Chapter 5

It has been about two years since then.

Kousuke is three years old. He resembles his petite mother in build, and though his height hasn't grown much, he has developed supple muscles in his limbs from moving around the area, investigating his living environment due to his idle days.

(Still, this is definitely Tajimi...)

After two years of investigation, he could only conclude that.

Moreover, surprisingly, it was the Edo period.

This year is the fifth year of Kaei.

It was difficult to pinpoint the exact Gregorian year, but his memory from his previous life, which had a fleeting interest in Ryoma and then became a Bakumatsu otaku, resonated with something.

(I think the year the Black Ships arrived was around this time...)

For a Bakumatsu otaku, the Black Ships are reflexively associated with Yoshida Shoin. This great teacher was sent in a cage to Choshu, leading to the founding of the Matsushita Village School, which produced many of the Choshu domain's samurai.

It was a major event that marked a turning point in the Bakumatsu period.

(The Black Ship Incident was during the Ansei era, so it must be before that... around 1850. Oh, that means the era of great change is just beginning!)

Of course, no one in the village knew that the three-year-old from Oohara was getting excited by such thoughts.

Oohara...

That was the community he belonged to.

The Oohara River, a tributary of the Toki River (which becomes the Shonai River in Aichi), flows into the basin of Tajimi. The southern side of the Oohara River is a gentle slope extending to the foot of Takashiyama, forming a rich granary.

The village is relatively large, with about fifty houses scattered around at first glance.

Ibei's family, which includes Kousuke, has four members, but as can be seen from the seven children in the neighboring Otsubo family, most households are large families, with an average of about ten people.

The estimated population of Oohara, considering the mix of vacant houses and uninhabited huts, is around 400. For a rural area, this is quite a significant number.

At the moment, what he desired was 'education.'

It was the Bakumatsu period, a time when intellectual prosperity was flourishing among the lower classes in the Edo period. It was impossible for a place like Oohara, with such a population, to lack an educational center.

(I want to go to a terakoya...)

Although he didn't seem to need Edo-era knowledge with his memories from his previous life, the 'information addiction' that modern people had to develop in a rapidly changing society was far from satisfied with the trivial information available within the village.

He wanted to learn to read.

His house had virtually no written materials.

Since no one in the family could read, it wasn't necessary. There were a few characters on the sacred talisman hung on a pillar in the living room, which the grandparents prayed to every morning, but he gave up on understanding it without specialized knowledge.

People passing by smiled at the sight of the three-year-old standing by the embankment of the Oohara River, deep in thought. On the other side of the Oohara River, to the north, a relatively wide road continued, probably leading to Kari, the birthplace of Kari Saizou.

Although he had never been there, he imagined that this road, if followed east, would continue to the area where National Route 19 is located. Given the size of the road, it likely connected Tajimi and Owari in this era.

As he watched the passersby and imagined such things, a figure tried to walk away unnoticed behind him.

"Father!"

He had already turned around.

The figure froze at the sound of his voice.

The person who turned back with a slight look of displeasure was none other than Rin Saburozaemon, the third son of Mr. Rin from Fukugen-ge, who had attempted to seduce Ibei's daughter from the persimmon orchard at night.

"What is it, boy?"

"Mother says you've been cold to her lately."

The three-year-old's sharp words made Saburozaemon rub his hooked nose and sneeze. He was tall, about six feet. His unkempt hair was tied back, and his beard was untrimmed and overgrown.

He might have been somewhat handsome if he took better care of his appearance. He was popular with the village girls, and he would straighten his back and put on a show when he was around them.

"Tell Mother I'll visit again soon."

"Didn't you come here to see Mother? She always waits for you."

It was a way to pass the time.

He wasn't going to let him off easily.

"Ah, I have something to do, so I can't. I'll visit another day..."

"I heard you're infatuated with a woman in Kihon-cho. Even though the Rin family receives support from the main house, the day laborer who came the other day complained that it's limited."

"Ugh..."

Every time this man fathered a new child, the father had to cut the stipend to maintain the family's reputation. He received about ten copper coins a month, but the amount decreased as the man's children increased, which was unacceptable.

Given that this man was a retainer of the local lord, there was an atmosphere in the village where the women waited to be seduced at night. This was a convenient situation for the man, and if no one stopped him, the village would be filled with siblings.

"Are you leaving?"

"Ah, I changed my mind."

"Then please meet Mother."

He grabbed the man's hand and pulled.

It was clear that Mother was eagerly awaiting his visit. Despite being a hopeless womanizer, Mother was in love with him. He wanted to give her as much time with this man as possible.

But even with his training, a three-year-old couldn't match an adult man. He was easily picked up and placed on the man's shoulders.

"You've grown into a strange kid."

The man's feet didn't head toward his house.

He seemed to be returning to his own house in front of Fukugen-ji. If so, he wanted to be let down. He had many things to consider for his future.

This man was honestly detestable. Even though they were father and son, spending time alone with him was a waste of life.

But Saburozaemon held his feet firmly, and the stubble on his face scratched Kousuke's calves painfully.

"By the way, your father wants to see you."

In fact, this was the first time he would meet his father's side of the family.