If those rebels manage to force King and Delia to take action, it would mean that the Shinsengumi are just a bunch of good-for-nothing soldiers, wasting resources without achieving anything. In that case, King would need to resort to his own methods to deal with them.
In battles, it was quite understandable to accidentally attack a wrong target, and inadvertently hitting an ally with AOE attack is also something unavoidable.
Delia was as usual, teasing Okiku everyday and trying to pay off all her debts before the New Year. There was only one day left until the New Year season.
In the Flower Capital, many workers were busy decorating rooftops with festive ornaments, and vendors were setting up their stalls. Meanwhile, in the Flower Capital’s palace, Kozuki Hiyori was also preparing for the events of the New Year festival, though she seems uninterested in it.
“Lady Hiyori, here is your schedule for tomorrow. Please confirm it.”
A minister was kneeling before her. This was the minister in charge of ceremonies in Wano Country, who had served since the era of Kozuki Sukiyaki and lived through to the era of Kozuki Hiyori. He could be said to have served under three generations—a long-lived, seasoned official.
The itinerary was quite complex. Starting from dawn, the rituals will begin, honoring the past Shoguns and the legendary deities of Wano Country. When these are finished, she will meet with the country’s ministers and give an end-of-year address.
On New Year’s Day, these will all repeat, with the only major change being that the end-of-year address is replaced by the New Year address.
“No need. You handle the arrangements.”
“Yes, I will take my leave then. Please take care.”
As he left, some maids brought in new clothes, but within seconds, Hiyori’s furious voice could be heard from inside.
“I’ve told you already! I hate this design! Why is it still here?”
It seemed as if she had seen something disgusting. Hiyori knocked over the tray holding the clothes, the sound of porcelain shattering following suit.
Seeing her get angry, no one dared to respond; they simply knelt on the ground, waiting for her to calm down. They were used to this by now. Over the years, Kozuki Hiyori had become somewhat short-tempered, calm one moment and easily irritable the next.
But she hasn’t lost her reason—she just knocks things occasionally. Responding would only make her angrier, so silence is the best way to handle it.
“Lady Hiyori, please calm down. She’s new. I’ll teach her a lesson later,” Kikunojo intervened, smoothing over the incident.
As one of the three retainers still present—Kikunojo, Denjiro, and Kawamatsu—each has slightly different views but remains loyal to Kozuki Hiyori.
Denjiro was loyal because she is the daughter of Kozuki Oden. Because of her identity, he is willing to protect her and dutifully carry out her orders.
This applies to Kikunojo and Kawamatsu as well, though they have additional thoughts.
Grappling with his inner perceptions, Kikunojo considers himself female and, viewing things from a woman’s perspective, better understands Hiyori’s situation. While her life as a puppet may seem glamorous, it is in fact quite miserable.
Even though she’s allowed to travel abroad and has freedom within the Flower Capital, major and minor matters must still go through King’s approval, and this control and restriction is suffocating.
As for Kawamatsu, in addition to his loyalty to the Kozuki family, he also harbors a sense of guilt.
“Kawamatsu, what’s wrong?”
Seeing Kawamatsu’s regretful expression, Denjiro asked.
“I was just wondering, if I had tried a little harder back then and hadn’t let Lady Hiyori be captured, would everything be different now?”
Back then, he was responsible for taking Kozuki Hiyori away, but they were captured after Elizabeth spotted them. Since then, every time he sees Hiyori unhappy, he feels guilty, and thus is most obedient to Kozuki Hiyori.
Even if something goes against his wishes, he doesn’t complain in the slightest.
“It’s not your fault. Things have come this far… honestly, it’s all because of Orochi, isn’t it?”
“Hm?”
“That guy’s lies… even though I can’t accept it, I feel like even if Lord Oden were still alive and saw the current Wano Country, he might not be angry.
If it hadn’t been for Orochi’s lies… maybe Lord Oden and the Beasts Pirates could have gotten along well…”
Oden’s goal was to change Wano Country, to open its borders, and the Wano Country of today has achieved all of that. It has its own foreign trade, and the lives of its residents are continually improving. Although it’s still far from fully opening up, it doesn’t contradict Oden’s goal.
Denjiro, the sharpest of mind among them, sees and understands this, but he simply can’t accept it or bring himself to acknowledge it.
“……”
“Forget it. Less than six years are left. Let’s trust in Lady Toki’s prophecy, Kawamatsu. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”
“Understood.”
Years of living together have fostered a mutual understanding, allowing them to selectively ignore this topic. They then threw themselves into the preparations for the New Year festival, though this year’s festival was destined to be unforgettable.
Everything began smoothly—prayers, speeches, parades. But when the people began to party, Kozuki Hiyori did not join the festivities. Instead, she went to a few graves.
All the blame had been heaped onto Kurozumi Orochi, and Kaido had even acknowledged Kozuki Oden as a worthy opponent, giving him a burial there.
Fourteen years ago, during the New Year festival, Kaido and Oden fought a fierce battle. So, the New Year festival also marks Kozuki Oden’s death anniversary, and Hiyori came to pay her respects.
In the past, only a few of Oden’s retainers and Shinobu would accompany her here, but this year, there were a few more people.
Those planning to assassinate her had finally chosen this moment.
Analyzing Kozuki Hiyori’s habitual actions over the years, they concluded that this would be the best time to take action, as her guards would be minimal here.
…
Fireworks burst in the sky as Denjiro and the others drew their katanas. As alongside the fireworks, several fires appeared within the Flower Capital, and noisy footsteps could be heard nearby.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
Denjiro and Kawamatsu shielded Hiyori, their gazes vigilant as they looked around.
They had noticed earlier that there were more people than usual around this area, but they didn’t take it seriously, assuming they were here to pay respects to Kozuki Oden. But when these people surrounded them, holding weapons and torches, even a fool would understand that something was wrong.
“We’re here to awaken the spirit of resistance in Wano Country.”
“Then why are you here?”
“If even the Shogun submits to the Beasts Pirates, why would others continue to resist? We will use blood to awaken Wano Country once more and begin its transformation anew! Release the arrows!”
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