Hakuoki Tenun no Shou: Chapter 2 - I'll go to Nagakura.
Chizuru Yukimura:
“I…”
I'll go to Nagakura.
I'll go to Hijikata.
I'm not going to either of them.
Chizuru Yukimura:
"I'll go ask Nagakura."
Genzaburo Inoue:
"Alright, I'll leave him to you. I'll go ask Toshi."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Yes, thank you very much."
I left the common room and headed towards Nagakura's room.
~Next Scene~
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Um... Nagakura, are you there?"
I called out from behind the sliding door–
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Chizuru... What's up?"
Chizuru Yukimura:
"You weren't at dinner..."
"So I came to check if you wanted any of the food we left for you."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Sorry... I'm busy right now."
"I wanna be left alone for a while, so I'll eat it later. Just leave it in the kitchen."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"...Okay."
I returned to the common room.
~Next Scene~
He told me to leave it in the kitchen, but...
The miso soup and rice had already gotten cold.
I thought it would be better to reheat them when he wanted to eat them...
I couldn't bring myself to leave the kitchen.
While I was lost in thought...
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"! Chizuru, why are you here…?!"
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Oh, Nagakura!"
"The rice and miso soup have gotten cold..."
"So I was waiting for you to come so I could warm them up again."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"You’d do that just for me?"
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Yes, of course."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"...Are you sure? It'll be a lot of work."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"It's fine. I do this all the time."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"...I see. I didn't know, sorry."
"Well then, I'll take you up on your offer."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Yes, please wait a moment."
I used a flint to light the fire in the stove.
~Next Scene~
Afterwards, after reheating the food, I returned to the common room with Nagakura...
Chizuru Yukimura:
"It seems everyone has already gone back to their rooms."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"I don't want to have to worry about what other people think, so this is perfect."
"Well then, let's eat!"
Nagakura said happily, then brought the rice, pickles, and miso soup to his mouth.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Hmm, the food you make is as delicious as ever."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"I'm glad to hear it."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"But I'm surprised there's still some of my food left."
"I thought it'd all been eaten by Sano, Heisuke, or even Saito, who's surprisingly quick to grab food."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"I couldn't leave you without any food."
"I made sure to save some for you."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"You saved me some? That's so kind of you..."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Oh, not at all..."
"But Nagakura, what exactly were you doing in your room?"
"You said you were busy earlier."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Hmm? ...Oh. Actually, I was writing this."
Nagakura put down his chopsticks and took something out of his pocket.
Then he offered it to me.
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Is this… a letter?"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Yes. –It's a letter addressed to Lord Matsudaira Katamori, the lord of the Aizu domain."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Wait… whaaat!?"
I couldn't help but be surprised by his unexpected answer.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Shh, you're too loud, Chizuru."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"I-I'm sorry!"
"But why would you write a letter to Lieutenant General Matsudaira...!"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"...Just pretend I’m talking to myself for a sec."
"You don't need to react. No, it would be best if you acted like you didn't hear anything at all."
"If you don't want to hear it, don't worry, I won't explain."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"..."
From his grave warning, I could sense that what he was about to tell me was something significant.
This preamble is probably because he is afraid I would get dragged along with this after hearing what he had to say.
But...
The fact that he is trying to confide something in me like this...
Maybe he is feeling some hesitation deep down.
If that's the case...
Chizuru Yukimura:
"..."
I nodded silently.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Chizuru..."
Nagakura seemed surprised by my reaction.
But then he slowly began to speak.
~Picture~
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"The reason I wrote this letter to the Lord of Aizu is..."
"Because I wanted him to know more about Kondo's recent actions."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"...!"
That means he had written it to inform him of Kondo's current behavior...
And to correct his actions.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"I do have some complaints about Kondo..."
"But I don't think it's all his fault."
"The people around him are filling his head with strange ideas."
He was probably talking about Tani and Takeda.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"And if we leave things as they are, the Shinsengumi will definitely head in a bad direction."
"So, I thought we should have the Aizu Domain keep an eye on them, including that aspect."
"Neither Kondo nor Hijikata would dare go against the Aizu Domain, who are backing them."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"..."
I understand where Nagakura is coming from, but...
What will the people of the Aizu Domain think of the Shinsengumi after reading that letter?
If a harsh judgment is made, the Shinsengumi will...
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"But, to be honest..."
"I'm really struggling with whether it's okay to send this out..."
"Once it’s sent out, there's no turning back."
"If they read this, their view of the Shinsengumi will surely change."
"I know this, but still..."
Nagakura lowers his eyes sadly and lets out a sigh.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"...All I want is for Kondo to go back to how he used to be."
"Like when we were running the Shiei Hall back in Edo... when we all got along well."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Like before..."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"To be honest, I’m pretty sure Hijikata feels the same way as me."
"But with Tani and Takeda around, my voice can't reach them anymore..."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"..."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Back in Edo, we were dirt poor..."
"There was no one who tried to curry favor with Kondo or flatter him to get what they wanted."
"There was hardly anything to eat but pickles, and we rarely got to drink sake."
"That’s the life we lived… but the people gathered there were all true swordsmen."
"I… came to Kyoto with Kondo."
"I never once thought of myself as his subordinate."
"As someone who lives by the sword, I consider Kondo and I to be complete equals."
"Of course, I understand why Kondo is in the position of Chief Commander."
"Only he could manage such a quirky bunch."
"But that doesn't mean I've become his subordinate."
"We're comrades, so we should be able to say something is wrong when it's wrong."
"I'm sure Hijikata feels the same way deep down."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"..."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Before… when the Shinsengumi was still called the ‘Rōshigumi’-"
"There was a man named Serizawa who was very kind to me."
"I thought about what he would do in a situation like this..."
"I realised I had to do everything I could before the Shinsengumi fell apart."
"So… I decided to send this guy out."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"..."
I wonder what happened to this Serizawa...
I was curious, but I couldn't ask.
Just like when Heisuke uttered the word ‘Fury’ before.
I could sense from every word Nagakura said that it was a topic I shouldn't intrude upon.
Eventually, Nagakura put the letter into his pocket...
~Picture End~
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"...Thanks for the meal. It was delicious."
"And… thanks for listening to me."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"You're welcome..."
This is probably not what Nagakura truly wants.
But, given the current situation, he thinks there's no other way.
What kind of decision will the people of the Aizu domain make after receiving Nagakura's letter...?
And what will become of the Shinsengumi?
Anxiety swelled inside me and won't subside.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Don't make that face… This is my decision."
"Whatever happens from here on out, I won’t involve you."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"No...!"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Sorry for making you listen to my moaning."
I shook my head at Nagakura's words.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"I'll clear the table, so you can go back to your room."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"But, I..."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"It's fine, just do as you're told… got it?"
Just as he said that, Nagakura was back to his usual self...
Chizuru Yukimura:
"..."
I felt even more heartbroken.
~Next Scene~
The next day, the sky was unusually overcast since the morning...
It was a very gloomy day.
While I was cleaning up after dinner, as usual...
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Everyone, please hang around for a while. I’ve got something I want to tell you."
Toshizo Hijikata:
"Oh? What is this about?"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"It'll be over in a bit. Please have a seat."
All the executives had puzzled looks on their faces, but...
Eventually, without anyone's input, everyone sat down on the floor.
Nagakura exchanged glances with Harada, Heisuke, and Saito, who were nearby.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"This morning, Sano, Heisuke, Saito, and I jointly submitted a letter of opinion to the Aizu clan."
"I wanted to report that to you all."
Toshizo Hijikata:
"You did what?!"
Nagakura's words caused a murmur among the executives.
Toshizo Hijikata:
"...What on earth is going on? Explain."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Here's a copy of the letter. Please take a look."
After saying this, Nagakura handed the copy of the letter to Kondo and Hijikata.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Everything we want to say is written there, but basically..."
"Kondo's behavior these days has been outrageous."
"He treats us like his servants and acts like some kind of a lord..."
"He doesn't do much for the Shinsengumi and just messes around."
"And to top it all off, he adopted Tani's younger brother without consulting us."
"The successor - the next chief of the Shinsengumi - was arbitrarily decided by just a few senior officials."
Isami Kondo:
"No, wait a minute. That's not my intention at all."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"We believe that this behavior violates the Code of Conduct, no matter how you look at it."
Toshizo Hijikata:
"...I understand what you're trying to say."
"But this kind of behavior is outrageous."
"Do you think it's okay to go behind our backs and report this to the Aizu clan?"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"That's up to the lord of Aizu to decide."
"If they say anything, of course I'll respond to their summons."
"I don't know what's going to happen from here on out... So, Kondo, you'd better make up your mind."
Isami Kondo:
"..."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Are you going to change your mind and continue as chief?"
"Or are you going to continue to favor only those who say things that please your ears?"
"I'm not going to run away or hide."
"...That's all. Well, I'm going to get back to work."
With those words, Nagakura left the hall.
The remaining soldiers seemed unable to move from the spot immediately...
Despite the large number of people, the room was dead quiet.
Kanryusai Takeda:
"...You wound my heart, Nagakura. This is a real problem."
"I have plans later, so I'll have to excuse myself."
Sanjyuro Tani:
"I wonder if the lord of Aizu will really take such an opinion seriously...?"
"Well, I'm on patrol duty, so I'll be off."
And so, Takeda and Tani also left the hall.
Chuji Matsubara:
"I would have liked to hear a bit more detail, but..."
"I have something to do, so I have to take my leave."
One by one, the soldiers with other plans left the hall...
All that remained were the comrades from Edo.
Toshizo Hijikata:
"...Saito, it looks like your name is on this opinion paper."
Hajime Saito:
"Shinpachi asked for my consent, so I lent my name to him so as not to provoke him."
"I thought it would be necessary to keep track of Shinpachi's movements in the future."
"And yet, my name would end up being included in something like this..."
Toshizo Hijikata:
"...I see. Harada, Heisuke, I guess the same happened with you guys?"
Sanosuke Harada:
"Yeah. He's not the kind of guy who would change his mind even if you scold him."
Heisuke Toudou:
"If we had refused, he would have just left the Shinsengumi..."
"But I never thought it would become such a big deal."
Toshizo Hijikata:
"...For now, I'll go to meet with the Aizu clan and check their reaction."
"Harada, Heisuke, you guys keep an eye on Shinpachi to make sure he doesn't do anything strange."
Sanosuke Harada:
"You got it."
Toshizo Hijikata:
"Souji, Saito, you guys just carry on as usual."
Okita Souji:
"Okay~."
Hajime Saito:
"Understood."
Toshizo Hijikata:
"...Kondo."
"Tani or Takeda might come to talk to you about this."
"Please dodge their question so you won't be pinned down."
Isami Kondo:
"...Yeah, I understand."
Toshizo Hijikata:
"Geez, Shinpachi, that bastard..."
"He's out of his mind, dragging the Aizu clan into this."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"..."
From the serious looks on Hijikata and the executives' faces...
It's clear this matter is getting bigger and bigger.
I wonder what will happen next...
~Next Scene~
The next morning. Hijikata had received a summons from the Aizu domain...
He left early in the morning.
And as for Nagakura...
He had been practicing his sword swings with a blunted blade all morning.
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Um... Nagakura. What's your job today...?"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"I'm off duty today."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"But it seems the others are busy dealing with prospective recruits and other things..."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"That's not really my job. I’m sure someone else will take care of it."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"..."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
“Just so you know, I'm not just upset about being excluded from the marching log."
"Even if Kondo had a problem with me, he wouldn't do something so blatant."
"I think someone is trying to fill his head with all kinds of weird stuff..."
"But Kondo and the others are also responsible for letting them do whatever they wanted in the first place."
"If things like this continue, the Shinsengumi will go in a bad direction."
"I hope that by letting the Aizu officials know the situation, Hijikata and the others will feel at least a little sense of crisis."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"...What kind of decision will the Aizu domain make after seeing that letter?"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Who knows… but we have to be prepared for the worst."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"The worst? You don't mean--"
The phrase "Violation of regulations results in seppuku" crosses my mind.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"I feel bad for dragging Sano, Heisuke, and Saito into this..."
"But if we don’t do something now, we won't be able to get the Shinsengumi back on the right track."
"...I hope Kondo and the others understand this too."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"..."
The Shinsengumi is shaken to its core by this incident–
Even so, they must do everything they can to prevent the Shinsengumi from heading in the wrong direction.
Nagakura's unusually serious tone conveyed his earnest desire.
~Next Scene~
It was past noon when Hijikata returned from the Aizu Domain's headquarters...
Kai Shimada:
"Nagakura, the Commander wants to speak with you. Please head to the Commander's room."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"...So it's finally time. Now, let's see how this will play out."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Nagakura...!"
Could it be that, at the behest of the Aizu Domain, Nagakura will face a harsh punishment...?
I watched Nagakura leave, my heart pounding.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Well, things will work out somehow. Anyway, I'm off for a bit."
Nagakura left the hall in his usual manner.
...I wonder if he will be alright.
With a heavy heart, I waited for Nagakura to return.
It seemed that Heisuke and Harada, who were waiting with me, felt the same way.
~Next Scene~
Heisuke Toudou:
"Ah... Shinpachi! How did it go?"
Sanosuke Harada:
"So, what did Hijikata have to say?"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"I fully expected him to yell at me without listening to my side of the story... but it was a bit anticlimactic."
"It seems Hijikata also thinks there's something strange about that marching record."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Makes sense..."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Hijikata promised to thoroughly investigate this matter."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Hijikata really does care deeply about the Shinsengumi, doesn't he?"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"That's true..."
Nagakura looked troubled and was deep in thought for a while.
And then...
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Alright, let’s investigate. I'm off duty right now, so I'll go do some diggin’!"
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Huh...?"
"Hold on, Nagakura. What do you mean by investigate...?"
But Nagakura just rushes out of the room.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Chizuru, keep an eye on Shinpachi. He's quick to let things get out of hand."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"...Yes, I understand."
Encouraged by Harada, I followed after Nagakura.
~Next Scene~
And so, after that...
Nagakura mainly went around talking to members of the corps who had connections with Tani and Takeda.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Hey, can I ask you something? You were taken out for incense by Tani the other day, weren't you?"
According to what Nagakura had heard from the corps members...
Apparently, Tani had been spreading rumors that Kondo would soon become a hatamoto (direct retainer) of the shogunate.
And it seemed that Tani's younger brother, Shuhei, was almost certainly going to be adopted by Kondo...
In preparation for that, Tani was apparently making arrangements to offer Shuhei good treatment if he worked under him...
~Next Scene~
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Honestly, I've always thought there was something off about that guy."
"He's got some nerve telling lies about Kondo becoming a hatamoto, or his brother getting adopted."
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Kondo said he hadn't agreed to the adoption, didn't he...?"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"That's precisely why he's spreading rumors, trying to put Kondo in a situation where he can't refuse."
"He's been sneaking around behind the scenes. And that’s the kind of shit I hate the most."
Nagakura stared at the sky for a while with a troubled expression—
Then he started running.
Chizuru Yukimura:
"Wait, Nagakura! Where are you going now...?"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"To Tani's place, obviously! I'm going to find out what he's up to!"
Chizuru Yukimura:
"But wouldn't a private duel cause problems...?"
"At the very least, I think it would be better to consult with Hijikata first!"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"I can't be bothered with such a drawn-out process!"
Saying that, Nagakura runs off.
"No, I can't leave him like this--!"
And so I chase after Nagakura.
~Next Scene~
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"...Tani, you're here. I got something I want to ask you, you got a sec?"
Sanjuro Tani:
"...Nagakura, I wondered who it was. I'm tired today, so could we do this tomorrow?"
Tani tries to walk past Nagakura, but...
Nagakura grabs Tani's shoulder and stops him.
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"It'll only take a minute. ...So just listen."
Sanjuro Tani:
"...K-kay."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"I hear you've been spreading rumors about Kondo becoming a hatamoto, and your younger brother Shuhei becoming Kondo's adopted son."
"What exactly are you planning? I've never heard anything like that from Kondo himself, not even once."
Sanjuro Tani:
"Ah, that story. It's not exactly a lie."
"If the Shinsengumi grows bigger in the future, it's entirely possible, isn't it?"
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"From what I heard from the members, it wasn't said that way."
Sanjuro Tani:
"Well, they probably just misunderstood."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"What about Shuhei?"
"Kondo wouldn't decide something like that without telling Souji or the senior officers, would he?"
Sanjuro Tani:
"About that... There are some circumstances."
"Just between us, Shuhei isn't my real brother. He's the illegitimate son of a certain person of high status..."
"Well, I might as well tell you. He's the illegitimate son of Lord Itakura, the former lord of Bitchu Matsuyama."
"Though, Shuhei himself doesn't know that."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"...That sounds pretty far-fetched. Aren't you just making that up?"
Sanjuro Tani:
"Come on, you don’t trust me? It's a story only a few people in Itakura's household know, so it's understandable that you don't believe it."
"In any case, if Shuhei were to inherit the Shinsengumi in the future, the Bitchu Matsuyama Domain would be a powerful backer."
"That's not a bad deal for Kondo either. It's only natural that he would accept."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"So? Is your goal to use Shuhei to take over the Shinsengumi?"
Sanjuro Tani:
"It's not a matter of taking over or anything like that, and Kondo is already aware of this."
"If something happens, I've already made an agreement that Shuhei will take over..."
"Though, I can't make it public until the time is right."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"Neither I, Hijikata, nor Souji have heard a word about that."
Sanjuro Tani:
"...Isn't the reason you haven't been informed because they don’t trust you?"
"I don't think guys who are only good at killing will understand this kind of stuff."
Shinpachi Nagakura:
"What did you say...!?"
Nagakura's eyes widened, and he closed the distance between them with such force that it looked like he might grab him.
So I decided to–
Stop Nagakura
Raise my voice
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