Chapter 44

"Tarō, happy birthday."

"Thank you, Father, Mother, everyone."

Today is June 23, the birthday of Kōki's eldest son, Tarō.

While it's not unheard of to celebrate birthdays in this era, there are no birthday parties as such.

In the Shinchi household, they hold birthday parties for all the children.

When Kōki is busy on military campaigns, they might shift the date or just hand over the birthday presents and call it a day, but since Kyouko is in Shinchi, they are holding the birthday party today.

A simple birthday party is also held, inviting the children of the vassals, and like in a kindergarten, the attendants who have birthdays that month are given sweets and gifts.

The children of the Shinchi household's important vassals look forward to the monthly birthday parties.

"Today we have a feast."

"We worked hard with Oichi and Hazuko."

"I learned a new Southern recipe from Kyouko today."

"It's the first time I made it, but it looks like a delicious dish."

At the birthday party held only for the Shinchi family, there is a spread of delicious food.

This time, Kyouko, Oichi, and Hazuko have prepared Italian dishes.

Ham, cheese, smoked bacon, seafood salad and carpaccio, pizza, pasta, roasted seafood, and more.

There is also a whole roasted chicken as the main dish.

And, of course, there's a birthday cake.

A large cake with plenty of whipped cream, with candles equal to Tarō's age.

"Alright, blow out the candles, Tarō."

"Yes, Father."

When Tarō blows out the candles, Kōki and the others applaud.

"I thought hard about the birthday present and decided on a special fishing rod."

"Thank you. I'll take good care of it and catch bigger fish than Father."

Tarō looks delighted at the reel rod with his name on it, given to him by Kōki.

"Well, I won't lose that easily."

"Actually, you're not that good at fishing, you know."

"Hmph, just a beginner's luck..."

Kōki's fishing skills were mediocre.

Proof of this is that when he occasionally goes fishing with Seikō, the latter ends up catching the bigger fish.

"Let's cut the cake now."

Kyouko removes the extinguished candles from the cake and starts slicing it with a knife.

Everyone enjoys the food, drinks sake or juice, and finally eats the cake.

What was a normal birthday party in the future, but a certain person, upon learning of its existence, began to move secretly.

"Lord, what is the urgent matter?"

"Oh, Mitsu. You came."

Despite being busy with the governance of Kii, Kōki was suddenly summoned to Kiyosu.

Thinking it might be better than Gifu, Kōki goes to see Nobunaga.

"I heard from Oichi that the Shinchi household has a custom of celebrating the day of birth."

"Yes, we do indeed have such a custom. It's to celebrate the children's safe growth."

Kōki couldn't lie, so he explained it as a ceremony to celebrate the children's safe growth.

"I also heard that Tarō's birthday and my birthday are the same day."

It was a coincidence, but Tarō and Nobunaga shared the same birthday.

If asked, "So what?" Kōki would be at a loss.

"I think it's unfair. On the same day of birth, Tarō gets delicious feasts and a cake, a confection of the highest quality. I hear he received wonderful gifts."

"Ah..."

Kōki was shocked.

He couldn't believe that a man in his mid-thirties would ask his vassals to hold a birthday party for him.

However, Nobunaga is his lord, and he couldn't refuse outright.

Kōki thought this would just add to his workload.

"Right now, I'm having a new castle built by Goroza."

It should be the castle under construction on Mount Megata along Lake Biwa.

Recently, due to various battles, the construction has been delayed, but Danba Nagahide has been working tirelessly to complete it, and he has heard that it is almost finished.

"I will hold my birthday party as part of the castle's completion ceremony."

Kōki couldn't help but worry if this person was really fit to be his lord.

"Truly, Lord Nagahide, what a magnificent castle."

Nobunaga's new castle is called Azuchi Castle.

Most of the vassals gathered to celebrate its completion, and Hideyoshi praised Nagahide for the castle's excellence.

"Was it not Hideyoshi who laid out the plans?"

"The beauty of the keep and the stone walls is surely due to Lord Nagahide's efforts."

"Well, it was a lot of work."

Since the construction was carried out concurrently with the governance of Wakasa, Nagahide looked back on the castle's keep with a sense of accomplishment, recalling the busy days.

"By the way, I hear that Lord Shinchi is in charge of this banquet?"

"Kyouko and Oichi were quite busy with the preparations."

"Ah, there they are."

As Hideyoshi and Nagahide were talking, Takigawa Kazumasu appeared.

"I hear there will be a feast."

"Kyouko is in charge of the cooking, so it should be quite good."

About an hour after Hideyoshi and Nagahide gathered, the celebration for the completion of Azuchi Castle began inside the castle.

However, those who were well-informed knew there was another purpose.

"Lord, I have brought a gift for the celebration."

"Monkey! It's a great gift!"

Those of a certain status brought gifts for Nobunaga, and he was in high spirits.

(Birthdays require gifts.)

After the vassals' greetings, the celebration began in the grand hall.

This time, it was a special arrangement where the food was served on large plates on tables, and everyone could freely take what they wanted.

It was a standing party format, but the reason was practical: to save the trouble of preparing individual meals for everyone.

Despite the unusual setup, it was well-received because everyone could eat what they liked.

"This is delicious."

"I want to take some home for Matsu."

"I want to take some home for Nene."

The menu was not entirely Italian like Tarō's birthday but a mix of Japanese and Western dishes.

The vassals savored various dishes made with products from Ise and Ezo.

"Kyouko's cooking is as good as ever."

"Brother, I helped too."

"Is that so? Oichi, you can cook now?"

Nobunaga's mood improved even more as he ate the dishes Oichi had prepared.

(Oichi cooked! That's why merchants are merchants!)

Akechi Mitsuhide burned with resentment at Kōki for making the great lord Nobunaga's sister cook, but he sneakily prioritized eating Oichi's dishes.

"Now, to celebrate the completion of Azuchi Castle and my birth, I will blow out the candles on the cake."

"Wh-What?"

Everyone understood the celebration for the castle's completion, but they couldn't grasp the concept of Nobunaga's birthday.

No one dared to ask for details, fearing they might ruin the mood and upset Nobunaga.

Kyouko had placed candles on a large cake, with the number of candles equal to Nobunaga's age.

"Alright, I'll blow them out."

Nobunaga blew out all the candles, and the pages started clapping.

"Lord Kitazawa, it seems we should clap too."

"It seems so."

Following this, Hideyoshi and the others started clapping, and the other vassals joined in.

They clapped to avoid upsetting Nobunaga.

"I'm looking forward to the cake."

Kyouko cut the cake with the candles removed and distributed it to all the participants.

Many were hesitant to try the unfamiliar treat, but they were all impressed by its deliciousness.

"I want to take some home for Matsu."

"I want to take some home for Nene."

"Lord Masahisa, Lord Hideyoshi, I have prepared some long-lasting souvenirs as per the lord's orders."

The completion party for Azuchi Castle ended successfully, and the participants received cookies prepared by Kōki and Kyouko.

These would last for a while, making them perfect souvenirs for their families.

"Thank you for the wonderful treat, but Lord Shinchi must have been very busy..."

"Yes, well..."

Kōki received words of appreciation from Hideyoshi.

Thus, the completion ceremony for Azuchi Castle and the slightly delayed birthday party for Nobunaga were a great success.

Later, Nobunaga would be remembered in history as the person who suddenly started having birthday parties in his later years.