Heyitsjiwon

Heir of the Mitsumine Clan

Something was obviously bothering the young lady as she all of a sudden stiffened. Ryuunosuke was concerned though. How did Touka know that they were being eavesdropped? Something was very strange, but Ryuu just could not understand exactly what was going on. The atmosphere had changed drastically and even Ryuu felt a bit unsettled. There was a small conflict going on, but not a physical one. Rather, it felt like a war of presence. Perhaps, Touka was skilled in the spiritual arts? That would make some sense considering where she was from and the history of her clan. Still, something was bothering her, and this was a problem. The last thing that Ryuu wanted was to offend a guest. So, he said "Although I do not know exactly what you speak of, I will believe you. After all, something is bothering you, and as the lord of this house, I refuse to have a guest feel perturbed. If you will excuse me..."

Ryuu then swiftly got up from his seiza position and walked over to the fusuma that led outside. He then swiftly slide open the door and there sat Kanaka, much to his surprise. She spent a lot of time at the shrine and rarely ever came to see Ryuu. The fact that she came to him meant that she wanted to talk to him about something important. Ryuu said "Kanaka! I am glad to see you, my dear imouto. However, it is unbecoming to listen on to the conversations of others." Ryuu then turned back to Touka and bowed. He then said "My sincerest apologizes, Hakurou-san. It appears you were right to suspect. This is my younger sister, Kanaka. I hope you are not too offended about this. I did not intend for this mishap to occur."

Heir of the Mitsumine Clan

Ryuunosuke nodded and said "Indeed I am." He then reached over to the tea pot and began pouring some tea for Touka personally. After all, she was his guest. He then began to pour some for himself and said "I am grateful for the gift from the Hakurou clan and that our friendship between the two families have existed so long. I am fully aware of the contributions that the Hakurou clan makes in the north in regards to preserving the sanctity of the shrines in that region. I am sure it is a daunting task. So, please feel free to ask anything of me if it will help the Hakurou, and I will try within my power and reason to see that it is fulfilled." Ryuu took a sip of his tea and then continued to say "Now then. There must be some specific reason that you wanted to see me. How am I able to help you?"

Heir of the Mitsumine Clan

Question, exactly what does the main family still own in terms of property?

Heir of the Mitsumine Clan

Ryuunosuke continued to sit in seiza as the table was set up quickly. In fact, it was quite impressive to see the efficiency with which the maids worked. Without a doubt, they were all used to these movements, and their level of expertise was desirable of anyone who claims to have a profession. Soon after, he found himself in a quiet room again as Chiyo left to oversee other duties. But this silence was soon interrupted when one of the servants came and announced “Ryuunosuke-dono, your first visitor has arrived.” Then a split second later came the sound of someone clearing his throat. Ryuu nodded and said “Open the fusuma, please.” The servant bowed towards Ryuunosuke and walked over to the fusuma. He began to slide it open. The first glimpse that Ryuu got of the vistor… was a bit of a surprise. With a bright, vivid orange kimono, the person before him was a young lady. He had honestly had somewhat of an expectation that most of the people that he would meet would be adult males on the more aged side. So, Ryuu’s first visitor was a bit of a surprise.

He couldn’t help studying the visitor’s appearance a little bit. She had long black hair and dark eyes. There wasn’t anything very unnatural about her appearance, but for some reason Ryuu was getting a strange vibe from this young lady. He couldn’t pinpoint why, but he continued to look. That is until he realized that a few seconds had already passed in silence, and that it was extremely rude to maintain this silence. Thus, he looked at the young woman in the eyes with a smile and said “Welcome madam, I am Mitsumine Ryuunosuke. I am sure that you have had quite a long journey in order to come here. And for you to come this early, I suspect that you have not had breakfast yet. Would you care to join me and we can discuss matters over a warm meal and a nice cup of tea, Miss?”

Heir of the Mitsumine Clan

Ryuunosuke looked at Chiyo and remained silent for a few seconds. "Sama?" He thought to himself. It sounded so foreign to him especially coming from Chiyo. He then could not help but to start chuckling. He said outloud "Of course. Breakfast, the most important meal of the day. How could I forget? Well, to be honest, I do not think I could eat a full meal. It would be uncomfortable to work with a full stomach. Hmm, I suppose I will settle with a light meal."

Then again Ryuu thought "What if someone has just arrived? I would not want to keep them waiting." He turned his attention back to Chiyo and said "Chiyo-san, could I take the liberty to make another request? Would you mind setting up the table here for two people? I'm sure that if anyone is coming this early they will have yet to eat as well. Maybe they have forgotten as I have." He then took a deep breath. It was a bit worrying that Ryuu forgot about eating that morning. How could he forget about eating? How would anyone expect him to be able to take care of his people if he can't even take care of himself? Ryuu shook his head. He knew that he should not become obsessed over this mistake. Rather this was the first lesson of many in his role as Daimyo.

Legend of Renalta 2 (Dark Fantasy)

My only regret is not having joined the first LoR.

Heir of the Mitsumine Clan

Today was a special day. After a night of some difficulty falling asleep due to the excitement, Ryuunosuke had woken a bit earlier than usual to the sounds of the birds chattering. He walked to his fusuma and slid it open. Ryuu took in the fresh, chilly air it refreshed his mind and removed any trace of the morning grogginess. There was much to do today. He was to grant audience to anyone who wished to communicate with the Mitsumine after the recent winter break. Then came the duty of leading his people in this new year. Ryuu was not naïve. He knew that the Daimyo’s influence and power had been declining in the last several years. In fact, some of the lords in the Wolf Clan were exhibiting signs of secession through a display of autonomy in the recent years. On top of that, who knew what the Tiger Clan was scheming. Its war-hawkish attitude was always a concern. Then there was always the political intrigue that occurred in the inner court. Anyone could try to sneak a blade into his own personal quarters.

Still, Ryuu would not yield to the challenges and threats that he faced. After all, he had a responsibility to the people who follow his rule to lead them and their future to prosperity and happiness. Thus, he walked back to his room and changed into his kimono, which wasn’t too flashy or bright. Rather, it was a reserved shade of blue, but the material that it was made out of was suitable for someone of his status. In fact, most of Ryuu’s clothing was like that. Simple in design, but made out of great material, his clothing made sure that he wasn’t pompous in appearance, but maintained his status. After all, this was the most cost effective measure. Why spend extra for something flashy when that extra could feed a family for a month? Such superficiality was frivolous and quite disgusting.

Once ready, Ryuu began to make his way to the Washitsu that served as the reception room. On the way he saw the gardener, Kojuro-san, working. Ryuu stopped and gave a quick, slight bow with his head. He then said “Fine day to be alive. Is it not Kojuro-san?” and continued on. Ryuu did not want to bother the man too much while he was diligently working. He finally entered the reception room. There Chiyo was ready and alert. She bowed, and Ryuu gave a slight bow as well. She had taken care of Ryuu for years now, and was the closest person to being a mother figure for Ryuu. There was much that Ryuu was ultimately in debt to. Not just to her, but all the servants of the Mitsumine played a part in bringing up Ryuu. For that, Ryuu was grateful, and he would never forget.

Ryuu walked to his mat and sat in seiza position. He then picked up a brush and some parchment and began writing. “My dearest Uncle, I am considering having a bit of a celebration. Nothing too flashy, a small feast would do. We would extend our invitation to everyone, including villagers. The feast would take place in the outer courtyard where I will be among them, give a small speech and interact freely. We would also offer a small offering to the gods and the spirits that protect the Mitsumine. But, also send a special invitation to the vassal lords of the clan. These lords would be entertained inside as to not offend them. After all, they would likely be offended to be grouped with the villagers. Then after a little bit in the feast, I would finally enter and join these lords for a more intimate meeting and see what they are like. The reasoning is fivefold. First, this celebration would help solidify my legitimacy in the eyes of the people. Two, the people will be fed good food just in time for the busy planting season. Three, the gods will hopefully be appeased. Four, I will know who among the vassal lords truly look down upon me for they will likely reject the personal invitation of their Daimyo. Therefore, I will know who are my enemies in this nation, and consider my powers as weak. Finally, I will be able to talk to the lords who do come and see what each of them are like and what the situations are like in each of their respective holdings. I seek your advice on this and would like your thoughts. I am sure that you worry about safety, but if needed, I am willing to spend some of the family coffers on the training and hiring of more guards for the manse.” Ryu folded the paper closed once he finished writing.

Ryuu then looked up at Chiyo and said “Would you deliver this to my dear Uncle? Oh and send the first person who seeks an audience with me in as well, please.” He then put back his writing materials in their place and settled down. Today was going to be a long day, but Ryuu was looking forward to it. After all, many people struggled for decades just for Ryuu to do what he was about to do now, lead the clan.

Heir of the Mitsumine Clan

96.88, well that's pretty damn impressive. Nice job!

Edit: We already lost one. :(

Heir of the Mitsumine Clan

Oh, and can't wait for this to get started.

Heir of the Mitsumine Clan

I understood that the two clans were friendly, but not to that extent. I was thinking along the lines of the Allies and USSR allying during WW2 because of the Axis. Yes, they are allies, but once the Axis surrendered the Cold War began.

Edit: Also, how did the dissertation go?