Arc XIII Chapter 19

XIII

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Arc XIII Chapter 19

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Nee-san looked up from her reading material, finally noticing her. Her sister beamed at her sight, her smile gentle and warm. “Yuki~, you are already back~?”

“Yesies~.” Yuki nodded vigorously before pushing her skewers closer. “Ta da~, look, Nee-san~, we have got some tasty tasty dango~! Surely the tastiest in all of Kusashiro~!”

“I see~.” Nee-san giggled amused, all while stealing a glance at Mayumi and Yuji behind her, even at Katsuki who was a cat. The three were all busy carrying a heavy load of dango skewers, possibly more than they were able to manage. “I also gather that you have acquired quite a lot of dango ... Honestly, that would not have been necessary, and yet ...” Her sister’s hand reached for her, ruffling Yuki’s hair. “Good work, Yuki~. You have done well.” Nee-san’s praise filled her with joy. She had done well. Now the next step was for Nee-san to actually eat one.

“...” Yuki inspected her assortment of dango. “Nee-san~, which dango do you want? We have mitarashi dango, anko dango, kinako dango, goma dango, matcha dango, hanami dango, yomogi dango, kuri dango, kabocha dango, momo dango, ichigo dango, yuzu dango, mikan dango, ramune dango, hojicha dango, kuromitsu dango ...” Yuki made an effort to list all the different types of dango that they had acquired, but Nee-san interrupted her with a faint chuckle.

Yuki perked up, staring at her Nee-san in mild confusion, even pouting somewhat. “What is so funny, Nee-san~?” Why was Nee-san laughing? That was not fair!

Nee-san maintained her chuckle. “Oh~, nothing, nothing at all. I am just delighted to see that my little Yuki-chan~ is as diligent as ever~. To think that you would acquire so many of them ... All just for my sake. How heartwarming~.”

“... ... ...” Yuki lowered her gaze, her cheeks blushing crimson red, her heart drumming. So, it was like that. Nevertheless, she did not approve of Nee-san teasing her in such a manner. Yuki was convinced that Nee-san was doing this deliberately! Hmpf! Always such a meanie~!

Nee-san glanced at her companions and the conspicuous quantity of dango skewers. “Though, I believe that you might have exaggerated a little. So many dango ... Did you buy out an entire shop~?”

“... ... ...” Yuki froze instantly. Did ... Did she know? Of course, she would! Nee-san was omniscient, was she not?

Yuji groaned under the weight of the manifold of dango skewers, “Not the entire shop, but quite close. I doubt they had many dango left afterwards.”

“... ... ...” Both Mayumi and Katsuki nodded in full agreement who shared his sentiment. Even the latter had been pressed into service, trotting along with a multitude of dango skewers clutched in her mouth.

Their uniform reaction elicited a soft giggle from Nee-san. “Hehehe~. You are a cute bunch, are you not? Now, Yuki~, which dango would you recommend to me~? I am sure you would know best~.” She would?

“...” Yuki’s eyes widened. Her counsel was required. As a result, her little head started pondering to the utmost. What would be the best choice? “Well, ...” Her eyes wandered between the variety of dango. So many dango ... Too many dango ... In the end, however, a choice had to be made, but which one? Think, Yuki, think, which one would Nee-san like the most ... Wait a moment. What if ... Maybe ... Perhaps.

“...” Yuki stared at the hanami dango, her personal favourite. Pink, white, green. Mild, subtly sweet, with a delicate fruity note. Cherry blossom, rice, and mugwort. What if they were Nee-san’s favourite as well? “Here~. What about the hanami dango~?”

“...” Nee-san graciously accepted the skewer, her fingers grasping it. She brought it to her lips before taking a tiny, careful bite, nibbling on her dango, methodically working her way through the dumpling. A second bite followed. And another. And another. And suddenly, the first dango had disappeared completely.

“And?” Yuki’s large round eyes sparkled with hope and excitement, her tiny fists clenched. “How are they?”

Nee-san beamed, evidently pleased by the taste of her most recent culinary victims. “They are excellent~. Magnificent~.”

In her heart, Yuki jumped for joy. She did it! She had succeeded! Another glorious victory for Yuki-chan!

Nee-san’s smile lingered, soft and inviting, as she tilted her head. “Which reminds me ... Would you not like to partake as well? I am sure that all four of you must be hungry too~.”

Yuki hesitated for a moment, her gaze flickering towards her remaining skewers, neatly arranged in her hand. Nee-san was right. They were hungry too. It was good that they had brought many more!

Yuki nodded. “Yes, that is an excellent idea ...”

A ninja appeared, interrupting her, flickering right into existence. The man immediately knelt before Nee-san, his gaze lowered. “Lady Miyumi, the preparations have been completed. You are expected at the castle. Lord Nobukatsu will receive you as scheduled.”

“...” Nee-san merely acknowledged his words, her lips smirking with a certain degree of satisfaction. “I am pleased to hear so. You have done well, Nobuo. Inform the young lord that my arrival is imminent.”

The ninja bowed respectfully. “As you wish, Lady Miyumi.”

Nee-san turned her gaze towards her and her friends. “How unfortunate~. It appears that your Nee-san must depart for now. But there is no need to worry. I shall return sooner rather than later. There are merely a few affairs that require my attention. Nothing major. In the meantime, why not explore the city a little? Kusashiro is an old city, renowned for its markets and shops. I am sure that you will find a few items that catch your eye. Perhaps something you would like to buy for yourself? I will even provide each of you with some additional funds.”

“...” Yuki blinked in confusion, as did the rest of her team. Mayumi and Yuji exchanged puzzled glances. Even Katsuki appeared bewildered. Did Nee-san really just essentially tell them to go shopping? With her official permission, no less? And with abundant funds at their disposal? Apparently so.

Yuki clenched her tiny fists. “But Nee-san, I want to come with you.” That was the truth. She wanted to stay with Nee-san, no matter what.

Nee-san chuckled softly before ruffling her hair once more. “There is no need for that, Yuki. Trust me, you will hardly miss anything. It is merely the usual dull and dreary political talks. You know better than anyone how tedious and utterly pointless such matters can be. It would be a shame to waste your precious time on them.”

“...” Yuki grumbled under her breath, her cheeks pouting. “If you say so.”

In the end, she relented, albeit only begrudgingly and reluctantly, and because it was her Nee-san asking. Even then, Nee-san was probably right. Based on her personal experience thus far, politics was an exceedingly tedious affair indeed. It mostly consisted of many adults sitting together in a single room and talking endlessly while nothing actually ever happened.

Nee-san smiled, pleased. “I am glad that we could settle this matter. Anyway, I must take my leave now. After all, I am expected. Nobuo!”

The man raised his gaze, still kneeling in front of his mistress. “Yes, Lady Miyumi?”

“Nobuo, I wish for you to accompany Yuki and her friends on their little excursion. Take a sizeable contingent and take the necessary precautions. See to what must be done. I trust you understand what is expected of you.”

The ninja nodded sharply. “Hai! It will be done, Lady Miyumi.”

“...” Yuki tilted her little head. Sizeable contingent? Necessary precautions? See to what must be done? What exactly was Nee-san talking about? Had she missed something? Possibly. But on the other hand, it was probably nothing.

Nee-san beamed. “Yuki, Mayumi, Yuji, Katsuki, now, if you would excuse me, I must ...”

“Wait! Wait a moment!” A familiar voice interrupted her Nee-san.

Yuki turned her head. The voice belonged to none other than Yuji. Mayumi’s brother had stepped forwards, determined. “Lady ... Lady Miyumi, I know it’s much to ask, but please, allow me to accompany you. I’d like to attend the talks.”

His bold request surprised even her Nee-san. The latter merely furrowed an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing upon the boy. “... ... ...”

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