Chapter 35

This is a story that takes place a little before the Akechi Mitsuhide's rebellion.

" Mits, are you not going to tie your hair up?"

"Yes, it's too much trouble."

"To not tie your hair up just because it's troublesome is quite something..."

In this era, young samurai would tie their hair in a chasen mage (tea whisk style), while others would tie it in a chonmage (topknot). Some would even pluck or shave their hair from the forehead to the crown to create a moon-shaped bald spot.

Since razors were valuable, most people would pluck their hair to create the moon-shaped bald spot, making their heads bloody. However, Nobunaga obtained a razor and shaved his head.

Everyone dislikes pain, after all.

Even though razors were expensive, Nobunaga could acquire them.

But Hikaru, who didn't want to do such things, maintained a short hairstyle.

He felt uncomfortable tying his hair up.

'Such a thing, it's not like we're in a period drama...'

'Brother, we are living in a period drama world.'

'Even you, Seiki, don't tie your hair up, right?'

'Because it's too much trouble!'

Seiki, his younger brother, was the same.

Actually, in this era, men did not have the habit of regularly cutting their hair, but both Hikaru and Seiki had their hair cut by Kyouko.

Kyouko seemed to have a particular interest in hair, growing it to near her waist.

She took good care of it and did not dye it.

"That's a different outfit, too."

At the council meetings held by the Oda family or on important occasions, Hikaru would dress in a samurai style, wearing a kosode (short-sleeved kimono), kamishimo (shoulder and sleeve cover), hakama (pleated skirt-like trousers), tabi (split-toe socks), and waraji (straw sandals).

However, in daily life, he found it troublesome and wore a suit without a tie.

He wore socks and leather walking shoes suitable for walking, and in hot weather, he used a Panama hat with good ventilation to prevent heatstroke.

This was a high-end item from Neo-Italy that Hikaru bought with his limited allowance.

For underwear, he always wore trunks and short-sleeved shirts, switching to heat-tech products when it was cold.

When in the Shinchi domain, he often dressed casually in T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers.

All of these were either items he had bought long ago and kept in the Kanagawa or items Kyouko had made herself.

Kyouko, due to her height and body type, could not wear existing kosode and kataginu (shoulder cover), so she made various clothes herself using materials from the Kanagawa.

After living in this world for many years, the underwear she had brought with her had worn out, so she made them herself.

Oichi and Takako also helped, and the three of them began to wear various clothes when in the Shinchi domain.

This gradually spread to the wives of the retainers, and a sewing factory was set up, gathering widows who had lost their husbands in battle and women preparing for marriage.

However, due to a lack of materials, the cost was still very high.

Cotton and ramie cultivation had started in the Shinchi domain, but the harvest was not yet satisfactory.

Silkworm cultivation had to start with the cultivation of mulberry trees for the silkworms to feed on.

They were gathering materials from all over the country with money, but the production of materials for clothing was still low in this era.

Even samurai did not have many clothes.

For commoners, it was an era where wearing the same clothes until they wore out was the norm.

"Mits, you have quite a lot of clothes, don't you?"

"Do I?"

Hikaru did not think of himself as fashionable.

In the ultra-future, he had many fashionable friends and colleagues.

Nobunaga saw Hikaru as a person with a unique sense of style.

"Mits, you don't grow a beard, do you?"

In this era, many samurai grew beards to emphasize their masculinity.

However, Hikaru shaved his beard every day with a razor.

It was a habit from when he worked in sales for Ashikaga Transport, as he believed a beard gave a bad impression to clients.

He also didn't want to grow a beard because he disliked the bearded Shibata Katsuie.

"I strive for cleanliness."

Hikaru took a bath every day unless he was on the battlefield, washed his hair, combed it every morning, shaved his beard, and brushed his teeth every day.

This was because it was a habit from the past.

Even though he had been sent to the distant past, he had no intention of stopping these habits.

"I think that's a good thing. Kunitsugu sometimes smells, you know."

Nobunaga also paid attention to his appearance.

There was a slight scent of iris, which was his trademark.

Katsuie, Hikaru thought, probably smelled of sweat and age.

He didn't want to go near Katsuie to confirm, but he was sure of it.

"I want a set of clothes like what Mits is wearing."

"I'll ask Kyouko. I'm not sure how long it will take."

For a VIP like Nobunaga, custom-made clothes were the norm.

The private clothes Hikaru and the others had left on the Kanagawa didn't fit Nobunaga, so they couldn't give them to him.

That's why Kyouko came all the way to Gifu to measure Nobunaga's body.

"I see, so you're taking measurements for clothes made specifically for me."

"What kind of clothes do you want?"

"Basically, the kind of clothes Mits is wearing."

Nobunaga seemed to want a suit.

He learned about the tie that comes with a formal suit and gave detailed orders to Kyouko about the pattern.

As expected of a former delinquent, he was very interested in eye-catching clothes that no one else wore.

"I'll try to have it done in a month."

"I'm counting on you, Kyouko."

A month later, Hikaru and Kyouko brought the requested suit to Gifu where Nobunaga was.

The design and pattern were easily created with a computer, and there was enough fabric in stock on the Kanagawa.

The cutting and sewing were done by a computer-controlled sewing machine, so it didn't take as much time to make clothes as it did in the past.

They also brought several sets of shirts, underwear, ties, and belts.

"This 'breef' is good."

Perhaps because he was used to wearing a fundoshi, Nobunaga seemed to prefer briefs over trunks.

However, both Hikaru and Kyouko secretly hoped that a middle-aged man wouldn't run around in just his underwear.

A middle-aged man with a topknot in just his underwear would be a one-liner gag or a comedy sketch in the ultra-future.

"Shall we try them all on?"

"I'm counting on you, Kyouko."

With Kyouko's help, Nobunaga put on the suit Kyouko had sewn.

He quickly learned how to tie a tie after a few practice sessions.

Indeed, he was Oda Nobunaga.

"These are good, I look very handsome."

He seemed to like the suit and the accompanying second bag and leather shoes.

He was so excited that he showed off to his pages and retainers like a child.

"Hey, Mits..."

"Don't say it, Kyouko."

"Is something wrong? Mits, Kyouko."

Nobunaga asked if there was something Hikaru and Kyouko wanted to say, as they were whispering.

"No, they fit you very well."

"You look like the head of the Oda family."

"Indeed."

Hikaru and Kyouko thought they fit him well.

When they made the suit to Nobunaga's taste, it turned out to be an Armani-style double-breasted suit, and to anyone, he looked like a yakuza boss from a few decades ago.

From that day on, Oda Nobunaga evolved from the CEO of a black company to a yakuza boss.

"Amazing! I didn't know such wonderful things existed!"

On a peaceful day, in the Shinchi Castle, Oichi was surprised by something she saw.

It was a wedding photo taken by Hikaru and Kyouko.

"Kyouko-san, you look beautiful. This Nanban (Western) attire is also beautiful..."

To avoid suspicion, the full-color digital photo was changed to a black-and-white glass plate photo, but Oichi was shocked by the concept of a photo itself.

Hikaru and Kyouko looked as if they had walked right into the plate.

Oichi sighed at the beauty of the wedding dress Kyouko was wearing in the photo.

She was a normal woman interested in beautiful clothes.

"I want to wear such clothes, too."

"The ceremony is already over, but we can take photos anytime. Do you want to take some?"

"Yes, please!"

Encouraged by Kyouko, Hikaru, dressed in a tuxedo, and Oichi, who had her wedding dress altered to fit her, took photos together.

Kyouko had bought the wedding dress for her wedding, instead of renting it, as a keepsake.

"Beautiful clothes. The accessories are amazing."

Wearing the altered wedding dress, gloves, bouquet, shoes, and veil given by Kyouko, and the wedding ring given by Hikaru, Oichi was ready.

The rings and other accessories were made by the skilled Seiki using the machine tools on the Kanagawa.

The base material was silver, and the diamonds and other gemstones were from the spoils of space pirates or imported from domestic and foreign sources.

Pearls, jade, carnelian, quartz, coral, and tortoiseshell were sourced domestically, while diamonds, sapphires, and rubies were imported from India and other places in small quantities and processed into accessories.

They also collected lower-value gemstones to use as decorations for crafts and to develop low-cost accessories while training craftsmen, but it would take time to see results.

For now, only the Shinchi family used them.

Oichi had received a diamond ring when she married Hikaru and was wearing it.

"Let's take the photo then."

Seiki was the photographer, and after that, he and Takako also took photos, which were framed and displayed in their living quarters in Shinchi Castle.

"Hmm, so these are photos. The Nanbans have amazing things."

"No, the photo technology belongs to the Shinchi family."

Recently, there have been more Nanbans in Kyoto.

Hikaru decided to lie and say that the photo technology was unique to the Shinchi family, as it couldn't be explained away.

It was a fact that they had a monopoly on the technology, and it was common for people in this era to keep valuable, profitable technology secret.

If someone tried to steal it, it would usually result in a fight to the death, and Shingen understood the power of the Shinchi family again.

Shingen compared the photo of Hikaru with the real Hikaru and was amazed at how identical they were.

He thought it would be difficult for even a skilled artist to make such a likeness.

Thus, he concluded that the Shinchi family must be using some unique technology.

Shingen was genuinely impressed, but surprisingly, not many others felt the same.

"Everyone says that taking a photo will steal your soul. I don't think that's true, though."

People in this era were very religious or superstitious and, unable to understand the principles of the camera, felt fear at the sight of a photo they had never seen before.

Even when Hikaru offered to take their photos, no one raised their hand.

Before long, the rumor that taking a photo would steal your soul spread among the Shinchi family retainers.

"Indeed, the soul of the lord who had his photo taken has not been stolen."

Shingen, a rational thinker, did not believe in the superstition that taking a photo would steal one's soul.

Oichi, being Nobunaga's sister, also did not believe in such superstitions.

"Shingen, would you and your wife like to take a photo together?"

"Is that alright?"

"No one is asking to be photographed, so it's not much trouble. Shingen, prove that the soul is not stolen."

"Understood, this is a perk."

The couple, along with their young son, Chiharu, dressed up and had their photo taken.

The developed photo was framed and displayed in the Honde family residence.

"You look good, dear."

"Yes, we all look alike, don't we?"

When the Honde family took photos, their souls were not stolen, so gradually, more retainers began to ask for photos.

"Can this be used as a reward?"

Since it would be impossible to photograph everyone who wanted to, the rule was that only retainers recognized by Hikaru and their families could be photographed.

Those who received permission dressed up their families and had their photos taken, framing them and displaying them in their homes as a point of pride.

"I'll work hard to have my photo taken by the lord."

The photo technology remained a monopoly of the Shinchi family for a while, and the retainers worked harder, aiming for the reward of having their photos taken.

"Mits, take a good photo."

As expected, the curious Nobunaga did not miss this information and immediately ordered Hikaru to take his photo.

"Um... will the lord be taking the photo alone?"

Wearing the suit made by Kyouko and the diamond ring and tie pin presented by Hikaru, Nobunaga was trying out various poses in front of the camera, wondering in what position he should be photographed.

While watching him, Hikaru thought to himself:

"Double-breasted suit with a big gemstone ring... He looks more and more like a yakuza boss..."

The mature Hikaru kept this to himself and focused on the photography.

"I heard that Mits took a photo with Oichi in wedding attire. Let's take a few."

One photo of Nobunaga alone, one with his eldest son, Kihomaru, one with his other children, and one with his many concubines and mistresses.

Hikaru, who was used to taking photos with his wife and children, took them efficiently.

"I heard that Mits took a photo with Oichi in wedding attire."

"Yes, it's a commemorative photo."

"A commemorative photo, a good name."

"Will you take one with Lady Noh?"

Noh was Nobunaga's official wife, the daughter of Saito Dosan, known as the Viper of Mino.

They had no children, but she adopted Nobunaga's eldest son, Nobutada, and was a talented woman who managed the household.

Noh, meaning a noble lady from Mino, was a title-like name, and Hikaru had heard her real name was Kichou.

She was one year older than Nobunaga, but Hikaru thought she was a beautiful woman.

"A wedding photo?"

"Yes, it would be a good keepsake."

Hikaru thought that women, regardless of age, would be interested in such things, so it would be good to take a commemorative photo.

Unconsciously, he had been well-educated by his wife, Kyouko.

"No, sometimes capturing the truth can be cruel. Kyouko is younger in appearance, and Oichi is still young, so they would look good in photos. Kichou..."

Nobunaga had a face that said, "What about a woman in her late thirties in wedding attire?"

This was the value of the era, and it was not that Nobunaga was wrong.

Rather, he was considerate in his own way.

"Is there any inconvenience in taking a photo with me?"

"Kichou..."

Nobunaga, who usually gave unreasonable orders to his retainers and was fearless, had one weakness: Noh.

She was strong-willed, and Nobunaga's smooth governance of Mino was partly due to his marriage to Noh.

She was wise and managed the household smoothly.

To Nobunaga, she was a woman he could not look up to, rather than being afraid of her.

"Well, since it's a rare opportunity, let's take a photo."

"Please, Lord Shinchi."

Hikaru, learning from past experiences, immediately started preparing to take a photo according to Noh's wishes.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out."

"Yes, Kichou."

They changed into wedding attire and took the photo, but while Noh was smiling happily, Nobunaga looked like a yakuza who had been scolded by a higher boss.