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[sayaka19fan]

The Raven of the Empty Coffin: Chapter 2 "Akeru" Part 3

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation japanese-english of the original novel. The events of this novel follow after what's already covered by the anime. For an easier understanding, I recommend first reading the few scenes of previous books I've already translated.

Blog version

For the Index, you can find it HERE

Previously: Akeru (Part 2)

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Chapter 2: Akeru (Part 3)

“Isn’t Akeru kinda tense lately?”

It all happened during Horsemanship lessons. Shigemaru and Yukiya found themselves taking a break at a hilltop after finishing the assigned exercises, waiting for everyone else to catch up with them.

That day they were practicing what was called ‘rider-horse switching’. It was just one part of the training required to become capable of flying long distances without breaks and, as the name implied, it consisted of exchanging the roles between rider and horse in midair. At this point, they were only required to fly around the mountain once and then switch places, but Shigemaru had heard rumors that they would have to go all the way from the Center to Yamauchi’s frontier and back during their Graduation Trials.

Although, in theory, it was better to do such an exercise with someone of as similar a build as possible, Yukiya had proved to manage just fine even with Shigemaru as his partner.

“Still, it feels like you wouldn’t have any problems no matter who you partnered with.”

“Well, everyone becomes significantly bigger in bird form compared to their human form. I don’t think someone’s human build actually matters that much.”

“True, there are people way bigger and stronger than you in human form who are, in fact, struggling quite hard.”

“Oh, yes—like Akeru and his friends, right?”

While Akeru’s followers had never been particularly high achievers, even Akeru himself had started to flounder lately despite his initial brilliance. He had started to struggle to keep up as the difficulty of the practical courses ramped up—which was doubly true for Horsemanship, the one subject he had problems with from the start.

“Maybe that’s the reason,” Shigemaru said, bringing the conversation back to Akeru’s situation.

Yukiya gave him a bitter smile. “One of the reasons, most likely, but I doubt that’s all of it.”

The situation was changing even during theory, where Akeru had never before given up his position as the first of the class. “Well, you barely have a chance to study lately yet your grades are still virtually the same as his, I can’t blame Akeru for getting anxious over that.”

——Ever since the incident with Kimichika, Suikan had kept a constant eye on Yukiya.

It had been a month since then, and summer had finally arrived. Suikan, however, showed no signs whatsoever of forgiving Yukiya. He persistently called him to participate during exercise sessions and would find any reason—no matter how small—to give him all kinds of punishments and take away all his free time. Every so often, Suikan would outright lash out at him—telling Yukiya to his face that he should drop out of the Monastery.

It had gotten bad enough that, whenever they gathered, everyone in their usual group would insist that Yukiya should go ask for help from other instructors like Seiken. Yukiya, however, didn’t show a single sign of suffering through anything.

He would argue back at them—‘It’s on me for angering him’, ‘I don’t like the idea of telling on someone’, ‘If my grades dropped because of it that would be a problem, sure, but that won’t happen’. Yukiya laughed it off every time, never paying any mind to their group’s advice.

However, Yukiya was, in truth, losing sleep to finish his homework and he was forced to take tests without any preparation either. Despite that, and uncannily enough, his grades weren’t going down—they were actually improving. They were comparable to Akeru’s, even. He had risen to be the first of the class, or second at worst.

Akeru, meanwhile, was often rumored to spend all his free time on self-study. Even an outsider like Shigemaru could tell how Akeru’s expression would grow stiffer and stiffer every time he learned of Yukiya’s latest score.

“He made such a big deal of being part of the Wakamiya Faction too. I bet the coronation being postponed must be playing a huge part in it. He must not have any peace of mind—neither at the Monastery, nor at home.”

“You know, I feel kind of sorry for him.”

“No need. His grades are just his talent—or lack thereof—talking, and he only has himself to blame for acting high and mighty and humiliating himself like that. There’s not much for us to do.” While Yukiya had proved to be the type to sometimes spew venom with a smile, it was significantly more common whenever Akeru came up in conversation. 

At the same time that he chatted with Yukiya, Shigemaru entertained himself by watching the other trainees fly around. The many pairs would ascend and, as if performing some sort of somersault, exchange places in a matter of seconds. Although they all lost quite a lot of height at first, the trainee who had just transformed into a bird would immediately place himself underneath and spread his wings, catching the wind. Just like that, they would both rise to their original altitude.

It was entertaining to watch such a stunt-like maneuver from afar, but actually doing it was quite terrifying. The person shifting from horse to human was forced to take a shape incapable of flight, wholly entrusting himself to his partner in midair. It wasn’t any easier for the person transforming into a horse—it felt like having a heavy rock on his back as he struggled to remain in the air instead of falling altogether.

Finishing the course with both members of a pair in bird form—hence incapable of becoming a rider and mount—meant disqualification. It truly wasn’t a maneuver you could succeed at without coordination and mutual trust between human and horse. That was exactly why Shigemaru felt it was easier to complete the exercise with someone close to you, rather than someone with a similar build.

As he thought about that, Shigemaru suddenly noticed a pair among their flying peers moving all too slowly. “Yukiya, look!”

Before Shigemaru had the time to point at it, Yukiya noticed it as well. “That looks actually dangerous. Is the rider perhaps tired? Unless they gain more altitude, at that rate—Huh?”

Yukiya didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. At that precise moment, the rider and mount tried to exchange places and, for a second, it was as if two horses were there at the same time. That was quite the rare sight when the swap went properly.

——He had a bad feeling about this.

The ideal was for both parties to shapeshift simultaneously—that was all too awkward and clunky to fit the criteria. Sure enough, they kept on falling inexorably, even once the initial horse moved upwards and transformed back into a human. The current horse proved incapable of catching the wind with his wings on time and his body plunged against the trees. 

“Someone has fallen!” the hysterical screams of those watching resounded in unison.

“This is bad! With a fall like that, he got hurt for sure!”

“Contact the infirmary!”

In a matter of seconds, a ruckus like bees protecting their hive overtook the place. The instructors flew straight towards the location of the fall. From the looks of it, the rider had managed to transform back at the very last second and so avoided major harm, but the horse hadn’t been as lucky. “But who fell?”

“Shige, that was Akeru.”

“What? Really!?”

“I’m sure. I saw the rider’s hair shine red just before they swapped.”

Shigemaru immediately felt ill at ease. For such a thing to happen right after their conversation. As they spoke, bird-shaped Yatagarasu flocked together above the place of the incident.

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The moment he opened his eyes, he felt a dull pain throbbing through his entire body.

His mind was hazy, possibly because of the pain medicine, and his body felt as if it was burning. The sky, visible through the gaps in the infirmary's window shutters, had gotten completely dark. A doctor had checked up on him the first time he had woken up, so Akeru already knew what had happened to him.

There were scratches all over his body and he had some nasty bruises, but fortunately none of his wounds were of a life-threatening magnitude. However, as he had hit his head during the fall, the doctor had instructed him to remain in the infirmary for the day.

Akeru had a vivid memory of the moment he fell.

Of all people, his partner was Chihaya. After watching everyone during the marching drills, Akeru already knew he was the fastest flier among the Seeds, and yet Chihaya had been flying at an awfully low speed back when it all happened. Akeru had been convinced it was all Chihaya’s attempt at harassment, but Akeru couldn’t afford to waste time like that—he had to become the horse and catch up with the rest. Led by his growing panic, he started to transform before Chihaya was ready to do so, forcing him to go for a switch.

The sound of the wind raged against his ears.

And there, Chihaya. The expression on his face the moment he took human form.

——In the end, Akeru’s own transformation took too long.

A terrible blunder, one that would be a massive problem for his grades going forward. If things kept going like this, maybe Akeru wouldn’t even be able to become Wakamiya’s vassal. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

“Dammit……”

Where the hell did I go wrong? an overwhelmed Akeru wondered to himself.

“We have already informed everyone at the Western House.”

“I see…… Thank you for that.”

The next day, his two roommates came to visit. They had accompanied him to the Monastery and had once gone through great lengths to attend to Akeru’s every need, and yet they appeared unmistakably reluctant to come visit this time around. They both had the face of someone fulfilling the bare minimum of courtesies.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Nothing at all.”

They both remained aloof. Akeru could feel irritation expanding deep within his chest by the second. “...... You have been avoiding me lately. You know, if you have something to tell me, just say so.”

One of them abruptly raised his head. “Then, I’ll take my chance.”

“Hey, stop!”

“I’m not stopping! We are all thinking the same thing. So, I’ve heard about all this recently,” the boy said with a horribly contorted face. “Lord Akeru, you told us that you came here out of your own volition after receiving His Highness Wakamiya’s order to do so. But, apparently, you actually only served His Highness for one single day, am I wrong?”

Akeru was left at a loss. Why was that a problem now, after so long?

“Yeah, what about that?”

“I thought you coming to the Monastery was just in preparation to become His Highness’ vassal. You were truly brilliant at first,” he explained with an embittered look, “so we were almost fooled by that, but then—what did His Highness Wakamiya see in you, when you had barely spent a day with him and hadn’t even held a bamboo sword in your life at the time, to tell you to become a Yamauchi Guard?”

“Haven’t I told you again and again? The Yamauchi Guard is corrupt and I’m here to fix that. The Wakamiya Faction needs their own vanguard, and he chose me for that.”

“But if that’s the case, Yukiya of the Northern House is already there! He’s the most fit to obstruct the Animiya Faction. He’s the Great General’s grandson and the most talented in battle tactics among all our peers.”

To top it all off, Yukiya’s achievements included serving Wakamiya as his close aide for an entire year. If he got to graduate, there was no doubt he would become one of Wakamiya’s close vassals unless something radical happened.

“Command of the country’s warriors is the specialty of the Northern House to begin with. There was no need whatsoever for someone of the West of all houses to come to the Monastery. You were originally supposed to stay close to His Highness, right? As in, assuming His Highness expects Yukiya to fulfill his duty as a vassal by becoming a warrior, shouldn’t the same apply to you but by becoming a Court Official instead? And yet, you don’t even have an inkling of why you merely lasted one day as his attendant?”

“...... What are you trying to say?”

The rank of the Western House’s second son was, fundamentally speaking, one that shone first and foremost at the Court. What was the reason to even bother sending him to the Monastery despite that fact?

——The truth was that most nobles who went to the Unbending Reed Monastery were those whose families had forsaken them. Those too incompetent to get a job at the Court even through the On’i System.

“Wasn’t it simply that His Highness Wakamiya disliked you and used it as an excuse to get rid of you?” 

His roommate’s words left Akeru speechless. “We heard that you had His Highness’ trust, Lord Akeru. That’s why we went through the trouble of coming here with you instead of joining the Court as we had originally intended, but what’s the point if His Highness truly has forsaken you? You wasted our time and effort,” the boy spat out. “We shouldn’t have come to the damn Monastery in the first place.”

The other boy had so far restrained from talking altogether, unlike his fierce friend. Now, he shook his head with a sigh. “I don’t think it’s all your fault. However, the fact is that, as of now, the West-affiliated Court Ravens are increasingly disappointed in you.”

Akeru’s head failed to process it all. There was no way he could believe straight away that these two, those who had been closest to him, actually had such an image of him.

“We’re planning to voluntarily drop out.”

“What!?” Akeru rushed to ask—a hint of pleading snuck into his voice.

“Well, that’s the idea…… So, could you keep your distance from us?”

Akeru couldn’t think of a way to stop them. 

Just as his roommates were about to leave the room, however, Akeru caught sight of someone at the door. To make matters even worse, it turned out to be the last person he wanted to see in the current situation.

“Ah, did I come at a bad moment?”

The boy—Yukiya of the Northern House—tilted his head with a smile on his face.

“Ah, good to know it wasn’t too bad.” After watching Akeru’s roommates leave as if they were running away, Yukiya approached him with a shady-looking smile. 

“Why did you come here?”

“Is that how you greet people? And here I bothered to come deliver a present for the sick. Here, take it.” Yukiya handed him a package covered in wrapping paper. Inside, there were sugar-sprinkled kumquats.

“I don’t want them.”

“Oh, really? Now that’s a waste. Can I have them?” Yukiya didn’t even wait for Akeru’s answer. He immediately sat by the window and started to stuff his mouth with kumquats. For a while, the only sound breaking the silence of the room was his slow chewing.

Akeru had no words for Yukiya. He had this feeling—like he finally understood why Yukiya had given him the cold shoulder when Akeru first offered him his friendship as a fellow member of the Wakamiya Faction. Unlike Akeru, Yukiya had been serving by Wakamiya’s side for an entire year. He didn’t want to think about it, but if Wakamiya had truly sent him to the Monastery out of disgust, Yukiya was sure to know.

While a part of him wanted to know what Wakamiya had intended for him all along, another couldn’t even bear the idea of hearing the truth.

“...... If that’s everything, can’t you leave me alone?” he said in an admittedly dreadful tone—he was too scared of the truth coming out from Yukiya’s mouth. However, as blatant as Akeru’s jealousy turned out to be, Yukiya simply laughed it off.

“I have more to say, obviously. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come here at all,” he confirmed with a wholly impassive expression. “You see, if things keep going like this, you’ll end up leaving this place sooner or later.”

Akeru flew into a rage the moment he heard that. “It’s not that bad! My grades should still be better than yours if you put them all together!”

“Who’s talking about grades here? You truly don’t understand the position you’re in, huh?”

Yukiya’s demeanor got, all of a sudden, a lot colder. Akeru flinched. “What do you mean? The situation I’m in…”

“Think about it for a moment,” Yukiya said as he fiddled with a kumquat, “the trainees currently on the Monastery’s register are 44 Seeds, 21 Saplings and 14 Evergreens, a total of 78 students. Among those, only you and I were born with a social rank higher than fifth in our region. Furthermore, and this is including us, there are only six Court Ravens in the entire Monastery with the right to employ the On’i System. The vast majority of those are either Seeds or Saplings. Do you understand what that means?” Yukiya asked an astonished Akeru—it was as if he was testing him.

“That most trainees from the high nobility fail out before reaching their third year……?”

“Exactly.” While, at the moment, there were still Court Ravens among his peers, virtually everyone would be either from warrior clans or commoners once they became Evergreens. “There are others linked to the Four Houses, of course, but they aren’t necessarily nobility themselves. It’s obvious what will happen to you if you keep ridiculing Hill Ravens and paying your respects only to your fellow Court Ravens, isn’t it? With that attitude, you’ll just end up surrounded by enemies,” Yukiya explained with a bored expression.

“Besides, to form a West-affiliated faction to reform the Unbending Reed Monastery is, no matter how you put it, both impossible and pointless. Any issues with the Monastery’s policies are for people like the director or His Highness Wakamiya—those involved in the place’s administration—to fix. To ask a trainee to do so is just cruel and His Highness hasn’t ever expected anything like that from you.”

Akeru was appalled. “Then… there’s no reason for His Highness Wakamiya to have sent me to the Monastery, is there?”

——Were Wakamiya’s actions truly a mere attempt to get rid of him?

At the mere thought, Akeru felt all strength about to abandon his body. A moment promptly interrupted by something in his mouth—Yukiya had, all of sudden, rammed a kumquat in it.

“W-what are you doing!?”

Akeru almost choked on it, caught in a coughing fit as an unimpressed Yukiya gave him a bored look. “Oh, you see, I was just thinking about how some incredible idiots truly do exist. His Highness Wakamiya has such high hopes for you and yet you’re completely blind to it.”

“What?” Akeru raised his head, as if in search of an explanation. This time, Yukiya gave him a wry smile.

“I mean, he told you to come to the Monastery, didn’t he? So you could become his vassal in the future,” Yukiya explained as he rolled yet another kumquat on the palm of his hand. “It’s easy to tell why, looking at the guys from before. They didn’t say so per se, but the fact they spoke out like that is probably very much related to the delay of His Highness Wakamiya’s ascension to the throne. Those who only approach you seeking out family influence will change their tune over and over whenever it’s politically convenient. If you want to earn trustworthy allies, the last thing you want to rely on is status and influence. Let me tell you this much—you’re the very reason they ended up acting like that.”

Akeru stammered. He remembered how his followers—people he had genuinely thought of as allies—had blamed him and accused him of lying to them just moments ago. “...... I didn’t ever consider that.”

Embarrassed with himself, Akeru hung his head and, in answer to that, a hint of delight appeared in Yukiya’s voice.

“——Do you realize now? Think about it, what if you became His Highness’ vassal and still committed this kind of mistake?” Yukiya kept talking to the silent Akeru, admonishing him. “Remember, those you look down on as Hill Ravens are about 90% of Yamauchi’s population. Wakamiya is, in fact, very well aware of what kind of people are the majority in the country he rules over.”

The Unbending Reed Monastery was, in a sense, a reflection of Yamauchi itself. Slowly but surely, Akeru started to grasp the meaning behind Yukiya’s words. “So that’s why His Highness told me to come to the Monastery……”

To learn how to socialize with commoners ahead of time. All to stop Akeru from having an attitude unbefitting of one of the Golden Raven’s close vassals in the future.

“Wakamiya told you to come to the Monastery, but he didn’t say you had to become a Yamauchi Guard. He was trying to raise you. That’s the ultimate proof that his expectations weren’t placed on the Scion of the Western House, but on you yourself.” Then, Yukiya unexpectedly looked Akeru in the eyes. “But, what about you? What would you do if His Highness Wakamiya loses his status as Crown Prince? Would you remain by His Highness’ side if he isn’t your brother-in-law? If Lady Masuho no Susuki doesn’t ever enter the Harem?”

Akeru gulped in response to Yukiya’s harsh words. At that moment, what came rushing back to him was that first meeting with Wakamiya, before he even knew of his status, and how he had felt that day.

——The start of everything, a shared secret and a gentle smile under the sinking sun.

“I—” Akeru let out in a hoarse, shaky voice. He closed his mouth to try again with more success. His tone was a lot more firm. “I want to serve under His Highness Wakamiya himself. If he values me as me, then I believe I must respond with the same.”

“I see…… That’s a relief for me too to hear.” 

This time, Yukiya had a bright smile on his face. It didn’t feel shady at all, not anymore.

For the first time since they first met, Akeru genuinely saw in Yukiya a companion, a fellow follower of Wakamiya. He felt like he had at last fully grasped why Yukiya had most likely been chosen as a close aide—that great intelligence of his. Not the kind that makes you good at studying, but a different one altogether.

“You aren’t like me, Yukiya. You have gotten this far, all with the conviction to never rely on your house’s influence.”

That must be the very reason why he had gone through such efforts to get along with Shigemaru and the rest, or so Akeru thought. However, Yukiya laughed Akeru’s sentimentalism off.

“No way! It’s true that I felt like that once, but I don’t have the luxury to say so anymore. I plan to use anything and everything that’s at my disposal.”

Akeru blinked. “But, then, what’s the point?”

“Don’t misunderstand, Akeru.” All of a sudden, Yukiya’s eyes narrowed into slits. Akeru, who had tilted his head in question, watched him. “Power and authority are troublesome things, they can easily cause your downfall when not used correctly. On the other hand, they can also be your strongest trump card. So, what I’m trying to say is,” Yukiya said with a cold smile, “you must not mistake when and how to use them.”

——Akeru felt a sudden chill down his back.

Yukiya’s smile had transformed into something entirely different. His eyes were impenetrable, like those of a snake. What emotions hid within, Akeru couldn’t tell but, in a matter of seconds, a deep terror rose within him.

“What are—” Akeru swallowed.

—you scheming? he tried to ask, but before he could finish his question, a tanned face abruptly popped out through the window on Yukiya’s side.

“Are you all done with the difficult talk?”

Akeru almost jumped up from surprise, but his entire body howled in pain at the attempt. “Shigemaru! When did you arrive?”

“We came here together with Yukiya, to be honest, but it didn’t feel right to intrude given the mood so we hid here to wait instead. Here, a present,” Shigemaru bent himself through the window and dropped a basket full of plums on the floor.

“Oh, I actually love plums. Can I have one?” Yukiya asked nonchalantly.

Akeru was left in a state of complete confusion. What had that been a moment ago?

“You had quite the impressive fall, but you seem better than I thought you would be. How are you feeling?” Shigemaru asked him.

Akeru was incapable of answering at first. Ironically enough, he had the feeling that Shigemaru had just become the first person to show proper concern for him. It was both strangely moving and a source of sudden embarrassment at his own behavior so far.

“Your concern is much appreciated. I’m doing fine, but… ‘we’?” 

“Oh, yes! Actually, he has been way, way more worried about you than me.” Outside the window, Shigemaru vanished for a second. He proceeded to pick up the boy apparently sitting there by the scruff of his neck, effortlessly lifting him up to show Akeru.

A sour face appeared—‘I wasn’t that worried’ written all over it.

“Chihaya.” Akeru was so surprised he couldn’t say more.

Meanwhile, Chihaya seemed to be struggling just like him. He looked to be at a loss for quite a while, before finally letting out a mutter, “It wasn’t intentional.”

That’s all it took for Akeru to understand what was going on—to get an idea of what kind of rumors were spreading all over the Monastery at the moment. Everyone probably suspected that Chihaya had hurt Akeru intentionally. He originally served under Kimichika, whose harassment attempts towards Akeru had turned into a frequent occurrence as of late. Had he not been directly involved in the incident, Akeru would have probably believed the same.

“...... I know. It was my own fault I fell.”

He had seen Chihaya’s expression for a second there—he had been clearly frightened. It all, from his initial transformation to his fall, happened in an instant, but he had still felt how Chihaya had done everything in his power as the rider in an attempt to recover.

However, there was one thing he couldn’t understand about the incident, no matter how he thought about it...

“Hey, Chihaya. You should be able to fly a lot faster, right? Why were you going so awfully slow back then?”

Chihaya answered his question in a dispassionate tone, “You were struggling to keep your balance. I thought you would roll down from my back if I flew any faster than that.”

“——I see.” Akeru let out a big sigh. After straightening himself over the futon, he deeply bowed in Chihaya’s direction. “I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble. I’ll explain what happened to everyone else.”

“No…… There’s no need.” As scarce as Chihaya’s words were, they made Akeru’s chest feel so much lighter.

“Oooh! To see you apologize to a Hill Raven. You too have grown, huh?” Shigemaru’s amused admiration, on the other hand, gave Akeru all kinds of mixed feelings—something the former seemed to pick up on immediately.

“Look, Akeru.” Shigemaru’s expression changed ever so swiftly. “Just like you had your own reasons to come to the Monastery, we all also have ours. Nobody has the exact same circumstances, so it’s a given we all think differently.” 

Akeru meekly listened as Shigemaru spoke. “I think this place is amazing, you know. Where else can people from all corners of Yamauchi gather and share their views and opinions with each other? If we weren’t here at the Monastery, neither of us would have had the chance to speak to each other normally like this, right?”

“Yes, absolutely. You’re right……”

“We’ve been given such a rare chance, so think of it this way—it’ll be for your own sake to try to get along with others,” Shigemaru said with a laugh. “Breaks aside, we gather to study together almost every day in an empty room of the second building. Want to come along? Everyone will be happy to see you.”

At that moment, Akeru’s heart was terribly touched by Shigemaru’s carefree words.

By the time Akeru returned to his own room with the doctor’s permission, one of his two followers had already vanished. He hadn’t given it much thought before, back when they had that talk, but his grades had always been much worse than Akeru’s. Most likely, he had genuinely reached his limit, incapable of keeping up with life as a trainee any longer.

Akeru fretted about it for a while but, by the time night came, he had decided to head to the second building. Once actually there, it didn’t take him long at all to find the room where the study group was held—the sliding door wasn’t only open, but the voices coming from the room were exasperatingly loud.

“I can’t do this anymore! I don’t understand it at all.”

“Get your shit together! Now that glasses dude has found out about it, we can’t just go and copy Yukiya’s homework wholesale anymore!”

“Look, I’m telling you. As long as you memorize the warfare records1, it’s just a matter of applying it all afterwards,” Akeru heard a tired Yukiya say. An onslaught of angry yells followed right after.

“Like that’s easy, you freaking bastard!”

“There’s no way we can memorize those things just like that!”

“By the way—how did you even do it to begin with?”

“I just read it normally? That was it, really.”

“See, here it comes!”

“This is why I cannot stand quick learners!”

Warfare records were a register of what movements were executed by which pieces and when during a Board Drill for later examination, and, by the sound of it, they were trying to finish their Strategy homework. Akeru took a deep breath, steeling his resolve before finally standing by the door frame.

“For warfare records, you should first pin down the Officers’ moves. Infantry movement always uses them as the starting point.” The group, who had been about to collectively throw their textbooks out and get a swing at Yukiya, turned to look at Akeru. Their mouths were wide open.

“...... Akeru?”

“What are you doing here?”

Although both Shigemaru and Yukiya smirked at the scene, neither stepped out to support him. Alongside the wall was Chihaya too, quietly taking care of his own homework all by himself, but he didn’t even bother to glance at him.

Akeru lightly licked his lips, dry out of sheer nerves, and surveyed the faces of those inside before speaking, “I was wondering if, maybe, it would be possible for me to join the study group as well. I know it may sound wrong of me to say but, well, if it’s theory I should be able to help a little. Of course, that’s if you’re all fine with it……”

By the end, he was tapering off.

Akeru knew perfectly that his attitude so far had been anything but pleasant for the people gathered there. He cast his eyes downwards in fear of their reaction when, out of the blue, one of the boys lying on the floor jumped towards him and took him by the shoulders.

“Welcome, professor.”

“Eh?”

“We may actually be able to understand what you’re saying. At least, more than with that Yukiya bastard,” he ruthlessly added.

“Mean,” Yukiya murmured. He was the only one to protest.

“We can’t figure out any of it! At this rate, we’ll end up dropping out.”

“No matter how many times we listen to Yukiya’s explanations, none of them make any sense to us. You’re our last hope.”

Akeru’s eyes were left wide open—their reaction wasn’t anything like what he had expected. 

“...... You’ll forgive me?”

“Not like there’s anything to forgive.”

His fellow trainees, all commoners for the most part, traded glances. “It would be a lie to say we don’t have our own feelings about you, but desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“If you help us so we don’t drop out, we’ll consider all accounts settled.”

“So, less grumbling, more teaching! The due date for these is tomorrow and we haven’t gotten anything done yet.”

Akeru wasn’t quite sure if he should be glad at their reaction or not, but Shigemaru burst into laughter. “In short, no hard feelings!”

After that, Akeru spent the rest of the evening teaching theory to his peers. Yukiya’s explanations proved to be awful and their current situation was beyond subpar, but, thanks to Akeru’s efforts, they ended up being able to solve a lot of the questions with ease. In the end, his overjoyed, frantically crying students were imploring him to come again the next day.

“Tired?” Shigemaru asked him on the way back.

Akeru shook his head. “No, thank you for inviting me. It was fun.”

It had been the first time in his life someone thanked him like that. It was invigorating beyond belief. On top of that, there were many among the study group who were accomplished at Horsemanship and, as a show of gratitude, they had offered to help him practice the horse-rider switch during the next break. Akeru was genuinely glad he had joined them.

——There was, however, a matter much more important than his participation in the study group. One he had left for later.

“Chihaya, do you have a moment?”

Akeru called out to him just as he had left the empty room, heading towards his own. There was clear suspicion on Chihaya’s face, but he nevertheless followed him to a corner of the hallway without ever uttering a word.

“I’ve given you a lot of trouble with the latest incident. Allow me to apologize again,” Akeru bowed.

“I don’t mind,” Chihaya answered just the same way as before.

“But I do mind. You could have also ended up gravely injured if anything else had gone wrong, and now there are weird rumors going around. I’ve been thinking a lot about if there was something I could do to pay you back.”

Chihaya’s expression became slightly troubled, but Akeru kept talking without paying it any mind. “Despite your bad relationship with Kimichika, you came to the Monastery through the Minami-Tachibana’s recommendation, right?”

“..... You investigated me?”

“I’m sorry, but yes. Back when I lost against you during our first match, my followers checked your family register in the census, as well as your general background, and came to inform me. That’s when I heard that you have a little sister and her health is poor, so you couldn’t refuse the Minami-Tachibana’s assistance. When Kimichika intimidated you during your fight that one time, he meant your sister, right?”

In a matter of seconds, Chihaya’s expression went entirely blank.

“I’m fully aware it was presumptuous of me to do so. That said, let me ask you something else. Would you let me assist you with that?” Chihaya didn’t reply to his question. “You must loathe this situation, having your sister essentially be a hostage to Kimichika. This is just as a way of apology, there are no ulterior motives or anything,” Akeru emphasized. “It’s all out of pure goodwill, I mean it.”

Up until then, Akeru had only taken advantage of his own position and the power his birth had given him. He had done nothing but act arrogantly in front of people like Chihaya or Shigemaru. However, he had no plans to commit the same mistakes and misuse his power anymore. He wanted to follow Yukiya’s advice. This would be a good first at using his influence in the correct way, or so he thought.

“The Western House will support you, if you wish so, and we’ll take good proper care of your sister too. It’s not like you want to be under Kimichika either. Right, Chihaya?”

Chihaya opened his mouth after a long silence.

“That’s right,” he murmured in a self-deprecating tone. “That much is true. I’m not receiving the Minami-Tachibana’s aid because I like it that way.”

“Then!” Akeru said enthusiastically.

The look in Chihaya’s eyes, however, was as cold as ice.

“——It’s as I thought. You’re just like Kimichika.” Just like that, Chihaya turned his back on him and quickly left the place behind. Akeru had no time to stop him.

…… Did he just anger him?

Frozen in place, Akeru watched Chihaya as he vanished into the distance.

“But, why?” He couldn’t even imagine the reason behind Chihaya’s anger.

Next: Chihaya (Part 1)

—————————————

1: Warfare Records is my take on Senpu (戦譜), which is in itself a reference to Kifu (棋譜). Kifu is the word for records of abstract strategy games like Shogi or Go, which can be used to fully replicate a game. Each game has their own notation methods.

[sayaka19fan]

[sayaka19fan]

Zeno in Akatsuki No Yona: Illustrations - 20th Anniversary Edition (2023) by Kusanagi Mizuho

[sayaka19fan]

The Raven of the Empty Coffin: Chapter 2 "Akeru" Part 2

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation japanese-english of the original novel. The events of this novel follow after what's already covered by the anime. For an easier understanding, I recommend first reading the few scenes of previous books I've already translated.

Blog version

For the Index, you can find it HERE

Previously: Akeru (Part 1)

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Chapter 2: Akeru (Part 2)

“What do you mean? He opposed Father's abdication!?” Natsuka was so enraged that his question came out as a roar.

The guard who brought him the news, however, didn't even blink in response. “No matter how much you ask me—the Department of Worship has just made the proclamation that they aren't going to recognize His Majesty’s abdication. People believe it to be the White Raven’s sole decision, as His Majesty the Emperor has uttered no word on the matter. He remains in seclusion as per usual.”

“The Imperial Court must be a complete chaos now,” Rokon commented blithely. There wasn’t even a hint of concern coming from him.

The White Raven—the leader of all priests in Yamauchi. The very man who had once declared his younger brother the ‘True Golden Raven’ and asked Natsuka to renounce his right to the throne. He had been Wakamiya’s main supporter throughout the years. What was he thinking now of all times?

“His Highness Wakamiya is in the city at the moment, but we have already sent another messenger for him. What’s the plan, Lord Natsuka?”

“I'm going to the Imperial Court, of course.” There was no use remaining here, worrying himself sick. Natsuka stood up and quickly put on the coat his attendants offered him. “We’ll reunite with His Highness and go meet the White Raven together. Please, inform him to prepare to see us. Don't let the rabble establish any contact with him until we are done.”

“Understood.”

“You, come with me.”

On his way to the Imperial Court, the messenger who had gone to search for Wakamiya returned. Both brothers had apparently thought of the same thing, as, according to the man’s report, Wakamiya was already on his way to the White Raven's chambers. In fact, just moments after Natsuka’s carriage arrived at the Great Gate—the Imperial Court's front entrance— he caught sight of Wakamiya and his bodyguard’s horses landing there as well.

“Nazukihiko!”

“Brother, how’s the situation?” Wakamiya leaped off the saddle with a severe look on his face.

A few court officials saw them and started to make a racket. Natsuka moved to stand in between them and Wakamiya, as if protecting his little brother. “The door to the Department of Worship is sealed off now. They were the ones who made the announcement on the White Raven’s stead. I already told them to bring him out to talk.”

“What about the Ministers? What's their reaction?”

“None so far, but there are emissaries from the Four Houses already crowding the entrance to the Department of Worship. The door will have to open, it's only a matter of time.”

Wakamiya stood there in silence for a second. Finally he sighed weakly, as if expressing his wholehearted resignation. “We don't have the time to go through any intermediaries. Let's break through to the Main Temple and head directly to the Forbidden Gate.”

“As you wish.”

Wakamiya’s exclusive bodyguard, Sumio, who had limited himself to listening to the conversation up to that point, took the lead as they advanced. Wakamiya and Natsuka went right after him, surrounded by Rokon and his subordinates for protection. Just like that, they pushed forward through the Court's hallways.

Beyond the Hall of State Ceremonies, at the innermost section of the Imperial Court, were the Acting Golden Raven's private chambers. Normally, to go in without his invitation would be unthinkable, but they didn't have the time to care about that. Not now. Their destination wasn't even their father's abode, but the Forbidden Gate which laid past it.

It was said that Lord Yamagami’s Holy Precincts(1) were near the peak of the Center Mountain, inside of which the Imperial Court had been built. The Holy Precincts supposedly served as a pathway to the Outside too, which was why the Forbidden Gate existed to act as a divide between the Precincts and the Imperial Palace. The Golden and White Ravens’ tasks were to listen to Yamagami's divine will through the Forbidden Gate, perform the requisite religious services and so govern Yamauchi.

Such was the reason to have the Golden Raven's palace as the building closest to the Forbidden Gate. On top of that, the White Raven, as the head priest, was always waiting close to the Gate to ensure its protection.

Wakamiya forced the Hall of State Ceremonies, which had been completely closed off, to open. A few of the Acting Golden Raven's secretaries and ladies-in-waiting hurried there upon hearing the ruckus, shrieking at the scene. To be fair, even considering the present circumstances, to set foot in the Emperor's abode with a full group of bodyguards was too much of a transgression. In the end, aside from Sumio and Rokon, they left behind all their guards. 

Under normal circumstances, the protocol dictated that they should have first established contact through the Department of Worship and therefore requested an audience with the White Raven, but there was no time for proper procedure that day. They dashed through the Main Temple as robbers would, headed towards the Holy Precincts’ boundary.

“His Highness Wakamiya, Lord Natsuka. I can't believe it—for you two to come here like this!”

Finally, just as they had gone through most of the Imperial Palace, a Yatagarasu dressed not like a Court Official appeared. His robes were white—they marked him as a priest and subordinate of the White Raven.

“I’m sorry, but nobody besides the Golden and White Ravens and their chosen priests can go any further.”

“The True Golden Raven has the right to be here. Besides, it's an emergency and we have already sent notice to the White Raven beforehand,” Natsuka himself announced before Sumio and Rokon even had a chance to open their mouths.

Although it was certainly possible that they had arrived before the messenger did, he decided to conveniently ignore that fact. The priest seemed to be at a loss on what to do.  That is, until a few of his coworkers arrived from behind and whispered something to his ear—the shock on his face was plain to see.

The priests talked between themselves for some time while repeatedly glancing at them. Then, they finally faced the group with resolve in their eyes.

“......My apologies for the impudence. The White Raven shall meet with you at the Forbidden Gate. I'll guide you there,” he said this time around, before proceeding to politely lead them through the place.

What followed after another stretch of hallways, all covered in the usual Court decorations, was an old corridor. Unlike the usual wooden floor, this was made of stone. Waterways ran along both sides of it, branching off here and there to seemingly lead the water to a variety of locations. From the looks of it, its origin laid in the direction they were walking towards. They followed along its course, as if going upstream, until they reached their destination.

The hall was massive—even needlessly so—circular, and carved out of the stone itself. The height of its ceiling too was breathtaking. And there, just opposite the entrance Natsuka and the rest had come through, stood a gigantic door—so tall that one had to look up to contemplate it. The inner side of the hall’s arched stone walls had been cut in multiple places, each gash about big enough to allow one person to pass through, and, mysteriously enough, the same water flowing towards the corridors seemed to gush out from the stone itself.

This was Natsuka’s first time getting so close to the Forbidden Gate. For a while, he just stood still, taken by the strange atmosphere of the place. However, he soon noticed a familiar face standing in the middle of the room.

“Worship Consul…” After the White Raven had fallen ill a few years ago, the Worship Consul had been acting as his representative and handled all the religious services within the Imperial Court. He was a thoughtful-looking man, already nearing old age himself. “Why are you here? Where's the White Raven?”

“I came ahead due to the White Raven's poor health. While he's preparing to come over at present, I do believe I’m sufficiently qualified to explain his opinion on the matter myself.” With those words, the Worship Consul gave them a deep bow.

Natsuka and Wakamiya glanced at each other.

“Fine, let's listen then. Why did you oppose Father's abdication?”

“Wasn't the White Raven the one who told me to give up the throne in favor of Wakamiya over ten years ago? Why tell us to wait now? I can't understand it,” Natsuka asked right after his brother.

“That’s completely understandable,” the Worship Consul said as he lowered his head once more. “However, do please forgive us. This is a decision taken after much deliberation not only from the White Raven, but all the priests as well. We wouldn't have made such a proclamation if we had an alternative.”

“Then why? Tell me the reason,” Wakamiya commanded.

In answer, the Consul looked at him with imploring eyes. “Before that, could I ask for something?”

“What?”

“Could Your Highness Wakamiya open the Forbidden Gate……?”

While Natsuka was taken aback by such an unexpected request, Wakamiya himself didn’t hesitate to obey and do as asked. The Forbidden Gate had once been closed with a key bigger than Wakamiya's head, but the lock was already undone. As far as appearances went, anyone should be capable of opening it.

At first, Wakamiya pushed it like he would any other door. It didn't move an inch. Natsuka, incapable of just watching, even lent him a hand. They both tried to push the door open together, slamming themselves against it. It was all pointless.

The Consul dropped his head in defeat. “As I guessed.”

“What do you mean? What's the actual point behind this?” Natsuka raised his voice in anger, irritated by the Consul's incomprehensible attitude. Wakamiya too looked at the man with confusion. Seeing that, the Consul started to explain with obvious resignation.

“Nineteen years ago, when His Highness Wakamiya was born, the bells by the delivery room started to ring and the Forbidden Gate unlocked on its own. Up to that point, it was all as it has been transmitted within the Department of Worship. We all thought without a doubt that you were the True Golden Raven.”

Which was exactly why, at the time, the White Raven informed the previous Acting Golden Raven of the True Golden Raven’s birth as Wakamiya, and the news was shared with all of Yamauchi. The plan was for the then Crown Prince—His Majesty the Emperor at present—to never even ascend to the throne and to have his son, Nazukihiko, go through his coronation as soon as he was of age.

That was, of course, until something unexpected happened.

“The Forbidden Gate didn't open.”

“That's—”

“According to the legends, anyone should be capable of opening the Forbidden Gate once it’s unlocked. And yet, the gate has remained sealed despite its lock coming undone. Do you remember it, by any chance?” the Consul asked gloomily. “When you were still young, Your Highness, we brought you here once. We thought that, maybe, if you yourself tried to open it, it would work. However, the Forbidden Gate didn't even budge at your attempts. That was the first time that doubt on your status as the True Golden Raven took root.”

Natsuka's mind went blank for a second.

“...... Wait a minute. Why are you speaking as if His Highness Wakamiya isn't the True Golden Raven?” Sumio asked the Worship Consul in a shrill tone. He probably couldn't remain quiet any longer, given the gravity of the situation for his master.

The Consul’s only answer was to look away, much to Natsuka's own disbelief.

“Don't tell me that's your point. Are you truly implying that Nazukihiko isn't the True Golden Raven?”

While it wasn't the first time someone had expressed their doubts due to the sealed Forbidden Gate, he had never ever imagined the priests themselves would be putting his legitimacy into question. Natsuka had felt irritation before for their lack of a proper answer to the matter, but this was different.

“Don't fuck with me,” Natsuka growled.

Ever since his little brother had been proclaimed the true Golden Raven, Natsuka had gone through turmoil after turmoil. Thoughts of all those struggles, of the many times his brother had almost died, filled him. People had admonished them, told them it was the duty of those born in the Imperial Family and the True Golden Raven. Fueled by that duty, they had both endured the Imperial Court's many schemes and gone through such great personal pain. And yet!

No matter how much Natsuka tried to calm himself down, his body wouldn't stop shaking. “Are you going to just babble now, after all this time, saying it was all a misunderstanding!? You of all people should be fully aware of how much Nazukihiko and I have suffered until now. If you're saying it was all just a mistake, then why did we brothers have to go through—”

“Brother,” Wakamiya’s sharp voice brought him to a stop. At a loss for words, Natsuka turned around to find his brother there. He had remained unmoving, calmly watching over them. “Let's first listen to what the Worship Consul has to say.”

“But!”

“Then, let's first clarify one thing. Worship Consul,” Wakamiya called to him with a steady, clean voice that resonated through the entire room, “am I not the True Golden Raven?”

Natsuka wasn’t the only one waiting for the answer with bated breath, as Sumio and Rokon joined him as well. The man, however, shook his head slowly with despair painted all over his face. “...... We don't know.”

“You don't know……?”

“At this time, it has become impossible for us to determine it. The Forbidden Gate is unlocked, yet it cannot be opened. If it were only that, we could still make do—but there are other bigger reasons to question the validity of Wakamiya's status as the True Golden Raven.”

“And which reasons are those? Tell me,” Natsuka urged him. His fury was genuine, yet the Consul was obstinate.

“I can't tell you. What if someone tried to feign being the True Golden Raven? The conditions are kept in strict secrecy so they stay out of the ears of anyone who isn't a priest. But, His Highness Wakamiya doesn't fulfill this most important of conditions.”

Wakamiya blinked, clearly perplexed. “I'm not an imposter or anything of the like. At least, I myself think so, but……”

“Nazukihiko was declared the True Golden Raven when he was barely an infant, so don't just go spouting things at random.”

“We're troubled as well! We truly don't believe that Your Highness is lying to us either. Besides, if we look at specifics, you do indeed have the powers of the True Golden Raven. And yet, why—” 

Then, just when the Worship Consul was starting to clam up again, his annoyance at the situation grown too big, someone else's feeble voice interrupted the scene.

“That’s enough, Consul. I'll explain everything.”

Upon noticing them, both Sumio and Rokon shifted to the sides—there was a group of people all dressed in white by the hall's entrance, and walking in front was a tiny old man. His body was thin, withered away, and his back was crouched by age, giving him a sense of fragility. He looked as if, the very second he had to stand unsupported by someone else, he would fall over to the ground. His face was covered in wrinkles and adorned by a thick white mustache, yet his appearance couldn't be any further away from regal.

Astonished, Natsuka even forgot his anger from moments ago.

“You're—the White Raven……?”

He was so different from their last meeting that he couldn't believe it at first. Natsuka had certainly heard that his health had taken a turn for the worse a few years ago, that much was true. In fact, nearly five years had passed since the time the Worship Consul first took his place in ceremonies. In Natsuka's memories, however, the image of the White Raven was mostly that of the day he came to recommend abdication to him. He had been under the genuine impression that the man was hardy and healthy despite his old age.

With Natsuka petrified, it was Wakamiya who rushed to the White Raven’s side.

“Someone bring a bench, let the White Raven sit down.”

“No, I can’t sit down in front of His Excellency…”

“It's an order. Sit,” Wakamiya flatly rejected the notion before further asking for forgiveness. “I’m sorry, I didn't know your situation was this dire. My sincere apologies for calling you today.”

“There’s no need. It's me who has no excuses to give you, making you come all the way here,” the White Raven gave him a feeble bow before sitting on a bench brought by one of his priests. He deeply sighed. “It's no wonder Lord Natsuka would be angered, receiving this news after so long. However, we were left with no alternative.”

“Tell us, then. What's the secret requisite for a True Golden Raven?”

“That's—” the White Raven spoke with a hoarse, strained voice. “Memories.”

As simple as his words were, their meaning escaped them at first. Seeing the princes’ confusion, the White Raven gave them a clearer explanation.

“Your Highness, you lack the memories of the first True Golden Raven, correct?”

“...... What does that mean?”

“Starting from the founder of the line, a True Golden Raven is supposed to inherit the memories of all True Golden Ravens who preceded him—but you lack them. We are the ones with questions. Why do you not remember anything at all!?”

The Golden Raven was the father and mother of all Yatagarasu. No matter the time, he shall appear in front of the people, his beloved children. No matter the struggle they're facing, he shall protect his people and be the one to guide them and enlighten them. The Golden Raven was the leader of all Yatagarasu.

——To the Yatagarasu, the True Golden Raven was their perfect, infallible ruler.

Natsuka had believed the reason laid in the soul, the spirit driven to prioritize his people over anything else. Nazukihiko was different from him—he could mend the tears in Yamauchi's barriers, transform at night, and he had the ability to see a Yatagarasu's true nature and make the most out of it. Above all, his selfless heart made him use those selfsame capabilities for everyone else’s sake rather than his own.

All that time, Natsuka had lived believing that was the key difference—what separated him from his brother—but, according to the White Raven’s words, for a True Golden Raven, that was an imperfect form.

“The True Golden Raven is literally the ancestor of all Yatagarasu.” The White Raven extended a trembling hand in Wakamiya's direction. “His Excellency, the first Golden Raven, came to this land led by lord Yamagami—he was the father of the princes who founded the Four Houses and the ancestor to all Yatagarasu living in Yamauchi. The True Golden Raven is none other than his reborn self. That’s his true nature.”

If he truly were the ‘True Golden Raven’, there should have been no need whatsoever to explain any of this to Wakamiya. It was, in fact, quite the opposite. The moment his memories returned, all priests excluding the White Raven were supposed to fall under the True Golden Raven's direct command.

“The roles are different than you think,” the White Raven said, out of breath. “When the True Golden Raven is absent, the White Raven performs anything related to religious matters and the Acting Golden Raven takes care of governance. That's how the division of responsibilities is supposed to work. Our job is merely to wait for the True Golden Raven's return. We never expected to be in a position where we had to determine whether a prince was in fact the real Golden Raven or not.”

When the lock of the Forbidden Gate first opened, they acted on the belief that Wakamiya would soon recover his memories. He was just an infant incapable of speech back then, so they should come back as he grew up. Time passed and, even when Wakamiya returned from the Outside, even when he came of age, up to the present, he still showed no signs whatsoever of remembering anything.

For the White Raven, this had been a wholly unexpected development. He couldn't recognize Wakamiya’s coronation when, as the True Golden Raven, he didn't fulfill the most important condition of them all. He waited until the very last moment for Wakamiya's memories to return, but, once talks about the Acting Golden Raven's abdication came to him, he determined he couldn't keep doing so any longer and the aforementioned proclamation followed.

“Then, am I truly not the True Golden Raven?”

“We cannot say with certainty,” the Worship Consul explained in the White Raven’s stead, who was breathing painfully and with great difficulty. “There is truly no question that Your Highness is something incredibly close to the True Golden Raven. The power you possess is undoubtedly that of one. It’s clear that you aren't a simple Yatagarasu.”

Despite that, he couldn't be called a complete True Golden Raven either. Everything about him was too half-baked.

“Then—what am I?” Wakamiya murmured, bewilderment all over his face. An understandable reaction. If he hadn't asked, Natsuka himself would have pressed the priests for answers. 

“There is one possibility that has occurred to us,” the White Raven looked at the Consul, who raised his head.

“His Highness, Lord Natsuka, do you know what these are?” The Consul pointed to a number of evenly spaced stone boxes, all lined up as if enveloping the center of the room. Water flowed from them. Both Natsuka and Wakamiya shook their heads, to which the Worship Consul nodded. “These are the coffins of past True Golden Ravens.”

Natsuka’s eyes widened. Truth to be told, he had thought they were shaped like coffins for a second there, but cremation was the custom for aristocrats in Yamauchi and, while he had seen a corpse in a wooden coffin before, this was the first time he ever saw one made of stone.

“They may look like stone, but these coffins are actually made of plain wood.”

“Plain wood? How can that be!?”

Even upon closer inspection, the coffins looked as if they were made of sparkling white stone. It was hard to examine them in detail due to the water gushing out from the stone’s surface but, as the Consul urged him to try to touch one of them, the sensation was unmistakably that of rock.

“After the water has flowed out of it for long enough, the plain wood of the coffin transforms into stone.”

The True Golden Ravens’ remains were never cremated, unlike the rest of the Imperial Family. It was their duty to protect Yamauchi even after death, according to the Consul, and so they were placed in these wooden vertical coffins and enshrined surrounding the Forbidden Gate.

“As for why water flows from coffins made of wood, or why that same wood doesn’t rot but instead transforms into stone, we don’t know either. There is no doubt, however, that those within these coffins are the successive True Golden Ravens. The problem is with this one,” the Worship Consul pointed at the coffin positioned at the farthest side of the room. It was truly made of plain wood. No water flowed from it and it hadn’t yet become stone either. After they had observed for a while, the Consul came closer to it. “Please, take a look.”

He put a hand on the coffin’s lid and, with a surprisingly light sound, opened it.

“Wait—” Natsuka tried to stop him by sheer reflex, but his attempt was cut short the moment he took a look inside. His mouth opened in shock.

“It’s…… empty?” Sumio, who was waiting by Wakamiya’s side, whispered in surprise. Just as he said, there was nothing within.

“This is the coffin where the previous True Golden Raven was supposed to be buried,” the White Raven said with a tone so sad, it felt as if he was about to cry. “We think this may well be the reason why Your Highness Wakamiya’s memories won’t return.”

“But, where are the remains of the previous True Golden Raven? Was it impossible to bury him properly?”

In answer to Natsuka's question, the Worship Consul vexedly caressed the empty coffin. “We don’t know. It’s not even only about the remains, it’s also unclear how the previous True Golden Raven died at all.”

From what they knew, the last True Golden Raven died about one hundred years ago. At the time, the Forbidden Gate was supposedly still open and the Golden Raven did visit the Holy Precincts and serve Yamagami himself. Back then, Yamauchi was truly peaceful. However, one time, the True Golden Raven never came back from the Holy Precincts and, as the people waited for his return, the Forbidden Gate closed by itself. Nobody was capable of opening it ever since.

——They believed that the True Golden Raven had died in the Holy Precincts.

There was a funeral and a new Acting Golden Raven ascended to the throne, but that crucial corpse was never found, not even after all these years, so only an empty coffin remained of it. 

“That’s all that’s written within the records inherited by the White Raven generation after generation.”

“The reality of the matter is that, due to the missing remains, his burial was left incomplete. We suspect that the burial process of a True Golden Raven may be intrinsically related to the inheritance of memories, due to the very differing rites compared to the rest of the Imperial Family.” Yet this very important ritual was left incomplete a hundred years ago. That was the root cause of Wakamiya’s birth as an incomplete True Golden Raven, or so the priests suspected.

“Besides, the True Golden Raven is supposed to reincarnate at the times he's needed, with the most suitable form both physically and mentally to handle the disasters that will threaten Yamauchi. However, it never took more than twenty years for the True Golden Raven to return at the longest. Not until now.”

——It was already an abnormality for the True Golden Raven to not be reborn for a hundred years.

Natsuka put a hand on his frozen brother's shoulder in an attempt to cheer him up. If he didn’t do that, Natsuka felt as if he himself would end up on the ground.

“...... If that's the case, what are you going to do?” Natsuka could now understand why the White Raven wasn’t in a position to declare Wakamiya the True Golden Raven, but the situation couldn't stay like this. “If Nazukihiko doesn't take the throne, our father will be stuck as the Acting Golden Raven. The Imperial Court will be left dancing to the tune of the Four Houses and we will be unable to counter the very disaster the True Golden Raven was supposed to handle for us!”

Neither the White Raven or the Worship Consul had any answers. Wakamiya watched them in silence before, finally, murmuring something, “The White Raven isn't wrong. Even if I were to ascend to the throne like this, we don't even know for sure how much an incomplete True Golden Raven can achieve against the coming disaster.”

“But—!”

“The imperfection is, of all places, in the Golden Raven's consciousness—the part most concerned with decision-making. Right now, it's as if I possessed a very sharp sword with no knowledge on how to use it. If I were to make a mistake, it could easily lead us to an unfixable situation.”

“Nazukihiko,” Natsuka said. He had to say something—anything—to his brother, but he couldn’t find any words to offer him.

“Your memories—if only Your Highness Wakamiya's memories were to return, we will wholeheartedly welcome your coronation. But, please, forgive us.” The White Raven threw himself to the ground from his bench, as if collapsing, and grovelled over the stone floor. “As Your Highness is right now, we cannot recognize you as the True Golden Raven no matter what……!”

Afterwards, Natsuka returned to his own residence to change his clothes. As he dressed himself in the deep purple priestly garments, his mind ran at full speed to figure out what to say to the ministers. To control the ensuing chaos, they now had to give a formal explanation at the Hall of State Ceremonies—or that was the idea. In reality, Natsuka—the one who should have his act together the most—was even more shaken than Wakamiya himself.

He couldn't keep going like this. He put his hand on his forehead just as he heard someone's amused voice from behind. “So you don't plan to change stances, even when faced with a failure of a Golden Raven?”

Natsuka turned around impetuously. His eyes met Rokon's, who was leaning against the wall with a smirk.

“What did you just say……?” 

——A failure of a Golden Raven, is that what he said?

Natsuka approached Rokon with heavy, loud footsteps, slamming him against the wall by the neck. He squeezed. “Don't ever say stupid things like that again!”

Rokon's back met the wall with a dull noise and Natsuka's attendants, who had been helping him change, let out small screams. Meanwhile, Rokon himself was wearing the same unchanging grin from ear to ear. “I haven't said anything stupid. It's a fact that even His Highness Wakamiya himself has recognized, or have you forgotten that?”

“Even if that's the case, I won't stand quietly if you call him so. I won't let anyone ridicule Nazukihiko, not you or any other!” The words came out of his mouth before he even realized it. That same instant, he felt the doubts within him vanish into thin air. “....... Thank you, Rokon. I’ve just made up my mind.”

Natsuka roughly let go of Rokon's neck. He kept glaring at him. “I have the pride of a Yatagarasu of the Imperial Family. As someone born in it, I must fulfill the duty given to me. I haven't even once desired the throne for myself out of self-interest—same as my brother.”

So, as long as Nazukihiko tried to selflessly fulfill his duty as a member of the Imperial Family, Natsuka would keep believing in him. “No matter what others may say, my brother is a proper Golden Raven and he’s qualified as Yamauchi's ruler. I don't know what you're planning, but if you expect me and my brother’s relationship to go awry, you better give up now.”

Rokon, who was looking at Natsuka as if studying him, suddenly smiled in a pleased manner. “I'm not planning anything. Lord Natsuka should do whatever he wishes. No matter what order you give me, I'll obey them all.”

He spoke as if soothing an obstinate, selfish child. Filled with suspicion, Natsuka looked him in the eye and, subconsciously, gulped at what he found there.

“I’ll merely stay loyal to you in my own way,” Rokon said with a laugh, his eyes like those of a beast who knew no mercy.

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

The Director finished his explanation on the situation as Suikan looked him over.

“Then,” Seiken spoke, “the coronation has indeed been indefinitely postponed……”

“That's right.”

“Has the Imperial Court given any detailed explanations?”

The Director slowly shook his head. “Not any clear one, no. We haven't been informed of why the White Raven ordered the coronation to be postponed, or why His Highness Wakamiya accepted it.” There were rumors it had been Natsuka who hid the truth of the matter, but whether they were true or not, nobody knew. “Regardless of that, this is going to be a problem.”

——It had been ten days since the priests made their proclamation.

They were in a wide drawing room found in the Unbending Reed Monastery’s instructor quarters. All of the main instructors were there, from those responsible for the Seeds to those taking care of the Evergreens. The lamps’ light wavered as their faces emerged from the darkness under them. Their expressions were all grim.

“The custom is for the position of Monastery Director to be transferred with the accession of a new Golden Raven, as you know. You may also remember that we had arranged to invite Abbot Takubou of Heaven's View Temple and to start the proceedings to hand over the position of Director to him, but that’s null now as well.”

None of them had any idea what the future had in store for them, not in the current circumstances. The Director looked at them one by one, their faces wordlessly twisted with mixed feelings, and put on a strained expression of his own. “I know you must all be ill at ease, but our duty as instructors doesn’t change because of this. As long as there are no movements in the Imperial Court, the administrative structure here won’t change in any form compared to before. Just fulfill your respective tasks.”

As the instructors voiced their agreement in unison, Seiken alone scratched his cheek. “Still, this is a problem. Rumors about the situation are already circulating among the trainees. They’re already divided by the Wakamiya and Animiya factions as-is, which is driving wedges between them, and now we can expect the situation to worsen even further.”

“Who do you think would be the most problematic?”

“Kimichika of Minami-Tachibana, I would say. There have been signs for a long time,” an instructor in charge of the Saplings answered with a sour face.

Kashin, who took care of many of the practical courses, further added to the conversation, “There is an unusual amount of high-ranking and talented boys among the Seeds this year. May he be fretting because of that?”

“True. Ever since Akeru of the Western House arrived, I feel his concerning behavior has become much more conspicuous. I often see those who identify with the Animiya faction—Kimichika acting as their leader—picking fights with Akeru.”

Hearing the Saplings’ theory instructor’s insight, Seiken sighed. “Akeru has been buying into it quite a bit as well. I let them be. Birds of a feather flock together, you know. But, after today, that may not be something we can take so lightly anymore. I must request all instructors to pay extra attention. We cannot allow a bunch of fair squabbles to turn into one-sided bullying.”

“Got it.” Voices raised in agreement  from here and there at Seiken’s warning.

Once the Director confirmed that if there were any new developments at the Imperial Court, they would all be summoned again immediately, and after he insisted that they had to guide the trainees in order to avoid any conflict over politics arising, their meeting finally came to an end.

The very minute the meeting ended, Suikan, who had been making an effort to not bring attention upon himself, left the drawing room behind.

It was a slightly cloudy night. In the hallway, he could feel the humidity accompanying the tepid atmosphere. Sometimes practical courses were changed into theory when it rained, so his mood plummeted the moment he thought of the coming day.

Suikan attempted to return to his room, but then he heard a voice calling for him from behind. 

“Instructor Suikan, could I have a moment?” Suikan turned to find Seiken rushing towards him, his black feather robe fluttering as he moved.

“What’s the issue?”

“I’ve overheard rumors that you’re giving certain trainees special treatment in your classes, is that true?” Suikan refused to answer, and Seiken pressed his lips together tightly. “I’ll make my question more specific, then. Did you truly punish the trainees involved in the dispute with Kimichika all over again?”

“Yes.”

“And what about the rumor that, ever since, you keep on naming Yukiya as your opponent during exercises to ruthlessly beat him on the board? I’ve also heard that you are actively trying to punish him by making him organize the library or clean up the bamboo grove, so he doesn’t even have the time to do his homework.”

Suikan had been fully aware he would be reprimanded for his actions someday, so he answered with full composure, “They changed the wording a bit, but it was obvious many trainees were copying the work of that. That’s his punishment, and prevention for the future.”

“If that’s the case, everyone who copied the homework should have been punished equally. There’s no way the attitude you have around Yukiya is that of an instructor with a trainee.”

“Well, I don’t recognize him as a trainee,” Suikan answered.

Seiken’s eyes widened with surprise. “Why?”

“You must have realized it too, even without me saying it, right? His existence only disturbs the peace of the Monastery. As far as this place is concerned, he does nothing aside from harm. He’s nothing but poison for the rest of the trainees,” Suikan declared.

“...... Even if that were the case, as long as he’s a trainee, he is one of our students, same as everyone else. No matter how you yourself may feel about him, the moment you make a show of it, there won’t be any avoiding the suspicion that you’re playing favorites with Kimichika.”

“Not like I mind if people think that,” Suikan countered immediately.

The look in Seiken’s eyes became all the more pointed. “This isn’t only your problem, Instructor Suikan. It’s an issue that affects the reputation of all the instructors in the Monastery. You should treat all trainees fairly no matter what.”

“Fine…” 

He at least wanted to avoid Seiken’s anger, so Suikan lowered his head obediently. Seiken watched him for a while, as if observing and studying him, and then suddenly smiled. “You’re still very inexperienced as an instructor. Don’t lose too much spirit.”

“I greatly appreciate the concern.”

“Very well then, have a good night.” Seiken gave him his usual smile before departing.

Suikan watched his back as he walked away. Then, he let out an unconscious sigh in disappointment. With heavy steps, he returned to his room, where the very focus of the earlier conversations was waiting for him.

“I’m taking the chance to intrude here.”

The boy held up his sake in quite the tasteless move given alcohol was formally prohibited. Cups and snacks were spread all over the room. Suikan crossed his arms. “I told you that you could come in whenever you wanted, but not that I would look the other way when you drink alcohol.”

“Don’t be so stiff! So, how’d it go? The meeting.”

“There haven’t been any significant developments. I didn’t get any information beyond what you had already, but you came up in the conversation,” Suikan coldly said at last.

“Me? How so? What brought me up?”

“They said that your behavior couldn’t be overlooked. How about stopping the despotic antics?” Suikan asked, making a point out of his own bad mood. “All that championing the Animiya Faction and picking fights with the Wakamiya Faction kids—particularly that Akeru of the Western House. Stop with that idiocy right now. If things keep going like this, I won’t be able to protect you any longer.”

“Look at who’s talking. You’re treating Yukiya of the Northern House like shit and yet you’re scolding me? He’s from the Wakamiya Faction too, right?” Kimichika said, all full of himself. 

“Don’t lump me together with the likes of you!” Suikan snapped back. He knew it was childish of him, but he couldn’t help it.

Kimichika must have realized just how furious he was. He snorted in exasperation. “Would you do me the favor and chill out? If we’re talking about my behavior lately, it’s not like I’m doing it just because I feel like it. It’s on purpose—mostly.”

“What?”

“My very own brother told me to.”

Just the last person he wanted to hear about. Suikan let out a pained groan. “... So it was him.”

Natsuka’s closest vassal and subordinate, Rokon. He had been Suikan’s senior by one year back when he was a trainee at the Monastery.

“This is just to rein in the Wakamiya Faction.”

“What is that thinking? Lord Natsuka himself has expressed his allegiance to Wakamiya, there is no meaning in doing any of this.”

Kimichika’s expression twisted in a way that made it clear he was mocking Suikan. “You truly don’t get my brother.”

“As if I want to! He’s a man who will tout things like ‘the path to true loyalty comes from knowing pleasure’. The less ideas I have in common with him, the better.”

That man was crazy. There was no other way to put it, even if one were to be tactful. The day Suikan became capable of understanding what he was thinking would also be the day Suikan was effectively dead as a person.

Kimichika observed him with amusement and started to play with the cup of sake, swaying it.

“My brother hasn’t given up on making Lord Natsuka the Golden Raven,” Kimichika declared cheerfully, as if he were talking about the weather and not something so alarming. “And you’re my brother’s favorite. When the time comes, there’s no doubt he intends to choose you as his tactician.”

“...... Not something I care about.”

“But, given the fact that you’re covering for me like this, you must not be unhappy about it either, right?” 

This damn brat. Suikan cursed Kimichika internally, yet he made no attempt to either confirm or deny the notion. “Anyway, your current course of action won’t help you in any shape or form. I don’t give a shit about what your brother is planning, but be careful with what you do and say. Unless you want to be outwitted by the Northern House’s insolent brat, that is.”

“By that kid! I have nothing to fear against him.”

“Stop with that fearless act. No matter how much you try to clumsily imitate him, you won’t ever become your brother.”

The moment he heard that, the air of composure fell from Kimichika’s face.

“Shut up….. It’s not your problem.” Kimichika sulked like a child, but Suikan completely ignored him and, instead, insisted on his point.

“You should be proud of not resembling that. You had the fortune of being born right, so stop behaving in a way that puts it to waste,” Suikan earnestly warned him.

Yet Kimichika disregarded his words, acting like a scolded child and unwilling to listen. “Fine, fine! I get it. I’ll behave. It’s not like the end result will change whether I get involved or not.”

Suikan frowned.

“Akeru’s pretensions are starting to fall apart, from the looks of it.” Kimichika’s lips curved. “He’ll self-destruct soon enough.”

Kimichika smiled happily at his own words, sporting a face so similar yet dissimilar to Rokon’s.

Next: Akeru (Part 3)

—————————————

1: Holy Precincts is originally Shin’iki (神域), which refers to the precincts of a Shinto shrine or a place where a Shinto god dwells.

[sayaka19fan]

I wish you could see it, too

[sayaka19fan]

I don't ship them, but the way they talk about Natsume resembles arguing about a child's custody.

The parody is spot on!

Bruh I was kind of taking it as a joke at first, but these two really do be acting like a pair of exes who never fully got over each other💀

[sayaka19fan]

▸Natsume Yuujinchou S7 ▸Ep10

[sayaka19fan]

"if i was orpheus i simply wouldn't have turned around" if you didn't love her enough to turn around, you didn't love her enough to crawl through the underworld to save her. if you could prevent yourself from looking back, you wouldn't be trying to bring her back to life. if you were able to look forward, you would be grieving.

"if I was orpheus I simply wouldn't have turned around" if you don't love her enough to turn around, you aren't orpheus.

[sayaka19fan]

Chapter 103

Chapter 265

...

Kusanagi you jerk.

[sayaka19fan]

now that i digested the latest chapter i just want to say that

IM GNAWING MY ARM OFF!!! (spoilers ahead for akayona 265)

this arc has been crushing (in a narratively satisfying way) and this chapter is not an exception. we spent a lot of this arc learning that Zeno wants to die, he goes so far as to try to get Yona to kill him because if his blood was given as his duty to stay with the crimson dragon then if the crimson dragon kills him he should be able to stay dead right? it seemed like he was willing to do anything in order to fulfill his desire to finally feel the sweet embrace of death.

despite all that!!! when told that the dragon warriors would be free and human, him being the only exception, HE WAS WILLING! HE SAID IT WOULD BE FINE!! HE WAS WILLING TO BE SUBJECTED TO HIS ETERNAL LIVING HELL IF IT MEANT THE REST OF THE DRAGON WARRIORS WOULD GET TO LIVE AS HUMANS!!!

HE LOVES THEM SO MUCH THAT HE WAS WILLING TO ENDURE LIVING HELL ETERNALLY FOR THEM

im yonna tfrow up

[sayaka19fan]

i have no one to talk about this new cover with but know i’m absolutely insane about it

[sayaka19fan]

The Raven of the Empty Coffin: Chapter 2 "Akeru" Part 1

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation japanese-english of the original novel. The events of this novel follow after what's already covered by the anime. For an easier understanding, I recommend first reading the few scenes of previous books I've already translated.

Blog version

For the Index, you can find it HERE

Previously: Shigemaru (Part 3)

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

Chapter 2: Akeru (Part 1)

“Good evening,” the boy said to me.

His clear eyes were jet black. His skin was whiter than magnolias even under the setting sun. He had small shoulders, covered by a thin haori made of silk gauze. His perfectly straight hair fell smoothly over them.

——What a beautiful person.

That was the first impression I ever had of His Highness Wakamiya.

Back then, my mother was completely focused on my older brother, the family’s heir, and my older sister, who everyone counted on to enter the Imperial Harem. In my loneliness, I had taken to endless mischief to make the adults pay attention to me and that day was no exception. As soon as the maids told me to ‘not go to the palace’s annex on my own, there was an important guest staying there’, I immediately decided to sneak there.

I remember it clearly even now.

It happened at dusk. I took a peek in the annex’s direction as soon as I crossed the then flowerless camellia hedges. My plan had been to go inside and explore if I found nobody there, but that wasn’t the case. Someone was in fact sitting on the veranda, surrounded by red light.

As the light lingered it turned the sky crimson, dyeing the blooming white magnolias a light pink. The person on the veranda had been looking up, admiring the spectacle made by the delicately falling petals—yet, somehow, he noticed me on the spot. He even nonchalantly greeted me first.

“Go…… Good evening,” I answered back, full of nerves. I sure sounded insecure even to myself, my voice barely a flutter.

“Is something the matter? Maybe a message from Lady Masuho?”

I didn’t like the familiar way in which he spoke of my sister, but I still kept my silence. Instead, I shook my head.

“Then, was this originally your playground? I'm sorry to intrude like this,” the boy responded, and I panicked.

“No! They just told me I couldn't come here, so, erhm… you see…”

“You ignored it and came here.”

“I did…”

That was the ‘important guest’ the maids had told me about, even I could tell that much. At that moment, I was convinced he would call the servants and I would be yelled at, which made what happened next even harder to believe. I couldn’t trust my ears at first.

“Then let's keep it a secret.” I looked up in surprise, and there was the boy pressing his index finger against his lips. “You don't want to be scolded, right? So leave it just between us that we were both here. How about that?”

I just stood there like a fool for a while. Had that been my older brother, I had no doubts I would have been harshly yelled at. I had bothered plenty of people with my troublemaking, yet this was the first time someone had offered to keep it a ‘secret’. Thinking about it now, this was the exact moment I learned you could actually have friends—people to get in trouble with.

“——Yes, let's! It's a secret.” I too raised my finger to my lips.

In answer, the boy gave me the gentlest of smiles.

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

“It's time at last,” Akeru declared as he observed the expressions of all the boys standing in front of him.

The Unbending Reed Monastery, third building, second room. Not even an hour after Akeru had carried his belongings inside, all the trainees with connections to the Western House had gathered there for a meeting.

“The Southern House’s overt and ever-growing tyranny these last few years is the biggest proof of their fear. We may have struggled because of it, but that too is about to end.”

The trainees, who had been attentively listening, leaned forward. “Then…!”

“It's just as you think. His Highness Wakamiya will inherit the throne soon.”

There had been an endless amount of councils held at the Imperial Court over the past few days. The requests for the reigning emperor to abdicate the throne in favor of His Highness Wakamiya grew in number, and while the Animiya Faction, most of them from the Southern House, was against the idea, they had no arguments against their rival faction's efforts. It wouldn’t take long to gain the Court's approval, that was almost certain.

“It would be unacceptable to have Yamauchi Guards like the scoundrels from back then by the time His Highness Wakamiya has truly become His Majesty. I came here, to the Unbending Reed Monastery, under Wakamiya's personal orders to preside over you all,” Akeru said gallantly, as he surveyed them all. The people present went from Seeds to Evergreens, all the very picture of solemnity.

“We shall become His Highness Wakamiya’s true allies. Indolency is inexcusable. Brace yourselves and perform your duty diligently.”

“Yes!” his companions said at once, bowing their heads.

“Someday, he’ll become your brother-in-law, so make sure to not disrespect him in any way.” Those were the words Akeru's father gave him once upon a time.

Afterwards, he introduced him to the very same boy who had turned into Akeru's first ever accomplice. His Highness Wakamiya—a young prince of the Imperial Family and his older sister's future husband.

Wakamiya’s health had been poor when he had first arrived at the Western House. He had been recovering in the annex, so they were only formally introduced to each other once he had actually recovered. But, when his father wasn't looking, Akeru pressed his finger once more against his lips and, all while keeping a straight face, Wakamiya responded with the same gesture for just a second.

Akeru and his sister were given plenty of chances to play with Wakamiya ever since then, using the fact that they were all children as an excuse. From that point onwards, Masuho no Susuki, Akeru's kind and compassionate sister, came to genuinely like him.

Akeru was also filled with the desire to do something—anything—for his beloved sister and his future brother-in-law. That was why, the very second he learned of Wakamiya’s return from his studies abroad in the Outside in order to choose his legal wife, he volunteered to become one of his attendants.

It was early spring, and the first time they had met in years. The location was in front of Sunrise Palace—the Crown Prince’s residence. It had been kept closed due to Wakamiya's long absence, and the plan had been to spend the day getting it back to livable condition. Akeru had been given the position of the head of the attendants—acting as the representative of everyone serving in Sunrise Palace—so he was given the opportunity to, personally and with great anticipation, wait for their master's return.

While he had expected Wakamiya to arrive from the bridge connecting the Palace to the Imperial Court, he instead appeared riding on a horse and landed right in front of Akeru and the rest of the attendants. Akeru wouldn't ever forget the scene.

Three sharp claws grasped at the stone floor and the resulting wind forced them all to shield their eyes. The horse kept flapping its wings for no apparent reason, its black feathers dancing in the air. The rider’s straight hair danced in the wind, its color a splendid black, and his eyes, resplendent like amethysts, were directed at them.

“Oh, Akeru. It has been a while,” were Wakamiya's first words. As he said that, he swept the sleeves of his garment, a luxurious piece embroidered in gold, out of the way and jumped down from the horse’s saddle with practiced ease. He was all grown up, yet he remained the same beautiful person of his youth. Just as Akeru remembered him.

“Welcome back, Your Highness. I've been waiting for you all this time!”

Akeru would give his all for this person's sake. He wholeheartedly thought so. Yet, just as they finally opened the doors to Sunrise Palace and set about cleaning its long unused rooms, Wakamiya stopped them.

“There's no need to do that,” he assured them. “All of you, return to your previous workplaces.”

Akeru heard someone else raise his voice in baffled surprise.

“One person shall suffice to tend to Sunrise Palace, everyone else can return home. Akeru, you come with me.”

Immediately after saying that, Wakamiya left the Palace and settled on a small annex as his private chambers in complete disregard for the large building that he was supposed to live in. He checked the place's surroundings and, only then, after inspecting the dusty interior, he gave Akeru his first order.

“All the vegetation in the garden bothers me, cut them so I can see further from my room. Also, there is too much of a mess of things inside, I don't like it. Leave a bookshelf and take away everything else. I have somewhere to go after this, but I'll be back before sunset…… So, let's see. At the very least, before then, clean up the room enough for me to sleep. Can you do that?” Wakamiya asked him.

Akeru nodded, full of confidence. “Of course, leave it to me.”

“Then that I shall. Don't let anyone inside while I'm away.”

“Understood. Please, take care.”

Akeru was overjoyed to have Wakamiya relying on him, proud to be able to answer to those expectations. Once he had seen him off, Akeru gave his servants, who had been waiting just outside the Palace, the order to send a messenger to the Western House's residence—not the main one in their territory, but the palace they owned for work at the Imperial Court.

From there on, Akeru spent his entire time diligently working until dusk. In fact, Sunrise Palace had been completely transformed thanks to his efforts by the time of Wakamiya’s return. The setting sun shone over them when he finally came back to his room. As soon as he set foot in it, however, he writhed in shock.

“...... What's this?”

“I just followed your commands, Your Highness. The room was truly painful to behold, so, brazen as it may be, I took it upon myself to prepare and deliver new furniture. All made by Western craftsmen,” Akeru proclaimed to him, checking the room once again.

If he told anyone that the room had been a disorderly mess just a few hours ago, nobody would believe him. Luxurious crimson curtains hung from the window overlooking the garden as decorated golden buckles kept them stylishly open in a shape that resembled a butterfly’s spreading wings. The desk in front was pitch black and covered in mother-of-pearl decorations. A rainbow crane flew through a nearby cupboard with top shelves(1), made by the same artisan.

An incense burner rested on top, as well as a vase filled with red apricot blossoms. All masterpieces, decorated with gold and grey heron stamps.

“I trust all these items are of a quality befitting for Your Highness, but if there is any problem, please do tell me. Exchanging them should be no problem whatsoever.”

“No, I have no complaints with the furniture as long as they’re in working condition. But… it's a bit painful to the eyes……”

Akeru could tell Wakamiya was surprised by such a splendid transformation from his somewhat bewildered look. “Please, do also check the garden. I called for one of the Western House's Retainers, a gardener, and completely fixed it. It should be perfectly pleasant to the eyes now.”

Wakamiya immediately took a look from the window and saw the garden, which had been delicately cut down and had its entirety replanted with all kinds of garden trees. He was at a loss for words. Akeru was filled with a sense of accomplishment as he looked at the man’s back. His day’s efforts were rewarded.

After all, it had been a lot of trouble to arrange it all before Wakamiya's return. To mobilize all the servants at the residence, call for the gardener, check the Western House’s treasure storage, and choose between the available furniture. He hadn’t had the time to do a careful selection and he wasn't wholly satisfied with the end result, which was a shame, but he had managed to go above and beyond Wakamiya's orders. It should be enough for the time being. 

“Is it all to your satisfaction?”

Wakamiya had been standing there, deep in thought and with a hand on his forehead, for a while. His expression was just as blank as usual, yet Akeru got the feeling he looked somehow troubled when he turned towards him.

“It's certainly an impressive change, but I can't believe you did this all alone.”

Wakamiya’s words were incomprehensible to Akeru. “But I did do it all.”

“Are you telling me that you carried even furniture like those shelves and the jar all by yourself?” Wakamiya asked him as he touched the items, all taller than Akeru.

“Oh!” Akeru finally understood. “I had the Western House's guards carry those, of course.”

“I most certainly told you to not let anyone in.”

“And I didn't. No Yatagarasu besides me has entered the Palace's premises while His Highness was absent.”

“...... What about the gardener or the people who carried all the furniture?”

“But those are all servants?” Wakamiya stayed silent, and Akeru couldn’t help but feel like there was a discrepancy forming between them. “Well, if you allow me. It's true that I allowed the servants’ entrance so I could fulfill your orders, but they're usually out of the way so His Highness won't ever see them. Please, don't concern yourself with that and treat them as if they didn't exist.”

“By any chance, are they on standby right now too?”

“Indeed, just behind the stables.” There were always servants following Akeru no matter where he went. They fulfilled any task at any moment when so requested and, if those were Wakamiya's orders, he fully planned to keep them out of his sight.

Wakamiya opened his mouth for a moment, yet he didn't say anything in the end. He fell silent again, a complicated expression on his face. Meanwhile, Akeru stood there, disconcerted and incapable of even conceiving what Wakamiya was so concerned about. Finally, Wakamiya sat on the window frame and fixed his eyes on Akeru, an air of formality to him.

“Akeru, do you truly desire to serve me?”

He hadn’t foreseen the topic to be brought up in such a way, but it was one he had long since been waiting for. Akeru kneeled at Wakamiya's feet and looked up with determination.

“Yes. I wish to serve you, even if I must risk my life in the process.”

“Is that so,” Wakamiya muttered, then continued with an order, “Then, go to the Unbending Reed Monastery.”

“To the… Unbending Reed Monastery?” He hadn't ever even considered it. “Why?”

Wakamiya quietly answered, “That's something you'll understand once you arrive there.”

“But, who will be your attendant then…?”

“There are other candidates for the position, but few people who want to become my subordinate by their own will. If you truly mean those words of yours, what you'll experience at the Monastery will be essential someday.”

After such words, there was no space for him to complain. He didn't have the slightest idea of what Wakamiya told the Western Lord, but Akeru ended up returning to the Main Residence that very day. There, the Western Lord had invited an ex-Yamauchi Guard, now a the wonder of a dojo in the West, who rigorously trained Akeru until he was old enough to enter the Monastery.

Akeru, however, couldn't help but to wonder and wonder. Why did Wakamiya decide to send him to the Monastery? The question gnawed at him until, less than half a year later, that assassination attempt against Wakamiya took place.

Upon hearing the news from his father, the shock Akeru felt was enormous. “His Highness, is His Highness Wakamiya alright!?”

“Fortunately, yes. He didn’t receive any wounds in the attempt.”

“Who would even attempt such a thing?”

“A Court Raven from the Southern House was the ringleader—he was Lord Natsuka’s subordinate.”

“Of His Highness Animiya……?” His voice came out higher than he intended. A cold shiver ran down Akeru’s back.

“Lord Natsuka denies any involvement and seems to be quite infuriated with said subordinate. Nonetheless,” his father bitterly added, “only Lord Natsuka himself truly knows how aware of his subordinate's feelings he actually was. Due to this incident, Lord Natsuka has once more made it clear he intends to pledge his loyalty to Wakamiya, but we can't be certain of how honest he is.”

Even though he was playing the role of Wakamiya's faithful subordinate in public, his true feelings remained a mystery. “On top of it all, and this wasn't made public, there were actual Yamauchi Guards among those who wielded their blades against Wakamiya. They had sworn their loyalty to Lord Natsuka.”

“That cannot be!”

They were supposed to protect the Imperial Family before and above all, to follow their orders unfailingly, and yet they tried to kill the very imperial son who held the title of the Crown Prince? The moment he heard that, Akeru felt like he had finally understood Wakamiya's goal.

Wakamiya was under constant peril, so Akeru would absolutely need the skills of a warrior to remain by his side. Even though employing the On'i system and gathering power at the Imperial Court was a possible option, he would also need the strength of a warrior to supervise the Yamauchi Guard. That had to be why he commanded Akeru to go to the Monastery.

Masuho no Susuki would become his wife and her little brother Akeru would become his trusted vassal, and, just like that, the Western House would hold the power at the Imperial Court. Wakamiya wouldn't have to worry about his safety anymore. 

——However, the situation didn't progress as the Western House had thought.

Around a year after Akeru started to prepare to enter the Monastery, they got the news—Masuho no Susuki had failed to become Wakamiya's wife and had instead chosen to remain in Cherry Blossom Palace as the head lady-in-waiting. The woman who became Wakamiya's legal wife in her place was from Natsuka's maternal family. She was a princess of the Southern House.

“The South clearly acted to interfere and get in the way of the other Houses, from the looks of it.”

“Just how much do they dare to look down on us!?”

As soon as the news of the Southern Princess’ success at the Rite of Ascension reached them, all the leaders among the West-affiliated Court Ravens gathered at the Western House's Main Residence. While hearing the argument, Akeru could only pity his sister. 

His older sister was his pride, the gentlest person he knew. She loved Wakamiya so, so dearly. He was certain that if the competition had been fair, no woman from the South, who were only capable of thinking in politics, would have even had the chance to be the chosen one. His sister’s marriage had been foiled by the South's schemes. There was no doubt.

“Damned be the South! To imagine just how sad my sister must be after this……” Akeru murmured to himself.

However, one of the young nobles who had just arrived seemed to have heard him. He approached him. “Although it's a shame she couldn't become the legal wife, she remains in Cherry Blossom Palace. There’s still a chance.”

“What do you mean?”

“There have been cases of princesses who temporarily remained as ladies-in-waiting in Cherry Blossom Palace and who ultimately became consorts even after initially refraining from becoming legal wives. Apparently, the North and the East were given leave from the Palace—only Lady Masuho no Susuki got to remain.”

In conclusion, the Northern and Eastern princesses had no chances to join the Harem even if they were to stay. Following that logic, Masuho no Susuki was clearly in a different position. 

“His Highness doesn't have any children yet, fortunately enough. If Masuho no Susuki manages to become a consort and bear a son before the South's country girl gets pregnant, it would in practice be the same as becoming the legal wife.”

“So that's how it works!”

In such a case, his sister would need his help even more. Someone had to protect her once she became a consort. From that day on, Akeru further dedicated himself to his training, managing to be admitted into the Unbending Reed Monastery as the first of the class.

Akeru took part in the trainee gathering at the dining hall once he was done giving the requisite commands to the Western forces. He coldly watched his fellow Seeds as they introduced themselves, as it all made him realize once again why he had come here.

——The current Yamauchi Guard was corrupt.

His swordsmanship teacher, the ex-Yamauchi Guard his father hired to prepare him for the Monastery, had taught him a lot about the current state of affairs in the Guard. The real reason behind both the Monastery and the Guard’s fall into ruin was said to be none other than His Majesty, the current Emperor. The man who held the position of the current Acting Golden Raven and Wakamiya and Natsuka's father.

“The custom is for the Golden Raven to frequently visit the Monastery to build up a close relationship with the trainees who shall become his private guard. A duty the previous Acting Golden Raven diligently performed.”

He would reward the instructors and thoroughly involve himself in the administration of the Monastery itself to guarantee the proper growth of the future Yamauchi Guard. That way, they ensured the Guards-to-be were highly loyal and their performance would be just as expected of the Imperial Family's bodyguards.

“His Majesty hasn't ever done such a thing, however. According to the rumors, he loathes warriors and hasn't visited the Monastery's premises or the Yamauchi Guard's headquarters even once since he ascended to the throne.”

Abandoned by their master, the Yamauchi Guard gradually lost sight of its very reason to exist. As a result, ever since his reign started, the number of candidates for the Guard had diminished little by little, and additionally, there was a dramatic increase of graduates who wouldn't even attempt to join the Guard or who would resign almost immediately afterwards. What remained were commoners with no other way of survival and a bunch of rogues with ulterior motives.

It was obvious that the source of the Guard’s corruption was found in the Monastery, and so there was a need to cut it off. If he had to guess, Wakamiya’s plan was most likely to send people who had sworn their loyalty to him to the Monastery to gather allies within it. If he was right, then he suspected that there was another Seed sent here for that very reason. 

Akeru had been Wakamiya's first attendant after his return from the Outside. However, he was given the order to go to the Monastery almost immediately and his actual time performing such a duty had been very short. After his leave, none of the attendants who came lasted very long. They either failed to perform their duties and were kicked out, or resigned themselves. Akeru’s fury raged whenever he heard about it, angry at their complete lack of determination. 

Only one person did not just remain with Wakamiya for an entire year, but was also granted the position of close aide. Such a rank that, unlike a normal attendant, acted as proof of their Lord's expectations of him and a promise to recognize him as one of his trusted vassals in the future.

Akeru had badly wanted to know what kind of person he was, so he researched him and, once he realized his status, everything fell neatly into place—he was a scion of the Northern House with a suitable rank. The North had, following the West, the best disposition towards Wakamiya out of the Four Houses. There was no doubt. Akeru functioned as a representative of the West and, much like him, this close aide was surely expected to perform a similar role for the North.

He was quite the oddball too. Despite holding a rank equivalent to Akeru's and having been Wakamiya's attendant for a year, he had also come to the Monastery. Given their rather similar circumstances, Akeru had been hoping to get along with him, yet a part of him also felt a need to compete with this close aide at the same time. He had been eagerly waiting to meet him and figure out what kind of person he was.

“I’ve been assigned to the tenth room, second building. I’m Yukiya and I’m from Taruhi in the North.”

Despite having learned his name and heard all the rumors about him, this was the first time Akeru actually saw his face. The boy who stood up at the banquet was truly plain—his only defining characteristic was his small stature. Wakamiya's ex-close aide smiled cheerfully as he kept speaking.

“Pleased to meet you all.”

——If he had to be honest, Yukiya turned out to be a complete disappointment.

Akeru sighed, walking all by himself to the hall where their next class took place. His appearance was utterly lacking, he spoke in the most absent-minded manner, and one could hardly say he seemed the smart sort even in dire need of a compliment. And, on top of it all, he kept acting as if any ridicule towards Wakamiya had nothing to do with him.

His mother was a princess of the Northern House, but he had grown up as a rural noble—the second son of what amounted to little else than a powerful local family. It was nothing like the Four Houses, who were direct descendants of the first Golden Raven's children. He lacked the spirit of a Wakamiya Faction’s Court Raven—he had even gone as far as to get involved in Kimichika's petty fight with a servant.

Wakamiya was probably hoping for either Akeru or Yukiya to spearhead the Wakamiya Faction, so Akeru had no option but to work even harder than before. 

Akeru had a general grasp on the state of their curriculum by that point in time, and there wasn't any in which Yukiya could be said to stand out. Only one subject remained—Strategy’s exercise lessons.

Strategy counted as a theory subject and was further divided into study and exercise lessons. The first was just sitting at their desks in the dining hall to study from their textbooks, while the latter was about experiencing actual combat situations in order to understand the fundamentals of battle tactics. 

For Saplings and Evergreens, exercise lessons were considered a part of the practical courses. They even took part in actual combat as well, but the Seeds’ training for the most part consisted of what they called ‘board drills’ instead.

This would be Akeru’s first time ever attempting one. When he had first heard from his teacher about these drills—simulations over a board representing the battlefield with pieces as the soldiers—, his mental image bore quite the resemblance to shogi or go. Actual ‘board drills’, however, weren't the kind of activity one would enjoy as mere games. 

The boards it used, called ‘Fields’, were modelled after real places across all of Yamauchi. There was plenty of variety. Everything, including rivers and mountains, was faithfully recreated on them. Some boards even represented actually existing palaces and temples. These ‘Fields’ had been created to execute simulations of hypothetical revolts in the chosen environment and were apparently crafted by referencing official maps kept in the Imperial Court.

The pieces too were diverse—ranging from simple soldiers to officers, horses, scouts and spies.

Balancing established daytime and nighttime periods was the actual main source of headaches. The opponents had to choose which soldiers to keep in bird form and which as humans just before the night came and made it impossible to transform your pieces, and while they could see each other’s Fields and movements during the day, the opponent’s movements were invisible once nighttime arrived. It was necessary to use the scout and spy pieces in order to predict the other side's actions and craft a strategy going forward.

The roll of a dice determined the results and casualties whenever a battle took place on the board. The same method was used to determine the accuracy of information gained through one’s spies and scouts. It was because of this that ‘Strategy’ was handled by multiple instructors. One was in charge of study lessons, while the other took care of exercise lessons together with one assistant. 

‘No matter the age of the individual, it is the best tactician who holds all authority in times of need’. This was one of the reigning principles of the Yamauchi Guard and, because of it, whoever was deemed the current best tactician was in turn given the position of main instructor for Strategy exercise lessons. In peacetime, it ensured he was always on standby in the Monastery.

Their instructor for study lessons was already of advanced age, but Akeru had heard the man in charge of exercise lessons was the youngest instructor in the entire Monastery.

Board drills used a hall the Seeds hadn't visited before. The place had already been prepared by the assistants and administrative officers by the time Akeru came in. Maps covered in a grid—the Field—were set up right in the middle of the room's stone floor with a variety of pieces also in place at the spots chosen as the respective camps.

The opponents were to position themselves at both sides of the Field. Behind the seat for the one in charge of the dice and registers, there was a large diagram pasted on the wall in order to easily check and visualize the situation on the entire battlefield. There were also seats for the trainees, but their set-up was entirely different to the other classes. They were hugging the walls of the room, with the exception of the one with the diagram, forming a U shape and surrounding the Field. Fences separated the seats from the rest of the room.

The trainees proceeded to sit as they examined the strange room. Not too long after, the bell rang, marking the start of classes, and their instructor entered the room virtually at the same time. The man pushed the door open violently and crossed the hall with audible steps—he wasn't in a good mood, that was for sure.

The trainees, who had been chatting among themselves, shut up instantly, focusing their attention instead on their new instructor. The man in front of them looked like the uptight kind. He wasn't short but he wasn’t particularly bulky either, and his feather robe was woven to cover him entirely, up to the throat. One could feel themselves asphyxiating from watching him wear that.

His lips were thin and his face plain. His eyebrows were like willow leaves and his eyes, covered by a hidden double eyelid, looked as if a sharp, thin blade had been used to cut them open. His eyesight must have been poor, as he wore eyeglasses with green temples and a slender chain attached. His long hair didn’t have one single strand out of place and was combed back, leaving his pallid forehead completely bare.

For a while, their instructor didn't utter a single word, opting instead to coldly glare at the trainees. When he finally spoke, his tone was as pointed as his appearance would lead one to believe.

“I'm Instructor Suikan. Some of you may have heard this already, but at present I'm considered the most skilled tactician within Yamauchi.” There was a note of sarcasm in the way he spoke, making it hard to ascertain whether Suikan himself saw that status as a source of pride or not. “It seems there were many candidates for the Monastery this year. Maybe it’s because of that but, unlike your average year, there is one person among you who has shown truly exceptional talent both during the admission trials and the study lessons’ exercises.”

Akeru's heart started to beat noisily. Those sitting close to him were casting side-glances in his direction.

“I'll have him as my opponent today.”

Upon hearing Suikan's words, his assistant, who was waiting by his side, cut in on the explanation with clear confusion. “Wait a moment! We set up this Field to show them an example, the idea was to battle between us.”

It was clear why he was saying so—the Field in place was way too complex for first-timers like the Seeds. Most of all, it was just cruel to ask someone who hadn't even moved a piece before in his life to become Suikan's adversary all of a sudden.

Yet Suikan didn't seem to agree.

“There'll be no problem,” he flatly rejected the notion. “I've read his study lessons’ homework.”

Suikan’s gaze turned towards the trainees, who instinctively straightened their backs. “It was truly impressive. It’s truly, truly hard to believe a Seed could write something like that. He clearly knows how every piece moves to perfection, so I expect him to handle himself just fine even with this Field.”

There was no feeling whatsoever in Suikan's voice as he spoke.

“But……”

“He has the skill for it. If he doesn't have the self-confidence to go with it, I'll reconsider, but we cannot know without asking him first.” Akeru took deep breaths, preparing himself to be called at any moment. Meanwhile, Suikan took a good, hard look at the nervous trainees. “Is 2-10’s Yukiya here?”

——Akeru couldn't comprehend Suikan's words at first.

Many of the trainees seemed to be just as surprised, their eyes going back and forth between Yukiya and Akeru. On the other hand, Yukiya himself didn't appear to be surprised at all. He stood up as he raised his hand.

“That would be me.”

“I won't force you if you can’t. What do you say?”

“...... It would be my honor to get such a chance.”

“Very well, come to the front then. You'll be my opponent today.” As he said that, Suikan started to walk towards one of the seating stands by the Field. During Monastery's lessons, the orders of the main instructor were absolute. Yukiya as well quickly moved to the center and went up the opposing stand. His expression was ever so slightly stiff. 

Akeru watched him, incapable of suddenly accepting the implications of this particular development. He knew what this meant—Yukiya had better scores in Strategy than him. That was all there was to it.

——But, even if he understood it as a fact, he couldn't bring himself to accept it yet. It didn't feel real to him.

“The setting is a regional revolt's suppression. I'll be the leader of the rebel forces, while you'll take the role of the general sent by the Center,” Suikan started to explain to Yukiya in a steady tone, but it all felt distant to Akeru. “The rebels’ base of operations is the temple. The suppression forces are a total of thirty men. One General, two Officers, one third of the Soldiers have Horses, Scouts are available, but no Spies. Meanwhile, the rebel forces consist of one General, no Officers, forty Half-Horses, no weapons, Scouts are available, but no Spies.”

It was quite the complicated setup for a novice, as expected, but Yukiya was listening attentively as Suikan explained the Field’s premise with a monotonous tone. “The time limit will be three hours, until the end of the class. If the time limit is reached, the number of forces remaining will determine the victor. Otherwise, the only other winning conditions are to take the enemy general's head or to inflict losses heavy enough that retreat becomes your opponent's only option.”

“The day and night changes, how are they going to work?”

“They'll change every 30 minutes. In other words, you have a total of three days. Any questions?” Suikan asked.

“None,” Yukiya answered immediately.

“Very well, let's start then. Everyone else, please pay attention to the match.”

Suikan’s assistant stood by the side of the Field as the referee, following his orders. “The Field is in Toudou, Ayukumi Township, Eastern Region. Sea Rumbling Temple(2) has been occupied. The events take place during the sixth month of the year and the emperor orders you to suppress the revolt. Upper side, 2-10’s Yukiya.”

“Thank you for having me.”

“Lower side, Monastery Instructor Suikan.”

“Thank you for having me.”

Once Suikan and Yukiya were done exchanging the customary greetings, the referee gave his command. 

“Start!” At the signal, the person in charge of the registers lit up the incense clock. “The upper side has the first move.”

The referee pointed at Yukiya, who immediately started with instructions. “Mounted Unit number one is now Scout number one, move to D6. Mounted Units numbers two to six move to H3. Rest on standby.” 

As Yukiya spoke, the helping administrative officer moved the pieces to the indicated spots and the scorekeeper wrote it down both on the diagram at his back and the paper in his hands. Once it was all finished, Suikan responded.

“Half-Horses numbers one to seven move to D12. Half-Horses numbers eight to twenty, disperse through the temple's surroundings.”

The officer moved the pieces just like before and registers were taken. It was Yukiya’s turn again. “Scout number one, advance to D8. Mounted Unit number two is now Scout number two and moves to H8. Mounted Units numbers three to six advance to H6. Rest on standby.”

“Half-Horses numbers one to seven to D8.” The pieces moved as Suikan instructed, ending up in the same square as Yukiya's.

“Combat starts,” the referee announced. In answer, the scorekeeper rolled the dice and read the results.

“Upper side, Scout number one is wounded and retreats to camp. From here on, it will be only capable of moving as infantry. Lower side, some minor wounds but no need to move.”

Yukiya's piece was forced to retreat, and Suikan took over the D8 coordinate. “Lower side, will you go after them?”

“I'll retreat as well. All Half-Horses in D8 move back to D12.”

While Yukiya was taking a look at his opponent's face from time to time, Suikan's eyes were completely fixed on the Field as he kept giving instructions. His demeanour was calm to a fault.

They continued like that for a time, engaging and retreating, and with the repetition one could start to get an image of the situation on the board. Yukiya's soldiers had been steadily advancing towards Suikan’s forces, which formed to tighten their defenses. Then, just as Yukiya's troops seemed to be at a loss on how to maintain the offensive, at least from Akeru's perspective, nighttime fell upon the Field.

“It's sunset. Please, determine the numbers of people and horses,” the referee announced. At the same time, screens were placed in between the opponents and the Field.

The opponents couldn’t see the pieces actually move during nighttime, so they had to instead rely on a topographic map to predict their opponent’s movements and move their own forces. The only way they had to attain any reliable information on their opponent’s actions was through the Scouts they had sent during daytime.

The scorekeeper went from one person to the other, listening to their respective orders and moving the pieces accordingly in the blocked off Field. While the opponents themselves couldn't see it, the referee could still observe the Field and make any announcements as they became necessary.

“Combat starts in F8.”

“Lower side, your units are seriously wounded and have to retreat. Upper side, your units only received light wounds and don't have to move.”

“Combat starts in D11.”

“Lower side, retreat, some of the units died. Upper side, no changes.”

All the information gained through the referee's vocal announcements pointed to Yukiya's successful advance, yet, despite the news of victory, Yukiya didn't seem to be particularly happy. He kept a calm demeanor as he gave order after order.

Unlike Yukiya, Akeru’s seat allowed him to perfectly perceive the situation on the Field. It was a surreal sight, yet the pieces’ abnormal movements kept catching his eye whether he liked it or not, and while he dully wondered what he would do in Yukiya's situation at first, he soon gave up entirely.

As stumped as Akeru was at the increasingly strange state of affairs on the Field, by the time daytime came, the situation progressed to a point where the conclusion was plain to see. The screens were moved away and Yukiya finally gained sight of the Field. He grimaced as a groan left his lips.

Yukiya's troops had, indeed, successfully penetrated through his opponent’s forces—but there was no enemy general to be seen in the camp he had successfully invaded. Suikan's main forces had abandoned the temple during the night and, without Yukiya ever noticing, had closed the distance to his camp and were already set up to invade at any moment. Their numbers were high, no holes left in their formation. 

Anyone could tell that it was next to impossible to get through such a perfectly positioned army. On top of that, Yukiya had overinvested units on his offensive and his own camp was virtually empty. What came after was a one-sided assault. Once daytime arrived, it took barely any turns for the battle to end.

The drill didn't even get to the time limit. Yukiya had lost entirely and unquestionably.

“......Had this been a real battle, you would have died.” Suikan stepped down from the stand, picking up the piece of the general he had just defeated, which he proceeded to unceremoniously drop on the Field again. It hit the floor with a light ‘clack’ and rolled all the way to Yukiya's feet.

The match’s development had been so irregular, Akeru had found it incomprehensible after a while.

——The moment night arrived, Suikan had gone entirely unrivaled.

Suikan's pieces had been unquestionably preparing for a long battle during daytime, clearly getting ready to withstand a siege. His arrangement was perfect—the commands given to his troops had been by the book and Akeru had been capable of following the events up to that point. The moment the sun set, however, Suikan instantly went on the offensive. The shift had been terrific, truly a complete turnaround. 

His army had dispersed and started to move independently, lone Scouts sent all over the Field. The pieces Yukiya battled with the entire night had, in truth, been all such spread out Scouts. Using the information gained by such skirmishes, Suikan's main forces avoided the enemy with terrifying precision and quickly moved through the Field. The speed and precision on show had been enough to leave an onlooker like Akeru dumbfounded. He had watched Yukiya move his pieces, completely unaware of what was happening to him. It was clear Suikan had him in the palm of his hand the entire time—at his mercy.

Yukiya had been absolutely no match for him, to put it plainly.

Suikan went to the scorekeeper’s desk and took a pile of paper from it. He then walked back to stand in front of a frozen Yukiya, who was pale as a sheet.

“I’ve read all your tactical plans, as I said before. Not only your homework, but everything up to your answers on the admission exam,” Suikan said with pleasure. “With that knowledge in mind, let me tell you this. You're brilliant, of that there's no doubt. But, at the same time, I could feel arrogance in every single answer of yours. Quite a marvel, to be able to think up such nonsensical, preposterous plans before even having come here to study. They don't deserve to even be called plans—they're just a waste of paper.”

Coupled with his harsh words, Suikan threw the entire pile of papers at Yukiya. It made a soft noise as it met his head, before the sheets dispersed, fluttering to the ground. 

“Don't get the wrong idea, brat—not everything is going to work as you want to. If you go through life like that, ignorant of your own place and without even a speck of respect for your superiors, you’ll just end up just like this—disgracing yourself. Now, are you listening to me?” a scowling Suikan further asked Yukiya, who hadn't said a single word so far. “Last evening, you picked a fight with a Sapling, didn't you?”

The Kimichika incident. Akeru could hear whispers about it all over the place. Shigemaru, who had been watching over Yukiya with clear anxiety from the front, raised his voice in a panic. “Wait a moment, Instructor! That was—!”

“If you want to say something, raise your hand and introduce yourself first.”

Shigemaru did just as told. “I'm 2-10's Shigemaru. About the incident last night, that was—” 

“2-10's Shigemaru, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw your scores in theory. Before even considering your mouth, you better first memorize the basic rules for piece movements. What’s the point of opening your beak when you don't even know that much? I can’t help but wonder whether you can properly understand the current situation like that.”

Akeru heard snickers among the trainees and Shigemaru stood there motionlessly, completely ignored.

“Yukiya, Shigemaru… There's someone else left. Where's 1-1’s Chihaya?”

Urged by the people around him, Chihaya reluctantly left his seat as well. Suikan scowled at the three of them, as if mocking them. “Chihaya, Shigemaru, and Yukiya, you should learn how to behave according to your station all over again. There’ll be punishment for looking down on your superiors, disdaining rank and breaking rules.”

“But wasn't the Monastery a place where skill is given precedence above all? Yesterday, Kimichika was throwing his own weight around using his family's status, isn't that the problem here?” Shigemaru insisted once more.

“Skill is indeed the priority. You aren't wrong in that regard,” Suikan gave him a look and nodded. “It’s precisely because of that, once it’s decided who is the superior and who the subordinate, there is no changing it. Did you think it would be acceptable to throw miso soup at a superior just because you didn't like what he said?”

In answer, Shigemaru simply went quiet.

“Deplorable,” Suikan spat out the words in the quietest tone, yet his voice resounded through the entire hall. “Chihaya and Shigemaru, you'll be in charge of cleaning up the great hall every morning for a month from tomorrow onwards. Yukiya, you'll have to work on organizing the fourth library every night from dinner to lights-out until you are done registering every unclassified book in it.”

“But! Shouldn't Kimichika also receive punishment then?” Shigemaru complained.

Suikan curtly answered with no pity, “I'm giving you instructions right now. Kimichika has nothing to do with this. When someone powerless speaks, no matter how fair the argument, the only thing he’ll achieve is sounding like a sore loser. The weak have no right to speak. If you believe yourself to be right and don't want people to look down on your words, don't speak them when you remain weak. Know your place.”

Suikan spat out the words as his eyes narrowed, fixed on Yukiya.

“...... So, as we are right now, we have no right to even speak?”

“Indeed, especially you.” Suikan gave Yukiya such a look, nobody would believe they were teacher and student. “If you have any problems with my methods, complain once you beat me at least once. I'll make this a special case and take the role of your opponent every single time you take part in board drills so you always get a good taste of your ignorance and foolhardiness.”

Suikan didn't bother to wait for Yukiya's reaction before turning his eyes to everyone else. “I take it you all have also learned the kind of tragic ending that awaits a badly led organization, one where the rules are broken willy-nilly. I want all of you to individually examine today’s results and present your conclusions in writing for the next class. Base them on the fundamental principles of Strategy, and determine and summarize what was wrong with Yukiya's moves and what were the issues with these people's actions. Class is over for today.”

The trainees stood up in a hurry to perform the normative greeting. ‘Thank you for the class’, they all said. They hadn’t been this uncoordinated ever since classes had first started. Then, on their way back for lunch afterwards, everyone who wasn’t already close to Yukiya made a clear point to avoid him altogether.

“What's wrong with that instructor? He clearly came with the intention to bully Yukiya and you all from the very start!”

Just as Yukiya opened his mouth to say something to his indignant friends, Akeru approached him and started to speak instead. “Apparently, Suikan has ties to the South. I guess he couldn't leave you alone after what happened yesterday.”

Yukiya's group, who had all been huddled together, turned towards him with a start.

“Wait, so he's a South-affiliated Court Raven?”

“No idea. I don't know the finer details, but I at least remember he had some kind of connection to the Minami-Tachibana.”

“......So he is the instructor Sapling Ichiryuu mentioned, the one giving Kimichika preferential treatment.” Shigemaru nodded to himself. Beside him was Yukiya, who was looking at Akeru with obvious distrust.

“What do you want?” Yukiya seemed quite guarded against him, but Akeru paid that no mind.

“I have something to tell you,” he proclaimed instead, deadly serious.

“To me?”

“To you, yes. I’ve reconsidered my opinion of you after what just happened.” Akeru had felt humiliated at the idea of losing against Yukiya at first. Yet, thinking about it more—if he had to lose against someone, wasn’t it a relief for that person to be Yukiya of all people? “To be honest, I had underestimated you, but I see you truly are a scion of the Northern House. You may have lost against that instructor, but your talent as a tactician shone through all the same. It fills me with pride as a fellow member of the Wakamiya Faction.”

“Huh. Thank you, I guess.”

“That’s why I've come to warn you. I may not like Suikan's way of doing things and, yes, I hate Kimichika as well. However, I agree with what he said up to a point.”

Akeru had found quite a number of issues with Yukiya’s behavior for a long, long time. Leaving factors like jealousy aside, this was the perfect chance to bring them up. “There's a problem with your attitude, you see. Shouldn't you choose better with whom you socialize?”

Yukiya's expression went blank. “......What do you mean?”

“If you still don’t understand, I'll say it plainly.” Akeru glanced at Yukiya's friends, all glaring at him, before returning his gaze to him. “You should stop spending more time than strictly necessary with Hill Ravens. It’ll harm your dignity as a Court Raven in the eyes of others, to say the least.”

Shigemaru and Yukiya were known as the ‘Bear and Cub’ among their fellow Court Ravens. Besides Shigemaru being the biggest of all the Seeds and Yukiya the smallest, they both spent even breaks clad in feather robes. At first, the nickname could be read as harmless, yet at its root was ridicule for not owning even one single proper kimono. Akeru couldn't take it—to have Yukiya, a fellow scion of the Four Houses, insulted like that.

Yukiya stared back at Akeru, as if testing him. “Are you suggesting I should have sided with Kimichika yesterday?”

“No, not that.” Akeru was opposed to Kimichika from a political standpoint, that much was beyond question. What he was trying to point out, however, was much more basic than that. Opposing factions didn't even factor in.

Unless the lines between Court and Hill Ravens were properly preserved, Yamauchi's order couldn't be maintained. This was especially true for the Four Houses and the Imperial Family—they required that dignity to be able to govern Yamauchi. Akeru desired nothing more than to look at things as fairly as possible but, although he couldn't see Chihaya anywhere at the moment, Akeru did take issue with the Hill Raven’s refusal to listen to Kimichika's orders.

“Kimichika was wrong too, of course, for ignoring the rules and giving those stupid orders, but Chihaya should have still obeyed. To even try to defend him after refusing to follow orders is unbefitting of a Court Raven like you. We cannot stay like this,” Akeru affirmed, “His Highness Wakamiya will soon ascend to the throne, yet he has barely any allies. As fellow Court Ravens, it’s our duty to join hands and boost up his faction from within the Monastery.”

“Huh.”

“I've heard the tenth room is quite packed at the moment, isn't it? You can come over to mine instead, if you want to. We have both sworn our loyalty to His Highness, we should get along just fine.” Finally, Akeru had said all he had to say. Now he only had to wait for Yukiya's answer. 

Yukiya had spent the entire time completely still, icy cold eyes fixed on Akeru. Once he finally opened his mouth to speak, his speech had lost all traces of formality(3). “My bad, but I'm from the countryside, remember? What’s even the damn point in asking me of all people to behave like a proper Court Raven of the Wakamiya Faction? It’s not like I’m going to feel like one all of a sudden after all this time. I’ll do things my way, don't worry about it.”

Yukiya had spoken in a roundabout way, yet it was still a clear rejection. Akeru's fellow West-affiliated Seeds, who had been standing behind him in silence, opened their eyes wide in shock.

“Do you truly not care? The North belongs to the Wakamiya Faction too, right?”

“Lord Akeru may not have pointed it out, but there's no question the Western House will gain power after this. You really should reconsider now that you still can!”

Yukiya’s answer to their rage was a simple, carefree smile. “The future of the North and the West has nothing to do with this. My relationship with these guys is leagues more important to me than any of that.”

Yukiya looked at the commoner trainees surrounding him and grinned—an unbelievable attitude for a Court Raven. Akeru’s expression shifted instantly to one of disappointment and embarrassment. “...... I see. That's truly a shame.”

Akeru turned on his heels without even saying goodbye. He promptly shook off his underlings, who had both called after him, and returned to his dormitory without even going to the dining hall. His self-restraint met its limit the very moment the door closed. Furious beyond belief, Akeru violently threw his own ornamented blade to the ground. 

“Dammit!”

What was Yukiya even thinking? Whatever it was, it was unforgivable. However, it wasn’t the only thing that made Akeru feel that way—just as intolerable was the fact he was lagging behind that same Yukiya in his studies.

 “Lord Akeru!” From the other side of the door, he heard his subordinates’ loud footsteps as they ran towards the room.

“I'm sorry. I really need a moment here,” Akeru bluntly requested in his desperation.

“This is not the moment for that!” one of them yelled at him. “We just got a message from the Western House.”

“It’s a huge problem. Aah, what are we going to do?”

“...... What's wrong?”

——The news had just arrived. The Head Priest had ordered to delay His Highness Wakamiya's ascension to the throne.

Next: Akeru (Part 2)

—————————————

1: The cupboard here is a ni-kai zushi (二階厨子). They usually have two levels, with at least part of the first level enclosed by doors. The remaining shelves are left completely open in front and back.

2: Just a short clarification. During The Raven Doesn't Choose His Master, it's explained that Yamauchi defines the word 'Sea' as a very wide and deep lake—they don't have oceans as we understand them. It's a similar situation to the words 'horse' or 'human'.

3: In the original Japanese, Yukiya changes register when speaking fairly often. Between the three most common pronouns for young men, he uses Boku the most. He’ll use Watashi if the situation calls for such politeness, or change to Ore if he's particularly comfortable with the other person or very pissed. Similarly, while he defaults to Keigo or formal speech most of the time, he’ll drop it on occasion for the same reasons as Ore. That’s exactly what's happening here, showing how angry Yukiya is with Akeru.

[sayaka19fan]

My final for art class allowed to us to make literally anything so I made banana fish fanart 🤞

[sayaka19fan]

The Raven of the Empty Coffin: Chapter 1 "Shigemaru" Part 3

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation japanese-english of the original novel. The events of this novel follow after what's already covered by the anime. For an easier understanding, I recommend first reading the few scenes of previous books I've already translated.

Blog version

For the Index, you can find it HERE

Previously: Shigemaru (Part 2)

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Chapter 1: Shigemaru (Part 3)

As they advanced through the practical courses, the instructors relentlessly rejected the skills Shigemaru and his fellow commoners had. In Archery, they asked them to fix their stance, denying them the chance to even nock an arrow, and this was hardly the only subject where their basics—or lack thereof—got them scolded: they were stuck practicing blocking in Martial Arts, and in Swordsmanship all they did was relearning how to stand and hold their sword from zero.

Day after day, all they got were corrections. It was all how to hold their bows, the proper methods to block, and sword practice swings. Understandably enough, it had taken a toll on everyone’s motivation.

“...... You know, I’m really starting to suspect they're discriminating against us.”

The moment was after having gone through all practical courses at least once. By that point, their group study sessions had become a nightly event. To call it that was, however, a bit of an overstatement—in practice, they just came together to copy Yukiya's homework. They had gathered in Shigemaru and Yukiya’s dormitory room at first, but the number of petitioners had just kept on growing. Once the new additions to their group became more than three, they had no option but to change locations to an empty room instead.

Their little gathering was strictly composed of commoners from all kinds of places. There, facing his blank homework with a sullen look, was Kitsupei, a boy from the Eastern Region and the one who had just voiced his suspicions about discrimination. He had been the target of more corrections than anyone else during Swordsmanship that very day.

“What's up, all of a sudden?” Shigemaru looked up from his own homework, dropping his brush on the inkstone.

“There's nothing sudden about it!” Kitsupei complained. He seemed incapable of holding it in any longer. “I've thought about it from the start. Theory? I can still accept it, you know. After being in the same class, I can tell how smart Akeru and the others are.”

The problem lied in the practical courses. Commoners like them came to the Monastery because someone had recognized their sword skills or their physical prowess. Yet, in truth, they hadn’t even been given a chance to shine and just got reprimanded nonstop. It made him suspect—what if this was just silent harassment? What if they were trying to make them quit?

“But the instructors aren’t saying anything to Akeru and his followers. This is just unfair!”

Immediately, the other trainees jumped at the chance to air out their grievances, all in unanimous agreement.

“I’ve been thinking that as well.”

“Me too!”

“I was the best with a sword back home, and here I am! Stuck on simple practice swings!” Hisaya, quite prone to outbursts himself, pouted.

“If only they let us join free training, we could show them all we are capable of,” even Tatsuto, who wasn’t usually the kind to complain, joined in on the conversation.

“I bet Kashin is actually ridiculing us behind our backs!” a furious Kitsupei interjected again.

If they kept going like that, things would surely end badly. Struck by such a premonition and concerned about the consequences this little venting session would have if left unchecked, Shigemaru clapped his hands in an attempt to clear the room’s heavy atmosphere.

“Come on, come on! If you have the energy to complain, start moving those hands instead. As long as you have the skill, it’s just a matter of waiting to show it to them once we start with matches.”

“But Shige! We don't even know if they'll let us participate in the first place.”

“Does it really not bother you too, Shige?”

The entire group turned to stare at him all gloomily, and Shigemaru was at a loss on what to do next. He hadn’t ever intended it to work this way, but ever since everyone started to imitate Yukiya’s nickname for him, he had, in practice, become the group’s unofficial leader and mediator. While with power came responsibility and the last thing he wanted was to provoke a fight with the Court Ravens, he was the first one to have concerns on the matter.

At the same time as Shigemaru’s group struggled with their assignments, those from noble families were apparently handling both theory and practice with marked ease, and of them all, Akeru, who acted as the year’s Court Ravens representative, stood out as particularly talented. Horsemanship aside, Shigemaru still had yet to ever see him get reprimanded even once, so the boy had started to become a target of resentment and jealousy among the suffering commoners.

Meanwhile, Shigemaru and the other commoners were being constantly put on blast by the instructors. Even if he didn’t believe it to be out of prejudice, there had to be some reason for it. One they just weren’t seeing.

Shigemaru was thinking, trying to somehow find a good answer to the situation, when someone’s oblivious, carefree voice interrupted the scene. 

“Good job, everyone!” Yukiya, who had been absent until a moment ago, had just returned. “I just went to the kitchen to get some tea leaves. I even ended up picking up some dried sweet potato to go with it, so how about taking a short break?”

Yukiya greeted them with a bright smile on his lips. Up until a moment ago, the rest of the group had all been bad-mouthing Court Ravens, yet now they found themselves looking away out of sheer embarrassment. Yukiya had been helping them so much that nobody in the room was about to say anything against him, not willingly at least.

“...... Is something wrong?” Yukiya soon asked them. It seemed he hadn’t missed the room’s odd atmosphere.

As a panicked Hisaya jumped to deny the notion, Shigemaru stopped him. Thinking about it, asking for Yukiya’s opinion was probably the best thing they could do given the circumstances. Indeed, once Shigemaru told him the truth of what had happened, Yukiya didn’t even seem bothered by the group’s criticism of Court Ravens.

“Oh, I see. But I think you’re misunderstanding something,” he calmly denied their suspicions. “Right now, what they’re teaching us are all techniques geared towards official tournaments.”

“Official tournaments? Why would they do that?”

“This is the Unbending Reed Monastery, remember? You can’t have the Imperial Family’s private guard acting like hooligans, can you? That’s why they’re teaching us how to battle in a respectable manner, not fight like thugs. Your average Yatagarasu, who’s had no formal training, is not going to know how to do that. Corrections are bound to happen. I really get why you’re so angry,” Yukiya answered as if to mediate. “But, over anything else, bad habits could ultimately lead to injury, so to obey now is for your own future’s sake as well. Sure, Instructor Kashin may be bad-mouthed, but there hasn’t been anything wrong with his corrections.”

“...... Really?”

Recognizing if there was anything off with the corrections they got was beyond the capabilities of Shigemaru and the others—their shared confusion must have been obvious, because Yukiya turned to them once more.

“There’s no need to worry,” he added in a bright tone. “Akeru wasn’t scolded at all, that’s true, but it has nothing to do with his status as a scion of the Western House. I would bet he had a very good master who trained him even before coming here.”

Which meant that Akeru didn’t get any corrections simply because there wasn’t any need for them in the first place. While it was a relief to know the instructors weren’t playing favorites, the group couldn’t help but to panic as well at the therefore unknown skill gap.

They all had difficult expressions on their faces, yet Yukiya didn’t seem particularly concerned about it. “I take it you're worried about the existing gap with the nobles, aren’t you? But, you know, your ability to perform some exercises in a dojo doesn’t determine your strength in actual combat. I’m sure that if you went against them in a match right now, you would be the clear winners.”

“Do you really think so?”

“I mean, they clearly aren’t used to fighting. You can tell just by looking at them,” Yukiya’s eyes partially closed and the corners of his mouth moved upwards, yet one couldn’t in good faith call that expression a ‘smile’. “I’ve been watching everyone long enough to tell how much potential everyone actually has. It shows, you know? That all of you were selected for your skills in arms. Few could surpass you as far as sheer physical capability goes.”

“Wait—you’ve spent all this time watching others during lessons!? And here I am completely overwhelmed just dealing with my own stuff!” Kitsupei exclaimed, equally amazed and exasperated. 

“Anyway, let’s put aside those who, like me, come from warrior families and are Court Ravens in name only. I have a strong suspicion that Akeru and his followers will show their true colors very soon,” Yukiya confidently affirmed.

In answer, the entire group glanced at each other.

“Fine. Then, let’s just trust Yukiya and work hard for now. How about that?” Shigemaru asked.

“Let’s do that!”

“Sure, let’s.” Even those who had been strongly complaining just a moment ago nodded along. Leaving aside the matter of how trustworthy Yukiya was on the subject, Shigemaru just found himself tremendously relieved after seeing everyone agree and calm down for the time being.

But then, it only took a few days for the group to discover that Yukiya’s predictions had been mostly correct.

First of all, it became obvious that the instructors weren’t discriminating against anyone. As soon as they learned how to move as taught, the commoners started to join free training as well. The wooden swords they used to practice their swings were henceforth replaced by bamboo ones instead. It brought Shigemaru joy to see his friends holding them, looking entirely revitalized. However, this was also when reality came in to prove Yukiya's guesswork fallible.

While Akeru’s followers were losing against his friends one after another, the boy himself managed to protect his position at the top. Those who held animosity against him went to challenge him as soon as they were deemed worthy to join, yet none of them proved capable of winning against him with any form of consistency. 

“He may not be accustomed to fighting, but he seems quite used to dojo swordfighting,” Shigemaru commented to Yukiya during one of their breaks while he wiped away his sweat.

Yukiya forced a smile. “It seems like it. At the very least, it’s clear he trained quite a lot before coming here.”

At the moment, their topic of conversation himself looked to be extremely angry. Shigemaru couldn’t quite tell why, maybe because of his followers’ terribly poor showing?

“I may have underestimated him.” 

There was an air of superiority to Yukiya as he said that, one which gave Shigemaru quite the urge to point out something. “You sure act like you’re above him, but you didn’t even make a good showing in your own matches.”

“Ah, were you watching me?”

“When waiting in between turns, yes. Won’t it be a problem for you if things keep going like that?” 

Even though Yukiya had been talking big behind others’ backs, his skills with a sword weren’t anything to write home about. His basics were just fine and he moved well and fast, so Shigemaru hadn’t had any cause for concern before they started free training instead. Then, when it came to the moment of truth, Yukiya didn’t try to attack even once. Even when instructors loudly scolded him for going on the defensive like that, Yukiya would only laugh and make no noticeable attempt to fix his ways whatsoever.

——Maybe, in reality, it was Yukiya who wasn’t used to fighting.

Most importantly, practical courses mattered a lot more than theory in the Monastery Trials. Shigemaru had been too worried about himself to pay any mind to others up until then, but, when he realized that Yukiya may be the one in danger of dropping out, it became his main concern instead.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry! I’ll figure it out by the Trial of Gale.” And yet the boy himself couldn’t be more happy-go-lucky.

With their break over, they went back to the dojo as they chatted. No matter how much they tried to ventilate it, the place still reeked of sweat but, fortunately, they had all gotten used to it by that point. Once inside, they put on protective equipment for their knees and elbows and covered their heads with newly woven feather robes, all before they were even told to do so.

What awaited them, despite Shigemaru’s expectations on the contrary, wasn't free training as before. Instead, the instructors announced that they would be moving on to proper, formal matches instead. In such a format, the victor was usually determined on a best of three basis but, to build up the trainees’ endurance and to get them used to it, they had decided to have three rounds no matter who took the points this time around.

The assistants moved to stand in the middle of the dojo, forming a square with their bodies to mark the limits of the venue. Meanwhile, Shigemaru and Yukiya sat together in the front row as spectators, just slightly behind the line formed by the instructors. 

Kashin took on the role of referee and stood right in the center as he started to call for different trainees.

“Red, 3-2’s Akeru. Come forward.”

Akeru immediately stepped forwards, taking the red strap, with an overflowing air of superiority. He must have been expecting Kashin’s call.

“White, 1-1’s Chihaya. Come forward.”

Shigemaru wasn’t particularly familiar with Akeru’s opponent. He could remember crossing paths with him during classes, but they had never actually talked and he had no memory of the boy saying anything during any of the many different self-introductions either. Chihaya hadn’t left much of an impression on him, that was for sure.

As Shigemaru reflected on that, he gave Chihaya a look. One could tell just from appearance alone that he was a man of few words. His mouth was sealed in one thin, straight line, so tightly attached together that one couldn’t be blamed for thinking he may have never opened it even once ever since he was born.

He was tall and had a good, firm build, yet, perhaps because of his long face and sharp cheekbones, he instead gave off the impression of being overly thin and sickly. He had long bangs covering his face, and sharp eyes with characteristic small irises(1) peeked through from under them.

The two of them being chosen for the first formal match most likely meant that they were the most skilled trainees at present, at least according to the instructors. Chihaya tied the white strap on his hips and went to stand in front of Akeru, who was already waiting for him at the starting line. Once both trainees were ready to proceed, Kashin exchanged looks with his assistants. They all nodded.

“Start!”

The moment the match began, Akeru raised his voice as he prepared to attack. On the other hand, Chihaya stood there motionless and silent, watching him. Akeru seemed to hesitate for a second, unnerved by something, only to ultimately still go on the offensive immediately after. For a trainee, Akeru was nimble. He moved remarkably fast as he closed in and slashed downwards with his bamboo sword.

And yet, the next second, that same sword was cutting air.

It all happened in a second. Chihaya had twisted his body ever so slightly to dodge the hit and, with his bamboo sword held only in his left hand, he struck Akeru’s torso. The blow was strong enough for the sound of it to fill the entire room. Two of the assistants raised their left arms simultaneously—white straps in their hands.

“White, one point!”

——It had been so fast, Shigemaru’s eyes were unable to keep up.

Finally, the main referee raised his left arm as well and, having confirmed his victory, Chihaya simply fixed the neck of his kimono. It wasn’t particularly out of place to begin with. Meanwhile, Akeru just stood there, in complete shock, for a while before he returned to the starting line. His expression was clearly strained.

“Start!”

This time around, Akeru didn’t raise his voice or rush to the offensive the moment the match started. He instead opted for slight movements, carefully swaying the tip of his sword as he watched for Chihaya to attack first.

After a while, Chihaya moved. He stepped forward with ease, so much so that it was hard to believe he could pull it off during an actual match. He had been initially holding his sword with both hands, but it was now only held in his right hand. Akeru tried to defend himself, but his sword was snapped away from him by an upwards swing.

The bamboo sword spun in midair as it flew in the direction of the spectating trainees. By the time it fell to the ground—the boys around it dodging it in a panic—Chihaya had taken another point with ease by hitting a weaponless Akeru’s head.

“What was that…?” Shigemaru heard someone murmur. Not like he had any idea either—the difference between the two was just too stark.

After losing two points in such rapid succession, Akeru was pale as a sheet and, while this would have been the end of it in a normal three-point match, he had no option but to go through another round due to the circumstances.

Once Akeru had taken back his sword, both opponents returned to their starting positions. At that point, their expressions couldn’t be more different from one another. While the determination in Akeru's face made it clear he wouldn't be satisfied unless he could get at least one hit in, Chihaya seemed to be completely indifferent towards his opponent either way.

“Start!” 

Akeru went for a stab with a loud yell the second the third duel commenced. Yet, Chihaya hadn’t even bothered to get into a proper stance anymore, and instead of making any big effort to dodge Akeru's sword, he opted for barely moving his neck to elude the attack. With his sword held only in his left hand, Chihaya immediately went for a slash and landed a hit on his opponent's temple.

It was enough to send Akeru flying, and he ended up falling harshly to the ground with no chance to do a proper landing. The exact kind of crash that tended to cause more worry for the spectator than the victim.

“White, one point! Hey, are you alright?”

As soon as he announced the initial verdict, a panicking Kashin rushed to Akeru's side. The boy soon sat up and, even though he seemed unharmed, the expression on his face made it obvious that he couldn't understand what had just happened to him. In the meantime, Chihaya merely returned to the starting line without even glancing in Akeru’s direction, as inexpressive as always. Afterwards, they both bowed to each other, marking the end of the match.

It was clear the instructors hadn't expected this kind of unilateral result. Although, after a short discussion between them, they finally started to call trainees again, and neither Chihaya nor Akeru took part in another match that day.

“You're amazing!”

“I had no idea you were that strong!”

“Who the hell taught you how to use a sword like that!?”

After the match, Chihaya became a bit of a celebrity.

A group of trainees had gathered around him, all trying to strike up a conversation at once. Although many of them seemed to be driven by their dislike of Akeru, as one could have guessed, plenty had simply been taken by his skill with a sword from the looks of it, and while Chihaya himself gave no sign whatsoever of answering any of their many rapid questions, the people surrounding him proved to be too excited to care about that.

The evening classes had reached their end, so the trainees were on their way back from the dojo. A good distance behind Chihaya and his group of admirers were the study group regulars, all walking together.

“Dammit. I wanted to be the first to crush Akeru.”

“Nonono. I could have won against him, I just had to land another hit on him.”

As Kitsupei and Hisaya said that, grinding their teeth, Tatsuto sighed. “So you two were also incapable of defeating him……”

“Shut up!”

“What the hell are you going on about? You didn’t get a proper win against him either, Tatsuto.”

Shigemaru, pointedly ignoring his friends’ argument, glanced in Akeru's direction instead. “That aside, is Akeru truly okay after that?”

Although Akeru himself was silent, simply holding a wet towel to his temple, Shigemaru could see his followers staring daggers towards Chihaya’s enthusiastic group of admirers. 

“Well, it may look otherwise, but Chihaya was almost certainly holding back. I doubt there's any real concern for injury. The actual problem is—” Yukiya started to explain something before stopping all of a sudden, noticeably blinking. 

“What's wrong?” Shigemaru followed Yukiya's gaze. Upon realizing, he let out an unconscious ‘yikes’.

“Chihaya! I've heard you got quite the achievement today.”

Silence fell upon the entire group of Seeds once they saw who was coming towards them. Nobody knew how he had learned about the recent events, but Kimichika of Minami-Tachibana was nevertheless approaching them from the direction of the dining hall. Even Chihaya’s admirers retreated one step, scared of the Sapling closing in. Kimichika, however, paid them no mind and amiably patted Chihaya's shoulder instead. 

“And on top of that, you thoroughly crushed that Western House brat! Is that true?” As Chihaya himself didn't say anything in answer, Kimichika instead looked up towards a certain group of trainees who, pointedly ignoring him, had tried to move along. “Hey, Akeru, is it true?”

At his call, Akeru stopped in his tracks. He turned around towards Kimichika with barely concealed rage. “......Yes, I lost. So what.”

“I see, I see. That's amazing. You seem to be unaware, my Lord, but Chihaya, the one to defeat you, is a Hill Raven working for my House.” Kimichika pointed at Chihaya with his chin, while Chihaya only stood there without uttering a single word. But then, if he served Kimichika's house, that only meant one thing—he was part of the Animiya faction. “For someone like you, who put on airs over being Wakamiya's faithful servant, that must be the last person you would want to lose against. Oh, what a shame for you, both as a Court Raven and a faction representative.”

Kimichika let out an unpleasant laugh. Meanwhile, Akeru remained expressionless, his lips trembling, before finally sighing quietly. All things considered, he had recovered his composure surprisingly fast.

“I'm sorry to say this when you're enjoying my loss so much, but this may be your last chance to do so.”

“Huh?”

“Well, His Majesty the Emperor is going to abdicate the throne in favor of His Highness. It has been decided already.”

“——What!?”

“There should be an official announcement very soon. Now I wonder—for how much longer will the South still be able to act like pretentious fools?” Akeru spoke decisively.

Clear shock replaced the boastful look on Kimichika's face. This must have been news to him. He wasn’t the only one—even the onlookers, incapable of containing themselves any longer, stopped holding their breaths and started a ruckus.

Seeing that from the corner of his eyes, Akeru smiled ever so slightly. “It’s just the truth of the matter. It’s why His Highness couldn't attend the entrance ceremony. The imperial council on the matter took longer than expected, it seems.”

Instead of targeting Kimichika, who was speechless and seemingly deep in thought, Akeru turned towards the so-far mute Chihaya immediately afterwards.

“Chihaya. What a shame. To get kicked out over politics with your master here despite your enormous talent. Luck sure doesn’t seem to favor you, tying you to someone like him. If only you were serving someone in the Wakamiya faction,” Akeru said sardonically.

Chihaya’s gaze was still downcast, fixed on the ground. Finally, he murmured something. “...... I don’t care about either faction.”

Although Akeru's eyes widened from surprise as well, it was Kimichika who seemed the most shocked by his words. “Hey! What the fuck are you saying? Come here, right now!”

Kimichika grabbed him and dragged Chihaya away from everyone without even giving him a chance to say his farewells. Having watched both of them disappear in the distance, a still dumbfounded Shigemaru let out a groan before speaking. “...... The situation is about to get real weird, ain't it?”

As a witness of those two’s relationship and their obvious lack of anything even resembling trust, Shigemaru was overcome by the most terrible feeling. And, just one hour(2) later, it too proved to be a reality at dinnertime.

“——You shit, would you stop with the damn attitude already!?”

The trainees were in the middle of cleanup when a furious scream resonated through the dining hall. Everyone immediately turned to the direction it came from.

“What's going on?”

“A fight?”

Usually, the instructors were the first ones to take care of their trays, followed by Evergreens and Saplings in that order, so by that point the only ones still present were Seeds. And yet, Shigemaru saw a familiar someone with a characteristic hooked nose striking a pose in the distance.

“Isn't that Chihaya and Kimichika?”

“Huh, where did Kimichika's followers go?”

“Useless when it truly matters.” As Shigemaru and Yukiya whispered among themselves, the conversation between Kimichika and Chihaya took yet another turn for the worse.

“I'll say it once more, Chihaya. Clean. My. Tray.” Kimichika’s voice was trembling, barely holding in the desire to scream at Chihaya.

Meanwhile, Chihaya remained seated, motionless and completely unfazed by Kimichika's overbearing attitude. “I refuse.”

“Why!?”

“No reason.” While Chihaya wasn't someone one would call talkative, that had been enough to grasp the situation. As Kimichika tried to drop his tray where Chihaya was, the other only refused stubbornly.

“I'm ordering you as your senior! You are supposed to listen to me, no matter what!” Kimichika yelled again.

Chihaya briefly looked up at him and snorted. Kimichika's face was twisted in pure rage—they must have repeated this particular exchange a bunch of times already. Shigemaru expected him to yell once more, yet Kimichika's expression suddenly changed into one of abnormal calm.

“You know what'll happen if you disobey me, right? You haven't forgotten, by any chance?”

Chihaya glanced back questioningly, and Kimichika’s lips curved. “It's not only a you problem, you know—or should I give you a reminder of that?” 

Kimichika’s words were dripping with confidence. That very second, the look in Chihaya’s eyes drastically changed. His until then characteristic indifference had been quickly replaced by unbridled anger. Even though Kimichika had been the one to provoke him first, he found himself balking at the abnormal atmosphere surrounding Chihaya.

“...... What. Do you plan to defy me?”

Chihaya stood up. He moved effortlessly and silently.

——Shit, things were about to get real bad.

At the realization, Shigemaru’s eyes darted around the hall and found everyone else standing frozen in place. Left with no alternative, Shigemaru finally steeled his resolve—just as someone else beside him moved first.

“Ooops, my bad, I slipped!”

A mix of grilled eggplant, chilled wheat noodles and miso soup splashed all over Kimichika's nape. As for who had screamed, it was none other than Yukiya, who had somehow managed to sneak behind him without making any noise. On top of that—and this couldn't just be Shigemaru's imagination—he had actually made a point to gather all of his leftovers before slipping unnoticed and throwing his entire bowl's contents on Kimichika.

Yukiya, you bastard, you did it! Shigemaru barely restrained himself from laughing out loud as he ran in their direction as well.

“Aah, I'm sorry! What a bad idea, though, to stand idly in the middle of the room. The other Saplings have already cleaned their trays and left, so what keeps you here?” Yukiya tried to apologize, but the delivery was the very picture of stiffness. He used his own sleeve to clean Kimichika’s face, or so he made it look. In practice, he was just smearing the mashed eggplant even further.

Incapable of comprehending the sudden development, Kimichika and Chihaya stood there as unmoving as statues for a while.

“You, fucking little runt!” As Kimichika finally came to his senses, he shook off Yukiya's hand and screamed in indignation. Truth be told, not even Shigemaru could blame him for that. This wasn’t the moment to laugh at Kimichika’s hysterics, however, so he instead rushed to the group and put himself in the middle.

“Now, now, please calm down. My friend here didn't mean to do anything bad! He's just tired from the practical courses, you see, so his footing wasn't that good. Right, Yukiya?”

“Yes, exactly! I didn't intend to do it,” Yukiya said as he meekly bowed in apology.

Understandably, Kimichika wasn't fooled by that. “Don't fuck with me! If you didn't intend to do it, then why were you here of all places!?”

The dining hall was huge. There was quite the distance from the spot of the incident to the place where everyone left their trays. Around nine meters(3), in fact.

Shigemaru and Yukiya exchanged glances. “Why were you here?”

“Taking a walk.”

“Taking a walk, he says.”

“Do you two fuckers want to die by my hand that badly?” Kimichika's tone was low, and one could see blue veins bulging in his forehead. Then, just as Shigemaru was wondering how to dodge the question, Kimichika took a better look at their faces out of the blue. “Ah, you two are from the North, right? Well, you Hill Ravens from the countryside may not know it, but the Minami-Tachibana are quite influential even in the Center.”

Stunned by the out of nowhere bragging, Shigemaru stared blankly at him.

“So?” It was just Shigemaru’s honest reaction, but the corners of Kimichika's lips twitched.

“...... You don’t even know that? Rokon, one of Lord Natsuka's first and most important retainers, was known by a different name before(4). None other than Michichika of Minami-Tachibana. He’s, in other words, my older brother. I wonder what kinds of inconveniences await you once he learns you made fun of his little brother?”

“Even if that may be the case, we won’t exactly come asking for your mercy. There’s no need for you to worry.” Before Shigemaru even got a chance to talk, Yukiya had already resolutely dismissed him. “Still, you sure are crude and boring, aren't you? Who brings up his brother's influence that easily? And just to bully a couple of juniors! Don't you have, I don't know, any better options?”

From Yukiya’s tone, he sounded as if he was about to sigh and, just like that, Kimichika's air of importance crumbled away.

“What’s a lowly servant like you doing talking back to me!? As if you know anything!” Kimichika grabbed him by the collar and raised his fist as if to hit him, yet Yukiya stared back at him as if the entire situation wasn't even his problem. Shigemaru could tell Yukiya was fully planning to take the incoming punch—but it never came.

The second before it came to happen, Shigemaru intercepted Kimichika's arm. “Could you wait a moment, please?”

With his arm seized, Kimichika stared at him in confusion. He wasn’t the only one—Yukiya, who had been quite accepting of his fate, did so as well.

“Why did you grab me!?”

“You see, had this been a senior fed up with his junior's attitude, I would get it. However, I can't just stand aside when you make it about status.” The Unbending Reed Monastery was a place where might makes right. Within its walls, one's family status had no bearing whatsoever. They had been told that much very recently. “What’s the point of coming here if we're going to be ridiculed for our birth!? And, of all people, you definitely have no right to do so!”

Shigemaru's shout resounded like thunder as it traveled through the entire hall. Kimichika gulped ever so slightly, but stubbornly stared back at him instead of balking. “Let me go.”

“First let Yukiya go.” Shigemaru was still a Seed, but he was larger than Kimichika. Admittedly, he had no idea how long he could keep up against a Sapling, someone with an extra year of experience over him, but he hoped to at least give him a scare if it came down to blows.

Then, in the middle of such a tense atmosphere, support came from the unlikeliest of places. “Sapling Kimichika, I would recommend you stop right there.”

“Huuh?” Kimichika’s natural enemy had arrived along with his followers. “Akeru, you shit, coming to talk back to your seniors as well?”

“It looked to me as if you were speaking not as their senior but as a Court Raven, or am I mistaken? So, as a fellow Court Raven, let me warn you about something.”

“About what?”

“The person you just derogatively called a ‘lowly servant’ and attempted to punch isn't who you think—but a legitimate scion of the Northern House.”

Shigemaru turned in astonishment to Yukiya, whose face looked like he had just eaten something foul. Akeru casted a glance at his reaction as well, yet he didn’t seem to care as he kept on dispassionately disclosing the details.

“He's the grandson of the man at the very top of all warrior families—the Northern Lord, Great General Gen'ya. Within the Northern House, he’s fourth in rank, only behind the Heir and his firstborn son. Truly a Court Raven among Court Ravens.”

“This guy…?” Kimichika blurted out, completely dumbfounded.

Yukiya, meanwhile, seemed to be completely done with the entire situation. “Eh, that may be the case, yes, I guess.”

Upon the sudden discovery of an unknown high noble among their midst, shock ran through the Seeds, who had been watching with bated breath. Whispers soon spread like ripples throughout the entire hall. However, as the murmurs continued, a figure appeared from the hallway—it was none other than Seiken. Someone had to have gone to call for him.

Kimichika softly clicked his tongue.

“What's happening here?”

That was a question with no easy answer.

They all went silent for a while. In the end, the first one to raise his hand was Yukiya. “I tripped and dropped some miso soup on my senior here.”

“Oh,” Seiken didn’t react at all beyond a murmur, his expression unchanged. He turned towards Kimichika. “Is that correct?”

Being the actual source of the problem as he was, Kimichika was left in no position to disagree or argue. He made a bitter face. “It is, yes.”

Seiken gave them a small nod. “I see, I get it now. First of all, Yukiya. A warrior shouldn’t be tripping and causing others harm. Apologize to your senior.”

“Yes. My apologies, Sapling Kimichika,” Yukiya obediently bowed towards him.

Seiken watched Kimichika as the boy looked down on Yukiya with a very sour face. As he proceeded, his manner of speech remained matter-of-factly. “Now, Kimichika. You should have been able to dodge something like that, I hope you realize. To explode like that and raise your voice against a Seed is also unbecoming of you.”

“...... I apologize.”

“Both sides were in the wrong, so it should be fine to leave it at that. Any issues?” Seiken said. Then, he just quietly watched both trainees.

“None.”

“It’s fine with me.”

So neither side had complaints. “Very well. You two, better learn from this. Your punishment shall be to work together to clean this mess. Understood?”

——In short, Seiken let them all go scot-free.

Both boys immediately agreed and saluted their instructor. Seiken gave them a pleased smile and, with that matter settled, he turned his gaze towards Akeru instead. “Good job mediating.”

“Oh, I couldn't simply stand aside as a Court Raven in the same faction as Yukiya,” Akeru calmly answered in turn.

“I won’t deny that but,” Seiken continued with his usual smile, “I don't recommend bringing up house matters like that in the Monastery. It may have worked here, but it wasn't really your place to reveal Yukiya’s status like that.”

Akeru was clearly not used to getting any warnings from the instructors. His eyes widened, caught by surprise, before he frowned and looked up at Seiken in defiance.

“...... Instructor Seiken, who do you side with? The Animiya Faction, or Wakamiya's?”

Prompted by Akeru's question, Kimichika’s gaze became piercing. He wasn't the only one either—all the trainees in the hall turned towards Seiken at once. Yet the man didn't hesitate—not even for a second—, that faint smile of his unshaken. Not even a situation like this was enough to break through his usual gentle demeanor.

“There's not much meaning in such a question. Lord Natsuka has expressed his wish to serve His Highness Wakamiya, so I don’t think such factions are a good fit for the current state of affairs.”

“That's just officially, isn't it? In practice, the Imperial Court is divided into them.”

“Even if that's the case,” Seiken calmly looked at the increasingly emotional Akeru, “The Monastery is a facility to raise members of the Yamauchi Guard, those who shall serve the Imperial Family. It would be wrong to pay undue attention to factions or any hierarchy beyond that of the Golden Raven himself. Even if the person is part of the Imperial Family. Besides, first and foremost, I'm an instructor here at the Monastery.”

Seiken's tone was no different whatsoever from what he used during lessons. “Whatever the state of politics may be, my duty is to support this facility's trainees.” Akeru was left with no arguments, and Seiken gave him a concerned look. “If you obsess so much over what's going on outside, you'll miss what's happening around you. Do be careful.”

“——So? Can someone explain to me what's going on?” Ichiryuu asked, his eye twitching.

“Well, as Instructor Seiken told us to do, we were cleaning the dining hall until a moment ago. Kimichika left early despite being told to do it too, though. It's honestly already a miracle we received no real punishment, which is why we have no intention to tell on him, all things considered. It was truly lucky for us that it was Instructor Seiken,” Shigemaru replied.

“No, no, I don't care about that part,” Ichiryuu grumbled. “What I actually want to know is why exactly this room has an additional Seed now!”

There were actually three boys sitting squarely in front of the scowling Ichiryuu. Yukiya, Shigemaru—and Chihaya.

“Oh, that’s because of Kimichika! He was the one in charge of mentoring Chihaya, but he went and kicked him out of their room.”

He had been the cause of the entire incident, yet Chihaya ended up being completely ignored midway through. As Shigemaru was painfully aware they had just made matters worse for him, he couldn’t bring himself to ignore his plight.

“As long as we make it in time for the morning roll call, I've heard that the instructors don't care what we do outside of lessons. Sapling Ichiryuu, he truly has nowhere to go. Won't you let him remain here in the tenth room with us?”

“No freaking way. The room is already tiny as-is, and you're asking me for permission to make it worse?” The main interested party, Chihaya, kept up his glum silence in a corner of the room, unwilling to cooperate. Meanwhile, the obviously dissatisfied Ichiryuu was at his wit’s end, holding his head. “Don't you get it? Mind to remember that due to your size, Shigemaru, my own space is already reduced to only a quarter of the entire? I'm a Sapling, I'm not supposed to have so little space to sleep!”

“Don't be so stingy! You're our senior, right?”

“Then tell me, juniors, who exactly are the ones forcing their senior to go through such a humiliation?”

“We just have to take the partition screen away, don't we?” Yukiya said, a rather blatant attempt to poke fun at him.

“No fucking way,” Ichiryuu growled in response before, finally, covering his face with his hands. “Besides, this entire mess was because of Kimichika, right? I told you not to get involved with him! I knew it already, somehow, but I see you truly don't listen to what I say,” Ichiryuu lamented to himself.

“Is Kimichika unpopular even among the Saplings?” Shigemaru asked him.

“Huh? Ah, yes……” Ichiryuu responded bitterly. “There are rumors that he only passed last year's trial because some instructor with ties to the South is playing favorites with him. His personality is awful and he's as dumb as a brick, so nobody outside his circle of Southern people likes him. He’s somewhat strong though, I’ll give him that.”

“Stronger than you, Sapling Ichiryuu?”

“Cut it out! Anyway, he's someone who you would expect to get kicked out because of his personality alone.”

That kind of insolent behavior was a constant of his and he was always surrounded by his own Southern followers, according to Ichiryuu. Taking care of their own trays after dinner was a rule that applied to everyone, be it instructor or trainee. Kimichika’s disrespect for the rules was, ultimately, the actual source of the problem.

——Disregarding the Monastery's rules was a massive issue in itself, so the house he came from didn't even matter. At that moment, just as that thought crossed his mind, Shigemaru happened to remember something else—the real identity of the boy sitting right beside him, Yukiya.

“Actually, now that we’re talking about that—so you were an actual young master,” Shigemaru nonchalantly said to him.

“Wait a moment!” Yukiya, on the other hand, panicked all of a sudden. “I didn’t lie per se when I said I was from Taruhi. It's just—my birth mother is from the Northern House. That's all! So, you see……” Yukiya's voice started to fizzle out until it completely died off. He looked at Shigemaru with an upwards gaze. “Are you angry?”

From the looks of it, Yukiya was genuinely scared of his reaction.

“Why would I be?” Shigemaru, puzzled, asked back. “I said it before, remember? I have no intention to judge others over the circumstances of their birth. If I hated you simply because you're a noble, then I wouldn't be any different from Kimichika, would I?”

“Shige!” Yukiya exclaimed. The boy was oddly yet clearly moved by his words and, to Shigemaru, that made for quite the amusing reaction.

“Ah, but don't ask me to treat you with that kind of respect after all this time. It won't happen,” Shigemaru took his chance to tease him.

“Who would say an idiotic thing like that!?” Yukiya shouted. “I'm actually glad to hear that.”

“And I thought you would say so! So, business as usual for us.”

After spectating the entire conversation with plain concern in his eyes, Ichiryuu finally sighed in relief. With that problem solved, he instead turned his head slightly, glancing at Chihaya, who hadn't uttered a word ever since he had arrived.

“...... Well, if there's no alternative, fine. Listen, Chihaya, I don't mind if you spend the nights here, but you better not cause any further issues. No fights and, please, let's coexist in peace.” Otherwise, Ichiryuu’s utter failure as a mentor would catch even the instructors’ attention.

However, Chihaya's answer was as blunt as it was cold. “I refuse.”

At first, Ichiryuu wasn't able to grasp what Chihaya had just said.

“W-What?” His voice shook. He hadn’t said anything strange as the room's senior, it could even be said to have been the absolute bare minimum. Why would Chihaya refuse like that? He couldn’t figure it out.

“Chihaya?” Yukiya too called out to him.

In the meantime, Chihaya’s sharp eyes were fixed dangerously on Ichiryuu and Yukiya.

“You and the runt. You're nobles, right?”

“Even if you call us nobles… Yukiya aside, I'm just from the rural nobility,” a stunned Ichiryuu answered.

“Then you have horses.”

“Eh? Well, yes.”

A Township Lord's residence couldn't even begin to function without horses. It would greatly affect the officers’ work. Shigemaru had visited the Shimaki Lord’s residence once, and he remembered seeing some impressive stables there. He truly doubted Taruhi was in any way different. It was all simply a given, yet Chihaya's gaze got even colder once he heard that.

“I hate Court Ravens. We can't get along then.” He glared at them, all stunned into silence, before rushing to the exit and leaving the room altogether.

“Wait, Chihaya!” Yukiya tried to follow after him, but Shigemaru quickly stopped him.

Once he got him to stop, Shigemaru turned towards a shocked Ichiryuu and deeply bowed his head. “I'm sorry, senior, but could you wait for a bit?”

“Wait, why are you apologizing in the first place?”

“As a fellow Hill Raven, it’s not as if I can't understand how he feels. Would you leave this to me?”

Unlike Court Raven, Hill Raven was often used to talk about commoners in a derogatory way. Making a point out of using those words in specific was apparently enough for Ichiryuu to get the gist of the problem. There was clear tension on his face as he gave him a still dazed nod.

“——Fine, I'll leave it to you. Bring him back here immediately.”

“Thank you.” Shigemaru took his ornamented blade and flew out of the room.

It didn’t take him long to find Chihaya. He was right behind the building, sitting with his back against the wall. The light leaking from the inside dimly illuminated him, and there was a small bundle of belongings at his feet. Kimichika had thrown it at him when he kicked him out. It was all of Chihaya’s luggage, a shockingly small amount even for a commoner.

“..... Both Ichiryuu and Yukiya were at a loss.” Shigemaru called out to him as he made sure to keep his distance. Chihaya glanced at him for a second, before dropping his gaze back to the ground.

“I don't care.”

“Well, you should be a bit more humble if you plan to secure a place to sleep. Don't tell me you plan to pass the night out here?”

“That was the idea, yes.”

“Wait, wait—are you for real?”

Shigemaru had been fully intending to bring Chihaya back to the tenth room, yet he had never imagined Chihaya was truly planning to sleep outside otherwise. After thinking for a while, Shigemaru leaned on the wall by Chihaya’s side with enough space between them that it was impossible to reach the other even if they extended their arms.

“I doubt Yukiya and Ichiryuu have ever considered how much the Yatagarasu who end up as horses must truly hate it, you know,” Shigemaru mused as he looked up to the sky.

There was the waning moon, floating dimly over the dormitories’ lined up roofs. Soft moonlight shone over the persimmon trees, already covered in young green leaves, leaving shadows all over the ground. Shigemaru inhaled deeply—the air was different now than when they had first joined. One could feel the approaching summer in it.

“....... And, if you think about it, the most likely reason they can't imagine it at all is because they haven't ever mistreated one, right?”

He heard Chihaya quietly laugh at his side. “If that’s enough for them to ignore the problem, isn't that more cruel than actual mockery?”

“Maybe it is,” Shigemaru felt Chihaya relaxing beside him, so he intentionally employed a nonchalant tone as he spoke. “You know, during a famine long ago, my grandpa on my mother's side was left with no options to survive. He refused to sell my mom to the Red Light District, so he chose to become a horse for the local landlord. I wouldn’t have even been born if he hadn't made that sacrifice.”

Chihaya didn't say a word in answer, but he changed his pose. He was listening to what Shigemaru had to say. “He made the decision himself, so he turned into quite the well-behaved horse. It seems his owners were very gentle with him too, so much so that the entire family took personal care of him in his last moments. Is it cruel? Yes, maybe, but I'm glad my grandpa wasn't whipped or didn’t have to suffer unnecessarily at least. I would rather have it that way.”

“...... He protected his daughter.”

Chihaya was still very much a man of few words, but Shigemaru nevertheless understood what he meant—that he found his grandpa admirable.

“Thank you,” Shigemaru softly laughed. “If I had to make a guess, both Yukiya and Ichiryuu are ‘good owners’ as well and haven't ever had a family member become a horse. They're nice people, but I very much doubt there's any fixing that. There are things you can't truly understand until you experience them yourself.”

Chihaya didn’t speak at all, but he made a point out of his own lack of reaction.

“But, even if that’s the case, I think it would also be your loss to reject them altogether over that. Just as we cannot become Court Ravens because we want to, it’s not like they have ever experienced the life of a Hill Raven either,” Shigemaru stretched as he said that. “I’m fine if we don't understand each other perfectly. I don’t care for the kind of person who will force said understanding. You know, what actually matters to me is whether they comprehend that there's no reason to ridicule or look down on others over the world they live in.”

“So you’re saying I should remain silent to the Court Ravens’ abuse?” Chihaya spouted sarcastically.

“No way!” Shigemaru laughed. “Mock those small-minded enough to accept only their own worldviews all you want. But if you sneer at people just because they happen to be Court Ravens, you aren’t really any different from them.”

Finally, Chihaya sighed weakly, his eyes still fixed on his feet. “I'll keep that in mind.”

“Good, that should be enough.”

They stayed there for a long while. Shigemaru gazed at the night sky and Chihaya at the ground, his arms crossed inside his sleeves.

“...... People like family to me were falsely accused of stealing. They had their legs cut. The son of the landlord at the farm they worked at was the actual perpetrator,” Chihaya murmured.

“I see,” was Shigemaru’s only response. Chihaya probably meant the third leg that appeared in bird form, given the context.

——Someone close to Chihaya was falsely incriminated and Disarticulated.

While those who became horses by contract had their third leg bound with a special cord by their owners, and they couldn't transform back to human form without permission, there was no going back for those who had their leg cut, their other form forever out of reach.

For the first time since their conversation had started, Chihaya raised his head to look at Shigemaru.

“Don't—”

“Say anything, right? I won't, don't worry. I'll wait until you're ready to tell them yourself.”

“Will that day ever come?” 

While Chihaya seemed to have no such expectations, Shigemaru nodded with full confidence. “It will. At the very least, I believe so.”

Next: Akeru (Part 1)

—————————————

1: Sanpaku eyes or three whites eyes (三白目) refer to cases in which the sclera around the iris is also visible due to it being comparatively tiny.

2: The time measurement here is actually done in koku (刻). Historically, koku has meant many things, with a day being divided differently depending on time period and area. Probably the most well known form of koku has night and day divided in 6 koku each, for a total of 12 koku, each one named after one of the animals of the chinese zodiac. While, in practice, this meant the length of a koku changed depending on the time of the year and whether it was a night koku or a day koku, the overall average length would be that of two of our modern hours. As far as I know, this and koku-as-half-an-hour are the most well-known standards, but due to pure narrative logic I'm interpreting the koku in Yamauchi as 12-koku-a-day. Finishing dinner and cleaning in 15 minutes for so many people is unrealistic.

3: Once more, ancient forms of measurement are used here. In this case, it's the Ken (間). Unlike the Koku and its flexible nature, a Ken is precisely 1,818 meters.

4: Rokon is what we would call a 'dharma name' (戒名), which are either given to buddhist monks after taking their vows or, within japanese culture at least, given to the dead posthumously. The first category is the one that applies here. This is also the case for other characters who have taken vows like, for example, Natsuka. The men aside, Masuho no Susuki most likely got a dharma name as well once she became a nun, but as she uses her alias or karina (仮名) we never get to learn about it. As one would expect of a setting based on the Heian era, when one could say Zen Buddhism was most influential, a lot of details are affected by it.

[sayaka19fan]

Major misconceptions about Banana Fish debunked by Yoshida Akimi, the writer

(spoilers)

Misconception: “Ash dying in the end was editorial meddling because Yoshida wasn’t allowed to write a story where gay people survive and become happy, so actually Ash should survive and move to Japan and live happy ever after with Eiji.”

Sato (Yoshida’s editor): “If I wasn’t your editor, I’d probably have thought a female Blanca [who hooks up with Ash] would have been fun to read too. I don’t remember what I said at our meeting [to change Yoshida’s mind], but I probably looked like I wasn’t pleased with it.”

Yoshida: “Did you think that Ash having sex with a woman wouldn’t fit?”

Sato: “Not really… I wonder what I was feeling?”

Yoshida: “For me, you know, there’s no sex scenes with women [in BF]. So I felt like I’d like to show that hey, Ash is a guy! Since Ash isn’t actually gay.”

Yoshida: “I had Ashita no Joe in mind [when I wrote the ending].”

Sato: “Yeah, you talked about that back then.”

Host: “In HIkari no niwa, it says directly that Ash died.”

Yoshida: “I said he died! (laughs) There were people who kept writing to me saying Ash has to be alive and that he has to come to Japan, kept saying ‘He’s actually alive, right?’“

Host: “They insisted he’d use the ticket he got from Eiji and come to Japan?”

Yoshida: “Nothing that specific, but I wonder why some girls think of happiness in that sort of context. They kept saying, ‘He’ll come to Japan and the two of them will be happy, right?’ and I always wondered, why would you insist that coming to Japan will make him happy? What is happiness?”

Host: “Do you think fans will get mad when you say that?”

Yoshida: “I do wonder. I always worry about how to deal with my protagonists who are criminals. Obviously they’re hurt by killing people, but still. […] They kill because otherwise they’d be killed, but they’re still murderers. I feel giving a proper ending to people like that is very difficult, and in the end in Banana Fish I decided that he shouldn’t survive.”

Fujimoto: “Why did Ash die?”

Yoshida: “I was conflicted about that. I had two endings in mind, one where he dies and another where he doesn’t, but I’d decided a long time ago that he would die, so I felt I couldn’t change that.”

Fujimoto: “What was the ending like where he didn’t die?”

Yoshida: “Nothing special, he just doesn’t die (laughs).”

Fujimoto: “Nothing happens between him and Eiji, they just part ways and…”

Yoshida: “Yes, like that. But I felt that the ending I’d thought of first was the most fitting.”

Fujimoto: “So when you started this series, your plan was that Ash would die.”

Yoshida: “Exactly. To say the truth, I only became conflicted about whether he would die or not quite late on in the serialization.“

Fujimoto: “When was it exactly?”

Yoshida: “When River Phoenix died (laughs). I began thinking this wasn’t a joke. But my original theme for this story was that there’s something fascinating about people who die young, like how this person lived his full life in 17 years rather than the 70 years it takes for normal people. But in reality, people dying young is a terrible tragedy. So I thought maybe I shouldn’t go there. But when it comes down to it, Ash is a killer. I feel that regardless of what might have been behind the killings, people who take another person’s life need to make up for it with their own life. So that’s why I wrote that ending. Also, I didn’t think Ash would get to live long anyway (laughs).”

Fujimoto: “Some writers say it takes a lot of energy to kill off their characters. How do you feel about killing off your characters?”

Yoshida: “Me? That’s not really an issue for me. I’d killed off a lot of characters before, and it wasn’t a big deal. The only thing was that River Phoenix died young in real life, so I thought ‘This is bad.’ If that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have felt anything about it. I don’t think dying young is an unhappy thing. Whether people were happy or not doesn’t depend on how long they lived. I always wonder if people were happy just because they had a long life.”

Misconception: “Banana Fish is actually shonen manga, and if Yoshida had her way or if it had been written today, it would have been shonen or seinen (or BL).”

Headline: “I like shojo manga because anything goes”

Fujimoto: “Don’t you get a lot of offers from magazines aimed at men?”

Yoshida: “I do, but I think writing for boys is boring. Their wants and desires are too obvious (laughs). And I feel they’re conservative… or how should I say it, they refuse to believe in magic? They don’t believe in magic and instead believe in their own sexual desires (laughs). I’m envious of how simple they are (laughs). But girls aren’t like that. They’re confusing and complicated and I don’t know what they’ll react to and how, and on the flip side that means anything goes.”

Sources: Shojo manga-damashii, Banana Fish official guidebook

[sayaka19fan]

childhood friends AU is basically me coping with canon …