Disclaimer: All credit goes to Shingo Nanami and フクロウ. Enjoy!
花言葉
Language of the Flowers
Kasane x Nobunaga
Part Two
With a woosh, the cold wind caressed his face, Nobunaga glanced out the carelessly opened doors toward the garden.
The sun has now set from the sky, leaving behind the brightly lit moon.
The moonlight lit the area dimly, it was a silent and beautiful night.
Taking a small sake cup in one hand, he decided to treat himself for a moon-viewing banquet.
Glancing at oval ripples over the surface of his cup, Nobunaga then gulped down the liquid.
The sakura tree, bloomed in all its glory, stirred him a vague sort of emotion; he quietly closed his eyes and opened his ears.
Lately he's noticed that he was becoming more irritated.
Though he's always been easily irritable back in the day, it's become worse now.
Not only that, he's noticed that the main cause of his irritation was mostly due to that woman.
Somehow whenever that woman came close to another man, he would become strangely angry.
It didn't sit too well with him.
Whenever he too it out on her, she would always give him that accusatory glance, making him more irritated.
He had no clue for the reason for that endless vicious cycle.
Just, it was very aggravating to see that woman showing her smile to everyone.
(ーーIt's unsightly for a man to be jealous you know)
Remembering Gorouza's words from this morning, Nobunaga's brow twitched.
He was pathetically jealous towards that woman?
...Such idiocy.
He cut through that fuzzy with a 'hmph'.
Hearing a pitter patter of footsteps, his attention turned to the corridor.
"Ah, Tono-sama."
For some reason that woman was there.
She wasn't wearing her usual, foreign clothes, but wrapped in her thin nightgown; Nobunaga gazed at her innocent countenance.
"...What are you doing here this late at night."
Kasane ruffled the back of her head with a forced smile, as if she was doing something wrong, at his question.
"I went to Gorouza-san's room to retrieve the flower arrangement, but I didn't see him there so I thought I might catch him there at this time."
"..."
His brow twitched at her explanation.
What are you thinking… Nobunaga held down the impulse to yell at her.
"...And you're thinking of impudently barging into a man's room at this time of day?"
He said, not at all hiding his displeased tone.
"Um… well… bye."
Kasane began to walk past his room.
"Woman."
"W-what?"
He stopped her, she withered.
"Accompany me with my evening drink."
"Huuuuh?"
Kasane frowned at his sudden order.
"Um, I said I was going to Gorouza-san's room…"
"There's no need to go."
With a curt declaration from him, Kasane raised her brow.
She was about to protest, but after seeing his brow crinkle more and his face becoming scary, she swallowed her words.
(Uu... this person is scary...)
From the start Kasane was the type that was was weak under pressure, she couldn't possibly talk back after enduring such a silent, almost overwhelming presence.
(I can't fight against this...)
Kasane thought to herself as she finally gave in.
Situating herself next to Nobunaga inside the room, she solemnly poured him the sake into his cup.
He drank the cup in silence.
"...So pretty."
Kasane gazed out into the yard, her eyes fixed on the blooming flowers.
The dim moonlight lighting on the flowers also gave them a pinkish glow, as it was lighting itself up for them.
"..."
Nobunaga quietly stole a glance of her from the corner of his eye; she was taken back in awe of the sight.
"May I borrow that cup for a bit?"
"You're also going to drink?"
As Kasane asked for his cup, Nobunaga frowned.
"I'm not going to drink. You just need to let me borrow that for a bit."
"..."
He then handed her his cup.
Kasane happily accepted it and poured in the liquor before going out to the yard.
He observed her, wondering what she was going to do.
"See, if you put this here, the taste might be more flavorful."
Kasane placed several petals into the cup, it floated over the surface.
"..."
With her back towards the blooming trees she smiled at him, Nobunaga silently stared at the spectacle.
Whenever she showed him this innocent side of her, his chest would become oddly warm.
"..."
Slowly standing up, he made his way to her.
It's as if time has stopped for the sakura, to him it's petals drifted slowly in the wind.
He pulled a stray petal from her head.
Kasane faintly blushed at his actions and gave him a puzzled expression.
He could barely endure just looking at her like this.
In order to understand this excitement in his heart, he must honestly accept this feeling; which he didn't.
"...It's beautiful isn't it, the sakura."
Peering up at the tree, she muttered to him.
He copied her actions.
"..."
"...Tono-sama?"
Suddenly thinking of something, he stomped back to his room.
Pulling out a sword from the depths of his room, he returned to her.
"...W-what is that?"
Glancing down at the sword in his hand, Kasane shrank away.
"...Do you want it?"
"...Heh?"
Not fully understanding him, she unconsciously responded him back with a question.
Not caring towards her reaction, he pulled the sword from its sheath and sliced it through the air.
"Wha-! Eh, ah!?"
Kasane raised her voice from surprise while Nobunaga cut on small branch of the tree.
"Ah… ah…"
Nobunaga caught the falling branch into his hand.
Kasane blankly gaped at his action.
"...Hn."
He straightforwardly handed out the small branch.
"...Uh, um…"
"You can have it."
He curtly told her.
"...T-thanks."
Kasane took the branch, her cheeks flushed a flower-like pink as she faced him.
"...Hmph."
He took the cup from her hands and gulped it all down.
For some reason he felt self-conscious from her flower-like smile; his eyes deliberately avoided her gaze.
TBC
Have you guy's seen Totoro? Remember the scene when Kanta gives his umbrella to the girls? XD
Well Nobunaga I think you scored Kasane's heart right there. Congratulations.
I'll upload the next chapter tonight. Again, tomorrow I'll be traveling back to college all day so there won't be an update. I will try to translate another story on Sunday though. So until then, I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend.