Chapter 83 Strategy Meeting
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I sat in a small tatami room inside a house where, once you entered, you could not leave. I was sitting between Trash-san’s legs, held close.
Her chin brushed the back of my head, and that soft touch made me feel safe. It was not about desire. I only wanted to feel she was alive, to touch her and know she was here.
My nose hurt and tears came again. I knew it looked weak for someone older to lean on a younger girl, but my mind felt like a child’s. I wanted to believe that was why I felt so small. Anyone would break if close people died again and again. Even an adult would find this too hard.
”Young Master, I thank you for your feelings, but doing this too much is…” she said.
Since she woke up, Trash-san had been troubled by me clinging to her like this. She did not say I was a bother, but she was worried about how a growing boy should act.
”Trash-san, I’m so glad you’re alive. I thought no one would make it. I was sick for days. A fake you even came to me. I thought it was an illusion at first.”
”I am very sorry. I could not keep my promise to you, Young Master,” she said.
She felt she had failed. She had said with a smile that everyone would come back together, and that promise broke.
”That’s fine. I’m just happy you lived.”
”But I did not meet your hope, and we lost Kaede-dono. On top of that, I dragged Young Master into a fight between women. It is not something I can forgive myself for, even if it was the plan of the Isumi town.”
Since she woke in this locked room, she had been saying sorry again and again. She only bowed her head and did not accept what I told her.
First, she was shocked to see me there. Then she learned I had been taken, and she burned with anger.
In that chaos, Trash-san had also been taken by psionic power and lost her form like me. She had set a trap for Neiko, the Karakasa (umbrella yokai) girl.
Knowing she could not avoid at least some questioning, she prepared. Neiko had called me “Young Master” in a very exact way, to warn others I might be a fake. Trash-san had also hidden small signs in her speech so people who knew her face could notice trouble.
I never thought it was a kidnapping.
”It’s not your fault, Trash-san. Maybe boys should not join war. Everyone said so.”
Imperial Guards always warned that boys should not join war or politics. And in the end, their worry became true.
I looked into The big sister figure’s long lashes and steady eyes. The guilt and anger there did not fade.
”No, this trip began because I spoke up…”
”That’s not it. If we did nothing, everyone would have died faster. Natsume-san would not be here. And I’m just glad you are near me now.”
If she had died, my life might have become a long hell. That would be sad for everyone around me too.
”Let me stay like this a bit more.”
”…Very well. If it brings comfort to your heart,” she said.
She wrapped both hands around my front. She was a woman, so staying calm while holding me must be hard. Still, I needed a little more time to settle down.
Trash-san was the type to make a quick turn in her heart. Soon she stopped blaming herself and began to focus on my safety again.
She had been playing the role of my therapist since earlier. I felt a bit bad.
”Hey, Trash, what are you thinking, staying like that?” someone said.
Flatty-chan, the flat-chested older girl, looked at Trash-san with narrow eyes while she held me.
She seemed very unhappy.
”What is it?” Trash-san asked.
Flatty-chan and Natsume-san were also in this small tatami room. Flatty-chan looked at us with a mix of cold and wet dislike.
”Nothing. It is nothing at all desuwa. If Young Master looks happy, Flatty-chan has no dissatisfaction at all,” she said with a sweet, sharp voice.
”…You look like you want to say something,” I said.
Natsume-san was not as shocked. She had seen me resting on Flatty-chan’s lap before. Right now, she held Ichimatsu’s letter and sniffed again and again. She was lost in her own world.
After we came back from Shigeaki’s house and they woke up, I had told the three of them everything. Now we were trying to talk about what to do next… but the talk did not move at all.
I stayed stuck to Trash-san like a baby turtle on its parent. Flatty-chan looked like a face from a kabuki crime poster. Natsume-san was still a crying maggot. Even Trash-san could not stay calm with me on her, and she was a bit turned on. That was just how the female body worked, so I did not blame her.
”Um… Flatty-chan?” I said.
She sat across from us, with no focus at all. Her eyes were full of rough air and envy, and it made me uneasy.
From her view, what we were doing was too immoral. Her pure Young Master was being used by an Imperial Guard to feed her dark desire. She was ready to lose hope in Trash-san.
I could not watch it anymore, so I spoke to her.
”If you’re jealous, do you want to shift rotation?”
”Young Master. We should make her move away from you… wait, you will let me!?” she said.
Her change was shocking. A moment ago she had the face of a neighbor angry about another’s lottery win.
Trash-san made a sour face.
”Young Master, you should not offer this to anyone so lightly…”
”They did so much for me. We need to listen to their small wishes too. We can’t talk like this.”
We needed a change of mood. If we did not open the air, everyone would fall into sadness. They had worked so hard for me. If I could do something for them, I wanted to grant it, even if it was not proper.
”And I want you two to get along,” I added.
Trash-san did not like it, but she agreed. Normally she would not allow me to touch girls like this, but she had already done the same and could not speak too strongly now.
The big sister figure gave in for once.
I stood up from between her knees and waved Flatty-chan over. We needed a little break before the talk.
”Come here, Flatty-chan.”
She held her chest with both hands, and shook as she came to me.
”Y-Yes. Thank you very much. Ah… my chest hurts,” she said.
Her innocent heart shook her flat chest. She seemed so nervous her heartbeat could be heard.
”No, this is not right, it is not proper desuwa! B-But this chance… ahh…” she whispered.
For her, this was almost the first time touching the opposite sex. It was her first time holding someone of a different gender, and it looked almost sweet.
If she learned I had rested on her lap earlier, she might faint.
Soon, the balance in her heart tipped to the side of simple want. Once she made up her mind, she was honest.
”Um… may I also hold you? I mean, if it is not rude, I could stroke your hair too… ah, n-no, I spoke too much,” she said.
She was so tense she almost tripped just walking over the tatami. She still was not used to talking with me or being close.
”Eh? It’s fine, I think,” I said.
”…Yesss…!”
”Okay, here you go. Shift rotation.”
She let out a tiny, bitten-back cheer.
I took her hand and switched places with her. That spot was between Trash-san’s legs.
”Go on. It feels good when Trash-san holds you,” I said.
”Eh, wha… what?”
”You were that jealous of how close we are, right?” I said with a small smile.
”Y-Young… Master…? Eh? Eh…?”
I had not said I would change places with her myself.
I gently sat Flatty-chan down in my old spot, then took the cushion where she had been sitting.
”W-What… huh? Where is my Young Master?”
Flatty-chan stared, lost. Her back now leaned against her fellow guard’s chest. We had traded places perfectly.
I had done it to protect her pride as an Imperial Guard, to calm bad feelings, and to move the meeting forward… but I won’t say there was no mischief in it.
Her face right now was amazing. Trash-san also looked a bit displeased. It was a scene I wanted to capture like a photo. The title would be something like “The Scream,” full of expressive hopelessness.
She had become Ms. Despair.
Since it was a rare chance, I tried putting two pretty women together, but there was zero yuri spark between them.
”Sorry, Flatty-chan. It was a joke. Seeing you two act normal again made me relax,” I said.
”No. I meant this from the start desuwa. I never dreamed of touching a male. Trash’s lap is the best,” she said.
Her reply sounded like a robot.
Maybe I teased her too much. But Flatty-chan would never be able to think straight if she was the one holding me.
Even though she got praised for her lap, Trash-san did not look happy at all.
”You are in the way, so move,” Trash-san said flatly.
”Why are you never kind to me?” Flatty-chan asked.
Trash-san did not answer and simply pushed Flatty-chan to the side. With her psionic power, she could move Flatty-chan with only arm strength even while sitting, despite her soft lower body.
Flatty-chan calmed down, but then sulked in the corner. I might have been a bit mean.
”So, back to the talk. About us going to see the dungeon,” I said.
I pulled myself together and began the real topic. I had already made up my mind, and I had promised the Imperial Guards. No matter my guilt, I would not save the people of this town from slaughter. I would let things happen. I only needed to protect the people who were truly dear to me.
I had thought hard and already decided. Holding a sign and shouting for peace would only let me drown in self-pity.
I remembered the women who saved us. It hurt, but I could not return that favor. I would not do anything that put the Imperial Guards in danger.
”About what comes next… as I said, the situation in the town is like this. The demon woman wants to become my patron, um, a supporter. To do that, she wants to show us around the middle floor of the dungeon like a tour guide,” I explained.
Time to speak seriously. This was about what Himawari wanted from me.
You could call the role “tourism ambassador.” The payment was the lives of the three prisoners and the town’s mystical object. There was even another message through the attendant older sister—about the tour plan and promises of safety.
We talked about what I should do. For now, I saw no path but to accept once and reply yes… but…
”That is out of the question. We do not need to play along with the demon woman’s plan,” Trash-san said.
”So you’re against it,” I said.
Trash-san’s view was firm and negative.
”If what you told us is the truth, then they need Young Master’s help. We can act strong.”
”But if we say no, I don’t know what they’ll do to the three of you.”
”Our treatment is not important. Please refuse. We cannot put Young Master in more danger,” she said.
She would not deal with Himawari any further.
Everyone here except me was a hostage. If we refused, they might suffer. But Trash-san still thought it was fine.
”Their aim may not be what they say. Giving in is often dangerous,” she said.
”Women should not lie to me… but maybe I can convince them to let all of you go, and I only go see the place with psionic power,” I said.
”No matter what, returning comes first. This plan will not change,” she said.
Trash-san would not move. After a few failures, we learned my psionic power was not without risk. She was likely worried about that too. And if we split up, her Imperial Guard heart would burst with worry. For her, the risks were not even on the same scale. It was natural she chose my safety first.
She looked at me, seeing I still was not fully convinced.
”Young Master, are you aware that you are feeling too much pity for the people of this town?” she asked.
”Hmm…”
She always helped me find my calm. This time was the same.
”They show you what they want you to see. Noble families use dirty and clever tricks to keep their estates alive. I cannot stay silent when this town tries to use your kindness,” she said.
I thought back. She was right. After seeing how poor the town was, I could not hate them even though they kidnapped me.
Let’s sort the situation.
Isumi town wants me to speak well of them and promote them. So they take me around to see things.
When it ends, they promise to free us. After that, I can say good or bad things freely. They rely on my good nature.
But because they took me by force, the town is now bound to fall. Himawari knew this, yet she said she had a plan. She did not explain how.
Right now, all Himawari wants is for us to see the dungeon once.
Whether we are freed after the tour or saved after the town falls, my safety is promised either way.
So which path is truly safer for sure?
Trash-san refused the offer without caring about her own safety because everything was only spoken promises. There was no real contract forcing them to keep their word, just like there was no contract forcing me to obey. All we had was the hope that they would keep the promise.
For an Imperial Guard, that was not enough to trust. I did not think Himawari meant to trick us, but no one could know if she was a lying oni or an honest oni until after the trap closed.
For example, they could lock me inside the dungeon and use me as a breeding male. No woman would do something that cruel… I hoped.
”Every town hides unfair and dirty things from males. The scenes you saw were only ones that pull on your heart. Please think of it that way,” Trash-san said.
She did not trust Isumi town at all.
”I walked around the town the way I liked. Are you saying they guided me on purpose?” I asked.
It had felt like they let me walk freely. I had not felt pushed.
”You must have a much better impression of the town now than when you first came,” she said.
”Well… that might be true.”
I tried not to be fooled, but I did feel pity for them even if they were the enemy.
Trash-san held deep hate and distrust. Kidnapping a male in war was beyond a crime—those people should be hunted like bandits. In her eyes, the people of Isumi town were no better than beasts.
”Especially that demon woman cannot be trusted,” she said.
”I talked with her a little. She didn’t feel as scary as when I saw her fight. Was that also a trick?” I asked.
”You think she is young and acts from her heart, but not a bad human being. Is that not what you feel?” she said.
Her words hit me hard because that was exactly the impression I had of Himawari.
”To be clear, a town mayor is not a job for someone that open-hearted. Isumi is an old land. That means she is the next head of a noble family that has done anything to survive for many years,” Trash-san said.
She might act friendly, but she was the eldest daughter of a noble house. A town mayor today was like a clan lord in the Warring States—ruling a whole town, working the people hard, caring only for her own house and family line.
A mayor must be sharp, full of tricks, and able to do cruel things without shame. No matter how they look from the outside.
”So we shouldn’t keep doing what they say,” I said.
According to Trash-san, I had a heavy case of Stockholm syndrome—when a hostage feels sorry for the captor. Sadly, she was right.
And so, Trash-san voted for the “cry and refuse the dungeon tour” plan. I would have to practice crying.
”Flatty, what do you think?” she asked.
”Ah, me? Well…”
Flatty-chan had been leaning against the white plaster wall like a soul had left her body. Had she been listening?
She kept glancing at me. What happened earlier must have shocked her. From her view, she had made a dirty misunderstanding about pure little me. I thought it was more pure of her to still not see my true nature.
I pretended not to see. She avoided my eyes and whispered with Trash-san in the corner like a small pet running from its owner. It was a little cute.
”For now, I don’t have any strong idea. We could follow their plan and watch what happens,” she said.
Flatty-chan’s view was the exact opposite of Trash-san’s. Elder Sister looked shocked.
”Are you serious?” Trash-san asked.
”If they say we all go to the dungeon, then we go. Young Master said local males are there too, right?” Flatty-chan said.
That part was true. I had checked with the attendant. Himawari’s three male guests, protected by Imperial Guards, had gone into the creepy valley. They were in the middle floors—specifically the third layer.
”They have a skilled psionic power user with them too. If they can take their own masters, then it must be safe enough. And I don’t want to be apart from Young Master anymore,” she added.
Just like my Imperial Guards cared for me, any Imperial Guard would put their master’s safety first. That was normal.
Flatty-chan had more courage than I thought. She voted for the “obedient freedom route.”
”But once we go into the middle floors of another dungeon, coming back alone is almost impossible. We can’t escape by surprise,” Trash-san warned.
”Hm, I think that was impossible from the start,” Flatty-chan said with a sigh.
She thought for a moment.
”We’re locked up like this already. At first, I wanted Young Master to drink a fake-death drug so I could carry him out,” she said.
That was her personal plan.
Trash-san frowned at that.
”Where would you even get such a thing?” she asked.
”When we were brought here, I saw a dead morning glory in the hedge. If you take the root and mix it, it’s easy. I’ve tested it myself… but the accuracy was bad, so I stopped,” Flatty-chan said.
I didn’t really know what a fake-death drug was, but it sounded like a plan to pretend I was sick and leave. It felt dangerous. Maybe like the potion in Romeo and Juliet that makes someone look dead.
She spoke lightly, but Flatty-chan was also an elite Imperial Guard of her town. She knew many ways to trick people.
”Well, that’s it. I don’t believe the demon’s sweet words, but the maggots must be moving too,” she said.
She meant we should leave the fight to the towns.
Her idea made some sense. Isumi town had no reason to hurt us on purpose. If they wanted to, they would have done it already.
”Young Master can sit with the men there, drink tea, and wait. We can watch from the bushes,” she said.
”Sounds easy for you,” I said.
”We stayed alive. It would be sad if we got killed for resisting. We lost. If Young Master is safe in the end, then everyone wins,” she said.
”That may be true, but…”
I had noticed something sharp behind her words.
Her real aim was to pull us off the stage of the town fight. If we refused Himawari’s offer, I could not step back. I would be split from my Imperial Guards and put under the administration. The Imperial Guards could be killed, and I could lose the role of “ambassador” and become a true hostage.
Isumi town might even use me as a shield on the battlefield, like cats in ancient Egypt. Well, maybe not that… but desperate people could do anything.
Also, we had no idea what dirty tricks Isumi town might have. If they really tried, they could use a strange mystical object or psionic power to brainwash the two of them and make them beg me.
Flatty-chan’s idea was to go with the flow and return me to a normal status—like a male who sips tea far from the battlefield and only deals with social etiquette.
”Especially you. Young Master likes you, so take care of yourself,” she said.
With her hands behind her head, Flatty-chan sounded like the demon’s messenger. A meeting needs someone to voice the opposite view to open our minds. Maybe she said it on purpose. If all three of them agreed, there would be no point in all of us being here.
”And you already went into a dungeon with Young Master. Flatty-chan has never done that. Not that it matters,” she added.
…Probably. I hoped that was all she meant.
The two of them argued in their own little world, leaving me out. It seemed they had a quiet rivalry about how much each had helped their master.
They started pushing each other in the corner of the room.
”I get it—ow, why did you kick me?” Trash-san said.
”I did not kick you. My foot just touched you by accident,” Flatty-chan said.
”No one has that kind of accident.”
”Well, it was an accident you were the one who got to go adventuring with Young Master, wasn’t it?”
I looked over and saw Flatty-chan’s soft leg tapping Trash-san’s long leg again and again.
In truth, we kept close contact with Kujukuri Town. We should avoid entering the dungeon, but even if they separated us, my psionic power could always find my guards. If needed, we could warp out when the right chance came. Kujukuri Town would send the best psionic power user for rescue.
So staying calm and following Himawari for now was a valid path. Unlike kidnappings in my old world, here, women rarely harmed males even if they were the enemy.
Also, if the three of them were not hurt, it would be easier on my heart.
”Haah… at a time like this, I wish that idiot’s fixed psionic power was here. Then Young Master would be safe no matter what. What is she doing…” Flatty-chan muttered in a small voice.
She and C*mslut had been close since they were little. Hearing that name brought her sharp, familiar face to my mind.
”No use talking about someone who isn’t here,” Trash-san said.
”Right. We should deal with the people who are,” Flatty-chan replied.
Trash-san’s cold words cut her wistful mood.
”Trash, did you say something?” Flatty-chan asked.
”You did not hear? I was talking about the person who keeps kicking my leg.”
”That hug was unfair. I was jealous. I’ll mix you with horse dung.”
”Stop it. Young Master is right here. You are too relaxed.”
They were fighting. Their attitude with each other was nothing like the way they spoke to me.
As for me, I was busy feeling happy at the sudden mention of C*mslut. Someone remembered her. Someone kept her in their heart. Even if thinking of her hurt, it was still a kind of comfort.
After a while, the two seemed to settle it.
”Fine, fine. Next time I’ll make any mystical object you want. Happy now?” Trash-san said.
”I should never have given you the night watch. Without that, I would have become close first,” Flatty-chan grumbled.
”How long ago was that…” Trash-san sighed.
After that, we contacted the leaders on the Kujukuri Town side and reached a plan. Before leaving, we would stall for time and wait for a rescue team from Kujukuri. If they failed to arrive, I would hide my psionic power and pretend to obey. Either way, a squad like a SWAT team would burst in at some point, so Himawari’s dream of saving or promoting her town would never come true.
We would trick Himawari. That was the plan.
In case someone hid under the floor or ceiling, we shared the plan through psionic power. For Flatty-chan, Trash-san wrote letters on her skin with her finger to tell her.
I looked toward the edge of the room. It was time for a hard talk.
A small girl with a big chest had her face on her knees. It was Natsume-san, sitting with her legs pulled close.
Our matter and hers were different. Her master was Ichimatsu. To be honest, she was now outside our mission.
”Our joint strategy is done. Helping with the infiltration was our job,” I said.
There was no way to fix the failure. She had failed twice, and we had nothing to bring back.
”What do you want to do, Natsume-san? You are Ichimatsu’s Imperial Guard, not mine. You don’t have to stay with us,” I told her.
She lifted her face. Her eyes were puffy from crying.
She already had a plan.
”I’m sorry. Ichimatsu-sama called for me. I cannot go with you,” she said.
”I see. It’s okay.”
”Please stay safe. I am sorry I could not help a male. I want to speak with the people here and try to return to Ichimatsu-sama as soon as possible.”
”That’s fine. You are hurt. Use my name to ask for anything you need. Rest,” I said.
Natsume-san chose to stay. For her, Ichimatsu came first. It was safer than joining us and getting caught in another fight.
”If you don’t mind telling me, what does he want?” I asked.
It was not curiosity, but worry.
I knew how cruel that man could be. He could say something to break a woman who was already down. If she returned crying, that was still better. I did not want her to come back with a rope in her hand.
”I do not know. I was only told he had something to ask and to show my face at once,” she said.
”Maybe he wants a report on how the plan ended,” I guessed.
”I do not know. Until now, he never once asked me to report to him directly. He even seemed to dislike seeing my face…” she said.
It was cruel. But she was calm now, very different from yesterday.
”I still have Ichimatsu-sama. If he still expects something from me, then I want to answer until the end,” she said.
”All right. Just don’t push yourself,” I told her.
She had thrown away the strategy—she shot to save a comrade instead of obeying orders. That was one reason the plan failed. Sooner or later, her master would hear of it.
But who in this world could walk the right path forever?
Notes:
• Kaede – A female psionic explorer known as Necksplitter, is a veteran assassin and messenger of Lord Ichimatsu. Her appearance is both young and old, with gray hair streaked through black and vibrant, unlined skin. She is graceful yet carries the fatigue of a long life in war, resembling an old hunting dog. Her psionic ability is mysterious and potentially dangerous.
• Natsume – A female companion and younger sister of Kaede-san, cared for by Kaede-san during their journey through the dangerous valley, at risk of infection from the parasitic creatures.
• Ichimatsu – A high-ranking figure associated with the Imperial Guard, mentioned as having spineless guards around him, with no further details provided.
• Himawari – Young oni/aberration-type psionic; town leader/face; asks for promotion help; apologizes for killings; sets 2‑day deadline.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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