Chapter 50: Reaching an Accord

Seeing how quickly Yui had gone from a bashful girl to a stoic-faced beauty, a contemplative frown appeared on Nobu's face. In the end, however, he just shook his head and decided not to overthink things. Instead, in response to Yuriko announcing the arrival of herself and someone called Suzune-sama, his voice deepening as he said, "Come in."

A stark contrast to how casually she had been behaving previously, Yuriko entered the room with a solemn and reverential expression on her face as she quickly made way for the pink-haired woman accompanying her. This was the same woman Nobu had encountered during his attempt to search for Yui, but, unlike before, she radiated a strange aura that caused the hairs along his arms to stand on end.

Before Nobu could think to say anything, Suzune offered a slight yet gracious bow before promptly raising her head and asking, "Yuriko-san has informed me you wished to speak with me. Please. Tell me. How might I be of assistance to the Young Lord of the Oda Clan?"

Instead of lowering her head obsequiously or sitting in seiza as everyone else had done, Suzune remained standing near the entrance of the room. Her chin was also raised ever-so-slightly, and, though she wasn't looking at him with scorn, the way her honey-colored eyes looked down at him gave Nobu the impression he was a tiny mouse that had just been cornered by a cat.

Frowning in spite of this, Nobu's tone remained heavy as he asked, "Did you always give off this creepy vibe?"

"Ufufufufufufu~"

Seemingly amused by his words, Suzune began to laugh while covering the lower half of her face with the inordinately long sleeve of her kimono. Then, with her eyes darting towards Yui for a brief moment, she mentioned, "As keen as I am to continue this conversation, I should inform you that it might create a substantial number of problems if we speak freely in front of your retainers. Personal feelings aside, I do have my dignity as an Elder to maintain. If you intend to say or do anything that might embarrass me in front of my juniors...well...every action has consequences..."

Adopting an even deeper frown, Nobu asked, "Are you really trying to threaten us the shit you and your daughter pulled...?"

Returning her gaze to Nobu, Suzune's expression remained scarily calm as she answered, "I assure you, Waka-sama. I am not making threats...I am simply cautioning you against an ill-advised course of action. If you don't want to take my word for it, feel free to ask your cute little retainers. They are well aware that every action, no matter how small, has consequences..."

Shifting his attention to Yui, Nobu maintained his frown as the former bowed low and reverentially, stating, "Suzune-sama is correct." without raising her head.

Resisting the urge to snort through his nose, Nobu internally muttered, ("How annoying...") before shaking his head and saying, "Fine. Whatever. The two of you can do whatever it is you think you're supposed to be doing. Maybe change back into your armor while you're at it. I don't fucking know."

Responding to Nobu's words, Yui and Yuriko lowered their heads before synchronously answering, "Yes, Nobunaga-sama." in respectful tones. Then, with their hands folded over their laps and their backs ramrod straight, they slowly and gracefully departed the room before offering an additional bow and closing the door behind them.

Hanging his head in his right hand, a tired sigh escaped Nobu's throat as he, once again, massaged his forehead. He knew it would be for the best if he just sucked it up or allowed himself to get used to these kinds of things. It just felt so...cringe...

Now that Yui and Yuriko had departed the room, Suzune wasted no time in sitting a few meters to Nobu's front and performing an impeccable dogeza. Her status as an Elder prohibited her from this type of performance in front of her juniors, but, now that they were gone, she unhesitantly lowered her head and politely stated, "I hope my actions have not inadvertently offended Waka-sama..."

Though he knew he wasn't doing himself any favors, Nobu snorted in response to Suzune's words, grumbling, "You're about as sincere as an apology letter laced with Anthrax..."

Raising her head, Suzune tilted her head towards the side with her ponytail, asking, "Anthrax...?" in an overtly cutesy and ostensibly curious tone.

Ignoring the question, Nobu decided to get straight to the point, stating, "You can cut it with the cutesy act. I invited you here for three reasons. First, we need to settle the debts between us. After that, I want to know what you know about my situation. Depending on how these two things turn out, I may or may not have a favor to ask you..."

Instead of immediately responding to Nobu's words, Suzune just stared back at him for several tense moments, her honey-colored eyes closely observing everything from his facial expression to his body language. She still owed him an apology. Two, in fact. Still, that didn't mean she would just answer his questions without receiving any benefits of her own. He wasn't her Lord, and, were it not for the fact her daughter had screwed up, quite severely, they wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

Now that she was thinking about it, Suzune realized that this was far too 'convenient' to be a mere coincidence. There were numerous signs pointing to the possibility this was a plot by the Matriarch. Unfortunately, that didn't change the fact that her daughter had nearly perpetrated an indefensible act against a descendent of the Oda Clan. If Nobu decided to raise this issue with his father...well, it wasn't a lie when she said every action had its consequences.

Adopting an overtly seductive smile, Suzune leaned forward ever so slightly as she said, "So long as it does not require me to betray my Clan or abdicate my position as Information Elder, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make amends for mine and my daughter's perceived slights. I may be out of practice, but I'm confident in my ability to satisfy Waka-sama's every desire. I'm sure my daughter is more than willing to do the same..."

Though the thought of fucking the pink-haired woman had crossed his mind numerous times by now, Nobu shook his head in response to Suzune's offer, stating, "Nah. You and your daughter can both fuck off as far as fucking goes. All I want from you is information. Now, tell me what you know about me and my situation. After that, I want to know what kinds of issues are prominent within the village as far as housing and infrastructure are concerned. My agreement with Yui's Grandmother is to provide knowledge and information that might be of use. I can't really do that without a proper understanding of the situation. Since you're the Information Elder, you should have access to all the things I need to know to make informed decisions. If you really want to express your sincerity, you and your daughter should stop worrying about my dick and start thinking about what you can do to help me unfuck some of the problems with your clan."

Surprised by the fervor underlying Nobu's tone, Suzune sat up a little straighter before asking, "Is that all you desire? Though it might compromise my position by saying this, you should know that I would have provided you information regardless of whether or not you asked for it. After all, I am ultimately a member of the Yoshitsune Clan. If you have reached an agreement with the Matriarch, it is only natural that I would do everything I can to support you. There isn't much sense in making this into a personal matter unless there is something 'more' you wish to obtain..."

Snorting in response to the woman's words, Nobu maintained a serious yet annoyed expression as he explained, "I honestly don't give a fuck about things like this. I really just want to be left alone so I can figure shit out and do my own thing. Since that seems to be too much to ask, I have no choice but to involve myself with this bullshit. If you really want me to come up with something else. How's about this? Be a better mother and unfuck your daughter. That brat is such a fucking hypocrite that it boggles the mind."

Hearing Nobu unhesitantly insult her daughter, Suzune couldn't help but furrow her brows. She felt he was being a little unfair, but, considering what Shizune had done, she couldn't exactly blame him for being upset. Had Yui not arrived when she did, Shizune would have done something completely inexcusable. Thus, after a moment of consideration, she bowed her head low and said, "I will do my best to make sure she thoroughly reflects on this incident...I can also promise that nothing similar will ever happen again..."

Snorting a second time, Nobu adopted a sardonic smile as he asked, "Oh? So you're telling me that neither you nor your daughter is going to try and seduce me? Do you take me for a fool...?"

Raising her head, Suzune adopted a slightly troubled look on her face as she muttered, "You're not really leaving me with any room to breathe, Waka-sama. I can assure you that my words are sincere. Beyond that, I'm not sure what I can say or do to make you believe me..."

Since he didn't seem to show any interest in having sex, Suzune was genuinely troubled by the way Nobu was behaving. It was like he wanted her to convince him, but, at the same time, he cut off any avenues she might use to do so. If he wouldn't believe her words, even when she was being sincere, what else did he expect her to do?

In reality, even Nobu didn't really know what he wanted from the pink-haired beauty sitting across from him. All he knew was that he was annoyed and that she was one of the primary reasons for his annoyance. The way Yui and Yuriko had been acting was also bothering him, so, even if she seemed sincere, he couldn't allow himself to trust her. After all, she was a kunoichi, and, while he might not hate them in the same manner as everyone else, he was quickly coming to realize why people didn't like them. Everything they said and did just felt so...insincere...

As that thought crossed his mind, a deep frown appeared on Nobu's face. He normally wasn't the judgmental type, at least as far as racism and bigotry were concerned. Even the thought of disliking a particular group of people just felt wrong to him, so, after a very long moment of silence, he just shook his head and muttered, "Whatever..." before looking at Suzune and answering, "Just provide me with any pertinent information you can think of regarding the village and its infrastructure. You don't really have to worry about me blabbing to my parents about what happened so long as your daughter doesn't do anything stupid. I'm not really the type of person to hold a grudge but you're out of your fucking mind if you think I'll tolerate additional incidents. Keep her in check and we shouldn't have any problems. Capiche?"

"Capiche...?"

Though she could intuit its meaning, Suzune was unfamiliar with the phrase uttered by Nobu. This actually told him a lot about how much she knew regarding his situation, so, instead of pressing her for more information, he said, "This conversation has tired me out. We'll talk more once you gather the information I requested..."

Understanding he was trying to get rid of her, an awkward smile developed across Suzune's face as she offered a courteous bow and said, "Very well. Please enjoy your rest, Waka-sama...". Then, in a manner reminiscent of the Matriarch, she raised her index and middle fingers and began flaring her silvery-green, presumably platinum, aura. Immediately thereafter, Yuriko appeared out of thin air while Yui, now wearing her armor, slid open the bamboo door and said, "Pardon me..." before making her way inside and taking a seat off to the side.

Gobsmacked by how quickly the duo had appeared, Nobu found himself at a momentary loss for words as Suzune rose to her feet and said, "It has been a pleasure speaking with you, Waka-chan. If there is ever anything you need, please let me know. I'm usually very busy, but, if it's for the Young Lord of the Oda Clan, I can always make time..."

Punctuating her words with a slight bow, Suzune didn't wait for permission before leaving through the open door, hips swaying like a meandering river. This increased Nobu's stupefaction, but, once the door was closed behind her, he quickly recovered his senses and muttered, "Damn...she might be a pain in the ass but I'll be damned if she doesn't have a fine one..."

Though his words were hardly a whisper, both Yui and Yuriko tense in response to Nobu's musings. Then, with a quick exchange of glances, the former nodded to the latter before saying, "If it pleases my Lord, I am more than willing to attend you..."

Hearing Yui's remark, Nobu looked towards her, intoning a confused, "Huh...?" until he noticed the ruddy hue spreading through her cheeks. This caused his heart to skip a beat, but, remembering his previous discomfort, a grimace immediately developed across his face as he internally muttered, ("I knew it...this dumbass is seriously trying to put on an act...")

"This is turning into the longest fucking day of my life..."

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(A/N: I half-expected Nobu to clap Suzune's cheeks. Damn, he must be more tired than I thought...)