“Are you here?” A man came to greet you brightly the moment you stepped into this place, he spoke in a Tosa dialect. “Wow, that’s a lot of hay! It must be a lot of work to bring all of that here. Let me help you with that as I show you the way!” The man ran towards you and helped you pull the cart.

“You see, these days the Gov has been sending us more and more horses. They even sent us two more this month! Unbelievable!” The man grumbled a bit. “Oh, by the way, I’m Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki!” He introduced himself to you.

“Ah, nice to meet you, Mutsunokami-san… Err, but you are aware that this is not the only cart I need to bring here, right?” You cautiously asked Mutsunokami. “Whaattt? Well, I guess it’s not enough to feed all of those stallions, alright.” At first, you see Mutsunokami’s eyes widened in surprise, but then he quickly accepts it.

“Here’s the horse stable of our proud 2flheimr Honmaru!” You finally arrived in front of the huge stable. The stable was so huge that you can’t even see the end of it from the outside. “Are you surprised? You must be surprised, right?! If the Gov sends us another horse, that will be our 100th horse! Can you believe it? I don’t understand anymore, is this a place to collect swords or horses?” Mutsunokami shook his head in disbelief.

You and Mutsunokami quickly unload the hay from the cart. “Whoa, that was hard work! Really, for a sword to take care of horses, even though I’ve been doing this for years already, it still feels like a new concept!” Mutsunokami guffawed. 

“Thanks for delivering those hay! I’ll be waiting for the next delivery. I might take you on a tour around our Honmaru next time!” Mutsunokami waved his hand as you walked further from the 2flheimr Honmaru. 

"Pengumuman, pengumuman. Selamat sore, para penghuni Honmaru sekalian. Dicari bapak Kousetsu dan bapak Souza, karena sudah ditunggu adiknya yang berciri-ciri berwarna biru, dan memakai topi yang bisa menaungi seluruh warga Honmaru. Nama adiknya Sayo. Bagi bapak Kousetsu dan bapak Souza, diharapkan segera menjemput adiknya di pusat informasi, karena adik Sayo tidak mau ditinggal belanja ke pasar. Ayo bagi bapak Kousetsu dan Souza, adiknya jangan ditinggal belanja. Adik Sayo juga mau ikut belanja. Jangan sampai ditinggal belanja, nanti adik Sayo bisa dendam sama abangnya. Terima kasih, sekian pengumuman dari kami. Bagi penghuni Honmaru lainnya, selamat beraktivitas kembali."

Tsurumaru mematikan microphone-nya dan tersenyum lebar ke arah Sayo, "Gimana, Sayo-bou? Udah pas kan? Atau masih ada yang perlu diomongin?" Sayo menggelengkan kepalanya dan tertawa kecil, "Hehe, udah cukup. Terima kasih Tsurumaru-san." Dari kejauhan, terdengar langkah kaki yang semakin mendekat. 

Pintu ruang broadcasting pun terbuka lebar. "Osayo, siapa bilang kamu mau ditinggal?" Souza menghela napas sambil berjalan mendekati Sayo. "...Kan janjinya jam 5 mau berangkat, ini masih kurang 20 menit lho." Kousetsu menimpali. "...Kan udah kurang 20 menit, tapi kalian masih pada sibuk..." Sayo cemberut. "Yaudah, ayo siap-siap, bentar lagi berangkat." Souza mengusap kepala Sayo sambil tertawa kecil. "Oh, bagus deh! Akhirnya ketemu juga sama keluarganya ya dek yaa..." Tsurumaru tertawa. Kousetsu dan Souza hanya bisa menggelengkan kepala, hal seperti ini sudah wajar terjadi sehari-hari di Honmaru sejak ia ditugaskan untuk bekerja di bagian informasi. 

"SAAAYYOOOCCCHIIII, SOUZAACCCHIII, KOUSETSUUCCHIII!!! AKUUU, AKUUU JUGA MAU IKUUUTTT, AKU JANGAN DITINGGAAAALLL." Taikou berlari menuju ruang broadcasting. "Nahh, anak monyet dateng juga nihhh!" canda Tsurumaru. "Heh! Kan udah dibilang, aku bukan monyettt!" Taikou berkacak pinggang. "Iya, iyaa, monyet juga boleh pergi ke pasar kok." Souza pun juga ikut menggoda Taikou. "Ih, Souzacchi gitu ya! Tsuru-san, lain kali, aku mau juga ya, diumumin kaya Sayocchi tadi!" Taikou tersenyum lebar. "Oh, boleh, boleh! Dateng aja ya kalo ada yang butuh diumumin!" Tsurumaru mengacungkan jempolnya.

Semenjak kejadian ini, banyak Tantou dan bahkan Wakizashi lainnya yang ikut kelakuan Sayo untuk mengumumkan hal yang tidak penting melalui ruang broadcasting. Hal ini terjadi beberapa kali sehari sehingga Hasebe pun memprotes dan akhirnya pengumuman tidak penting pun hanya dibatasi sekali sehari saja untuk selingan di keseharian Honmaru.

Today, 2flheimr family is going on vacation, but unexpectedly, there is some misfortune in the process. 

There were two beds in the room, and also three grown men staring at them.

They actually book the correct amount of rooms, but the citadel unexpectedly got another newcomer, so there are three people who need to share the same room.

The three of them are Kikkou Sadamune, Heshikiri Hasebe, and… Sengo Muramasa.

“Hasebe-kun… are you saying, two of the three of us need to share a bed…?” Kikkou asked in a very disturbed voice. “Well, there’s nothing else we can do… There were no other rooms available, so we couldn't book another room.” Hasebe sighed.

“Hu hu hu hu… I don’t mind if I need to sleep with one of you. So, you two can decide the placement.” Sengo just smiled relaxedly and sat on the sofa. 

“I really don’t want to sleep in the same bed with you,” Kikkou frowned at Hasebe. “Neither did I.” Hasebe looked away. 

“Well, then one of you can sleep with me. Hu hu hu hu…” Sengo chuckled from across the room. 

Kikkou and Hasebe got goosebumps instantly. “No, no, no, I’m not doing this, I’m going to Gosshujin-sama’s room.” Kikkou said as he stormed towards the door, but Hasebe grabbed his collar and stopped him. “Wait a minute. I can’t allow you to do that. That would not be fair if you sleep in Aruji-sama’s room. You are already beside her for almost 24/7! I should be the one who sleeps in Aruji-sama’s room.” Hasebe retorted.

Kikkou and Hasebe then have an intense staring showdown, as they won’t give up on the chance to sleep in their Master’s room.

“Then… should I just go to Aruji’s room?” Sengo breaks the silence.

“OF COURSE NOT!” Both Kikkou and Hasebe shouted at the same time.

At the same time, the door opens. “...What are you doing?” Honebami entered the room amidst the chaos. “I brought a futon for this room… This might not be as comfortable as the bed, but I don’t think two big guys like you can fit in a single bed…”

Both Kikkou and Hasebe sighed in relief. “Whoa, thank you, Honebami-kun. You’re really a lifesaver.” Kikkou wiped his sweat. 

“Alright, I’m alright with taking the futon. I’ll do it to protect Aruji-sama’s virtue.” Hasebe said as he took the futon from Honebami. “When you say it like that, then I should be the one who sleeps in the bed!” Kikkou started to argue with Hasebe again.

“Oh… you two didn’t know? There was actually a mistake with the bookings, so I needed to share a room with Aruji-sama.” Honebami said calmly. 

“What…?”

“Well then, I hope you three have a good night's sleep…” Honebami bowed a bit before leaving the room.

“No, wait! Honebami–!”

Today, I’m also doing my job as a Saniwa. But, I don’t know why, when I arrived at Honmaru, something felt off. Everything looks like it's growing bigger.

“Huh? What’s happening?” I stepped forward, but I tripped on my own yukata. “Owch! Huh? Why is this cloth so long?” I frowned, and saw my own hands. “Huh? It’s smaller? Wait, am I shrinking?” I look around me.

I immediately got up and waddled to the mirror across the room. “Whaaatt?” I was surprised when I saw my own reflection. I definitely was shrinked. I look like… a 5 year-old kid? But why?

At that point, my room door slides open. “Gosshujin-sama, have you arrived?” As usual, it was Kikkou, my personal attendant. “H-huh? G-g-gosshujin-samaaaa?! W-who is this kid?”

“Kikkou! It’s me! I don’t know why I became like this!” I frowned at him. “G-gosshujin-samaaa?” He immediately picked me up and I hung my head while being lifted up. I was red as a tomato. 

“K-kikkou…. Please put me down…” I covered my face. “Gosshujin-sama, since you’re like this, why don’t you take a day off today? I’ll take you around Honmaru today.” Kikkou smiled. 

“Huh? Well, yeah, maybe I should check around Honmaru. It has been a while since I inspected Honmaru’s situation.” I pondered. “Great! Let’s go!” Kikkou smiled ear to ear. 

❄️❄️❄️

But little that I know, Kikkou would bring me around Honmaru by saying that I’m his daughter… This little… I’ll make sure he knows that there’s a punishment waiting for him when I get my body back. 

Countless enemies pouring out from the big hole in the sky. It’s happening again. The History Retrograding Force is raiding our Honmaru again. 

“Everyone, get ready! Team 1, time to go.” Our Saniwa started to command the Touken Danshis. “Team 2, Team 3, Team 4, guard the gate! Don’t let any of the enemies inside our Honmaru!”

Everyone is getting busy. Even though our Honmaru is quite strong, it doesn’t mean that we should let our guard down. We need to be alert all the time, so there’s no casualties.

But of course, it doesn’t mean that there’s no sacrifice to be made. It’s our duty to protect the Touken Danshi and to make sure they brought victory home. Some of us might have offensive abilities, but in the end, we will be sacrificed to ensure the Touken Danshi’s safety.

“Take your troops! I also have assigned a horse for each of you.” The Saniwa continued to prepare for the inevitable battle. 

It’s Ichigo Hitofuri, the captain of Team 1 that comes up to me. “Please take care of me this time.” He took me out and put me in his pocket, with two other shieldmen like me. 

There were in total 16 troops that will be joining the battle, me included. We can’t communicate with the Touken Danshis, but we know our role. We will protect them at any cost, including our lives.

“Team 1, Ready?” The Saniwa makes sure for the last time. “Yes, Master!” Ichigo Hitofuri shouted in certainty. 

“Go.”

Our teams arrived at the front lines. I immediately open up my shield to protect Ichigo Hitofuri. The musketeers started to attack. Some of the bullets are flying towards us. I braced myself for the impact.

Some of our musketeers also lost after the first attack. I was also injured slightly. Next, the catapult troops send their rocks to the enemies. Some of the enemies are down now. The Touken Danshis started to engage in the battles.

Each time the enemies attacked Ichigo Hitofuri, I would run to the front to protect them. There were a lot of enemies ahead, biding their time to attack one after another.

One of the shieldmen beside me was already down. I wanted to pat his back to say he did a good job, but I need to focus on defending Ichigo now. I was also already heavily injured, it’s not a surprise if I’m also down after the next attack.

Finally, the giant enemy showed up. Without any delay, he started to attack the team’s captain. 

As I stepped forward, I saw that half of the troops survived. That’s good, we don’t have too many casualties. I’m sure, Ichigo Hitofuri will get a better troop replacement after I’m gone.

I closed my eyes and my body started to disperse with the light.

❄️❄️❄️

“Well done, that’s a good first run.” I heard Saniwa's voice. I looked around me. The other troops are smiling at each other.

Oh… apparently, in this raid, lost troops will be restored. 

“Get ready for the next wave!” 

I’m glad that I can serve the Touken Danshis after this. I checked my shield, and it’s perfectly intact, just like before I entered the battle.

“Go!”

This will be a long day, but we entered the front lines again for the second time today.

My name is Hakata Toushirou! I’ve been living in 2flheimr for years already, but right now our Honmaru is facing a great crisis!

Our Honmaru’s savings are depleting so fast!!! After the efforts I put in… to earn those kobans… Master keep spending it like water! I feel like crying right now. I wonder what kind of ghost possessed the Master right now, because my Master is also eager to save money, just like me!

I’m sure my Master is currently on a shopping spree! Today, for sure, I’m going to meet my Master and talk to her to stop all of this misery!

I knocked on the Master's room, “Masteeerrr! Please let me talk to you!!” 

THUD! THUD! THUD!

I could almost hear someone whispering inside the room. “Masteerr, I know you’re inside! Please let me in!” I sniffled. After five minutes waiting in front of her room, finally the door slid open, and then Kikkou-san went out of the room. 

“Ehem, hello, Hakata-kun. Currently Gosshujin-sama is not doing well. Maybe she will be able to meet you tomorrow…” Kikkou-san’s voice is shaking a little. I frowned. It sounded like an excuse. 

“No. I demand a meeting with our Master right now.” I crossed my arms. 

I heard a sigh from the room. “Let him in, Kikkou,” Master said. I finally entered the room. But my master’s appearance was not what I expected. I thought she would feel ashamed by her recent spending, or maybe apologetic…

But she looks gaunt. I can see dark eyebags forming under her eyes. It made me flustered a little. “O-oh, I see you’re really unwell, Master… Has something happened?” I’m sure the one who spent a lot of money was the Master, but this was not what I imagined. 

“Hakata-kun, you know we’re currently being raided by the History Retrograding Force, right? To fend them off, we need to purchase a pass… and we need quite a lot of them,” Kikkou helped the Master to explain. 

“Also! They only gave us a little contribution point for each pass! So we need a lot of Koban to spend right now,” Master sighed. “It was exceeding my prediction… At least we need around one million to finish the raid.”

“WHAT? ONE MILLION?” My eyes widened. “I’m sorry, Hakata-kun… It wasn’t my decision either. But you know right? This is something we need to get done,” Master hung her head. 

“I guess… that can’t be helped then…” I thought this was the case when the Master went on a shopping spree, but turns out, we need the money to fend off the raid. 

 “Yeah, but just to inform you in advance… The Government is also releasing some new outfits for some Touken Danshi…” The master scratched her head sheepishly. “Well, as you always said, it would be unfair if some of us get a new outfit while the others don’t, right? I’ll overlook this time,” I shook my head.

“Yeah… but the thing is… they released 7 new outfits…” Her voice is trailing off while explaining. “No, wait, did you say seven???”

“So, what do you think about the world I’m living in?” The girl asked the man. They walked hand in hand in the middle of a crowded road. “Wow, Master, I didn’t expect there would be so many people in one place. I don’t think I’ve seen so many people in one place,” Rather than the girl, the man seems to be having more difficulties navigating in the crowd. 

“Come on, let’s go this way, it’s easier to walk on the side,” she tugged his hand and made their way to the side of the road. “Let me catch a breath, Master.” He wiped the sweat on his forehead. 

“Why do you seem more struggling compared to when you went into battles?” She shakes her head incredulously. “Oh, my Master, I’d rather go through your hellish non-stop grinding than battling with this sea of humans.” He sighed, “Now I know why you put us into that grinding frenzy… I guess you have been fighting your own battle here too.” He chuckled.

“Really? Are you up for another grind after this?” the girl teased. A horror flashed in his expression, “Master, please don’t joke like that.”

The girl laughed, “By the way, I told you to just call me by my name here. Nowadays, it’s weird for someone to call someone else, ‘Master’.” The man frowned, “But you’ll always be my Master, what’s wrong with that?”

“Excuse me, what a lovely newlywed, you two! Are you looking for a place to relax? Come to our restaurant! We’re giving a free pudding if you purchase a couple set menu!” Suddenly, a waitress of a restaurant came up to us. We didn’t realize that we had been standing in front of her restaurant.

The man suddenly stood up straight and pulled the girl by her waist. His demeanor suddenly changed as he played along with the waitress’ misunderstanding, “Oh my, Honey, I guess we should go, I’m a bit hungry after all that walk,” The man smiled brightly to the girl.

The girl seemed to be trying so hard to hold back her laugh, “Sure, let’s go.” She also played along.

“Then, we will have the couple set menu.” She said to the waitress. “Certainly! Please wait for a while.” The waitress bowed and left after taking their order.

The girl seemed to not be able to hold back her laughter anymore. “Bwahahahah! What was that? So are we married over a cup of pudding?” 

“Well, you told me to not call you ‘Master’. So, I guess it’s better to call you, ‘Honey’, right, Honey?” The man smiled. The girl still can’t stop giggling.

“If you want me to call you by your name, I need time to practice, let’s start that next time I go here again.” He smiled, even after those complaints, he seemed still willing to go to this place again next time. 

“Sure, we still have plenty of chances to make you used to it,” she laughed again.

One day, Houchou approached Ichigo Hitofuri. “Ichi-nii, Ichi-nii! Today, I made a new friend with benefits!”

Ichigo Hitofuri choked on his tea. “Cough, cough… H-houchou-kun, what did you say?” 

“Friends with benefits! Soooo, today, I helped Souza-kun with his laundry, and then, and then…! He also helps me prepare food prepping in the kitchen, isn’t that what you call friends with benefits?” Houchou asked innocently.

“Ah, oohh… Houchou-kun, umm… Friends with benefits are not a term for little kids… You’re not supposed to use it. Just call them friends or families!” Ichigo patted Houchou’s head.

“Well then, Ichi-nii, are you Mikajiji’s friend with benefits?” Houchou tilted his head. Ichigo choked on his saliva this time. “W-why is that?” Ichigo frowned. “Well, didn’t you help Mikajii in the tea room yesterday? He also helped you with making snacks today!”

“Ah, um… We’re also not that, Houchou-kun. Umm… We’re just friends, so we need to help each other, right?” Ichigo became more flustered. “Eeeehh? But you’re not a kid, Ichi-nii!” Houchou pouted. 

“Ah, Houchou-kun, who told you about that term, anyway?” Ichigo asked. “Ah! Tsurumaru-san told us about it yesterday!” Houchou smiled widely. 

Ichigo clenched his fist, “Ah, I see… Anyway, let’s not use that term in our Honmaru okay? I’ll make sure to talk with Tsurumaru-san.”

My name is Imanotsurugi, and I’m a sword living in 2flheimr Honmaru! Recently, we have a new guest in our Honmaru. Previously Blub-san and Blekok-san had been a regular visitor on our Honmaru, but since around after our 10th Anniversary, we have a new guest. She told us her name is Fuyunotsurugi!

She usually wears a snake-like mask, and she also has a companion, a snake named Hebinosuke. Even though she rarely takes off her mask, I saw her face once, her face–is exactly like our Master’s face! It’s not just ‘alike’, but exactly the same, of course, there’s no scar on her face, but other than that, she looks exactly the same as our Master.

Once, I asked our Master about that, but she was a bit troubled by my question and just answered, “Yeah she’s actually like my twin! It’s a bit more complicated than that though.” Her answer is a bit vague, but I can’t bring myself to ask further than that. 

Another thing that made me curious about her is her sword! Her sword looks almost the same as my sword, the Imanotsurugi sword. But, only the coloring is a little bit different. When I asked her about it, she answered, “That’s right! This is an Imanotsurugi sword! I’m not a Saniwa, so I can’t summon him. That’s why I’ve been using it to fight instead.” Oh, is it that simple? I guess, that’s what I meant to be, if I’m not summoned by my Master! 

Even though Fuyu-san looks exactly like our master, her personality seems to be very different from our Master. Our Master is a very bold person, yet she is always warm towards us. We’re always at ease in our Master’s presence. 

But, Fuyu-san is a bit peculiar. She felt very distant. It’s like she has invisible walls around her. But then, she suddenly can crack a joke out of nowhere. Her joke was funny. It has a tinge of darkness in her jokes, but it’s not enough to make others uncomfortable. In short, she was an unexpected person. You can think you’re close to her, but in fact, you’re still far away from knowing the real her. 

Another weird thing about her, she never left our Honmaru since her arrival, but she only comes out from her room two or three times a week. She also rarely eats with us. I wonder, did she have her own personal kitchen in her room? 

So today, I’m going to find the answer to that. I knocked on her room’s door, “Fuyu-san? It’s already lunch time, are you not going to eat?”

The door slid open, but the person I saw was a very unexpected person. “Oya? Imanotsurugi-kun. Do you want to come and play?” Mikazuki Munechika smiled at me. The scenery beyond the door was a very unexpected one. It’s another Honmaru, there was another Honmaru inside our Honmaru.

“Ah, umm… Mikazuki-san?” I was so confused. “Oooh, I’m not the Jiji in your Honmaru, this Honmaru is called El1vagar Honmaru,” Mikazuki-san explained calmly. “O-oh, I see… Fuyu-san is this Honmaru’s Saniwa?” I stuttered a bit. “Aah, no… Our Saniwa is the same as yours, Shiromi Matou. But in this Honmaru, we have some differences with your Honmaru. This Honmaru can’t send our Toudans to the battlefield… Ah, do you want to come in? We just finished the clean up, so it might still be a little messy.” Mikazuki-san made way for me to pass the door. 

“Ah, if that’s okay, then excuse me…” I went into that unknown Honmaru called El1vagar. “Welcome, we will explain more inside.” Mikazuki Munechika closed the door behind us. 

“Hey, Imacchi! I found a new game other than Yatsushikurabe¹! Let’s go to Awataguchi's room and ask them to play together!” Taikou Samonji approached Imanotsurugi.

“What game is it?” Imanotsurugi asked. “Uki ki… Let me tell you, it’s called Truth or Dare! Let’s play that game!” Taikou grinned. “Alright then, let’s go!”

They came to Awataguchi's room and started to play the game. They’re having fun by giving a dare to each other to do acrobatic moves, or maybe asking the truth about their secrets.

But then, this time it’s Gokotai’s turn to ask Imanotsurugi, “Ima-san… Truth or Dare?” Imanotsurugi thinks for a while before answering, “Truth!” 

Gokotai fidgeting a little, “Uhm… Then, is there anything bothering you lately? You seemed a bit troubled…” Gokotai seemed genuinely worried about Imanotsurugi. “Ah, umm… Yeah… They didn’t say specifically to keep it a secret… So I think it’s ok, but just to be safe, please don’t tell anyone else, okay?”

Everyone seemed intrigued by what Imanotsurugi might say, so they leaned their body closer to him. “Umm… Do you know that there’s another Honmaru in this Honmaru?” Imanotsurugi whispered to them.

“Eeeeeehh? Ima-san, are you trying to scare us with a horror story?” Midare cringed and rubbed his arms. “N-no! I’m serious, it’s a Honmaru called El1vagar, and they’re very different from us! They don’t fight like us!”

“Whaatt? What would they do if they didn't fight, then?” Atsushi seemed to be absorbed in the story. “Well… they just manage the Honmaru and live there, I think? I assume, they’re hiding from something, so that’s why they hide their honmaru in ours!” Imanotsurugi speculated.

“So where is it? Can you go there?” Maeda asked. “Uhm… Yeah, we can go there. But I think you should find it yourself!” Imanotsurugi grinned.

Then they were involved in a deep conversation about this mysterious El1vagar Honmaru. Yagen secretly relieved that they didn’t continue the Truth or Dare game, because he wasn’t ready to tell them that he originated from that El1vagar Honmaru.

Sooner or later, they will know about that, but for now, he’ll keep that little secret to himself.

[1] Yatsushi is said to be one of the fundamentals of Japanese aesthetic and a Japanese art expression. The term has a lot of usage and can mean "to deviate from the usual; to make a shabby change in appearance; to disguise oneself; to put on makeup and dress up”. So basically, Taikou is using an old term of an impression contest.

⚠️ This story hints relationship between Kikkou Sadamune and Shiromi Matou. ⚠️

Today is also marked as Kikkou's debut in game! Happy 9th Anniversary, Kikkou! 🐢

❄️❄️❄️

"Honebami-san, may I have a word with you?" It wasn’t that rare, but Kikkou approached Honebami. "... Kikkou-san? Sure, of course." Honebami nodded.

"Honebami-san... lately I have this worries about my feelings towards our master... I feel a great despondency because I keep thinking my feelings might be a burden towards our Master..." Kikkou fidgeting with his fingers.

"... Did the Master say something like that to you?" Honebami frowned, it was unlikely that their Master would feel like that, especially to Kikkou, the closest Touken Danshi with her.

"Oh no... of course not. It's just me... You must be the one who knows the best, right? Our Honmaru felt like... business-like more than anything. But, you know I harbored more than just familial feelings towards Master... Don't you think this feeling of mine will trouble our Master?" Kikkou looks down. 

"... Kikkou-san... You knew that I was this Honmaru's attendant prior to your arrival, right?" Honebami tilted his head. "Yes, of course,” Kikkou smiled and nodded.

"But you know... I never became the Master's personal attendant. That title... only exists for you."

"... Huh?" Kikkou was surprised

"Yes. The attendant's duties are not supposed to attend Master's personal needs, but to run the Honmaru. That's the common knowledge about attendants, right? But Master... want you to attend to her personal needs." 

"..." Kikkou was speechless. He knew that, of course, but it never crossed his mind that his position was special. 

"Let me tell you a story of mine now..." Honebami took a deep breath. "When I was first summoned to this Honmaru, I was disoriented because of my lost memory... That's when the Master said, she will create a lot of new memories for me, so she let me stay close to her and became this Honmaru's attendant... But that spot is yours since you arrived at Honmaru, Kikkou-san..." Honebami stared at Kikkou.

"Well... that..." Once again, Kikkou went speechless.

"But that doesn't mean I drift further from our Master. You can say, I'm still close to her. It doesn't like she broke her promises." Honebami shook his head slightly. 

"..." Kikkou fell deep into his thoughts.

"Kikkou-san, thanks to you attending to our Master's needs, now I'm not only close to her, but I can also see in a wider point of view. I can observe this Honmaru more, and make a lot of memories... not just with our Master. In a way, she made sure to keep her promises with me... Now let me ask you a question, Kikkou-san..." 

"Y-yeah?" 

"Was it you who chose to be our Master's Attendant?"

"That's... of course not."

"See...? It was the Master who chose you, not the other way around."

⚠️ This story hints relationship between Kikkou Sadamune and Shiromi Matou. ⚠️

My name is Kikkou Sadamune. I'm a Touken Danshi and today I’ll meet my new Master. 

I wonder what kind of person my new master is. You can say, I’m really excited to meet them. I believe I can serve them better than any Touken Danshi. Even though there was a sword called… Heshikiri Hasebe? He should have arrived earlier in the Honmaru, but regardless, I won’t lose to him!

❄️❄️❄️

I felt warmth spread throughout my body starting from my hands. I opened my eyes and promptly said my introduction, “I'm Kikkou Sadamune. The reason behind my name? ...Fufu. Perhaps I'll leave that to your imagination.”

When I realized, I saw a girl in front of me. She smiled from ear to ear, “Wow, finally! I can’t believe I finally met you, Kikkou!” It sounds like she is happier to meet me than I do.

I just realized she kept holding both of my hands tightly after she summoned me. I feel a bit confused and overwhelmed by her response. Am I supposed to feel this much happiness when I meet my new master?

She tugged my hand, “Let’s go, I’ll show you around your new home!” Isn’t this supposed to be the attendant’s job to show new Touken Danshi around?

I followed her and we spent almost all day touring around our Honmaru. In the middle of it we sat down near the lake. Then we ate some snacks from the kitchen too. We also rode horses for a bit. 

“What do you think? It still needs some improvement, but I hope you’ll get accustomed to the Honmaru life soon enough,” she smiled at me. She seemed so happy that for a while I only stared back at her. 

I felt something grow inside of me. Am I feeling awe? Admiration? Maybe longing? I felt like a piece of puzzle just fit right into my heart. 

“Yeah, I would definitely be happy to be able to serve you, Gosshujin-sama,” I smiled back at her and held her hand tightly. I’m glad that it doesn’t feel like bothering her. 

“I hope so! Usually I make newcomers as an attendant to adjust their new life here, so you’ll be my attendant too from now on.” She explained. 

“Aahh, I’m very happy that you trust me, Gosshujin-sama.” The piece of puzzle felt like it was growing bigger inside my chest. It’s not painful, but fulfilling. 

“But I’m kind of planning to make it a permanent thing. What do you think about it?”

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The conversation with Honebami the past few days made me remember my very first encounter with Gosshujin-sama. Now, she’s eating ice cream in front of me. The city surrounding us was a bit crowded, but I paid no attention to them. 

“Gosshujin-sama… I’ve been wondering about this for a while… Why did you appoint me as your personal attendant?” I carefully asked her. 

“Hmm…” She fell into her thoughts while gazing at me. “Yeah, I wonder why too? Well, I wanna say I like your voice? Or maybe your appearance? But then when I think about it again, none of it actually matters…” she shrugged. “Even if you have a very different appearance, I think I’ll still choose you, so why does it even matter?” She seemed to be thinking about something.

“G-gosshujin-sama…” I felt tears pooling on my eyes. “Why are you asking? Are you thinking about useless stuff again?” she handed me a tissue leisurely.

“... Me too, Gosshujin-sama… If I have a choice to choose my own Master, I’ll be choosing you over and over again…” I wiped my tears and smiled at her. 

My master’s definition of love might be different from mine, but why does it matter, when in fact, she still loves me.