◇ ◇

I, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, had even forgotten to blink at the shock of the battle after hearing about the battle at Sawayama Castle.

The same thing happened to other faces, and only our sobbing voice stuck around the room.

And the storyteller, Takashi Tsuda, continued by shaking his head sideways.

"But... this battle was the beginning of Sakiyoshi Ishida's battle."

I asked strangely what Mr. Heavy said.

"Why? You're no longer worried about losing your life after the war, aren't you glad?

"Indeed, I no longer have to worry about losing my life in battle.

But... "

"But...?

Mr. Heavy hangs up his words so hard to say there.

Still, as everyone's gaze gathered, he said spicy.

"Sakichi and... the battle against disease has begun..."

"Sick..."

When he snapped with a voice that seemed to disappear, Mr. Heavy began to speak slowly.

………

……

Celebration 6 Years (1601) Autumn

"It was only a year, thank you for your help"

Sakichi, who revealed his name as Kiyoshi Ishida, bowed profoundly when he said so to the residence of Takano Mountain Temple. Beside it, Mr. Takashi Tsuda.

On this day, Sakichi left the temple.

What is the reason…

"I hear in Kyo, good doctors are starting to gather.

You don't have to. You have to cure it. "

Yes, as the temple dweller said, he was already ill at this time.

Not so much that he could not yet live, but as he stopped living in the temple and took care of it and cured it while seeing doctors in Kyoto and Sakai from this day on, Sakichi was to leave the temple.

"Well, shall we go?"

He urged Sakichi to find a place to cure Sakichi so that he could be treated so that his illness could get better, in order to keep his promise to his late best friend, Shisei Ishida, even though he was a wanderer.

"Yes, thank you"

Sakichi, who bowed his head to Mr. Heavy, left Mt. Takano behind with a calm face.

After leaving the mountains, the two slowly head north.

It's a mild autumn sunny day.

With such a cloudy look unsuitable for the sky, Mr. Choi asked Sachi.

"Are you sure?

What this inquiry meant was that he would not go to Sakai or Kyo where he could receive satisfactory treatment. What a hope he had of returning to his hometown of Sawayama Omi.

He replied to Mr. Heavy with a gentle smile everywhere.

"Yes, I know my body very well."

This answer can also be regarded as "Don't worry because the disease is not as severe," but on the other hand it can also be regarded as "I want you to like the rest of your life because there is no prospect of it getting better anymore".

It is not possible to judge which is meant by the expression of Sakichi.

But in any case, Sachi's eyes felt a strong core that could not bend the claim, and Mr. Heavy had to obey.

We arrived at Mt. Sawayama, Omi, the day after we left Mt. Takano.

Unfortunately cloudy skies on this day. Still, Sachi's expression was clear.

"Oh... is it something I feel so nostalgic about even though it's only been a year..."

But it may not be impossible for him to feel that way either.

Unlike a year ago, the lord is not his father.

And the familiar Sawayama Castle also seems somewhat lonely because I don't know why, but it's not used by the new castle owner, Naoji Iui.

But Sakichi is useless for Honmaru in Sawayama Castle. He headed straight to his destination.

Where that purpose is, of course…

Nantian near left...

When he came to the source of the Oki, he spoke out against Mr. Heavy, who was behind him.

"My mother and I are here to meet again."

At this time, our message is unknown. But the tragedy that happened at the Mansion is also in Mr. Heavy's ear, and we have to say that our lives and deaths are hopeless.

Still, he says, "Wait here".

I don't know how sick I am...

"We should put the treatment first"

Heavy told me to order, of course, thinking of Sakichi's body.

But Sachi kept a smile on his face, shook his neck to the side, and gave it an answer as his will.

Sakichi's father, Souyoshi Ishida, once decided to do the same, has heard of a man with the will of iron who will never bend, and Mr. Cho, and perhaps it must also be pulsatingly inherited by the blood flowing in Sakichi.

Mr. Cheung left his side quietly, losing what he could no longer say.

And then every day...

Sachi continued to stand by its Oki side from morning until sundown.

Rainy days, windy days...

With a calm look on your face...

To fulfill his' dream 'to wait in Sawayama...

No matter how desperate he was, he believed and did not doubt it.

- Mother will always come back.

and…

But the disease surely erodes his body.

They seem to be letting me sleep in the Kiyohara Temple, where that Oki is, but they probably haven't received satisfactory treatment or anything.

As he pursues the day, his body becomes thinner and thinner. Still, the brilliance of his eyes was full of the color of hope that dreamed of reuniting, without being lost.

On the other hand, in earning his daily allowance as a popular foot of the castle, which began in Hikone, he deposited a small amount of money in the temple in addition to the clothes and food of Saji.

And... Sakichi flogged his screaming body and continued to stand at Oki every morning and evening for more than a year -

But...

That was one day in February of the 8th year of the Celebration (1603).

"Clear Ghost!!

Having come to see how he was doing after work that day, Mr. Heavy rushed to him in a hurry to find Sakichi, who was falling.

But Sakichi couldn't answer Mr. Chong's call, and he was spitting blood out of his mouth.

"In the temple anyway!

It never reached Sakichi's ear, who had lost consciousness even after speaking out like that.

………

……

"Ugh... this is..."

Sakichi finally woke up only after it was already late at night.

"Oh! Are you awake?"

"Lord Tsuda... is that..."

Mr. Heavy, who gently supported his shoulder against Saki in an attempt to wake up his body by saying so, said in an utterly toned manner.

"Qingyun. Don't push it. When I came in the daytime to see how things were, your lord was down by the tree."

"Was it…"

Sakichi, who leaked like that, lays down with a lot of people.

Seeing him like that, Mr. Heavy breathed heavily, and he ghosted his heart and spoke to Saji.

"It's already been two and a half years since the war ahead. Isn't it true that waiting so long won't bring your Lord's mother anymore?

Do not watch the Lord waste any more of his life saved by my Father.

And if the LORD finds out that he is waiting for him even after he has cut off his own life, he must grieve for his mother.

Give up here already and let me focus on curing "

Mr. Heavy turns his serious obsession to Sakichi.

Feeling Mr. Heavy's gaze like that, Sakichi fell asleep, stared at the ceiling, and began to talk to him to twinkle and twinkle.

"My mother... was a strong man who always kept her word..."

"Oh... that's what I know so well"

Snow that came out at some point... is it snow at all...

From the eyes of Sakichi, always the same serene expression...

Big tears.

"So my mother... my mother will always come back. It does... it does..."

Sakichi couldn't put it into words any more.

But still, Mr. Heavy understood his strong feelings painfully well.

Because it's...

Because it was the determination of the samurai themselves when going to war.

It's already been two and a half years since the Battle of Sekigahara ended.

But the battle is still going on for the people whose families are no longer known because of the fighting.

Still, many people will live their lives back to normal "for themselves to live" and desperately live each day with their thoughts on their families that do not return.

That's fine. Rather, if not, the country cannot be made, and a new world will not be made.

But Sakichi was different.

He tries to keep through the most clumsy way of "waiting in the land he promised to reunite".

Even at the expense of "I live", I want to welcome my beloved family first with this hand… and that will be all.

That's the battle of Sekigahara for Sakichi.

That's what's for Sachi...

One minute of the samurai...

It is...

The next morning...

Sakichi was there, as usual.

The only difference is that I'm not standing, I'm sitting there leaning against Oki...

Mr. Heavy no longer seemed to "deserve to say something" like that. That's why he had no choice but to come and see how he was doing.

Sagi's body must be above its limits, by the way.

It would not be strange if my face was distorted by severe pain.

Still, Sakichi's face waiting for her mother seems happy somewhere, and if you look at it that way, no one should notice anything about the disease.

And it was roughly a month since the fallen Sakichi kept waiting for her mother at the foot of the Nantian tree again.

Celebration 8 (1603) March 22 -

That's such a day with thick clouds in the sky.

Sakichi was still sitting at Oki's that day.

A cold day in the morning because the spring sun has hidden its face.

Next to Sakichi, there is one "Kasashi".

That's something he always had with him on days when it's going to rain.

- If your mother doesn't have a kasashi, I'd like you to wear this.

Mr. Heavy remembered what he said.

And Sachi slowly closed his eyes.

Maybe he was dreaming at this time.

I spent those happy days laughing at the whole family.

Mr. Heavy staring from afar can see that, too.

And Sachi moved his mouth by squeezing his final, final power.

"Ah," "Ri," "but," "and," "Ugh."

and…

And a glimmer of tears wet Sakichi's cheek, keeping his usual sober smile on his mouth...

It's quiet... very quiet...

He entrusted his thoughts to Oki and traveled to heaven.

………

……

Everyone, including me, was in tears at Takashi Tsuda's story.

Mr. Heavy himself is wetting the floor with large tears as he speaks.

And when he took a single script out of his nostalgia, he offered it to Sachi's mother, who cried.

On behalf of her blind, Princess Kofi receives it.

Of course, the sender was Saji, and the destination was his mother.

"It's in what was placed in a room in the temple the day Saki died"

Yes, Mr. Heavy explained, Princess Kofi handed it to me.

"Lord Hideyoshi. Could you read that out loud? So that the contents may be conveyed to His Holiness."

I nodded softly, breathing softly and widening the script.

It's a delicate, thin word that's going to disappear.

But I can see that there is indeed a soul of Sachi in there.

I started reading with all my heart so that I could put Sakichi's thoughts on it, too.

"Mother. I apparently have to travel to the afterlife without fulfilling my promise to Mother.

Please forgive me for being unfaithful.

Only this soul awaits its its mother in the great trees of Nantian.

If I may, I know I will be born again in the next life as a mother's child.

At that time, I won't try to hope that Father, Brother, Sister, and of course Mother, are worlds where everyone can live with laughter.

Please be very careful with your body… Sakichi "

- Uhhhh!! Sachi, no, no, no, no!

Our screams go through the room, all the way to heaven.

But the sky...

She began to glance at the warm sunshine of spring in an attempt to quench her tears.

When the soft light came into the room, the plush wrapped itself around it.

And...

Sakichi was standing in the room...

"Zogi..."

It seems clear to our invisible eyes.

To see the reddish cheeks of good blood colour, there will be no more illness.

I guess I'm doing fine.

There will be no suffering whatsoever.

He smiles calmly, quietly, and turns a gentle gaze on his mother.

He opened his mouth slowly.

- Don't cry... Mother. Sakichi is happy. Because this is how I met your mother, as promised.

The voice was like a clear river spiral, as a reflection of his heart.

"Zogi...! Saji! I'm sorry... my mother... my mother..."

We were desperately apologizing as we wept for Sachi. That would have kept his head down for failing to fulfil his promise in his lifetime.

- Mother, please raise your head. Isn't this how we met? Besides, my mother was just alive, and Sakichi is happy.

And Sachi's whole body began to glow with dazzle.

- Apparently, it's time. From now on, we will continue to watch over our sisters from heaven to our mothers, fathers and brothers.

That's what I said. We called out desperately for Sachi.

It was her own wish for the child.

"Saji! Promise me!!

Please! Please, stay in peace!! You take care of yourself more than you take care of my mother!

When Sachi smiled with a smile at those wishes, the figure disappeared into a blurry light.

And...

- Mother. The happiness of it is that the whole family smiles.

Leaving only the word, his mind also traveled again...

The skies of Mount Sawa are clear as if the rain had been a lie earlier.

The smell of spring flowers wraps around in a refreshing breeze.

By then, there were no more tears for everyone, including us.

- Today and tomorrow, let's live desperately forward for the thoughts of those who have travelled.

It was such a raucous sunshine of spring that such feelings boiled with warmth in my chest with wonder.

………

……

Celebration 11 (1606) March 22, after noon -

With the rain rising, we decided it was possible to leave, and we hurried to get ready.

And when he was ready, he thanked the people of the Iui family before the gate of the mansion, who had come to see them off.

"I wish I could spend the day at the Mansion, but are you already gone?

It was Naotaki Iui who had spoken out with such regret.

I replied with a bright voice to Naoki, who was unusual and slightly unwell.

"Oh, because we have to go as planned! But I'll see you sometime!

"Ha! Promise!"

"Whoa! Promise! Ha ha!!

Where we smiled at each other,

"All, then! Thank you so much for your help!! Until the day I see you again, master!!

And when I speak out loud to everyone in the house of the Iui family, Naoki's expression is sure to tighten.

And...

"together!! Li!!!

It was by the life of Naoki-san that the disciplined and simultaneous people bowed their heads.

It should be noted that among them is the wife of Souyoshi Ishida and not the mother of Sachi.

And just after I left the mansion...

Her appearance was there.

It's...

Nantian, near the left.

Next to her was Mr. Tsuda Takashi.

When Mr. Heavy urges us to find our way, he smiles gently and bows his head to us.

By the way, she was temporarily to be picked up by the Qingliang Temple.

And a large temple is to be built near the location of Hao Deyuan today, what future generations will call the "Dragon Tan Temple," and once it is completed, they will make one of the rooms her room.

Her presence has not yet been made public in the Jiui family, but it seems that if some sort of shanty is officially brought down from the Tokugawa family, then she will explain it to everyone from the mouth of her predominant, Jiui Succession.

Of course, she was free to go out of the room, and some of the maids were supposed to be her caregivers, so her serene afterlife was going to be guaranteed by the Iui family, and both me and Princess Kofi were relieved.

After she moved to a new temple and received assurances of her safety from the Tokugawa family, Mr. Tsuda was to serve at Osakaka Castle.

When I looked down my head, me and Princess Kofi lowered their heads gently towards her, too.

On her head like that, big kasas.

Yes, Sakichi carried it with him "to my mother if it rained".

I didn't feel like Sakichi was protecting my mother over heaven.

The Battle of Sawayama Castle...

The shadow of that fierce battle is no more in this Mount Sawa.

Still, it was true that the thought of one samurai who continued to fight there remained a kasashi that protected the smile of one woman.