Flower Spelling - Chapter 12
Chapter 12 – Ripples
The second year of Bunkyu had been marked by Takasugi’s departure for Edo. Clansmen and ronins from all across the country paid constant visits to Katsura at Yubikan, and Ito with Sogetsu were busy dealing with them, unable to catch a break.
“Sorry for even needing you for help.”
It was late in the evening after the final customer had left when Katsura apologized profusely.
“Not at all. You’ve always been a great help to me, so glad I could be of service.”
That was an authentic feeling.
These days dragged on for a while until the 15th of January.
From early in the morning, the clan’s residence was abuzz with commotion due to some disturbance near the gates of Edo Castle. By midday, they found out that the Roju, Nobumasa Ando, had been attacked by Mito ronin, and the whole clan chattered incessantly about it. Sogetsu, uncertain as to what was going on, carried on with her miscellaneous duties within the Yubikan as always. Today she was by herself, as Ito, whom she often accompanied, was off duty for the first time in a long time, and had been out to Sagamiya from last night.
I hope Mr. Ito and Ohana are managing well.
In fact, Hanabishi had taken over at Sagamiya replacing Hatsune, who was undertaken by Shotaro. As to why the geisha from the Honjo had been relocated to the distant Shinagawa, the cause was due to the recent netsuke fiasco.
The culprit was successfully condemned, but out of the blue, an unwelcome rumor spread that Hanabishi was possessed by a specter. Hanabishi was unable to remain in the shop, and Sagamiya was searching for a replacement for Hatsune, so the two parties got on well and things progressed smoothly.
Incidentally, I heard that the theatrical performance in Ueno is popular now. Next time I visit, I will ask Ohana to join me.
Having resumed work after lunch, a samurai dropped in to meet Katsura. He was approximately thirty years old, with a rather somber look in his eyes that struck him as odd.
Unfortunately, Katsura was out of town, leaving her to lead him to the Yubikan director’s office.
“Let me bring you a cup of tea.”
“Much obliged.” The man dipped his head earnestly.
Shortly afterward, Katsura returned, and when she told him of the visitor, a contemplative note crossed his neat face.
“Uchida Mannosuke? Not a name I’ve encountered before… Well, I shall see him anyway.”
A visitor without a letter of introduction was not an uncommon phenomenon. Katsura went upstairs without hesitation, yet no sooner had he done so than did he descend again and announce that he was heading out for a while. His countenance appeared a little strained. What could have happened?
“Excuse me, but I need you to serve that guest a sake. He looks distressed, so keep a sharp eye on him. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Understood.”
?
“I am back?”
With a cheery voice, Ito entered the library where Sogetsu was.
“Here’s a souvenir for you,” he said, handing her a small box.
“Welcome back, Mr. Ito… What’s this?”
“It’s a popular bun from Minatoya. At first, I bought it for Hanabishi though, sorry for that.”
“Thank you. How is Ohana?”
“Well, she’s fine. She wanted to see you too, Sogetsu.”
“I was thinking of going to see a theatrical performance with her next time. I heard that the vengeance play in Ueno is incredibly entertaining… Oh, by the way, have you heard? This morning, the Roju was assaulted.”
“Yes, I heard. It was those guys from Mito, right?”
“Everybody’s been gossiping about it today. There’s even a customer who came to see Mr. Katsura for a certain reason.”
“Certain reason? Who?”
“I don’t quite know about it. And even Mr. Katsura went off somewhere without him.”
“Huh? Went off? How unusual for Mr. Katsura to do that to a guest.”
“Right?”
This is not the kind of behavior that was typical of Katsura, who was always sincere in his dealings with everybody. As the two of them stepped out into the hallway, twisting their heads together, they bumped into Katsura, who had reached back just in time.
“Sogetsu, how is our guest?”
“He is rather calm. He said he wanted to write a letter, so I provided him with some paper and a brush.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll speak to him again. It’s going to be somewhat complicated. so don’t let anyone come into the room for a while.”
“I understand.”
She nodded and nearly parted with him, but then.
“??Delightful, delightful!”
From the guest’s room, a gruesome outcry arose.
“That is the voice of that customer??”
By the time Sogetsu uttered the words, Katsura was already rushing off. A beat later, Ito and Sogetsu followed suit.
??Bang!
With a burst of energy, Katsura swung open the sliding door.
Instantly, an unpleasant smell filled their nostrils.
And then she glimpsed it, red.
“??Don’t look!”
On the spur of the moment, Katsura covered Sogetsu’s face with his sleeve.
However, sooner before that, Sogetsu’s eyes caught sight of something in the room.
In a puddle of red blood, a man was lying facedown on the writing desk. Even from afar, it was evident that he had been slashed.
It was, indeed, the man she had spoken to until only moments ago…
Sogetsu staggered, only to be firmly supported by Katsura’s arm.
“Shunsuke, take Sogetsu to the tenement! And don’t let anyone get into this room. I will go to inform Nagai.”
“Understood!”
The words of the two men were exchanged in rapid succession, causing Sogetsu to be in a half-desperate state. Shamefully, she could hardly refrain from shuddering, and later that night she fell asleep suffering from a fever.
?
It was not until ten days later that she was finally able to get up. The sight was strikingly vivid in her mind, like a series of photographs, and she was unable to sleep, which made it difficult for her fever to subside.
Having been cut off from the outside world for so long, she was clueless that the man who had committed self-slaughter was a fellow Mito ronin who had assaulted the Roju, as well as the fact that Katsura and Ito had been summoned to the magistrate’s office on account of it.
Originally, Sogetsu, who was the first to be questioned, would have been the subject of interrogation, however, Katsura arranged for it to be Ito who dealt with the case.
Upon learning of the incident, she tried to get in touch with Katsura and Ito immediately but was denied access to them owing to their restricted access. Although she had not been to Yubikan for a long time, the dispute over whether or not the students would go to the magistrate’s office to beat up the officials was seemingly heated that she was unable to obtain any further information.
Would there be anyone else who might know what’s going on…?
Only one person sprang to her mind. Sogetsu was determined to seek that person out.
“What, when you were sleeping, you certainly looked terrible.”
“You have the same look like the mermaid Kinoi, in a freak show,” he said.
Somehow relieved by the usual sarcasm, Sogetsu seated herself opposite Shido.
“I am sorry to bother you. I have a few questions I’d like to ask you.”
“I know what you are going to say. It’s about Mr. Katsura and Shunsuke, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I heard that they were summoned to the magistrate’s office and I was worried about them… If you know anything, please tell me.”
“To tell the truth, the circumstances are not good.”
She was prepared to be told that he couldn’t inform her, as she wasn’t officially a member of the clan, yet because Sogetsu was one of the parties involved, Shido delivered the facts more easily than she had anticipated.
“He came to see Mr. Katsura personally, and then he committed suicide. It would be strange if there was no connection whatsoever. The Shogunate is not so easily fooled.”
“No way… Then, did the two of them suffer any blame or…?”
“I can’t say that it doesn’t exist. But from what Lord Nagai had read, it was unlikely to be anything too severe.”
“That’s…” Sogetsu thought for a moment. “Are you suggesting that the Shogunate will not take any action against Choshu on account of the importance of Mr. Nagai’s advocacy of the strategy?”
“Well, you seem to have learned a little. Yes, that’s the way it is.”
After sniffing mockingly, Shido straightened up and said, “Listen, don’t you ever show up in public. We’re going to tell the shogunate that the Mito ronin came in and died on his own. In that case, Mr. Katsura had no connection with him, and Shunsuke knew nothing about it. If we just pretend that we don’t know, the shogunate won’t be able to do anything about it.”
“Yes…” Nodding cautiously, Sogetsu hesitantly averted her gaze, but after a moment, she murmured. “Is the cause of it originated from me?”
“What?”
“I have been thinking. If only I’d been more careful when I was around??”
“Don’t get carried away.”
Sogetsu’s remarks were sharply rebuffed by Shido.
“He was intending to die from the beginning. When a samurai has made up his mind, no amount of effort on your part will change his mind.”
Harsh words, but they were true.
“Excuse me for taking up so much of your time. Pardon me.”
Bowing heavily as she exited the room, the clear winter sky loomed above her.
If I merely look at the sky, between my era and here, all is the same.
Here, people live, think, value, and do everything differently.
Truly, it’s the end of the Edo period…
Helplessly, she yearned for her home.