Chapter 13

Upon the completion of the Kaede fashion show, and after allowing Gakuto to change into some old clothes of her late father, Yurika designated herself the de facto tour guide for the duo.

Having taken them back up the road outside of Nagato and back to the main path, Yurika was rapidly listing off the names of shops and families too quickly for either of them to even retain. Kaede nodded along, an intensity to her face as she tried to be a captive audience to her new friend. Gakuto, on the other hand, had chosen to tune out most of the noise from the island girl.

Yurika had taken offense to him carrying his sword into the village, telling him there was no threats or imminent danger on Tsuiraku worth him being so on edge about. After lecturing her on how it was his duty to be on guard, especially in an unfamiliar place with a high ranking member of the Yuilen Imperial court. Yurika dropped the subject for no other reason than it took from the midday chime until almost the next chime hearing Gakuto drone on.

“Well, Gakkun the dutiful, perhaps next time you’ll get your charge on the right ferry!” She had said, slapping his back with a hearty laugh.

“Gakkun, Gakkun!” Kaede was tapping him firmly on the shoulder, snapping him back to the present.

“Kaede…?”

Kaede was a little huffy, holding up a small bamboo tray with some white sticky food stuff to Gakuto. “You haven’t been listening this whole time, have you, Gakkun!?”

He blinked, looking past Kaede where Yurika was holding two of the small trays.

“I guess I kind of zoned out…”

“You absolutely were, Gakkun.” Yurika said, handing a tray over to Kaede before stabbing a toothpick into one of the mochi.

“Alright, I have to ask how you got so comfortable calling me that…”

“Kaede-chan calls you that.”

Gakuto turned to Kaede, his eyebrows raised but the oiran was busy gazing down the main road as she enjoyed one of the chewy morsels. A tall, red torii gate was visible, a tell-tale sign of the shrine located on the village’s edge. She seemed to be extremely focused on the gate as she reached down for a second mochi.

Ching, ching.

Kaede dropped the mochi in shock, the strange ringing sound from the matsuri echoing in her head once more.

“Kaede?”

“Kaede-chan?”

Kaede turned to the sound of her name from both Gakuto and Yurika as she grabbed the dropped mochi and brought it back up to her lips, smiling slightly at her two companions.

Gakuto and Yurika exchanged glances as Kaede happily devoured the sticky treat.

After the trio finished their snack, Yurika led them along the path towards the shrine. Gakuto kept looking at Kaede worriedly while the young oiran was humming off-key.

Ever since the incident at the matsuri, he was concerned that something was wrong with her but here she was being her usual upbeat self. Actually, she seemed even more upbeat than usual, perhaps enjoying this unplanned foray far more than she should be. Gakuto didn’t relate, his mind constantly back to what awaited the two of them upon returning to the palace.

“Is that one of the folk tales of the moon princess I hear, Kaede-chan?”

Yurika’s voice broke through the silence and caught both of them a bit off-guard.

“You know the song, Yurika-chan?” Her shock wasn’t from Yurika’s knowledge of the moon princess, but that she caught it from Kaede’s lackluster singing skills.

“Know it? It’s quite commonly heard here. The founding myth of Tsuiraku is directly tied to the Moon Princess and even the three shrines are related to her.” Yurika hadn’t left her tour guide mode yet.

“Really!?” Kaede’s voice came out louder than she intended, but her eyes were sparkling. “That’s so fascinating! Isn’t it, Gakkun!?”

“I guess…” He said sheepishly.

“If you don’t find some passion in your life, Gakkun, you will become an old man very quickly.” Yurika said, extending her index finger towards him, a smug smile on her lips. “That’s probably why you’re such a stick in the mud!”

Kaede was nodding enthusiastically with Yurika’s words. “She’s right, Gakkun! You need to get something that excites you so you don’t turn into another old man Jiro!”

“I’m not gonna turn into a boring old warrior like him…” Gakuto replied under his breath, before looking off to the side avoiding both of their gazes.

“Ah! Gakkun can speak more candidly!” Yurika’s eyes widened in shock.

“If old man Jiro heard you say that, he would be upset right now, Gakkun…” Kaede said, showing pity for the old man.

“I don’t think you have any room to say that to me!”

“Gakkun yelled…” Both of the girls' voices echoed as Gakuto sighed, unable to withstand both Kaede and Yurika’s retorts.

“Back onto the Moon Princess, Kaede-chan…”

Kaede tilted her curiously, waiting for Yurika to continue.

“...or rather, the tales and how they relate to Tsuiraku is quite interesting! It is said that this island itself is a part of the moon from when the thieves severed the reins of the great Serpent. In his surprised state, the Serpent’s tail lashed out and carved a chunk of the moon out, launching it into the sea, where it settled as Tsuiraku and Mt. Ochiru. The partially seen crater on the left-side of the moon’s face is said to be the scar left from that event. That’s also why the Moon Princess had to seal the poor Serpent. He was uncontrollable in his agitated state and with the celestial reins damaged beyond repair, his connection to the princess was also severed.”

Yurika motioned like wiping her tears away and then leaned in close to Kaede. “It’s such a tragedy already and I believe that the Serpent truly loved the princess. She was the only one who didn’t treat him like a destructive beast and gave him a purpose, right? So losing that bond with her wounded him deeply.”

Kaede grabbed Yurika’s hands emphatically as she listened to the island girl’s explanation. “I agree! The Serpent was just misunderstood and the princess saw his great strength as a blessing!”

“You get it, Kaede-chan!”

The two girls clasped their hands, their expressions both melancholic before breaking out into smiles once more.

“Wait, did you say thieves?” Gakuto interjected.

“Yes? Haven’t you read the stories, Gakkun?” Yurika said as Kaede put a finger to her chin in thought.

“Of course I have!”

“Actually, Gakkun is right…” Kaede’s head was now tilted in deep thought. “In every version of the tale I’ve read, there is a single thief that sneaks onto the moon and cuts the reins of the Serpent, to distract the people while he goes after the Princess’ treasury.”

Yurika’s eyes widened at that, before placing her thumb and index finger under her chin, as if contemplating something. “That’s very interesting… Now you’ve got me curious about the tales you’ve read. The story that the monks and priestesses perform every year for the Great Serpent Ceremony specifically details three thieves, all with their own plans to backstab the others. Their greed was so great, they wanted the divine treasures of the princess for themselves. In fact, the only thing they seemed to agree on was severing the Serpent from the reins to create a diversion.”

Kaede clapped her hands together, smiling. “That is such an interesting take on it! I would love to read more! This Great Serpent Ceremony sounds inviting! Could you tell me more about it?”

“Certainly, Kaede-chan!” Yurika said as they started to walk towards the shrine once more.

Gakuto was left astounded at how quickly the two of them could switch gears.