To heed the warning

Chapter Seven

To heed the warning (kangami) 鑑み

 <same character as the title for Chapter Six, but now it’s a verb>

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Upcoming Characters

Taimadera - Kasumi　当麻寺　霞　閣下

Her Excellence (kakka)

Kasumi, 18 years old, stands at 5 ft 9½ in, 176 cm

Grey eyes, bob cut straight black hair, small round face

Wears white swinging sleeve kimono with light ruby trim

Very well developed body

Isuzukawa - Yayoi　五十鈴川　弥生　閣下

Her Excellence (kakka)

16 years old

5 ft 7, 170 cm

Blue eyes, slim face

Wavy light brown hair, slightly pass her shoulders

Wears white swinging sleeve kimono with peridot trim

Well developed body

Fushimi - Ryō　伏見　綾　殿下

Her Highness (denka)

15 years old

5 ft 2 in, 157 cm

Wavy light chestnut hair, shoulder length

Hazel eyes, round face with pointy chin

Wears white swinging sleeve kimono with rose quartz trim

Flat body

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“Kagami-chan, how was your first class?” asked Akishi during lunch.

“Akishi Oneechan, I almost died of embarrassment!” Putting her head on the table, Kagami wailed.

“I thought I could do reasonably well on my first try despite my lack of experience and strength, as long as I thought things through and planned things out. Instead I wished I could just freeze out of nervousness and not be a hilarious spectacle in front of everyone.”

“You are not the first one, Kagami-chan”. Akishi patted Kagami on her head and gently caressed her hair.

“Ever since Arashi’s example, almost every student currently enrolled has tried something that got them embarrassed to various degrees one way or another.” Akishi said softly, “we all wanted to be just like her, or if one is older, to outperform her. Everyone here tried something silly.”

“But that’s not the main reason why we don’t laugh at you.” Akishi slowly lifted Kagami’s head up until Kagami was looking at her, and Akishi lightly held Kagami’s head with her hands, “the main reason is that Kageyama is not like other academies, where students mostly just graduate and leave.”

“Most students choose to stay after graduation. We become close, become friends, become family. We’ve seen each other’s blunders, and we hold each other up so no one would stumble and fall. Don’t be afraid to come to any one of us. Very few students come every year, so we all know each other well. Everyone here is waiting to become your Oneechan and Oniichan, and one day you will be a wise Oneechan, too, comforting those who come after you. Don’t burden yourself with anxiety.”

“Thank you, Akishi Oneechan. May I hug you?”

“Of course, and I’ll hug you, too.”

Hitomi had a few hobbies back in the days, and whenever her friends had special occasions, Hitomi made jewellery for them.

Kagami could think of no better way to express her gratitude than to make some jewellery as presents. She wanted to thank Arashi for inviting her to Kageyama, and even more so for Akishi, whose kindness helped her sustain the stress of a new life.

Kagami wanted to make a necklace for Arashi, possibly with obsidian, since she heard that Arashi wore black all the time; Arashi must really like black.

As for Akishi, since she already had a bracelet and a ring, matching them might be difficult. Kagami thought of making a cape with a golden brooch, possibly set with sapphire, which might look nice with Akishi’s hat.

Kagami kept these thoughts in her mind, and as soon as she could take on tasks, she would start saving toward buying the gemstones and other materials required for the project.

Days became weeks, which then became months. Kagami trained herself daily to be stronger, steadier and swifter. She also enlisted the assistance of a few classmates to help her overcome the fear of facing an opponent’s sword.

The instructor for swordsmanship was pleased to see measurable progress, and gave very detailed advice. “Your unique way of counterattack has very promising potential to be superbly effective. What you need to work on is to remove the hesitation from your slashes. We use dulled sabres for a reason. We learn swords not because we want to be performers acting on a stage.”

Kagami thanked the instructor and pondered his words while watching classmates practice. She vaguely remembered similar words when she was still Hitomi, studying in Northern Ireland.

“The First lesson of joining the Northern Ireland Police Department, is to use lethal forces lethally. The gun is a lethal force. You do not take out the gun if you want to deter, or to warn, or to immobilize someone by aiming for the thigh or the shoulder. The gun is a lethal weapon. You ONLY take out the gun if you have no choice but to shoot someone dead. And when you have to shoot someone dead, you aim at the head, or the chest. This is the first and foremost lesson of the police department.”

The sabre, Kagami thought, was indeed designed to be a lethal weapon, and its purpose was to cut the enemy in half or to stab the enemy dead. (“No wonder Arashi refused to take her personal sword out of the sheath. That sword has the sole purpose of killing, and Arashi respects that purpose. She and the sword understand each other.”)

With new clarity in her mind, Kagami entered contemplative trance.

“Akishi Oneechan!” Kagami exclaimed joyfully at supper, “I had my first trance! I will be able to take on individual lessons, and complete tasks to earn money.”

“That’s wonderful news, Kagami-chan. I guess you can’t wait to get better clothes for yourself.”

“Oh, more than that, Oneechan! But do I need to be aware of any special etiquette when I go to town? Taboos? Social conventions?”

“The towns near Kageyama are very laid back. Don’t worry. Buying things is a pleasant experience. Just beware of people from Himeyama. They always wear white swinging sleeve kimonos. Be extremely polite with them, and just silently stay on the side until they pass.”

“Why is that, please?”

“All the other academies get their students from all over, only Himeyama has their own exclusive crystal cave. As a result, Himeyama does not accept outside students, and has a hierarchy based on lineage. To Himeyama, we are all worthless commoners. But Himeyama is extremely powerful in their political influence, and their students are similarly superior in ability. Himeyama and Kageyama are the only academies that teach the sword, magic, and potions, instead of trades, so they have a particular disdain toward us, thinking Kageyama is out of place, teaching noble subjects to commoners.”

“Is that partially the reason why Kageyama doesn’t have uniforms?”

“Yes. That’s to minimize the risk to our students when they have to leave campus.”

“How powerful are they? Stronger than Arashi Oneesama?”

“Himeyama has an elite group, the Five. They are still students, but due to their unusual talent, they can easily measure up to any instructor from Kageyama. Arashi can cut through magic, yes, and all of the Five specialize in magic, but Arashi’s range of attack is shorter than theirs.”

“I am now a bit worried. Could you please tell me more about them so I can do my best to avoid any contact?”

“The head of the Five is Yukari, and she’s very tall. Due to her lineage and status, everyone addresses her as ‘your highness’ when meeting her. Yukari thirsts for more power, and desires to subdue the entire world under her feet. She sees others as dust, or worms, or tools, depending on her personal preference, and shows no mercy to anyone.”

“If you encounter Yukari, her kimono has a trim with the colour of amethyst, you are too young to do anything. Just bow down and wait for her to pass.”

“The next is Midori; she is tall as well. Midori loves to play with a person’s mind. With a few words, she instills fear, or brings faux hope, or overwhelms someone with lustful thoughts, or plunges one into absolute despair. She has emerald trim on her kimono; avoid conversation with her at all costs.”

“Then there is Kasumi. She excels in analyzing people and situations. Give her one word, and she will deduce the entire book. Her hobby is conjuring up schemes and plans, and she rarely attacks, despite being highly skilled in combat. Light ruby trim tells you it’s her.”

“Yayoi is very dangerous to us. She has peridot trim. Yayoi’s magic is silent and invisible, and her speciality is turning people into puppets. One could walk by Yayoi, have her magic implanted, and not notice anything. Then years down the road, when Yayoi thinks the time is right, someone suddenly loses consciousness and becomes Yayoi’s servant and does her bidding, all because of her magic spell that was cast way back. Afterwards, one wakes up and has no memory of what was done, and has to face all the repercussions, as there’s no evidence that Yayoi is the culprit.”

“The youngest, and shortest in stature, is Ryō. She’s my age. Ryō has the most prestigious lineage, and due to her being the shortest and youngest, demands being addressed as ‘her highness’, just like Yukari. Ryō is only about as tall as Arashi. She is the least pleasant. Yukari’s opponents end up being a heap of bloody mess because of the immense power of Yukari’s magic, but she doesn’t make any unnecessary moves, probably thinking that nobody deserves extra attention from her anyway. Ryō’s opponents end up as a bloody mess because Ryō likes the result and enjoys the process. She will extract as much delight out of a battle as possible before her opponents finally die. As violent and bloodthirsty as she is, Ryō somehow has a cute appearance, and has rose quartz trim like a little girl would. Don’t ever say ‘little girl’ in front of her, okay?”

“I am afraid, Oneechan. How does anyone stand a chance? I feel Kageyama could be wiped out tomorrow morning...”

“They are scary. But Yukari heads the Five, and that keeps the rest of them at bay. Sounds depressing, I know. The deemed unworthiness of us in Yukari’s opinion keeps us safe for the day...”

“Yes, Oneechan. Only the strong can declare ‘enough fighting, everyone, disarm.’ The weak cries ‘stop’ and nobody listens.”

“That is why we all strive to be strong, Kagami. So that one day we can stand up to Himeyama, declare ‘Kageyama will continue her peaceful existence. Himeyama, stop antagonizing us’, and Himeyama will finally listen...”

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That concludes the chapter!

Thank you everyone!

Hitomi

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Author’s Note

Nijō　二条, Yukari’s last name, is of very high prestige. It was one of the five most prestigious last names of the imperial court before modernization. After modernization, one of these five houses, the Konoe, gave a Prime Minister that pushed Japan onto a road of being a full time war machine, Konoe - Fumimaro. 近衛家　近衛文麿。Nijō was chosen here to allude to another Prime Minister, Tōjō, who argued that waging war to occupy territories under American, British, Chinese and Dutch authorities was of the matter of survival for Japan. (The ABCD: Hawaii, American Samoa and Solomon Islands, American Philippines. British Burma, British Malaysia, China, Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) surrounds Japan, and Japan "must" conquer these lands to "survive".) 

Fudō’in　不動院, altered from Kan’in　閑院宮, represents one of the four ancient royal houses. Main pusher of Imperial Army during the war. This is Midori's last name.

Taimadera　当麻寺, alludes to Nishi’enji　西園寺, which is a last name of high prestige both before and after modernization reform. Her first name, ‘Kasumi’ refers to the location of the Japanese congress and government　霞ヶ関

Isuzukawa　五十鈴川 is the river at the Most Holy Shrine of Ise　伊勢大神宮. Yayoi’s last name is adapted from Arisugawa　有栖川宮, one of the four ancient royal houses. Main pusher for the war.

Fushimi　伏見宮, the most ancient and influential royal house. Main pusher of the Imperial Navy during the war. This is Ryō's last name.

[If I include Katsura　桂宮, the four ancient royal houses would be complete in their semi-appearance in the novel. Why not? Well, the royal house of Katsura ceased (died out) in 1881, and was not responsible for any war from the royal house’s establishment all the way to the end. Of course I’m not going to use their name for one of the antagonists. ]

Akishi　亜希芝, one of the protagonists here, her name is taken from one of the current royal houses　秋篠宮. Another royalty, Prince Takahito of Mikasa has been mentioned. (Mikasa no Miya Takahito ShinNoo denka)　三笠宮崇仁親王殿下

If we attribute jade to Akishi, which is fitting, as jade represents the imperial house, sword to Arashi, and Kagami literally means ‘mirror’, you see now?... The Three Sacred Vessels will make their appearance in the second last chapter.

The chapter name ‘kangami’ is the last word of the first sentence of the imperial decree of ending the war that was broadcast on August 15th, 1945.

Feudal era nobility was responsible for saying things such as “Those who are not of my household don’t even count as human” (This is by the nobility of Taira.　平家)

As for post-modernization until 1945, well, if a prime minister was not of the nobility, he got assassinated. (Hara - Takashi, the first commoner prime minister, as well as Hamaguchi - Osachi, and Inukai - Tsuyoshi)　原敬　浜口雄幸　犬養毅

Arashi alludes to a famous hill in Kyoto　嵐山. When the imperial capital was in Kyoto, the court did not wage any war of expansion. (Technically when Toyotomi - Hideyoshi was the head of the government, the centre of governance was located in Osaka, just as for the Edo period, the government was in today’s Tokyo. So strictly speaking, the imperial court of Kyoto was not responsible for Toyotomi’s invasion of Korea.)

Toward the end, Kagami will represent the jade, the sword, and the mirror, and confront Yukari on her grand ambition. (chapter name: Shitsumon)