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Autumn sunset is early.
Just hours after Yoshiji arrived at Toba Castle, his surroundings were already surrounded by darkness.
The only thing you can see through the window is the shadows of the big islands, but the sound of the different waves entering through your ears makes Yoshiji comfortable in place of the disappeared view.
"I brought you an evening"
Yes, when I called from outside the room, a young man serving in the castle brought a meal to Yoshiji.
"Hmm, thank you."
The content of the meal was very satisfactory, albeit modest in quantity, with mountain vegetables in the fish of the sea.
Having finished eating early, he was either tired of traveling or thinking of going to bed early on this day.
At that time...
I felt like I heard a few footsteps outside the room, awakening his head, which lashed out.
But no one's coming in.
"Hmm? Are you out of your mind...?
Then,
"The Great Valley Hall. Would you care to go out with that?
And from there, the voice of Goro Toyota was heard.
Yoshiji, who got a little nervous, pulled his shoulder out, as relieved by that voice.
"Oh, was it Lord Toyota? I invited you around the corner. Please do."
And I answered with a loud voice.
Almost at the same time as that voice, Goro Rightmen enters.
Goro Righty Gate with a face like a heartbeat only.
From the time we met, he was a man of no superior complexion, but even worse, it seemed to Yoshiji.
"What's wrong with you? He doesn't seem to have a good complexion..."
"No... not to worry. If something's wrong, we'll invite you to drink or something."
"That's for the best."
That's what Yoshiji said and smiled at, Goro Rigamen also laughed affectionately.
At that time, Yoshiji had already accounted for something from Goro's right guard.
My father Yoshihei Otani told me many times that when a man tries to do something, it is visible to his eyes.
And the eyes of Goro's right guard seemed cloudy to Yoshiji.
Ha... did something happen to you, like why you would be harmed...
That's strange, but I have no idea right now.
Yoshiji dressed up as calm and questioned him, even as he became more alert.
"Which battles did Lord Toyota make the most impressive of your participation?
"No, while that's part of the Nine Ghosts, I'm not very good at fighting.
As much as we joined the Odawara attack... "
"Is it like that? I would have loved to have heard the old story of the battle from Lord Toyota, since it was in the first place when he joined the army in the role of Keio..."
"Then how about a story about the Navy in the Nine Ghosts' house? It's not really what Shishi joined, but it's what everyone tells us, and it's totally stained like it's me..."
"That's hilarious! Now let's talk about that as a dish for tonight's booze."
Strive calmly... behave naturally...
That's what Yoshiji told himself and wanted to know how to get them out.
And at the same time, think about where you'd peel your fangs off to the other person if you were yourself.
But it came to mind easily.
Negligible conversations continue between the castle and the Guests, so much so that I don't think a place for nasty booze will begin.
There, the liquor was carried.
Yoshiji was staring at the human being who brought the liquor to himself.
Did you notice that Yoshiji's gaze, I can see his hand shaking with a pedestal with booze and a cup.
Again...
Alcohol...
So intuitive, Yoshiji offered to take the liquor and follow it to the cup of Goro Rightmen, who was facing each other.
Goro Rightemon, unable to hide his surprise at the speed of the operation, grabbed the cup, but tried to hide it by accident.
"Slightly! Lord Oya! Please don't. Guests… If you spread the word that you have been drunk by Lord Hideyoshi and your messenger, what might it say to your Lord Shourou?
Wouldn't you be rude tonight without that kind of thank you? "
"No, no, we were given a room and even had a delicious meal.
If you show your gratitude here, it will be the name of the Otani family.
Please accept my college support. "
"If that's what they say..."
And Goro Rightemon offers the cup with his trembling hands.
Yoshiji carefully poured liquor there,
"Enjoy one here first, then."
and urged them to drink up on the spot.
Goro, the right guard has a blue face and is sweating.
If this booze is poisoned, you can't drink it.
Yes, Yoshiji was thinking.
Yoshiji stares into Goro Rightemon's eyes.
Can't you afford to care about Yoshiji's gaze like that...
Goro, make sure the right guard stares at the cup...
I drank it all at once.
Yoshiji's eyes open to surprise.
"It's still limited to local liquor, yummy!
And Goro Rightemon said, dyeing his earlier blue face slightly red.
And now all he had to do was return the drink, and lifted up the maiko placed before him in an attempt to follow his liquor to Yoshiji.
Then it's Lord Otani's turn.
"Thank you."
Yoshiji was relieved that the alcohol was not poisoned and offered a cup.
But...
It's cloudy...
Yoshiji did not miss the fact that a definite "turbidity" appeared in Goro's right guard's eyes, albeit temporarily.
When Goro Rightemon finishes pouring alcohol into Yoshiji's cup, Yoshiji is an extremely natural gesture, and when he takes the miko out of Goro Rightemon,
"Now let's toast. A toast to the end of the war…"
And he urged Goro to take the cup to the right guard.
But Goro, the right guard doesn't move.
No, you must not be able to move.
Again, yes.
I must have kept the poison in my own cup, assuming in advance that I would be drunk in a cup from Yoshiji's Miyako and from Goro's Miyako to Yoshiji's cup.
Yoshiji changed his earlier tender expression to harsh, and questioned Goro Rigamen.
"Lord Toyota! Let me explain why I can't move."
Goro Rightemon has already given up stopping him with poison, and his blue complexion has regained his blood color.
And I started talking to Boosh.
"... the Lord does not know... the suffering of the castle..."
Yoshiji narrows his eyes with a harsh expression.
Goro Rightemon continued.
"Even once they took the castle, they left a 'stain'...
If you do anything more to shake your home, it's your life at stake!
"How does that explain poisoning?
How long has Goro's eyes been cloudy all over his right guard face?
"If the Lord, who allied himself with Jibe Ishida, could have arranged a meeting with the Hidden Hall...
That may not be enough for your neck!
Lord knows nothing!
Such a struggle!
Finally Goro Rightemon exclaimed, as it exploded.
But Yoshiji, who had a cold eye for the way it looked,
"What is it about trying to harm Lord Hideyoshi's messenger in order to protect himself?! Shame on you!
And I had a drink.
The voice sounded as if it sounded all over the castle, and Goro Rightmen accidentally leaned back.
But he said with a strong smile on his face.
"But that's the end of the agony of it...
It's almost over... "
"What does that mean?
"By the hand of whoever sent it, you will have received a letter from it in your den, Kuku..."
Now Yoshiji's complexion turns blue on the words.
"Ma... no way..."
Then Goro Rightemon, with his attitude in place, laughed niggardly.
"And as early as tomorrow, but under it, the neck of your lair will reach... kukuku..."
"Ki, you! Is that against Hideyoshi's will and a woe to know!!
Finally Yoshiji grabbed the "bell-cutting knife" beside him and stood up.
"This is how you stay! We have to get to the island and deliver the letter right away!
Right from Yoshiji's back as he walked out of the room, Goro Rigamen said away.
"Kuku... but the letter from Lord Hideyoshi will never arrive..."
"What!?
Stop your legs, Yoshiji staring at Goro Rightemon's back.
Then,
"Because the Lord will say, 'I lost my life on Anshijima by the minister of your lair'... Kuhaha!
And, laughing high, Goro Rightemon stood up,
"Everyone's!! Him!!"
And I made the decree out loud.
At that moment, when he was opened with a noise, several soldiers set up spears and broke into the room.
However, for Yoshiji, who has walked through the training ground in the battle of Sekigahara, there are not even a few soldiers.
He never pulled the knife out, and drank it out loud.
"These infidels!! You know who we are pointing spears at!!
The soldiers' hands and feet stopped at that voice that made the room blow.
Yoshiji's sharp eyes swallowed the soldiers completely, and the soldiers could not move, as if they were frogs stared at by snakes.
Yoshiji walked out of the room with a large crotch, keeping his knife in his sheath.
"What are you doing!? There's one of them!
and Goro Right-Men, who exhorts the soldiers with a golden voice.
But the soldiers can't move.
Then Goro Rightemon, who cut the paralysis, pulled out his knife and was slashed from behind Yoshiji.
"Yea!!
Yoshiji, who had come all the way in front of him, did not even look back, but stepped aside.
Then, unable to capture Yoshiji, who suddenly disappeared from his sight, Goro Rigamen walks by as he waves his sword down Yoshiji's side.
Yoshiji put one foot on it.
"Whew!
Goro's right guard raised his voice like a crushed frog, caught on its feet and fell into the hallway at the front.
After all, the hallway is also filled with soldiers from Goro's right guard gate.
But the Goro right guard suddenly fell in, so the soldiers accidentally fell behind.
Yoshiji jumped out of the room with that gap.
Then he fell and stepped on the back of Goro's right guard gate, and jumped into the crowd of soldiers in front of him.
"Bring only the one who wants to be branded a traitor to heaven!
This college assistant will bring himself to justice!
Yoshiji's relentless temper, which has crossed the dead line of Sekigahara, cuts the soldiers' energy to fight.
Yoshiji ran all the way through the hallway without pulling out his favorite knife and jumped out through the main circle.
"Follow me! Follow me!!
Goro right guard who keeps making orders almost close to screaming.
The soldiers also follow Yoshiji's back so that he can be chased by his voice.
It was Yoshiji, who pushed forward as if he were a shepherd, but it was the first castle I ever visited.
It was natural not to know the right or left, and Goro Rightmen, realizing it, skilfully drove Yoshiji to a place.
And...
Finally Yoshiji went through the major gates.
Yoshiji breathed relief, but the next moment, his face clearly changed.
"Shit..."
Ahead through the major gates of Toba Castle...
It's...
It is the sea.
The end of the bridge that protruded over the sea is the dock, in other words the end of the line.
Goro Rightmen soldiers surround Yoshiji, who stood at the tip of that bridge.
I'm making the difference between twitching and that.
That's right, Yoshiji can only stare at him without speaking up.
Goro Rightemon, who laughed high there, approached.
"Kuha! I'm sorry to hear that, Lord Oya.
There's no escape now. Leave that neck alone!
"Grunt... who is an infidel like you..."
"That's enough to strengthen! Do it!!"
When the decree was passed, the soldiers simultaneously attacked Yoshiji.
"Above it takes...!!
Yoshiji, with his mouth tightened to a single letter, rushes out of momentum as he turns his back on the soldiers.
And...
He jumped into the dark sea.
Soldiers flattered by too much.
Trying to push away such confused soldiers, Goro Right-Men gazed into the dark for a while as he came to the end of the bridge, but turned his back and walked out toward the castle.
"Enough is enough. You jumped into the ocean at night, you can't live to go home first.
In the morning, the body will come up too.
If the body turns up, it should be decided that the ship has overturned on its way to Anshijima.
Everyone's, let's go. "
The sea of bird feathers made the same gentle sound of different waves, such as human noise, and the light of the moon was weak. This evening, its surface was black everywhere.