āI have to truly admire Magoinumaru-samaās discerning eyes!ā
Say Genshirou while prostrating in front of me. Iām glad I decided to meet him in my room. If not, I canāt imagine the amount of stare Iām going to get.
I hurriedly helped Genshirou to raise his head. I want to avoid things that are going to make me stand out. Well, considering the difference in our status it might not be strange for Genshirou to prostrate before me despite the fact Iām a 4 years old kid. Still, if others were to see it, who knows what will happen to my reputation.
āI donāt understand your meaning of my discerning eyes.ā
āOne month after our meeting in Obama Port, a war really happened. I reckon the war is going to develop into a big war. Because of it, I have made a considerable amount of profit. I am truly grateful, Magoinumaru sama. I reckon the war is going to develop into a big war.ā
After saying the same things twice Genshirou brought out a box and put it in front of me. The profit he earned must be really big for him to smile this brightly.
I let Denza open the box. The inside of the box are coins totaling 500 kan. Did my investment earn this much money? No, I donāt think so.
In the past, Iāve read that the cost of a ceremony performed for an emperorās death, in other words, the cost of an imperial funeral is about 1000 kan.
It was an amount that even the imperial court struggled to gather, yet Genshirou easily gave me half of it. Itās true that the reason 1000 kan is hard for the imperial court to gather is mainly that the people of the imperial court are just too prideful.
If converted to modern Japanese Yen, 500 kan is about 40 million yen [1] and Genshirou gave me this amount of money while smiling. This guy, what is he planning?
Genshirou explained my doubt, saying that this money is an āadvance paymentā. Ah, I see. An advance payment for future information of wars I guess. Does he really think a kid like me knows stuff like war?
If itās really an advance payment, I canāt accept this money. If I did, I would need to constantly provide information to him. The second I failed to do so, Genshirou would cut me off. I canāt let my relationship with Genshirou be that brittle.
āI will return this. I canāt accept it all.ā
I push the box filled with coins back to Genshirou. Ah, this is painful. I feel like Iām going to lose with my greed. No. I canāt be tempted by short-term gain. I need to think about the future. Genshirou silently observed my action, then let out a quiet laugh.
āHehehe. My apologies. Your action is just too different compared to your appearance that it makes me laugh. It makes me wonder if youāre truly just a young child, Magoinumaru-sama. If you cannot accept the money, how about you accept this instead?ā
Genshirou put a plate full of Mugikogashi [2] In front of me and Denza. I donāt know if he prepared the Mugikogashi because he predicted I would refuse the money or if he planned to tame me with sweets after I received the money.
āI agree. I often feel the same way,ā says Denza with a mouth full of Mugikogashi.
Rather than me, the Mugikogashi seems to be an effective weapon to tame Denza. With two people saying the same thing I can feel a cold sweat running through my back.
As an actual adult of course I didnāt act like a child. I can pretend, but if I did Iām going to waste my time while heading full speed toward destruction. Now then, how should I handle their suspicion?
āHahaha. Thatās a good joke, you two. No matter how you see it Arenāt I just a young child?ā
My nervous laugh resounded in the room. I have no choice but to laugh it off. This is the first time someone suspected Iām different. After all, at the mansion, both Grandfather and Father have no interest in me so they didnāt suspect anything.
Rather than saying they both have no interest, itās more correct to say they are too busy doing their own things that they have no time to take interest in me. But Genshirou and Denzaemon are different. They both have dealt with me personally. I guess thatās why they noticed. I should have acted more cautiously.
āWell, for me what you really are is not of concern, Magoinumaru-sama. For now, I implore you to accept this money. Itās my bet.ā
Genshirou pushes the box back toward me. Once again, the box containing 500 kan worth of money is sitting right in front of my eyes. What should I do? Is it really fine for me to accept this? In order to answer both questions, I decided to ask Genshirou the meaning of his word.
āWhat do you mean by bet?ā
T/N: 40 million yen! Magoinumaru if you donāt want that, how about giving it to me? no string attached of course! :v. Anyway, sorry for the late release, I was a bit busy
[1]about US$300k āµ
[2]A not too sweet fragrant candy made with flour āµ