“Ow, sensei. Why’d you have to hit me so hard?”
Jiro downed his cup of sake, then looked over at his charge and sighed. At least the lad had the sense to wait until they were safely up in a private room before he’d spoken, that was something. “Why’d you have to be born with rocks in your head?”
“I was only gonna say you were giving her five coins, not one.” Masato sulked.
“Lad, you think just cause I’m old I’m also stupid? Why else would she have helped me if I didn’t pay her?”
That produced a long pause, and Jiro could see the wheels turning in Masato’s mind. Then the boy brightened and rubbed the back of his head- embarrassed. “Oh yeah, I guess so!”
Jiro shook his head and poured himself another drink. Normally a girl should have been there with them to do it, but he had sent them away. “I shoulda brought Katsu on this mission.” He said ruefully, then downed the next glass. “You’re not gonna last five minutes outside the castle- not five.”
In point of fact, he’d chosen Masato exactly because of the boy’s inexperience- he felt the lad needed something to toughen him up. But perhaps, Jiro started to think as he watched the young man peer in wonder around the lavish room, he’d underestimated the depth of Masato’s naiveté.
Masato let him take a few more shots of sake, and then asked- “Who is Shiori-chan anyways?”
Jiro paused, deciding how to word his answer, and then smiled as he heard the soft swish of robes outside. “You’re about to find out.”
The doors slid open, and an artfully dressed courtesan in reds and yellows swept into the room, causing Masato to again wonder at the stream of beauties that occupied this place. He’d spent most of his life in the castle, and during his time there he’d seen a number of attractive court ladies, but the women here seemed to make those look like fading late-summer flowers by comparison. Even Shiori-chan, who Masato later guessed to be in her mid-forties, was no less beautiful than the most attractive girl he’d known in her prime.
Masato got barely a glance from the new arrival however, as Shiori’s eyes were immediately on Jiro with a look that carried in it so much more than Masato could hope to understand.
“Shiori,” Jiro said, dropping the honorific in a way that only those closest to a person could.
“Jiro-san,” she said with a smile. “It has been too long.”
The old samurai looked at her appreciatively. “It definitely has. You get more beautiful the longer I know you.” Then the moment between them was over, and he nodded his head towards his apprentice. “Shiori, this is my student, Masato.”
Shiori turned to where Masato sat, and the young man immediately rose to his feet to stand awkwardly before her. “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” he bowed.
That earned him a laugh like gentle rain from behind a covered mouth, and then Shiori gave him a polite bow. “A pleasure to meet you as well, Masato-san.”
Her smile made Masato blush. “Gosh sensei, you sure have some beautiful friends. I…I mean, you know some beautiful women…I mean…uh…Oh…” He caught himself and turned away.
That earned him another laugh, and Shiori’s eyes smiled at him with reassurance. “You are very cute, Masato-san. No, I think I will call you Masato-kun.”
“O-okay.” He agreed readily, and settled back down into his seat to sip his drink shyly.
“Shiori, are there any birds in the inn, today?” Jiro asked casually as she gathered her silk robes and sat down close to him so they could talk. This got him a puzzled look from Masato, but Shiori clearly understood what it meant.
“None,” Shiori shook her head. “We may talk freely, I have girls standing guard to keep anyone from listening in.”
Jiro nodded. “The Lady has sent us, we’re going across the river to fetch back her sons. We need maps and information.”
Shiori took in the meaning of his words.
“So, the time has come for war?”
“Looks like it,” Jiro said with a shrug. “Nothing has been said, and I didn’t ask.”
“A wise course of action.” She agreed, and stood up. “I will get what you need, please wait here.”
“Thanks, I’d appreciate it.”
After she was gone, there was a brief silence, and then Masato asked- “Sensei?”
As if sensing the question unspoken in those words, Jiro answered. “She and I go way back, lad. She might not look it, but she’s old enough to be your mother, and one of the lord’s top intelligence agents.”
Masato’s eyes widened. “Really? Wow.”
“Treat her with respect, Masato.” His master continued. “She’s a good friend to have.”
“I will, sensei.”
“We’ll need the maps and other things she gives us if we’re going to pull this off. We can’t just walk into an enemy country without knowing where to go, can we?”
“No, sensei, but…” Masato hesitated, as if deciding whether he should ask what had clearly been bothering him since they left the castle, and finally decided to take his chance while his teacher was in a talkative mood. “I was wondering- why exactly would our lord give his sons to the Kurokawa? It seems a little stupid, doesn’t it?”
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