Chapter 50: Chapter Forty-nine: A step in place 2
She had come here, with many doubts. But she knew that it had been something that she could not avoid. But she had taken precautions, dressed in mostly one of Kaede's kimonos. Plain and made of rough silk. It was the better option for her to come and see it. Perhaps Sasaki had something to propose and perhaps not.
There was no real risk and even anything else that was more detrimental than beneficial. She could try, and perhaps find that Sasaki had some interesting things to say about this. And she could learn more from him than if she were to use all her contacts. There was a reason, but she will be at an advantage here. He was coming to her and not the other way around.
Stepping into the inn, Junri welcomed her. "There is a table already reserved for you." Before she came to bring her inside, not using anything that will identify her here. Not even what they needed to do at this end.
The table was hidden all the way up, free for her to think that it was a safe place. She knew that it was so, Sasaki likely had his own reasons to choose this. Either by keeping a low profile or otherwise. The man waved his fan at her, something that she identified because of how unique it was. It was a table with his younger sister and Satou Misaki. Perhaps taking this chance to mask this as anything but an impromptu meeting.
He could easily suggest that it was a friend he was looking for. She came over, rather ill-dressed for the occasion. It wasn't a poor disguise for her, she wasn't particularly very memorable. She was a little taller, but nothing that will draw attention to others. Sitting down beside his sister even as they had ordered wine.
"Winter just came, so I suppose sake will be a better choice." She had no idea just how right he was, that this will have been a better choice. She disliked tea, and this had been something she was used to. Even as many assumed that because she had delicate health she abstained from it. She took a glass and drank one whole cup.
"Now this tastes good."
"Thank you, it's handmade." Hajime had brought the dishes down to them. Even one for her, she had never been picky about this at the end of the day
"You have impressive skill." She had to admit that. It as not a wonder why Kaede liked it. Even as the flavor went far deeper than all the times Kaede brought. Perhaps it was the quality, Kaede bought them often which meant that she settled for less. And because her status as maidservant will have limited her spending.
Before he laid out everything, before simply retreating. It was his treat, perhaps as a sign that he was trying to build a bridge. For some reason. She narrowed her eyes, remembering her father. He wished for her to be careful, to take things slow. And when Sasaki was doing this, she knew better than to think otherwise.
He had to have known something, and it was to do with her clan. Nothing will have to rouse him to act otherwise. When she visited him, he was disinterested wholly in her. He was not intending to bother or help her and to do this the next moment. It suggested something more.
But she knew better than to simply bring it up. Leave when the time was right, she had brought the pistol with her. Her pistol which had been ready for her to take and change at any time which she wanted to do so. She had known this when she came here. That this was something she could rely upon. She could trust when the time came.
"There is something that you should know." So he was finally ready to talk why he had chosen this. It had taken a long time but was becoming the talk. "Someone wants an audience with you."
Who will want to talk to her? She didn't know much of anyone, and she was kept away from meeting anyone. There was no reason why anyone will talk to her. She simply let him continue. "It's Kouya." The one name that will have drawn her attention at this point. It was something that took a backseat in her mind. Or rather vanished since her father appeared.
But she figured that this could be good. Lead others into thinking that she was still hunting for her father, distract them and assure them that her father was dead. This way, they will hold nothing in common. "He is here now?"
"He came to the city and he has some interesting things to tell you." She narrowed her eyes, wondering just what he meant. But figured that she might only know if she met him in person. Only if she was to try that and find just why Kouya had wanted to see here.
Even as his coming could easily be linked to the death of her father. And perhaps more than that. But as long as she kept that in mind, she will have been able to bluff everyone else into thinking that it was the same. "All right, when?"
"Midwinter, the Shogun and his entire family won't be able to entertain you." Thus allowing them the perfect chance to meet. But that was well a month into here. Much older than even she will have expected at the end of the day. Guess he knew that she was being courted by them.
"Alright." Before she knew that it was about to leave.
"Come to me here, and you'll see him. By the way, he preferred to be called Kazuho." Sachiko took the chance to look at him. Before she gave a nod to leave. It was nothing that she expected, but it was a good trick too.
"I'll see you then, also Kaede will be here a few more times to buy sake. If there are any changes pass it to her." This was the best spot, no one will find it strange. She was simply patronizing a good shop that she had grown to appreciate.
Even as she had plenty of things to ponder about.
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Sasaki smiled when she left. He had done his part, but he could not hold back his own curiosity just why Kazuho wanted to meet her. What will Kouya have to do with the Daimyo Senwari's daughter? There was something more to this, he knew it. And he had one big clue on his hands, he was not his real daughter.
"Are you sure that this is the way to go?"
"There is something wrong with the Saitou clan, I'm merely exploring all my options." He didn't want to be lead on, and Kazuho had most certainly kept things from him. Whether it was to his benefit or not. He figured that it was still better to know. There was something wrong if Kazuho had such a huge reaction to learning about that. And also Sachiko's real identity.
"You mean like some country girl masquerading as a Daimyo's daughter?"
"I highly doubt that. Anyone who has seen her knows that she isn't some country girl. She is educated, just not raised as a Daimyo's daughter." And a mystery as to her real identity. To begin with, he needed more. Kazuho was unlikely to reveal more but so far he was his only source of information as to regards on Sachiko's true identity.
And he knew better than to think that he will easily reveal it. All he was certain was that he had a past with her, but it came before he was either Kouya or Kazuho. Which meant that he needed to find his real identity as well. It was a difficult tangled issue, in which almost no one knew the true answer. Asking her will be too reliant on her as a source of information.
He needed to go deeper. Where was the best question? "Are you certain that this is the right way to go?"
"I don't know. But Kouya approached me, there should have been a reason why he did that. And I'm doing this to figure out why. The Saitou clan may be the biggest link to all this." And they were still the biggest mystery. He had intended to look into it on a deeper scale and for them to see it at this point. To see at what he could find now.
"Are you sure he can be believed?" She had made a good point on this so far. He had a few reasons, but he wanted the truth at this point.
"I'm not saying that I trust him, I'm thinking that there is more to the situation than what we know." In which he was trying his best to figure out the truth. Misaki had been surprised, but she had listened to him. He had explained everything to her. Which caused her to see the merit in trying this. Judging based on it was enough to give her reason to follow her.
Before she closed her own eyes. "Of course, lest we find the wrong person." Honor demanded them to avenge their parents, but this was not straightforward. Killing the wrong person will not have done them any good. "But have you examined what happened on the night of your father's death?"
"I didn't." Before he realized where she was coming from, a clear picture will have been gained from this. He had overlooked it, even if it was several years old there were clues. He could still look into loose threads and hope to find something. Unlike Kazuho or Sachiko, where he knew almost nothing on their pasts to pursue anything.
"You should have looked into that. It is something that you can check and trace from there." And one of the only available methods to him to know just about what happened there.
"I was careless." The same situation which had to lead him to ignore Daishin. He has the excuse of being a child then. But this was something that he could not have avoided regardless of where or when he was. He should have known better than that, he should have guessed that it was so.
"Don't worry about it." He had been clear that it didn't really matter at this point, it never did matter anywhere and even now it didn't seem to really make any dent. He had his own suspicions about Kazuho's identity, but it never went any further than speculation.
"Is Kazuho from a rich family?"
"Likely, but I don't know where. He could have been adopted, but he could have been not." If anything, just where he had been was also a mystery.
"He disappeared but there was no record of a Kazuho in the country until recently." And it was a clue too. That he may have left for aboard until recently. "I doubt he simply went to any country and hid out there, he didn't seem to be lacking for money either."
"Come to think of it, he bought a house and bribed Murasaki the tailor." Known for her exorbitant prices in exchange for money or information. The only people who took foreign brides had been merchants, or sometimes the local Samurai. But there was one clan which had become renowned for such a marriage practice. It was none other than the Tokumoto clan.
It was a sign of wealth. But he needed more confirmation, he needed something to make it certain. But he had a clue. He had his own reservations, but with wealth, it only served to assure himself. It had merit. "I need to look into the lists, it needs to be a foreign mother."
"I looked into it, it came only from one place. A southern kingdom, far from the country. A place is known for its many cities." There was only one place that it was, and it will narrow down it a lot. But he had to be sure, he needed to know. The last midaikoro, a title given to the Shogun's wife had been from the archipelago.
But it was still too much of a stretch. This was something he could work with, and with the glint in her eyes, he knew that this information had been something she paid a lot for, as much as she knew it was valuable.
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