Chapter 71: Intuition

"..."

Staring at the mature pinkette pressing her forehead to the floor, Nobu remained silent for several minutes. He was honestly tempted to see how long she could keep this up, but, understanding he was basically stuck here so long as she was, Nobu ultimately replied, "Fine. But I have conditions. If she violates even a single one of these, it will be your responsibility to pass judgment on her..."

Raising her head, Suzune adopted one of the most beautiful smiles Nobu had ever seen as she said, "Worry not, Nobunaga-sama. I have already had a "very" long discussion with my daughter after the previous incident. So long as your conditions are not too extreme, I can promise she will obey them to the letter. I ask only that you take her future status into consideration when you interact with her around others..."

Since Shizune had told her about Nobu making her behave like an animal, Suzune was seriously considering having her daughter spend the next couple of months as his pet. Given his nature, it was only a matter of time before he either softened up or got tired of seeing her behave that way. After that, it was relatively smooth sailing for them both.

Unaware of the wily and marginally unhinged woman's thoughts, Nobu replied, "Whatever. I'll write up a list and give it to you in the next couple of days. For now, let's talk about the personnel issue..."

Nodding her head, Suzune produced a rather sizeable stack of files transcribed on hemp paper and bamboo roll before providing her personal opinion on each of the women within.

Unsurprisingly, most of the women were in their late twenties with very few surpassing their thirties. They were experts who had chosen to spend their remaining days educating the next generation in the hopes their experience might serve the clan and decrease the mortality rate of young kunoichi in the field.

What surprised Nobu was that quite a number of younger kunoichi and even a handful of trainees had been included among the stack of candidates. Some of these were the most talented members of their generation while others seemed to have been thrown in at completely random.

"What the hell? Is this girl a demon...?"

Though the images in the files were just detailed ink drawings, it was still possible to make out the features of the people represented within. One of these showed a young girl but her proportions were slightly strange and there were horns sticking out of her forehead. Unfortunately, Nobu was unable to read anything recorded in the scroll so he could only rely on Suzune to translate.

Seeing the scroll Nobu was referring to, Suzune nodded her head, explaining, "Ah, Onihime. This is a special case as she isn't actually a native descendent of the Yoshitsune Clan. She is the daughter of a deposed Lord from the Aizu-Ashina Clan who became an honorary member of the clan around fifty years ago. The Matriarch thought she would be a good fit as an attendant since Oni, even half-breeds, possess inordinately long lifespans. She is also unique in the fact that her cultivation base was destroyed around the time of her capture. If you are able to restore it, she will be a powerful asset to you in the future."

"What the fuck? You're telling me this brat is more than fifty years old...?"

Nodding her head, Suzune answered, "If I'm not mistaken, she should be turning sixty-eight years old by the end of Summer. As for her appearance, it is primarily the result of her heritage and her restricted cultivation. It's hard to know, really. Even after tens of thousands of years, very few clans have any meaningful information on Oni and their unique physiology. They generally dissolve into nothingness once killed and efforts to observe living specimens have resulted in quite a number of tragedies..."

"..."

Though there was a lot he wanted to say, Nobu ultimately remained silent. He suspected that the only reason Onihime was being entrusted to him was because of his unique abilities. He could use the stone tablet to ascertain information that others simply weren't privy to. In other words, there was a very real chance this was simply a test to measure the extent of his capabilities. This would explain why there were so many random girls mixed in among the more qualified candidates. They most likely had something unique or special about them that the clan wanted to confirm...

Shaking his head, Nobu asked, "You said this girl would be useful to me in the future. Does that mean the Yoshitsune Clan is giving her to me? What's the catch?"

Without missing a beat, Suzune answered, "She is too old to remain in the clan. While we have accepted her as an honorary member, her longevity has become something of an issue after most of the people responsible for her integration have died. Now, now, there's no need for that face..."

Seeing the frown forming on Nobu's face, Suzune couldn't resist covering her mouth with her sleeve and issuing an amused giggle before going on to explain, "The simple truth of the matter is that she has become progressively more apathetic towards life. It's not easy watching all the people you care about dying from various causes while you continue to live on. I believe the Matriarch was hoping you would be able to rekindle her passion by having her assist with the education and care of the children. You also do not harbor the same biases as normal Nianese citizens. I'm positive that factored into her decision quite a bit..."

Though he wasn't going to simply accept Suzune's words at face value, Nobu still nodded his head before having her reveal what she knew about the other candidates. He wanted to know as much as possible before the actual interviews as it would be incredibly awkward to have someone like Yui or Kumiko translate for him. Sure, he could always use the stone tablet to auto-translate text using the camera function. Unfortunately, this required a fair amount of Aura. Thus, for the sake of preserving both his dignity and his points, Nobu was intending to learn how to read and write properly. Until then, he was basically illiterate...

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By the time Suzune finally departed, the sun was well on its way towards the horizon. This left Nobu feeling mentally and physically drained, but, before he could even think about resting, Yui surprised him by mentioning, "Tonight is the night of the New Moon. I know you're tired, but please consider meeting with Kaia. She has already been informed of your arrival on the mountain so there's a fair chance she will have a breakdown if we miss this window of opportunity. The next one won't be for twenty-seven days..."

Though he had completely forgotten about Kaia's existence due to everything else that was on his plate, Nobu quickly recalled her details after Yui's reminder. Kaia was apparently a Half-Lycan who had spent most of her life locked away in a specialized cell since it was simply too dangerous to let her roam freely. In other words, she had basically spent the last eighteen years of her life in prison...

"Fine. Let me rest for an hour or two and then we'll head out. Also, next time, I would appreciate it if you reminded me about things like this sooner. I hate being blindsided like this..."

Nodding her head in affirmation, Yui promptly replied, "I understand. I'll be sure to remember that." before falling silent and appearing somewhat hesitant. This was quickly noticed by Nobu as he had been sitting across from her. He had, more or less, forced her to eat together with him after asking Cho to prepare an additional portion during lunch. As for his reasoning, well, she was basically his fiancee. She might regard herself as more of a Mistress or a Concubine candidate but it wasn't like he was engaged to anyone else...(A/N: Bruh...)

"What is it...?"

Inhaling through her nose, Yui appeared to form her resolve as she stared directly at Nobu and asked, "Would it be too impertinent of me to ask if I can feed you...?"

Though he managed to remain upright, Nobu felt as if his body had tilted to the side the moment he heard Yui's words. He also heard the sound of someone clicking their tongue in the background, but, with his attention focused on the front, he could only guess that it was Yuriko.

"Uh...sure...?"

Displaying a relieved smile in response to Nobu's words, Yui deftly sliced a piece of salmon with her chopsticks before picking it up and pausing mid-extension. She realized that it would be difficult to feed him from across the tray of food, so, after a brief moment of hesitation, she scootched to the side before trying again, this time with a noticeable blush on her face.

Swallowing before he had even sampled the salmon, Nobu accepted Yui's offer while feeling a form of nervousness he had never experienced before. This was a stark contrast to her usual behavior so she had managed to catch him completely by surprise.

"H-How is it...?"

Blinking in surprise, Nobu was ashamed to realize he couldn't even remember the taste of the food. He had been staring at Yui's blushing face the entire time so his mind had failed to process what he had just eaten. Despite this, he still managed to answer, "It was delicious..." in a slightly awkward yet audibly sincere tone...

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In hindsight, Nobu realized it was rather senseless of him to suggest traveling at night. There were no established paths on the Northern face of the mountain so it was a nightmare trying to navigate during the day. If not for Yuriko's and Kiku's ability to see in the dark, navigating through the dense forest would have been next to impossible.

All in all, it took nearly three hours to reach the location where Kaia was being held. By then, Nobu was feeling both annoyed and exhausted. There were a ridiculous number of mosquitos inhabiting the mountain, and, unlike everyone else, he didn't have a convenient metal aura to protect him.

"What are the odds that we'll be able to shelter in the main estate tonight...?"

Since there were quite a number of preparations that needed to be made in order to prepare Kaia to receive guests, Nobu decided to make small talk as Yui applied ointment to his many mosquito bites.

"Grandmother said that she would be preserving the state of your previous room. Should I send someone to make preparations for your arrival...?"

As it was rumored to be harder to descend a mountain than it was to climb one, Nobu nodded his head without hesitation. There was no way in hell he was going to make another three-hour trek through a densely populated forest when even the Moon wasn't out to guide them. He had literally needed Yuriko to guide him by hand. Thus, rather than force himself to suffer just so he could sleep in his bed, Nobu didn't mind taking advantage of the Matriarch's hospitality.

"Nobunaga-sama, Yui-sama. Please, follow me."

Rising to his feet the moment he heard the rather plain-looking woman's words, Nobu followed behind her as she led them down a rather claustrophobic spiral staircase. Fortunately, they only had to descend for a minute or two before reaching what appeared to be a refurbished dungeon. There, sitting with her back against the wall furthest from the cell bars was a remarkably beautiful woman with untamed white hair and eyes that glistened like moonlight.

Though she wore what appeared to be a modified muzzle covering the lower half of her face, Nobu found himself stopping in place the moment he met the woman's pale-yellow eyes. Her gaze was so intense that he didn't even notice the inordinately large ears standing erect atop her head, the dense white fur covering her forearms and calves, or the fluffy white tail folded over her lap. For a brief moment, the only things that seemed to exist in the entire world were the subtly glowing orbs staring at him from behind the wrist-thick bars...

"Are you my Master...?"

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(A/N: Could this be the advent of the goodest girl...!?)