Flower Spelling - Chapter 11
Chapter 11 – The Departure of Takasugi
“Hey, did you see Mr. Takasugi?”
As if the seasons had been reversed, a warm spring day arrived. Ito, scuttled breathlessly, spotted a group of young clansmen gathered at a well and called out to them. Ariyoshi, who was in the process of washing his underclothes, raised his head and said,
“Mr. Takasugi? I haven’t seen him today.”
He asked him back whether there was something wrong.
“Mr. Katsura sent me for him. It seems to be urgent.”
“If it’s Takasugi, I saw him earlier at the stables.” Narazaki Yahachiro addressed him in his customary nonchalant tone.
“Sogetsu was with him, I think. They were quarreling with each other in a roaring voice in full view of the public. If you go now, they might still be around?”
“Thank you very much. I shall go now.”
After thanking him, he headed in the direction of the stables. There, indeed, a familiar voice sounded.
“??Ka??Te??You!”
“If??then??as you please!”
Ah, it’s true, they are having another wild argument.
Regardless of the cause, he had to get Takasugi to meet Katsura at once. However, Ito’s resolve was shattered at the sight of the two figures.
Both of them had soil all over their kimonos, and Sogetsu’s hair was scruffy with cuts and scrapes across her hands and feet.
“What happened here? Were you two wrestling?”
“How can that be? I taught Sogetsu to ride a horse.”
“Horse?”
“Yes. Today the weather is fine and we spent the morning practicing at a nearby stable.”
As she dusted the dirt off her kimono, Sogetsu shot Takasugi a cold stare.
“But I couldn’t master it at all.”
“You are too thick-minded.”
“How is this my fault!? It’s because Mr. Takasugi is not skillful enough in teaching! You can’t just tell me to ride alone without any preamble!”
“The best way to learn something like this is not by words, but through actual experience!”
“How will I ever learn to ride if I keep falling off! You keep telling me what to do, but I have no clue how to do it, and when I tell you that I can’t, you grow furious and say why can’t I do something so simple?”
“What! Haven’t you heard of a saying, ‘If you learn and do not think, you will be swindled. If you think and do not learn, you will be utterly defeated’.”
“No clue! It’s no good trying to hide your poor teaching skills behind such complicated words. You have a long face like a horse, so the horses must think you are one of them.”
“You’re the one with the hair like a horse’s tail!”
“This is a ponytail, so naturally it resembles a horse’s tail!”
“You’re using a strange foreign language again! You’re the one who’s trying to cheat me with words I don’t understand.”
“Mr. Takasugi was the one who started it!”
They were like having a child’s brawl.
Ito, who had been watching in amazement, snapped to his senses and remarked, “‘Yes, this is no time for quarreling. Mr. Katsura sent me to find Mr. Takasugi. Please hurry and be on your way.”
“Mr. Katsura? What does he want?”
“I only know it’s urgent. Anyway, get on with it!”
Ito exhaled a sigh of relief after appeasing Takasugi whose rage had not subsided and sent him to Katsura.
“Oh dear… By the way, what’s up with all this riding all of a sudden?”
“The other day I gave Mr. Takasugi a good luck charm for his travels. He promised to give me something in return, so I requested him to teach me how to ride a horse. At where I was from, I didn’t get a chance to see horses up close and personal, and the last time I pursued Mr. Kusaka and rode with him, it was a disaster, so I decided to learn to ride on my own.”
“Hmm.”
Ito, who was prohibited from riding a horse, felt envious. Next time, he’ll sneak out and join them for a practice session.
… I am sure there will be another huge argument though.
Laughing inwardly, he headed for Yubikan with Sogetsu and engaged in the same old conversation with his friends. Before long, Takasugi returned and informed them that he had received an unofficial order to leave for Shanghai.
According to him, he was a member of the Shogunate’s tour of Shanghai. Apparently, Sufu made it possible for Takasugi, who was despondent after his trip to England was cancelled.
“Isn’t that great! I’m so happy for you!”
Forgetting all about the fight earlier, Sogetsu was overjoyed and Takasugi replied happily, “Oh.”
Then, on the 3rd of January in the 2nd year of Bunkyu.
Farewelled by his intimate companions, Takasugi embarked on the ship and set off for Nagasaki in high spirits.