#yes capitalism has made it wasteful and cruel in many instances but capitalism has also tainted vegan production as well

[ocdhuacheng]

vegans are so annoying like we get that there are definitely systemic and environmental issues that need to be taken into account with eating meat but to act like going vegan is the perfect cruelty free environmentally friendly solution is stupid. veganism has its issues too so get the fuck over yourself you are not a fucking saint for trading animal cruelty for slave labor and meat eaters arent the devil incarnate for eating meat. have some fucking nuance here you dumbasses this isnt some black and white issue there are way too many variables for you to be convinced veganism is the only option.

[mikawa-province]

Wishful Thinking 1.5

Title: Wishful Thinking 1.5 Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 MA Word Count (MS Word): 5,870

麻姑掻痒　（まこそうよう）　[makosouyou] (n) things happening exactly as one pleases [wishes]; someone being very attentive to one's wishes

Thank you for your patience.

I am finally done writing Chapter 1.5 of the series, which I wrote to bridge the gaps that did not make sense in the previous chapter. Hopefully, this would tie up the loose ends.

Rating for this chapter has been raised to MA, which will continue on until Chapter 2. Hopefully, the smut is tolerable.

As stated in Chapter 1:

This fic was inspired by the recent Story Event involving Tokugawa Ieyasu called ‘Draughts of Starlight’ (星夜のあやまち lit. A Starry Night of Mistakes), and this is my take on ‘what-if Ieyasu and MC did sleep with one another that night, as ordered upon by Oda Nobunaga, sans the alcohol’?

Lastly, MC’s name for this fic is ‘Nishina Sanae’ [written as 「仁科 真恵」.

Enjoy!

Nobunaga-sama was truly, madly insane.

Of course, Sanae did not dare say those words out loud, as she was rather fond of both her neck and her life.

But for the Divine Ruler to suddenly announce that the winner of the scavenger hunt would have the right to bed her...

She had to admit, the samurai were an eccentric bunch, especially Oda Nobunaga.

While she had wanted nothing more than to stop the madness and decline the command, she had no choice but to follow, unless she had a death wish.

Tonight would be the night she would finally experience a man’s touch… and that man happened to dislike her immensely, if truth be told. Tokugawa Ieyasu, despite his handsome face, had a very distinct trait that set him apart from the others: while camaraderie and brotherhood were the norm among the Oda, he chose not to do the same, distrusting anyone, and always keeping his distance. Only Nobunaga-sama’s orders had prevented him from refraining to join the various amusements that were held in his honor.

… Which was why it had concerned her deeply as to how they would go about the… bedding. She knew him for his cruelty, and she braced herself for the worst when she was led by Ranmaru to where he stayed, which had been very far from the main house.

Maybe he had been the type to torture the women who had been lucky enough to grace his bed.

Maybe he would start it off by threatening to hurt her if she did not satisfy him.

Maybe he would—

She stopped her train of thought that instant; there were too many ‘maybes’, and far too many worst-case scenarios that her mind thought of.

Yet, at the back of her mind, she knew it could not be helped; she hardly knew the man, and the most she knew of him was that he enjoyed inflicting pain upon others. Despite Inuchiyo singing praises of how brilliant ‘Ieyasu-sama was for his age’, she still could not bring herself to do the same.

He made her eat something to see if it was poisoned, for goodness’ sake!

“Sanae, Ieyasu-sama is waiting for you.” Mori Ranmaru announced as soon as they reached the room that had been given to the young lord of Mikawa.

It took everything in her not to flee that instant and make a run for the capital with only the clothes on her back, her personal possessions be damned.

Her legs were shaking underneath her kimono, but she forged on, forcing herself to be more courageous and to be more nonchalant about it. Commoners like her never really cared about keep one’s self pure until matrimony, as many of those around her engaged in pre-marital liaisons. She, on the other hand, could not easily bring herself to sleep with someone unless she felt an emotional connection with them.

For this instance, however, she simply resigned herself to the fact that she had no choice, and to hope that Ieyasu-sama would not be cruel to her.

The moment she stepped inside and the door was shut, he, who was sitting on top of the futon, immediately turned to her and said out loud, "When we finish, will you get out and never enter my line of sight again?"

As she sat on her calves to face him, Sanae refrained herself from outwardly making any type of facial expression, but failed to do so.

"What’s with the face?" he asked.

Grimacing, she said, "... I don’t think your request is possible, especially when you frequent Owari, Ieyasu-sama."

His eyes narrowed. "Then why don’t you do something about it? Asking me to cater to your whims… you are impossible."

You're the one who’s impossible!

Will this man’s selfishness know no bounds…?!

Why did he make it sound like everything was her fault?!

She did not want for this to happen; on the contrary, she would have been happy to stay out of his way if she lived in the capital while he lived in Totomi, as there would be nearly a zero percent chance of them encountering one another. Unfortunately, she was staying in Owari for the meantime, and he was allies with Oda Nobunaga, which meant there would be chances where they would cross paths if he visited.

And if their paths did cross… she shuddered upon thinking that he had the power to ruin her life. One word, and he could send her to her death if he chose to do so.

“... Understood. I shall stay out of your way after… after this, Ieyasu-sama.” she couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud.

“You mean after our fucking?” he gave a sardonic laugh after seeing her wince.

“... If you put it that way, then yes, after that.” she refused to say those crass words out loud, no matter how much he provoked her.

In an instant, his eyes turned serious, and even accusatory. “Then you’d better make true to that promise.”

He wasted no time divesting her of her clothing, skillfully managing to untie her obi and letting her kimono fall down her shoulders. Her skin exposed, his lips began trailing kisses from her neck down to her shoulders, tugging the fabric further. Seconds later, she felt so vulnerable to his gaze that she used both her arms to cover breasts and kept her knees locked together.

She vaguely knew how this would go, but with him around… it was better to keep her guard up.

No one knew what ran in this cruel mind, and if she could minimize his touch, the better it would be for her.

No doubt, she may need to bathe a little longer tonight to cleanse her body from his touches… even if it did leave a tingling feeling both in her heart and in her body.

"You can lay off the virgin act, you know." He pulled her arms away from her breasts and kneeled in front of her. "It’s not going to work."

She shook her head, which confused him. "And why did you shake your head?"

"... Ieyasu-sama, I…" she let out a shaky breath, not knowing if she should just tell him the truth or let him believe that she slept around.

"We don’t have all night." He said testily. "The sooner we are done, the earlier you can leave."

Any woman at this point would have broken down in tears by now, but she did not let his insults get the best of her. On the contrary, he was helping her see through… this with an open mind and a practical approach.

"I’ve never been with a man before so… can you… can you please be gentle…? Just for tonight…?" Sanae figured it did not hurt to ask, though if he laughed at her, she did not know if she would be able to stop herself from lashing out at him.

So she was not like the other sophisticated women who had taken countless lovers to her bed. Big deal; she was far too busy and focused on her family’s restaurant to care about those. Same goes when she moved to Owari and started serving the Oda clan.

Romance was something that never crossed her mind; on the contrary, it was a low priority for her despite the threats of the magistrate, as she wanted to wait for her brother to reach his age of majority and run the restaurant. If it hadn’t been for Inuchiyo, who intervened on her behalf and asked for help from Oda Nobunaga, her family would have been left homeless and without a place for their business. Until the very end, the magistrate had been pressuring her to marry him, but had backed down in an instant when he found out that the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven was a benefactor of her family’s restaurant.

To her own surprise, Tokugawa Ieyasu gave her a questioning look. "... You’ve never done this before?"

"No." Came her simple reply, wondering why he had to clarify such a thing. She was so sure he would laugh at her state of innocence, yet he did no such thing.

To her surprise, he gently laid her down on the futon, and raised both her hands above her head, pinning down her wrists. She must have looked panicky, for he said, "Calm down, I’m not going to do anything strange… your arms are in the way, that’s all. Until you know where to place them…" to her own surprise, Ieyasu-sama had began trailing more kisses down her neck before stopping just between her breasts.

"Who knew you’d be hiding this kind of body underneath that kimono…" she heard him mutter as he flickered his tongue over her right breast, making her yelp in surprise from his action and from the pleasure that shot through her.

"So you weren’t lying. You really are an innocent."

It was on the tip of her tongue to inform him that she was no liar, and that she had no reason to lie when his mouth moved to her other breast and ran his tongue over her nipple. It took everything in her not to scream, though a gasp had escaped her lips. To her embarrassment, he chuckled, no doubt amused that every little thing he did made her react.

"You can scream, you know. No doubt, they placed me in this side of the castle specifically for this… and no matter how loud, no one will hear you."

She shuddered at his revelation, realizing that if he had been cruel enough to proceed with his plan of torturing her, he could have gotten away with it… worse, he could also have also left her for dead.

In an instant, his mood darkened. "You know, if you’re that disgusted with my touch, we can finish this immediately." He told her gruffly.

"N-not at all." She shook her head frantically, wanting to make sure she got her point across. "I-I’m fine… it’s just that… I need to get used to it… y-you know when… when the next guy comes along." She cringed at her rambling, knowing that there would definitely be no next time.

Not with him, not with anybody.

Tonight was enough to last her a lifetime.

If anything, his expression seemed controlled, which made her wonder why he was trying to conceal what he was feeling. "In that case, I’d better teach you properly."

Both his promise and his threat to ‘teach her properly’ had left her reeling.

He had been ruthless by not giving her enough time to register the sensations he made her feel as he used his mouth on her breasts, teasing her whenever she tried to muffle the sounds that slipped her mouth, while using his hands to massage and touch her in ways that she could never imagine.

Minutes after, he pulled away from her, only so he could part her thighs. At this, she mentally began to prepare herself for the act; that was how it usually happened anyway, according to the gossip that she heard from the more experienced women’s whispers to one another... until he began kissing her inner thighs, sucking the flesh, and leaving marks that trailed towards the place where she ached the most. It embarrassed her that with only the use of his mouth, it had left her a bit soaked between her thighs. Much to her surprise, he thought nothing of it; despite the wetness on either side of her inner thighs, he still continued to lightly nip her flesh.

At this point, she had sat up, using her hands to steady herself while her thighs were parted,Ieyasu-sama in-between them. She gasped when his fingers lightly touched her where she throbbed, his fingers tracing her lower lips lazily, chuckling as her labored gasps filled the room.

"You’re soaking wet already, and I’m just using my fingers." another chuckle, and she wondered if he was mocking her for her body’s responses to his touch.

She had no time to ask him about it, however; before she could even open her mouth to do so, he had parted her, exposing her pink folds, and began using his mouth, leaving no spot undefiled. His tongue teased her further by running it against the sensitive nub hidden beneath her lower lips, and when her screams became louder, with her thighs becoming more unsteady, he let his head be held between her thighs as he licked her deeper and faster .

She was well aware that Ieyasu-sama’s mouth was wicked, but she never knew that she would enjoy the wickedness of it in the bedroom. Prying her thighs apart, he had managed to completely spread her apart with his thumbs as his tongue lapping the bundle of nerves, sucking on it at times, which made her both gasp and scream out loud in response. Realizing that his tongue gave him the reaction he wanted, he pressed on, while she tried to calm both her labored breaths and her beating heart.

Vaguely, she wondered if it was possible to die from the overwhelming sensation that she was feeling tonight. While she was embarrassed that Ieyasu-sama was kneeling before her and using his mouth in a place that even she could not bring herself to touch, she had to admit, what he was doing left her breathless.

The pressure that was building up below her waist was something she had been holding for awhile; holding it in had been easy at first… until he began to use his tongue, and she lost all of her control. Her mouth gave way to a scream that had left her faltering, and she even blacked out for a few seconds before regaining control of her senses. As she tried to catch her breath, she vaguely realized that Ieyasu-sama was still between her legs… and was licking her clean. Embarrassed, she tried to push him away, but it made him all the more defiant; all the places where she felt the wetness that was slowly becoming familiar to her, he ran his tongue over it all.

And damn her, she could still find herself spreading her legs further, just so he could use his mouth and relieve her of her ache.

When she could only feel his warm mouth lingering between her legs, he pushed himself up, and, while still positioned in-between her legs, he began to disrobe in front of her, until he was just as naked as she was.

While she had seen her fair share of bare-chested half-naked men, she had never seen a grown man fully naked… which brought a rush of heat to her face.

“You’re getting embarrassed after I’ve seen all of you?”

She made the mistake of lowering her gaze, and she wondered if it was possible for her to simply burst into flames. His body seemed as if it had been molded into perfection, his chest, arms, and torso sculpted like a work of art; she had to admit, he looked very pleasing to her eyes. As for that part of him… while she had nothing else to compare it to, admittedly, she was impressed, though a bit nervous over the size, wondering if he would actually fit within her.

As if reading her mind, he laid her down on the futon once more, his expression unreadable. “Don’t panic and just relax.” he told her. “If you get all tense, it will be harder for you.”

“I… I will try.”

Slowly, he rubbed the head of his length against her slit, and at this, she hitched her breath, waiting for the pain that followed immediately after a man and a woman were finally joined together in the most intimate way possible...

To her surprise, it was not as painful nor was it as horrible as she expected it to be. Ever since she had entered his room, she had braced herself for the worse, even thinking that he would torture her. Admittedly, right now, she was uncomfortable, as her body was not used to him, but at least it did not hurt. As she gripped on the sheets that covered the futon they were on, Ieyasu-sama’s hands were placed on either side of her, his breath just a bit labored. He was taking it slow, she noticed, and for that, she was grateful.

It took everything in her not to wrap her arms around him to pull him close, knowing that he would not appreciate the gesture. He himself was careful not to touch her, and while she knew it would happen, it did not stop her from feeling just a tad disappointed.

“How are you feeling?” he asked her softly, surprising her with his tone.

He never talked to her this way until now… but she knew that she should not delude herself into thinking that he cared.

Tokugawa Ieyasu cared about no one but himself.

“I… I am fine, Ieyasu-sama.” she informed him, her hands still on the sheets.

Tentatively, he pulled back a bit from her, making her gasp. What she felt between her legs took her by surprise, as she had never known that kind of sensation until he moved. When he buried himself within her once more, she exhaled the breath that she was holding.

“Does it hurt?” upon the shaking of her head, she swore she heard him mutter the words ‘good’.

Just what did he mean by that…?

Before she could sit up to ask him, he grabbed her right thigh, hooked it under one of his arms, and slowly paced himself, his hips meeting her own. She was surprised over how easily he could slide within her, and how her worst fears had actually turned out better than she expected.

Maybe he did care for her and did not want to hurt her…

Maybe he did, but it did not change the fact that he wanted her to leave immediately after they were done.

How she wished she could be as nonchalant as he was over this arrangement.

His breathing was becoming heavier by the minute as he continued his thrusts; she, on the other hand, had been trying to hold back on her moans, but failed to do so. At one point, she had called out his name by mistake, which made her dread for the aftermath of… this. In an attempt to consoled herself, she knew she could always make a run for it immediately after they were done, just as he had ordered her to, which would save her the trouble of a confrontation.

No doubt he was angry at her for calling out to him.

After her mistake, his movements were becoming more desperate and frantic, his pace speeding up. At the back of her head, she wondered if this was his way of punishing her… until she felt the similar pressure from earlier build up below her belly. Ieyasu-sama showed no sign of slowing down his pace as he tried to catch his breath. Her inner muscles, it seemed, was working in tandem with his pacing, gripping the length of him as he pressed himself deeper within her. Closing her eyes, she screamed out his name once more, the pressure in her belly withering as seconds passed… though she vaguely noted that he was still deep within her.

His hips met her own a few more times before he completely withdrew from her. Immediately, she felt hot liquid coat her belly and her thighs, which made her wonder what had just happened.

Sneaking a peek to where she felt the warm sensation, seeing his essence on her made sense all of a sudden.

Back when she was still living in the capital, she heard from various women who have had liaisons that in order for a woman to have a baby, she would need a man to ‘plant’ a ‘seed’ in her. Sanae realized that the ‘seed’ they were talking about was mostly likely whatever it was that was on her belly and thighs, and that Ieyasu-sama had been careful not to spill his seed in her.

After all, lovemaking was reserved for one’s wife, as she would be the one who would bear his children.

As for them, she and him were engaged in fucking because they were simply ordered to do such.

As he laid beside her, trying to catch his breath, she knew she had to leave the futon. Her breathing was back to normal, she was feeling calm, and while she was sore, she was positive she could still make it back to her room before she headed to the baths to scrub away the sweat and the scent of him that lingered on her.

He did say that the sooner she could leave his room, the better it would be for him, and she agreed.

Staying here with him… she had an inkling she might do something that she would regret.

She sat up and headed for the low table that was designated as a small washing area, as it contained a jar filled with water, and a basin. Pour the jar on the basin, she took a washcloth and cleansed her torso and her thighs, doing just enough to keep herself clean until she could go to the baths. After she was done, Sanae grabbed her discareded kimono from the floor and began to dress herself as quickly as possible, knowing that he was probably impatient for her to leave.

With the obi now secured around her waist, she kneeled on the floor and faced the man whose back was now turned against her.

He really wants me gone.

“You— ”

Before she could allow the obstinate man to kick her out, she interrupted him.

She would not let her pride get crushed just because a man wanted her out this instant.

I know that already; you don’t have to remind me that you can’t stand my presence.

"Ieyasu-sama, thank you for the lovely evening. I… I am honored to have shared your bed." she pressed her forehead against the floor in a bow, even though she knew he would not notice nor care if she bowed or not. "As you have requested, I will do my best to stay out of your way and your sight. For the time being, I hope you continue to tolerate my presence until your return to Hamamatsu."

She waited for any words of mockery from him, and when she heard none, she pressed on, saying words that she thought was at least civil and appropriate right after… right after they fucked.

"Good night, Ieyasu-sama. Sweet dreams."

Her legs were still unsteady, and the place between her thighs were sore, but she ignored all of it, forcing herself to walk towards the door leading to her freedom. As not to attract attention from the hallway, she slid the door open as quietly as she could, looked at both sides before stepping out into the corridors. Slowly, she slid the door shut and forced herself to walk as quietly as she could back to her room to grab her bathing items and head for the communal bathing area for the servants.

It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, but still…

If only it have been with someone I actually liked, and he also likes me back...

It was painfully naive of her to think that way, but she was not a daughter of a samurai family. She had her choices, unlike them, and she could have had a lover who actually bore affections for her. Instead, she had to share the bed with a man who disliked her, tolerated her at most for tonight, and had repeatedly mocked her.

Tonight was the worst, but she figured that tomorrow would be better.

After all, he told her to stay away, and she would gladly do what he asked of her.

As long as their paths never crossed again, the better it would be both for her and her heart.

She had had enough regrets for one night.

“You stupid girl. What did you do?”

How had she gotten herself involved into something that she had been avoiding for the past few days?

Days after that night, Nishina Sanae had thought that her connection with Tokugawa Ieyasu was severed the moment she left his room after their fucking, and after she had promised to stay out of his line of sight.

Why had she gotten involved into something that she had nothing to do with…?!

So the man left in the middle of the night; that was not her fault. It wasn’t as if she had stabbed him and he ran away in fear. On the contrary, he had the option to kill her if that had actually happened, but it didn’t. Nor did she have it in her to stab him to his death, as she valued her life and safety above all else, which was why she took it upon herself never to offend any of these samurai before her.

Now, the man she served was getting agitated over something that she did not do.

Unfortunately for her, the man did not bother listening to her side of the story, as he was convinced that she had a hand in making the Lord of Mikawa flee in the middle of the night for no reason.

“Answer me!” Oda Nobunaga bellowed.

She supplicated herself on the tatami. “I have no idea what you are talking about, Nobunaga-sama.” with her forehead pressed against the floor, she struggled not to cry, hating the fact that she was being accused for something that she did not do. “I was just as surprised as everyone else when I found out that Ieyasu-sama had left in the middle of the night--”

“Don’t play dumb; you offended him somehow. If not in the bedroom, it was most likely after it.” he said crudely, reminding her of what she had done with the man the night after the scavenger hunt.

If I had a choice, I would have not gone with it!

The frustration within was tempting her to lash out, but she chose to keep calm, knowing that if she aggravated the situation further, the punishment that followed might be severe.

Akechi Mitsuhide spoke after assessing that his lord would not interrupt him. “Tokugawa Ieyasu is a valued ally of the Oda; the territories he rule over are in strategic locations, and it would do well to appease him as soon as possible. If we do not…”

Nobunaga snapped his fan shut in irritation. “Heard that?”

“... Yes, Nobunaga-sama.”

“Then what are you still doing here? You heard Mitsuhide.”

Tentatively, she raised her head, confused. “Nobunaga-sama, what do you mean by—”

“Get dressed and pack your things. You will stay in Hamamatsu and appease Ieyasu as soon as possible. Do not head back to Owari until I have sent for you, or he sends you back, whichever is first.” he glared at her. “I cannot stress this enough, but do not mess this up.”

No!

The lord of the Oda clan raised an eyebrow at her defiance, and she realized that she had spoken her thoughts out loud. In an attempt to recover from that sudden outburst, she said, “B-but what about your desserts--”

He interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. “I can live without those for a few weeks; have you not been teaching the cooks here how to make desserts?” upon his questioning, she nodded tentatively. “They should learn how to function while you are gone.”

She shook her head in dismay. This was madness. “B-but how do I… how do I appease him…?”

Nobunaga gave her a faint smile. “You’re a woman. Surely, you can satisfy him in many ways possible.”

The innuendo did not escape any else’s notice; aside from both Oda Nobunaga and Akechi Mitsuhide, all of the retainers present in the main hall coughed uncomfortably, while she failed to stop her cheeks from flaming. From the corner of her eye, she saw Inuchiyo’s eyes narrowing at her direction.

“Remember what I said; you are not allowed to go back until you have appeased him.” Oda Nobunaga regarded her coldly. “If you want to go back as soon as possible, then you’d better make sure he won’t refuse us the use of his lands in the next battle.”

“... Understood.”

She had resigned herself to her fate the moment she uttered those words.

The first thing she did upon hearing Nobunaga-sama’s order was to send a letter to Sakai Tadatsugu-sama, informing him in advance of her arrival in a week’s time. While she and the elderly gentleman were not close, she knew he would be kind enough not to turn her away; his honor would not let him turn her away, and he would understand her predicament. After all, she was journeying to Totomi all to appease Ieyasu-sama into ‘forgiving her’, and to allow the Oda to continue the use of his territories.

Hopefully, he would forgive her.

Maybe if he was in a good mood and was nice enough on whatever day she arrived, he would allow her to leave after a few days’ time. The sooner she left, the better it was for the both of them; no doubt, he would still hold her up to that promise of never entering his line of sight, and she intended to keep it that way. For once, the both of them would actually be in agreement.

As she prepared her clothes and her essentials for the long journey ahead, she had half a mind to dress up as a man, knowing that it would be safer. If she dressed as a woman and traveled alone, she knew it would bring her more harm than good… and as much as possible, she wanted her journey to Totomi to be as uneventful as possible. Just to be on the safe side, she decided to imitate the way Oda Nobunaga’s page dressed, from borrowing his clothes to tying up her hair, though from what Inuchiyo had told her, she could hardly pass herself off as a man.

“Not with that face.” he told her bluntly when she asked him if her “disguise” could actually fool anyone.

Maybe she did have a girly face, but other than that--

"Who knew you’d be hiding this kind of body underneath that kimono…"

To her horror, she was reminded of that night when he casually complimented her body, causing her cheeks to heat up as she remembered the things he had done to make her moan.

The heck is wrong with you?! She berated herself mentally, knowing that now was not the time to be daydreaming.

Thanks to him, she was on the verge of losing her position as a chef of the most powerful man in the country… and the thought of it angered her.

I’ll show him…!

She had to go to Totomi, and fast.

While she had no solid plan on how to appease him, the best thing she had come up with was to convince him that they could forget the whole thing happened. Circumstances had both forced them to do something that they did not wish for, so it only made sense that they should both decide to forget about it altogether.

No doubt, Ieyasu-sama would approve of it, and would send her back to Owari in no time.

Feeling optimistic, she waved goodbye to the Oda retainers, promising each of them that she would be back in no time, while she gave her childhood friend a hug.

“Write back as often as you can, won’t you?” Inuchiyo, ever the older brother figure, reminded her.

“I will try. Don’t worry too much; it’s only Totomi, and Ieyasu-sama would send me back in no time after I negotiate with him”

As she turned her back to her childhood friend, she missed the worried look on the older man’s face.

“... That’s what I’m worried about.”

She had underestimated her pacing and the distance between Owari and Totomi.

While she had told Sakai-sama that she would reach Hamamatsu in a week’s time, the journey had taken her at least two weeks. Sanae had been unlucky enough to journey during the start of the rainy season, which meant unpassable roads because of the floods, or the roads have turned all muddy. At one point, she had been forced to stay at an inn for three days because of the floods.

By the time she had reached Hamamatsu, half of the month flew by, she was exhausted, and she was suddenly not feeling so confident with her plan to negotiate with Ieyasu-sama.

Not when the very first person who greeted her by the castle gates had looked at her with suspicion, not curiosity, and looked like he would rather send her back to Owari than welcome her in the castle, even if he had been informed in advance to expect ‘a guest from Owari’. Despite looking like they were the same age, Toramatsu looked very serious for his age, as if he was carrying the burden of the country by himself, which showed when he had led her to a small room, as he was unsmiling the whole time. Upon telling her to make herself comfortable, he then gravely informed her that he was going to see if Ieyasu-sama was available.

Clad in the cleanest uwagi and hakama she had in her possession, she tried to calm her beating heart over the various scenarios that played in her mind. At worst, he would throw her out without hesitation; at best, he would actually welcome her in the castle, let her stay for a few days, then let her leave so that they could go back to their old lives.

Upon hearing the sliding doors open, she pressed her forehead against the tatami, careful not to show her face for the meantime.

“Raise your head and show me your face.”

Has it been that long? Surprisingly, his voice had sent shivers down her spine, and she forced herself to ignore the sensation that ran down her back.

Now was not the time to be gushing over him.

She raised her head and did not miss the shocked look on his face. She bit down a laugh that was threatening to escape by looking at the dais instead. “Good afternoon, Ieyasu-sama.”

“I have been sent here by Nobunaga-sama to… to make amends for my… actions a fortnight ago. He was convinced that I may have offended you in some way, as evidence of your fleeing in the middle of the night.

When he said nothing in response, she continued. “It has been decided that I am to stay in Hamamatsu Castle until further notice, or until you have deemed that I have left you satisfied with my services. Until the time comes for me to return to Owari, I will be in your care.”

With still no reaction from him, she took it as her cue to bow once more.

“Please treat me well, Ieyasu-sama.”

Just tell me I can leave, and I will gladly do so…!

Hopefully, I can come up with Chapter 2 as fast as I possibly can.

＼＿ヘ(ωﾟ｀*)ｶﾁｬｶﾁｬ

Thank you for reading!