164-Brother and sister who came to see me off




 
"Mmm, quitting my job makes me feel really good! It looks like the Sea of Kagura is happy to celebrate my good news!

 Even after sharing the joy with me and Roomba, Kojiro laughs at one of us, still chewing on the aftermath.

 Well, he's now free from his hard work. I guess it's called invincible mental mode. I'm sure he's enjoying himself no matter what he's doing now.

I'm glad that Kojiro was able to quit his job so easily. When you quit your job, you're suddenly bombarded with a lot of troublesome things.

Well it didn't go easily enough without any trouble.

 I said casually, and Kojiro replied with a somewhat mysterious look on his face.

''Hm? What happened to you when you left? Did the lords you were serving keep you around?

Yeah, some guy in charge said he didn't want you to quit.

 Oh, that's a typical line from the boss I was expecting to hear.

'So I said what Al said! You've been working those precious people like a rag! Well, it was painful to say how complicated those old men looked back then!

Oh, come on, Kojiro! Well said!

'Haha, I've been in a good mood before, but it doesn't matter if I quit my job! I've said it loud and clear!

 To have someone take over and do what I said and wanted to do in my previous life....

 I'm so glad that someone has succeeded my intentions and accomplished it.

 Yeah, I wish I could have been there when Kojiro said it once and for all.

"If it wasn't the big old man, what was the trouble after all?

 When I was impressed by Kojiro's bravery, Roomba, who was listening beside me, asked Kojiro.

 Indeed, by the looks of Kojiro, it seems that he has no problem dealing with big shots.

 What was holding him back from quitting so hard? Is it still business as usual, a handover?

Your mother and sister.

 Oh, how troublesome that is.

'Your mother could have fed you an eel bowl, albeit unfinished, and persuaded you with how good the eel bowl was, how it would benefit Kagura, and how much she loved the eel bowl, but not your sister.

Hey, isn't that because Kojiro's skills are inexperienced? If I give you a delicious bowl of eel and rice, my sister will usually agree.

'Totally more so. If I could make an eel bowl as good as Al's, my sister wouldn't have objected!

 Kojirou is saddened to cover his face when Rumba points out a mystery to him.

 No, because just because unadon is so delicious doesn't mean that everyone in the world will agree with it, right? 

'My sister called the eel bowl a bad idea and challenged me to a duel, saying, 'You'd rather continue to be a swordsman than make this stuff.

 Oh, but he's playing the game by claiming that the unadon is not good. Isn't it too much to say that the origin of the problem lies in Kojiro's inexperience?

 No, no, no, Kojiro wasn't a chef, and he was free to quit his job and his cooking skills.

 Age and skill are irrelevant to the challenge, and it has nothing to do with quitting your job.

'It sounds like an accusation,'

Yeah, but I couldn't keep my mouth shut after being told that. So you took the duel and made it black and white.

 I didn't realize that just because I taught him how to make unadorned rice bowls, he got his family involved in a dueling riot.

You quit your job over it, so that means you won, right?

The honor of Unadon and my ability to quit my job were at stake. I'm sorry for my sister, but I had to give it my best shot.

 Kojiro smiles with a somewhat spare smile.

 It's true that under such circumstances, I can't lose as a company employee and as a man.

''Well, thanks to you, my sister has sulked, but I'm going to treat her to a delicious unadorned bowl of rice once again to get her to admit it.

''Well yes. It's probably for the best.

 I'm sure your sister didn't really think Kojiro's eel bowl was a bad idea either.

 She must have been sad to see her brother quit his job as a swordsman or something like that.

 I hope one day I'll be able to make an unadon that my sister would approve of.

''Hm? Oh?

 As I'm thinking about this, Roomba crosses his arms and groans.

'What's wrong with you, Roomba?'

I've heard of a brother and sister dueling in the past--

'Hey! Aloo! I'm here to see you off!

 As I listened to Rumba's words, I heard a familiar and indeed familiar girl's voice.

'Oh, looks like Spring has come to see me off.

 When I turned around, Haru and Shuichi, and their guards, Kaede, Suke and Kaku, had also come to see us off.

''Oh, we're in a foreign land and yet we have a girl who's so close to us! Al is doing just as well as he looks.

 Kojiro was grinning and saying something, but when he turned around, he stopped speaking and froze.

 The expression on his face seems to be severely surprised.

''Oh! What, there's Kojiro!

What? Is that true?

 Haru and Shuichi run up to me, wondering if they know Kojiro, saying something like that.

 Eh? How do Haru and Shuichi know Kojiro?

 While I'm wondering, my escort, Kaede, comes hurrying over.

''Brother!?''

Kaede!

 Your brother? Could it be that Kaede and Kojiro are brother and sister?

'Why is your brother here?

What are you doing here?

We're friends with Al! I'm here to see you off, okay?

And friends?

 Haru's words interrupted, Kojiro is surprised by Haru's words.

 Then Kojiro turns his back to Haru and Kaede with his cruiser and comes over to me and Roomba.

''........Oh, hey, you guys.......well, you know?''

 Kojiro asks somewhat crisply.

'You mean Haru and Shuichi are the eldest daughter and eldest son of the Shogun's family?

'Oh, yeah. You know what...

 When Rumba replied, Kojiro showed a somewhat relieved look on his face.

 If he knew about Haru and Shuichi's status, was he right to be worried?

''I mean, Kojiro, Kaede is your sister?''

Hmm, well, yeah. Kaede and I come from a family that has served the Shogun's family for generations. Kaede was protecting Haru-sama's bodyguard and I was protecting Shuichi-sama.

 If you compare them, Kojiro and Kaede are very similar.

 Both of them are very well formed, especially their slit eyes are a perfect match.

 I'm not sure if they are elite enough to be chosen as the shogun's bodyguard for a beautiful brother and sister. This is amazing.

So what's your brother doing here?

 While me, Roomba and Kojiro were secretly discussing it, Kaede asked with some irritation in her voice.

 Hmm? Wait, what? Does that mean that I was comfortable teaching such an awesome Kojirou eel bowl and telling him that he should quit his job? 

 It's not a mere swordsman, but an elite person attached to the important role of Shuichi's bodyguard, I'm beginning to feel awkward as well.

 I have a feeling that Kaede would be angry with me if I taught Kojirou the unadorned bowl.

''Mm, I came here because I heard that my friend Al was leaving port.

'Friends? When in the world did we get into that relationship?

No, my friend and mentor. Al is the man who showed me the way of the eel bowl.

What! You!

 As I was getting anxious, Kojiro quickly spoke up.

 Kaede, who heard Kojiro's comment, stared at me with a terrific expression and approached me with a katsukatsu.

''So it was Alfried-dono's fault! My brother's sudden insistence on quitting his job!

'No, it's not my fault, it's not my fault. I just met Kojirou at the riverbank and ate eel bowl with him! It was all Kojiro who said he wanted to make an eel bowl and quit his job!

That's right, Kaede.

'Then was it also your brother, who had no plan, who convinced your mother with his strange merchant talk? Doesn't it have something to do with Lord Alfried that he dared to be strangely hackneyed with the generals and lords?

No, no, I'm the one who taught him that.

'I knew it! After all, isn't it Lord Alfried who is blowing it to your brother!

 We talked about preaching interest, but it was just to teach Kojirou things to make his job easier... no, I'm sorry. I thought it would be interesting if Kojirou could get his boss to say guffaws, so I blew some things into him.

'Kaede, don't blame Al! This is a decision I made of my own volition!

'What are you talking about, brother, who can't do anything on his own! You're in the habit of saying you want to quit your job, etc., but not taking any concrete action!

What do you mean by that? I mean, it was just that I couldn't find anything else I wanted to do, so I had no choice but to keep going!

 Kojiro, if you stammer there, you'll instantly look like a little thing, so I want you to answer firmly.



 Haru, who was listening to Kojiro and Kaede's argument, said something that seemed to cut into Shuichi's heart.

''Well Haru, you don't have to say that part. Besides, I knew Kojiro was fed up with his too busy work.

You're my personal bodyguard, aren't you? Is Shuichi glad Kojirou quit?

 Lumumba asks Shuichi, who replies with a somewhat masterful look on his face.

'Of course, it's a shame, to tell you the truth. It's a good thing that you're able to do that, because Kojiro is the second most powerful person in this country after your father. There were many more things I wanted to learn.

 I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have let you move on to become an eel maker.

But once I saw Kojiro's lively face, I didn't want to keep him around.

'Yes! It's been a long time since I've seen Kojirou with such healthy eyes! Kaede looks so lonely.

 Shuichi and Haru are laughing at Kojiro and Kaede, who are arguing furiously.

 Is this the size of a vessel for the Shogun's family? 

 It may have been hard to work so many hours, but there are so many warm people around.

 The old Kojiro, who had never had anything to do with his career as a swordsman, may be the reason why he never quit. I'm sure that's why he didn't quit his job as a swordsman.