There are countless men.
They are robust men.
No matter who they are, everyone is bowing.
Moreover, it is I who make them bow to me.
In modern j.a.pan, how many people have experienced such a thing?
「Well then, let the council commence!」
The well-tanned old man (standing) closest to me yelled in his loudest voice.
「Firstly, the ongoing tax collection from the territory&h.e.l.lip; is what I’d like to say, but&h.e.l.lip;」
When the old man glanced at me, he laughed with a loud voice.
「Everyone! Tomorrow, finally, will be the day we welcome the Princess of the Oda Clan! We need to work together to make sure nothing goes wrong!」
OOOooo! The men raise their voice.
While desperately trying to stay composed, I decided to answer earnestly “May as well do it” if anyone talks to me.
Revealing my faults wouldn’t be good.
It’s because I cannot grasp the situation that’s playing out me at all.
(How did this happen?)
I was watching a council meeting of dirty men unfold while dripping with cold sweat.
◇
I was in my room in the welfare dormitory studying for the end of semester exam that’ll be held tomorrow.
Yes, it’s what you call “Last-minute cramming”.
However, I just don’t feel motivated.
I threw the mechanical pencil, and closed the Mathematical IIB textbook
For a change of pace, I pull out my History textbook.
f.u.kai Nagamasa, that is my name.
My parents died early, so I don’t have any memories of them&h.e.l.lip; “Mars” or “Universe”, I am actually thankful that I was not given such a weird name.
I hate the cla.s.ses at school.
Even more so, I hate the teachers who say: “all of you, memorize this”.
That’s why I truly couldn’t put my all into cramming.
Instead, something more different– I want to be taught and learn about things that relate more directly to life.
I am one of the students who desire such things.
However, that is impossible with the current system. I haven’t even once thought “let’s learn” about other things, not even in the slightest bit.
Also, what I like the most is to study history.
「History? Don’t you only need to memorize it?」
There was a cla.s.smate who said this, but this person doesn’t understand at all.
However, I do.
「History is not something you memorize, it is something that we, the human beings of the present, search for ourselves.」
Unanimously, all historians a.s.sert this.
History is something you explore; it won’t reveal itself to you on its own.
During the time I had chuunibyou–In a history book I casually picked up in the Library, the historian said so in the afterword–and I continue to hold it in high regard even now.
The me from then on was hasty.
A person who suffers from chuunibyou greedily strives for knowledge more than anyone.
For example, the name of an evil G.o.d or a setting, or possibly a cool sounding expression and such; I absorb this kind of information like a dry sponge in water.
What I wanted was knowledge for living in the present.
This was also a desire born from the chuunibyou-like idea of ”because this seems like it would be necessary for when I have my own nation”.
[Daily: Foreshadowing 10/10]
What kind of policies did the past politicians implement, and what reactions did people show? In what condition was the economy in the past, and what jobs did the people have? What civilizations did the societies in the past have, and what kind of lives did people have?
Knowing this, I thought of using it as a reference for my life from here on.
So, when I knew there was a genre called Economic History and Political History in Historical Science, I lost interest in Economics and Politics.
It’s because in Economics and History, they forcibly twist the facts in the theories that exist beforehand, while Historical Science acquires the facts and sorts them without fail, as well as discussing them.
If I do such a thing, the nation I plan to build in the future would become oppressive, and eventually it will lead to riots.
I think that abandoning the theories and such that are ‘beliefs’ and acc.u.mulating facts one by one is a more splendid method.
And up until now, I was studying quite a lot of things completely unrelated to school.
As a result, I was able to quite accurately learn how the political systems and economies of j.a.pan and Western Europe developed in the past, in addition to what kind of conflicts arose between the governments and their people.
But because I’ve just been doing that, I end up being imposed with the penance of “last-minute cramming” for every examination.
The clock hand indicated three o’clock in the middle of the night.
(c.r.a.p, if I don’t study soon&h.e.l.lip;)
It seemed I was too absorbed in reading the history book.
[SeventhRealm: I feel the same way when reading novels&h.e.l.lip;]
Panicking, I open the mathematical IIB textbook.
(Sle&h.e.l.lip; Sleepy.)
I noticed that the clock had now hit 4:30am.
Sleepy, very sleepy, I can’t help but be sleepy.
I prepared myself and set my alarm to 6am.
I’ll take a nap. If I lie down for a bit, I’ll clear my head.
(If I wake up at 6 and seriously study for an hour&h.e.l.lip;)
I crawled into bed while thinking of these things, and I fell asleep, but–
「Milord, it’s time to wake up.」
「–Ha?」
When I became aware, I was exactly in a j.a.panese futon in an elegant tatami-floored room and was being awakened by a boy with a strange top-knot hairstyle.
And then while I was dumbfounded, I was dressed in a thick kimono and hakama, and an eboshi was placed on my head–while being unable to make heads or tails of anything, I arrived at that opening scene.
◇
「Nagamasa-sama, is that all the arrangements for when the person of the Oda family enters our territory?」
「It’s fine as it is.」
However I, who have been trying to stay calm, was gradually starting to understand the situation.
First of all, my name seems to be recognized as 「Nagamasa」.
Also, in the room of this main building is a large number of powerful men who are respectful towards me, but also give off a “We are the lords of this territory” aura.
Additionally, the phrase “Oda family”.
(Is this perhaps&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;)
I gulped a mouthful of saliva.
And–taking the danger into account, I asked a trick question.
「I must ask, what is the current year?」
「–Ha?」
The Grand hall became silent.
What on earth I intended by saying that, they didn’t seem to understand at all.
They can’t say anything untactful towards me who is the Lord&h.e.l.lip; Such tension drifts between the men.
「Nagamasa-sama, it is currently the 10th year of the Eiroku Era.」
A single man answered from the Grand hall.
I looked at his direction and nodded slowly 「Mmm」.
I somehow exude a dignified aura just by seriously composing myself and moving my body slowly.
「It’s the year of critical junctures.」
I said what I thought of immediately when I heard the number 10.
With that, a sound like “Ooh&h.e.l.lip;” came from the Grand hall.
You’re just too simple, all of you.
「I’m full of energy in mind and spirit, and the current head of the Oda family is still healthy.」
Saying that, I quietly stared meaningfully at the aforementioned middle-aged uncle who was the closest to me.
The middle-aged uncle might have thought he needed to say something, and nodded with a “Yes”, after which,
「Indeed, Oda n.o.bunaga-dono will be 33 years old, and Nagamasa-sama will be 22 years old! Dear me, once again this is a happy matter! Even in the age of civil war, we have an excellent lord and both clans are being connected in an alliance in this year of critical junctures. How fortunate!」
OOOOOO! The Grand hall became noisy again.
I looked at the man with conviction as I nod, but in my innermost thought, I retort with ”I’m not 22 years old”.
No doubt, I have become the Sengoku Daimyo, Nagamasa Azai of Oumi.
So when I finally recognized this, my beating heart thumped, and cold sweat was slowly dripping all over my body.
This is like a dream-like fantasy story which I occasionally read about in light novels, but I never thought it would take place in reality&h.e.l.lip;
I tightly grasp my chest instinctively.
(Besides, what’s this about marriage!? Aren’t I still a student!?)
[Daily: Probably referring to his age]
Moreover, my brother-in-law is the conqueror Oda n.o.bunaga from the Sengoku Period who was called the Sixth Demon King.
He’s the dangerous guy who, based on historical facts, decorated the skull of the current me, Nagamasa Azai who he beheaded, with gold and used it as a cup for drinking sake.
I already feel more dead than alive.
「Then, we’ll finish the council with this. Tomorrow, we’ll individually make frantic efforts to greet them in our best state.」
The usual middle-aged uncle loudly declares the end of the council.
By the way, it has to be said that this uncle appears to be named Sukechika Azai.
It was worth having desperately strained my ears in the conversation between the men in the Grand Hall.
If my memory serves me right, he is a considerably powerful general of the Azai clan who proceeded to proactively move in favor of the alliance with n.o.bunaga.
(Surely I must remember their names&h.e.l.lip;!)
I was already desperate.
If I make a single little poor choice or even say something impolite to a subordinate, I’ll lose my neck immediately.
It’s a famous story of n.o.bunaga who was killed by Akechi Mitsuhide at Honno-ji for calling him bald.
If I mess up one of my partners’ name for an instance, in this age it is possible to trigger a revolt immediately.
Therefore, I decide to withdraw for the day in the room I’ve woken up and organize the information at hand desperately.
◇
It was the day after I traveled over to the Sengoku Period without knowing the reason.
The uncle Sukechika Azai, left to the Oda territory with two military generals, who were Anyouji Ujitane and Naotsune Endo, early this morning.
If there is a person who knows a little about the Sengoku Period, they will have heard of the berserker called, Naotsune Endo.
He was almost insane; when the Azai clan pressed the n.o.bunaga clan in the Battle of Anegawa, he raided the n.o.bunaga’s stronghold by himself.
Additionally, Anyoji Ujitane is the key figure who mediated between the marriage of the Azai and Oda families.
Incidentally, these three people came to greet me, and I thought it would be bad to send them away forcefully, so upon inviting them into the room for tea, they cried in a literal sense, with tears and dripping runny noses as they drank tea. And like that, they left while trying their best to hold back their tears.
To be frank, I thought “What’s with these people?” but thinking on it later, as the present Daimyo of this prestigious clan, inviting a subordinate into one’s own room to drink tea together in the Sengoku Period is an extraordinary privilege.
I completely forgot, people’s sense of values are different now compared to the present.
As Historians say: “The people’s ideas in the present will be entirely different compared to those in the past.”
I was dressed in Reif.u.ku by a page and helped with various things until noon.
By the way, I thought that the wedding will surely start this evening, but I guess common sense in the Sengoku Period it does not seem as it is.
The bride will certainly come here to Odani Castle, but that does not mean we will immediately meet today.
She’ll be staying at one of the rooms in the castle since the ‘Wedding Ceremony’ will be held the next day.
As proof, Odani Castle is in an uproar already from top to bottom.
The younger sister of the Great Daimyo of Owari and Mino, Oda n.o.bunaga is coming so I can’t be imprudent.
Honestly, I’ve already prepared myself.
Well, it’s because I somehow traveled to the Sengoku Period, and it will be difficult to return to the former world.
The name is also the same, which is “Nagamasa”, and is one of the reasons that there is no discomfort.
Although, the last name that was “f.u.kai” is now “Azai”, that is the only change&h.e.l.lip;
Also, I have no lingering feelings for that world.
Rather, I might fit better in this world where I am not driven to cram for exams.
What I wanted to learn were things that related directly to life.
And indeed here in the Sengoku Era, what I ought to learn was all no doubt directly connected to my life.
Furthermore, if I make use of the knowledge I learned in Historical Science, my land will surely grow.
To be able to study in accordance with my desires, and yet being able to return the knowledge of my former world to the land is a Win-Win situation.
Moreover, the princess of the Oda clan, who was said to be a peerless beauty as taught in the future, was to come as a bride.
I was prepared early as necessary, for the inevitable.
「It’s decided, I will completely develop my territory and the princess thoroughly!」
Alone in the room, I raised my spirit strongly.
◇
–However, I came to regret my overly-optimistic decision.
After the “Wedding Ceremony”, overlooking the celebration of song and dance and leaving the noisy hall, what I lay in wait for was the “Consummation of Marriage”&h.e.l.lip; or the so-called “Bridal Night”.
In the dimly-lit room, there was a garden lantern that was shaking.
Only a black-haired woman in bed clothing, who was sitting in seiza, and a one-set futon, was illuminated by the light.
Boldly, I licked my lips.
The depiction of Lady Oichi who was famed as a “Peerless Beauty” no doubt appears in color in j.a.panese History textbooks and records.
If I may be so bold to say, I looked at them and was sneering with the notion that “She won’t be considered as beautiful if it was said in modern times”, but it was far from it. The actual thing is the real deal.
A G.o.ddess is here.
For a TV actress or Gravure Idol to come before her was out of the question.
Her l.u.s.trous black hair flows like silk, and her smooth snow-white skin vividly contrasts quite nicely.
Great round moistened eyes, with a tall bridge nose.
Above all, a nice figure. I came to this room together with her but was surprised that there is not much of a height difference. Maybe as tall as 170 centimeters.
Her chest that is bulging in the kimono can stir up the evil pa.s.sion in me who was a man.
Without a doubt, she is an unrivaled beauty.
However, at the present stage, you can say an unrivaled beautiful girl.
I quietly sat in front of Lady Oichi.
Then, she bowed respectfully in a mitsuyubi and then looked at me with upturned eyes.
「Oichi greets Nagamasa-sama, once again, please take care of me from now on&h.e.l.lip;」
I’m impressed.
How should I say it!
A long-forgotten j.a.panese Yamato Nadeshiko is here.
However, I, who is a modern-day child, also think this.
That is&h.e.l.lip; What would it be like if this graceful princess is completely developed as a woman?
「Right, like an ero doujinshi, an ero doujinshi.」
「–Eh?」
Oops! I unconsciously said it out loud.
Lady Oichi slightly tilts her head, puzzled, as she asks.
「Um, Nagamasa-sama&h.e.l.lip; what’s&h.e.l.lip; an ero doujinshi?」
「Ah&h.e.l.lip; it’s a textbook.」
I immediately made up a bulls.h.i.t answer.
Instantly, Lady Oichi blushed. Hearing textbook, what did you imagine? In fact, that actually peaked my interest.
But rather than that, I slowly reached my limit.
「U-uhm&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;」
When I gently push her down on the futon, Lady Oichi mutters while embarra.s.singly averting her gaze.
Her black raven hair suddenly flowing on the futon is beautiful.
「It’s alright.」
I whispered in her ear while stroking her cheek as she formed a beautiful visage.
「I’ll do it properly for you.」
「L-like in those e-ero-doujins&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;?」
As she says that shyly, my “son” was reaching its limit.
Opening Lady Oichi’s kimono, her shoulders are exposed.
Seeing her snow-white shoulders, I gulped down my saliva, and started the first step of the ”Lady Oichi Development Project”.