Disclaimer: All credit goes to Shingo Nanami and フクロウ。 Hello everyone, I'm terribly sorry that this update is late. I started taking extra classes and so every week became seriously busy. But at last I managed to make some time to translate this last story. Happy Late Valentines and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

こんな織田家族

This Sort of Family*

Kasane x Nobunaga

Part One

Kimyoumaru**-sama! Where on earth are you!?"

An aging man cried out as he searched for someone.

Gazing upon the man the maids all gave each other a knowing look muttering to themselves 'Goodness again? How troublesome.'

In a soft voice, he let out a sigh.

The young boy…. The youngester was around the tender age of 7.

With lustrous black unruly hair and handsome features, he was a certainly beautiful child.

But what drew everyone's attention were those sharp eyes dyed in a blood-like crimson.

As those crimson eyes still held the innocence of a child, people couldn't help but be attracted to him like his father.

The boy silently hid away from the man and pondered where he should seek refuge.

Perhaps he'll go to that sakura tree he's so fond of.

In this beautifully mild weather, it'll be nice to fall asleep in the lush grassy plain.

Or shall he take his father's pet Tenrou for some falconry?

Ah, but it's hard to throw away the opportunity of rounding up all the vassals' mischievous children and parade around town.

No, before all that going to visit his adoring mother, whom he loves and respectsーーisn't a bad idea at all.

Of course in the beginning he'll be scolded for sneaking out from his studies, but his gentle mother would surely forgive him and play with him until they forget time itself.

….Let's visit Mother.

Making his mind, the young boy changed directions.

But at that moment.

"...Did you sneak out again, Kimyoumaru-sama?"

He heard a confounded voice from behind.

He gasped and heard the voice heave a heavy sigh.

Knowing that disagreeable tone, the boy ーー Kimyoumaru unwillingly turned around.

"As I thought, it's you Katsusaburo."

There before him was a tall man with a blue cloth wrapped around his head.

As the man was taciturn and inflexible, Kimyoumaru deemed him to be a boring human.

This man usually manages to catch him after he sneaks out and has on numerous occasions sent him back to his room.

While that was one of the reasons, for Kimyoumaru this man, Katsusaburo, didn't leave a very good impression for him.

"Please return to your room."

"I refuse."

Kimyoumaru glumly replied to Ikeda's words.

The middle of Ikeda's forehead creased as he faced the boy's aggressive gaze.

"For someone who has become 7 years old this year... don't you think it's shameful for a fine boy like you to skip out on his studies and sneak out of his room every time?"

"I don't. I heard that Father took you guys and snuck out of the castle."

Hearing that, Ikeda raised a brow.

A silent pressure leaked out from Ikeda, but the child in question didn't see this as an answer so he aloofly glared back.

"...You and your father are really two peas in a pod…"

Those words made Kimyoumaru's expression immediately stiffen.

Kimyoumaru heard these words from every time, thrown from everyone whom he disliked.

And each time he couldn't help but feel utter resentment.

He didn't want to be compared to that father of his.

However as the years chase him down, he could only feel bitterness as his figure became more and more akin to his father.

"Don't speak of Father."

"Weren't you the one who started this?"

Even against a child, Ikeda mercilessly lectured out an argument.

Reasoning and rationale, with words strengthened by a sound argument, he can shut up his opponents.

Kimyoumaru disliked this method of Ikeda's.

Even towards a child like himself, Ikeda would always work as a serviceman to plainly persuade him to do his duties as the heir of the Oda Clan for hours on end, but each time he did this Kimyoumaru would feel fed up with everything.

Even though he heard that his father did what he pleased ever since his youth, why is he the one being fenced up?

Even now Father does whatever he likes.

He has already became victorious after many battles, conquered territory, and is now hailed by the other people as a great daimyo.

Whatever happens to his father was of little interest to Kimyoumaru.

However that narrow-hearted man would always monopolize his mother, so he didn't like that.

Whenever his father was free, he would be invariably at his mother's place.

If he were to visit his mother whenever Father is there, that man would regardlessly gaze down him as a bother.

Since long ago he had a feeling that man has seen him more as a strange creature than his own son.

He was also more strict towards him, much more arrogant.

He is always steadfast with his words, putting aside his position as the leader of a country, he was a man severely lacking in human nature.

How this man managed to make his gentle mother become his wife was just a mystery to him.

Mother now looked like a innocent, pitiful young lady.

Surely there would have been many men that could have courted his good demeanored and hardworking mother instead.

He once asked his mother long ago. Why she became a wife to such a selfish man.

As his mother wryly smiled she answered, "He has a gentle side to him…"

That man doesn't have a gentle side to him at all.

Or perhaps he's only kind to Mother?

Either way it was hard to imagine and as his father's face floated into his memory, he threw away the thought.

"Anyway please return to your room."

"I told you no is no!"

"Kimyoumaru-sama…"

Ikeda's voice became strained with exhaustion.

For the ever so busy Ikeda, he greatly disliked dealing with such trivialism such as these.

"Huh? Ikeda-san? Kimyoumaru?"

He heard a bell-like voice resonate.

There's no way he would ever mishear that voice.

Before anything could register to his mind, he was already running up to the owner of the voice.

"Mother!"

"Kimyoumaru, aren't you supposed to be studying right now?"

Embracing that soft body, he felt her gently returning the hug.

It's not mistake, this was his very own mother.

His unbelievably kind and openhearted mother.

"He snuck out from his studies again."

Ikeda silently approached them.

While he thought Ikeda said something unnecessary, he didn't separate himself from his mother.

"Again? ...Goodness, you should properly study you know?"

Even the light poke she gave to his head didn't hurt at all.

You can easily say that her scoldings compared to his father were completely different.

When he received a real scolding from that father of his, it was so terrifying that he really thought the man was actually going to kill him right then and there.

Compared to that, he never became angry towards his mother's scolds.

"It's not fair that I have to study all alone!"

He appealed to this absurdity.

The daily life of having to stare at characters everyday with a obstinate expression for hours on end.

It's not a crime to have some time to relax right?

"U~n… Indeed, there aren't any other children to study with…. So it must be lonely…"

Motherーー Kasane said as her brow slackened.

No matter how long I studied nothing would enter my mind after all, she wryly laughed.

"However the other vassal's children are just too young compared to Kimyoumaru-sama. It wouldn't be possible for them to follow his studies"

That's right, while Kimyoumaru had an antipathy towards studying, he was extremely intelligent.

As if he had fully inherited the blood of his genius father, he had mastered his studies, swordsmanship, and stratagem; it was hard to believe that a 7 year old child could absorb all of this at an alarming rate.

"U~n, ….Ah."

"What's wrong?"

Ikeda inquired to Kasane.

A bright idea seem to flash in Kasane's mind as she happily looked at him.

"Then how about I study with Kimyoumaru!"

"Wha-...!?

"Eh."

Ikeda raised his voice in surprise at Kasane's odd suggestion and even Kimyoumaru himself couldn't help up blurt out a response.

"I always thought that I should study the characters of this place*** besides it would be lonely if I studied all by myself so isn't this fine?"

As she cheerfully said this, Ikeda's face grimaced.

Just what is this person saying, said his expression.

"That senior retainer wouldn't ever allow himself to teach a mother and son together."

Finally persuading himself with reason against her suggestion, Ikeda responded to Kasane.

"Then please about Ikeda-san teaches us instead!"

Kasane indifferently said with a smile no ounce of malevolence behind it, Ikeda had to turn his eyes away.

It seems that even Ikeda didn't predict this development.

"Katsusaburo will…?"

While he expressed an open dislike of the idea, Kasane took no notice of it.

She continued beaming out her sunny smile.

"That's right! That's a good idea! Ikeda-san is very intelligent and very courteous when teaching, plus the stuff you teach is really easy to understand! You're very suitable!"

"..."

Ikeda seemed not at all dissatisfied by Kasane's words saying, "Is that so." in the process.

This guy's unexpectedly simple.

"...However I also have work to so, therefore I cannot provide constant supervision."

"I understand! I also have work I have to do as well… then is it possible if you can endure studying with me once a day for an hour?"

"Eh."

Having been left behind in the conversation, Kimyoumaru couldn't help but raise his voice as he was suddenly pulled back to their exchange.

With his mother gently smiling before his very eyes Kimyoumaru gave a small nod, all the while wondering if he could possibly meet a person who could refuse his mother after seeing such an expression.

TBC

*Really the literal translation is "This Sort of Oda Family" but it seemed to be too long so I shortened it.

**While you can input any name in the website, I decided to settle for Nobutada's (Nobunaga's eldest son) childhood name.

***Old Japanese writing is different than the present time. If I were to give my dad a letter or something from that time, I doubt he would be able to read it.

Well I hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter! I'm a little rusty with the translations so I think I made some mistakes, but I'll make sure to fix them later. I've also been getting messages about the links not working on my profile, which i find it very strange since I thought I fixed them before... but I'll make sure to try to fix them by tomorrow. So after the 16th, please PM me to tell me if the links work or not.

I shall translate the last chapter by this weekend. Until then I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable week ahead of you!