Shinsengumi! (9): The Shogunate's Desperate Plea
The Shinsengumi! (9) The shogunate faction's ultimate weapon. The mysterious hermit who pulverized the Sword God in a single strike. To win him over, he'd prepared the clue called "Shinsengumi" and waited endlessly. And today, at last. The Shinsengumi's report mentioned a "white-haired eccentric."
Matsudaira Katamori halted all duties and rushed urgently to Kyoto. I absolutely cannot let this slip away. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. The shogunate, which had endured for three hundred years—would it perish like this? Or be saved? The fate of everything hinged on one person.
That being... the white-haired hermit who killed the Sword God. Matsudaira Katamori swallowed dryly. He straightened his posture and approached Si-ho cautiously.
"...? Eek, eeeeek!"
Si-ho, munching scraps of snacks in the corner, freaked out. Some strange man had burst into the room with a clatter, eyes gleaming ominously as he crept closer. She yanked her sedge hat down over her face and trembled violently.
"My apologies, Lord Katamori. I'll relay your words on her behalf."
At that moment, Izuki Ishihara smoothly stepped in front of Matsudaira Katamori.
'......?'
'......!!!?'
'F-fuck, we're screwed.'
The Shinsengumi members, flattened on the floor with heads bowed, went pale. Their vision swam dizzily. Who was the Kyoto Protector? The ninth head of the Matsudaira clan, bearer of the shogunate's boundless trust. The great lord of Aizu with 230,000 koku in stipend. Supreme commander of all Kyoto garrison forces—the Kyoto Guards, the Kyoto Magistrates, the Shinsengumi, everything.
Matsudaira Katamori. And now, a mere ronin swordsman had blocked his path?
"Y-you insolent cur!! Bow your head at once!!"
The attendant in the next room turned ashen and bellowed.
In truth, this went beyond mere rudeness. The boy had just declared himself the white-haired eccentric's spokesman. In feudal society, vast status gaps meant people didn't converse directly. They'd use attendants or proxies: "Tell him this, tell him that," and the message would be relayed. But now, this upstart was putting forward a spokesman before the mighty head of the Matsudaira house? Only imperial royalty could get away with that. If they nitpicked, it could escalate to blasphemy against the emperor—a massive scandal.
No wonder everyone's vision turned yellow.
"...Enough. I'll take full responsibility."
Matsudaira Katamori restrained the attendant.
"And show some insight into the times."
He shot the attendant a sharp glare. Ever since the Sword God appeared, an era had dawned where individual might could topple nations. In such times, blindly trusting status and provoking a powerful warrior? The high officials, tamed by three centuries of peace, had forgotten that a single ronin before them could lop off their heads in an instant. Matsudaira Katamori despised them for it.
"S-sorry!"
The attendant bowed his head at once and retreated.
"......My apologies for the rudeness. Forgive me."
Matsudaira Katamori bowed his own head. The Shinsengumi watching this felt like they were dying inside.
'Shit. How the hell do we treat the kid now? Lick her feet?'
'Nagakura-san, something about rookies and the baby of the group? Wanna say that again in front of Lord Katamori?'
'Shut your trap, Okita. Please, spare me.'
The Shinsengumi, still prostrated, whispered and snickered, poking each other's sides in chaos.
"Would it be alright to move to another room? I'd prefer to receive you properly in a quiet space, rather than this humble abode."
The shogunate's plan to recruit the white-haired eccentric was a state secret. Spies from the anti-shogunate side had surely leaked it already, of course. Still, he wanted to keep future discussions confidential.
'Haha. If it's so humble, send some support at least. Living in squalor is heartbreaking.'
'Okita, shut up for once!'
Izuki turned to Si-ho. But she shook her head furiously from behind the sedge hat.
'T-taking me somewhere secluded? W-what are you planning to do?'
Izuki, conveying her intent, apologized politely to Matsudaira Katamori.
"My apologies. My master wishes to remain here."
'...! So they are master and disciple.'
Matsudaira Katamori noted the new info and let out a low hum.
"Very well. It's a shame I can't offer you better hospitality, but so be it."
He glanced down at the rigidly prostrated Shinsengumi.
"Raise your heads. But from now on, everything you hear here goes to the grave with you. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!! Understood!!"
A thunderous reply erupted.
Matsudaira Katamori sat in seiza before Si-ho.
"Forgive me. With so little time left before the shogunate falls, I must beg despite the impropriety."
His face full of resolve, he bowed deeply.
"Please become the shogunate's strength and subdue the enemies of the court."
Enemies of the court—rebels, insurgents.
"For three hundred years since the Dongjo Regent quelled the chaos. Our long era of peace crumbles under assaults led by the Sword God and his rebel ilk, plunging the realm once more into an age of blood and blades."
His earnest plea continued.
"As the shogunate awaited only annihilation under the rebels' ferocious onslaught, you appeared like a miracle and vanquished the Sword God."
He had glimpsed a spark of hope. He wished that spark wouldn't fizzle out but become the shogunate's counterarrow, igniting a massive blaze.
"If you lend us your power, the shogunate will spare no reward. We pledge all the treasures and honors accumulated over three centuries."
Nothing would be too precious if this plan revived the shogunate. Even the general had approved the white-haired eccentric recruitment op after hearing the report.
The die of fate was cast. Matsudaira Katamori squeezed his eyes shut, awaiting the white-haired hermit's reply.
A suffocating silence followed. Izuki glanced subtly at Si-ho. But she shook her head without a second's hesitation.
Money? Honor? Useless once you're dead. Why would this shogunate or whatever beg so desperately, offering everything just to be saved? Si-ho, who knew death's weight better than anyone, wouldn't gamble her life on it.
Reading her eyes, Izuki nodded calmly.
"My master declines the offer."
Si-ho bobbed her head vigorously beside him: nod nod.
Matsudaira Katamori gazed at Si-ho with a devastated expression.
'...It's over.'
He hung his head. If this op failed, the shogunate had no hope left.
"Mm! Mmm. Hm."
'Don't grovel—go home already.'
'No intention of fighting for you lot. I'll keep hiding, so don't look for me.'
Si-ho recoiled violently from behind the sedge hat.
"...Understood."
Izuki turned back to Matsudaira Katamori.
"My master adds this."
Matsudaira Katamori muttered forlornly.
"What...?"
"I will not join the shogunate to fight rebels. I am not your soldier. I am free, and I will remain uninvolved in worldly affairs as always."
Izuki recited clearly.
"Mm!"
Si-ho nodded in satisfaction. That's why big shots use spokesmen? Solid performance.
"However. I will continue to reside in Kyoto as before."
"...?"
Si-ho tilted her head. She'd never said that?
"I quench my thirst with Kyoto's waters, fill my belly with its cuisine. I feel its winds, walk its streets. I breathe its air. Kyoto is the city where I live and breathe."
The tilt grew steeper.
......Not wrong, exactly. But a bit wordy...?
"If such a Kyoto faces a threat like this again, I will not stand idly by."
Si-ho blinked. She wouldn't just sit and watch, no. She'd bolt right up and flee.
"I fight solely for myself. I will never tolerate threats to the peace around me."
Yeah, spot on. Good talker.
Si-ho nodded approvingly. '...But something feels off? The nuance?' A slight unease prickled, but it was all true anyway?
"......!"
Matsudaira Katamori—Matsudaira Katamori—snapped his head up. Hope slowly returned to his eyes.
"Is... is that true?"
His voice trembled.
'He. He declared he'll protect this Kyoto's peace.'
Overwhelmed, he shed a tear, forgetting decorum. Seeing one of the shogunate's top five powerhouses weep left everyone stunned.
"Uh... umm."
Si-ho shrank behind the sedge hat.
......No need to cry that pitifully. Now she felt guilty.
Embarrassed, Si-ho awkwardly offered the snack clutched in her fist.
"Mm. Umm...."
Well, tears wouldn't change anything. But watching a grown man bawl was awkward. Here, have this and go. Tasty snack.
Si-ho specially picked the prettiest, most colorful one and slid it across the floor.
"Ah... th-thank you."
Matsudaira Katamori took it with trembling hands.
'Our hearts connected. Sincerity reached him.'
He clutched the snack to his chest like treasure. It symbolized goodwill between the white-haired eccentric and the shogunate. How could he possibly eat such a precious token? In time, that snack would be preserved and passed down through Matsudaira generations as a family heirloom.
"I understand your intent clearly."
Matsudaira Katamori composed his moved heart and rose.
Everyone but Si-ho scrambled up after him.
"Then, I pray you rest easy in this beautiful Kyoto. I'll take my leave..."
As Matsudaira Katamori exited, the whole group followed in a rush.
"If you ever need my aid, contact me anytime. The shogunate will always await you."
Not a full recruitment, true. But you can't fill up on the first sip. Getting the white-haired recluse's vow to guard the capital was a huge win, a major step forward.
'Now I can face the general.'
Matsudaira Katamori ordered the attendant to provide Si-ho with supplies, then departed the Shinsengumi barracks.
Soon, only Si-ho and Izuki remained, blinking blankly in the empty room.
'Nice guy.'
Si-ho thought, munching the remaining snacks. Rejected, yet such a positive reaction. Politicians weren't for just anyone.
As Si-ho prepared to head home at last, sudden clattering footsteps erupted outside.
"You brute, all you know is swinging a sword, so you blundered. What? Repeat that about the rookie and baby?"
"Haha. You'll let it slide, hero? I'll buy you lots more tasty snacks from now on."
Shinsengumi members tumbling before Si-ho like rolling pins. Izuki smiled faintly at Nagakura kicking Okita, who had claimed the spot right in front of her.
✿
"So you're really leaving just like this?"
Okita looked regretful.
"Yes. I've been away from home far too long."
Only five days at the barracks on Shinsengumi invitation, but to Si-ho, it felt like half a year abroad.
"Well, if fate wills it, we'll meet again."
"True. The world's smaller than you think."
The Shinsengumi chimed in one by one.
"Ah. You live on Kyoto's outskirts, right? Those remote spots can be surprisingly dangerous."
Okita added as if it just occurred to him.
"Hide a tree in the forest, they say. Conversely, Kyoto's bustling heart might be safer."
The assassins actually hid by hopping inns in crowded districts. The Shinsengumi shuddered.
"Hm. Thanks for the advice. Worth considering."
Izuki gave a wry smile, looking down at Si-ho shaking her head furiously.
"Then we'll take our leave."
"Sure. See you later."
"Safe travels. Serve your master well."
"May peace follow your path."
Final farewells exchanged, Si-ho and Izuki headed for the familiar mountainside.
As familiar cricket chirps and mountain breezes reached them, they finally returned home.
"......?"
Or rather, the home site.
Their house had long since turned to a handful of ash from Niimi Nishiki's fervent warmth. Even that ash had scattered on Si-ho's iaijutsu winds, nourishing the soil.
"......Damn. Niimi."
Si-ho whispered softly, reminiscing about him.