"No, it's alright. I understand the impatience stemming from your strong feelings for the honor and pride of the Onitsuki clan. However, precisely because of that, this matter should not be handled by you alone, don't you think?"
In defending and comforting Hina, Kochou began to talk about her own intentions...
...
...
The meeting came to an end, and the attendees bowed and left one by one. Some engaged in conversations with a few others, while some planned to continue their discussions in a separate room in the house.
"Well then, I shall take my leave."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work."
Hina stood up silently and nodded in response. Without saying anything further, she turned around and left.
"...Aoi."
"...Yes, Father? What is it?"
As Aoi also stood up silently from her seat, her father called out to her, causing a momentary silence before she responded. She did not make eye contact with him.
"You also did well. I heard that you are going to negotiate with Tachibana's trading company during the meeting. We should prepare some gifts at least. I will take care of the expenses, so don't hesitate to ask."
"...Yes."
Aoi replied briefly to her father's considerate words. After a bow, she turned her back and left, carrying a sharp air of departure.
"Aoi."
Just as she was about to leave, Aoi was called out again. But this time, the voice was softer than her father's. She quickly looked in the direction of the sound and saw her mother, Sumire, standing there. Her mother had a big smile on her face and her hair was tied up in a purple color.
"I also want to express my gratitude, you know? Thank you for the sake of our family and your father."
It was an apologetic smile with no trace of malice.
"...No, it's all right. I merely stated the obvious as a member of the Onitsuki clan."
After another bow, Aoi calmly left the room without once looking back. She did not look back once until she went out through the shoji.
"...You endured it well."
On the other side of the sliding doors, as Aoi stepped into the hallway, her grandmother whispered next to her. Aoi looked up, meeting her grandmother's gaze. She smiled, and her folding fan was already snapped in half.
"...Shall we go?"
"Yes, let's."
The granddaughter and grandmother, Aoi and Kochou, walked down the hallway together. There was no one else around, not by coincidence. Thanks to the curse of warding off people, consciously or unconsciously, everyone had already left the vicinity. Only these two could possibly be seen walking down this hallway.
For a while, the two of them walked silently down the hallway, deep in thought. Finally, it was the grandmother who spoke first.
"Nevertheless, it's eerie. That she would obediently follow him like that..."
Recalling the earlier meeting, Kochou wore an expression of bewilderment. As a mother, she knew her son's personality very well. He had caused so much recklessness and absurdity for the sake of the woman he loved... And it wasn't just the meeting. However, since he recovered from being comatose, he seemed like a completely different person, and it was unsettling.
"Indeed. I can still understand the one in Hotoya Village because that girl was involved. But to have no reaction to the incident in Hieda County... We made various preparations, and they all went to waste."
Aoi agreed with her grandmother's words in a detached tone. He (Tomobe) had caused quite a stir during the Namahage incident in Hieda County. It was going to take a lot of work to cover it up.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, he was not so conspicuous because he gave most of the credit to the fallen legionnaires. As a result, he didn't stand out too much... Although, it was truly mysterious how both the Head of Servants and the Clan Head didn't inquire too deeply into the matter.
"..."
"It's better not to have futile hope."
Since waking up, her father attitude has changed dramatically, and her grandmother warns the silent Aoi.
But Kochou knew. She knew all about the doubts, conflicts, and wants inside her confident and proud granddaughter. That's why she tries to bring her back to reality.
"I shouldn't be the one to say this... but if you truly want something, you have to cut off everything else. Those who chase two hares catch neither."
It was a needless reminder. Even though Kochou's granddaughter had said it herselfc and she wouldn't become like her grandmother. However, that's why Kochou emphasizes it. Failure is not an option for him. And when that time comes, her granddaughter's heart will surely shatter.
"Yes... there's no problem. I didn't expect anything less. After all, it's insulting and infuriating to act that way after everything we've done."
Breaking the silence, Aoi declares. Her lips curl up, and her eyes gleam like a ferocious predator. The aura surrounding her shakes the air. It is indeed the emotion of anger. The passion of a proud and arrogant girl.
"I won't be fooled by that performance. I will definitely seek revenge, all of it!"
And when those terrible parents are gone, He and she will rule everything. She will give everything, give up everything for him! Stand by his side, support him! That's the only true and fair way...!!
"Well, that's fine then."
In response to her granddaughter's declaration, Kochou simply nods calmly. The content of the declaration doesn't matter. What matters is whether she can carry it out when the time comes. And Kochou, intentionally speaking it out loud, doesn't fully trust her granddaughter's words.
She doesn't think she will betray him. Aoi's feelings for him are extreme but genuine. However... her granddaughter is still naive. She could hesitate and falter at the critical moment. She could become indecisive. That is something to be cautious of.
(Truly, a miscalculation.)
It's troublesome, really. If it weren't her parents, her granddaughter's heart wouldn't have been so shaken. No, even if they were her parents, if her son's plan had succeeded and left her tainted and filled with despair... no, then his life would be at stake too.
(If only he could give her some kind of a gift...)
As a grandmother, Kochou understands Aoi's personality well. She is arrogant, greedy, hot-tempered, and highly self-conscious. However, if he forcibly remove that thick armor around her heart, it becomes easy to dominate her.
Whether he forcefully takes her or even strangles her in the act. Slapping her cheek would be fine. Insulting her, violating her, degrading her, and ordering her around. Just that would make this rosy granddaughter ecstatic, submitting and groveling before him.
Despite boasting about being by his side and equal to his wife, deep down, this granddaughter is happier prostrating herself beneath him. Kochou has a faint sense of this.
Bind her, possess her, dominate her. And in return, be bound, obsessed over, and dominated. That is the concept of love for this granddaughter, who was raised watching those parents, with the latter aspect being stronger due to past experiences. In any case, it was not something pleasant.
Oh well. Like they say, blood is thicker than water between parent and child...
"Hehehe..."
Aware of her thoughts drifting in meaningless directions, Kochou brushed them aside. She smirked, as if to deceive herself. And before she knew it, the two of them had arrived there.
"...Well then, I shall take my leave here."
Glancing at the extravagantly decorated sliding door, Aoi stepped back. Kochou didn't try to stop her. It was only natural to be cautious. Not many people would actively step into Kochou's private quarters, the domain of the Black Butterfly.
After bidding her lively granddaughter farewell, Kochou opened the sliding door. From the inside, a delightful smell filled the air, instantly distracting anyone who caught a whiff of it. Kochou's lips formed a captivating smile at it.
In the center of the lavishly adorned living room, there lay "him"—or rather, "her." Within the spread-out futon, a fragile and fair-skinned "girl" lay embracing herself. She seductively gasped for air, moaning and convulsing as she reached climax from time to time.
"Oh my, how pitiful."
Kochou's voice contained both sympathy and mockery. The procedure she had performed the other day was a rash act, moved up ahead of schedule.
It wasn't Kochou who imposed the recklessness. It was what the pawn before her desired.
They were likely in a hurry. To resist the invasion of his (Tomobe) body and the fading of their bond. While it was true that it was necessary, becoming a member of the household meant she couldn't freely be by her beloved's side. Yet, to dedicate herself to him, it was essential to be in the position of a member of the household. But as she did so, his surroundings became livelier, and she grew more distant from him...
The last point may have had a slight touch of paranoia, but Kochou understood that feeling of impatience all too well. Young people are prone to rushing things, and they can't contain their inner passions. It may have been one of the reasons why the opportunity the disciple before her had last year ended up being missed.
"...You seem to be suffering quite a bit, don't you? I told you not to rush it."
Kneeling beside the disciple who curled up within the futon, Kochou muttered in exasperation.
If she get closer, the pitiful state of the former boy becomes even more apparent. Her hair, spread out on the futon, is disheveled, and she sighs and drools pathetically. She mutters to herself, moistening her eyes. The traces of countless tears running down her face, it's hard to even tell how many times she cried.
Indeed, the intense pain afflicting the former boy's body is beyond description. The surgery that took an entire day was performed without anesthesia, while she was fully conscious. Her limbs were restrained, and there was extensive bleeding. Even though the wounds had been stitched up, the disciple before her still suffered from intense pain. This was the pitiful state she was in.
"But it doesn't seem to be infected..."
"Mas... ter...?"
As the advisor confirmed the surgical scar after removing the futon, she calmly murmured. At that moment, Shirowakamaru finally noticed Kochou's presence.
"Hehehe, you've done well. I'm surprised you didn't even utter a word of complaint."
Though it was the first time she had performed the procedure herself, Kochou had heard about it from an expert in the field. There are rare occasions when individuals undergo the "Ritual of Soul's Fleshly Transmutation." However, once the treatment begins, there are many who cry out in pain during the grueling process or regret and go mad from the subsequent discomfort and loss. And yet, this former boy, at such a young age...
"I... Did I do well?"
"Yes, very well. So... I must give you a reward, right?"
Saying that, Kochou called for many simple shikis and had them carry a piece of clothing. Inside was a single clothes—a commoner's, child-sized, slightly worn, but high-quality one. Kochou received it and handed it to her disciple.
"Wha...!?"
Realizing what it was, Shirowakamaru immediately snatched it away. She clutched the garment to her chest and buried her face in it.
"Haah... Big bro... Mmm, I love you... I really, really do..."
Curled up like a hedgehog, the former boy continued to breathe heavily and inhale the scent of the clothes, whispering words of affection without end. Over and over again, she whispered words of endearment.
"Hehehe, what a lovely child... Truly a devoted girl."
Onitsuki Kochou, the Black Butterfly of the Onitsuki Clan, wore a smile filled with genuine affection as she continued to stroke her head, resembling a livestock farmer doting on their livestock...
