The next morning.
After using the excuse of "going out to buy games," Kawaki slowly walked out of Yoshiwara's gate, holding an umbrella.
As Tsukuyo watched Kawaki's solitary figure slowly depart, she sensed something but said nothing. Instead, she turned back to her patrol duties, perhaps feeling a bit melancholic, thinking that one day Kawaki might leave alone, just like this.
After leaving Yoshiwara and arriving in Akihabara, Kawaki bought the latest game release before leisurely making his way toward Edo Castle.
Holding his umbrella, Kawaki smiled as he was stopped by two guards wielding long sticks at the tightly closed gates of Edo Castle.
"Strangers, leave immediately!"
"Apologies, apologies. I almost forgot to introduce myself," Kawaki said, scratching his head with a sheepish grin. "Could one of you notify them inside that..."
As he spoke, Kawaki opened his eyes and cast a cold glance at the two guards. "The new King of the Night from Yoshiwara, Kawaki, has come to see his poor friend who's been put under house arrest."
"Yoshiwara?"
"King of the Night?"
The two guards looked puzzled, and Kawaki suddenly seemed to remember something else. He added, "And don't forget to say 'temporary'~"
Just as Kawaki finished speaking, a voice called out from inside the gate, "Open the gates! He's someone I know."
"Yes, Princess!"
...
As Kawaki stepped through the gate, he looked at the girl in red standing before him and asked, "Who are you?"
"How rude! This is Princess Sumiye, the Shogun's sister!" The old man beside the princess, known as G-ji, scolded Kawaki.
"Is that so?" Kawaki replied, still looking puzzled. "But I don't know her."
"Kawaki-san, you really do forget easily," Princess Sumiye said with a laugh, covering her mouth. She then raised a finger and continued, "Don't you remember? We met before with Kagura. By the way, did Kagura not come with you?"
"Kagura's friend?" Kawaki murmured, still not recalling. However, he soon smiled and said, "Well, whatever. I'm just glad to be inside. If I hadn't gotten in, it would have been quite troublesome. Ahahaha..."
"So you still don't remember?" Princess Sumiye said with a slightly awkward smile, then added hopefully, "Kagura-chan didn't come with you?"
"No," Kawaki answered, looking up at the vast Edo Castle. "Wow, this place is huge. Finding someone without knowing their name is going to be difficult~"
"Kawaki-san, are you looking for someone?" Princess Sumiye asked in surprise, her face lighting up with excitement. "Can I help you find them? The castle has been under lockdown, and I've been so bored."
"Can you really help?" Kawaki asked, looking down at the princess.
"Princess, this is highly inappropriate in front of an outsider!" G-ji, whose real name was Mutsunomai Kurau, reminded her sternly.
"What's the harm?" Princess Sumiye pouted, replying, "After all, Kawaki-san is Kagura-chan's uncle, so he's not really an outsider. And even though Kawaki-san doesn't remember, we played together last time."
"Is that so?" Kawaki said, scratching his chin as he scrutinized Princess Sumiye with suspicion. "No, that shouldn't be possible. I wouldn't play with a little girl like you. Maybe in... three... no, five years."
"What are you saying in front of the princess?! You insolent fool!" G-ji fumed. "Five years is far too long! In less than five years, the princess will have matured into a fine woman!"
"No, no matter how you look at it, she needs at least five years," Kawaki replied seriously, shaking his head.
"Four years will do!" G-ji shot back without thinking.
"Six years!"
"Three years!"
"Ten years!"
"Ten years is far too long!" G-ji exclaimed in frustration. He then glanced at the princess and whispered, "How about we compromise? Let's say five years."
Upon hearing this, Princess Sumiye's forehead bulged with a vein of irritation. "Isn't a compromise supposed to be two and a half years? This isn't compromise at all! I hate you, G-ji!"
Startled, G-ji quickly turned his back to the princess and prostrated himself on the ground, calling out, "Princess! If you hate me, then please kick me! Hurry!"
"My apologies, Kawaki-san, for showing you such a scene," Princess Sumiye said with a smile. "But G-ji's 'G' stands for 'Great,' meaning he's 'Greatly Disliked' (Grandly Annoying) by the princess."
"Princess?!" G-ji exclaimed in shock.
"But back to the matter at hand, Kawaki-san, who are you looking for?"
"Hmm..." Kawaki rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. "I don't know his name, but he's an old man who owes a debt from many years ago in Yoshiwara... Name... I don't know."
"Wait, could it be that annoying old man who [bleep]?" Princess Sumiye said, her face scrunching up in disgust. "Ugh, I can't stand that old man! He's just as annoying as G-ji!"
"That's right. So I'm here to see if I can collect that debt," Kawaki said with a shrug. "The courtesan is waiting for that money urgently. It's a very, very serious situation."
"Then we really do need to find that detestable man who [bleep]," Princess Sumiye nodded. "But without knowing his name, it might be hard to find him. There are quite a few old men in the castle who are just as annoying as G-ji."
"If we can't find him, that's fine," Kawaki said with another shrug. "It's an old debt from many years ago. He might have forgotten, or maybe he's already dead, or maybe..."
He looked up at the towering Edo Castle once more. "Maybe, like my poor friend, he's been put under house arrest."
Hearing this, Mutsunomai Kurau, who was still kneeling with his back to the two of them, widened his eyes in disbelief.
"Ah, suddenly this feels like such a hassle," Kawaki said with a sigh. "Maybe I should forget about finding that old man. Princess... Sumi... Sumiye, could you take me to see my friend? I've heard he's been a bit unwell lately..."
"It's Princess Sumiye," Mutsunomai Kurau reminded, standing up, and then changed the subject. "But you're right, it might be tough to find that old man. Let's focus on your friend instead."
"Friend, huh..." Kawaki said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I think his name is..."
After thinking for a while, Kawaki clapped his hands. "Oh! I remember now! I think his name is 'Shogun'! Can you take me to see him?"
Hearing Kawaki say the word "Shogun" with a smile, both Princess Sumiye and Mutsunomai Kurau widened their eyes in disbelief.
...
In the ornate corridor, Princess Sumiye walked ahead, leading the way and chatting with Kawaki about her amusing experiences with Kagura.
"Is that so?" Kawaki said, smiling with narrowed eyes. "Kagura-chan is lucky to have such a good friend like you, Sumiye-chan."
"It's Princess Sumiye," Mutsunomai Kurau corrected grumpily. "Even I've never called her Sumiye-chan!"
"We're really good friends, but lately, I haven't seen Kagura-chan much," Princess Sumiye said with a sigh, her mood dropping. "It's been impossible to sneak out and play like we used to."
"A princess should never sneak out to play!" Mutsunomai Kurau interjected sternly. "It's improper!"
"You're so annoying, G-ji," Princess Sumiye pouted, turning away and puffing out her cheek. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."
"Princess," Mutsunomai Kurau whispered after glancing at Kawaki. "Are you sure it's okay to bring someone like this to see the Shogun... And this person claims to be the Shogun's friend..."
"My brother mentioned before that he'd made an interesting friend and even snuck out to see him," Princess Sumiye whispered back. "But I'm not sure if it's Kawaki-san..."
"You're not sure, yet you're still bringing him to the Shogun's quarters?!" Mutsunomai Kurau was flabbergasted. "Princess, this is not okay! Given the current situation in Edo Castle..."
"Don't worry, Kawaki-san can't be an assassin," Princess Sumiye smiled, turning back to Kawaki. "Right, Kawaki-san?"
"Mm," Kawaki responded with a smile.
Seeing Kawaki's sincere expression, Mutsunomai Kurau let out a small sigh of relief.
"I don't like killing people while hiding behind a mask," Kawaki said, narrowing his eyes and raising a finger with a smile. "If I do kill someone, I prefer to do it face-to-face. Understand?"
"See, G-ji? Kawaki-san said he's not an assassin," Princess Sumiye said with a smile.
"But that's even more dangerous than an assassin!" Mutsunomai Kurau retorted frantically. "He didn't even deny the killing part! It's like he kills people all the time! Is he a mass murderer?!"
"I'm not!" Kawaki protested sternly, then smiled again. "I've killed far more people than the most notorious serial killer. So I'm not a murderer. Got it?"
"See, G-ji? Kawaki-san isn't a murderer either," Princess Sumiye smiled.
"Uh..." Mutsunomai Kurau responded weakly, his face covered in cold sweat as he thought, This is bad. We've brought such a terrifying person inside. That aura... I've never encountered anything like it in my life. Please, let him really be the Shogun's friend! Don't let him be an enemy!
"Actually, this castle has been under a lockdown recently," Princess Sumiye said, suddenly remembering something as they walked.
"Princess, that's confidential information!" Mutsunomai Kurau reminded her urgently.
"It's fine, Kawaki-san isn't an assassin," Princess Sumiye dismissed the concern.
He's definitely not an assassin... Mutsunomai Kurau glanced at Kawaki, who continued to smile serenely, and thought, But even I can sense it—this man is far more dangerous than any top assassin!
Princess Sumiye continued in a low voice, "Recently, there have been a few attacks on high-ranking officials of the Shogunate, so the atmosphere in the castle has been tense."
"I see..." Kawaki replied casually, then raised a finger and smiled as he offered reassurance. "But don't worry. Everyone eventually dies. While it may have happened a little earlier, it's just like crossing life's finish line a bit ahead of schedule. If you think about it that way, it's not a big deal."
"Ah! That's true!" Princess Sumiye exclaimed. "Thinking about it that way, I don't feel so tense anymore! And it makes me feel like those who died don't really matter! Lately, the whole castle has been so gloomy, and I've been feeling uneasy. But after hearing what Kawaki-san said, all my worries have disappeared! They must be happy to have finished the race early! Thank you, Kawaki-san."
Not a big deal, my foot! Mutsunomai Kurau thought frantically. Don't fill the princess's head with such nonsense! This person is very dangerous, extremely dangerous!
Just then, a voice from nearby interrupted them.
"Even if you're a friend of that man's, I'd still ask you to leave. Especially since you might be the greatest threat to this country."
Kawaki stopped in his tracks and looked toward the source of the voice.