A vast, cloudless blue sky stretches out before me, and the sun slowly rises across its canvas.
The sunlight was more intense than usual, relentlessly beating down on the land and the people who lived there.
This is undoubtedly the first extremely hot day of the year, and the temperature is probably over 30 degrees Celsius.
Under that scorching sun, I'm riding my Taishakutsukimo.
I'm wearing a kimono made of thinner fabric than usual today, but the reality is that there's nothing I can do about the heat.
I sighed unconsciously.
While I can definitely feel the breeze on Taishakutsukige's horse, my hair is still getting hot from the constant sunlight beating down on it.
I regret now that I didn't wear a straw hat, but such regrets are of no use.
"Hehehe... My lord..."
And there, clinging to my back as I half-dazed, was Haruhime.
She wrapped both her arms around my waist and hugged me tightly.
"...What?"
"No, hehe...it's nothing."
"I see..."
The clothes she was wearing were so shabby that they were hardly what you'd expect from the wife of a feudal lord.
The fabric quality is poor, and it's not thick enough.
That's why, when she hugs me, I can really feel how soft her skin is.
She has a slender figure, yet her skin is soft and curvaceous in all the right places.
A graceful demeanor, and a gentle face tinged with melancholy.
With her somewhat melancholic beauty, she has recently been showing us a variety of looks.
Many things have clearly changed—or so one might say.
One example of this is the current situation.
Whenever no one was around, Haruhime would use her whole body to act affectionately, just like any other girl around Hisa or Myo's age.
But that was a perfectly natural human reaction.
It is human nature to try to reclaim what has been lost .性Saga
What was stolen from her was her happy childhood.
An irreparable era in which things were forcibly seized and usurped against one's will.
That's why Princess Osamu's heart and body surely yearn for that compensation.
(Well, it's quite difficult to maintain composure each time...)
I was tormented by the way Haruhime buried her face in my back and rubbed her cheek against me...
The words she uttered this morning kept replaying in my mind.
--I'd like to visit Odani Castle.
Haruhime said that while she was planning the ceremony at the Grand Hall, which would also serve as Yokichi's coming-of-age ceremony.
It was rare for her to directly express her desires, so I was half happy and half surprised...
However, Odani Castle, which my wife wanted to visit, has already been demolished to make way for materials for Nagahama Castle, and there is no trace of it left.
I did say that, but
--I want to go to Odani Castle.
She was unnaturally stubborn.
It's like a child who refuses to move in a toy store and starts negotiating with their parents about buying something.
I don't know what drives her to go to such lengths, but it's a husband's duty to put up with his wife's whims.
With that in mind, I was about to head towards the ruins of Odani Castle, but today's Princess Haruhime proved to be quite a formidable opponent.
"Your name"
"...what"
"Hehe... It's nothing."
I wonder how many times we've exchanged messages now.
As I felt her pressing her chest against me, I was overcome with a mixture of exasperation and affection—a feeling that's hard to describe, unique to married couples.
Incidentally, and this hardly needs confirming, but Chihime is not bad at horseback riding; in fact, she's quite good at it.
Therefore, there is absolutely no need for them to stick close behind me and ride along.
However, today she came up with all sorts of excuses and strategically pushed things forward to get me to share a ride with her.
"Oh... my lord..."
"..."
With a sweet, dreamy voice, Haruhime sniffed my back.
"Your broad back... I like it, hehe... it's lovely..."
With a sweet, dreamy voice, Haruhime sniffed my back.
"Your broad back... I like it, hehe... it's lovely..."
The Taishakutsukige, the boat carrying us, had a look of utter exhaustion on its face.
From her perspective, he's flirting with her on her back, so she probably feels like saying, "Go ahead."他所other
However, despite being a strategist and tactician, Chihime, who currently only has eyes for me, was unaware of Taishakutsuki's expression...
She pressed her face against my back, engrossed in rubbing her cheek against it and sniffing it.
(Well... considering Osamu's circumstances, I suppose it can't be helped...)
Even so, she really does look like a young elementary school girl clinging to her father.
The fact that she exudes the aura of a married woman is such a striking contrast that it makes me dizzy.
"Kyuooooon"
Taishakutsukimo cried in annoyance.
Inevitably, my attention, which had been solely focused on Haruhime, shifted forward, and so did my own.
There, a familiar landscape unfolded before my eyes.
-- Kotaniyama.
This is a lush, slightly elevated mountain, approximately 500 meters above sea level, where Odani Castle, the former stronghold of the Asai clan, was once built.
Just before that was the old castle town, where many people still lived.
Under normal circumstances during the Sengoku period, I would order them to relocate to Nagahama, but I've decided not to give that order.
This was all for the sake of the bathhouse built at the foot of Mount Kotani, thanks to donations from the people.
If we order the relocation of the castle town, the efforts of those who donated to build it will be wasted.
In that case, only those who want to move to Nagahama should move.
Even if the castle is gone, the bath remains.
The former castle town of Odani has been reborn as a hot spring resort town, and people continue to live there.
"Kyuooooon"
However, Taishakutsukimo did not enter the castle town, but instead took a long detour.
They probably took it into consideration that our presence in town would cause a huge commotion and make it difficult for people to hike Mount Kotani.
"...Even the temple gate is gone."
"Oh, so there was a gate here..."
The gates of the once-existing Odani Castle have been removed, and all that stretches out before you is literally a mountain path.
I didn't have any particular attachment to Odani Castle.
Nevertheless, it's still sad to see something that was there disappear without a trace.
"Kyuooooon"
Taishakutsukimo cried out, his body trembling.
It seems they're telling me to get off.
"Come on, Osamu... be careful when you get off."
I dismounted first, and helped Haruhime get off her horse, holding her in my arms.
With a joyful smile on her face, she stepped onto the ground in Kotani, practically hugging me.
No matter how much time passed, Haruhime wouldn't let go, and she kept gripping my chest tightly.
As I was doing that, my eyes inevitably fell on the furoshiki (wrapping cloth) she was carrying on her back.
I wonder what they brought with them.
"Kyuooooon"
After letting out a big yawn, Indra cried.
He trotted along, leaving us behind, and began climbing the mountain path.
It was as if a child was urging their mother, who had stopped moving in front of the clothing section, to hurry up.
"Osamu, let's go then. There's nothing left...but even so, there are certainly things that remain."
"Your Majesty..."
"Even without a physical form, feelings remain... Some might say that such things have no meaning."
This is the place where I met Ichihime, met Taishakutsukimo, and met many of my retainers.
Without this place, this space, I would never be who I am today.
"Come on, let's go. There's a side of me here you don't know. I'll try to let you get to know it as much as possible."
"Yes!"
Haruhime smiled and nodded, then moved a little distance away from me.
Then he took off the furoshiki (wrapping cloth) he was carrying on his back and hung it in his right hand.
I took her left hand and was about to start walking up the steep mountain path when—
"Sorry, please wait a moment."
—I took out the "Box of Records" that I had kept in my tool belt and opened its lid.
From within the box, silvery-blue orbs began to disperse and float around us.
"I hardly ever go near Odani Castle... no, Mount Odani anymore—I probably won't be able to go near it anymore. So, at the very least, I want to record the scenery."
I must never forget that this is where I started.
As I said that, Haruhime tightened her grip on my hand just a little and clung to me tightly.
◆
"The Box of Recording"—an out-of-place artifact that records and plays back images within a predetermined, specific range.
There is no doubt that this object, imbued with the technology that the Chihime girls call "magic," is a relic of the old civilization—the future world we know.所謂so-called
Incidentally, this "Sharaku no Hako" (Scribing Box) is owned by the Oda family.
When Haruhime was taken as my concubine, Ichihime borrowed this from Nobunaga—but it still hasn't been returned.
She explained the reason as follows:
"I don't know how to erase the records!"
It's fatal. It's a truly fatal reason for me, for Ichihime, and for Osamuhime.
In fact, various pieces of information were recorded inside the box.
These include videos of Ichihime performing oral sex, videos of her rubbing a Big Sun on her slightly swollen belly and making it all white, videos of ten consecutive unprotected ejaculations with Haruhime, and videos of sibling play, and various other video recordings.
In short, the "Sharaku no Hako" (The Box of Records) after arriving at the Asai family's home was...
The film had transformed into a treasure box filled with private scenes of the lead actor, Asai Nagamasa, with his two wives.
Of course, there's no way I can pay it back.
Incidentally, it is said that Ichihime wrote to Nobunaga asking how to erase records, but he replied that he didn't know.
We're at a dead end.
Ichihime had taken the stance that she would not return the "Record Box" to the Oda family until she figured out how to erase the records herself, and the records were growing exponentially every night.
Fortunately, there has been no request for its return from the Oda family.
Therefore, Ichihime and I agreed to maintain the borrowed status for the time being, until the other party said something.
"Kyuooooon"
Indra leads the way, occasionally turning to us and calling out.
They seem worried because the mountain path has a fairly steep gradient.
"Osamu, are you okay?"
"Y-yes... I'll go anywhere with you."
"Kyuooooon"
Taishakutsukimo saw Chihime and cried.
She seemed displeased with me clinging to her arm and pressing her chest against me.
"Look, Indra is watching."
"Um... I don't want to... I..."
Haruhime's face flushed, and she quickly pulled away.
However, that hand remained tightly gripping my palm.
When Taishakutsukimo saw this, he let out a loud sigh-like cry and threw himself onto the soft, natural bed of weeds growing by the roadside.
Then, she lets out a big yawn and closes her eyes.
It seems they intend to do it.不貞寝sulking
"Lady Yoriko may have been very tired..."
When they reached Taishakutsukimo, Chihime said in a voice that sounded like she was taking care of her.
Apparently, he has no idea that he's the cause of the sulking.
Well, maybe it's better if they don't notice.
"...Yes, I'll let him sleep."
"I agree"
Haruhime gripped my hand tighter and leaned her body against mine with a soft thud.
"Today, I'll have you all to myself..."
She was so adorable despite being older than me that I instinctively stroked the back of her head and down her back with the hand that wasn't holding hers.
"Yeah, that's right."
"Yes!"
Haruhime smiled broadly, a truly joyful expression on her face.
With her clinging tightly to me, I decided to spend some peaceful time alone with her.
In modern terms, it's what's called a "mountain date."
We slowly climbed the slope together, listening to the sounds of cicadas chirping and the wind rustling.
The space, where earth, greenery, and light coexisted, brought me an unparalleled sense of peace.
"It's really true, there's nothing left..."
When I showed Haruhime the place where the horse tethering area used to be, she looked around curiously.
"Well... it seems all the stone and wood materials were reused for the Nagahama Imperial Palace and Nagahama Castle."
"It must have been a really big castle."
"Ah, that might be true."
I said, fanning myself with my hand.
On Mount Kotani, which is covered with trees, direct sunlight rarely penetrates.
But in its place, there's a stifling humidity and the scent of earth and grass.
My kimono was damp with sweat dripping from my entire body.
"But Mount Kotani is a bit humid. It was a little inconvenient to live there."
"Is that so..."
"Yes, even now...isn't that true?"
"Yes... well, that might be true."
Haruhime gave a wry smile and imitated me, fanning her chest with her hand.
If you look closely, she's sweating quite a bit too.
The streaks of sweat trickling down her neck possessed an indescribable beauty.
There is nothing more beautiful and precious than a woman's sweat.
"But... well, I... don't dislike you."
"Really?"
"yes"
Haruhime said this with a mischievous smile.
"I can clearly smell your scent..."
"Ugh"
I instinctively lifted the collar of the kimono and sniffed it.
It definitely smells of sweat.
However, Haruhime did not seem to feel any aversion at all.
"The scent of you, whom I love so much, wafts through the air... My heart is pounding so hard... It feels like it's about to burst..."
"Oh, I see..."
For some reason, I felt embarrassed looking at Haruhime as she spoke, so I could only manage to respond while quickly averting my gaze from her.
Seeing me like that, Haruhime chuckled and tugged at my hand.
"Sir, how about we take a short break?"
"A break... Ah, a break... yeah, I guess so."
In the world I used to come from, "taking a break" during a date almost always meant "going to a hotel."
But when Princess Osamu says "break," she probably means a literal break.
I've certainly been walking along mountain paths for a while, and I do feel a little tired.
(Come to think of it, there was a watering hole at the horse tethering area... a watering hole for washing the horses or giving them water to drink.)
When I remembered that, I grabbed Haruhime's hand a little roughly and forcefully, as if to hide my embarrassment.
"There's a spring over there. Let's dip our feet in the water and cool off."
Although the facilities have all been demolished, the spring water is still flowing.
The natural spring water from Mount Kotani continues to flow, forming a small stream.
Beside the flowing water, there was a medium-sized rock lying there that looked just right for sitting on.
"Yo!"
Releasing the hand he had been holding from Haruhime, he stepped into the stream with his shoes still on.
``Cure''
"Oh, yes."
When I extended both my hands, Princess Chihime, without any hesitation, grasped my hands again and leaned her slender body against me.
As I lifted her up, making sure her body didn't touch the water, I caught a faint scent of a woman's fragrance.
When I see the nape of her neck, wet with sweat, I can't help but want to bite it.
"Yo!"
I had her sit on a rock that remained by the side of the stream, and then I sat down on the same rock.
As she took off her soaking wet footwear and tabi socks, Princess Osamu hurriedly unfolded the furoshiki (wrapping cloth) she had been carrying in her right hand.
"Um, excuse me...! Sir, how about it? Shall we have lunch?"
"Oh, that might be a good idea."
After washing my hands with stream water, I looked at the lunchbox my wife had shown me, who seemed a little nervous.
There, I found two large rice balls made with barley rice, one small rice ball, and some grilled miso and pickles on the side.
The surface of the rice ball is covered with shiso leaves, which appear to have been pickled together with the pickled plums, and it looks incredibly delicious.
"Is this Osamu?"
"Yes. Naoko insisted on helping, but... I wanted to prepare everything myself..."
Haruhime averted her eyes from me, looking embarrassed.
"It was...a dream."
"dream?"
"Yes... it was a dream I had long, long ago, but had given up on."
She said, looking downcast.
"I would like to spend my life with the man I wish to be with... and I would like to go on a long ride with him..."
"..."
"I'd like you to try the bento box I made...and then...give me your feedback..."
"Osamu..."
"I thought it was impossible... but I..."
Having said that much, Princess Chihime shook her head vigorously from side to side, closed her eyes, and exhaled deeply.
Then, clenching her chest tightly and regulating her breathing, she said, though she looked pained—but with a firm smile:
"It looks like it's finally going to come true..."
"..."
The old her would have been consumed by past memories and fallen into self-denial.
However, Princess Osamu is now trying to move forward while facing that reality head-on.
I could clearly see the change in her posture—and sensing that, I picked up a large rice ball.
"Let's have some."
"yes..."
When I bit into the barley rice, the first thing I noticed was its exquisite saltiness.
And the texture of the barley and white rice is slightly firm, cooked to the point where there's no hard core left.
When you bite into it, the rich aroma and flavor of the grains fill your mouth.
As I took a second bite, my appetite was stimulated, and a piece of flaked grilled fish popped out from inside the rice ball.
And with the added saltiness and aroma of the softly pickled shiso leaves, before I knew it, I had devoured the rice ball in no time.
"good"
"..."
I said, looking at Haruhime.
"The barley rice is cooked perfectly, and the salt is just right. There isn't a single bone in the shredded fish... They must have put a lot of effort into this, right?"
"Y-yes..."
"That was delicious. There's still one left, I'll eat it right away. You eat yours quickly too, it's good."
"...Yes, yes."
With a beautiful smile, yet tears streaming down her face, Princess Chihime nodded, sniffling.
I moved until our knees were touching, gently pulled her trembling shoulders closer, and buried my face in her dark brown hair.
As she listened to the babbling of the water, the chirping of cicadas, and the occasional breeze blowing through Mount Kotani and the rustling of the trees, Princess Osamu finally seemed to recover from her sentimentality.
When she looked up, she saw two beautiful eyes swollen with tears.
I gently wiped away the tears that had gathered in the corners of my wife's eyes with my fingertips, and then softly kissed the tip of her nose.
"Come on, let's eat. I guarantee that eating this will make you smile. This is really delicious, because you made it for us."
"Your Majesty..."
"I'd rather not see you cry. You're far more attractive when you're smiling."
It's a different story when she sobs in my arms at night.
When I whispered that, Princess Chihime's body trembled, and she showed a smile that was somewhere between a genuine smile and a wry smile.
"...You, please..."
"what up?"
"No...it's nothing."
With a slightly sulky expression, but clearly pleased, she picked up the smaller rice ball.