Beyond Time, Living In Sengoku Chapter 4

I was lying in a futon placed in the middle of a dark room.

It wasn't cold, but I lifted the comforter to my shoulders with both hands and looked at the ceiling.

The flame of the lamp in the corner of the room was shaking. And each time it shook, the shadows in the room shifted, invoking a feeling of loneliness.

(Did I slip back in time?)

Transcending s.p.a.ce and time, if told to someone, they would never believe it. But the feeling of having experienced it made me understand.

I can't remember losing consciousness at the river bank.

When I came back to, I was already sleeping here. Did an hour pa.s.s while I was lying here?

When I closed my eyes, tears overflowed.

At that time, I heard light footsteps across the corridor.

(Is that the n.o.bunaga wannabe?)

It was just a brief encounter, but I felt nostalgic.

The steps stopped in front of the room where I was.

"I'm coming in in."

It was the voice of that guy. I lifted my upper body a little to look at the sliding door. The man opened the sliding screen without waiting for a reply. He was wearing lighter clothes than before, and he had replaced the sword with a wakizashi.

"Are you awake?"

"Yes."

The man nodded and sat next to me. He crossed his legs, placed his right elbow on his knee and his chin on his palm.

"Is this were you live?"

"Yes."

"In Kiyosu?"

"No, Nagoya. Like you said, Nagoya."

"Nagoya, Nagoya?"

I leaned forward.

"Why did I come to Nagoya?"

"Who knows?"

The man shook his head without changing position.

"What year is it?"

Immediately after saying that, I shook my head. "Tell me the current era's name."

"Tenbun."

"Tenbun...?"

Even knowing that, what year was it according to the Christian calendar? I had no idea.

I made a decision, and spoke.

"Please tell me your name."

"You already know my name."

(Ah, it's real, after all. The clothes are the same.)

If this was a dream, I wanted to wake up. I held my head in my hands.

"Oda, Oda n.o.bunaga"

"Indeed."

"Is this Odsan's castle?"

"It's a castle inherited from my father."

"You gave me shelter."

"Now it's almost morning."

n.o.bunaga stood up and opened the shutter.

The morning sun was beginning to illuminate the sky from the horizon.

"If you know where to go, I'll send you off."

n.o.bunaga said it quietly. I stood up from the futon, and walked up to him while untying my hair which had been tied up in a bun.

"I have a favor to ask you."

I said.

"Would you accompany me on a walk around this town? I may remember the way back."

I had a glimmer of hope that this time slip situation could be reverted.

We didn't wait for the night to be completely over before going out. I changed into a kosode and leather hakama.

I had horse riding experience. My family is relatively wealthy and I had been learning various things since preschool, including piano, cla.s.sic ballet, tea ceremony, karate, horse riding, and English.

I borrowed a horse from n.o.bunaga and we both set off riding.

I tougth that the age of n.o.bunaga was the age of the warring states. However, the streets do not seem those of war. People calmly engage in agricultural work, the streets are lined with shops and bustling, children laugh out loud, and women are walking carrying luggage on their heads. Everywhere was full of life.

"Are you hungry?"

n.o.bunaga asked as he tied his horse at the horse-riding ground. Then he took my hand, helped me off the horse, and tied mine as well.

"Do you like sweets?"

Without waiting for my reply, n.o.bunaga entered the teahouse and ordered something.

We sat side by side on the floor.

"It's barley."

At first glance, what was brought to us looked like kinako mochi. I was hungry, so I put it in my mouth without hesitation.

"Delicious."

"It's made by mixing rice and barley and turning it into powder, then mixing it with sugar."

n.o.bunaga explained and ate the snack.

"So there is something so sweet and delicious."

"Do you have it in your country? Sugar is expensive and scarce, so it's hard to get."

"Sugar is scarce, uh, I've eaten something similar."

"Is it a rich village the one you come from?"

One beat.

"Yes..."

I replied with a feeble voice.

"Did you remember?"

"No."

I had no choice but saying that. I rode a horse through Nogoya, and confirmed I had slipped through time to the Sengoku era. I didn't know what to do from there on. My heartache is suffocating.

"What will you do now?"

n.o.bunaga put his hand on my shoulder.

"Would you like to come to my house?"

"Eh?"

It was an unexpected.

I looked at n.o.bunaga's face. His almond-shaped eyes, down to his nose, and his lips being pressed thin. The outline of his slender face.

At that time, I properly looked at n.o.bunaga's face for the first time.

The only person I could rely on in this world was n.o.bunaga.

"You can do whatever you like."

Added n.o.bunaga, then left the store quickly and untied his horse from the grounds.

"Ah, Odsan…"

I ran to n.o.bunaga.

"Will you take me with you?"

Notes:

–    The Tenbun era spanned from July 1532 through October 1555.