Chapter 15

Gakuto and Yurika had wordlessly expressed their doubt at Kaede’s cheerful façade as they left the shrine and headed back to Nagato for dinner.

Kaede, for what it was worth, was back to humming.

However, it lacked the verve that it usually had, even though she was tone-deaf.

Yukiko’s excitable greeting as the three ducked beneath the noren and entered the dining area. The proprietor wasn’t lying about the current occupancy as there was no one but the three teenagers at the long chabudai. Nor had she exaggerated the piles on plates, with ample servings for both Gakuto and Kaede, and a sizable one for Yurika.

Each of the three brought their hands together in thanks for the meal before digging in as Yukiko asked about their tour of the village. Yurika hardly let Gakuto get a word in edgewise as she narrated their path to the shrine with gusto. Gakuto did get to share his thoughts on the shrine but all the while Kaede ate in silence, her mind whipped into a whirlwind.

Yukiko didn’t seem to notice mistaking it for Kaede’s politeness but both Yurika and Gakuto spared anxious glares at the oiran as she slowly took small pieces of the meal. It seemed like her etiquette lessons went into autopilot as she cleaned her plate before excusing herself with a bow that would make even the most seasoned sadou feel rude.

Gakuto and Yurika exchanged glances again, but quickly continued the conversation with Yukiko to not arouse her suspicions. Especially since they were unsure of how to allay them, without knowing the problem themselves…

Kaede had rushed up the stairs after leaving the trio behind and was now hesitantly reaching to open the door to her room. She wasn’t entirely sure why, except maybe the fear that the mysterious bundle dropped by the equally mysterious girl was now glowing.

Those fears were put to rest when she finally steeled herself to thrust the door open to find… nothing of the sort. The remnants of the various clothes that Yurika had brought for her to try on were folded neatly in a pile near the window but Kaede ignored them as she stepped over to the dresser. The green silk bundle was still as neatly tied up as it had been when she retrieved it at the matsuri as she cautiously picked it up like it could escape her grasp at any moment.

Pressing it tightly to her chest, Kaede walked back to her bed and kneeled on it, placing the silk bundle in front of her. Her eyes ran over it once again, looking for anything out of the ordinary but it was only extraordinary in its plainness. 

Taking a deep breath, Kaede slapped both of her cheeks firmly as if telling herself to stop being hesitant as she rallied herself to explore its contents. Her fingers were shaking as she reached out to undue the simple knot before casting the folds aside as three items fell out onto the bed.

A muffled trio of chimes could be briefly heard as the three different types of bells scattered out. Kaede let out a gasp, as Kagura’s words came flooding back to her.

“Take three bells to reflective windows by week’s end…”

She crossed her arms as she stared at the bronze, silver and gold trio, before gazing out the window.

Not long after Kaede had left, Gakuto managed to recuse himself from dinner and had reached the third floor. He bypassed his door completely, heading to Kaede’s adjacent room, standing outside of the door for a few minutes with his hand raised to knock.

Yet, he stopped himself, bringing his hand down and walking back to his room a few moments later. Glancing back at Kaede’s room, he quietly slipped into his own.

Once inside, Gakuto, still worried about Kaede’s odd behavior at the shrine, decided that some practice would do some good to keep his mind focused. He walked over to the box he had purchased at the matsuri and opened it, grabbing the dagger and placing it in its sheath. He tied it around his waist and turned to leave before stopping, looking at the mysterious bag the equally mysterious merchant had so kindly gifted him. He picked it up, running his fingers along the velvet cloth bag, contemplating what could be inside and if he should open it to see.

Ultimately, Gakuto set the bag back on the table and slipped back out into the hallway, walking quietly towards the stairs, glancing back at Kaede’s door once more before descending.

“When she’s ready to talk, she will, Gakuto…”

After reaching the ground floor, Gakuto found Yukiko alone cleaning up from dinner. He sighed, relieved at not having to deal with Yurika right now.
“Miss Yukiko, is there any place where I could practice my sword?”
Yukiko wiped her hands clean as if thinking of a proper place.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a place made for it, but if you go out towards the bathhouse, there should be a big enough area for you to get some exercise.”

Gakuto bowed and hurried to leave out the back when Yukiko stopped him.

“Also, Gakkun, I don’t know what happened, but little Kaede seemed kind of down. I know I haven’t known you two long, but she seems like the resilient type, so if something is weighing on her, just know this: a good man needs to know how to help a girl like that in a moment of weakness.”

Gakuto stared at Yukiko for a moment, in awe.

“What, you thought I didn’t notice how you and my daughter gave Kaede concerned glances? What kind of mother do you take me for?”

“I’m not surprised by that. I’m just surprised by the consideration for someone you just met.”

Yukiko chuckled for a moment before putting a hand up, as if apologizing. “Boy, if you’re so ignorant to the type of charisma that that young woman has, I have to wonder how dense all you mainland men are!” She chuckled a bit more before continuing.

“In all seriousness though, regardless of you two’s situation, I’d like to remind you that my daughter is the same age as you both.” Gakuto’s expression told her he was trying to find the relevance and she sighed.

“I really hope you’re an outlier, Gakkun. If not, I feel for those poor women on the mainland who deal with all you lunkheads. What I’m trying to say is you two are still children as far as I’m concerned, and a mother treats all children with care and patience. Even if we don’t always show it, our job is to make sure that you are given a safe place, even if the rest of the world isn’t so kind.”

Yukiko smiled sincerely at Gakuto. “We are especially kind to our children’s friends, even if one is a dense soldier boy and the other a lady of the courts.”

Gakuto showed even more surprise at that.

“Please, boy. You think you were fooling anyone? Kaede’s yukata was the finest silk I’ve ever seen in my life and her brushwork was so beautiful and effortless, she could only be someone in high society. As for you, well… if you want to hide your status, maybe you shouldn’t wear the Yuilen Emperor’s crest so prominently on your outfit.” Gakuto glanced down only to remember that he was wearing the borrowed clothes from Yukiko’s late husband.

Yukiko chortled as she turned back to cleaning up. “Gakuto, you sure are a funny lad. Maybe you are a good fit for Yurika, after all!”

Gakuto gave the woman a slight glare before stomping off down the hall and exiting towards the bathhouse.

“You mainland men are kind of sensitive!” Yukiko said to herself, guffawing before heading to the entrance to finish tidying up.