Horizon:GT2 Chapter20

Final Chapter: Politician and Laughter

That is foreshadowing for the future

That is buildup for the future

I’m not talking about your failure

Point Allocation (Now We’ve Done It!)

●

It took until late at night to sort the wild plants into edible or medicinal. Adele and Mukai were drifting off, so they were carried over to the Reine des Garous’s bed. There was some concern about Mary who also looked sleepy, but they began a last spurt of plant sorting.

During that, Masazumi reminisced while checking back through the rough version of the records Asama had compiled. But for the most part…

…Wow, I was really cringe back then.

She wished she could have come out of her shell more, but that had all happened a year ago. No, more like a year and four months ago.

So will everyone be able to see this? Can’t I fix it up somehow? she wondered, but…

“Do you need something, Tachibana Wife?”

“Today’s story brought back some memories for me as well, so I was thinking of checking those records for myself.”

She opened a sign frame and sat on a floor cushion.

“After all that, Lady Rodrigo took the eastern route to the New World and then ended her name inheritance back home. She assisted us on some things, so it was a delight to hear this story about her. I recently sent a late summer greeting card to her in Tres España.”

“It’s a small world out there, huh?”

Across the room, Asama and Mitotsudaira nodded while gathering up some of the plants, so they must have had their own thoughts. But then the Tachibana Wife sucked in a breath and resumed speaking.

“May I ask a question? It is about your father.”

“Eh? Go right ahead.”

“Judge,” she said. “Did he ever say anything about this incident?”

“No, not a word. I thought he would be angry I had stayed out so late that night, but when I told him I had gone to the festival with the Asama Shrine Representative and her friends, he seemed deeply concerned.”

“Asama-chi, what did you do to him?”

“I really think it was the ‘and her friends’ part that bothered him!”

But the Tachibana Wife seemed satisfied with that. She looked to Masazumi and…

“While Kyushu is Tres España territory, when our aerial ships go there for trade, they generally cannot leave the coast. Because they must obey the history recreation of oceanic trade that began with the Age of Exploration. That gives Musashi a lot of influence since it can travel inland.”

“Judge. I came to understand that after moving here. It came in handy in our time at England too.”

“Judge,” agreed the Tachibana Wife. And, “Then there is one thing about your reasoning that does not make sense to me. Why did Arima and Okamoto contact Lord Tadakatsu after arriving in Mikawa?”

“Well…” Masazumi started to answer, but she too noticed something odd about it. “Lord Tadakatsu was from Mikawa and they were from Kyushu, so they shouldn’t have known each other.”

“Judge. I assume those two traveled to Mikawa because you were there, but the Musashi was also visiting Mikawa at the time. And they would have known the Musashi through trade.” The Tachibana Wife chose her words carefully here. “I wonder if the two of them arrived in Mikawa and went into hiding there while they sent a message through the checkpoints and awaited someone’s decision.”

That someone being…

“Honda Masanobu. If they knew you were moving to the Musashi, it would make sense for them to contact him since he is your father and they would have known him through trade. But before his decision could reach them, they noticed pursuit closing in on them and chose suicide.”

“If that is what happened, then why did Lord Tadakatsu act?”

“It seems reasonable to assume your father asked him to.”

“What do you say, Seijun?” asked Naito, sticking some red fruits in a bucket for drying. “That would mean your dad entrusted you with dispelling that vengeful grudge. If he did anything, it would have complicated matters, but not so with you. Maybe that’s why he gave you that knife.”

“Hard to say.”

She said that, but she could say that someone at her father’s level had to have been aware what was going on. She had only come to realize that later on, but…

“I used to think he had let me off the hook for what I did, but maybe it wasn’t that.”

“Judge. You can think of it as a nice ‘what if’ to help you feel better.”

The Tachibana Wife scooted back on her cushion.

“That’s even more to add to the records,” Masazumi sighed with a bitter smile.

●

“There really is so much we don’t know,” she said, earning quiet laughter from the others.

“If we knew everything, we wouldn’t end up at war so often.”

“Yeah, I suppose that’s true…”

“But it sounds like Arima-san and Okamoto-san were able to pass on satisfied and that’s what matters most. Don’t you think, Kimi?”

The Aoi Sister collapsed onto her side while covering her ears, but that seemed normal by now. But if the records she provided were accurate…

“Does that mean I did a good job? I clearly lost that negotiation, but it wasn’t a bad loss.”

“It was your debut international negotiation,” said Mitotsudaira.

“Unofficial, though. We both agreed to that. But, Tachibana Wife, what happened to Hinoe afterwards?”

“Judge. Tres España later decided to reenter Kyushu under Vice President Juana’s guidance. They chose one of the Vice President’s suggested methods, so an economic system centered on divine transmission infrastructure was established in Nagasaki.”

Circle Be: “Basically, they built up the remote shopping business with a focus on distribution. That lets them do business anywhere as long as they have a base of operations, so they don’t need to control an entire city as long as they have a small town to work from.”

“And Ryuuzouji joined Hashiba first, so Hinoe could not remain Catholic. And while Ryuuzouji supplies Hashiba with mechanical dragon technology, Hinoe has taken the middle road by remaining neutral ground in Kyushu.”

“A peaceful resolution those two never even considered,” said the Date Vice Chancellor.

“Judge. Ryuuzouji must remain Catholic, but since Nagasaki is Catholic and close to Hinoe, Ryuuzouji relies on Hinoe as a relay point. And Hinoe is too important to Nagasaki for Ryuuzouji to go to war with them. The former Pessoa became the next Chancellor of Hinoe and he is working to recover their lost land. He was apparently Arima-sama and Okamoto-sama’s underclassman. But all of that…”

Horizon raised her hand to take over for the Tachibana Wife.

“I believe Masazumi-sama mentioned this near Kyushu when we were en route to England before.”

“Yes, well, it’s my area of expertise. I know more about Europe and Kantou now, though. But anyway…”

Masazumi stretched. This had been a lot of serious talk, but…

“The idiot was right about one thing: we managed to end it with a smile.”

“Judge. All’s well that ends with a smile. We did a good job with that back then,” said Mitotsudaira.

Just then, they heard laughter from the boys working outside.

“C’mon, Tenzou! Ah ha ha ha ha! How did you miss that!?”

“Ha ha ha ha ha! But, Toori-dono, you’ve gotten your dick stuck! Wa ha ha ha ha!”

“Ta ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

The girls exchanged a glance.

“Don’t they seem in too good a mood?”

“Was that Noririn laughing so loud?”

“Are they okay?” asked Masazumi as the arms showed them a pot full of plants.

“What is that?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Well, everyone, I believe this is the pot we set aside for making a soup for the boys back when we first started,” said Horizon.

“Umm, if that’s it, then what pot did Mary cook a soup in and serve them?”

Balfette took a look around before raising her right hand.

“I thiiiink that was the pot we were sorting the poisonous plants and mushrooms into.”

Still Got It: “Yes, a lot of mushrooms that give you a wonderful high and make you laugh like an idiot grow near my house. The trick to an enjoyable evening is to boil a moderate amount and drink the result.”

“M-Master Tenzou!”

“My king!!”

The wolf dashed outside, but the laughter did not stop. Masazumi sighed, called up an encyclopedia on her sign frame, and looked up how to create an antidote.

“Masazumi-sama,” said Horizon. “You mentioned at the beginning that the story was why you do not carry a weapon.”

“Because I clearly don’t need one, right? After seeing all the stupid things you people can do, I decided carrying a blade is kind of redundant.”

She stepped outside with her sign frame and turned back toward the others in the doorway. They could all hear the laughter of the boys outside.

“Master Muneshige’s laughter is like music to my ears.”

“This really isn’t the time for that. And why are the rest of you laughing now!? You didn’t take those mushrooms too, did you!? I can’t have you wasting the rest of the night that way! So be careful!”

Masazumi wondered if she would feel comfortable letting those two see what she had accomplished since that day.

…No, I still have a long way to go.

Because I’ve set my sights high, she thought, making herself laugh.

“Everyone! Masazumi-sama is laughing weirdly!” shouted Horizon.

I don’t need your weirdly worried looks.

–I’m on my way there.

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