Chapter 76: Hunger

Though there were a total of 83 candidates, Nobu ultimately only acquired six as teaching staff and caretakers.

Generally speaking, there were six major disciplines that Kunoichi were divided into once they had completed their foundation training.

On paper, the six major disciplines included combat, assassination, tracking, infiltration, seduction, and poison. In reality, Kunoichi were also able to learn about seals, cooking, craftsmanship, hunting, and various other trade-related abilities that would allow them to seamlessly blend into society.

One of the things that made Yui so exceptional was that she had a basic mastery over each of the disciplines and advanced mastery over combat, assassination, and seduction techniques. She had also completed warrior training based on the standards of the Oda Clan, so, while she was a bit odd in the head at times, it wasn't an exaggeration to say she was a prodigy among prodigies.

At the present moment, said prodigy was currently tracing her index finger around Nobu's exposed nipple as she reclined her head on his shoulder. She had a somewhat dazed look on her face, and, if you observed closely, it was possible to see the sides of her lips periodically curl upwards as various thoughts danced across her mind.

Ever since their first night of passion, Nobu and Yui had made love nearly every single night. At first, this had terrified and confused both of them as neither had any real experience with such emotions. After a while, however, it felt completely natural.

("Humans really can adapt to anything...")

As that thought crossed his mind, Nobu rolled onto his side and positioned himself so that he was spooning the raven-haired beauty with his mouth near her ear. She had confessed that she enjoyed being held tenderly, so, with his hand caressing her smooth yet firm abdomen, Nobu sent a tremor through Yui's body as he whispered as softly as possible, "I think I might love you..."

"Nobu..."

Not expecting to hear such words, a paradoxical feeling of exuberance and anguish spread through Yui's body. According to the laws, customs, and traditions of their families, she had no right to be loved by Nobu. Love was a weakness that caused people to do foolish things. It was something that was easily exploited, and, depending on the circumstances, invariably led to tragedy.

Had he confessed to her several weeks ago, Yui would have promptly reminded Nobu that she was merely his Mistress. It was more accurate to say she was engaged to him rather than say they were engaged to each other. It was her duty to protect him, serve him, and carry out his will. Love wasn't supposed to be a part of the equation.

Perhaps as a result of Nobu's peculiarities, Yui found herself unable, or, more accurately, unwilling to 'correct' him. She wasn't quite sure of her own feelings, but she wanted to protect and nourish them rather than quash them completely. Her Grandmother had also implied her support by giving a few not-so-subtle hints, so, after several seconds of silence, a layer of moisture spread across the surface of Yui's eyes as she replied, "I think I feel the same way..."

Though they had recently finished a rather passionate session of lovemaking, Nobu could feel the blood rushing to his little brother as he planted a kiss on Yui's exposed shoulder. He was actually happier she responded in such a roundabout manner. If she had declared her feelings directly, he wasn't sure he would be able to accept them. After all, back in his previous world, words like love were thrown around so often that it was more of a meme than anything else. It was merely a word to get women to open their legs and men to open their wallets...

While his relationship with Yui was anything but normal, Nobu felt closer to her with each passing day. There was something about knowing she would die for him that gave him a strange peace of mind. He wasn't sure if he could do the same, but, if it came down to it, he was pretty confident he would go down swinging if someone tried to hurt her. Whether or not this was love, Nobu had no idea. All he knew was that he wanted to spend more time with her...

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After sleeping in till around noon, Nobu awoke to find that he was alone in his bed. This caused a wry smile to develop across his face, but, understanding Yui had other duties to attend, he simply shook his head and called out, "Anyone there?"

Somewhat surprisingly, only a single honey-haired girl entered his room when Nobu called out.

"Ayane?"

Perennially taciturn and soft-spoken, Ayane responded with a curt, "Yes..." while staring directly at him with her peculiar blue eyes.

Recalling all the past times they had talked, Nobu could already feel his mental faculties slowing down as he asked, "Where is everyone else...?"

Without so much as a single change in expression, Ayane continued to stare unblinkingly at Nobu for several increasingly tense moments before answering, "Yui...training...Yuriko...training...Kumiko..."

Though he felt a little guilty about interrupting her, Nobu held up his hand, a wry smile on his face as he said, "Just tell me where Onihime is..."

Tilting her head somewhat adorably to the side, Ayane contributed one of her characteristic silences before finally answering, "Kitchen..."

"..."

Resisting the urge to ask why it took so long for her to supply such a simple answer, Nobu just rose to his feet and said, "Let's go. I feel like eating in the dining room today."

Without offering a response, Ayane promptly fell into step behind Nobu. This always annoyed him, but, understanding it made the girls uncomfortable to walk directly at his side, he decided to ignore it. Besides, it wasn't like he could have an actual conversation with Ayane. He was almost certain she had some form of autism, and, while he would never fault her for such a thing, it made conversing with her extremely difficult...

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Though she would much rather prepare her Lord's meals herself, Cho had learned to appreciate teaching others. Midori was a bashful girl on the surface, but, once you managed to get her to open up to you, her smile became as radiant as the sun.

"Cho-sama, Cho-sama~! Please try my miso soup~."

Giggling in amusement, Cho dutifully tasted Midori's soup with a smile before unhesitantly stating, "Your dashi is too thick and you've used far too much salt. The savoriness has become little more than an undertone to the dish. If you were to feed this to Master as is, he would undoubtedly get a stomach ache."

Deflating like a balloon, Midori's amber eyes became unfocused as she stared off into space. This earned amused chuckles from both Cho and Onihime, the most recent addition to the kitchen staff.

"Don't worry, Midori-chan. It's only a matter of time before you master miso soup. After that, you can begin preparing other dishes."

Hearing Onihime's words, Midori instantaneously recovered, a broad and innocent smile on her face as she happily exclaimed, "Yosh! Midori will do her best! Thanks, Oni-nee~!"

Though she was nearly sixty years the girl's senior, Onihime didn't mind Midori referring to her as an elder sister. It was infinitely better than being regarded as an old lady.

As that thought crossed her mind, a delicate sigh emerged from Onihime's throat as memories of meeting her Master for the first time resurfaced. She felt like she could have tried harder to change his impression and overcome his inhibitions. Now, her body yearned for him, but, due to the way he viewed her, she was more likely to receive a head pat than the intimacy she craved.

Noticing the strange expression on Onihime's face, Midori's own became a little awkward as she asked, "Oni-nee? Does your tummy hurt...?"

Shaking her head, Onihime extended her hand to caress Midori's as she gently mused, "I was just thinking about our Master. He is a great man, isn't he~?"

Smiling radiantly in response, Midori chimed a happy, "Nn~!" before saying, "Master is awesome~!" in an enthusiastic tone.

Though she was still a little scared of him due to his size, Nobu had quickly become one of Midori's favorite people. He was nothing like what she had been taught to expect. He was super nice, and, if she was good, he would even give her candies, caress her head, and even play with her. It was also funny to see him squirm around or float face-down in the bath, so, while she couldn't help feeling intimidated by his size, Midori was very fond of the Master that had saved her life.

With such thoughts on her mind, Midori was ready to attempt another batch of miso soup when the person each of them was thinking about entered the room, saying, "Yo." in a casual manner.

"Master~!"

Under normal circumstances, Midori would be more cautious, but, as she had just been thinking about how awesome Nobu was, she didn't hesitate to run over and hug his waist. This left Nobu feeling a little awkward, but, rather than admonish the young girl for her overfamiliarity, he began to pat her head, asking, "How's it going? Have you already done your daily clicks?"

Smiling wide enough to show off a few of her missing teeth, Midori happily chimed, "Of course! I did it as soon as I woke up~!"

Though his voice sounded a bit dry, Nobu chuckled in response to Midori's words, saying, "Good job." before casting a glance at Cho and asking, "Do you have any candy on you? I think Midori has deserved a treat."

Having already anticipated such a request, Cho slipped her hand into the sleeve of her kimono before pulling out a string of neatly wrapped rock candy. This caused Midori's eyes to light up, her expression literally beaming as she unhesitantly released Nobu's waist and hurried over to retrieve her treat.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, Nobu gave his own body a whiff to confirm that he did, indeed, smell like sex. He and Yui had been up until around 4 AM, and, thanks to his sleeping in, he hadn't bathed at all.

Fortunately, Midori was either too young to understand what the smell was or simply didn't care about it. This allowed Nobu to relax until he noticed Onihime staring at him with a rather intense look on her face.

Noticing her Master's gaze, Onihime promptly bowed, her expression softening into a pleasantly surprised yet ostensibly subservient look as she said, "Good afternoon, Master. I apologize for not being at your side when you awoke."

Though she didn't mean anything by it, the tips of Onihime's ears turned red when she realized how her words might be interpreted. Fortunately, or perhaps not, Nobu didn't seem to realize this. Instead, he just waved dismissively, saying, "It's not a problem. I can't really do anything about your status right now, but, as I keep telling you, I don't really need slaves. If you want to help out in the kitchen, more power to you."

Despite suppressing a sigh, a genuine smile developed across Onihime's face as she replied, "Yes. I know. Master is a kind and benevolent man..."

Feeling his skin crawl, Nobu forced a smile before shifting his attention to Cho and asking, "What's for lunch? Also, sorry for missing breakfast. I didn't get to sleep until pretty late..."

After giggling in response to Nobu's words, Cho gestured towards a number of trays covered in silver lids atop a nearby counter. These were designed to keep food warm, so, even though lunch had been prepared nearly thirty minutes prior, it was still piping hot beneath the insulated cloches.

Noticing the arrangement, a smile spread across Nobu's face despite his stomach releasing a rather audible growl. He wasn't the type to get embarrassed over such things, so, after removing the cloth from his face, he made casual conversation with the four girls, Ayane included, as he filled his belly with Cho's perpetually delicious food...

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(A/N: What a wholesome chapter (UwU)...)