[The Unlucky Game Master]

Arc 2.2

The next day a merchant comes to sell jewelry in the Ooku.The women, men, boys all break out in an uproar and crowd around the merchant enthusiastically.

With the strict rules in the Ooku nobody can leave until given permission by the shogun, likewise nobody is allowed in.Especially men, but they don't dare get too close to the merchant and only look excitedly at his wares afraid of being wrongfully accused.

When all of them were clamoring around the cosmetics, jewelry, and fabrics, they suddenly became quieter and unanimously watched as a figure walked closer to their area.

Koizuma Matsuba never tires of seeing Ishi.He wears an orange-red color kimono patterned with branches holding small pink flowers and pink butterflies flying through their midst.Wearing high wooden clogs and a red obi tied around the back of his waist, holding a red wagasa as if separated from the world.

He knows that he's receiving the shoguns favor causing him to ignore everyone else, but as he looks around at everyone not daring to scorn him and only showing admiration.He couldn't help but lament at his force of presence.

Beauty, who could resist?

He watches him walk over to his wares and only look at them for moment while pausing on a kushi for a bit, before calmly looking away and leaving.

Removing the kushi from his wares he looks at it while the Ooku inhabitants busy over his wares again.

It's a bright red laquared wooden kushi decorated with two small black birds flying in golden vines with thorns.

Holding the kushi he walks further into the Honmaru until he arrives at the sliding door of Ishis room.Opening it, he walks in and closes it again.As always, every time he sees the large luxurious room he can throughly feel how much the shogun adores Ishi.

He may have been able to enter his Ooku with his identity, but the shogun would never have let him come even possibly near Ishis room.

The rebel army was only able to put spies in the Ooku and other minor places with the shogun being so cautious and astute.He may not have been able to win this game against the shogun if not for the variable known as Ishi.

He knows the shogun wouldn't care even if he touched everyone in his Ooku except for Ishi.Even if he lost this game to the shogun, it wouldn't affect him.With his identity, why would he need to run a rebel army?It would be easier to control the people and the government if he succeeds, but if not he'll just continue ruling with the same system and slowly add changes.

Not in a rush he naturally stands behind Ishi sitting in front of a small mirror stand decorated with plum blossoms and starts combing his hair with the kushi.

Why should he rush, with him knowing the shoguns schedule?If anything does occur, his arrival would be announced by the suzu bells in the Osuzu Roka corrider.

He feels Ishis silky soft black hair teasingly slide through his fingers as he listens to him reporting the information he acquired.

He glances briefly at the bruises on his neck before handing him the kushi.Unable to resist his curiosity, he couldn't help but enquire.

"You never looked at any of my wares before, what makes this comb so special?"

He watches as Ishi looks down at the comb and strokes it fondly with his slender fingers while opening his lips to speak softly.

"How sadly the bird

Watches the butterflies,

Birds with broken wings

Often try to help each other fly,

What good are wings,

Without the courage to fly?"

When he sees him glancing back up at him quietly, he couldn't help but look away without replying and step back a bit.

He sees him smile faintly and look back down before continuing to talk.

"Merchant, how far is the progress of the rebel army?"

He pushes down the slight discomfort in his chest from his words, before replying.

"You don't have to worry, the rebel leader has already set down the pieces and is only waiting for the moment to advance.Until then you only have to continue gathering information and stall the shogun when the time comes."

He hands him the usual aphrodisiac incense stick to burn if need be though unneeded at the moment, and passes a plain white gunsen fan decorated in black floral patterns with a black tassel hanging under it.

He passes it to him for self-defense.It's not like he hasn't considered using him to kill the shogun, but it's impossible with his obvious lack of talent in martial arts and all the poisons able to kill him would be detected.

The shogun like himself is immune to most poisons.Being heirs to high positions in such a treacherous society, how could their parents not have prepared them since childen?

He laments yet again with regret when he remembers trying to teach him martial arts to kill the shogen, half a year after meeting him.

"Don't just try to hit, think about the best course of action quickly and follow through with strength but not clumsiness."

"Too weak, why is it so weak?" He said with a hint of despair while easily catching his slender wrist and immobilizing him, causing a faint red mark on his white skin.

He himself has a tall slender but muscular body and was confused why their strengths were so different when they only have a little height difference while both being men.

While still pressing his arms behind him on the ground, he forcefully turns him around and opens his kimono.He was momentarily dazed seeing him with his neck turned to the side and looking at him confusedly, while his long black hair scattered on his white skin in the loose kimono.

Once he got over the visual shock, he lowered his head and starts cursing under his breath for a bit.He's the most beautiful man he has ever seen but there are still very few women who are more beautiful than him, however with his skills and bearing he would unquestionably be the number one beauty whether man or woman.

Looking closer at his body he sees it's slightly emancipated, is that even healthy?In spite of that he's unwilling to give up.If he could put even him in a daze, what about that wanton shogun who likes men?It would be fine if he could just deal a quick blow while the shoguns dazed.

For the next half year he tried to build up his strength, stamina, and reaction speed.If there was a way, he would do it.After spending so many resources with not the result he wanted, he had to reluctantly give up.The only thing he managed to do was to make his body have faint muscles, but it only made him look more beautiful and slender.

No matter how he taught him, he had no battle sense and horrible reaction speed.Was he doing this on purpose?, but he denied that thought after seeing him so exhausted and sincerely helpless.

Without looking back he walks to leave, pausing at the screen door when he recalls his words.

"Koizuma, my name is Koizuma not merchant." He says lightly before leaving.

Left alone he looks at the sliding door for a moment, then strokes the kushi in silence.