Extra Chapter: A Lady’s Day Out, Kusanagi Kyoko (Part 2)

Tomorrow quickly came and I bid my thanks and farewell to the old man who lent me a room last night.

"Where are you going next?"

"Hm? I am following this travel guide and it says that there's a local train ride to the outskirts of Fumikage domain."

"So you're going to the forest of ninjas, huh? Are you after the tea ceremony performance there?"

"Yeah, that's what I am going for."

"I see… Well, take care of yourself. That lanky cousin of mine insisted to not have his land modernized, so it is still easy to get lost in that forest."

"Thanks, I will go now."

I rode my horse to the train station and after buying a ticket I rode the train to the station just outside the forest of Kiko Shinobi.

"Everyone! Please gather here and don't wander around!"

At the station, a few other travelers are here with me when a tour guide called out to us to guide us inside the forest.

"The bamboos, the trees and the herbs on the ground… this place is still untouched."

My eyes wandered about as I saw the forest that looked like it hasn't been touched yet at all. Once the tour guide announced that we are finally in Kagetsuchi village, I went down from my horse and opened my booklet to look for the place where the tea ceremony performance is being held.

"Heave!"

"Ho!"

"Heave!"

"Ho!"

The tea ceremony started just after I took my seat. It was a performance meant to portray the local legend that tea leaves was the gift of the forest god to the first Fumikage ninjas to help them achieve inner peace and keep them warm while they do their missions. Right now, a few actors are threshing some dried leaves and after it was ground into a fine powder on the mortar, they left and a female actress climbed the stage to collect the powder into a cloth bag.

"Hah! Hah!"

She packed the bag tightly and with forceful drops of her fist, compressed it before dipping it into a pot of boiling water.

"Haah… that smell… it's very relaxing…"

The smell of perfectly brewed and prepared herbal tea wafted the auditorium and after a while, the female actress took a wooden tea ladle to scoop out some of the tea into mugs that was given to us, the audience.

"I missed this…"

I spoke before inhaling the aroma of the tea and drinking it.

"The bitterness and astringency… the sweet aftertaste of the fruit juices mixed in the tea water…"

There really was nothing that can replace the tea made by the ninjas of the Fumikage domain.

"Well, now that I bought the tea packs that I want, it's time for me to move into the next area."

I followed the other travelers who are leaving the village and arrived back at the train station just in time to buy a ticket to the capital of Kiko province.

"Should I visit him?"

I asked myself for a moment.

"He hasn't gone out of his castle since we came back from the lands of the Satou clan… Maybe he hated himself for not being able to save the people of those cities?"

I wanted to check up on him again. After all, he is an important person to me… an important friend, I guess.

"No, whatever he is going through right now, he would hate it if it seems like I am pitying him."

I wanted to help out, but knowing him, it would be best to just leave him alone.

"Wow… I heard that it got attacked, but it is already fixed now?"

I arrived at Naka harbor and expected it to still be wrecked or recovering, but except for the memorial statue for that attack, there were no longer any traces of the damage here anymore.

"If he was able to reconstruct all of this back to how it was, it just shows how much money and manpower this place has… he really is incredible."

I first went to Sagiri harbor where a naval show is being held. I expected it to be some kind of performance by the navy, but I was genuinely shocked when I discovered that it was a public show where the three metal ships of the Kiko navy can be toured by civilians.

"This here is the 12.7mm cannons of IJN Sagiri, the current lead ship of the Kiko navy. The specifications are confidential, but we are cleared to say that these cannons were instrumental for the counter-attack towards the ships that bombarded Naka harbor last year."

"""Wow!"""

Everyone was at awe with that information. Some kids even touched the turret and looked up at the cannon that did such a thing.

For a moment, I thought about asking Iwasawa if we can also have something like this, but then, I remembered that Shinka is a land-locked state, and we can't really have a navy.

"Next, we shall cross the deck to IJN Hibiki, the armed destroyer equipped with the new torpedoes."

The trip went on for a while and after it, I left the harbor to go to the center of the city where the bookstores I wanted to visit is located.

"Welcome, missy! How may I help you?"

To call it simply as a bookstore would be an understatement.

"Umm… I might get lost in this place, so can I have a list of books sold here?"

The place was almost like a palace. A huge building split into three floors and was like a maze of bookshelves of varying genres and types.

The first floor is the bookstore area, every aisle has the specific genre, and you just have to come here if you want to make a purchase. The second floor is the library where you can read the books that aren't being sold. The third floor is a special study room for University students, so please refrain from entering it unless very necessary.

After the old man gave me the list of books, I bowed to thank him before going to the second floor to read some books that I've wanted to read but wasn't available back in Fumetsu. It included Chinese classics, books about history and even a book called an "Atlas" which is comprised of detailed maps of the entire country of Japan.

"Hm. This guy sure values education…"

I spoke those words after I saw some students go down from the third floor while carrying books and scrolls and talking about more things to study later.

After having my fill of new knowledge, I went down to the bookstore area and took ten books from specific shelves that has almost ran out of it.

"E-Eh? Missy, are you sure about buying two of each of these?"

"Yeah. The other set is for my friend who asked me for a favor."

"Ah! I see, I see. Well then, let me just write you up a receipt."

The books are something that Mitsuhide asked me to buy for her when she heard that I wanted to go to a bookstore in Naka.

"Ahaha! Whoever wrote this story must be swimming in money now. The light novel and this manga are always best-sellers. To be honest, Silver Blade has been the best seller in both book types for a year now."

"It's not unfair anyway. The story is excellent, the art is well done and the strangeness of the places, names and cultures captures your interest without any fail."

He placed the book on a paper bag and handed me the receipt which I handed to the guard by the door who inspected the contents of my bag and stamped it for approval that I didn't shoplift.

"…Now, to spend the rest of my money in a luxurious hotel and enjoy the rest of the day tomorrow on the hot spring and spa near here."

I went to a renown hotel building in the city and rented a high-class room. I was surprised when I read on the hotel guide that I can just use the radiophone to order dinner and it would be brought to my room.

"Huh?"

"What is it?"

"Miss, why aren't you using your AC?"

"Ay-Shi?"

The waitress who brought my dinner asked me and after she saw that I was confused with her question, she went to the long, rectangular box that is attached at the wall by the veranda and pressed some kind of button in it.

"WAAAHHH! What is it doing?!"

"It's an appliance that keep the room cool, miss. Every suite room and above in our hotel has one alongside a refrigerator, a food warmer and a water heater at the bathroom."

"W-what?"

The waitress was surprised with my confusion, but she joyfully taught me about all of these strange things and after she left, I opened the metal box called a refrigerator and placed some of the leftover food that I have when I ordered too much for dinner alone. I guessed that I can warm it up later on the food warmer.

I felt tired after all the things I did earlier and decided to take a good soak at the warm water in the bathroom…

"Fuwaaahhh~! This is so good…"

The warm water might be artificially boiled, but I heard that the hotel mixes some special water for the baths to make it good for the skin and ease up some aching muscles.

The warm bath made me sleep easier later and by morning, I warmed up the leftovers in the refrigerator and ate it as breakfast.

"Huh?"

"…"

When I went down to the lobby to go out and travel around the city again, I saw a familiar person who was welcomed by the employees.

"I didn't expect to see you here."

"Me too… why are you in a hotel, General Shimura?"

It was Shimura Nobisuke, the retainer of Iwasawa. He led me to the most-expensive room in the hotel and poured some tea for me.

"Why? This is my hotel."

"Huh?!"

"Just because I am a military man doesn't mean that I can't have some side businesses. This hotel is just a small part of the few businesses that I have inside and outside of Kiko."

"Y-you mean… you are actually rich?"

"Hmm… Haven't you read the train tickets that you used while you're travelling?"

When he said that, I took one out from my pocket and sure enough, it was written right there…

"Shimura Railways."

"I also own a farmstead in Uncle Takeshi's domain and a farmstead in Hashidate province. I also have a shipping company for metals and grain in Kiko and a metal foundry at Fuku province."

After he narrated all of his businesses, I felt a sense of inferiority.

"Ahaha… I see. It seems like living in this place where trade is essential for daily life would leave you with things to pass down to your child."

"No. I started all of these businesses with the salary given to me by Iwasawa-sama. The Shimura clan is piss poor before, you know."

"Bwe!"

I almost spat out my tea when I heard that he didn't inherit any of this and was actually a self-made businessman.

"W-wait… isn't it illegal for a Samurai to do these? That's against Bushido, you know."

"Ah… Iwasawa-sama said that we can just ignore it. He said that there is no point for us to wait for victories so we can get rewards from him. And in this way, we can have a good retirement once we are out of the military."

"I see…"

We talked for a bit more until he said that he's leaving for a meeting, and I continued with my planned trip around the city.

There was not much for me to say about the rest of the day. I had lunch with a famous ramen shop at the city center and bought some clothes at a tailoring shop whose Kimono designs has spread across the fashion clique in the Southern triad.

"Ahaha… This is quite the portrait."

I was also lucky enough to commission the artist in Naka clocktower who makes paintings of his clients against the picturesque sunset at the viewing deck of the tower. I brought it back to the hotel room for safekeeping before I went to the spa and hot spring resort at the outskirt of the city.

"Awawawawawawawawa…."

"Are you feeling refreshed, miss?"

"Y-Y-Yes… K-k-keep g-g-going…"

There was this padded chair in the resort that was mentioned in the travel guide called a "massage chair". The female technician asked me how I was feeling and because I am having my body hit lightly at the right spots, my reply was also shaky.

"Fuwaaahhh! This sauna room is so good!"

"Hey, should I add more water on the stones?"

"Yes, please do."

I also came into a steamy room in the resort along with other women and the one nearest the heated stones asked us if we want more steam before using the bamboo dipper to pour water on the stones.

After I felt that I am getting lightheaded, I went out and took a dip at the outdoor baths where the proprietress gave me a thin metal can which had some local alcohol that they call "Beer".

"Wow… this thing is good."

"Isn't it? I always come here for it. It's lighter than Sake and not as warming as grape wine, so it is best at baths like these."

(TN: For legal purposes, Author Rai wants to inform everyone that Kyoko is already 18. Remember, don't drink if you are a minor.)

I noticed that we could ask for more beer and so, I called and was given another can.

"Awawawa… Another one, Hic-! Please…"

"Miss, I guess I should hold onto your liquor now."

My memory was quite hazy then, I just remember that I got a bit sober later on and was walked back to the hotel by a woman where I immediately laid down and tucked on my bed.

"Arrrrgggghhh!!!"

The reason for my hazy memories was due to this thing that they call a "hangover".

I woke up tomorrow morning with still some headache from my hangover. But now, it is time for me to go home.

"I would like to check out now."

"Okay. That would be 4000 Kan for two days and another 100 Kan for assistance fee, miss."

"Assistance fee?"

"Umm… It's the pay for our employee who was called to the spa resort last night to get you. She complained that you vomited every now and then which sometimes ended up on her uniform and sometimes, you would get physical and hit her."

After I heard those words, I regained some of my memories and knew that the employee she was talking about was her herself.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!!!"

After I apologized and paid my fees, I rode the train that has a direct trip back to Kota and now, my luggage shelf was full of the things I bought.

["Ahem, ahem… Good morning, dear passengers. This is your captain speaking."]

After three days in this land… I can somewhat make a verdict for Kiko as a country and society.

"The places, the foods, the products and even the experiences…"

It is a modern and convenient place. A paradise in this hellish country filled with death and war.

"But…"

But something feels off… Something in this place feels like it is dead.

"Dead…"

Why does it feel like this? Why does living here seem to be comfortable yet pointless to me?

"I don't know for now…"

Perhaps, the death that I am feeling here isn't from what I can see but what I know I cannot see yet.

It just feels like this place exudes an existential fear… something that feels good for now but would later become an inescapable nightmare. As if the convenience brought by these things causes one to lose the purpose of their lives.

"Have you thought about this as well, Iwasawa?"

And so, as the train whistle sounded and the vehicle moved forward, I went back to my land not as a tourist but as its lord and leader.

Somehow, I enjoyed my vacation but also looked forward to my work again.