Disclaimer: Amazingly, I finished this today! Whew, this was quite long! Ahem, all credit goes to Shingo Nanami and フクロウ. Enjoy~.

お仕事

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Part Three

Nobunaga(?) → Kasane x Ikeda

Kasane and Ikeda entered into one of the luxurious buildings.

As soon as Ikeda stepped into the inn, the store's women all flocked to him.

Many of the prostitutes approached him, but time they came, Ikeda pulled Kasane close to him giving them his silent refusal.

"Tonight I would like to spend the night here, are there any rooms open?"

Ikeda questioned the middle-aged innkeeper.

She looked at Ikeda and Kasane.

"Yes, welcome to my inn. Seeing that you have an attendant, it seems my girls won't be able to offer their services this time."

"Just give me the room."

"Certainly."

The innkeeper lead them further into the building.

Kasane kept glancing around the place.

There were many pretty figurines and grand flowers. The structure of the building displayed its long standing of services.

At that the same time, Don! somebody bumped into Kasane. She fell to the ground from the impact.

"O-ow~..."

"What's up with this girl. Pay more attention!"

As she gazed up, she was greeted with a man who looked like one of those old-fashioned evil magistrate. Kasane scowled.

Due to his rude behavior, Kasane equally glared to him as he was the one who bumped into her.

"Hmph."

Without a single apology, he briskly left and mingled into a group of women.

"Disgusting!"

"...That was the overlord."

"That was!?"

Kasane once more looked back in the direction where the man was.

"Does that man come to this place often?"

"Yes, he is our regular customer. He seems to come over almost every day."

Hearing that report from the innkeeper, Ikeda subtly narrowed his eyes.

"So the rumors were true…"

Ikeda fixed his eyes right on the room where the overlord had entered.

"We're going to have to meet with that overlord, so what are you going to do now?"

In a small voice, Kasane called over to Ikeda.

"Let's see… In order to find evidence for overtaxing the citizens, I would have to sneak into his room. …There's no reason for you to come."

"...Eeh?"

Kasane had proudly went, 'I see!' while Ikeda glanced at her at the edge of his eyes.

After he deflated her hopes, Kasane looked up at him disappointedly.

It seems she had other expectations about her job in this case.

"Obuke-sama, please enter here."*

All of the sudden they had reached their room, so the two of them were ushered into it.

It was clean and tidy room with nor signs of insanitary inside it.

The nostalgic appearance reminded her greatly of the old ryokan she had stayed over during one of her school excursions.

Ikeda set foot into the room after her.

"Then shall I bring in some sake?"

"No, that is…"

Ikeda began to reject the innkeeper's offer, however when Kasane heard the word 'sake', she immediately reacted.

"Osake?!"

Ikeda was taken by the her shining eyes.

"...Would you like to drink it, sake?"

"Eh, no, it's not that I…!"

Kasane withdrew at his offer.

The drink she shared with Nobunaga was so delicious that she was never been able to forget it.

If I have another opportunity… she had that kind of thought, but she didn't have any opportunity to try so she had given it up a little.

"...Then, may we have some later?"

Heaving a sigh, he said to the innkeeper.

Kasane looked at him bewilderedly.

"Eh! I'm fine! I feel bad too…"

"Well, I was the one who forced you to come with me. And the sake here should be good."

It seemed to others that he brought along a girl who was good at swordsmanship to helped him with his work, but the truth was that he only brought her to strike a nerve in Nobunaga as he was slightly reluctant to letting her go with him.

Kasane was, in a way, intermeshed into their little squabble.

There's no harm in letting someone drink some liquor after all.

"T-thank you so much, Ikeda-san!"

(I messed up...)

Ikeda muttered in his mind.

Kasane in front had downed three of the sake bottles before becoming dead drunk.

"Ikeda-shan should drink too~"

As she moved sluggishly toward him, Ikeda cradled his head.

No matter how delicious she said it was, he didn't mean to make her drink this much.

Because of how much she enjoyed drinking it, he accidently let her drink as much as she wanted.

It's fine if she was drunk, however what troubled him the most was Kasane's drunken behavior.

At first he thought 'she a merry drunk?', but then in the middle she immediately switched to a maudlin drinker and once he got confused she was now bluntly forcing him to drink which in all honesty made him dead exhausted.

Ikeda was starting to regret his decision to let Kasane drink all she wanted after giving him that smile.

He had heard the drinks here are really good, but Kasane had confirmed that it really went down well in her throat.

Because of that truthful reaction, he gave her all the drinks she wanted.

"Number One! Kusanagi Kasane! I hall mimic someone!"

Suddenly, Kasane stood up.

Wondering what on earth was happening next, Ikeda's eyes grew round.

"I don't need things I can't use in my castle!"

Frowning and deepening her voice, she said it in a disagreeable tone.

"...Were you imitating our lord?"

Her imitation was definitely not close to the real thing, however that crease in the middle of the forehead and that specific way of saying things. There was only one person that came to mind.

"Pinpo~n! Co~rrect!"

With Kasane gleefully cheering in the background, Ikeda cradled his head.

"I have more…"

Just as Kasane was about to say more, she then collapsed slowly to the ground.

Out of character, Ikeda gaped at the scene in shock before checking Kasane's face.

"Is she… sleeping?"

Listening to her soft snores, Ikeda became inwardly astonished.

Just seconds before she had drank, mimicked people, and self indulgently did what she wanted and now she was just sleeping. He couldn't believe it.

...However, it helped him now that everything was quiet.

Sighing softly, Ikeda glanced over to the sleeping form of Kasane.

His lord… was surely a curious person who loved strange things.

Well, after spending an entire day with her, she was certainly someone whom you wouldn't get bored with.

She talked well in a brisk and honest manner without a hint of sarcasm.

There was no mistaking it that this girl's generous character made everyone like her.

It is as close as smiling at an innocent child.

However, there is a limit to humans being pure.

If he were to lay hands on this girl, just what kind of expression that lord would make.

Would he diverted himself from that irrelevant topic like he had always done before.

Or will he fall into jealousy and be reduced to just a simple man?

Indeed that was a curious question that Ikeda so wished to answer.

To caress the skin that his lord had not touched; to look at the girl's expression that his has not yet seen.

Ikeda felt captivated toward that idea so much that it was on the same level as his goal to see his lord's reaction.**

Ikeda held out a hand to touch her.

But when he did Kasane woke up; Ikeda retracted his hand.

"..."

"...Kusanagi-dono?"

With unfocused eyes, Kasane glanced at Ikeda.

Ikeda began to question her.

"Where are you…, …!? Kusanagi-dono?!"

Kasane took Ikeda's sword in hand and as if ignoring him exited the room and left through the hallway.

He hurriedly followed after her.

When he did, he found her breaking into one of the rooms.

That room was where the man who bumped into her, the overlord, resided.

"W-who the hell are you!"

The overlord yelled at the girl who carried the sword.

The ladies who served him sake all screamed and retreated.

"I am Owari, Nagoya's Oda Kazunosuke Nobunaga…"

"Oda's Kazunosuke…!? Girl, just what are you…?!"

After she uttered those words, the man's eyes began to bulge out.

"I have my ways of doing things… Those who don't agree with them…"

As she muttered that, she unsheathed the sword. And when she did, the beautiful slim blade gleamed.

"I'll cut you down! !"

In a lightning fast speed, Kasane cut down the shoji door that was behind the overlord.

"...! !"

Ikeda rushed to catch her arm.

It seems the ladies and the overlord weren't injured.

"Kusanagi-dono! Just what were you trying to do!?"

As Ikeda scolded her, Kasane raised her face to look at him.

"Was it similar?"

"...What?"

"My imitation of Tono-sama was perfect, wasn't it?!"

Kasane was still dead drunk and with glazed eyes, she gleefully smiled.

Ikeda's eyes unintentionally widened.

So you mean, that was all an imitation of the lord…!?

That bloodlust and inhumane speed when drawing the sword.

All of that was due to her drunken absent-minded state.

"...Hnnn~."

After that Kasane feebly leaned onto him.

Being supported by Ikeda, she then fell back to sleep.

"...?!"

Even Ikeda had a hard time fathoming Kasane's actions as he could throw any words at this scene.

More importantly because of this showy performance, his scouting wouldn't just crumple to pieces…

"I-! I deeply apologize! !"

While planning how to deceive everyone, Ikeda heard a large cry.

The overlord that was previously next to him, now kneeled before him with his head bowed.

"W-was that our lord's words!? I-I deeply apologize! ! F-for all the money I have taken without permission, I shall return them all tomorrow! That's why, please just spare my life…! !"

With the overlord apologizing from the bottom of his heart to him, Ikeda found himself dumbfounded.

"I truly apologize! Please, please spare my life…"

As the man reached to cling onto him, Ikeda quickly carried Kasane to avoid those hands.

"...Perhaps it would be best for you to understand that on no account does my lord disregard his intended conduct. ...That person is someone who could care less of a single insignificant overlord after all."

"U-understood!"

The man bowed his head deeply once again.

Ikeda sighed softly and held the sleeping Kasane in his arms.

The man continued to say something else, but Ikeda pretended to ignore him and returned to his room.

Spreading the futon with one hand, he laid Kasane on top of it.

"...Goodness, such a peaceful person."

Just like his lord, he couldn't read what this person's thoughts and actions.

However, she was a marvelous and innocent girl.

Just a straight up honest and naive and pure girl.

To think a human that shouldn't be touched by him existed in this world.

For his lord, this girl was unsuitable.

The only ones suitable to be her partner are the people from her world; in a place where a simple young man, who would never injure anyone, would reside in.

Like white clothes, if he were to touch her, she would surely get hurt and become dirty.

He wondered if she knew the meaning of that.

It was too pitiful for her to be binded here due to one man's greed.

(My lord surely has some understanding of that...)

Is that why he keeps her by his side without laying one hand on her?

Even though he wishes to take her.

"..."

There was no place for this girl in this warring states world.

For she had a peaceful world that was perfect that that foolish smile.

That's why before she is tainted by this world; before she is drenched and tormented with blood and regret; let her return to back to her home.

"...I hope that you'll be able to go back to your family soon, Kusanagi-dono."

TBC

*Another word for samurai.

**The idea being that he wishes to touch her

Whew, hopefully everything was translated correctly... but I'll check on that later. Poor Kasane got drunk again, but hey she helped Ikeda with his job. Though he probably went through a heart attack phase back there. Lol. The next chapter should be up by tomorrow, so I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable day. See you all tomorrow!