Book 14 Epilogue 闇戦国

From Chinese translations by Hinako.

Draft: Version 1 - final
Notes: Through his childhood and early teenage years, Nobunaga was well-known for his bizarre behavior and received the name of Owari no Ōutsuke (尾張の大うつけ The Fool of Owari). With the introduction of firearms into Japan, though, he became known for his fondness of Tanegashima firearms. He was also known to run around with other youths from the area, without any regard to his own ranking in society. His dressing and behavior deviated greatly from the samurai of those days. The gourd was one of those peculiar things that he carried around.
PS: do not distribute this without my permission

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The Yokohama Kaikan was packed to capacity. The rock band SEEVA, currently enjoying escalating popularity and CD sales akin to the momentum of a rising dragon in the Japanese music industry, had a concert scheduled to take place in the Yokohama Kaikan today.
The time for the start of the performance drew near. The chests of the crazy fans gathered here swelled with impatience and irrepressible excitement, waiting for that unique man to appear on that wide stage.
The figure of Narita Yuzuru was seen at one corner of the vast hall. Yuzuru sighed, looking at the empty seat beside him. The person possessing the ticket to the seat next to him had not showed up.

So he can't make it after all...

Yuzuru had entered when the doors opened, he had been waiting here all this while, but it seemed like Takaya was not coming. Contrary to the excited spectators all around him, Yuzuru lowered his head with a disappointed look on his face, feeling disheartened. Yuzuru had always been looking forward to SEEVA's concert, due to his excitement he had woken up very early this morning. However, with Takaya's absence, not only was his joy was halved... he even felt that it was not worth coming. After the concert was over, they could have gone to the nearby pub that he had recently discovered, which had an extremely cheery atmosphere. Then, on returning home, Yuzuru could have shown Takaya the movie video cassettes that he had always wanted to show him... Yuzuru, who had planned all sorts of activities in his head, felt as though he was Takaya's lover of some sort.

Yuzuru gazed at the lonely seat amidst the enthusiastic atmosphere of the venue.

It doesn't matter if you come midway, just come as soon as you can, Takaya.

There was less than a few minutes before the start of the show. On the stage, the band players had begun to take their positions.


Hearing the laughter of the delighted youngsters, the lead singer looking at the sheet music turned around.

"Looks like they're really happy. What is it?"

"Ahh. Seems like we've an interesting guest today."

At this moment, backstage, the youth with maroon hair standing beside the door laughed as he informed tonight's lead of this matter. The red-headed man wearing a pair of black leather pants, seated cross-legged on the folding chair in front of the makeup table, was the rock singer - SEEVA, also known as Shiba Eiji.
On his wheat-colored skin, he wore a fancy shirt with designs of the national flag, a strange bottle gourd* hung at his waist. The same national flag was painted on his face, a truly mad sort of guise.

"Interesting guest?"

Shiba glanced at the youth with maroon hair. Was the youngster, who looked like a senior high-school student, his friend? However from the manner of their conversation, the two of them appeared to have a master-servant relationship.

"Who is it?"

"An important friend of my Lord's." The youngster replied, pointing at his own forehead. "There's a firm mark of friendship over here..."

"What... Narita Yuzuru came?" Shiba unexpectedly widened his eyes. "That is indeed interesting. Looks like Narita Yuzuru has been fairly enchanted with my songs. As expected of a close friend of mine. This is not surprising, not surprising at all."

The youngster with maroon hair - Hatayama Satoshi - smiled lightly, leaning against the door.

"My Lord's singing voice can charm anyone. The people of this era would never have expected, not even in a dream, to be able to hear the singing voice of the great daimyo, the Sixth Demon King."

"All of the music of this age are incomparably new, utterly fascinating. I like it very much, Ran." Shiba addressed the youth in this way. "I also like dance and popular ballads, but this is still the best. This is what I've been looking for. This sort of violent madness, speed, rhythm, this is the sound I've always wanted. Like the brain is about to explode, like the heart is about to burst, something that can grab hold of the soul...!"

Shiba's eyes glinted like a child as he finished with his explanation in excitement. He abruptly squinted and said to Hatayama.

"About those Satomi guys, seems like the 'Method of Connecting to Hell' failed this morning."

The look on Hatayama Satoshi - namely, Mori Ranmaru - grew solemn.
"According to the investigation, it seems like they were obstructed by the Uesugi and were thus defeated."

"Was it that Kagetora guy? Hmph... can't be helped I suppose. Still as much the nuisance as before." Shiba's hands clenched at his knees, his eyes glinted in aggression. "The Satomi have also done something unnecessary. I only wanted to acquire Enoshima. As well as use the 'Method of Connecting to Hell' in that small place..."

"The Satomi knew we would implement the 'Method of Connecting to Hell' at Enoshima. Furthermore, they've seen our bitter conflict with the Takeda, they probably wanted to open a path leading to Enoshima from Fujinomiya for us. Or perhaps they wanted to use the 'Method of Connecting to Hell' to earn our favor."

"This was originally a good plan. Just that we're now back to square one." Shiba laughed arrogantly as though he was harboring evil designs. "Let it be. I shall attack slowly. Enoshima, Itsukushima and Chikubushima. The Oda intends to acquire these three islands, to have the Benzaiten ladies of these three places in our hands. Yes, the interest is still there at the back of my mind."

Shiba's brain had already completed the blueprint of the plan. With a lofty, impertinent look in his eyes, he stared fiercely into the air.

"You just wait for it, Uesugi, Takeda."

The sound of flustered footsteps came from the corridor, the door opened, it was one of the crew. He wore a silver, sleeveless tee with blue 'SEEVA' imprints on the back, the outfit specially made for the staff.

"Shiba-san, it's time to begin, please get ready!"

"I know. I'm coming now." Shiba replied, taking off his shirt, he picked up a gorgeous velvet cloak placed on the side. He stood perfectly straight. "Head on to the seats, you should listen to this as well. For some unknown reason, I'm especially excited tonight. A rare mood, as though I'm going to battle this very moment. Prepare yourself. Tonight, I'm going to strike down everybody's hearts, give a magnificent performance that would leave everyone dazed!"

"Please do your best."

"Mmm. Tonight I will dance to one ultimate 'Atsumori' specifically for Narita Yuzuru. The greatest 'Atsumori' to celebrate Oda Nobunaga's resurrection."

Without a doubt, the person standing over there was Oda Nobunaga himself, who had possessed the modern individual, Shiba Eiji. In the silence of these two years, he had performed kanshou on Shiba's body. While secretly conducting preparations to unify the world step by step, he was enjoying rising success as a singer on the surface, subsequently solidifying his status in the industry within an amazingly short period of time.

"Just wait, my fans."

Nobunaga lifted his sharp, twinkling eyes in an unreserved manner, he looked far ahead, swishing the cloak onto his shoulders. The incident involving the Satomi was but a prologue. Merely a small chess piece sacrificed for the sake of climbing to the summit. The Oda's true stage would follow after that.

The numerous eyes facing the stage very soon concentrated on one spot. The people, overwhelmed with hunger, stretched out their arms, pursuing his figure - his song. Everyone was waiting. Waiting for the overwhelming force that shook the world. A force like the sun. With a posture brimming with dignity, Nobunaga stood in the center of the stage, his body bathed in the intense beams, he flung away his cloak, powerfully stepped towards the microphone and roared.

"Come! Let us begin---!"

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Original fiction © Kuwabara Mizuna.