Chapter 46

Azuki knew it was her own fault. She was her own worst enemy. She was overjoyed to be able to go home, the home she remembered, to live with her brother and her newfound uncle. She was thrilled that Shota could keep his boat and pursue his sailing. And she had ruined her own opportunity with her impetuous foray into the night to see the remarkable loom. Why hadn't she thought of simply asking Uncle, and she must remember to call him that now, if they could go see it while they were in the city?

She trudged up the stairs to their room, where Shota asked if he could transfer the funds she carried into his pouch. The Princess had said, by way of the tanuki, that if he kept it there he couldn't lose it even if he changed. Wordlessly, Azuki handed most of the coins, the gold bars and the all-important plaque to her brother.