret flowing non-stop and uncontrollably inside me. Much as I try to control it, Gasha-Dokuro is feasting on these negative emotions inside her, compounding the torrent rushing in through the deliberately-thin emotional barrier Alaya has designed in me.

Then, I shift my gaze to Tatsumi while struggling with Kippōshi's trembling figure… and that, too, is a mistake.

The moment our eyes meet, his suicidal thoughts also flow into me.

This man… comes here prepared to die. Knowing Kippōshi's demeanour, it's an understandable fear she'd just shoot him the moment the news broke own. Even Tatsumi wouldn't be able to dodge the current her's shooting prowess at such close range… and that's assuming he wanted to dodge.

The Mutsu Clan Head can control his emotions well – as can most of our extended family members – and it helps… slightly. The image of a healthy pair of twin boys, smiling at their father without a care in the world and knowledge of their mother's passing, certainly is one of the pillars preventing him from jumping off that slope permanently… but it doesn't mean everything can be filtered out.

I happen to know Tatsumi doesn't know about this trait of mine… or whether I'm a Heroic Vessel and not just his second cousin. I think Kippōshi has some ideas, given how long we've known each other and how often she opens up to me fully about her personal issues. Chiyome definitely knows something, because the first act of sex is often enough to initiate the Dream Cycle without my knowledge.

So what? Do all those hypothesis helps me in retaining control with everything going on in this room?

Hopefully, yes.

Slowly, tenderly, as if she's holding a priceless china set, Kippōshi reaches out to the bottle with the tips of her fingers, careful not to accidentally shoot forth a stream of destructive flames out of her every orifice. Her hair is fully crimson, transforming faster than I've ever seen her do, but her expression is solemn – devoid of the helplessness and 'about to scream' expression from earlier.

"I see. Thank you, Tatsumi, for taking care of my sister all this time," she says calmly – eerily so – clutching the bottle into her chest, grasping at some sort of phantom heat still remaining in it. I can certainly feel the trace amounts of magical energy emanating from it, which I assume is a remnant of Kohaku's dying will, flowing into this older sister. "Shirō… I shall retire for the night."

"Certainly."

I bow, and Tatsumi follows suit without making a sound. The two of us leave together, careful not to trod upon the sleeping bodyguards littered around the hallways – I have to review the security details later, if it's this easy to sneak into Kippōshi's room – and mindlessly make our way to the central garden.

"You alright?" When we finally stop, it's near a complex of large, man-sized bonsai trees with strategically-placed stone benches at one side of the garden. Leaning on one particularly large rock, I ask Tatsumi that, finally noticing his haggard looks and scraggly beard. "Stay at my house tonight. That's not a request – it's an order, alright?"

He pitifully smiles, nodding. "Yeah, that… that sounds nice."

"How was she?"

"Happy… I think," he manages to answer after some silence. "She… Giving birth to twins shouldn't be a dangerous thing anymore, right? So, why… Why did she have to…?"

There's nothing more painful than seeing someone holding back tears, clinging on to that thin line of sanity just enough not to break down publicly in front of people.

However, Tatsumi is made of stronger stuff. I know this. Thus, it's relieving to see him collect himself quickly and add, "The boys are healthy, if that's what you're asking. She… did her best. Is that the proper thing to say?"

"Yes. Of that, I have no doubt," I confidently reply. "If you want, I can have Chiyome ask for confirmation."

"Ahaha… Yeah, I forgot Gishi-no-Ane can do that," he chuckles, seemingly having taken off the weight burdening his shoulder. "Thank you, Itoko-san."

"Eh, you can stop with that. Makes my spine tingle uncomfortably," I wave it off, mimicking a disgusted shiver at his manner of speaking. "Hearing and seeing you speak so formally is already a miracle – don't push your luck. If I wasn't there, you would've died just now… I'm sure Kohaku won't want that."

I'm referring to the earlier exchange. Yes, Tatsumi managed to disable Kippōshi's first shot, but what of their respective Living Weapon abilities? No matter how formidable his Tengu transformation is in hand-to-hand combat, Gasha-Dokuro… doesn't care about that. At all. A giant flaming skeleton can just smack him flat, repeatedly, until he's as smashed as a killed cockroach.

He introspectively looks at the sky. "Why can't you be wrong sometimes? Give us common folks a chance, damnit."

"If it's not me, then who? You idiots will just destroy yourselves without people like me," I jest back. "Like the ones we're taking out tomorrow. Wanna' come?"

Surprisingly, he shakes his head. "No sense in overcrowding. And yes, I've caught wind of what you're doing through my own means – doesn't mean others can, so you're safe." He extends one palm out to stop me from interrupting him. "Mino's not particularly strong against your eventual team, I'm sure. I'd rather save my strength and assist Nobunaga-sama against Imagawa… if that's alright with you."

He silently assumes I'm the decision maker in these two campaigns – one covert, one overt.

…and he's right.

I extend a fist, bumping it with his open palm without waiting for him to respond properly. "Then, I'll count on you, Jūtei-kun."

Glossary Update!

H

Hyakki Yakō

Night Parade of One-Hundred Demons. A pandemonium unfortunately happening so common prior to the human-yōkai non-aggression pact signed by the Minamoto Shogunate during the Heian Period. More of a freak natural occurrence than an intentional attack, it's caused by sudden thinning and breaking of the barrier between the Reverse Side and Outside World at random points. However, the openings weren't large enough to allow incredibly powerful beings to go through, meaning usually only low-levelled, unintelligent beings were able to rush and strike at human settlements.

Of course, some individuals thought of it as something they could use against one another, and soon ritual circles and formulas were created to invoke this phenomenon at will. Eventually, Divine Spirit-level yōkai were able to make it through such as Tamamo-no-Mae, Otakemaru, and Shuten-dōji, each establishing their own residence and realms in the Outside World permanently. Their relationship with their human counterparts differed just as much as that among humans.