The velvet-lined seats of the Kinzoku VIP balcony were supposed to be a reward. Having just won the squire competition, maneuvering through the toxic political traps of the Toyotomi elders, and dragging the Furutsu family safely under his wing, Hideyoshi felt like he had aged a decade in a single weekend.
Yet, looking around at the sea of eager, sycophantic faces of the high-ranking nobles surrounding him, he couldn't help but let out a silent, weary sigh. Because he was positioned closest to the absolute head seat of the Kinzoku clan, he was the apex target for every house looking to secure a lucrative connection.
Sigh. Why must things be so complicated?
He rubbed his temples, the heavy gold-embroidered fabric of his formal attire felt shackles, as always.
Things would be much simpler had I been born a true commoner alongside my mother...
mother...
The thought of her pulled his gaze across the massive, sprawling expanse the Gifu's arena. On the far, less ostentatious side of the viewing deck sat Master Iaiashin, surrounded by the lively, bustling energy of the Furutsu family. A pang of longing struck Hideyoshi's chest. I should have been right there.
As if sensing his gaze, Mikan's eyes met his across the stadium. The moment eye contact was established, her eyes widened, a bright crimson flush cutting across her face. She panicked instantly, violently snapping her head away to pretend she was looking at the clouds. Beside her, her sisters noticed the exchange, bursting into muted laughter as they waved a pleasant, teasing hello to Hideyoshi.
...She's so dang cute! Hideyoshi thought to himself, a genuine, completely unbothered smirk breaking through his stoic noble facade.
"Ah, did you like the sound of the idea, Lord Toyotomi?"
The grating, overly sweet voice of a neighboring noblewoman shattered his trance. Hideyoshi snapped out of it, instantly erasing his smile and forcing his cold, diplomatic mask back into place. "Apologies, could you repeat that?"
The woman beamed, entirely oblivious, waving her fan with practiced elegance. "Ah, yes! I was telling you about our beautiful family gardens, and I was thinking of planning a small get-together. We would be profoundly honored if you were to attend..."
Her voice slowly blurred into an incomprehensible buzz in Hideyoshi's ears. He sighed inwardly, praying for a swift death or an early conclusion to the event. Please, just let this end.
Desperate for any distraction, he looked back over toward Master Iaiashin's side of the deck. To his surprise, the enigmatic master was actually looking right back at him. Her eyes were sharp, carrying a knowing, mischievous glint. As Hideyoshi locked eyes with her, she didn't wave. Instead, she deliberately and clearly mouthed two words:
"Watch closely."
Watch closely? At what?
Hideyoshi finally tore his eyes away from the VIP stands and returned his attention to the cracked stone floor of the arena below. Right on cue, the amplified voice of the announcer blared through the stadium speakers, rattling the iron-reinforced rafters.
"AND NOW, FOR THE NEXT BOUT! THE NEWCOMER, THE SELF-PROCLAIMED 'COMMONER'S WRATH'... MORETSUNA!"
Around Hideyoshi, the nobles didn't even blink. They continued to blabber, gossip, and network, completely ignoring the senior's matches as if the combatants below were mere background noise. But Hideyoshi didn't hear them anymore.
He suddenly stood up, the legs of his chair scraping sharply against the stone floor. He stepped forward, leaning his hands heavily on the marble rails, his eyes widening to the size of saucers.
It can't be. What? How... how does that make any sense?!
His breath caught in his throat. He stared down at the figure stepping into the sunlight of the arena floor.
M-merun?!
In absolute disbelief, Hideyoshi whipped his head back toward the Furutsu family. Across the distance, he could see they all shared his exact, horrified, jaw-dropped reaction. Even mother Nashi looked ready to faint.
Meanwhile, sitting calmly in the center of their chaos, Master Iaiashin seemed irked by a specific detail, but she simply smiled. Taking a slow, satisfied sip of her tea.
Commoner's wrath? Well played, beggar.
———
"FACING THE NEWCOMER... THE HAIL OF BLADES, GIFU'S STORM, SENIOR RORO NORA!"
Roro Nora let out a sharp, genuine laugh at her stroke of fortune. Out of every single senior who had been strictly warned by Master Iaiashin to watch their step—and out of all the veterans who desperately wanted a piece of this arrogant, upstart little shit—she was the lucky one who got to destroy him first.
She adjusted the loose, flowing kimono draped over her shoulders, making sure her bandaged chest was secure, and casually rolled her neck. A playful, mocking grin stretched across her lips. Earlier, she had been having a grand old time alongside the other Seniors teasing Sakuma about how horribly his swordsmanship was compared hers, but now it's time to prove her point.
She stepped out from the dark threshold of the tunnel and walked onto the blinding arena sands. But as soon as the dust cleared and her red eyes locked onto the newbie standing in the center of the ring, her arrogant expression faltered.
It twisted into a knot of deep confusion.
This kid... where the hell have I seen this kid before?
She couldn't place it. But more than the uncanny familiarity, it was the atmosphere shifting around him.
What a terrifying aura! It was thick and overwhelming, it felt like it seemed to anchor the very air around his feet.
It made her blood boil in anticipation of such a battle.
Roro's confusion quickly melted back into a sharp, lethal grin.
I can see why he's arrogant. This will be fun.
She analyzed her opponent with a predatory gaze. The man possessed wild, long, spiky black hair that defied gravity. Over his shoulders, a stark white cape fluttered rhythmically in the wind, held in place by sharp, spiky pauldrons. Underneath the flair, however, he wore the unmistakable black dougi of the Kinzoku clan, confirming that the rumors were true—a commoner had officially been brought into the fold. Black bracers hugged his chiseled forearms, with matching shin-guards protecting his legs.
No weapon? Roro thought, her eyes narrowing. A pure martial artist joining the clan?
She noticed something resting over his left eye; it was a slick, high-tech glass device with a glowing green lens. Roro internally scoffed. She'd heard of it before. Often used by mercenaries and now gaining popularity with lower realm scum. Why bring a toy to a real fight? These sort of gimmicks held no advantage to a fight.
She'd even heard of pathetic, weak-blooded losers who used them to play pitiful virtual reality games. To bring such a gadget into a sanctified martial arena was an insult.
It didn't matter. She doubted if it could survive the battle that was about to unfold.
Roro stopped twenty paces away from Moretsuna.
She closed her eyes, inhaling a deep, deep, lung-expanding breath. The playful girl vanished, replaced instantly by Gifu's quickest killer.
CLANG!
With a dual flash of silver, both of her katanas were unsheathed in a fraction of a millisecond. The sheer speed of the draw rent the atmosphere, instantly creating a localized domain of razor-sharp, whistling air currents that whipped around her body like a hurricane of invisible scalpels.
She dropped into a low, coiled stance, her red eyes gleaming with violent anticipation, her heart beating wildly.
"Let's dance, brat!"
Her opponent simply looked at her with deep intensity. Who knows what he was thinking?