Disclaimer: All credit goes to Shingo Nanami and フクロウ. Enjoy.

髪飾り

Hair Ornament

Part Two

Kasane x Nobunaga

"...Therefore there's no need to be worried about that castle for a while."

After finishing his report about the recent events around a certain castle, Toukichirou glanced at Nobunaga.

"...Nobunaga-sama?"

"...I see, you may withdraw. Rest for today."

Observing the man who didn't seem to be listening, Toukichirou grimaced dubiously.

"Is it alright for me to rest? It's not even evening yet either."

"I don't mind, do what you want."

"Then I shall go out with little missy to some sweet shop-..."

Just as Toukichirou made a merry face, a sword suddenly hurled at him, missing him just a hair's width from his face.

"..."

"If you have so much energy to fool around, why don't you give me a hand? Monkey."

"N-nnn-no! I feel totally exhausted so I'll go to sleep! I feel like mud so allow me to sleep!"*

Toukichirou pales and hurriedly left Nobunaga's room.

"Hmph..."

Nobunaga indifferently snorted.

(We~ll then, off to little missy.)

Though Nobunaga ordered him to rest, Toukichirou disobeyed it and began to search for Kasane.

As he was an informant who had no correspondence with the maids in this castle, Kasane was a valuable girl whom he could have a relaxed conversation with.

For a guy like Toukichirou who loves girls, it was natural for him to use this precious time to get close her her as he rarely came back to the castle.

"Ah, there, there! Little missy~!"

Discovering Kasane, Toukichirou grinned and waved his arm.

"Huh? Are you already done with your report, Toukichirou-san?"

"Yes! In addition, Nobunaga-sama gave me some free time! How about it? If you're free then shall we go somewhere?"

Kasane considered his offer. Today she finished most of her chores, so she decided there weren't any problems to that.

"Yes, that's fine with me."

Hearing a pleasant answer, Toukichirou pumped his fist in his hear.

"...Huh, what happened to the hair ornament?"

Noticing that she wasn't wearing his gift, he tilted his head.

He became afraid that she didn't like it.

"...Since I was told it didn't look good on me, I took it out."

Bowing her head and casting down her eyes, Kasane told him.

"Doesn't look good, could it be that you're bothered by what Nobunaga's said?"

"Because my hair's short and I'm not really that womanly… So I thought it looks bad on me."

Saying that Kasane made a troubled smile as she ruffled her head.

"What are you talking about, it was so cute on you. Such a waste."

There weren't any lies in Toukichirou's words. He was the one that thought it would look lovely on her and picked it himself.

It shouldn't have looked bad on her and really it did look good on her.

"...Well, it can't be helped if little missy doesn't want to wear it. That sort of things should be worn when you want to wear it."

"I'm really sorry! Toukichirou-san…"

Seeing her giving him a heartfelt apology, Toukichirou felt as if he did something wrong.

"No! It's fine! That's right! Next time… Next time I'll get you a kimono! Perhaps if you wear the hair ornament and the kimono your sense of incongruity will fly away!"

"Eh, but I'll feel bad if you keep buying things like that…"

"I'm only doing this because I want to, so don't mind me."

He grinned and gave her a shameless expression.

"No! To keep on receiving things without giving anything in return goes against my family's precepts! Let me thank you with something later! What would you like?"

Kasane urged him.

If someone does something for her, she will do the same to that person.

Whether for good or bad intentions, it was her nature to give out her all in any situation.

"Eh… Anything?"

"Yes! Tell me anything!"

Her innocent smile was so dazzling.

Wicked thoughts kept piling into his mind.

"...Th-then… a kiss might be nice, just kidding~...!"**

Slovenly relaxing his features, Toukichirou scratched his head to hide his face in embarrassment.

"Hou, a kiss?"

His heart jumped at the deep voice.

"N-nobunaga-samaa!? W-why are you here again…!?"

Without noticing his presence for the second time today, Toukichirou drew back.

"Monkey, since you have so much energy, you really should have killed time with me."

Saying that, Nobunaga brought out a wooden sword.

"N-! No! Haha… Excuse me! !"

Toukichirou dashed away in sonic speed. Kasane, who tried call after him, could only leave her mouth open dumbfoundedly.

"Goodness, that yearlong mating monkey."***

He gave a sigh of utter stupefaction.

"Tono-sama… what's wrong?"

"...This hair ornament, it's yours right."

He took out the gift that Toukichirou gave her earlier out of his collar.****

"Eh?! Why does Tono-sama have!?"

"It was at the courtyard."

Kasane frantically checked her pocket in which she thought she placed the hair ornament in. However, it was nowhere to be found.

(It must fell out...)

Her face paled a sickly blue.

For her to drop a gift she had recently received was beyond rude.

"I-I'm sorry, thank you Tono-sama…"

Just as she thanked Nobunaga and reached for the hair ornament, Nobunaga suddenly pulled it away from her and left his hand at a height where she could not reach.

"W-what are you doing?"

Kasane frowned at his childish harassment.

"Are you happy to receive this cheap thing?"

"Of course I am, isn't that obvious?"

Though it is important to to pick the perfect thing as a present, but what Kasane favored the most was the giver's good intentions. As long as it came from the heart, she would be happy.

"Hmph… To hang on to this thing."

"Just give it back to me please."

"I would have done that anyway."

"Eh?!"

Nobunaga roughly threw it back to her.

Kasane frantically caught it before it could fall and break on the floor.

"What were you going to do if it fell and broke!?"

"...Hmph."

Uninterested, he snorted.

No matter how much she'll complain to this arrogant young man, he'd probably not understand anything.

"Anyway, why are you in such a bad mood?"

Realizing long before of Nobunaga's strange behavior, she asked him.

"Me? Fool. There wasn't anything that I was infuriated with today."

"No matter how you look at it, you look like you're in a bad mood though…"

Contrary to his words, what he did back there was harassment and he was sourly crossing his arms and his face was scary… … … Well his face was scary to begin with.

If he was angry then he wouldn't hold it back, but something felt out of joint with Nobunaga on how he was somehow holding back his dissatisfaction.

(Does he not feel good…?)

"What are you looking at."

Feeling her suspicious gaze, he asked her.

"...Do you feel sick?"

"And why you say that."

"Because Tono-sama isn't that clear…"

"..."

He looked down at her. The more he stared at her, the more he realized how delicate her body looked.

It made him believe her character and figure seemed younger than her actual age.

"Oi, come here."

"Why?"

Obeying his order, Kasane drew closer to him.

"Give me that hair ornament again."

"Why?"

She gave him a curious look.

"I'll put it on you."

Kasane became bewildered by his unexpected response.

"Eh!? I-it's fine, no need!"

"..."

"...I-I understand…"

Unable to tolerate his silent gaze, she handed the hair ornament back to him.

With hands larger than hers, Nobunaga slipped it into her hair.

(...S-so close…)

Though it was to place the hair ornament into her hair, Nobunaga's face was rather close.

If she was to stretch out her back a little more, their mouths might touch.

Though his actions were the same as Toukichirou's, however she didn't feel this sort of discomfort as back then.

Her heartbeat quickened and her face became hot and somehow she couldn't calm down.

"...As I thought, it doesn't suit you."

"...I-I know that already, it doesn't matter!"

She quickly tried to stepped away from him. Somehow, it's bad for her heart to have Nobunaga so close to her.

"Kasane."

Just as she pulled away, Nobunaga grabbed her arm.

Surprised that he called her name, she stiffened in shock.

His face drew in closer than the time he placed the hair ornament in her hair.

"...!"

Thinking she would be kissed, she instinctively closed her eyes.

"...Umf!?"

Suddenly Kasane felt a small, round, and hard object slipped into her mouth and she opened her eyes in shock.

"It confeito. You can have it."

Staying silent, Kasane sucked on the hard object. Indeed she could taste a subtle sweetness to it. It's like candy.

"...What, were you expecting something?"

"! !"

Giving her a triumphant smirk, Kasane turned red as she realized that he was teasing her.

She broke loss out of his grip.

"Excuse me!"

Her face still red, Kasane ran away.

Her heart noisily beat against her chest.

"...Hmph."

After he watched her retreating form, Nobunaga then returned to his own room.

After a moment of consideration, he remembers her face.

Those eyes that gazed up at him with her face dyed in red.

"...As if I'll give her to the likes of a monkey."

*The 'like a mud' is to express… drowsiness. The kind of feeling on how slow and heavy mud would move if you were to pick it up and let it fall from your fingers.

** 接吻 (seppun) Here he might be asking more for a kiss on the cheek… but well you know Hideyoshi...

***Pretty much he means Toukichirou is in the heat all year long. lol. I can't deny that.

**** So this ornament came from his 'chest pocket'... or more specifically just from his chest… but that's quite awkward to read. And there's not a breast pocket in kimonos, though you can slip things there for safekeeping. And if you look up kimonos, the collar goes all the way around the person's chest and neck, so I placed that term there instead of chest… hopefully this doesn't create any confusion.

Well then, hopefully everyone enjoyed this story. And... here my spring break finishes. Back to school... Well then, hopefully I will be able to upload the next story by tomorrow. Until then, I hope everyone has an enjoyable day.