kscans

Chapter 1 - The Beginning of a Life

Shintaro was born to a farming family. He grew up strong, running through the rice paddies and playing sword fighting with the neighborhood kids. There was nothing particularly unusual about him, and it was assumed he would take over the family farm when he grew up.

However, once he came of age, he shot up in height. That, combined with his ruggedly handsome features, made him the talk of the local girls. He was so popular that even daughters from respectable families would come down to the village to size him up.

He wasn't just good-looking, either. He was skilled. His swordplay was rough around the edges, but powerful. He was scouted by dojos on more than one occasion.

But Shintaro turned them all down. He had no siblings to inherit the farm, and he had a firm, modest side that believed a farmer's son should remain a farmer.

His parents, however, wished for their son to rise in the world. After endless persuasion, he finally relented in the spring of his seventeenth year. The deciding factor was the only daughter of the dojo master, Hokura Saimon.

Hokura Mana. The girl, who wore her long black hair tied back in a single tail and used no makeup, was beautiful. She was also a good match for Shintaro in age. As a dojo master's daughter, she was even lightly versed in the sword. It was no great feat for Shintaro to fall for the girl, who possessed both a sharp gaze and a demure purity.

Mana fell in love with Shintaro just as quickly. The men who frequented the dojo were all brawny, but Shintaro, a full head taller than any of them, stood out. He was handsome, and he was a prodigy who could master enough technique to hold his own against the master instructor after being taught only the basics.

Saimon, too, thought him a perfect match for his daughter and readily approved of their relationship.

For Shintaro, his time with Mana was like a dream. He was proud to stand beside the beautiful, untainted girl. He would build a good family, raise good children, and inherit his father-in-law's dojo... He never once doubted that future.

He, too, was an untainted boy.

*

Time passed, and three years into his relationship with Mana, talk of a wedding finally began to surface. It was then that Saimon spoke to Shintaro.

"Our family has a long and distinguished history of serving the Tower."

"I am aware," the twenty-year-old Shintaro replied with confidence. Now an assistant master with a reputation for being second to none, he seemed somewhat more mature than his years. Seeing Shintaro's dependable face, Saimon nodded in satisfaction.

The Tower was a cylindrical building that stood in the center of the capital. It soared high into the sky like a bleached-white fang. How it was constructed, standing at a rumored height of one hundred and nine meters, was a mystery. There were whispers of a greater, unknown power existing at its foundation, but the truth of the matter was uncertain.

Incidentally, the one who ruled this Tower was the fourteenth-generation master, a man called Kagasaki Razan. It was a vital institution that managed all state affairs and collected taxes.

Hokura Saimon was a swordsman who frequented the Tower—a so-called bodyguard. What Saimon wanted to say was that marrying Mana and inheriting the dojo meant Shintaro would also have to serve as a bodyguard for the Tower.

Though young, Shintaro understood. He wasn't just some cocky kid who was good with a sword. Saimon was extremely pleased by this and was eager to request an audience with the Tower Master to introduce his future son-in-law.

A daughter to be proud of, and a son-in-law to be proud of.

He, too, was just an ordinary father at the peak of his happiness, never doubting the bright future that lay ahead.

*

Once the betrothal ceremony was concluded without a hitch, Shintaro was officially entrusted with the dojo's operations. The disciples began to bow their heads even deeper to him. They had all respected him from the moment he started courting Mana, but now that it was official, their demeanor changed.

"Congratulations, Shintaro-sama."

Everyone offered words of celebration and bowed reverently. Some even went as far as to greet him from a formal kneeling position. Each time, Shintaro expressed his gratitude.

"It is all thanks to everyone."

He'll surely be a great dojo master, everyone whispered.

It was right at that moment.

Saimon, his face pale as a sheet, summoned Shintaro and Mana. The two exchanged glances, wondering what could be wrong, but knew the answer would have to come from Saimon's own lips, so they turned their eyes back to him.

Saimon, sweating profusely and clearly flustered, uttered a shocking statement.

"Shintaro, I am truly sorry. Please forget everything about you and Mana. I beg of you." Saimon prostrated himself, pressing his forehead to the tatami mat. Shintaro trembled, utterly dumbfounded.

"W-Why?!"

"The Tower Master wishes to... take Mana as his wife."

Shintaro was stunned, but Mana was even more so.

"Father!"

She cried out, but no other words followed. Shintaro watched her with a growing sense of dread. She kept her face turned away, refusing to look at him.

Her profile was beautiful, a coexistence of a sharp expression and a womanly softness. There would be no shortage of men who would fall for her. But for it to be the Tower Master of all people—it was a bolt from the blue.

He was not someone they could refuse. Mana's anguish was plain to see in her gaze; she couldn't blame her father, even if she wanted to.

As Shintaro stared, motionless, Mana finally turned her face toward him.

"I will at least try to speak with him."

"If only he were someone you could reason with."

"He is the Tower Master. Surely he understands reason and ethics." Shintaro had no choice but to believe her words.

*

"Mana-dono. You may raise your head."

Addressed by a voice younger than she had imagined, Mana nervously lifted her face.

The room was a vast one hundred and twenty tatami mats, yet the audience was held at close range, no more than two mats' length apart. The Tower Master sat on a thick cushion on a raised platform, one knee propped up. His form and expression were clearly visible.

Mana grew even more tense, her shoulders stiffening.

The Tower Master was a beautiful man. He was in his mid-twenties and would make a good match for Mana. Lacking Shintaro's wildness, he wasn't as rugged, but he possessed an intelligent and dignified air.

Entranced by a type of man she had never seen before, Mana forgot what she had come to say.

The Tower Master was a figure from a world above the clouds. No matter what kind of man he was, he was beyond her reach... or so Mana had thought. She still couldn't quite shake that feeling. Not only was he the Tower Master, but he was also handsome. She could only doubt whether this man had truly taken notice of her.

However, the gatekeeper had welcomed her reverently, and those who worked in the Tower had bowed their heads. When she had requested an audience, she had been granted one with ease. And now, here she was, face to face with him. It was unbelievable, but it seemed the Tower Master's desire to marry her was indeed true.

Still, Mana remained dumbstruck, unable to open her mouth. A part of her mind that thought, This has to be some kind of mistake, had robbed her of her words.

Seeing this, the Tower Master tilted his head and was forced to break the silence himself.

"You are even more beautiful up close, Mana-dono. I am aware of your reason for being here. But you are only engaged; the marriage has not yet been sealed. It would be a waste for one of your youth and beauty to settle on a single man so soon. Why not reconsider?"

Mana, jolted back to her senses by his words, bowed her head deeply once more.

"F-Forgive my boldness, but if I were to choose my fiancé, what would you do to him?"

"I have no intention of 'doing' anything to him. I wish for your happiness."

Mana looked up in surprise. The Tower Master was smiling gently.

"I am the one at fault for falling for you, knowing you had someone else. But I had to convey my feelings, no matter what."

On her way home, Mana was lost in a haze of confusion. Her footing felt unsteady.

Shintaro would say, "I love you." Mana loved that clumsy but straightforward love, contained in his simple words. But what about a man like the Tower Master? His androgynous features alone made him unlike any man she knew. And he could weave beautiful words filled with love and compassion. He conveyed the depth of his feelings with honesty, yet with a much greater delicacy. And so…

If I marry the Tower Master, Father will also…

That single thought seized control of Mana's heart in an instant.

It was painful to see her father constantly covered in fresh wounds, even if his position was an honorary one. If she married Shintaro, she would undoubtedly start worrying about him instead. She knew her mother had fallen ill from constant anxiety. She was no longer sure if following that same path was truly the right thing to do.