Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Early May, 1567

After that, the Mikawa samurai left Niwa’s estate and headed home. Trotting their horse side-by-side, they aim for Mikawa. Tadakatsu in the middle, Yasumasa on the right, Masashige on the left, surrounded by their subordinates. There, Tadakatsu kept his silence, and with his gloomy look, made the atmosphere heavy as if in mourning.

“Man, Cheer up.”

After a while, Yasumasa was the first one to break the silence out of the three. While keeping his reins forward, he threw some cheering words to Tadakatsu beside him.

“Y-You’re right…W-Well, once the joint cultivation starts, you can meet her once a week.”

If the Nobunaga of Owari and Ieyasu of Mikawa agreed on joint cultivation, Mikawa would send Tadakasu as their representative, while Owari would send Shizuko. That being said, it would mainly be Shizuko who’d establish a way to mass-produce it, and Tadakatsu would bring that knowledge back to Mikawa province.

“I may not be able to fully comprehend it, so I’d ask for your assistance when the time comes.”

“Well, if her explanation were true, it’s not a bad deal at all. Above else… At least, that woman isn’t the type who tricks others, I think.”

Masahige nodded his head in agreement. Since she was the woman Tadakatsu fell in love with, the two were curious what kind of Amazon she was when they arrived. But when they met her, she was completely different from what they expected. No matter how they looked at her, they could only see her as a normal village girl. Put it nicely, she looks naive; put it bluntly, she looks like an airheaded young girl. Those were their true impressions.

“Shizuko won’t do such an act. Her heart is as pure and clear as spring water, like a gentle mother who gives mercy without discriminating, and like a sun that shines brightly from the heavens.”

“…Well, if you’re okay with that, I don’t have any complaints…”

“The current issue is how to persuade the Lord.”

“Well, there’s no need for us to fret about it. The ones to decide it will be the lords.”

Yeah yeah, muttered Yasumasa casually.

“Until then, rack up some merits and become a splendid samurai, then she might notice you, don’t you think so?”

“That’s it!”

Yasumasa, Masahige, and the surrounding subordinate flinched from Tadakatsu’s yell that was louder than expected. But Tadakatsu didn’t care in the slightest as he wrung his hands with all his might.

“I will become stronger and achieve great feats in battle! Alright, now that’s settled, time for special training!”

“Ah, um, what…?”

Yasumasa tried to call out the rampaging Tadakatsu, but it was too late as his voice fell on deaf ears. That’s because Tadakatsu already kicked his horse into a run.

“We can’t waste our time here! Men! Let’s go back to Mikawa as fast as possible!”

“H-Honda-sama–!?”

Some of the soldiers rushed to chase after Tadakatsu who had run ahead alone. The rest who were guarding Yasumasa and Masahige could only helplessly look at Yasumasa and Tadakatsu alternatingly.

“Just leave him alone for now…”

Sighing tiredly, Yasumasa instructed the restless soldiers to ignore him.

Even if she didn’t really understand its contents, Aya was troubled about how to report Shizuko’s dark history notebook existence. In the end, she could only report that ‘Shizuko owns a book written in unknown letters.’ However, the response from Mori Yoshinari was extremely simple.

‘Stop monitoring Shizuko-dono for a while, and keep an eye out for her surroundings. Also, return all of Shizuko-dono’s possessions.’

Aya was confused by the content, but it wasn’t like Mori Yoshinari or Nobunaga would tell the whole story to a small fry spy like her. Hence, Mori Yoshinari always put it as ‘keep an eye out for her surroundings’.

Nobunaga understood that rather than coercion, it would be more efficient to draw out Shizuko’s technology by using consultation as a pretext, then take over the topic after she was on track to some extent. At first glance, Nobunaga seems only to be benefiting from this, but in reality, he receives drawbacks in form of tech leaks and being targeted by other territories. Rather, it was Shizuko who was getting plenty of benefits. Under Nobunaga’s patronage, she was given an environment where she can fully demonstrate her abilities by devoting herself to working behind the scenes. In the Sengoku era, an environment in which a woman could live alone in peace without being inconvenienced in food, clothing, and shelter was difficult to obtain. Even if her life was being targeted, she will be able to protect himself without any effort thanks to Nobunaga who will bear the brunt and deal with it.

After giving an order to Aya, Mori Yoshinari went to his lord’s castle to report the current situation to Nobunaga.

“Is Shizuko’s secret plan going well?”

The first thing Nobunaga said to Mori Yoshinari was this question.

“Sir. Given the topic, I couldn’t just directly ask her, but her reply a few days ago was that it was ‘satisfactory’.”

“I see, so it’s going well. Kukuku, that lass always surprises me, but this plan of hers really made me feel an icy grip around my heart. To think that she had already been thinking about this the moment she came under me.”

“I also couldn’t even imagine what she could do with those ingredients. However, if this plan is a success, those who are dissatisfied with her preferential treatment will hold their tongues.”

While Shizuko officially was a subordinate of Mori Yoshinari, who was a vassal to the daimyos of Owari, in practice her position was closer to a direct vassal of Nobunaga. That means, in some circumstances, she ranks among the relatives and children of the main and branch clan, Mori Yoshinari, Nobunaga foster sibling Ikeda Tsuneoki, and the mainstay vassal Shibata Katsuie. A woman, and a tall one to boot (in the Sengoku era, any beautiful woman could be considered ugly just because they were tall), and also touted for being single past marriageable age, it won’t be strange if there will be people who won’t find it amusing. In fact, there are those who have repeatedly appealed to Nobunaga about the treatment of Shizuko without her knowledge. Each time, Nobunaga said, ‘A genius is a genius, regardless of their age or sex. If you want to prove your point, show me a more talented person than her’. In other words, ‘If you have a complaint, show me a talent that would make Shizuko unnecessary’.

“I don’t know where this secret knowledge of her comes from, but gather enough people who are skilled enough to be imparted this technology.”

After giving this directive to Mori Yoshinari, Nobunaga tilted his sake cup.

One month after the capture of Mino, it had been completely subjugated so Nobunaga gave an order to certain specific vassals. However, this time it wasn’t for a battle, but an invitation to an award party for those who have made special achievements when capturing Mino. Due to this, Shizuko’s village and its surroundings had a heavy atmosphere. After all, the attendees were Mori Yoshinari, Kinoshita Tokichiro Hideyoshi, Shibata Katsuie, Takigawa Kazumasu, the warlords who would later support the Oda army. There were also Kawajiri Yohei Hidetaka, the leader of the Black Horo 1, Maeda Matazaemon Toshiie, the leader of Red Horo, and Nobunaga’s umamawari, Fuse Toukurou and Asahi Magohachirou. Takenaka Hanbei Shigeharu, who was not involved in the capture of Mino but had often used his wisdom to harass the Oda army (in the battle of Inabayama), was added as a special case.

An impressive guest lineup. While the warlords and staff officers who have made a name for themselves in history gathered together, Shizuko, who felt the situation was very surreal, was doing something with a carefree expression.

“Today’s main dish is a nanban dish, tem~pu~ra~”

And that was making tempura. Now that they have harvested the canola oil, Shizuko decided to check its performance by this. Speaking of oil, fried food comes to mind. But since she couldn’t prepare the bread crumbs needed for croquettes and pork cutlets, she settled with Tempura for the menu.

“Kuhuhu… This sure is a privilege unique to the producers. Using a large amount of oil is a luxury in this era after all.”

The ingredients were freshly brought from the fishmonger, who caught gobies and

whitings2 this morning and kept it alive in a bucket of seawater. There were also some wild plants and sweet potatoes that she prepared herself. The gobies were already creepy looking, and the whiting’s back has a different color than other saltwater fish normally known, which made the fishmonger creeped by it, so she was able to get them for cheap.

“Shizuko-sama, I don’t know what exactly you are making, but please calm down a little.”

“Oh, sorry about that. It has been a long time since I had tempura… Oh, the temperature has risen nicely. ”

There was no remorse in her reply as Shizuko proceeded to put the batter-covered fish into the oil. In an instant, the sound of deep-frying echoes magnificently. The sound was so great that the usually calm Aya was startled.

“S-Shizuko-sama! W-Why is it giving off a strange sound!?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, steadily… Well, of course it will be noisy. We are frying, no?”

After calming the slightly panicked Aya, Shizuko continued to put the batter-covered fish into the oil one after another. Slowly backing away from the tempura that started to pile up on the plate, Aya nervously asked a question.

“And these… are?

“Nanban cuisine, tempura. It’s a dish deep-fried in oil.”

“Fry…? Aren’t there only three types of cooking; steam, boil, and bake…?”

“Nah, there are also cooking methods such as frying and stir-frying. Well, as you can see, frying needs a lot of oil, so you can’t just easily do it.”

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“Is, is that so…”

Perhaps because she couldn’t make heads or tails of her explanation, Aya replied half-heartedly. Meanwhile, Shizuko has turned all the ingredients into tempura.

“Fufufu, now I can be the first one in Hinomoto to eat a tempura!”

“Hou, it seems you are thinking of something outrageous.”

Shizuko, who was holding the platter high above, froze. Her head creaked like a rusted machine as she turned her face toward the voice.

“Hohoho, as expected from the Lord’s favourite. You’re really an interesting girl.”

There stood Nobunaga with a joyful smile on his face, and an unfamiliar woman. She was about in her late twenties to thirties, her kimono was gorgeous but didn’t feel unpleasant, and her hair was tied and hanging behind her back. She was obviously a woman with high standing, But Shizuko couldn’t remember the crucial part, her name. In the first place, until recent years, women’s names rarely remained in history, and even if it does, it was usually their common name or alias. Therefore, it can’t be helped if Shizuko doesn’t know the name of the woman.

After regaining his composure, Shizuko placed the platter on a nearby desk, dusted herself off, and prostrated on the spot. Even if she didn’t know her name nor standing, the fact that she came with Nobunaga means she was a fairly high-ranking woman.

“Shizuko, raise your head, and explain what those yellow things are.”

However, Nobunaga, who didn’t care about Shizuko’s thoughts, asked her while pointing at the tempura with a fan.

“I-It’s a Nanban cuisine called tempura, my lord.”

While tempura originated from Nanban cuisine, the concept of ‘deep-frying stuff coated in batter’ already existed since the Nara and Heian period with rice flour as the batter, in the form of vegetarian Buddhist cuisine or Japanese-Chinese cuisine. On the other hand, in the 16th century, “Nagasaki Tempura”, which was derived from Nanban cuisine, appeared. It was using wheat flour mixed with water and seasonings such as sugar, salt, and sake as the batter and then deep-frying it in oil. Since the batter itself is heavily seasoned, it was eaten without being dipped in salt or sauce. However, at one point, tempura, which is rooted in Nanban cuisine, was confused with traditional fried food, so there is a long-standing debate about its origin and etymology. Due to these circumstances, there are still areas in western Japan where fried fish paste, the so-called ‘Fried Kamaboko’ is also called tempura. Incidentally, it wasn’t until the 11th year of the Kanbun era (1671) before a tempura which was similar to the modern counterpart appeared in literature records. Considering that the Edo Shogunate was founded in the 9th year of the Keicho era (1603), she had cooked a dish about 100 years before its invention.

There are various theories about the etymology of tempura, and it’s not clear which theory is correct. There is also a theory that it comes from the Portuguese passage ‘Quatuor Anni tempora’, which meant ‘Ember days of the four seasons’. Ember days are prayers and fasts done in the first three days of each season, a custom unique to the Roman Church. During this period, members of the Roman Church were prohibited from eating meat, so during the period, they ate fishes with flour batter. When this dish was introduced to the Japanese, they took the word ‘tempora’ and turned it into ‘tempura’.

In other words, Shizuko’s explanation was slightly wrong. The tempura she knows was an Edo dish that has been improved from Nagasaki tempura until it became one of the “three flavors of Edo” by Edo cooks. The cooking method spread to various places, and finally, it became an exemplar dish of Japanese cuisine in the sense that it did not retain its original form at the time of its introduction. That being said, even if she were familiar with history, she was not familiar with the history of cooking, so it was no wonder that she thought that tempura = nanban cuisine.

“Hohoho. A Nanban cuisine you say? You sure cook unusual things.”

Laughing while covering her mouth with her hand, the woman stepped out before Nobunaga and moved to the front of the plate with tempura without hesitation. And before Shizuko, Nobunaga, and the maid behind him could say anything, she picked up the chopsticks and took a bite out of the tempura.

“…Hmm, while the outside is crispy, the inside is soft. These two different textures create an indescribable sensation in my mouth.”

“N-Nouhime-sama! Those foods might contain poisons!?”

(Isn’t Nouhime Nobunaga’s legal wife!?)

Shizuko unconsciously turned her face to Nohime, but the person in question wasn’t paying attention to the surrounding gazes.

“To be poisoned by the lord’s favorite would be something quite amusing. Girl, what’s your name.”

“Hue! Ah, yes! My name is Shizuko!

“Shizuko, serve me from now on.”

Nouhime just easily made an outrageous statement like it was the most natural thing in the world. Shizuko, who can neither say yes nor no, turns her gaze to Nobunaga and pleads for help.

“I won’t give Shizuko to you. There’s still a lot of work I need her to do..”

Despite sighing in exasperation, Nobunaga’s expression didn’t reflect it. Rather, he seemed to enjoy this kind of conversation with Nouhime.

“My my, jealousy might call a man’s caliber into question.”

“Hmph, say whatever you will. Anyway, I won’t give Shizuko to you.”

At first glance, it might look like Nobunaga and Nouhime were on bad terms with each other. However, Shizuko felt like their relationship wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Nouhime enjoyed tense conversations, and Nobunaga happened to tend towards such a style of conversation. If you looked at it from this perspective, their relationship seemed to be quite good.

(My stomach… My stomach hurts…!)

But to the people surrounding them, their conversation was the equivalent of a series of small heart attacks, leaving them no time to relax.

“Well, I get the feeling that this girl will stay in reach for quite a while, so there will be plenty of opportunities for me. My lord, do be careful lest I steal this girl away from you.”

Seemingly satisfied with her teasing of Nobunaga, Nouhime left the kitchen with a smile on her face.

“Damn her. Shizuko, we will talk later. Prepare yourself.”

“Y-Yes.”

Nodding in apparent satisfaction with her answer, Nobunaga exited the kitchen.

“Hmm, I’ll probably be subjected to a thorough interrogation… but well, let’s eat some tempura first–”

Spouting such leisurely words was something Shizuko would come to regret dearly later. That she shouldn’t just have easily replied with “Yes”.