Disclaimer: I know this seems really early, but today I suddenly had an important meeting so I completed this as soon as possible, as I won't have time afterwards. Ehem, all credit goes to Shingo Nanami and フクロウ. As requested, I have translated this story first. Enjoy.

髪飾り

Hair Ornament

Part One

Kasane x Nobunaga

"Good afternoon~, little missy."

"Toukichirou-san!"

Toukichirou popped out as he scratched his face. As usual, he carried that heavy load on his back and had his head wrapped in that strangely patterned bandana. With thinly slanted eyes and an ever present grin, he gave her pleasant smile.

Kasane instantly approached him.

"Have you finished Tono-sama's work?"

"If you ask me if it's over… I have to first give my report soon,"

"Heh~, seems tough."

Toukichirou was Nobunaga's informant. In order to gather all the information that Nobunaga wanted, he sneaked into enemy territory to probe around for details. That's why it was rare for Toukichirou to come to the castle.

"Ah! ...Actually, I have a souvenir for little missy."

"For me?"

Toukichirou said as he looked into his belongings.

"Well~, when I was investigating near a stall, I happened to find something that would suit you. That this is something that I must give to little missy! Is what I thought so I bought it."

"But that's. Thank you very much for taking me into consideration, Toukichirou-san."

"Well~, I wasn't doing it for something so grand! That makes me embarrassed~."

Toukichirou squinted his thin eyes even more and wiped the bottom of his nose.

"Found it, found it, it's this!"

Proclaiming out loud, Toukichirou pulled out a cutely-made hair ornament.

It wasn't overly flamboyant, but it had small delicate flowers decorated into the work.

It wasn't crude and it was just right for a young girl to adorn in her hair.

"Wah…! It's really cute…! Thank you so much!"

Kasane bowed in appreciation.

"Dear me, aren't little missy and I already friends!?"*

Though she had no memory of becoming good friends with Toukichirou, but Kasane pushed aside those trivial things and happily smiled at the souvenir.

"This might be the first time I've ever gotten a present from a guy…"

"Eh? Then, you mean that I'm the first person who gave you something?"

Toukichirou perked up at the word 'first time'.

"Eh, y-yeah…"

Hearing her answer, Toukichirou scratched his face happily.

"For a guy, to be a girl's 'first' in anything makes them happy, you know."

"Is that so…"

Though she couldn't really understand the basis for Toukichirou's happiness, he waved it off as she was a woman so she wouldn't really understand it anyway.

"So, so try it on!"

"Eh… Now?"

Toukichirou excitedly nodded.

In Kasane's former world she wasn't the type to dress up in girlish clothing and preferred a more masculine fashion. That's why she felt a bit embarrassed for suddenly prompted to wear such a cute ornament in front of a guy.

She wondered if it won't look good on her…**

She felt an unpleasant uneasiness over her.

It'll be the worst if it didn't suit her after accepting the gift.

After all her hair was short so it might not match with this sort of hair ornament.

"Come on, come on, little missy!"

"..."

Feeling bad to decline a happy Toukichirou, Kasane proceeded to put the girl in her hair.

"Ah, please wait. I'll put it on you."

Toukichirou then gently placed it in her hair.

With Toukichirou suddenly acting like a gentlemen, Kasane shly stiffened.

"Yep, just as I thought, it really suits you."

"...Really?"

"Really! As I thought, there's was nothing with my eyes!"

Watching him grin, Kasane also smiled.

"Thank you very much, I will treasure it."

"Well~, this isn't much. Anyway, if you ever have time, then let's go out som-."

"Monkey."

Just as Toukichirou extended an invitation toward Kasane, the voice that suddenly fell upon to two interrupted his plan. He shivered at the voice.

"No-nobunaga-sama."

"What are you loitering the halls for. If you've come back, then hurry up and come to my place."

Narrowed eyes and furrowed brow, they could feel Nobunaga's horrible mood.

"J-just now this Toukichirou had returned, Nobunaga-sama~! !"

Toukichirou cried with tears running down his eyes as he ran toward Nobunaga. Nobunaga, however, mercilessly kicked into Toukichirou's face.

"How troublesome."

"This didn't changed one bit…"

Kasane stared blankly at Nobunaga and Toukichirou's exchange.

At that time, Nobunaga noticed Kasane's presence and turned his attention to her.

"...What's that thing on your head?"

"Eh?"

"That is my souvenir for little missy!"

"Souvenir…?"

Nobunaga frowned.

"Please listen to this, Nobunaga-sama! I'm the first guy to ever give little missy a present! Well~ pretty embarrassing ain't it~."

"...Hmph."

Hearing those words, Nobunaga steadily stared at Kasane.

Staring as if evaluating her, Kasane felt discomfort under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Doesn't suit you."

"Wha-...!?"

After a while, Nobunaga replied one sentence.

"Monkey, hurry up and get yourself ready to report in my room."

"...O-of course! ...Then, little missy, later!"

Pulling Toukichirou with him, Nobunaga left the spot.

A the while he left Kasane to dumbfoundedly stare after his back.

(He-he told me doesn't look good on me…)

Indeed, she could agree that this cute hair ornament didn't duit for people like her, but wouldn't it be nice to hold back when commenting about the truth…!?

Cursing at him in her heart, Kasane took hold of the hair ornament.

Even though it's so cute…

Gazing at it, Kasane thought to herself.

Though she felt bad for Toukichirou-san, she really didn't have the courage to wear it and face Nobunaga and get bombarded by his words again.

Plus it might have really not looked good on her.

Though Toukichirou-sana said things like that, he might have said it because he's a nice person and didn't want to feel hurt so he lied to her that it suited her when it really didn't.

And so Nobunaga who is awfully blunt, might have told out the truth.***

"...Haaa."

She spilled out a heavy sigh.

If she was born more womanly, more cute then she would be suited for things like these….

She placed the hair ornament into her pocket.

TBC

*What he means here is that she didn't need to thank him since they're already on good terms.

**Here I couldn't find a good enough translation. What it says roughly is to lose to the ornament. So it seems like the she'll ruin everything by wearing such a good decoration.

***Here it's like revealing the truth, that Toukichirou also thinks it didn't look good on her. So it's not necessary that Nobunaga himself thinks it's true, but that he revealed what everyone would think… Unn.. hope that helps explain things...

I was surprised that this story was picked, I guess everyone is sick and tired of winter. lol. Me too, I'm happy it's finally spring. Well then, I hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter and hopefully I can upload the next chapter by this weekend, depending on how the meeting goes. Until then, stay safe!