Though Yiu’s marriage to Harun.o.bu was not in accordance with their own wills, they were already a couple. Besides Madam Sanjō, Harun.o.bu treated every woman with consideration. As time pa.s.sed, Yiu also put away her hatred. Sakura didn’t know if she felt something for Harun.o.bu, but until now, she never found that Harun.o.bu’s heart was set on her, the Chief of the Inner Compound. For that, she felt a little grateful.

But another issue gave her sorrow. During the New Year Festival, Nene died in Kai, and the little prince was brought back to Suwa to be raised by his wet nurse, waiting to become the heir of the family. Sakura saw Yiu was also sad with this reality. Sakura began to fear spending more time with her, and even thought of leaving Tsutsujigasaki.

“You said you wanted to move out? Are you breaking the rule of Tsutsujigasaki intentionally? Even if I agree to your requirement, I should arrange for someone to protect you. But for what reason should you live outside?” Harun.o.bu asked with his palms out before her.

“Are you going to fight Ooi Sadataka, who’s rebelling? Maybe I can follow you there for fun, and then I won’t need to move out.”

“Sakura, are you making trouble for me? Though the family officers only saw you go to the camp once, they can pretend they didn’t see you that time, but this battle is totally different. Why do you want me to have to worry about you in addition to matters of state?”

Sakura found him unwilling to take her out, so she changed her method. “Harun.o.bu, don’t you like me? Take me out, please. . . Otherwise, I might become so bored by the Inner Compound that you’ll be greeted by my corpse when you return.”

“Dare you say corpse again?”

“Take me. . . I believe you can win; that’s why I’ve come to beg you. Besides, I didn’t tell you one thing, which I learned by way of fortune telling. I am good at the Eight Diagrams. I can ask the Marici about the enemy’s weakness, and help you win. Don’t you believe me?” Sakura took down the necklace to show him.

Harun.o.bu smiled, saying, “This image was Nene’s dowry, and you got it from Nene. If you can ask him to speak, I will bring you with me. Not only this time, but for all the battles for the rest of my life.”

“Don’t break your oath.”

Sakura then held the idol in her hands, with her palms together, while sitting on the floor, and closed her eyes to speak some spells that she herself didn’t understand.

“Oh, yes, I’ve got the answer. Ooi Sadataka is not the match of Takeda. He is a cruel one to his underlings. Sometimes, however, his ears are soft, and he is easy to fall for other people’s lies. Murakami and Ogasawara praised him as a hero, and he dares come to challenge you.”

“Wow? Have you a.n.a.lyzed what type of strategy I should use to fight him?”

“You . . . you will send out several hundred cavalrymen to besiege the city when you arrive at Kagawa. And then use the rest of your soldiers to cut off the exits. Taking the families of the city guards hostage, you will force them to submit control of the city. If you need my suggestion, I would like to tell you that the less blood shed, the more worthy is the battle. So you’d better wait for the enemies to surrender themselves. Forgive them their lives, and they will become your soldiers in the future. . . Hey . . . you?”

Harun.o.bu’s eyes were straight and almost crossing. He was shocked by her words. Sakura held back her laughter and pretended, like a witch girl, to take a deep breath.

“No, no, no. . . ” He returned to normal and shook his head, saying, “You are not like a witch girl. I guess, your family is in Kawanakajima of s.h.i.+nano, and that’s why you know the Daimyos well. As to my strategy, you must have read my book, The Art of War, so you were able to guess.”

“Don’t you believe in my G.o.dly power? Okay, let me tell you another thing. There is gold in Kai.”

“You are lying! All the gold is in Suruga. If Kai also has gold, our family would be as rich as Imagawa already.”

“Hey, we agreed that I would answer one of your questions and you would bring me to the battle. Now I have answered two, and you still want me to answer one more? That’s not how you do business.”

“O-kay. . .” he said slowly. “I will bring you to Kagawa. Fortunately, you were found by my mom. If you were brought back by Imagawa Yos.h.i.+moto, I would be in danger now.” He sneakily placed a kiss on her lips.