Il Cielo dei Tre Regni
by Lunar Wave
Disclaimer: This story borrows the setting and characters of the Koihime†Musou series and borrows multiple elements from Katekyo Hitman Reborn. I own neither series as they both belong to their respective owners. Also, considering Koihime†Musou could be considered a fanfic of the Three Kingdoms, I'd like to say I don't own anything related to the stories of the Three Kingdoms.
-()-
Arrival at Kyoshou
-()-
The city of Kyoshou, the main hub of all activity for Sousou's forces. A center of trade of the country, now that Rakuyou has become a shell of what it once was.
"You won't mind a few festivities, would you, Hongou?"
"I would." Kazuto remarked, "But I know how important this little march is to you. So go on, let's smile awkwardly at a crowd for the time it takes for your soldiers to escort us from the gate to your palace, where we will continue to smile awkwardly as various nobles greet us in turn."
"You do realize that this is also important for letting Reiha know that Kentei-sama has moved locations, yes?" Sousou frowned.
"Well, duh, but the major thing is that the people of Kyoshou, and thus your territory, know that we have." Kazuto shrugged. "As I said, we don't mind. Let's get it over with. Paitan?"
"Yes, I'm ready." Paitan nodded.
"Then, up you go." Kazuto hefted the girl onto the palanquin. "Let the parade start!"
"I believe that I'm the one giving orders here, Hongou." Sousou frowned.
Kazuto merely laughed, "Oh please, you aren't any more comfortable than I am at this display. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can be back in your room, scheming how to make friends with Paitan."
"Don't assume things about me." Sousou rolled her eyes.
"If you did like parades, you would've made it more of a show. Dancers on the street, music blaring every which way." Kazuto scoffed, "But this is just a straight march to your home, with your soldiers cordoning off the path."
"And why would I waste the money on something like that?"
"If you're Enshou, you would."
"And I'm not Reiha."
"Just pointing out that Enshou would totally have paraded the entire city, with musicians and dancers all over the place, to show off the sights to their wonderful emperor."
"Hongou." Kakouen interrupted. "You are no longer in Joshuu or in the company of your companions. Please have some level of decorum." Accompanying her dry words is a glare.
To which, Kazuto's only response is an internal rolling of the eyes, and a "Maybe." Kazuto nodded, "So, Sousou?"
Sousou sighed, "Let's go."
-()-
The parade was, as Kazuto said, surprisingly brief. From Kazuto's point of view, the citizens didn't really know what to think of the Emperor entering their city when they are aware that Enshou has launched a campaign against her. In the same vein, they aren't scared. They all have full confidence that Sousou can protect their city. For now, they were curious, only watching the proceedings. Some are even impatient to get the parade over with so that they can get on with their busy lives. Some, of course, are taking the opportunity to profit from the parade itself.
Soon enough, they reached the palace and entered the main hall. Lined up along the sides are various nobilities and officials of the territory. An extravagant yet practical throne stood at the end. Kazuto and Josho escorted Paitan to it, and she took her seat, in the most regal way she could… which sadly isn't much, considering her size. The throne, frankly, is pretty much Sousou's throne, and the designs more or less complement Sousou, making Paitan feel ill-fitted to sit on it. Kazuto frowned a bit and together stood towards Paitan's right side. He is further forward, while Josho is behind him. Sousou, also took a place, this time to Paitan's left.
And so, the most tedious portion of this entire exercise began. Sousou began calling the names of each of the nobles that are present and those nobles each regaled their duties to the territory and what they can offer to the empire, the country at large. Each time, Paitan had to politely nod and let them soliloquy about their usefulness. There are a bunch of people bringing girls and boys around Paitan's age, dressed to the nines. Likely a ploy for a marriage tie. Offering their young for Paitan's sake.
"… I am not looking for husbands or wives at this time." Paitan finally announced as one noble spent about fifteen minutes trying to convince her to take his son as a part of her concubines.
"If anything, it's the perfect time." The noble argued, "With so much turmoil, it would do much to the stability of the country if you had an heir waiting."
Paitan bit her lips at the insistent man, turning to Kazuto for support.
Kazuto nodded, "This is not a discussion." Kazuto told him, "Frankly, we do not know you, nor do you know Kentei."
"Can the outsider butt out?" The noble arrogantly scoffed.
"You will not talk to Kazuto-niisama that way!" Paitan raised her voice. "Kindly leave if all you can offer me are more mouths to feed!"
"H-h-…"
"What Kentei-sama means is simple:" Kazuto smiled. His eyes glowed orange for a split second, and the noble felt a chill down his spine. "Why is a noble, whose rank isn't even normally high enough to address the emperor normally, making her own choices for her?" Kazuto then glared, "… are you implying that you have better taste in men than she does?"
"E-e-excuse me? Are you accusing me of being…"
Kazuto didn't even bother listening, as he turned to Sousou, "Sousou, a question? Is this man's family that great that we cannot afford to insult him? Cause I listened to all he said, and I do not remember him ever mentioning being a valued military general or one of your advisors that you actually pay attention to." Addressing Sousou seems to work, as the arrogant noble flinched. The moment Sousou's name came up, all the 'suitors' seem to break out in cold sweat.
Sousou scoffed before nodding. "A good point, Hongou." She turned to the suitor, "Here's my question. What makes your son worth considering more than others? I haven't even heard his name before today, and frankly, I had already forgotten it. Speaking of. Which noble family are you from again?"
"How rude! I am-"
"Ah, no, sorry, I think I've temporarily gone deaf from all the drivel you've been spouting for the past few minutes." Sousou tilted her head, "But I do at least remember the families with achievements. How many of your children have entered military service again? Or are they in a cushy clerical job that they aren't even that good at? Besides, your son isn't even good-looking. Pretty arrogant of you to think that he's even worth Kentei's time of day."
"Th-that's…"
"If anything, the fact that he hasn't spoken up and let you do all the talking shows just how pathetic he is. The emperor isn't so poor in choices that she'll choose your son as her husband. You, a mere noble whose only gift is being descended from a talented individual, she's already being gracious enough to let you even speak with her. Kindly stand down before I make you stand down."
"… Josho." Kazuto whispered to the girl at the other side of Paitan, "Look into his and every noble family who's being pushy. I bet we can dig up some skeletons in their closets." There are very few noble families who don't.
"Already planning on it." Josho nodded.
"Thank you." Paitan meekly told them.
"Now, enough proposals for wives and husbands." Sousou scoffed after thoroughly dressing down the idiot, "The emperor has come a long way and is likely exhausted. Those who contribute nothing to the territory, kindly escort yourselves out, or I'll order you to be escorted out."
Kazuto scoffed. If Sousou wanted to, she could've done this a lot earlier. But she decided to wait so that Paitan can be worn down mentally. And them too, but honestly, Kazuto just learned to drone out the nonsense.
Soon enough, all that was left were the nobles with duties related to the court's maintenance and Sousou's inner circle. After brief introductions, the other courtiers also left, likely intimidated by Sousou's presence.
"Lastly, these are my best and brightest." Sousou announced, and Kazuto nodded, noting many of the known key players of Sousou's Army among them.
Three of them have clear relations with Sousou herself, and their introductions made it clear.
"I am Soujin Shikou! A general!" One announced freely. Soujin wears the least of the Sou Quartet. Her only upper-body clothes just being enough to cover the top of her breasts, showing that she doesn't even wear underwear under it. Her hair is styled in a single prominent drill to her left, much like Sousou with only one of her two tails. Kazuto's first impression of her is that she's the upbeat, cheerful one of the family. Not that bright, but a welcome breath of fresh air compared to the nobles that came before her.
"I'm her younger sister. Soujun Shiwa. Also a general." A girl whose hair is a bit lighter than the other members, and is a bit quieter as well. She's a lot more conservative than her older sister, although that's not saying much really, as her cleavage is rather prominently shown. Kazuto's first impression of her is that she's the responsible member of the Sou Quartet, as well as the one put upon the most by her older sister's antics.
"We've met." Soukou Shiren huffed. Kazuto laughed a bit.
"Nice to meet you too, Soukou. But you didn't meet Kentei. We made sure of that much. So mind introducing yourself to the class?"
Soukou gave a brief glare at Kazuto.
"Eika." Sousou nudged the girl verbally. So that's her True Name. Good to know.
The girl nodded, "Soukou Shiren. Treasurer. Sometimes takes part as a General."
"Thank you, Soukou. Don't worry, I didn't bring my math homework."
"Your idea of torture still hurts my head," Soukou grumbled.
"Oh please. Now if you ever wind up with our accounts, you already have an idea what they say." Kazuto rolled his eyes. "It's pretty much a win for you."
"That remains to be seen." Soukou refused to budge.
"Anyway, next." Sousou interrupted. "Hongou, stop flirting with my cousin."
"Fine fine." Kazuto laughed, "And then the next?"
"Kakouton and Jun'iku are still in the northern border attacking Enshou, so what's left are…" Josho murmured. Kakouen Myousai, Ten'i, Kyocho Chuukou, the trio of Gakushin, Riten, and Ukin, and Jokou Koumei. That left quite a few that they have yet to meet… speaking of…
"… If I recall correctly, you mentioned that Choukou was in your number?" Kazuto looked at Sousou.
"She went north with Shia to aid Shunran." Sousou replied with a nod. Shia… that's Chouryou Bun'en's true name, if he recalled what the Toutaku Group said correctly.
"… Got it." Fair enough. If the war up north goes well, Choukou would be able to capture her former lord's territory.
"Now then, the rest." Kazuto looked.
"I am Kakuka Houkou. Advisor." The glasses-wearing brunette said. If Kazuto had to give a first impression on her… Smart, but has a hidden side… judging by how she's deliberately trying to not look at Sousou. Either she doesn't like Sousou or she has a massive crush and would faint at sight and is just trying her best to keep as professional as possible.
"… Zzzzz." The blonde shorter girl next to Kakuka wasn't even awake. She had a small puppet on her head and is wearing clothing that pretty much makes her the most covered up of all the girls here.
"Fair enough." Kazuto said in response to the girl's introduction. "Would she want to be escorted to her bedroom?"
"Fuu." Kakuka tapped the girl.
"Fuwa?" The girl murmured. "Oh, it's my turn? Tei'iku Chuutoku. Advisor." First impression of her is that she's the oddball of Sousou's advisors. "This is Houkei." She points to her puppet.
"Greetings to the Emperor!" The puppet (or rather, Tei'iku) spoke.
"I see. Nice to meet the both of you." Paitan nodded, a bit unsure with that introduction.
"That's it then?" Kazuto looked around. It seemed as if everyone has spoken.
"Wait a minute!" A loud voice echoed from the doorway.
"Oh, right. Of course." Kazuto laughed. "Hello, Chiihou."
At the doorway, stood their family, that had flown the coop nearly half a year ago. At her side are two (relatively panicked) girls. One with pink hair, the other blue-violet. Her sisters. One Kazuto already met, before, but only briefly.
"Hoy! Chiihou! You weren't supposed to be here!" Soukou glared at her.
"The stuffy nobles are all out, and I'm not your slave." Chiihou replied easily. "Paitan-sama, Kazuto-san!"
"It's nice to see you again, Chiihou." Paitan nodded. "Are these your sisters?"
"Mmhmm!" She nodded, "Tenhou and Renhou." She indicated each. So these are Choukaku and Chouryou.
"Ah, well, I…" The indicated Renhou stuttered a bit, the pressure of the room suffocating her. In turn, her pink-haired sister didn't seem worried.
"Hello! So you're Chiihou's Kazuto-niisan, right? I'm Tenhou!"
"Tenhou-neechan!" Renhou hissed, "That's his True Name!"
"Tenhou-neechan!" Chiihou moaned at the exact same time, "Why'd you have to put it like that!?"
"Nice to meet you two. I've heard much about you." Kazuto laughed.
"… I'm Renhou." Renhou introduced herself. "… Speaking of, umm… Kentei-sama. Thank you for pardoning the three of us."
"If it helped you, then that's reassuring." Kentei nodded. "Although, I'd prefer it if you didn't… start a rebellion after drinking too much."
"… That's the real story?" Soujun blinked. "… Really?"
"You didn't tell them?" Kazuto turned to Sousou, who shrugged in response.
"Didn't see a need to. Although now that you mention it, I have half a mind to ban them from unsupervised drinking."
"You said you won't restrict my freedoms, Sousou-sama." Chiihou pointed out.
"But I can tell the restaurant owners to not serve you alcohol." Sousou returned smugly.
"That's cruel!" Tenhou pleaded.
"Ten-neesan, Chii-neesan!" Renhou hissed.
"Kazuto-niichan? Please?"
"All she said is unsupervised drinking." Kazuto laughed a bit. "So you should still be able to drink as long as someone's looking out for you."
"You're not helping!" Chiihou pouted. Kazuto merely gave a smile back. Soon Chiihou too smiled, "… It's… nice to see you again."
"Mmhmm."
"How long will you be here?"
"For as long as Paitan needs to be here." Kazuto shrugged. "This war with Enshou is promising to be a long one…" Kazuto sighed. Once Enshou gets entrenched in her territory, it'll be like making a mountain move. Enshou has a source of food in both Yuushuu and Kishuu, and no northern border to worry about.
"… I see." Chiihou nodded.
"Why not come visit when you get the chance?" Paitan offered. "It'll be like old times."
"R-right!" Chiihou laughed. "That… that would be nice."
"Scared?" Kazuto said teasingly, "Don't tell me you didn't get any better since we last saw you."
"No! Of course not!" Chiihou replied back with a huff.
"Looking forward to it then." Kazuto smiled.
"Alright, as fun as it is to watch your group get lost in your own world," Sousou sighed, "Let's not lose sight of what needs to happen."
"War-wise? We'll leave this front to you." Kazuto replied. "I don't know your military and how you organized yourselves. I assume defending your territory and pushing the Enshuu front won't be too difficult?"
"And what will the Joshuu side be doing?" Sousou frowned. "You can't expect us to shoulder all the heavy lifting."
"I left that decision to the strategists." Kazuto replied, "Go make correspondences if you want. All we do is approve their strategies, not make them." Kentei nodded in concurrence.
"Hoh? Do you expect me to believe that you were not informed of any preliminary plans before we left? That they didn't confer to you their plans?"
"If I tell you that that time was spent discussing how best to run away from you, would you believe it?" Kazuto dryly responded.
"… They did plan to invade us with Batou's army." Kakouen conceded.
"…" Sousou frowned, "You do not trust us."
"You've never given us a reason to trust you." Kazuto pointed out in turn. "If anything, most of your actions have been outright untrustworthy. Our presence here wasn't due to our trust in you, but because you forced our hand."
"Then I suppose I have an idea on what the eastern front will do."
Kazuto blinked from the unexpected voice, pinpointing immediately who did, "… Go on, Tei'iku."
"Since you do not trust us, you expect us to not take the western front seriously." Tei'iku hummed, "That means the eastern front, in your view, will be the key to winning the war against Enshou. So likely, Ryuubi will be making overtures in Seishuu to ask for passage. Am I right?"
Sousou looked at Tei'iku with a frown before nodding. "Makes sense, although I'd think I'm afforded more faith than that."
Kazuto laughed, "Well, that's the cynical point of view. But it's a bit wrong still. As it is, Joshuu's in no shape to field a war on the eastern front, as you call it. Not for a while."
"Why?" Sousou frowned.
"The supply train, of course." Kazuto shrugged. "We had to pull out supplies from the northern border of Joshuu. We need our farmers to go back to their fields and salvage what they can before they wilt from neglect. Logistically speaking, we can't advance the eastern front."
"So the only front right now is the Enshuu front." Tei'iku nodded. "But if I'm only a little bit wrong…"
"That was part of the discussion, yes. We definitely said those words during the meeting." Kazuto nodded.
"If that's the case, can you spare soldiers to help out?" Kakuka asked.
"What makes you think we haven't?" Kazuto blinked.
"… I don't remember that discussion." Sousou frowned. "If you have devoted soldiers, you should've told me."
"What makes you think I know?" Kazuto's smirked.
"… What?" Sousou flatly asked.
-()-
At that exact time…
"Run, run, run! It's General Ryofu!"
"Why is she here!?"
Ryofu didn't even spare them a glance as she charges into enemy lines.
-()-
"… Let's leave it at that." Kazuto laughed. "But as is, we need to fix our supplies issue right now, and we'll need to dedicate most of our soldiers to that."
"Why?" Kakuka frowned.
"Ask Sousou for the details, but let's just say our strategy was very expensive." Kazuto shrugged.
Sousou smugly responded, "Could've been avoided if you asked for help first."
"Could've, but didn't. The past has passed. Let's move on and work on the current situation." Kazuto sighed. "For now, let's handle our arrangements here."
"I presume you have no estate in my territory that you would rather sleep at?" Sousou asked condescendingly.
"After our gracious hosting of you last month, I'd hope your accommodations are just as well-prepared," Kazuto replied back easily. "You certainly made use of its features quite well."
"And I thought it was supposed to be soundproofed. How would you know?" Sousou frowned.
"I merely meant that you had quite a nice rest," Kazuto replied amusedly.
"…" Sousou frowned, not wanting to fall for the bait any further. She's starting to see why the Ryuubi Faction sinks into these tangents so easily at this point. "We'll prepare three bedrooms. We'll also clear out an official room for the Emperor."
"Great." Kazuto nodded, turning to Chiihou and shaking his head a bit. "We'll talk later. Not now." He mouthed.
"Hmm?" Sousou frowned at that interaction. But she did see Chiihou lower her hand.
"So that's all well and good, I expect security won't be an issue?" Kazuto asked.
"Only the best." Sousou proudly replied.
"I trust you won't be burdening us too much about your territory issues, right?" Kazuto shrugged.
"The three of you are free to do as you will."
"Is that so… well that's fine." Kazuto shrugged.
"I do intend on bringing things to Kentei to look into, but I doubt that will happen every day." Sousou shrugged.
"That's… a lot better than at home." Paitan nodded.
"That's the normal way of nobles, Paitan." Kazuto sighed, "Where they laze on their fat ass doing nothing, while their subordinates do all the work and they still profit off of it."
"You have a problem with delegation, Hongou?" Sousou asked.
"Of course not." Kazuto frowned, "I suppose I should give an example from the history of my country then? My country had an imperial family, however, because they preferred to leave the work to the military and pursue their own hobbies, soon all their power has mostly turned into that of a figurehead, and the true leader of the country is the one in charge of the military, the shogun."
"I think I read that before too…" Kentei murmured. Likely from the history books that Reborn brought them.
Sousou blinked at that admission and frowned. "… Then what do you want to do?"
"For now, this is your territory, and it'll be wrong to butt in where we don't belong, not just yet. So we'll do things your way." Kazuto hummed. "See the sights, maybe watch a few events, right, Chiihou?"
"With the war going on, all our events are local, so that should be fine." Chiihou nodded. "They're not as big as back home though."
"Really?" Kazuto blinked, "I'd have thought Sousou could give you a bigger budget than what we gave you, even if you're still performing small scale…"
"We're having a hard time selling merchandise, actually." Chiihou scratched her head.
"… I'll look into what makes here so different than back in Yuushuu, I guess." Kazuto nodded. "There's a bunch of different reasons it hasn't taken off as well as it did."
"Like what?" Soukou passive-aggressively butted in, with some annoyance.
"One would be how much money most people in the territory have to spend," Kazuto replied. "If they only have barely enough to buy food, then merchandise wouldn't be too good to have."
"I don't think that's a problem…" Chiihou frowned. "I mean, we still get quite a decent amount from just the lives."
"You break even?"
"Yeah." Chiihou nodded.
"Then they have plenty of free time then. That either invalidates my first argument, or emphasizes it."
"How could it be both they don't have enough money to buy even food, or they can afford to buy merchandise?" Soukou frowned.
"Because the only people who would, to put bluntly, spend time watching people dance, are those with enough free time that, if they're lacking money, can spend on working, or… they've already given up on being functional members of society and are just wasting time having fun. Like an alcoholic, except less about booze, and more entertainment. Maybe both, if you sell sake at the events."
"Usually no." Chiihou shrugged.
"Then again, that can't be the only reason." Kazuto frowned, "Another could simply just be the difference in marketing…"
"So Sosou." Chiihou said in amusement.
"Basically Sosou, yes." Kazuto nodded.
"Sosou?" Sousou asked. It's close enough to her own name to be wary.
"A former vassal." Kazuto replied. "When we got kicked out of Yuushuu, he stayed behind. A merchant's kid and all, and spent a lot of time with us to help with sales. He pretty much galvanized a workforce from scratch to produce Chiihou's merchandise."
"And what would he know that I don't?" Soukou frowned.
"He's the son of a merchant." Kazuto pointed out, "He has sold his wares around Yuushuu, Seishuu, Kishuu, and Joshuu. He has a feel for what the general public would want and he simply delivered. Supply and Demand. That's not really something you get as a treasurer of a territory." Soukou grew a bit irate from that, "Anyway, I don't have the full picture so I'm not going to make any judgments or definite statements on that just yet."
"You sure said a lot for someone not going to make judgments or statements." Soukou sulkily murmured
"So you're going to oversee us then?" Chiihou excitedly asked.
"Only if Sousou and your sisters are fine with it." Kazuto wryly replied.
"Sure." Tenhou nodded, "Since Chiihou likes you, I want to know more about you too!"
"… It would be nice to know exactly what we're trying to emulate and not just go off what Chii-nee says." Renhou nodded, although a bit hesitant, as she looked at Sousou.
"I'm against letting an outsider have any stake in our business!" Soukou yelled.
"That is fair." Kazuto solemnly nodded.
"You aren't helping!" Soukou glared at him.
"You're just still mad that Kazuto-nii is better." Chiihou stuck her tongue at Soukou.
"Youuuu!"
There's a story there that Kazuto wasn't too familiar with. Did Chiihou continuously compare him with Soukou, making her develop an inferiority complex against him?
"Ehem," Sousou interjected, "Enough of this matter. We'll discuss this at length at a later date. For now, let's end this conversation and settle them in. The travel was rather exhausting all considering, and let's not overburden the Emperor with details that can be discussed in more private settings. Rin, Fuu, kindly show them around."
""Understood."" Kakuka and Tei'iku nodded.
"Can we come with?" Tenhou asked, innocently.
Sousou frowned, as if considering it. She looked at Chiihou who was trying to keep a neutral face, but anyone could see that she was hopeful for it. "… Very well." Tenhou and Chiihou cheered in response, "Shan, Nagi, Mao, and Sawa, escort them, if you will."
"Understood." Gakushin nodded. Shan nodded next to her.
"Okay~" Ukin nodded.
"Now you have no chance of getting out of my questioning, Hongou!" Riten declared.
"As long as the questions aren't invasive, fine, I guess." Kazuto shrugged, as he held out his hand to Paitan. Paitan accepted it and stood up from the throne. Gakushin then quickly spearheaded the group, as they went to where Kazuto believed to be the inner court. As they walked past the doorway out of the court, he could see the other members shuffling away, with Sousou flanked immediately by Kakouen, Kyocho, and Ten'i.
-()-
"What's your relationship with Chiihou?"
This was the first thing that was heard among their group as they made their trek towards the palace's inner court.
"She's family." Kazuto easily replied.
"But we're Chiihou's family." Tenhou pouted.
"Not the blood-related type of family, otherwise my relationships would become completely weird." Kazuto frowned. "Where I come from… or rather, how I grew up, family isn't just the people blood-related to you. It also includes lovers, inseparable friends, and their relatives… of course, that also means that I have to acknowledge that the pricks of their family trees are also family, even if I don't like them."
"Sounds like a pain," Tei'iku remarked.
"It's like declaring Sousou your family, you have to acknowledge that Enshou is also family because of their past history." Kazuto nodded.
"Okay, now that's a scary thought," Kakuka grumbled but…
"Umm… is she alright?" Kazuto frowned. "… her nose is…"
"Not now, Rin." Tei'iku sighed, as Kakuka hurriedly grabbed a handkerchief to try and stymie the blood
"… She has a massive crush on Sousou, and that results in nosebleeds?" Kazuto frowned.
"You figured it out from one incident?"
"You said 'not now'," implying that this isn't the first time it happened, and it's a frequent occurrence that Tei'iku wasn't worried, "and she started bleeding when I mentioned Sousou being family… hoy, don't get worse!" Kazuto slightly panicked as he saw the handkerchief basically turn red at the words again.
"… You've been holding it in well, Rin." Tei'iku sighed.
"… Someone get her on a bed." Kazuto sighed.
"N-no… I was told by Sousou to escort you… I won't…"
"… Imperial order." Paitan sighed. "I don't want you dying on us due to a medical concern."
"B-b-but!"
"… Maou, Sawa." Gakushin turned to the two.
"Wait, what? Why do we have to go and you don't!?" Riten complained.
"That's right! This group is way too fun!"
"Go already." Gakushin sharply told them. "Shanfuu and I can handle things here."
"… We'll get back as soon as possible." Riten vowed and the two quickly held up the weakly resisting Kakuka, and headed out. Likely to where Kazuto believed to be the vassal quarters.
"Haaah… She was doing so well, too…" Fuu sighed.
"Still not the weirdest quirk I've seen in my life, but still concerning… she's not going to go anemic on us anytime soon, right?" Kazuto said, concerned.
"?"
"Basically, is she going to die due to losing a lot of blood?"
"Hasn't happened yet."
"I'm pretty sure if it happened, she wouldn't be alive right now." Josho pointed out.
Tei'iku considered it, "… Any signs to look out for?"
"Not a doctor or a healer. But if she looks very pale or moving sluggishly, you should probably put her on a bed for a few days. If there's nothing wrong with her body, her body should make enough blood back." Kazuto hummed.
"And if it grows worse instead?"
"The only real solution is to pump blood in. And that requires the correct blood type. Usually donated by a blood relative." Kazuto shrugged.
"I see." Tei'iku nodded, "Then let's keep going then." They continued walking.
"… What's heaven like?" Tenhou prompted.
"Dunno. Never been." Kazuto shrugged.
"Ehh? But aren't you the Heavenly Messenger?"
"They call me that, but when I think heaven, I think dead. And since I'm not dead, I've never been to heaven." Kazuto replied.
"But you did come from somewhere else right?"
"I come from an eastern country, beyond the sea." Kazuto shrugged.
"What's that like?"
"I don't know."
"Eh, what?"
"Who else lives here?" Paitan asked, cutting through their conversation, as she addressed Tei'iku.
"Hmm?"
"Are there others in the inner palace?"
"No." Tei'iku shook her head. "Karin-sama prefers to sleep closer to the offices. We follow suit."
Kazuto nodded, "Why maintain an inner palace at all then? Why have it in the first place as well?"
"Hmm?" Tei'iku tilted her head. Not in an 'I don't understand your question' way. More 'I know, but I probably shouldn't tell you' way. Which is fair.
"So just us three will live here?" Kazuto prompted.
"I think so." Tei'iku nodded.
"This is a pretty big area, though…" Paitan frowned.
"You can choose whichever rooms you want here." Tei'iku shrugged. "I'm just bringing you to the best room in the area." And soon they reached it. Entering it…
"It's…" bigger than Kazuto's used to.
"Smaller than in Rakuyou." Paitan off-handedly mentioned. "But still, just as lavish…" Paitan looked around. "Thank you, all of you. We can take it from here."
"You sure you won't need some things?" Gakushin asked.
"We'll call for a servant if it comes up." Kazuto dismissed them.
"Unfortunately," Tei'iku hummed, "if the Kazoe Yakuman Sisters remain, then we too should."
"You expect us to what, grab the three, and somehow get out of this complex with all six of us?" Kazuto asked in amusement.
"You're a sorcerer."
"I can summon fire. Not teleport."
"You can fly." Gakushin pointed out.
"I don't know whose noodly arms you are looking at that you expect me to be able to carry six people over that distance." Kazuto pointed out. "Look, I'm not asking all of you to leave… We're not going to just up and leave without a good reason."
"Any reason we should believe you?"
"Because Joshuu can't afford to offend Sousou."
"Hoh? Explain." Tei'iku hummed.
"Why do you think we even agreed to Sousou's little deal?" Kazuto frowned.
"Karin-sama… can be persuasive?" Gakushin frowned.
"Not everyone worships the ground she walks on," Tei'iku rebutted and turned to Kazuto, pressing on, "You won't give a straight answer?"
"Would you if you were in my position?"
"… No." Tei'iku nodded.
"Look, I'm fine with you sticking around, but we'd prefer to discuss something like our personal comforts in private."
"You don't trust us?"
"Can people let us settle in just for a bit?" Josho impatiently frowned. "Hell, take the trio with you if you don't trust us. We get it. You have some security concerns, but we aren't going to give Sousou an excuse to invade Joshuu, when we have Enshou raring for a chance at us as well."
"… I'll stay." Jokou Koumei said. "Everyone else can go."
"Eh, Shanfuu?" Gakushin blinked.
"I said everyone…" Josho frowned.
"Let her." Kazuto interrupted Josho's tired rant. "That's the best compromise we'll get from them, apparently."
"… Very well." Tei'iku nodded, with Gakushin following unwillingly. Soon all that was left are Paitan, Kazuto, Josho, Shanfuu, Chiihou, Tenhou, and Renhou.
A silence pervaded the room, as the group uncomfortably looked at Jokou. They can't really settle in.
"… Shanfuu." Jokou was the first to break the silence.
"Eh?" Josho blinked.
"… You are Sei's friends… right?" Jokou asked.
"Yes." Kazuto nodded without hesitation.
"Then, you are Shan's friends too." Jokou nodded easily.
"… Wait, are you saying…"
"You're entrusting your True Name… because we're Sei's friends?" Kazuto blinked.
"Yes." With no hesitation, Jokou replied.
"… Sure, why not?" Kazuto nodded, "Kazuto."
"Ka-zu-to." Shanfuu said, testing the word on her mouth before nodding.
"Nice to meet you, Shanfuu."
"Hold it, hold it, hold it!" Josho interrupted, "Are you really going to trust her?"
"Can you keep whatever we talk about here a secret to Sousou?" Kazuto asked Jokou.
"I won't betray her." Shanfuu frowned.
"I'm just asking you to keep secrets."
"… Okay. In return. Teach how to fly."
"I could help, at least. But it's really difficult, especially without the required tools." Kazuto hesitantly replied.
"Mao can help?"
"Would that be Riten?" Kazuto asked.
"Un."
"Maybe…" Kazuto frowned. "I can only promise to try, within my limits."
"That's enough." Josho nodded.
"… This transaction is headache-inducing…" Josho sighed.
"Is it really alright?" Paitan asked, worried.
"Honestly, she reminds me of Ren." Kazuto replied.
"… I can see that." Josho nodded, "… She seems the quiet type as well."
"And they both tried to kill me once upon a time."
Shanfuu flinched, "… Sorry."
"It was war. I don't hate you for it." Kazuto waved it off.
"Thank you." Shanfuu nodded.
"Which is probably the weirdest thing about you, to be honest." Josho sighed.
"You've seen Reborn." Kazuto pointed out. "He tries to kill me almost every day. At some point, you have to grow numb to it." Especially if there are no ill intentions behind it.
To this, no one can really argue. To some of them, it's because Reborn's antics are still fresh in their mind. For others…
"Rii-boon?" Tenhou tilted her head. To Chiihou's sisters and Shanfuu, they never even met him.
"My tutor." Kazuto replied… before frowning. "Huh, I somewhat expected him to pop up, but…" Kazuto pulled out the transmission device, and noticed that, "… it's on."
"So he's here?" Paitan looked around for a bit. "… Umm… Reborn-sensei?"
… There was no response.
"You had a third escort?" Renhou asked, confused. And worried. Worried about Sousou knowing what they did.
"I personally would never call what Reborn does for Paitan escorting, but you do you…"
Josho grumbled. This feels like Shuri and Hinari when they go on their wild tangents. Like that time she spotted them kissing each other to practice kissing Kazuto. Screw this, she'll put her foot down this time. "Alright! ENOUGH!"
"Eh, Genchoku-san?" Paitan blinked.
"Look, can we set ourselves up properly, instead of going on tangents all the time?" Josho pleaded, "We need to know exactly how things are, right now. Kazuto-sama, you've always been the one who knows the situation better than any of us normally… Considering how relaxed you're being, I assume it's good, but I still need to know, for my sake?"
"…" Kazuto sheepishly nodded, "Right, yeah, thanks. Sorry that I was going overboard." Kazuto nodded. "Okay, let's go over the basics of our current containment here." Kazuto pulled out a piece of paper from his now rather thin notebook, and a piece of charcoal shaped like a pencil. He then drew a small square.
"Right now, the three of us are at the heart of Sousou's camp. Our goal here is to make sure we don't die until the war ends. That makes sense to everyone, right?" Everyone nodded. "Our secondary goal is to comfortably place Paitan into the position of Emperor."
"How?" Paitan frowned, "Aren't I already the emperor?"
"Only to the upper class, and only by name," Kazuto replied. "What we need is to make people here in Kyoushou aware that the Emperor is here. Not just by word of mouth, or by what Sousou wants, but that they can tell the difference between before your arrival and after." Kazuto then paused. "Of course, we're not going to overturn Sousou's rule. Or even oppose her at every single opportunity. Nor should we be tyrannical despots. But if we can improve their lives in some significant way, they'll see that the Emperor has a commitment to the people of the entire country, and not just Joshuu."
"Is it alright for us to hear this?" Renhou asked.
"The worst you can do is to tell Sousou about our plans while deliberately making us look bad." Kazuto replied with a shrug, "In which case, it'll be your word against Kentei."
Renhou winced, "I won't do that!" That's grounds for execution. "But what if we simply just tell Sousou about this?"
"The worst Sousou can do is to restrict our actions, and she was already going to do that anyway." Kazuto shrugged. "Josho, I trust you know what to do considering what I said, right?"
"… I think so." Josho nodded slowly. "And you?"
Kazuto smiled. Seems Josho caught on. While he was deliberately telling them about the broad strokes of the plan, the individuals are still key to hide. Josho's role as the spymaster of the Imperial Army is really only known to one other army, and that's Sonsaku's and that's only due to the crossing of the two information networks. Josho should only be known as another strategist to Sousou. In Josho's capacity as a spymaster, considering their goals, it would be nice for Josho to look at the lay of the city, and figure out the holes in Sousou's rule. Anyway, "Aside from helping Kentei out? Honestly, I'll just walk around town." Kazuto hummed, "It's been a while since I last could walk around a city without an escort."
"You're too free-spirited, Kazuto-sama." Josho sighed.
"Honestly, if I start getting bored, I might just ask Sousou for some job."
"Ooh, ooh, maybe managing us?" Chiihou offered.
"I don't see why not?" Kazuto laughed, "But unfortunately, it's not like I can leave the city with you, so I can't be your full-time one."
"Aww… and I wanted to show that Soukou just how much better you are…" Chiihou groaned.
"You don't like her?" Kazuto asked.
"She keeps insulting you in front of me." Chiihou huffed.
"I did torture her with homework." Kazuto shrugged.
"Umm, Kazuto…" Paitan interrupted, "Sorry to interrupt but…"
"You want to know what you're supposed to do?"
"Ah, yeah."
"Look at Sousou's proposals, and see which would be good for the country. If you find anything good, we'll double-check it for anything insidious." Kazuto shrugged.
"Won't that be walking into Sousou's trap?" Josho frowned, "We don't even know what she wants from us… do any of you?" Josho turned to the Kyoushou residents. The four looked at each other before shaking their heads.
"She won't really tell me anything." Chiihou shook her head. "There's still a chance I'm a spy, apparently."
"Maybe Renhou?" Tenhou turned to her.
"… No." Renhou shook her head, "At most, she just tells me what she wants for our events."
"… Discussion of goals… new," Shanfuu remarked.
Kazuto frowned, trying to parse the Renese, "You mean… that Sousou never ever mentioned to you what her goals are?"
Shanfuu nodded.
"Probably just her inner circle, then." Kazuto hummed. "Kakouton, Kakouen, and Jun'iku, most likely."
"What about her cousins?" Paitan asked.
"I've only seen them interact just this once, Paitan." Kazuto laughed. "But… if I judge things from when we had Soukou… I honestly think not."
"Eh?"
"Sousou was willing to put Soukou at risk."
"Ah!" Paitan blinked, "Last year's war!"
Kazuto nodded, "Last year, she willingly risked Soukou to try and make a last-ditch effort to attack Touken."
"… I see…" Paitan closed her eyes. "… If she can treat her own family like that…"
Kazuto winced, "Sorry, sorry, but can we drop this line of thinking? I really don't want to judge her yet. I don't really feel like psycho-analyzing her until I actually know her."
"Is that why you've always acted friendly towards her?"
Kazuto shrugged, "Sousou has always been hard to read. She's proud and haughty like Enshou, but pragmatic and cunning as well. Above all, she's ambitious. She's the sort of person that you want to know about, if nothing else, for your own self-preservation."
"Know your enemy." Josho nodded, "If you know your enemy and yourself, you will not be imperiled in over a hundred battles."
"Sonshi's Art of War." Paitan nodded.
"Hopefully, both Enshou and Sousou remember that one passage from Sonshi's Art of War." Kazuto hummed.
"Which one?"
"That there is no instance of a nation that has benefited from prolonged warfare."
"I see." Josho nodded. "How long it will take for the war to end will rely on how willing Sousou is to end it…"
"Honestly, Sousou might not be able to do it quickly in the first place." Kazuto frowned, "Logistically, Enshou still has more soldiers by a fair amount. Would Sousou beat Enshou in war? Likely. Quickly? It depends on what strategy she'll take."
"And what strategy do you think she'll use?"
"Hey, you're the strategist," Kazuto replied jokingly. "Simply put, I can't really judge that either until we know specifically what Sousou wants from Paitan, now that she's successfully dragged her here."
"… Got it." Josho nodded.
"Can we get back to topics that matter to us?" Chiihou asked, "I mean, it's nice and all that you're openly telling us this, but Sousou would probably send someone to get us soon if we don't go."
"What exactly did you three want from me?" Kazuto asked.
"Hmmm? I just wanted to see what kind of person Kazuto-niisan is." Tenhou tilted her head.
"… And?"
"… I think I like you!" Tenhou smiled brightly.
"… I'm starting to see why a bunch of peasants would willingly start a rebellion for your sake." Kazuto remarked.
"Eh?"
"… Yeah, same here." Paitan winced. "That smile… is a deadly weapon on its own."
"What exactly has Sousou been making you three do?" Josho asked.
"Go into random towns and perform? We sing songs about Sousou's greatness and stuff. Then we recruit a bunch of people into the army." Tenhou blinked. "That's it."
"No wonder you aren't getting profits." Kazuto scoffed, "You were a glorified recruitment drive. The people who you recruited would've been the people who are willing to pay money to buy the merch in the first place. If you're just going to recruit them, then they won't be getting money from other sources."
"Sounds right!" Chiihou nodded.
"That is… admittedly correct." Renhou nodded.
"Anyway, anyway, Renhou, do you have anything?"
"… Are you going to teach us how to use our magic tools properly?" Renhou asked, with a frown.
"That is, as I said, Chiihou's secret." Kazuto tilted his head. "She can teach you if she wants."
Both Renhou and Tenhou look at Chiihou, who pouted at Kazuto, "That's mean! I'm still trying to be loyal to you and all, and you just leave all of this to me? That makes all the time I spent saying no seem like a waste…"
"Just do what you think is right," Kazuto replied.
Chiihou slightly sulked, "Alright, but you'll help me."
"Deal." Kazuto nodded. "Speaking of." Kazuto frowned, pulling out a box, "Can you?"
Chiihou blinked at the offered box. "Oh! Kazuma!" Chiihou then pulled out her magic tool and bopped it at the box. "You ran out? Don't you have a Lightning Guardian yet?"
"Not at all. And I don't think I'll get one anytime soon." Kazuto winced, as he passed the box to Josho, who nodded and pocketed it. "There are other concerns."
"Ehhh…" Chiihou frowned before nodding, "Got it! Then I guess, it's my turn?"
"Hm?"
"… Are… Paitan-sama and Josho… you know… sleeping with you?"
Kazuto blinked before awkwardly scratching his head. In the meantime,
"W-wawawa! I'm not! I…"
"It… would be inappropriate." Paitan denied as well.
"… Then who will sleep with you tonight?" Chiihou asked.
"Tonight? All three of us will likely be sleeping in this room. We need to keep guard, after all. At least a week, I think."
"And after that?"
"If I think Sousou won't do anything, then… I'll probably see if I can handle sleeping on my own for a while." Kazuto sighed.
"Sleeping with him?" Renhou blinked, blushing all the way red, "Are you! Is there something about heaven that"
"I'll stop you there." Kazuto interrupted Renhou, "Chiihou just means sleeping in the same bed. No. I'm human. I don't have some special constitution that needs me to sleep with a girl every night. I'm not an incubus. And unless I start destroying all the furniture, I can survive weeks without them… I think." Kazuto winced, unsure. "I don't really know. I slept alone like once before now, and I kept waking up in the middle of the night."
"Then you're not fine." Chiihou frowned. "… Besides, it's not like we set up the whole thing just for your sake."
"Fair enough." Kazuto nodded. The whole turn system was pretty much for the girls' sake as well. He understands why of course, but it still felt off-putting. At the same time… the most he'll do is observe that it's weird, but frankly, it's nice to get so much affection from these girls.
"Then you better choose a room with a big enough bed!" Chiihou grinned, "'cause I'm going to be sleeping with you for as many turns that I lost!"
"You can't just do that, Chiihou! What if rumors spread!?" Renhou complained.
"Guh… that's…" Chiihou grumbled. "But, it's Kazuto… I… It's…"
"… Don't tell me." Kazuto frowned, "You got entrapped by idol culture? Even though we did everything we can to avoid it?"
"It's not my fault! Soukou is a stingy prick who seems to want me to stay single for my entire life! So she made sure to market it using the same things idol culture does!" Chiihou groaned. "I kept telling her to not do this, and not do that. But she sucks at this too much." Ah, now Kazuto can see why Chiihou didn't like Soukou all that much.
"Idol culture?" Tenhou asked, and Paitan too was looking searchingly at him.
"It's basically the culture surrounding young attractive girls and their fans." Kazuto sighed, "Idols have a tendency to be marketed to basically everyone up to and including the lowest strata of society… which unfortunately makes them either see the idol as some pure goddess or covet them like some sort of trophy. They might see any form of relationship as a slight against the image that the idol has presented herself with. Especially… if you market their purity as a defining characteristic." Kazuto shrugged. "Or, if you market the idol as belonging to everyone, and thus shouldn't be monopolized by a single person."
"… I see." Renhou closed her eyes. "I can see why it's bad then… it means we're sacrificing our personal lives just to ensure that some sort of pure image is kept."
"You catch on quick," Kazuto remarked. "I can see why you're Sousou's favorite."
"Thank you I su…" Renhou flinched upon processing the words of the compliment. "W-w-w-what!?"
"Don't worry so much. Despite everything, we don't hate Sousou…" Paitan and Josho made very accusing gazes here, so Kazuto added, "… much…" The flat gazes remained. "Okay, I don't hate Sousou. She's just another ambitious warlord with a lot of power that we'll eventually butt heads with if we want to remain independent of her. If you tell Sousou what we said, honestly all that would mean is that we would lie in your presence more often."
Renhou slowly processed that, "… if you know that then why are you…" still letting her stay here?
"Because you're Chiihou's sister who she loves. Who she loves enough that she'll choose you over us." Kazuto smiled, "I guess, what I can say is… I want to know you."
Renhou nodded, "… I'm… not going to betray Chii-neesan. Ever."
Chiihou smiled brightly at Renhou's declaration.
"That is all we ask." Kazuto nodded.
"So can I sleep with you or not?" Chiihou returned the topic to where it came from.
"But, of course! if Sousou agreed to your freedom deal, then you can sleep wherever you want."
"She wanted me to stay in the palace." Chiihou hummed.
"You can't get more in the palace than here." Kazuto nodded.
"I'll give permission for you and your sisters to have a room here," Paitan added.
"That's going to be your first Imperial Edict?" Kazuto teased.
"That's… well…" Paitan grimaced. Right, her first few Imperial Edicts upon entering Kyoshou will be important. She needed to be to make as big an impact as possible.
"For now, Chiihou, let's stick to our current rooms." Kazuto smiled, "I'll soldier on no bedmate for a few weeks. At least until Paitan gets her bearings here."
"Don't take too long." Chiihou pouted.
"Although… if we're being frank, we should just have Paitan watch one of your shows and then invite you to sleep in the Inner Palace."
"That's… we'll do our best!" Chiihou nodded. "That way it won't look like favoritism!"
And with that, they chatted mostly about Chiihou's life in Kyoshou, while Kazuto told her stories of her friends back home. Shanfuu was immediately surprised to learn that…
"Chiihou is a friend of Sei?"
"We joined around the same time." Chiihou smiled a bit.
"… Then. You too." Shanfuu nodded. "You'll be Shan's friend."
"… Okay." Chiihou nodded, "Nice to work with you, Shan."
-()-
Soon enough, they had to leave. The Three Chou Sisters and Shanfuu left the room, and the inner palace altogether.
"… For tonight, we'll sleep in the same room." Kazuto told the other two. "… We'll alternate watches."
"Got it." Josho nodded.
"Mifa, you're helping?"
From the shadows of the room, Mifa walked out, unnoticed by everyone. "I'll be honored to do so." Mifa, whose usual job is Touka's escort, snuck in with them. However, she will likely return to Touka's side once things calm down. She is also the one who will deliver Kazuma back to Touka.
"Do you know where Reborn is?" Kazuto asked as he pulled out the communicator. "He should be around."
"I'm afraid not." Mifa shook his head.
"Damn. I hoped that he would help. It's not like he needs sleep when he's around." Kazuto sighed.
"I'm afraid I was busy scoping the land. The differences between the modern and ancient Xuchang are quite startling." An unfamiliar voice pierced the room. Kazuto jumped up, his sword on hand, with Josho scrambling to do the same. Mifa frowned and pulled out a few knives. The three quickly closed in around Paitan. "… You moved quickly. I'm impressed, young Vongola. As for young Xu Shu, you reacted quickly, but it's still slow. Still, not bad, for someone who spends more time on tactics than martial skills. I must say I'm most impressed of you, Sun Qian. To have hidden from the senses of so many of the famed generals and advisors of Cao Cao herself, who I could tell are no pushovers in their fields, is nothing short of commendable."
"Who are you?" Mifa warily asked.
"… the Chinese pronunciations…" Kazuto frowned, then realized where the sound was coming from. He looked at the tip of his sword, and there stood a small diminutive baby. He was wearing red Chinese clothes and had a calm serene look on his face.
… a face that looked like…
"… Uncle Hibari?" Kazuto blinked.
The child… no. He's the same as Reborn, a man in a baby's body. The diminutive man laughed, "I'm the former Storm Arcobaleno, Fon. And it's a pleasure to see, although twisted and changed quite drastically, the world of the Three Kingdoms Era."
-()-
Chapter End
-()-
Chapter Release Date: May 13, 2022
-()-
Beta Reader: Seraphius
Hello! It's been almost a year! 11 Months! I swear, this felt like it took forever. Only 9 thousand words? Don't only me! That's already long for this story! The first chapter has under 6000 words! But remember, I write in arcs. This isn't the only chapter I've done in eleven months! Now try to guess? How many chapters do you think this arc has? Also, guess what this arc is called?
As usual, despite having multiple chapters ready for upload, I'm going to post this weekly on Fridays or a Saturday if I forget. Why? It's so that I can have a buffer time where I read the chapter over and over again to iron out the kinks. Besides, it brings me more traffic for this already very niche story.
See you next week!