KATANAGATARI 3

■　■

Like Mt. Odori in Ezo and Mt. Shirei in Mutsu, Lake Fuyo had been designated a Level One Disaster Area by the bakufu─but a few noteworthy things set it apart from the other two.

Being a lake, and not a mountain.

At least─it used to be a lake.

Furthermore, however sparsely populated, the other two maintained some semblance of human life, with the Itezoras on Mt. Odori and the Sacred Guardians on Mt. Shirei─whereas not a single human being called Lake Fuyo their home.

Though classified alongside those two mountains as a Level One Disaster Area, this sometime lake was more akin to Inaba Desert─at least in terms of its sheer barrenness.

And yet the first place named a Level One Disaster Area by the Yanari Shogunate─was Lake Fuyo, in the hinterlands1 of Edo.

■　■

A man wearing a coat and trousers took the lead─a mask covering his face. He was a thin2 man, and wore a pair of swords─one big, one small. The word “NON-NINJA” scrawled across his mask. He walked along in silence, bearing himself in such a way that made his feelings difficult to read─and aloof to the two others behind him.

None other than─Lieutenant Emonzaemon Soda.

A safe distance behind him was a man stripped to the waist, with tousled hair─by far the tallest of the trio, this man was plainly dressed but no less eye-catching than Emonzaemon, who walked before him in his frippery and mask. From the restless way the tall man scanned the scenery, you could tell that he was out of his depth.

None other than─Shichika Yasuri.

Then, taking up the rear, but more conspicuous than the dandily bemasked Emonzaemon or the lanky and half-naked Shichika─we see a whitehaired woman, adorned in brash and brilliant finery. Trimmed to her shoulders and lustrous in the sun─that white hair was her oriflamme,3 the ensign of her mission. Walking in seta, and wearing a perturbed expression─she kept half a step behind Shichika, but always within reach.

As goes without saying.

She was none other than─Togame the Schemer.

Emonzaemon was too far ahead of Shichika and Togame to fairly call these three a trio─the distances between them spoke volumes of their interrelationships.

Lieutenant Emonzaemon Soda─Counselor4 to the Inspector General of the Yanari Shogunate.

Togame the Schemer─Grand Commander of Arms of the Yanari Shogunate Military Directorate, Owari Bakufu.

And Shichika Yasuri─Seventh Master of the Kyotoryu and trusty blade of Togame the Schemer.

“Well then.”

It had been quite some time since any of them had spoken─but Togame finally broke the silence. She could have endured it longer, no doubt, but her voice was as perturbed as her expression.

She was addressing Emonzaemon, up ahead of them.

“It would appear the Princess is as rough as ever with her staff─I pity you, Lieutenant Emonzaemon. Running errands for her up and down the country─”

“No need.”

Though Emonzaemon deigned to answer Togame’s sarcastic comment, he declined to turn around.

“Don’t worry about me─Madame Schemer. While I can’t pretend to speak on your behalf, this kind of a journey is no trouble5 for me.”

“Right─after all, you are a former ninja. You’re used to being on the road.” Togame took no pains to hide her bitterness. “Besides, who knows how long you’ve already been on our tail─I’m sure we have no reason to worry whatsoever. But what about your other obligations? If you’re out here showing us the way, doesn’t that mean the Princess is all on her lonesome back in Owari? As both her counselor and bodyguard, have you not made her vulnerable by making yourself scarce?”

“No need─to be concerned.”

Emonzaemon was undaunted by this provocative remark.

“Unlike you, Madame Schemer, the Princess has no sworn6 enemies─in fact, she has but one enemy in all Owari. And since that single enemy of hers is all the way out here─her safety is as good as guaranteed. As long as I have you in my sight, Madame Schemer, my duties as her bodyguard are more than adequately fulfilled.”

“…”

Caught between them, Shichika listened tamely to this repartee. Togame openly regarded Emonzaemon as her adversary, and however gracious the lieutenant may have been, the content of his speech made it quite clear that he did not view the Schemer fondly7─but none of them was more aware of three being a crowd than Shichika Yasuri.

He and Togame had been adventuring all year.

For most of the Sword Hunt, they had walked alone, embarking from Haphazard Island, the desert island that had been Shichika’s home most of his life, and moving onward to Inaba, Izumo, Suo, Satsuma, and Ezo, until reaching Tosa─

But since then, they had been graced with the presence of this man in pantaloons─Emonzaemon Soda.

In Tosa, he had been responsible for leading them up Mt. Sayabashiri to Seiryoin Gokenji Temple, the holy site for swordsmen whose grounds encompass the Katana Buddha, known throughout the land for being cast from the metal of one hundred thousand swords─and this month, he had been tasked with guiding them to Edo’s Level One Disaster Area, Lake Fuyo.

And yet.

As far as Shichika was concerned, his contribution as their guide was at best superficial.

Thus far on the journey, Shichika and Togame had been all kinds of places─and dangerous ones at that. They leapt into the fray after the Twelve Possessed, venturing to locales like Inaba Desert and Mt. Odori in Ezo, which you would have to be insane to brave without a properly outfitted party─but they had done it on their own.

It didn’t matter what kind of a place Lake Fuyo was. As long as they could find it on a map, they wouldn’t need a guide to get there. Not with the Schemer behind this Sword Hunt.

But there he was.

In which case─he had to be watching them.

Monitoring their progress─tasked not with leading them or guiding them, but watching them, at the request of his superior─the Princess.

That’s how Shichika saw it, anyway.

Which is what made the man’s presence so unpleasant.

And how could any trip be otherwise, when you’re being watched every step of the way?

Make no mistake, it was absolutely, positively not Emonzaemon’s shameless intrusion on the privacy of their Sword Hunt that disagreed with Shichika.

Done prodding at each other for the time being, Togame and Emonzaemon settled down (an inevitable result, for such a barren8 conversation), and silence once more reigned over the scene.

Which is why─actually, for no good reason.

“Hey, Emonzaemon─”

Shichika spoke up.

“What kind of a place is Lake Fuyo anyway? I forgot to ask─”

“Not necessary,” Emonzaemon replied bluntly, as if he had been waiting for the question just so he could say this. “And not merely because it’s called Lake Fuyo9─the place is self-explanatory. You’ll have to see it for yourself,10 Shichika Yasuri. Once you set eyes on it, you’ll understand. Isn’t that right, Madame Schemer.”

“Don’t ask me for approval,” Togame told him off. “Still, Shichika,” she continued, “the place is sort of difficult to explain─words somehow fail to capture the big picture. It’s quicker to see for yourself.”

“Hmm…it’s a Level One Disaster Area, right? Like Mt. Odori, where we met Konayuki─”

“That’s true,” Togame nodded, “but in terms of mortal danger, it falls short of the forbidding clime11 of that mountain─at least in my opinion.”

“Only because you can’t take the cold, Madame Schemer,” Emonzaemon retorted.

Without looking back, the same as ever.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Togame said defensively; but indeed her weakness to the cold had gotten them in serious trouble up on Mt. Odori, and Shichika felt he could detect a certain falter in her tone.

“Lake Fuyo is no place─for human beings to live,” remarked Emonzaemon. “It is unfit for any form of life─I have zero interest in religion, but when people talk about the netherworld, they mean a place like that.”

“Netherworld?”12

The word choice struck Shichika as odd.

Even if it was unfit for human life─calling it the netherworld was silly13─to him.

After all, he had grown up on a desert island─did that make Haphazard Island a netherworld as well?

When he said as much, Emonzaemon quickly backed down. “Fair enough. But it would be best to call it otherworldly,14 if not the netherworld. As a matter of fact, this trip will be my first as well.”

“You don’t say.”

“Unlike Mt. Odori and Mt. Shirei or Inaba Desert─Lake Fuyo falls outside the jurisdiction of the bakufu. Every time they’ve tried to take control of it, they’ve failed─as a result of which no one can claim to understand its current state.”

“They can’t control it?”

“No, but even if they could it would be pointless.”

Shichika had been asking Emonzaemon, but it was Togame who had answered, butting in before the lieutenant had a chance to get a word in edgewise.

“Were you listening, Shichika? Mt. Odori had the Itezoras, and Mt. Shirei had the Sacred Guardians─but no one lives at Lake Fuyo. It’s unfit for human life─like the man said.”

“Hmm.”

“And another thing,” Togame said. “Don’t talk to him unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“…”

She’d waded into the conversation to say that?

Shichika was blown away by how much she despised the guy.

But only because she despised his superior─

The Princess.

“Ha.”

Emonzaemon─laughed it off.

Like it was nothing.

Togame pounced. “What’s so funny?”

Shichika felt she could have easily let this one go─but she was so emotional around Emonzaemon.

Reminiscent of her bearing toward the Maniwa.

Like when she met Komori─or had her rendezvous with Hohoh.

Or the way she comported herself around Kyoken and Kawauso.

Togame lost her cool so thoroughly it would be fair to say she lost her mind.

It was perhaps too tall an order to expect someone in her position to stay cool in the face of “traitors” like the Maniwa─but things were different with the Princess. Togame may have seen her as an enemy, but the Princess hadn’t actually betrayed her. It was difficult to understand what made her so impassioned.

Indeed, in terms of her standing─the Princess was comparable to the former owners of the Twelve Possessed, like Ginkaku Uneri, Meisai Tsuruga, and Kanara Azekura.

Togame had taken her on countless times, and each time knocked her down─

Except the Princess had rebounded.

Every single time.

This obstinacy reminded Shichika of Togame.

Having met the Princess in Owari─his hunch was now a certainty.

This was a case of hating someone else for what you hate about yourself.15

At the root of their antagonism was a fundamental incompatibility.

As people─

“…”

But Shichika─was a katana.

A living, breathing sword.

Brought up in this fashion by his father, on a desert island.

Trained─to see the world in such a way.

Hence Shichika felt the lifeforce of the Twelve Possessed, those masterworks of Kiki Shikizaki─as if through a sixth sense.

And now, as a katana.

He had pledged his heart and soul to Togame the Schemer.

Shichika Yasuri─trusty blade of Togame the Schemer.

But this guy?

Counselor to the Inspector General of the Yanari Shogunate─“The Non-Ninja,” no longer ninja Emonzaemon Soda.

Dressed in his trousers, coat and mask─he was the trusty blade of Princess Negative.

In which case─if you took the expression16 at face value.

─He’s just like me.

Both a human─and a weapon.

And yet, despite Togame’s loathing for the Princess, for whatever reason Shichika could not bring himself to loathe Emonzaemon.

As unwelcome as this guy’s intrusion on their private Sword Hunt was (whoops, spilled the beans),17 his dedicated service to the Princess, as her sword─made sense to Shichika.

Shichika sympathized─not as a sword.

But as a person.

And felt that lifeforce.18

─If the Princess is Togame’s enemy.

Considering Togame’s final goal…

Someday.

Before too long─would he have to fight Emonzaemon?

Most probably.

Which made this the perfect opportunity to watch him─to figure out what kind of man he was, to gauge the “strength” of this “Non-Ninja”…

“Kyotoryu.”

While Shichika was thus engaged in thought─

Emonzaemon spun around.

Turning towards him, so that he was walking backwards, he addressed Shichika.

“You’ve had your chance. Now it’s my turn to ask the questions. There’s something that I’d like for you to tell me─to make sure I’ve got it straight.”

“Huh? What is it.”

“Hey, Emonzaemon. Quit bothering my sword. I don’t recall giving you permission,” Togame butted in before Emonzaemon had a chance to pop his question. She was being such a stickler19 about this, but her intransigence must have amused Emonzaemon, because he smirked under his mask.

“Jealousy doesn’t suit you, Madame Schemer. Are you really that upset that your sword took his eyes off you?”

Togame immediately lost her temper.

“I said nothing of the sort!”

Shichika had to wonder. Wasn’t a tactician supposed to be calm and cool, collected and unflappable, no matter what the circumstances? But Togame was no mere tactician: she was the Schemer.

Perhaps getting fired up like this was one of the quirks that set her apart.

“Alright, let’s get on with it. I can’t believe you’d think that I was jealous of you. Shichika, tell the man anything he wants to know.”

“Anything…”

A dangerous request.

By now Shichika was worldly enough not to take her words literally. Back in the second month, say, of their journey, he would have surely blurted out something he never should have said─

Emotional or otherwise, Togame was herself.

She had factored in all of this.

No matter how dangerous the bridge, she was prepared to cross.

Without testing its structural integrity.20

“Kyotoryu,” Emonzaemon started over, still walking backwards. “Out of all the owners of the Twelve Possessed you’ve fought so far─Komori Maniwa, one of the Maniwa Bosses, Ginkaku Uneri, the Lord of Gekoku Castle, Meisai Tsuruga, the Mistress of Triad Shrine, Hakuhei Sabi, the strongest swordsman in Japan, Kanara Azekura, the Captain of the Armored Pirates, Konayuki Itezora, of the Itezoras, and your older sister─Nanami Yasuri. Of those seven…who was the strongest?”

“…?”

What a weird question.

What made it necessary to ask about that now? Shichika hadn’t the foggiest idea.

“Granted,” Emonzaemon continued, “I can make an educated guess, based on Madame Schemer’s official21 reports─though I’m afraid that they amount to little more than an opinion. I’d like to hear what you think, Kyotoryu, since you’re the one who goes into the fray and clashes22 with the Mutant Blades.”

“Oh…I see.”

“I mean, obviously Nanami Yasuri was number one, right? Making number two Hakuhei Sabi─I’m wondering how you’d rank the rest of them.”

“Is this the Princess asking?” queried Togame.

Evidently she was not okay with sitting back and letting Emonzaemon ask questions after all. She had a problem with Shichika and Emonzaemon conversing on their own. Not like she was really jealous…

“No doubt─I don’t mind if you think of it that way. After all, every move I make and every step I take is for the Princess. It would be pointless to search for any deeper meaning in my work.”

“How about it, Shichika?” asked Togame. “Now that he mentions it, I’m not without a certain curiosity myself. Don’t worry about who was harder to beat. Just who was stronger. All he wants is your personal opinion. Think subjectively.”

“Thinking is kinda hard for me…” said Shichika.

And yet he tried to think it over.

Who was the strongest─in terms of pure strength?

Like Emonzaemon said, Nanami topped the ranking without question, and after her came Hakuhei Sabi─but frankly, the rest of them were more or less tied.23 All of them were hard to beat, as far as that went.

But if he had to pick─

“I guess number three would be─Komori the Maniwac.”

“Maniwac?”

Emonzaemon was puzzled by this term.

Indeed, this must have been the first time Shichika had used it on him.

“‘Maniwa Ninja Clan’ is way too long, so we gave them a nickname.”

“Ah…good one.” Emonzaemon sounded oddly satisfied.

He did use to be a ninja.

Was it possible he had some kind of connection to the Maniwa? Judging from his tone, it didn’t seem as if he used to be one of the Maniwa himself…

“So, Komori Maniwa, one of the Twelve Bosses of the Maniwa Clan, comes right after Hakuhei Sabi─may I ask why? Wasn’t he the first person you ever fought? He may have put up a good fight, but I dare say that was only because you had no experience.”

“Other way around. I only beat Komori because I lacked experience. I’m not sure what you read in the report.”

In fact.

There was a high chance that Togame bent the truth in her report for her own convenience. Even if she hadn’t written any outright lies, she had probably glossed over plenty of facts.

He had to be careful about what he said─but this seemed safe enough. Besides, if he started blurting out something classified, Togame would jump on him before he had the chance.

“If I had to fight Komori again─I’m honestly not sure how it would go. I’ve dealt with most of the Twelve Bosses, but ninjutsu is totally insane. It’s basically unstoppable,” said Shichika. “At least for me. Sis could have beat him, though.”

Whumping three of the bosses in a row─Nanami Yasuri was off the charts.

Number one, without a doubt.

“Hmm. And number four?”

“Meisai Tsuruga,” answered Shichika. “Her Sentoryu was such a pain. I know her moves depended on Sento the Legion and everything─but the real pain was the Togame-style24 strategies she used on me. I have a hard time with backhanded25 approaches.”

“Fair enough,” Togame agreed. “Except, if it was me, I’d rank Meisai number three.”

“So, number five is gonna be…uhh, I guess Ginkaku Uneri.”

The master of iainuki.

Lord of Gekoku Castle─the hermit swordsman of Inaba Desert.

Ginkaku Uneri.

“Talk about cutting it close. I know he was only my second opponent, and my first fight after we set off on the Sword Hunt─but his iainuki and that Zerosen are still enough to make me tremble. And let’s not forget the Danger Zone.”

“Certainly,” said Togame, “if Ginkaku Uneri hadn’t had the Danger Zone, it would have been far less of an ordeal. Hmm…so Shichika─I suppose number six is Konayuki Itezora, and number seven is Kanara Azekura?”

“Yep,” assented Shichika.

Togame was spot on.

She knew it all.26

“Not to make a huge generalization, but their styles were so basic. Azekura, he was the kind of guy who’d even make things harder for himself and accept disadvantageous terms. At the end of the day, I’d say they were about equal─apart from the fact that Konayuki beat me the first time around.”

“Let it go already,” Togame groaned. “I’ve warned you about wallowing in your losses.”

Therefore─in summary:

#1 Nanami Yasuri

#2 Hakuhei Sabi

#3 Komori Maniwa

#4 Meisai Tsuruga

#5 Ginkaku Uneri

#6 Konayuki Itezora

#7 Kanara Azekura

That was how Shichika would rank his battles so far.

No more than his personal opinion─but still.

“I see, thanks for clarifying,” Emonzaemon said when he was finished. “Everything is clear now─the exceptional cases of Nanami Yasuri and Hakuhei Sabi aside, you have a low tolerance for people playing tricks27 on you.”

“…!”

Shichika was taken aback.

He was right─the ranking made this all too clear.

In terms of raw power and sheer ability,28 Komori Maniwa and Meisai Tsuruga didn’t hold a candle to Konayuki Itezora or Kanara Azekura─but fighting Komori and Meisai had been much more of a struggle.

And why? Because they didn’t simply fight him.

They wove confounding webs.29

Played─tricks.

And the same could be said─of Ginkaku Uneri and his Danger Zone.

“These two who, as you put it, were too basic─do you realize how strange that is? Everybody has a strategy, as Madame Schemer demonstrated so strikingly in your bouts against Hakuhei Sabi and Nanami Yasuri.”

“Hey,” Togame said, hearing her name. “No reason to get all proud for making such an observation. You think I didn’t notice all of this?”

“…”

Shichika was about to tell her not to bother lying, but reconsidered, since maybe she had noticed after all.

“I’m sure you did. Which goes to say─why Kyotoryu is nothing without you, Madame Schemer. Just as I would be nothing without the Princess…”

With that.

Emonzaemon spun around again, facing the road ahead.

Shichika racked his brains to understand the meaning of his question─and soon thought up one possibility.

So long as Togame and the Princess were rivals.

There would come a day─when Shichika would fight Emonzaemon.

Which is why Shichika had been availing himself of the opportunity to observe every little thing about Emonzaemon─who had to be doing the same thing with him.

Trying to spot the weaknesses of Shichika Yasuri, Seventh Master of the Kyotoryu.

If that’s what he was up to, he had done a marvelous job of it.

─But that’s okay.

He was still okay.

Like Emonzaemon said, as long as he had Togame, she would more than make up for his weaknesses─

“No good,” said Emonzaemon, as if peering into Shichika’s soul. “Worrying30 will get you nowhere, Kyotoryu─even if I learn all of your weaknesses, I’m no match for a swordsman of your caliber, who beat the likes of Nanami Yasuri and Hakuhei Sabi. You can trust that I’ll do all I can to avoid a tussle with you. Isn’t that right, Madame Schemer.”

Togame glared at Emonzaemon, making it clear that she was not entirely convinced.

“In that case, why not tell your precious princess to stop meddling in my affairs─I’d rather not collaborate with her.”

“Quite right, except the Princess would never take my advice─believe me, Kyotoryu. You have bigger things to worry about.”

“Bigger things?”

“Alright, we’re here.”

After heading straight for some time.

They took a turn─and Emonzaemon cut off their conversation.

“This is it─Lake Fuyo.”

Edo’s Lake Fuyo, a Level One Disaster Area.

There was─

Nothing but rubbish31 as far as the eye could see.

■　■

At Seiryoin Gokenji Temple, that holy site for swordsmen, on Mt. Sayabashiri in Tosa, Shichika Yasuri had battled his own sister, Nanami Yasuri, once the strongest in Japan and bane of the Maniwa Bug Unit, every last Itezora save Konayuki, and the Sacred Guardians of Mt. Shirei─annihilating, devastating, and eradicating32 all of them…and unanimously33 proclaimed a monster by whosoever heard the tale. But after his miraculous victory, which collected Akuto the Eel, their seventh Mutant Blade─Shichika found himself at the end of his rope.

Togame the Schemer had launched her Sword Hunt armed only with a knowledge of the whereabouts and owners of six of the Shikizaki masterworks.

All six of which─the Leveler, the Razor, the Legion, the Whisper, the Armor, and the Twin─were now in their possession.

True, they had gleaned bits of information on the remaining six swords along the way. By forging an alliance with Hohoh Maniwa, effectively the head of the entire ninja clan (reluctant as Togame was to partner up with them, after they stabbed her in the back), they learned two Mutant Blades awaited them in Edo and in Tendo, respectively─although taking information from a ninja at face value was perhaps unwise. While Hohoh was the one who filled them in on what Nanami had been up to, he had surely only done so because telling them was beneficial to the Maniwa.

When it came to vanquishing that monster, Nanami Yasuri, there was no one better suited for the job than her own brother, Shichika Yasuri.

In fact─

If he hadn’t been her brother─Shichika would likely not have won against Nanami.

And thus, Shichika and Togame returned briefly, or rather, finally to Owari.

Owari─the seat of the Yanari Shogunate.

They had hoped to return after capturing Sento the Legion at Triad Shrine, but then they had the duel with Hakuhei Sabi, and were duped by Kanara Azekura, and had to fend off Nanami Yasuri, of all people, postponing34 their return indefinitely─

But at last.

The two of them had made it back.

Shichika’s first impression was how severe35 the city was.

To be sure, it lacked the glitziness and gaiety36 of the Capital, the first place they had visited after crossing over from Haphazard Island to the mainland─but it was not without an air of dignity, most likely the result of being under the administration of the bakufu.

And also─it was huge.

Everything about the town was big.

The streets─were wide.

“This is what planned cities look like,” explained Togame. “It’s laid out to prepare for earthquakes. See how there’s space between the buildings? It’s been predicted that this area is due for a big earthquake at some point, so the city is designed to maintain order during that kind of a disaster.”

“Wow─kind of incredible that the Yanari Bakufu decided to base itself in such an area.”

“I think that we can rest assured the big one isn’t going to hit while we’re alive. Besides, I don’t put faith in prophecies.”

“I bet not. It’s up to each of us to shape our fate─and all that?”

“Not quite,” Togame laughed. “It’s up to each of us to chalk it up37 to fate.”

If you chalk your successes up to fate, you can avoid sounding smug; and if you chalk your failures up to fate, you just don’t feel as bitter─

In her opinion.

Shichika could see the truth in that.

As they loped into the residential area, they found themselves surrounded by the homes of all the bakufu higher-ups, where the streets were all the more stark and stately. Even Shichika, the eternal optimist,38 caught himself tensing up─the place gave off a different vibe than any other place they’d visited. Owari Castle loomed beyond the rooflines of the homes─a league above Gekoku Castle.

Is that─

Is that where Togame─works?

Is that─her enemy?

The thought made Shichika even more tense.

For Togame, this was her hometown and her home base─but also the heart of enemy territory. She’d spent a couple of decades of her life here.

How she felt about that defies imagination.

To Shichika, raised on a desert island─it was incomprehensible.

Which stopped him from shooting the breeze with Togame, who was now slightly ahead of him.

Before long, he saw a house that stood out from the local color, or lack thereof, and felt his anxiety slip away.

He couldn’t resist pointing it out to Togame.

“Hey, check out that crazy mansion─the one painted like a toy and decked out with enough ornaments for the entire neighborhood. Man, get a load of those bright golden fish things39 at the corners of the roof… Not like I’m one to talk, but I guess you can find obtuse40 people anywhere you go… So tasteless. Looks like someone is desperate to be the center of attention.”

“This is my house.”

Amidst this exchange.

After eight long months away─Togame the Schemer was finally home.

Evidently, she had hired somebody to keep the house in order─to come by once a week and keep it looking clean. Since today was not the scheduled day, Togame’s house, known commonly as Schemer Mansion, was empty.

The space was far less brash and brilliant than you might expect from its exterior─Togame explained that she had done her absolute best to clear things out before embarking on the Sword Hunt. She must have understood she wasn’t coming home for quite some time. Either that, or she was putting on a show41 for her neighbors in Owari, making it clear that she was serious about her venture.

“I’d love to fix you some tea, but I’m afraid I need to head straight to the castle. I’m sorry, Shichika, but you’ll have to wait here until I’m done.”

Having taken a quick breather, Togame was in the midst of changing for her visit with the shogun. She couldn’t simply show up in her travel clothes (not that double a dozen layers of kimono made any sense for someone on the move). As usual, Shichika had started helping her get dressed before she had the chance to ask. He was getting pretty good at it, too.

“Wait here?” Shichika asked. “I thought you were gonna introduce me to the people at the castle…”

“That was the initial plan42─but things have changed. After the resurgence of that nasty woman, I’m afraid that bringing you inside the castle─is too risky.”

“Risky…for me?”

“No. For me,” Togame said. “I’ll stow my sword for this trip to the castle. And honestly, I think that’s for the best─especially with Emonzaemon around… Hey, quit looking so glum. So far, the Sword Hunt has been flawless─in order to gather all the information that we’ll need to capture the remaining swords, we may need to reside in Owari for a while. Which means that you’ll be living here, for the time being.”

“Here in this mansion?”

“Yes. In this tasteless mansion.”

She was bruised.43

Black and blue.

“The sooner you get used to it the better─I’ve gotten rid of almost all my things, so we’ll have to do some shopping. And hire some new help… Oh dear. Life’s so much easier when you’re traveling.”

And with that.

Togame─headed off in the direction of Owari Castle.

Leaving Shichika idle.

He did his best to get used to the place, wandering up and down the halls, but in no time he had seen it all. Schemer Mansion was a grand affair, befitting someone of Togame’s social standing, but not so vast that you could lose your way.44 He thought about taking a nap, but snoring away45 while Togame was off at the castle, hard at work, felt wrong to him.

Not sure of how else to spend his time, he stepped out into the garden (which looked so trim and tidy that it must have been included in the weekly property maintenance) and tried practicing his moves, but found it hard to focus.

About half an hour later.

When Shichika was gazing at Owari Castle, in the distance beyond the garden walls, and wondering when Togame would be coming home─

“No see, long time.”

Shichika heard a voice─behind him.

Startled, he spun around─(how on earth had he snuck up on him?)─and saw Emonzaemon Soda.

Shichika had seen this face before, at the harborside in Tosa─though since Emonzaemon wore a mask, he couldn’t rightfully say that he had actually seen his face─

“It’s been a while─no, not that long a while, Kyotoryu,” spake Emonzaemon. “I gather that you vanquished Nanami Yasuri. It sounds to me as if your sibling rivalry46 had become spliced together with the Sword Hunt─but anyway, as a fellow warrior, I salute you.”

“How the heck did you get in here?” asked Shichika.

“I walked right in,” the lieutenant answered blandly. “When I came through the gate, I spotted you out back─it seemed like you were busy practicing, so I refrained from interrupting you. And here we are.”

“Don’t sneak up on people like that.”

“Please forgive me,” Emonzaemon said unapologetically. “Sneaking is my strong suit.”

Forget how he’d gotten in here─why was he here at all?

“Togame…isn’t home right now,” Shichika did his best to read between the lines. “She’s over at the castle.”

“Yeah, I know─that’s why I’m here.”

“That’s why? You mean that you were sent by Princess…what’s her name?”

“Princess Negative,” Emonzaemon answered brusquely. “Don’t call her Princess What’s-Her-Name─ever again.”

His voice was quiet and relaxed─but Shichika had hit a nerve.47

─This guy is loyal.

But that made sense to Shichika.

To be sure, if Emonzaemon had called Togame “What’s-Her-Facer,” Shichika would have been equally upset.

“As servant to the Princess, I’d only be here if she sent me─I act only upon orders from Her Highness.”

“Alright, so did something happen─at the castle?”

Shichika was concerned.

And Emonzaemon could sense it.

“No need to be alarmed. It’s not like that.”

Not like that─what was it then?

Shichika steeled himself48─but Emonzaemon didn’t care.

“In no time, Madame Schemer collected seven of the Twelve Possessed not even the Old Shogun could obtain. Her superiors showered her with praise and encouraged her enthusiastically to proceed in her quest. Madame Schemer has made quite the splash─and yet she didn’t even smile, which is either commendable, or just stuck up.”49

“…And?”

“Your Sword Hunt is far from over─and the Princess,” Emonzaemon lowered his voice to a whisper, “has information─on the remaining swords.”

“…”

“Because the Princess is eager to share this information with Madame Schemer, she has invited her to visit her estate─asking her to stop by on her way home from the castle. But since in practice, Kyotoryu, you’re the one who physically collects the swords, it wouldn’t do for you to not be present─hence why I’ve come to pick you up.”

So that’s why he’s here─now Shichika understood.

Togame had been reluctant to reveal Shichika, her sword, to Princess Negative, her nemesis─but the way things were playing out, she had no choice.

The Sword Hunt was their everything.

If someone had a lead on the Twelve Possessed─like it or not, they had no say50 in the matter. Transparent as her interlocutor’s agenda may have been, Togame was in no position to keep her personal sword a secret.

Meeting not at the castle, but at home─was a smart way of finding common ground.

The Princess appeared ready to compromise.

So long as the terms were favorable to her.51

“So is Togame─already at the Princess’s house?”

“Yeah─by the way, Kyotoryu. Madame Schemer knows the Princess sent someone to fetch you─but not that the person happens to be me.”

“…”

If she had known, Shichika mused, she wouldn’t have agreed.

He realized this entire story could be some kind of trap laid by the Princess─at this point, however, it made little sense for her to lay one trap on top of the other. But say she did. Shichika was not about to drive himself crazy second-guessing a woman who saw herself as comparable to the Schemer. He decided not to think about it.

Shichika only cared about one thing.

And that was the extent to which they could rely on information on the Possessed─when it was coming from Princess Negative.

It was possible the whole thing was codswallop, a hoax52─merely a pretext for luring in Togame and Shichika.

But it was hard to say… Would someone of the Princess’s standing really tell them such a boldfaced lie? If she blew things out of proportion, and sabotaged the state-mandated53 Sword Hunt, she was sure to lose face54 in the process.

Even Shichika could understand that.

This made him doubt it was a total lie.

Of course, this only mattered─if the Princess was concerned with losing face…

Shichika tried pushing back a little, just to see what happened.

“But Togame asked me to watch her house.”

“Why watch a house if nobody is home?” rejoindered Emonzaemon. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it your job to protect Madame Schemer?”

“I guess─you’re right.”

“Well then, it seems you have no choice but to come with me. I’m the second biggest threat to Madame Schemer─as long as she is in this place we call Owari.”

“…”

“No mistake─it’s not in your best interest55 to leave me to my own devices. Shall we?”

Emonzaemon had really talked him into it.

Shichika had no stomach for this kind of repartee─raised on a desert island, he never learned to hold his own in a debate. Somehow, despite being raised in the same circumstances, Nanami Yasuri had something of a way with words, but rhetoric was not among Shichika’s talents.

It may well be his best bet was to stand his ground and watch the house, following orders from Togame─still.

Something told him Emonzaemon meant what he said.

As somebody devoted to his master, just like Shichika.

In the end─after some more deliberation─he left Schemer Mansion with Emonzaemon.

Heading for Mansion Negative.

Located in a patch of forest56 on the other side of the castle, this was a home fit for a samurai─stark and stately as can be, the polar opposite of the tasteless Schemer Mansion. In fact, Mansion Negative was perhaps the sternest residence in the entire residential area.

The power of its habitant was palpable.

They found Togame waiting by the gate, refusing to go further until Shichika arrived. The Schemer was not about to access the estate without her sword─that much was clear. When she saw him arriving with Emonzaemon, she froze with panic, but immediately caught herself.

“What the hell!” she said. “Why’d you have to come along with him? If you’d stayed home, I could’ve used that as an excuse not to see that nasty woman.”

“Oh, sorry, I just─”

“It’s fine. Now that she’s hinted57 at this info on the Twelve Possessed─I would’ve had to meet with her at some point anyway.”

Togame’s words did little to conceal her foul mood.

According to Emonzaemon, her superiors had showered her with praise─but perhaps that victory withered in the shadow of a tête-à-tête with Princess Negative.

“To think that I just came back to Owari! She got one over58 on me.”

Princess Negative.

Archnemesis59 of Togame the Schemer─

“There’ll be time to talk about that later,” said Emonzaemon. “You’ll keep the Princess waiting. Head inside.”

1 奥地 OKUCHI deep in the interior

2 すらり SURARI (onomatopoeic) slender

3 日光に映える NIKKŌ NI HAERU shining in the sun

4 補佐 HOSA aide e.g. 首席補佐官 SHUSEKI HOSAKAN chief of staff

5 苦にもならん KU NI MO NARAN not even a hardship; dukkha, the Buddhist term for suffering

6 表だった OMOTE DATTA “on the surface” out in the open

7 快く KOKOROYOKU pleasantly from こころ KOKORO heart よく YOKU well, goodly

8 不毛 FUMŌ “hairless” sterile

9 不要湖 FUYŌKO “Unnecessary Lake”

10 百聞は一見に如かず HYAKUBUN WA IKKEN NI SHIKAZU “one look is worth a hundred tales”

11 極寒 GOKKAN extreme low temperatures

12 魔界 MAKAI “demon realm”

13 大袈裟 ŌGESA exaggerated

14 異界 IKAI “other/strange realm”

15 同族嫌悪 DŌZOKU KEN’O “disdain within the tribe”

16 i.e. 懐刀 FUTOKORO GATANA confidant 懐 FUTOKORO “close to bosom” 刀 KATANA sword

17 あ、言っちゃった A, ICCHATTA ah, (I) said it

18 共感覚を憶える KYŌKANKAKU WO OBOERU experience synesthesia vs. “sympathized” above: 共感を覚える KYŌKAN WO OBOERU “have feelings in common”

19 徹底して TETTEI SHITE be thorough

20 石橋を叩かず ISHIBASHI WO TATAKAZU not tapping a stone bridge a common expression meaning “taking extra precautions,” appearing here in the negative

21 提出された TEISHUTSU SARETA submitted (for review)

22 切り結びあった KIRIMUSUBI ATTA “cut and tied each other” tangled with

23 団子状態 DANGO JŌTAI “balled up,” like a mass of dough

24 とがめばり TOGAME BARI Togame-esque declension of 張る HARU (here) vie with

25 搦め手 KARAMETE rear entrance; weak point

26 お見通し OMITŌSHI “seeing through” turned into a quality and distinction

27 策を弄する SAKU WO RŌ SURU engage in schemes

28 実力地力 JITSURYOKU JIRIKI “true strength” “ground strength (baseline competency)”

29 複雑怪奇 FUKUZATSU KAIKI complex and mystifying

30 不安になる FUAN NI NARU become anxious 不安 FUAN no peace/security

31 がらくた GARAKUTA junk

32 全滅・壊滅・絶滅 ZENMETSU/KAIMETSU/ZETSUMETSU “totally/breakingly/extremely ruined”

33 異口同音 IKU DŌ’ON “different mouths, same sound”

34 延び延び NOBI NOBI “stretched and stretched”

35 厳格 GENKAKU strict; austere

36 きらびやかさ KIRABIYAKASA glitter, flamboyance

37 言い張る IIHARU insist, assert, claim (often stubbornly, despite evidence to the contrary)

38 能天気 NŌTENKI blissfully ignorant 能 NŌ ability (cognate: 脳 NŌ brain) 天気 TENKI (fair) weather the nuance: “sunshine of the spotless mind”

39 しゃちほこ SHACHIHOKO mythical creatures with the heads of a tiger and the body of a fish; often featured in roofline decorations on Japanese temples and castles

40 空気の読めない奴 KŪKI NO YOMENAI YATSU someone who can’t read the air (i.e. the mood/room)

41 示威行動 JI’I KŌDŌ conspicuous demonstration

42 手筈 TEHAZU scheduled arrangement

43 根に持っていた NE NI MOTTE ITA “held at the root” bore a grudge

44 迷子になる MAIGO NI NARU “become a lost child”

45 惰眠をむさぼる DAMIN WO MUSABORU “gorge on lazy sleep”

46 姉弟喧嘩 KYŌDAI GENKA quarrel between older sister and younger brother 兄弟 KYŌDAI if bros.

47 気分を害した KIBUN WO GAISHITA offended his feelings

48 警戒 KEIKAI exercise caution

49 可愛げがない KAWAIGE GA NAI un-cute

50 否応もなく IYAŌ MO NAKU “without no or yes”

51 妥協という名の狡猾さ DAKYŌ TO IU NA NO KŌKATSUSA a cunningness called compromise

52 まったくの嘘、でたらめ MATTAKU NO USO, DETARAME a complete lie, nonsense

53 勅命 CHOKUMEI imperial/royal order

54 失点 SHITTEN score given up (in sports); demerit

55 得策 TOKUSAKU “gainful plan”

56 雑木林 ZŌKIBAYASHI mix of trees

57 ちらつかされれば CHIRATSUKA SAREREBA dangled; shown just a peek

58 一本取られた IPPON TORARETA give up one full point (in kendo, etc.)

59 天敵 TENTEKI natural enemy