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.

-()-

Reunion

-()-

A cold breeze entered the window.

"Kazuto-san… it's cold."

"Mmhmm." Kazuto walked over to the window and shut it. "I guess winter has come." No snowfall yet, but the cool air is pretty much clear to anyone. People should be busy preparing for it now. Last-minute food preservation, especially since they just came from a war.

"It's just the tail end of autumn, Kazuto-sama."

"Is it now?" Kazuto remarked, "How was the investigation, Josho?"

"It's difficult to investigate something like Sousou's father, Kazuto-sama." Josho sighed.

"You did it anyway?" Kazuto said, spotting the careful notes strewn on Josho's desk.

"I'm sure Sousou has heard of me looking into the matter. But since she has not come forward to stop me…"

"Mmhmm…" Kazuto nodded, "She must want to see where this rabbit hole goes as well."

"I guess." Josho nodded. "I suspect that Sousou did receive news, since, at first I was having a rough time getting the servants and soldiers to speak up on the matter. But after a week or so, they seemed cooperative."

"Sousou probably ordered the help to cooperate with matters regarding her father then. Well, as long as you don't ask anything extraneous, I guess."

"All my questions have been about the incident last year."

"So? How did it go?"

"The man himself was apparently unusually fixated on his pilgrimage back to his hometown. As for the soldiers that traveled with him… apparently only one of them returned, and that one was immediately executed by Sousou for failing to safeguard her father."

"Ouch, and that's annoying."

"But that's strange, isn't it? Why would only one return?"

"Maybe the rest ditched?" Kazuto frowned, "After all, as proof, Sousou did execute the last soldier."

"The issue is… none of the soldiers that Sousou's father brought with him… apparently had any friends in the army."

Needless to say, but… that's a big red flag all the way to space.

"I would've looked into the military files, but…"

"Let's leave that to Sousou then."

"Eh?"

"if you're telling me this information, then Sousou likely will have it too now, as she would've ordered everyone who cooperated with you to relay everything they said to her as well."

"I see." Josho nodded, "That makes sense."

"Then that concludes this loose thread for now." Kazuto sighed. "Wish it went longer, but at this point, sorcerer involvement is just speculation, and Sousou is unlikely to share her findings with us."

"… People who lurk in the shadows are a pain to deal with, huh, Kazuto-san?" Paitan smiled.

"Especially since we don't know what their exact goals are." Kazuto sighed. "Ah, this is annoying…"

"Good news, then." Josho immediately brought up something else, "Ryuubi-sama has departed from Kahi. She should arrive within the week."

"Touka-neesan…" Paitan hummed, "Thank you, Josho."

It's been months. But finally, they're going to meet again.

-()-

"… Ukitsu."

"What is it, Shibai?"

"Did you do anything to influence Sousou's father to go on pilgrimage?"

"Such an accusation. I'm appalled!"

"Just know that the Heavenly Messenger cottoned on and did a bit of investigation on the matter. Sousou immediately pounced on it. She is now aware that there's more to the story than meets the eye."

"I'm starting to see why Saji believes the man should be killed immediately."

"So should I kill him?"

"He needs to die quietly. And as long as he lives in Kyoshou, with his abilities, that's impossible." After all, he could fly and summon fire. If he wanted, he can be the most conspicuous person in the city. "Worse as you're a soldier of Sousou's. Drop it."

"Fine."

-()-

"Ganryou-san, Bunshuu-san."

"Ah, Ryuubi-san."

"Yo, Ryuubi-chi!"

"Bun-chan, please don't treat Ryuubi-san so casually." Ganryou sighed.

"Ahaha. I'm looking forward to eventually being able to exchange True Names with you." Touka smiled.

"Yeah." Bunshuu grinned, "But hey? We're the enemy generals, right? Can't just do that when our own commander's head is still on the chopping block."

"Did Sawada really talk Sousou down?"

"Kazuto-kun isn't the type to lie." Touka smiled, "Although they did decide to put Enshou on… chores."

"Sounds rough." Bunshuu sighed. 'I guess we'll be helping her out."

"Including toilet cleaning."

"Geh!"

"Kazuto said that they'll probably forbid her from getting help for that. I mean… we doubt Enshou would actually work hard enough to earn her keep…"

"Touka-sama!"

"Aisha?" Touka blinked as she saw the general approach her.

"Kyoshou is in sight!"

Touka didn't need another explanation. "I'm… going, Ganryou-san, Bunshuu-san."

"Take care!" Bunshuu waved her off.

Touka looked forward. She could see the walls of Sousou's capital. It's there… where they'll finally meet again.

-()-

Kazuto felt it.

It's like it's knocking at the back of his intuition.

It's not that much of a surprise. They did send advance notice, and Sousou had planned accordingly to settle them in. An old noble complex on the outskirts of the city was refitted to house them for the duration of this brief stay. They also sent messengers through their information network to Josho so it really wasn't meant to be a surprise.

However, sometimes people could get delayed. The roads are not as well-paved as they could've been. They could've been beset by bandits on the way and they had to nurse a few injuries.

Still, Kazuto felt it.

Today he wore his St. Francesca School Uniform. The old thing was starting to lose the luster it once had, but it still stood out in a crowd. At the first opportunity that was presented to him, he ran out of Sousou's palace towards the city gates.

And so there he stood, as a caravan arrived towards Kyoshou. He grinned a goofy smile as he felt things somehow get in order again.

The past few months were a few months of making friends.

This time, it's time for him to see his old ones once more.

From one of the carriages, a rose-haired girl stepped off. She smiled brilliantly at the boy. At her side were their sworn sisters. One also smiled beautifully at the sight of him, the other laughing uproariously, almost drowning out the noise of the world.

The girl took a step forward and greeted him.

"It's nice to see you again, Kazuto-kun~"

"Welcome, Touka." Kazuto then turned to the girls who were slowly coming out to stand before him, "Aisha, Rinrin, Shuri, Hinari, Sei, Ren…"

"Master/Niichan/Kazuto-sama!"

The group rushed forward and surrounded the boy, starting to speak with him, regaling him with stories of their past few months, becoming a cacophony of noise and sound. Normally Kazuto would've tried to contain the noise and let them speak one at a time. But honestly, he didn't care right now.

They're together again.

-()-

"Greetings to the Emperor."

"It's been a while, Cousin Bi. I've heard of your exploits in the war against Enshou. You were amazing."

"I simply had amazing subordinates, Kentei-sama." Touka smiled.

"And it was you who gathered and led them. Is that not a feat in itself?" Kentei said, slightly stilted.

"Thank you, Paitan-sama." Touka bowed once more.

"Sousou-san." Paitan turned to the warlord, "I believe we've gathered all the necessary people. We can hold the trial soon, I hope?"

"We can arrange it later today if you wish?"

"This trial could be Enshou's last days, and her former subordinates, Ganryou and Bunshuu requested to meet their former lord before the trial." Ryuubi spoke up. "If possible, I would want this trial to be held after Ganryou and Bunshuu have had a chance to speak with her."

"I will accede to this request." Paitan nodded, "Not for Enshou's sake, but for yours, Ryuubi. It's been a long journey from Kahi. You are entitled to some rest. I believe one of the old noble homes has been made livable, correct, Sousou?"

"It will serve its purposes." Sousou nodded. "I also have a matter I'd like to discuss with the regent of Joshuu. However, I am aware that Enshou's matter is of greater priority, so I'll bring it up after the trial."

"Very well." Touka nodded. "Then I'd like to escort Ganryou and Bunshuu to meet with Enshou."

"I believe the reason why we separated the generals from Enshou is to ensure they couldn't plot an escape attempt? And now you are bringing them together?" Sousou remarked.

"On my honor as Regent of Joshuu, I will ensure that Enshou will not run from her responsibilities any further than she has already done." Touka replied, "Do not forget, Sousou, it was us from Joshuu who suffered the most from Enshou's actions. We have no interest in simply forgiving Enshou for her crimes."

"How rehearsed." Sousou snidely remarked.

Touka flinched a bit. She did recite the line as Kazuto told her earlier, but it's not as if she lied.

Kazuto nudged Paitan to speak. Paitan nodded quickly before coughing, "Ahem!"

The court turned to the Emperor immediately.

"Cousin Bi, I will take you on your word. Sousou please allow this matter."

"Fine." Sousou nodded. "As long as it's done quickly."

"We'll talk about the arrangements later." Touka nodded.

"I am a busy woman, Ryuubi. If you want arrangements, let's speak now." Sousou sighed.

"Very well." Touka nodded, "We intend to give Ganryou and Bunshuu a chance to speak with Enshou privately…"

Kazuto looked to Paitan. "This will probably take a while." In this big court, it'll be difficult for anyone to hear them if they lowered their voices. Acoustics isn't exactly a science in this era.

"Mmhmm. What should I do?"

"Touka probably talked this through with Shuri and Hinari. All you need to do is listen if Sousou tries to get a leg up on Touka and interrupt her then. This entire business with Enshou was her idea, let her take care of it." If Kazuto had been involved, he probably wouldn't care what happened to Enshou as long as she's punished and no longer a potential problem for the future.

"Right…" Paitan turned to him, "… If I had an idea, would you support me too?"

"Depends. If your plan is to build a bridge across the ravine, I'll help you with making it. If your plan is to burn the bridge, I'll do everything I can to stop you. And if your plan involves you falling off the bridge, I'll do everything to save you. Is that a good enough analogy?"

"I guess so." Paitan smiled.

"… You don't have to feel inferior to Touka."

"Eh?"

"Touka is Touka. Paitan is Paitan. The two of you have different strengths. Have you forgotten how we separated our tasks when we worked?'

"Ah, right!" Paitan nodded. "But, Touka-neesan has probably gotten better since we left…"

"That doesn't mean you haven't." Kazuto smiled. "I know for a fact that you have. Just be confident. I don't want to have to choose between you two."

"Who would you choose?"

"The one who didn't start the fight. And if both of you are at fault, I'll force you two in the same room with me and we'll have a long talk."

"I… see…" Paitan turned bright red, "Umm… you… sleep with Touka-neesan, right? Not in the normal way… in the… that way…"

"… Yes."

"Would you hold me too?" She said in the smallest voice she can manage, likely hoping to keep it from his ears while still asking the question.

Kazuto frowned, before grinning. He got a naughty plan to get out of the tedium that is Sousou and Touka arguing about how to put three people in a single room. He leaned over and whispered, "If you want. I'm not against it."

Paitan turned really red until Kazuto felt as if he heard an audible pop as she seemingly deflated into the throne. Kazuto schooled his face to keep the mirth out of it. He spied Rinrin and put a finger to his lips. She was the only one who was looking at him, as she was the only one who was bored out of her mind in that room. Everyone else was either fascinated by the back and forth, or glaring at the opposition. Rinrin nodded with a grin.

"… Sousou-san." Kazuto turned to the others. "I'm afraid our Emperor has grown a bit weary. I will be escorting her to her room."

"Eh? Paitan-chan!?" Touka blinked, "Aisha-chan!"

"Shan." Sousou sharply turned to the quiet girl. "Escort them!"

Kazuto moved over to Paitan and put his arm under her legs and her head, in a princess carry. Aisha and Shanfuu quickly moved next to him and they left the room.

"… Is it me, or is Kazuto-sama not that worried?" Shuri asked Hinari.

Hinari nodded, "Maybe…" Hinari moved forward, "… In account for our Emperor's health, let's finalize this immediately, Sousou-san."

Sousou frowned, "… Fine. I will move Reiha to a special prison. You will station guards within the prison, and I will station them outside. However, if Enshou, Ganryou, and Bunshuu escape, it will be on you."

"That is acceptable." Touka nodded, a bit distracted.

"We'll do it tomorrow. It'll take a while for me to arrange for Enshou's transfer. The last thing we want is an escape, after all."

"Right."

"… I also would like you to sign Kan'u over to me."

"Don't be silly, Sousou-san."

"So you aren't that distracted." Sousou huffed.

"Being able to work while distracted is sort of my job?" Touka replied.

"Fair, although I believe that the better solution for someone like you is to hire more clerks." Sousou snarked.

"We will if we find qualified applicants who aren't intending to spy on us for it." Touka sighed. Before Kazuto went to Kyoshou, he had the final say on applications. And, more often than not, he told them to leave. After Kazuto went away though, there was little time to hire help, what with the war making things go faster.

"Maybe you should have ingratiated yourselves to the nobility then." Sousou remarked, "Rather than undercutting them from the start."

Touka looked dully at the rival warlord. "Good day, Sousou. We'll wait for Aisha to come back and then go to the prepared estate." Ren and Sei are currently doing their best to look around for any traps. "… Why is there a noble estate that is empty here though?"

"The invasion last year killed off the last of the line," Sousou replied. "So it should be fine for you to use it. I won't permit the Emperor to move in with you, however."

"That's fine. We expected as much." Touka replied.

"I've returned, Touka-sama."

"Aisha-chan!"

"Kan'u? Where's Shan?" Sousou frowned.

"She said she'll stay by Kazuto-sama's side while they look after Paitan-sama." Aisha replied. "Are the negotiations done, Touka-sama?"

"Yes." Touka nodded.

"Then we should get going, Sousou-dono."

"Where are Ganryou and Bunshuu?" Sousou remarked, "Are you not going to turn them over to my prison?"

"No." Touka shook her head, "We can handle the two of them."

"If you say so." Sousou frowned. "I hope you're not giving special treatment to them."

"And why would that matter to you?" Touka asked.

Sousou blinked at that comeback. To think of it, it really doesn't matter to her at all. She simply wanted to get a rise out of Ryuubi, which is why she asked that. So instead she decided on, "Didn't you say you were leaving?" Sousou remarked.

"Very well. Then, a good day to you, Sousou-san." Touka nodded, turning around, and they too left the court.

"… I will report that Paitan-sama is in no danger…" Aisha remarked. "A bit faint, but she recovered quickly enough that…" Aisha sighed as she remembered the usually polite and mature Paitan childishly drumming her fists against Kazuto's chest, who only laughed out apologies, Shanfuu looking slightly confused at the sidelines. "… let's just say she was able to chat with me. She invites us to join her for dinner later this evening."

"Really? That's a relief. And yes, we'll go." Touka nodded.

"Well, Kazuto-sama said they'll send a proper messenger to invite us later."

"Right." Touka nodded "I'm looking forward to it. But for now, let's just settle in."

-()-

"… We'll do our best to accommodate them. However…"

"You are not inserting yourself into this, Sousou. It's dinner with friends, and Paitan needs that right now. While your group has done great in making her life here livable, it's not exactly enjoyable. Bluntly speaking, none of you exactly made friends with her."

"You and Josho spent too much time by her side."

"She's not exactly the social type who can handle being alone with others without friends. She needs a transition period. Besides, she equates being with any of you as work. At this point, the only one she considers a friend in the group is Shanfuu, and that's because she usually bothers me instead. Honestly? You should've put friendlier people to talk to her on occasion."

"She's the emperor."

"Not everyone operates on your level, Sousou. She's a young girl that desperately needs friends that she could be with. You then literally ripped her off of her friend group so that you could put her in yours, while not doing enough to make friends. If anything, this entire thing is half-assed at best."

"…"

"I know that you think of Paitan as just a figurehead and her presence is enough of a tool for you to use, but she'll break sooner than later if you keep treating her as just another object to keep around for power."

"And where do you get off lecturing me?"

"It's too late for regrets; you put me in a position where I could lecture you. Advisor to the Emperor, remember?"

"You already had that role before you came here."

"You can treat people like tools; that's fine. Just know that tools eventually break if you don't at least give it maintenance."

"Last I checked, the Kazoe Yakuman Sisters seem fine."

"If you consider constantly fearing for their lives if they misstep in front of you as fine, then I suppose you're right. But of course, that just highlights something to me, Sousou."

"What?"

"How friendless you are."

"You said this before." Sousou dryly replied. "But in case you haven't noticed…"

"You have subordinates and lovers. You don't have friends. None of them are willing to put you in a bad mood for their own selfishness. If they're doing anything that could be considered offensive or rude, it'll still be for your sake. They put you on a pedestal, not knowing how to treat you in any other way."

"Are you glorifying friendships?"

"Hmm… maybe I am? I suppose I just haven't experienced a betrayal as big as you have yet."

"Excuse me?" Sousou snapped.

"Choubaku Moutaku. She was a friend of yours during the coalition. Even then, I could tell the two of you were close." Kazuto then looked at her, "… And she was the primary instigator of the invasion that halted your invasion of Joshuu."

"… How did you know?"

"The manor that you gave Touka to stay in; that was Choubaku's personal estate in the city. I, of course, looked into the history of that manor and found bits and pieces about it."

"I suppose I made a mistake there."

"I would've looked into it eventually; you already know I had Josho ask around about your father, after all."

"If you want me to share details of my investigation on the matter, you are not getting any." Sousou replied.

"I wasn't expecting any. You are a stingy one when it doesn't benefit you." Kazuto nodded, "But here's what I will tell you. Your friendship with Choubaku, or at least what I saw of it during the coalition, was real. I don't know what happened in her invasion, but there's no doubt that something fishy happened there. You already know about the sorcerer who could control minds. I'm sure you're smart enough to work with that."

"Then am I supposed to blame everyone who betrays me on this unknown sorcerer?" Sousou harshly rebuked.

"Who would you rather trust? All those years you spent with Choubaku who you, with your ever so keen eye, judged to be a friend or this one random incident that could potentially be linked to your father's own weird situation, as… after all, it was because your father was killed that opened up the opportunity for someone to attack your city. Choubaku happened to have the strongest army in the area…"

"Stop making sense for a few seconds, and I will form my own opinion, thank you very much!" Sousou replied, "You have no evidence of any of this."

"I have my intuition, and when something stinks, there's usually a reason." Kazuto sighed. It was clear that Sousou was beginning to shut him out, so he should pivot. "Also, here are the instructions on making the pieces for the game that I want to play with Jun'iku if she successfully beats me in Go… When she successfully beats me in Go. I'll have Mao work on making the pieces, but I should at least let you see it first, I thought."

Sousou felt the whiplash of the sudden topic shift. "Of course, you bring this up alongside everything else. I thought you wanted to invite the Ryuubi Army here?"

"We both want this bet over and done with, right? I finished it last night."

Sousou sighed as she accepted the sheaf of papers. "… This game requires a third neutral person."

"I'll nominate Fuu."

"That confident that Fuu won't cheat you?"

"If you want to cheat in a bet as low-stakes as this?" Kazuto remarked. "I chose this game because it's more to my strengths than a perfect game like Go or Chess."

"Perfect Game?"

"A perfect game is a game where both opponents have all the information in a game. In Go, you see all your opponent's pieces. Even if you can't see into their head, you can at least make an educated guess as to what the perfect move could be given how the board is set up. It doesn't matter what strategy your opponent has, it's theoretically possible to play perfectly with just the pieces on the board."

"Is that so?"

"Not worth the hassle most of the time. It's called the Divine Move in some circles. Basically, it's the series of moves that a theoretically perfect player can do to win any match. Theoretically speaking, it exists, but you need a lot of mental power to do it. But if you're playing for fun, it's unnecessary. If you're playing for sport, it's probably better to form a strategy based on your opponent. For Go, while there's a theoretical best move for every configuration of the board, there are too many board configurations and memorizing all of it… well… I can only imagine a super genius with too much free time and absolutely zero interest in anything other than Go to accomplish something like that."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Feel free to try it for yourself, I guess. It's something people spend lifetimes trying to reach."

Sousou considered it before shrugging, "I'd rather spend my time testing new recipes." She decided to stick with her preferred hobby.

"I suppose so." Kazuto smiled.

"… What is it?" Sousou frowned.

"Ah, sorry. I just thought it was cute that you're now being open about your gourmet hobby."

"You already pieced that together from Eika. I see no reason to hide it."

Kazuto nodded, "… So?"

"So what?"

"… What do you think?"

"Of what? We talked about many things."

"Paitan inviting Touka, then the board game."

"I will allow it this time. Don't expect me to allow it daily, however."

"Thank you!"

"As for the game, I admit to being intrigued. Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of game that could be played without a truly neutral party."

"Fair enough."

"We will be making a few changes to the designs, but it should largely remain the same." Sousou shrugged, "Should we inscribe your flags as the flags of the pieces?"

"Hell no. If we do, Jun'iku would declare that her low-level pieces are stronger than my generals. If I argue against that, she'll turn it into a national debate."

"Isn't that a bit far?" Sousou chuckled. "… Very well. Generic flag it is. A pair of eyes for the spy… How does a spy kill the officers but die against the lowest-level unit?"

"Game Balance. This game is about controlling information, in the end. If a person decided to field their strongest unit and mowed everything down, the two spies exist to check that. And the spies can't be too powerful either, so they made them weak to the weakest but most numerous unit. In the end, this isn't a simulation of war. Just a game where you move pieces on a board."

"Very well." Sousou frowned, "But that still doesn't solve the neutral party."

"Well, there is a way to figure out if you've been cheated by the neutral party after the end of the fight."

"And that is?"

"First of all, set up your board and record where you put each piece. Or better let another person record it. That is your board setup. Your opponent will do the same and record their board setup. These two board setups are then sealed and kept by the arbiter." Kazuto replied, "Another scribe will then record the moves made without looking at the pieces. That scribe doesn't need to know what the pieces are, just the series of moves, and which pieces get removed from the board per confrontation. At the end of the game, if one side suspects foul play, they can set up the board again, and watch a replay of the game again, with the pieces fully revealed."

"Is that so?" Sousou hummed. "There are still holes in the idea."

"Of course there are." Kazuto shrugged, "Then all that means is both players need to be good at calling out a cheater."

"And what constitutes cheating then?"

"That's not an exhaustive list, Sousou…" Kazuto grumbled, "For starters, if a non-player were to tell the player what the opponent's pieces are. Using external devices to learn what the opponent's pieces are, again. Colluding with the arbiter to remove pieces." His friends once said to add Hyper Intuition and Clairvoyance to the list, but those would just outright ban him and Iris, and it's not as if those things can't be played around by a good player. For example, he never beat his Uncle Mukuro or Uncle Hayato in the weird times that Uncle Lambo managed to drag the two to a game night (Different game, but same concept). Everyone eventually got bored of the game itself so it became just another game that was stockpiled in Lambo's Tabletop Game Collection™. "… Also using illus… sorcery on your opponent or the gameboard and pieces."

"… Good to know." Sousou nodded. "Then this game is fairly fair."

"It's tilted to my strengths, but no more than Go is tilted to Jun'iku's strengths."

"And if you win either one, you get to fight my Shunran."

"As long as you don't tack on something as silly as an archery contest with Kakouen, I'm good."

"I'll consider it."

"The only archery I've ever done is kicking my sword at a target. If you expect me to compete with a skilled archer like Kakouen, I expect much more than just an allowance to use your True Name, Sousou."

"… Kakouen, Kakouton, and Jun'iku." Sousou listed, "Those three are the only other girls that have not shared their True Names with you that you've met among my officials. Shouldn't you try and befriend them too?"

"… If beating them at their best is enough to befriend them, I'd consider it. But why does befriending them have to do with you?"

"Those three are my most trusted vassals. Is there any other reason?"

"I swear, you seem to enjoy moving the goalposts far too much." Kazuto sighed. "Besides, what would even be the criteria for an archery contest with Kakouen? She has a longer range than me, and when I kick my sword, I don't expect accuracy at that distance. I kick my sword specifically to deal with an opponent just far enough that kicking my sword won't leave me defenseless for too long."

Sousou frowned. "… A sniping duel then?"

"Excuse me?"

"If my Kakouen can hit you with her arrows she wins. If you touch her, you win. No sorcery."

"… I want a bonus," Kazuto replied. "You've moved the goalposts twice. I want more than just True Name privileges for that."

"Your fault for having no confidence to beat my Jun'iku in Go. I'm merely taking my due."

"Oh, and what of the matter with Jun'iku being made a requirement to fight Kakouton?"

"… Hmm… I'll allow you to be my pet?"

"Sorry. I'm not a masochist. I like domineering women, but a pet is a step too far for me. Save that type of reward for Jun'iku."

"Oh?"

"We're not that close either." Kazuto rolled his eyes. "… Then, I'll do this. Give me the right to earn your friendship."

"Huh?"

"If I win against Kakouton, I can call you by True Name, correct? In this world, being called by True Name is a sign of closeness. But we aren't exactly friends right now, correct?"

"…"

"So if I win against Kakouen, I'll demand the right to some time to talk and chat with you idly. No business. We can drink tea, play a few games."

"… You are demanding my time?"

"Seems like a fair deal for fighting Kakouen."

"… Ch."

"As for the match against Jun'iku… if I win only one of the matches, I'll get to fight Kakouton. But if I win both…"

"What?"

"I get to decide when we'll have our time."

"You do realize that hinges on you winning against my Shuuran."

"Sure."

"… Thought you would argue to swap them."

"Calling you by your True Name is, while shocking for the people around here, won't actually cut into your time. Demanding some of your time, bluntly speaking, you could simply arrange your schedule to accommodate me. But if I'm able to demand what time we have our time?" Kazuto grinned, "I'd have quite a bit of power, don't you think?"

"Tsk." Sousou frowned. "… Too much power. I refuse."

"You do realize that this hinges on me beating your strategist, right?"

"While I have your promise that you won't use sorcery to win against my Jun'iku, I am not so foolish as to think that you don't have a plan to beat her anyway." Sousou frowned.

"Which is called strategy. Which is exactly what we are competing in."

"Do you always have a response to things?"

"Don't you?"

"… Then, how about what you lose for failing this challenge?"

"Ooh, fancy." Kazuto laughed, "As long as it's something I can give, I might consider it."

"Kan'u."

"No."

"I thought you said something you can give."

"And Aisha is not something I can give. Aisha's loyalty is for Aisha to give."

"I'm not asking for loyalty."

"You might as well be." Kazuto rolled his eyes. "You can demand to get any of them all you want, I'm not able to give any of them to you." Kazuto shrugged, "They're not objects for me to own. I am possessive of them and want to keep them to me. But if that results in them hating me, then I'm happy to let them go. Of course, if I find something fishy, then I'm going to deal with it as well." His eyes a bit hardened at that sentence. According to the story, Cao Cao Mengde pretty much blackmailed Xu Shu Yuanzhi to leave Liu Bei using the strategist's mother. Kazuto will not allow Josho to suffer the same fate as her historical counterpart.

"And how did that work for Chiihou?"

Kazuto flinched, knowing that she was right. "Sure, poke that scar. Let's see how much you like it when it bleeds all over you." Kazuto rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Sousou, are you forgetting that everyone of us has a grudge against you for that?"

"You can hold a grudge, but you still failed to keep one of yours." Sousou smirked.

"… Fine. I suppose I did hit a sore spot with Choubaku as well. Let's call it even here." Kazuto sighed.

Sousou flinched a bit, having quite forgotten that her former friend had been brought up in this conversation. "… Yes. Let's."

"So?"

"… So what?"

"What do you want me to concede to you if I were to lose to Jun'iku in both games?"

"… I want you to look through my treasury and see if there are treasures in there that can channel sorcery." Sousou replied.

"… Only if I lose both." Kazuto replied.

"As for your matches against Shunran and Shuuran…"

"No." Kazuto rolled his eyes. "I'm the one who got you to add a match against Jun'iku, but everything else was part of your challenge. You have a right to demand a reward for the extra match alone."

"Stingy. If that's the case then I refuse your added reward for beating Keifa in both games."

"Then how about a kiss?"

"Huh?" Sousou blinked, slightly flustered at the suggestion.

"If I win against both of Jun'iku's games, you reward me with a kiss. Not as time-wasting as me demanding your time, right?"

"I'd rather die." Sousou remarked.

"You don't mean that." Kazuto laughed.

"And how would you know?"

"Intuition."

"Of course." Sousou rolled her eyes. "It's called hyperbole. I would think you know that."

"True. Still, I see no reason to accept this Kakouen match where she tries to snipe me with a hundred arrows, one of which will likely be a real arrow that was put there by Jun'iku." Kazuto shrugged, "You need to motivate me here. Your True Name isn't that important to me that I'll go through this many hoops. I could just as easily just make a pet name for you."

"… Don't you da-"

"Skulls, for example? Nah, not girly enough. Curly?"

"I swear, Hongou…"

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"What's the final tally? What have we agreed on?"

"… You will face Keifa, Shuuran, and Shunran in that order." Sousou frowned, "If you beat Keifa once, you will be allowed to face Shunran, regardless of the outcome with Shuuran. Keifa's match consists of a game of Go and… a game of… Generals, correct?" Sousou looked at the papers on her desk. "… if you win both games, I will…" Sousou glared at him, "… Give you one day to spend with me."

"A full day? Even at night?"

"Don't push it. When I say a full day, only while the sun is up." Sousou frowned, "But if you lose both matches against Keifa, you will give me one day with one of your subordinates of my choice."

"So Aisha."

Sousou rolled her eyes at that, "I'm not committing."

"I see…" Kazuto frowned at that, "… The only one that's here is Josho though?"

"It's not as if it will be immediately." Sousou rolled her eyes.

"… Sorry, but I don't own their free time either." Kazuto shook his head. "… It's one thing if they were here to vouch for it, but it's not something I can decide."

"You have a lot of things you can't decide it seems."

"Not everyone has a dictatorship for a command structure." Kazuto remarked.

"… Then, teach me sorcery."

"That hinges on having a suitable medium, you know? I'm not giving you any." Kazuto frowned.

"Well if Shuuran wins…"

"That's not a guarantee."

"You're really stingy, you know that?"

"You're asking me the equivalent of 'please give me Kakouton'. You are suggesting I risk disarming myself for the chance to go on a date with you? That's not fair in the slightest."

"… Then, I'll simply hold onto the chance to ask you to teach me sorcery. Once I get a suitable medium, I'll ask for it."

"That hinges on Jun'iku winning twice against me."

"Certainly." Sousou nodded.

"Then fine." Kazuto agreed.

"You are not too attached to the concept of your army being the only ones capable of sorcery, I see."

"I'm just cutting off future problems." Kazuto shrugged. "As long as the possibility to learn sorcery from me is on the table, then no one in this country would actively antagonize me." Kazuto grinned, "I mean, it's sorcery."

"Are you teaching Shan the same?"

"Nope. Speaking of, we're looking to start tests for a flight machine Mao designed…"

"Clearly you've been a lot busier than I give you credit for." Sousou frowned, " But, considering the proposal is not on my desk…"

"I looked at it and thought that there's a higher chance of Shanfu breaking her neck. But both Mao and Shanfu insisted so…" Kazuto grumbled.

"… You better save her before it happens."

"Of course, I will. She's my friend, and I don't have a habit of watching people die."

"Are you insinuating something?" Sousou frowned.

"If you think I am, then you may be reading too much into it." Kazuto waved here suspicions off. "There's a fine line between being able to read between the lines and paranoia." A line Reborn has often said when he relies too much on his intuition. "Look, I'm going to relay the invitation to the Ryuubi Army now, and I know you have a few other chores you have to deal with. Good afternoon, Sousou."

"Don't make too much mess and noise when you're done." Sousou told him.

"There will be noise, but I'll see about the mess." Kazuto waved.

Sousou watched Kazuto leave the room. He closed the door behind him. She then sighed. "… Dealing with him is annoying." Sousou grumbled, "He puts me too much at ease." She looked at the instructions for the board game.

Board Games are pretty intimate, all things considered. Left alone, the two players could be left playing for hours on end. Such is the case with Go. The game Kazuto suggested, however, forces a third person into the mix. It's not a game for two people to meditate on silently.

It's… definitely a game meant for friends, more than anything.

Sousou's mind inadvertently goes back to Choubaku. Strictly speaking? Choubaku is one of the few friends she had that could actually treat her like a friend in all capacities. The other was Enshou. Choubaku, however, had the privilege of, while being higher ranked than Sousou, Choubaku supported her. She pushed Sousou to greater heights. Choubaku was instrumental to Sousou getting as far as she had today. If Choubaku truly wanted to take her territory… she would have just stifled her growth from the outset.

It bothers Sousou so much that Choubaku betrayed her. And Kazuto opened up that wound too soon, while giving her an explanation that makes sense in one sense, but is difficult to accept in another.

"That Hongou should've kept his mouth shut." Sousou grumbled. "… He deliberately chose a time when I was alone in my office too." Sousou looked around. "… He's too good at this."

-()-

"… Uncle Lambo, are you importing board games again?"

"I decided to get all the Tabletop Games in the world with my salary. Even one as boring as this 'Games of the Generals' is a Tabletop Game. Now all I need to know is if it's a niche game or one that could be good to play."

"… It's most likely niche isn't it."

"Of course it is. It needs three people to play properly, but it's a two-player game. In the end, it's just a hybrid of chess and card games."

"I feel like you are making fun of an entire country by saying that. Besides, technically speaking, you could probably mechanize the arbiter."

"If you want to do that, then play online. You could probably ask any of the tech nerds downstairs to do that, but whatever. Anyway, it's you kids' job to figure out if it's a niche game or not! Now go, have fun!"

"I swear, you only use us to figure out how to sort your collection."

"That's right! And I don't even need to pay you for it!"

"I'll take it to the others, but if this does turn out boring, we'll probably just spend the entire time trash-talking you, is that fine?"

"You can trash-talk me all you want once you get a guardian."

"No takebacks!"

"Wha?"

"Free pass to trash talk my uncle without getting beat up for it is always a good deal!"

"… Crap."

-()-

"Choubaku." Touka frowned, as she looked at the empty desk. "… This place used to be Choubaku's home."

"Or at least, it's her room when she was here." Shuri nodded. "… The furniture, however, looks new." There are no scratches or dents. However, there was a bit of dust on it. It was as though the furniture was replaced by new ones and then left alone without anyone maintaining the place.

"Wonder what happened to the old stuff." Touka frowned, "Choubaku was the one who betrayed Sousou, right?" She can't help but feel sympathy and sadness for it.

"The running theory is that the sorcerers were involved, but we could just be absolving her of guilt because we knew her. She could've actually been a traitor…" Hinari replied, "… It's… hard." She sighed.

In the end, they didn't have the resources and time to look into a year-old case like this.

"Still… even if Sousou-san doesn't want us poking into this, I'd be much happier knowing that Choubaku was actually the good person I met last year." Touka shook her head. "… How long do you think we'll stay here in Kyoshou?"

"The trial with Enshou needs to end soon. Three days at the most." Shuri sighed, "The issue will be the matter with Paitan-sama. And whether Sousou will be willing to allow Paitan-sama to leave to Joshuu with us."

"I'd rather work with Sonsaku-san." Touka sighed.

"What everyone in the country knows is that Sousou helped us while Sonsaku stood on the sidelines. We don't have the mass media that Kazuto-sama's world has to manipulate the perception of the civilians. Even in Joshuu…"

Hinari nodded, "It's… hard to argue against the current perception of people." That Kentei brought the war to Joshuu. Joshuu is not well-suited to dealing with war and is more suited to commerce, what with the network of rivers that lead up to its capital, Kahi. And in the span of roughly half a year (from the citizen's perspective) that Kentei had been in their province, two wars exploded. That's too short a time frame for anyone to think otherwise.

In turn, Kyoshou and, by extension, Sousou's territory are battle-hardened for the sole reason that Sousou is the leader. The citizens here aren't too wary of wars because of Sousou's strength. Logic dictates that…

"I refuse to leave Paitan here." Ryuubi frowned. "Sousou might not be a bad person, but" judging from the reports that they got from Josho "she wasn't particularly well-treated either. Paitan's not happy here."

"Which is why we'll do our best to work out a compromise." Shuri promised. "We won't allow Paitan-sama to be left here on her own."

"I'd still rather bring her back to Joshuu." Touka pouted.

"We'd all prefer that, but please be prepared to compromise." Shuri smiled, "Mammon-sensei once said: Compromise is the path that ensures all parties are unhappy. We'll properly argue for Paitan-sama to come with us to Joshuu, but if Sousou-sama proves too difficult…"

Hinari smiled, "We'll be just as difficult in turn."

"Ahaha…" Touka winced, "Please keep it in moderation."

"Understood!"

A sharp rapping is heard from the door, followed by: "Touka-sama!" Aisha's voice came from the hall.

"Enter!" Touka called.

Aisha opened the door and partially walked in, "A guest has arrived."

"Already?" Touka frowned, "We're still setting u-"

"Are you going to throw me out already?" Kazuto poked his head from the doorway. "A bit cruel, considering all that we've been through."

"Kazuto-kun!" Touka blinked, "You're here already!?"

"Well, yeah." Kazuto laughed as he entered the room. "Also, here's the invitation from the Emperor." Kazuto gave a paper scroll to the girl. "Don't lose it."

Touka carefully unfurled it before giving it to Shuri, who… tried to look as if she was examining it, but she was fidgeting in place as she sneaked a few glances at Kazuto. Touka smiled, "Let's go to the dining hall! I think Mifa's prepared tea."

"If she hasn't, then she already has by the time we get there." Kazuto laughed. "Oh, and speaking of guests."

A red flame burst into view. "… It's an honor to meet you, Lady Liu Bei." Fon walked out.

"Eh, who's?"

"A new tutor for me. Basically my martial arts and Chinese History teacher now." Kazuto replied, "Fon. The Storm Arcobaleno."

"Storm." Aisha frowned.

"It's an honor to think that I have the same flame as the War God Guan Yu." Fon bowed to the woman. "A privilege, if you will."

Aisha merely bowed in response. "… Although your form is small, I can tell you are a skilled warrior yourself, no less than I am."

"You are still quite young yourself. I am sure you'll only grow stronger as the seasons pass." Fon nodded, "And yes, this form is quite a curse. I spent quite a cumbersome few decades of my life in this form. Thus is the Curse that made us Arcobaleno."

"… So when they said the Arcobaleno were the Seven Strongest Infants…" Kazuto blinked.

"They were saying the Infant Forms of the Seven Strongest in the World." Fon nodded.

"… I learn something new every day." Kazuto frowned. "Anyway, he's also teaching me Go. And I need a training partner that isn't related to Jun'iku. So that means Shuri and Hinari!" Kazuto cheerfully smiled.

Shuri blinked a bit before nodding rapidly. "I'll be honored!"

Hinari agreed as well, "Same here…"

"What about Josho-chan?" Touka frowned.

"I can really only play with Josho after hours. But at this point, both Paitan and Josho are kind of sick of playing with me." Kazuto laughed.

"… Genchoku-chan, sick of playing with you?" Hinari frowned. "That… doesn't sound like her?"

"It involves Reborn and explosions. Or Fon here and his fists." Or Reborn and his fists. He's not picky

"… According to Reborn, you respond well to training that risks your life." Fon shrugged, "And, considering your bloodline, your intuition is geared to ensuring your own life."

"I think gearing my flight or fight response to a board game is a bit much, but fine, whatever."

"… I really don't think you should just go 'fine, whatever' when it comes to these matters…" Aisha sighed.

"Although assuming that is a bit weird, considering that, from what Reborn told me, the other candidates aside from my father all died, right?"

"I am not so familiar with the comings and goings of the Vongola Famiglia before the Tenth's induction, Young Kazuto." Fon smiled. "Even after, I only kept myself apprised on my former disciple I-pin's whereabouts. I'm an ally of the Vongola, but I'm not Vongola."

"Umm, Fon-san?" Shuri raised her voice, "Can I request that you… not punish Kazuto-sama when he plays matches with us? I'd like to make our games more… relaxing after a stressful day, so to say?" Hinari nodded beside her.

"I can only promise for myself." Fon nodded, "But if the famed Zhuge Liang is to request it, then I am willing to abide by it."

"… That is fine. Even Reborn-san usually keeps Kazuto-sama's training out of our view."

"Is that so?" Fon frowned, looking at Kazuto.

"Reborn got a lot bolder once we got here." Kazuto sighed.

"Maybe because you're not able to go anywhere without an escort anyway…" Hinari frowned.

"Let's not justify Reborn's tendency for brutally punishing me for the most minor of offenses." Kazuto dully pointed out, "It's not healthy for anyone."

"I agree." Fon nodded, "However, Reborn would be appalled if you lost in that Go Match you promised young Xun Yu."

"I know he would, but I feel like he's doing this more out of genuine annoyance at me… like I did something wrong but he refuses to tell me what I did wrong."

Fon nodded. "That is how he is."

"Zunyu?" Shuri raised, "Umm… who?"

"Jun'iku." Kazuto replied.

"Kazuto-sama, why are you fighting Jun'iku-san in a Go match?" Shuri asked.

"A long conversation with Sousou went in that direction and I went along with it." Kazuto shrugged.

"Explain." Touka told him, not accepting that single sentence explanation.

"Essentially, I have a running bet with Sousou where I will try to beat Sousou's three most trusted officers, Kakouton, Kakouen, and Jun'iku in one of their fields of specialty. I'm scheduled a duel with Kakouton and a sniping contest with Kakouen."

"Is Jun'iku a master of Go?" Touka tilted her head.

"It's a game of strategy, and she'll want to prove herself more skilled in it than I am." Kazuto shrugged.

"What will you gain for this?" Shuri asked.

"Apparently, True Name privileges." Kazuto shrugged, "With Sousou."

"Why do you need that!?" Touka balked. And no small amount of jealousy. "I mean, you did win True Name privileges for Soukou-san, but that doesn't mean you should keep doing it for the rest of the Sou Clan!"

"I only ever did it with Soukou and now Sousou. Soujin and Soujun were much more straightforward."

"Is Sousou-san trying to get you as well alongside Paitan?" Shuri frowned.

"Maybe." Kazuto replied, "But technically speaking, she wants all of us. Maybe not Touka, but every single one of us with Touka has talents that she would prefer to be used for her gain rather than someone else's. She'll settle for a few of us, but she'll want to get all of us if she could."

"So what's your goal here?" Fon prompted. "If you forcibly take Emperor Xian out of Xuchang, you could severely ruin your current alliance with Cao Cao. Can you afford to make her your enemy?"

Touka and Shuri grimaced. Bluntly speaking, right now? No. They've just been through months of war. And while their casualties were low, it wasn't zero. If they picked a fight with Sousou right now, they'll be in another war that they can't afford. Winter is here and the recent wars have drained their reserves to barely enough. They need to last through the winter and get into a harvest season before they start waging war. In turn, Sousou probably hasn't dipped too much into her reserves. And, in the first place, Ryuubi has a public anti-war stance. She only fought wars when wars are declared against her and hers. Simply put, they were not in a healthy position to even consider it. They need time to consolidate their power right now, especially now that they've brought both Yuushuu, western Kishuu, and northern Seishuu under their control.

"So you can't afford to take her out of Xuchang and back to Xiapi for the time being." Fon nodded, "So what are your plans for then?"

"The current system of just me and Josho cannot continue," Kazuto remarked. "After all, once we're no longer guests due to war but semi-permanent residents, she'll have more chances to mess with us. We can handle it a bit at a time, but we'd prefer some actual support from home. Besides, we only did me and Josho because it's easier for me to take both of them and run if Sousou had set a trap for us. We don't need to worry about running anymore; Enshou is no longer breathing down our backs ready to pounce if we show weakness. We currently…"

"Have no enemies." Shuri finished. "… Yes. If Paitan-sama is in peril, we can dedicate our full force to taking her back and not worrying of a pincer attack."

"Sonsaku-san is still our ally so our south is guarded. Seishuu has also sworn allegiance to us so our east is guarded." Hinari nodded, "So a war with Sousou-san, provided no additional circumstances, will only ever be a war with Sousou-san. We can even request aid from both Seishuu and Sonsaku-san. We can even request aid from Batou-san. Maybe even Ryuuhyou-san, but that's debatable."

"… We can dedicate a few more of our number to Paitan-sama's guard." Aisha picked up what they meant.

"I don't want us separated even more than we already are." Touka frowned. "It might sound troublesome, but I'd much prefer it if we're all back in Joshuu."

"Same here." Kazuto nodded. "… Still. It would be best if we can figure this out completely because we'll probably have a few monitors around us. We won't be able to talk as freely as we want there… Unless Shuri and Hinari learned to use their illusions to hide sounds now?"

Shuri frowned. "… We've been mostly working towards physical illusions, with some sound…"

"But it does sound useful." Hinari pointed out, "A more portable version of those soundproofed rooms…"

"… Is that why Mammon-sensei had us help with the making of those soundproofed rooms?" Shuri blinked.

"And why sensei had them made in the first place?" Hinari looked towards Fon.

"… I'll repeat what I said before to Young Kazuto; Viper and I are inherently incompatible." Fon remarked, "I am a Martial Artist, Viper is an Illusionist. I am a user of Storm flames, the flame with the property of destruction, while Viper wields Mist, with the property of creation. I live a hermit's life, Viper hoards money. I have no way of discerning that one's thoughts."

"I apologize for bringing our sensei up then."

"I am more worried that your bright minds will be corrupted by that one." Fon remarked.

"Standard operating procedure for after a lesson with Mammon is to ask them to help out with something. If they answer by asking for payment, we know that they've been corrupted." Kazuto replied. "… So far, it hasn't happened."

"I suppose it's my fault for underestimating the great minds of Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong." Fon laughed, "I apologize for that."

"It's fine!" Shuri smiled. "Although to hear you call us great is a bit…"

"We are aware that in Kazuto-sama's original world, we are famed existences, but we have yet to do any noteworthy feats as of yet." Hinari replied. "In our eyes, you are a greater existence."

"And yet, you've heard nothing of what I've accomplished, and I personally don't believe my own feats to be comparable to what you two have already accomplished," Fon replied. "You two have been instrumental in the strategies of the Liu Bei Army since its inception; what can a Martial Artist like myself compare? All I can do is teach those who come to me the ways of fighting and killing. They will either grow to become killers, murderers, or hermits that care nothing for the people."

"This is becoming a circular argument." Kazuto sighed, "Shuri, Hinari, learn to take a compliment. You two are amazing." The two blushed deeply while Touka and Aisha nodded. "Fon-san, while this world is based on the historical documents of your country, they are not completely equivalent. The future can be changed."

"There is no one more aware of that than I, young Kazuto. I have witnessed your father do so before my very eyes." Fon nodded. Kazuto has heard that anecdote many, many times. One of these days, someone needs to tell him the story, because it's becoming a bit of a headache trying to know. All he knew is that the Millefiore was involved. Which likely meant they were the Vongola's enemies at the time. "But yes. I suppose I've been rude to the two of you. And for that, I apologize. You aren't Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong that I've read of. But while you aren't they, you are not their lesser either. I am sure, that, given the opportunity, the two of you can reach heights equal if not greater than those I've read of. So, hold confidence in your hearts. The things you two can accomplish will be greater than what Viper has or ever will accomplish."

"… Thank you."

"Now then, this digression has gone long enough, don't you agree?" Fon smiled, "Let us focus on the task at hand: what is your plan for when you confront Sousou about taking Emperor Xian home to Xuzhou?"

"We'll argue for Paitan-sama to return with us, alongside Kazuto-kun and Josho-chan." Touka nodded, "… However, if we hit a roadblock… I intend to be an annoyance for Sousou-san."

"How?"

Touka told him.

Fon nodded, "Yes, that would be quite the annoyance."

"Glad you agree."

Kazuto winced, "… That… is both working for exactly what Sousou wants… in a way that she completely doesn't want. I'm scared… you actually thought of this on your own."

"I had help!" Touka pouted, "Shuri-chan, Hinari-chan!"

"We did suggest it once… we didn't think she'd actually want it." Hinari replied. "It's… not exactly ideal to her."

"Reborn-sensei did say that I have to leave my comfort zone." Touka replied. "… That I have to learn to see other people's perspectives. Isn't this the perfect opportunity?"

Kazuto merely laughed, "Right! Then that settles that. I doubt Sousou would be able to reject that if we push for it. I'll see about moving the talks in that direction. Just argue for taking Paitan with us to Joshuu."

"Mmhmm." Touka smiled.

"Touka-sama, the tea is ready."

"Thank you Mifa!" Touka smiled, "Shall we?"

-()-

"Sousou spared no expense making this place look as unlived-in as possible." Kazuto remarked. "As if she's trying way too hard to erase Choubaku."

"They refurbished the place but it still looks empty." Aisha nodded.

"How are things here in Kyoshou?" Touka asked, as she received her teacup. "Thank you Mifa-chan."

"I thought I sent letters?" Kazuto teased.

"I wanted to hear from you."

"Hmm… it's alright I guess. A lot of suspicion at first, but that's mellowed out since." Kazuto smiled, before taking the teacup from Mifa. "Thank you, Mifa."

Mifa smiled in turn, before moving to Aisha.

"I got assigned a lot of work to try and get me out of Paitan's side."

"As we expected." Aisha nodded.

"I could show you some of the food stalls that I think are good around here, if you want, Rinrin."

"Really? Thanks, niichan!"

"You had that much free time, milord?"

"Around here, there's nothing but free time for me. Especially once the war went into full swing." Can't give him busy work if she's not here. "Besides, I got tasked with forming their police force; it was a good enough excuse to see each of the city's specialties. Right, Sei?"

"Exactly, milord!" Sei laughed. As the one in charge of their police force, she knew exactly what he meant. After all, the number of times Sei has skived off work to visit a few choice stores is enough to make Rinrin jealous.

"Please do not encourage her, Kazuto-sama." Aisha sighed.

"I'm still surprised Sousou allowed you that much control around here." Shuri frowned, "If you somehow manage to subvert their loyalties…"

"Won't happen. While I'm technically in charge of the police force, the real heads are the generals she put under me. Gakushin, Ukin, and Riten, generals in all but rank, and loyal to Sousou. While they consider me their friend, they're also in charge of keeping an eye on me in my comings and goings. The soldiers follow their orders, not mine. I'm more of a supervisor, honestly. If there's actually anyone around here that I'm officially officially in charge of, it's the Kazoe Yakuman Sisters, and Sousou's making damn sure to stick Soukou next to me through all that so that she could eventually take them off my hands." Like he said: ultimately, what Sousou is doing is giving him busywork. It's to keep him occupied from being at Paitan's side as much as possible. Kazuto just took it as an opportunity to give Paitan a bit more room to breathe. Reborn had said that he and Touka have been suffocating the girl from showing her true potential. Dealing with Sousou might be a trial by fire, but it's better than heavily sheltering her from the world. Sousou needs Paitan right now. She needs Paitan's pseudo-authority to implement laws that she couldn't otherwise. Still… "Honestly, it's not just them, all of her subordinates are loyal to her. They even dress up like her." Kazuto laughed light-heartedly. They just reunited; it's not good to be so wound up already. "Skull designs all around. It's like being in Uncle Hayato's room again, minus the smell of cigarette smoke."

"Why skulls?" Touka sighed, "It makes you look like a bad guy who revels in death…"

"If we're going by what Uncle Hayato said, it's because he just likes it. If we're going by Uncle Lambo as to why Uncle Hayato has all those skulls, it's because it makes him look badass, because otherwise, he'll look like an eager puppy." Kazuto replied, as he grabbed a biscuit from Mifa's offered tray, "Sousou's somewhere in the middle. She likes the aesthetic and specifically uses it for intimidation. After all…" Kazuto smiled in amusement, "Considering Sousou's size, she'd be cute if it wasn't for all the skulls, don't you think?"

"You flirted with her!?" Touka looked at him horrified.

"I did not!" Kazuto immediately denied it.

"… That's not fair to him, Touka-sama." Shuri spoke up to defend him, "… That's just how Kazuto-sama talks."

"Please be more mindful of your words, Kazuto-kun." Touka sighed.

"… Right." Kazuto nodded. The number of times he's been accused of flirting for simply talking to girls is getting a bit too big. It was the same back home, but dammit, this is just talking! What's wrong with calling a cute girl cute? "So anything else I should discreetly go to Paitan to tell her about before tomorrow, or the trial itself? We probably won't be able to discuss anything too sensitive when we're being waited by a bunch of Sousou's servants for our little reunion party."

Shuri nodded and thought for a bit, "… I suppose there's something… What does she want to do? I mean, we're going by the assumption that she'd want to come with us back to Joshuu… but the truth is her home is Rakuyou. If she wants to stay here to be closer to home…"

"… Paitan's not the type to be selfish, unfortunately." Kazuto sighed, "… If she sees that we want to go back to Joshuu, she'll want to go back with us."

"True." Shuri nodded, "… Still, it would be good to ask."

"… Right. Anything else?"

"It's enough." Shuri replied. "I just need to know that answer."

"… Got it." Kazuto nodded. "See you guys later."

"Kazuto-kun!" Touka stood up. "Umm… Are you…"

Kazuto looked back and tilted his head, "… Hmm?"

Touka silently thought of what she had to say. She spoke up on impulse, and it's hard to find words that she wants to speak right now… still. "We love you. You know that right?"

It's just like Touka to say something that embarrassing out of the blue while still representing everyone in the room. Kazuto nodded, "… You don't need to worry about Sousou sniping me or something like that. If I ever had to choose between you and Sousou, I will always pick you. I love you and everyone here." Kazuto grinned, "So stop worrying so much. I promised, didn't I? That we'll be together, as a Family, whether it be through prosperity or ruin. If our little army is fated to sink, then I'll sink with it."

"R-right!" Touka nodded. Kazuto nodded and, with a flourish, left the room.

A few moments passed. And eventually, Touka collapsed on her seat, completely red-faced. Those around her were not any better. The most composed was probably Mifa, who merely smiled at the sight.

"If you were going to collapse due to embarrassment, you could have chosen not to ask the question." Mifa teased the lord.

"Well, we have his promise." Sei nodded, "We'll just have to hold him to it." Sei nonchalantly grabbed a tea biscuit.

"Good."

Everyone flinched at that sound, "Who?" Aisha sharply stood up. Her hands were in a martial arts pose, her blade not near her at the moment.

"Calm yourself, Kan'u." Mammon appeared before the group, "… Shokatsuryou Koumei, Houtou Shigen. I trust the two of you have been training since I left?"

"Ah, yes!"

"Of course!"

"Then I'll test you. It will not take long." Mammon jumped onto Shuri's shoulder. "Move."

The two strategists hurried to one of the spare inner rooms. Likely the one the two have claimed for themselves.

"… Kazuto-kun left his communicator here." Touka winced, as she grabbed the communicator that was left inconspicuously on his seat. "… And it was probably on purpose."

"Ah! Shuri and Hinari got ahead of me again!" Rinrin remarked, "Where's Reborn-sensei!?" She pouted. "I didn't get to study much more on my flames as well!"

"Don't worry, Rinrin."

"You're just saying that because you all have something important to talk with Kazuto-nii about, while I had to wait a bit more so that we can have spare time." Rinrin grumbled. "I know I'm not as smart as the rest of you, but it's unfair that Kazuto-nii is only here for serious stuff."

"It'll only be for a few more days, Rinrin." Touka smiled. "Don't worry."

"Promise?"

"… No matter what happens next, we'll all be together." Touka vowed.

Shuri and Hinari looked uneasy at that promise. But the look in Touka's eyes… it's clear that she's not to be deterred.

-()-

"…"

"So you're still not sure yourself, then, Paitan?"

"… Sorry." Paitan winced, "… I… don't have that strong a connection to Rakuyou as you think I do. I've only ever been in the palace. I don't even remember a time when I was outside the palace walls." Paitan winced. "So if you want my personal opinion? I want to go wherever Touka-neesan is. But if I stay with Touka-neesan, will I be able to become a proper Emperor or will I just end up handing my position to Touka-neeasan?" Paitan sighed. "… I… I think that Touka-neesan is better suited to be Emperor. But! I want to prove to everyone that I can be Emperor. So…"

"How different would it be if you stayed with Sousou though?" Kazuto frowned, "She's not exactly hiding her desire to strip your authority and take it for herself, you know?"

"But I at least know that she's doing it against me. I… if I'm truly the one blessed by the Mandate of Heaven, then I will see through anything she puts up against me." Paitan nodded, "And… I need to prove to the world that… the Kan Dynasty is not done. I will not be the last Emperor of the Kan Dynasty. That means I need to learn to use both Touka-neesan and Sousou-san; someone loyal to me and someone only loyal to themselves. Two extremes, but if I can make them work for my Empire… then I will have become a worthy Emperor, right?"

"You've thought of this quite a bit, I see." Kazuto grinned. "That level of introspection is rare even among adults, you know?"

"I'm an adult, Kazuto-san." Paitan frowned, before sighing, "… So… if possible." Paitan turned to him. "I would like to have both Touka-neesan and Sousou-san working with me. I know it's selfish and that there will be problems but…"

"No. It's fine." Kazuto shook his head. "We'll see what we can do." Kazuto smiled, "It wouldn't be that hard."

"I'm sorry, for being selfish." Paitan bowed her head to him. Kazuto waved it off with a laugh.

"You're the emperor; you're entitled to be selfish once in a while."

Paitan grimaced.

She's holding them back. If she wasn't here, Touka could likely step up and grow her forces to be equal to Sousou. But since she's the Emperor and Touka would never dream of taking her position away from her, Touka will stagnate.

"… Don't think too much."

"Eh?"

"Touka doesn't want the position or responsibilities of an Emperor. If anything, that sort of lofty position is something she's not willing to accept. She'll be cut off from the commoners that she rose up to protect, after all. Even the current role of Joshuu Regent is beyond what she actually wants to do." Kazuto smiled, "So chin up and know that, as long as Paitan is Kentei, we'll do our best to help you as the Emperor. And like you said, controlling Sousou is just another step in your goal of becoming a good Emperor." Kazuto nodded.

"… Then if I were to… order you to become my Imperial Guard," officially, rather than the current unofficial position, "and to return the position of Joshuu regent to Touken…"

"I honestly think everyone would be happier that way." Kazuto laughed. "Gives us more free time, really."

Paitan looked at him with a nod. "… Please. Stay with me." Paitan bowed to him. "I want to become a proper Emperor, but I need your help to do it! So! Please!"

"We'll have to make a few concessions with Sousou, but I think we can work something out~" Kazuto smiled.

Paitan looked at him and smiled. "Thank you!"

"Now then! Let's see about organizing the dining hall!" Kazuto stood up, "It's always been for big groups, but it's not a bad idea to look through everything again!"

"What do you guys think I've been doing for the past hour!?" Josho walked in, "Please help!"

The two nodded and followed the poor strategist who has been left to deal with Sousou's servants in the hectic prep work for this dinner.

-()-

"You know, Kazuto-nii?"

"Yes, Rinrin?"

"When you said that we're invited to a party… Rinrin expected a lot more than this."

Rather than their usual happy, loud, parties, it was a rather formal affair. Stuffy in one way, but relaxed in another. Alcohol isn't in high supply for this meal, for one, and the drinkers of the group were rather unhappy about that. Plenty of food, but table manners were expected, as Sousou's servants bustled around them making themselves look busy. But really, a lot of them could tell that they're spying on them. Kazuto has half a mind to ask them to leave the room or tell Paitan to do so as well, but this room wasn't exactly soundproofed; it'll still be the same. At least their presence would clear things for everyone here to not talk too lightly.

Eventually, the servants no longer had any more food to place on the table and they were shooed out, which is why the group is starting to relax a bit more. It's still a bit formal, but at least the group can move around a bit more.

"Bear with it." Kazuto sighed. "We can have all the happy, actually fun parties at home. Right now, we can't go all out because it'll look bad on Paitan if people were to hear a loud celebration before we deal with Enshou. This war isn't completely over until Enshou's dealt with. This is just an excuse for all of you to get to talk to Paitan and Josho without needing Sousou to oversee everything we do. I want her to relax a bit more."

"If you say so…" Rinrin frowned. "Doesn't seem relaxing, though."

"I'd say. Sei has pretty much grabbed a bottle and moved to the garden. Still, you can relax more now." Kazuto winced. Kazuto then looked at Rinrin, "… I'm sorry."

"Wha?"

"I've been neglecting you, haven't I?"

"It's the same for everyone, right? You've been gone for a long time."

"But when you all arrived, I focused on talking to Touka, Shuri, Hinari, and Aisha. I didn't remember to talk to my beloved sworn sister." Kazuto winced.

"… guess so." Rinrin admitted, "But it's fine, because Rinrin's strong!"

"You can be selfish, you know? It's human to be selfish. Rinrin might be strong, but it's not wrong to want things to go how you want them to."

"… Why?"

"Eh?"

"Why do we care so much about Sousou?"

"… Because this is an Empire." Kazuto smiled. "If Sousou was an invader, we could just fight her and try to win. But this is an Empire, with Paitan as the Emperor. Not every subordinate will be loyal to Paitan, and it's her job to put them in their place. For example… Rinrin, you probably have a few rowdy subordinates, right?"

"Right."

"What do you do when they go out of line?"

"Beat them up."

"But what if they're smarter than you and could make it so that if you beat them up, you will become the bad guy?"

"… That's hard!" Rinrin pouted. "Rinrin doesn't want to be the bad guy, but that person deserves to be beaten up!"

"In the end, Emperor is just that kind of position. There will be a lot of people who should listen to you because that's their job, but don't because they think they know better than you. And sometimes those types of people are smarter than you, and might do everything in their power to bring you down so that they can go up."

"Can they really do that?"

"I suppose… let's go with this as an example. You have a smart soldier under your wing who wants to replace you as General."

"Then they should just beat Rinrin, right? And if they do, then they'll just get a new force under us." Rinrin pointed out.

"The thing is, this soldier isn't strong in the slightest."

"… Then why not become like Shuri and the others then? You always complained about lacking smart guys helping with the scrolls thing you do every day…"

"Why they want to replace you is strange. Maybe they just hate you. So they set a trap. They will make you do a crime that people can't ignore. Like, trick you into killing an innocent person."

"That's!" Rinrin frowned, angry at the thought. "That's evil!"

"Welcome to the world of politics." Kazuto laughed, "Sousou has a lot of power right now. And if we want to keep the power of the Kan Dynasty, it's best to keep her on our good side. If we fight her, then we'll just break this country apart."

"So how are we dealing with Sousou then?" Rinrin frowned. "We can't just beat her up?"

"We can't, but you don't need to worry that much about it. Leave that to us. That's our job as the people who spend weeks waving a brush on a bunch of documents. Rinrin just needs to focus on protecting us if we mess up."

"Right! Rinrin can do that!" Rinrin smiled. "But… would it help if Rinrin becomes smarter?"

"I'd like to say no but… yes. You'll have to be. Not Shuri-smart, but Sei-smart. You just need to make sure you can't be tricked by people smarter than you."

"Will Kazuto-niichan teach Rinrin?"

"… Just spend a bit more time with Reborn. You should be able to pick something up."

"Rinrin'd rather learn from you though?"

"… You could, but I'm not a teacher. And I cheat. I use my intuition to figure out when people are plotting against me." Kazuto sighed.

"If Rinrin could learn from you, then Rinrin will learn from you!" Rinrin smiled, "That way, Rinrin can also spend time with Kazuto-nii!"

"… Then I'll see what I can do." Kazuto sighed with a nod. "We'd probably still need a few others to help but…"

"Rinrin can bring Rairai and Denden!"

Kazuto winced. Right. Two other girls that he has neglected. "Mmhmm. Fine. But just you three. Any more and I'm shoving you off to Reborn."

"It seems the mouth on my student has grown a bit looser than it should've been."

Kazuto flinched a bit, but, "It's the right choice. Besides, you're still going to be around when I teach the three, and kicking me if I teach them wrong somehow."

"I suppose I would; you are poaching my student, after all."

"Reborn-sensei!" Rinrin greeted, "Why didn't you come after Mammon showed up to teach Shuri and Hinari?"

"Viper is capable of teaching people in a small room." Reborn shrugged, "And what you are learning from me needs space, Chouhi."

"Are you ever going to call Rinrin Rinrin?" Rinrin pouted.

Reborn shrugged, "Regardless, Rinrin," Rinrin gave a broad smile at that, "It's better to train in secret."

"Understood, Sensei!"

"Now why aren't you as amenable as her, Bakazuto?" Reborn turned to his student.

"I thought you watched me grow up?" Kazuto dully pointed out. "How would I know more than the guy who apparently attached balloons on me as a newborn baby to train my father in parenting?" That was one of the weirdest baby pictures Kazuto has ever seen of himself, titled Baby Kazuto's First Flight. He apparently learned to fly before he learned to walk.

"Wouldn't have happened if your father was paying attention?" Reborn smirked. Reborn then frowned and turned to the door. Kazuto frowned and shut up.

"Eh? Niichan? Sensei?"

Kazuto nodded to the door.

Everyone noted his sudden silence and warily looked at the door. Some faint footsteps could be heard. A new guest then?

"… I would appreciate it if our uninvited guest were to either leave or make themselves known." Aisha called.

Kazuto frowned. Sei should've been at the yard. Supposedly drinking, but in reality, keeping an eye on things. If a servant were to come for more food, then she would send them a signal. But Sei did not this time. In other words…

"It's a friend, Aisha." Kazuto sighed, before smiling and greeting the door, "… Come in, Chiihou."

The door opened and a grinning Chiihou showed up. "Hello, everyone! It's Everyone's Little Sister, Chiihou! I'm here to provide entertainment for this party!"

"Chiihou-chan!" Touka smiled.

"Chiihou!" Rinrin waved at the girl, "Good to see ya!"

Aisha sighed, "… I would've appreciated a bit more warning next time, Chiihou." Aisha turned to Kazuto.

"This is a surprise to me too." Kazuto replied. Aisha nodded, remembering how he acted when they approached.

"Now, now, I brought my sisters this time!" Chiihou grinned, and behind her walked in… Tenhou and Renhou, both looking slightly nervous, as Sei grinned broadly behind them.

"Hello! I'm Chiihou's older sister, Tenhou!"

"The younger sister, Renhou."

""Please take care of us!"" The two bowed to them.

""Come in, come in!"" Rairai and Denden jumped up and pulled them in. Yuuka walked over and gave Sei a plate of food and wine. Sei grinned and walked out with the pilfered goods, likely to continue her night watch.

"And with this, all of us have gathered." Kazuto grinned.

"Then, I suppose a toast is in order." Touka smiled, as she raised her cup. "To everyone's health!"

""""""KANPAI""""""

This small get-together wasn't the loudest party the Ryuubi Army ever had, but it was a party where everyone was able to smile. For it was the first truly happy moment for every one of them in a long while, where war is no longer on the horizon, and everyone could relax a bit more. While they can't let loose and allow Sousou to bring them grief, it's still a happy moment that no one can deny.

-()-

Chapter End

-()-

Chapter Release Date: July 8, 2022

-()-

Beta Reader: Seraphius

I swear, I'm growing more long-winded as the story goes along.

… Honestly, I hate the fact that I have to sideline a lot of the Shoku Cast, even though I'm making them fall for Kazuto in some shape or form. Their bonds with Kazuto are largely off-screen, but I can't justify giving each and every one of them a spotlight without putting in too much fluff that doesn't move the plot forward. And since I have an interest in moving plots forward, then that means the only ones that can do so are highlighted: Touka as the leader, Aisha as the military commander, Shuri and Hinari as the strategists. Paitan as the Emperor. Even Aisha can't survive for long, as if I want to move wars forward, I'll do Shuri or Hinari. Aisha's there mostly to highlight skirmishes. Which results in Rinrin falling to the wayside. She… doesn't really contribute a whole lot to the plot. Her biggest plot-defining moment is when she defended a bridge, and we're a long way away from her defending that bridge. And unfortunately, that's her only plot-defining moment, so even though she's supposed to be a main character, she gets demoted to side character status in this story.

One of these days, I'm going to post an ICdTR Side Stories, for the sake of character interactions that don't accelerate the plot.