Chapter 73

"What are the specialties of Yonezawa?"

Hikaru, who had driven the Date family out of Yonezawa, was pondering how to develop this land.

He immediately searched the Kanagawa database and got some hints, but...

"Ukogi, nanohana, aizan daikon, asatsuki and shiitake cultivated using the hot spring water of Onogawa... No star players..."

Since there was no choice, he decided to prioritize the renovation of Yonezawa Castle and the castle town, the reclamation of new fields, and water control projects to gain the support of the people.

After all, as newcomers, the Tsuda family had to govern better than the Date family, who had ruled this land for a long time, or they would face resistance from the people.

"There's no Yonezawa beef..."

Previously, he had eaten a Yonezawa beef steak at a restaurant in New Yonezawa on the planet Neo Yamagata, but it didn't exist in this era.

He searched just in case, but only found small cows used for farming.

However, the Tsuda family was already working on improving the breed of cows.

They planned to start full-scale livestock farming after the Tohoku and Ezo regions were fully under their control.

Until then, they were increasing the number of experienced poultry and pig farmers.

"Apples and cherries... That will take time, though."

After finishing his inspection of Yonezawa, Hikaru decided to stay at Onogawa Onsen for the night.

He thought he would soak in the hot spring to heal his fatigue.

"Phew... The hot spring is wonderful, but the inn and various facilities need renovation."

Hikaru, who was promoting the development of Hakone Onsen as a tourist destination, planned to renovate other hot springs in his domain to increase the number of tourists and boost the economy.

He thought that the traditional hot spring facilities alone wouldn't attract many customers from his perspective.

"There's also the need to improve the roads leading to the hot springs. I'll leave that to Taisei, Yasuyoshi, Masanobu, and Yoshishige..."

While Hikaru was thinking that all he had to do was soak in the hot spring, eat, and then sleep, Honjo Masahiro, who was in charge of his security this time, appeared.

"Lord, there's a strange man who says he has something to offer you."

"An offering, huh..."

Whenever Hikaru went on an inspection, people like this usually appeared.

Most of them were descendants or self-proclaimed descendants of daimyo whose territories had been taken by the Tsuda family, trying to win back their lands by flattering Hikaru.

And the items they offered were always the same.

"I am Otomo Sadahisa."

From Hikaru's memory, the Otomo family had a complex position, sometimes subordinate to the Date family and sometimes to the Tamura family, typical of small daimyo in the Tohoku region.

They had been driven out of their lordship along with the Tamura family and were treated as missing by the Tsuda family.

The surviving retainers either served the Tsuda family or were killed in rebellion.

"You have something to offer me?"

"Yes, I believe Lord Tsuda will like it."

Otomo Sadahisa, with a lecherous smile, tried to flatter Hikaru.

At this point, Hikaru already knew what the offering was.

"Please accept it."

"..."

The offering was a girl.

Throughout history, many people have offered women to gain the favor of those in power, and Sadahisa was no different.

Moreover, the girl looked to be around ten years old.

She was completely out of Hikaru's comfort zone.

"My name is Ai. Please take care of me."

It seemed she was forced to say this, and her voice was trembling with fear.

"Is she your daughter?"

"No, she is the daughter of the Tamura family. The Tamura family, descendants of the great general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, I thought Lord Tsuda might like her."

Hikaru had studied the history of this era to some extent and knew about Sakanoue no Tamuramaro.

But the idea that his descendants were the Tamura family seemed a bit far-fetched.

In other words, by offering noble blood to the lowly Tsuda family, Sadahisa was looking down on him.

At the very least, this was not the attitude of someone asking for a favor.

"(This guy...)"

Moreover, this Ai-hime was not even Sadahisa's daughter.

Hikaru wondered how Sadahisa planned to ingratiate himself with the Tsuda family.

"How did you come to have the daughter of the Tamura family?"

"Lord Tsuda, don't worry. It's a common occurrence in times of war."

Sadahisa proudly explained that he had kidnapped Ai-hime when the Tamura family fled their territory in the chaos of war.

While the Tsuda family had driven out the Tamura family, Hikaru thought it was wrong to kidnap someone else's daughter and offer her to others.

"I will gratefully accept her. The reward, you can receive after meeting with Masanobu in Edo."

"Thank you, I am honored."

Sadahisa left Ai-hime behind and headed to Edo with high spirits.

He must have thought he would be given back his lost territory.

"Masahiro, pass this on to Kuroda Kojuro's men."

"Hai."

If he wanted to work, he should have served the Tsuda family normally.

People like Sadahisa, who could do such things without hesitation, were not needed by the Tsuda family.

While villains were not necessarily a problem, shallow villains were nothing but a nuisance to the Tsuda family.

Therefore, Hikaru ordered that Sadahisa be disposed of before he reached Edo.

If all went well, he would disappear before reaching Edo.

His body would not be found, but in these times of war, it was a common occurrence, as Sadahisa himself had said.

"So, this is Ai-hime... Her name is written the same as my daughter's."

"Um..."

"Would you like some juice?"

"Juice?"

"Yes, it's delicious. I also have cookies."

"Okay."

For Hikaru, who had little experience with women, dealing with a girl of this age was difficult.

However, since Ai-hime didn't seem to be afraid of him, he managed to take care of her.

"What should I do with this girl?"

"Are you asking me?"

"I'm hoping that you might be good with women."

"No, I'm as rough as I look."

"I see... Do you want more juice?"

He couldn't just abandon her, so Hikaru ended up taking care of the unfamiliar girl, which left him exhausted.

"That's the story."

"Brother, you have a real-life moe princess character!"

When Hikaru returned to Edo with Ai-hime, Seiki was inexplicably excited and happy.

Even to his real brother, he seemed creepy, and Ai-hime also looked frightened.

"Kiyochan, don't bully the girl!"

Immediately, he was scolded by Kyouko.

Since it was his own fault, Hikaru didn't sympathize with Seiki.

"I've seen people offer their own daughters before, but kidnapping someone else's daughter is quite something. What happened to that guy?"

"He seems to have met with an unfortunate accident. Masanobu says he never came here."

"I see."

Kyouko noticed that Hikaru had ordered Kuroda Kojuro's men to dispose of Otomo Sadahisa, but she didn't say anything.

If Sadahisa had come to Edo, it would have been unpleasant.

"So, what should we do with this girl?"

"She's so cute, and her name is written the same as our Ai."

Despite the age difference, Hikaru thought the names were the same but quite different.

His eldest daughter, Ai-hime, resembled Kyouko and was a beautiful woman.

While not highly valued in this era, she had a good figure.

The only unfortunate thing was that, like Kyouko, she was tall.

While she claimed to be much shorter than her mother Kyouko, Hikaru didn't see much of a difference.

The annual health check at the Tsuda household had revealed that Ai-hime was 175 centimeters tall.

"Being tall, I wonder if I can find a good husband for her."

Kyouko was actively looking for a husband for Ai-hime.

She was a bit anxious because her second daughter, Iori, had already been engaged.

In Iori's case, it was simply a matter of age compatibility.

Ai-hime, written as "Ai" but pronounced "Mego," was very cute, even aside from her young age.

Seiki, an otaku, was excited for the first time in a while, and indeed, she was cute in both appearance and voice.

Hikaru thought she was small and evoked a strong protective instinct.

"She's not a puppy or a kitten, so we can't just take her in."

"Right. Then, let's do that. Ai-chan, do you want to go get a snack?"

"Okay, Grandpa."

At first, Hikaru was unsure how to handle Ai-hime, but he gradually became enchanted by her cuteness and started calling her Ai-chan and doting on her.

"Kyouko..."

Kyouko was completely put off by Hikaru's delight at being called "Grandpa" by a little girl.

"Wait a minute! I'm not her father, so 'Grandpa' is the right term, isn't it?"

"That's true, but it's a bit creepy."

"Ugh! That's Seiki's role, isn't it!"

Hikaru, who had been called creepy by his wife Kyouko, inexplicably lashed out at Seiki.

"Brother, that's a bit rude."

"You were the one who said you were excited about Ai-chan."

Despite some trouble, Ai-hime was taken in by the Tsuda family.

"Ai-chan, what snack do you want?"

"I want to eat the 'fruit parfait' you told me about."

"Okay, let's eat it with my daughters."

Hikaru, who doted on his own daughters, tried to spend time with them whenever possible, eating meals and snacks together.

"Father, welcome back."

"Father, how was Yonezawa?"

"Father, did you bring any souvenirs?"

Ai, Iori, and Eri, Kyouko's three daughters, along with Chacha, Oe, Hatsune, Yuki, and Yumi, Oichi's five daughters, and Yako and Saki, Hako's two daughters, made the Tsuda household a completely female-dominated home.

"Sir, I've made a new crepe."

"That's great, let's all try it."

"Sir, I've also made a new pudding. Let's eat it together."

"The pudding looks delicious too."

Greeted by all his daughters and Oichi and Hako, Hikaru was in a good mood as they enjoyed fruit parfaits, crepes, babas, and puddings together.

"Father, who is this girl?"

"She seems to have gotten separated from her father. She'll probably come to Edo soon."

Hikaru sat Ai-hime next to him and talked to Chacha-hime.

"By the way, where are Taro and Jiro?"

"Brother, they won't come even if I call them."

"Is that so?"

Hatsune-hime told him with a disappointed look, but Hikaru understood and didn't force them to come.

"They prefer the calm of being with Jirosaburo and the others rather than a house full of women..."

"Father, it's bad of them, but they are preparing souvenirs for you..."

Taro and Jiro, being of a certain age, were munching on senbei in another room, planning to greet Hikaru later.

"Thank you for taking care of my daughter."

A week after taking in Ai-hime, the head of the Tamura family, Kiyohiro, and his younger brother, Ujihide, appeared at Edo Castle.

Kiyohiro, it seemed, was not so unreasonable as to leave his precious daughter with another family while fleeing.

"I never thought my daughter would be kidnapped by someone like Otomo Sadahisa. It is my fault."

"Wasn't it because the Tsuda family attacked?"

"There is no greater disgrace for a samurai than losing a battle. Saying such a thing would only add to the shame."

"I see. I apologize for asking a silly question. So, what will you do?"

"What do you mean?"

Hikaru wanted Kiyohiro to serve in the Tsuda family for Ai-hime's sake, but Kiyohiro might have his pride as a samurai.

If he chose to join the Date family and fight the Tsuda family, Hikaru would understand.

"Ai is under your care, Lord Tsuda..."

"She's not a hostage. You can take her back if you want. After all, her parents are better for her. Hostages are taken by the weak to resist the strong. The Tsuda family doesn't need hostages."

"Indeed..."

Kiyohiro was shocked and convinced by Hikaru's words.

The Tsuda family was overwhelmingly powerful and could do well without the Tamura family.

They wouldn't take a child as a hostage.

"So, will you join the Date family and fight hard?"

"No, if we can serve the Tsuda family, we will."

"You are welcome."

Thus, Kiyohiro and Ujihide decided to serve the Tsuda family, but Kiyohiro had a request for Hikaru.

"Ai-chan's husband?"

"Yes, I only have Ai, and the possibility of having more children is low..."

Kiyohiro wanted his son-in-law to inherit the Tamura family.

"Wouldn't you adopt a child from your brother Ujihide?"

"Ujihide only has one young son."

By asking Hikaru to arrange a husband for Ai, Kiyohiro was probably trying to show that he had no ill will towards the Tsuda family.

Understanding this, Hikaru decided to find a good husband for Ai-hime.

"Would you consider my son, Benmaru?"

"Genzaburo is also excellent, but he is the heir to the Watanabe family, isn't he? Benmaru is a hundred times more capable than me."

"Indeed, it is a great honor..."

"Is it a problem?"

"No, I will gladly accept."

Saheiji accepted Hikaru's request, and Benmaru and Ai-hime became engaged.

Benmaru, after his coming-of-age ceremony, would take the name Tamura Kiyohiro and later inherit the Tamura family.

Some time after these events in the Kanto region, the head of the Oda family was reading a letter from his sister Oichi in the new Oda administrative office built next to the Ishiyama Hongan-ji Castle under construction.

Oichi regularly sent letters to her brother Nobunaga, and he never failed to reply.

"Kudataro."

Nobunaga, who had become the Kyoto shoshidai and was now permanently stationed in Kyoto, called out to Hori Hidemasa, who had taken over from Murai Sadaharu, who was no longer by his side.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I received a letter from Oichi. It seems she is making new sweets with the other wives."

"Hmm, that sounds delicious."

"Kudataro, can you make any of these: parfait, crepe, pudding, or baba?"

"No, I'm afraid not..."

"I see... Even Kudataro can't make them just from the names of the sweets."

Even Hidemasa, who would later be known as a master, was out of his depth when it came to making new sweets.