The Takeda Clan's main castle, the Takeda Clan Residence.
This castle did not have the high stone walls of Odawara, nor the garish, blinding decorations of the Imagawa in Suruga.
It was a residence built against the mountains, surrounded by deep water moats and wooden fences, so simple it did not look like the dwelling of a provincial lord.
But no one dared to underestimate this place.
Because the woman who lived here was the Tiger of Kai.
Takeda Shingen.
Just as the Imagawa Clan originated from a branch of the current Shogun Ashikaga, the Takeda Clan's lineage was equally long-standing, originating from the Minamoto clan of the old Heian period, and in terms of nobility, it was second to none, even surpassing the Imagawa Clan.
Takeda Shingen was even the most outstanding of the generations of Takeda Clan.
She was the one with the hope of conquering the world!
At this moment, in the deepest hall of the castle, steam was rising.
A natural hot spring gushed from the mountain rocks, pouring into a pool surrounded by giant stones. A few red leaves floated on the water surface, looking like decorations placed deliberately, or perhaps just blown down by the autumn wind.
Takeda Shingen was soaking in the pool.
She looked to be under twenty, with a proper face and a bit of heroism. Her features were not delicate but excelled in grandeur—thick eyebrows, phoenix eyes, a straight nose bridge, slightly thick lips, naturally carrying an oppressive aura that commanded respect without anger.
Her deep red long hair clung wetly to her shoulders, sliding into the water along her spine.
The lines of her shoulders and collarbones exposed above the water were smooth, and further down was the silhouette of her body, obscured by steam and faintly visible beneath the water.
Hojo Ujiyasu was not wrong.
The term 'big breasts,' when applied to Takeda Shingen, was indeed not an exaggeration.
The water surface rippled slightly; those two mounds buoyed by the hot water couldn't even be hidden by the ripples.
She closed her eyes, holding a pottery bowl in her hand containing cloudy sake, half of which had already been drunk.
Very comfortable.
"—Let go of me! You barbarians! I am the head of the Hojo Clan!"
At the end of the corridor, a very uncomfortable voice was heard.
Takeda Shingen's eyebrows twitched, but she didn't open her eyes.
The sound of footsteps was hurried and chaotic.
The sliding door was slammed open.
Hojo Ujiyasu stepped into the bath hall.
She hadn't taken off her armor; her long black hair had become incredibly messy because she had been carried under someone's armpit while they sprinted the whole way, and her face bore an expression mixed with rage and humiliation.
Her deep purple kimono was wrinkled beyond recognition, and there was mud on her armor plates.
"Shingen—!"
Hojo Ujiyasu said, enunciating every word.
"What is the meaning of your men dragging me here?"
Takeda Shingen finally opened her eyes.
Those phoenix eyes appeared exceptionally languid in the steam; she swept a glance at Hojo Ujiyasu, then closed them again.
"Sit."
"I will not sit!"
"Then stand."
Takeda Shingen lifted the hand holding the wine bowl and gestured toward the wooden stool nearby: "The wine is over there; pour it yourself."
Hojo Ujiyasu's temple throbbed.
"I didn't come here to drink."
"I know."
Takeda Shingen drained the cloudy wine in her bowl and casually placed the empty bowl on the stone beside the pool.
She stood up from the water.
Water slid off her, flowing down that tall, toned body.
Nothing covered her.
Absolutely nothing.
Hojo Ujiyasu's face flushed red instantly, and she jerked her head away.
"Put on some clothes first!"
"This is my territory; I'll wear what I want, or not."
Takeda Shingen walked to the edge of the pool, picked up a thin gauze yukata, and draped it loosely over her body. She didn't tie the sash, leaving the front wide open.
She leaned against the stone at the edge of the pool, her wet red hair clinging to her neck, and looked at Hojo Ujiyasu with those phoenix eyes half-open.
"Talk business."
Hojo Ujiyasu took three deep breaths before she could barely calm herself down: "You sent Yamagata Masakage to attack Imagawa's rear guard, and then snatched me away—what is this supposed to mean?"
"Saving you."
"I don't need you to save me!"
"You were dragged into a standoff in the field by Imagawa Yoshimoto, leaving your rear undefended, and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo has just broken through your northern defense line."
Takeda Shingen replied as if it were a matter of course:
"If I didn't send someone, you and Imagawa would be grinding away at Jentaigahara until the end of the month. By the time you came to your senses, the area outside the north gate of Odawara would likely already be filled with banners bearing the character 'Bi'."
Hojo Ujiyasu's expression changed.
"Echigo—broke through the north?"
"Three days ago."
Takeda Shingen raised her hand and counted on her fingers: "Your northern outposts were completely wiped out, and Uesugi Clan's vanguard has already pushed into the center of Musashi Province."
"That woman who claims to be the incarnation of Bishamonten is serious this time."
Hojo Ujiyasu fell silent.
It wasn't that she didn't believe it.
It was that—she dared not believe it.
"Why tell me?"
Hojo Ujiyasu looked up, her gaze wary.
"Because if you and Imagawa are fighting heatedly over there while Uesugi Clan picks up the scraps behind you, it does me no good either."
Takeda Shingen said bluntly: "I don't mind watching you two tear each other apart, but if Uesugi Clan takes Musashi, her blade will be pointed directly at Kai."
"Don't forget, we are allies after all."
Having said this, Takeda Shingen paused slightly before continuing:
"With Uesugi Clan moving south, the Shogun and the court nobles in Kyoto are just watching the show. I've heard the Onmyo Bureau has frequently observed abnormal Demonic Qi in various places recently, and those old fogies are considering whether to issue an imperial decree—letting the daimyo of each province purge the demons themselves."
"If that decree comes down, Uesugi Clan's recent actions will have a legitimate justification."
"She is purging demons under the banner of Bishamonten; who could say no to that?"
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