A short, lazy little story for now.
I'll update with an early-installment feel.
A crowd had gathered at the port.
Raban was watching the ships returning from inside the carriage.
The imperial brother was returning to the capital for the first time in about a year. Among his party were some of Raban's relatives.
"Master Raban. Shall I stop the carriage here?"
The one asking in a polite tone was Third.
She was the same age as Raban, a young woman, but she wore men's clothing and kept her hair neatly tied back. The reason she went by a number instead of a name was that Raban's adoptive father, Rahan, couldn't remember names. She was one of the children he had picked up from who-knows-where, and that was Third.
Third had originally been the daughter of a merchant family. When she fled from the marriage partner her parents had chosen, she had come to sell herself to Rahan. Normally he would have turned her away, but she had a head for business, just as one would expect from a merchant's daughter.
At present, Rahan's debts as head of the household were being repaid through side businesses run by Raban and Third. She dressed as a man both because women were looked down upon and as an act of rebellion against being forced into a marriage.
And since she was Third, there was naturally a First and a Second, and Rahan had picked up children all the way to Sixth. Occasionally, Rahan would even forget Raban's name and call him Zero. Since Third had decided never to return to her parents' home, she had discarded her own name and introduced herself as Third.
"Right. Let's stop the carriage right near the port. If we drop Father's name, they should let us through."
"Understood."
Raban took out a metal plate engraved with the character "Ra." It was something the head of the household was supposed to carry, but if Rahan held onto it, he might lose it. So Raban kept it safe.
"With this, you could seize the household whenever you want."
Some had even said it jokingly. But if he ever tried something like that, it would be Raban who got crushed beyond recognition. Rather, it was strange that he didn't come across as an unfilial son, what with all the work he was doing to pay back the debts.
"By the way, wasn't there someone else to drive?"
The one holding the horse's reins on the driver's seat was Third herself. They were talking through a small communication window, which made conversation a little difficult. They did have an escort, but he was following on horseback rather than riding in the carriage.
「Oh, yes. It would be a waste to arrange a carriage from outside when I happen to be free, so it makes more sense for me to drive, don't you think?」
"That's true. But the first and second carriages always have a driver."
"Is that so?"
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the port. People were already disembarking from the ship. Finding Rakan would be easy.
The place where you could hear clamorous shouting was where the Imperial Brother was. Conversely, the place that was strangely quiet and lacking in people was where Rakan was.
"Here. Excuse me, please let us through."
Rahan strode briskly toward where Rakan was. A bloated-faced old man stood beyond the crowd.
Rakan was terrible with vehicles. Carriages were fine, but ships were apparently his undoing. Rahan himself suffered quite badly from seasickness, so at times like this he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of kinship.
"Lord Rahan."
The one who called out to him was Rakan's adjutant — Onsou.
His roughly year-long posting to the Western Capital had clearly taken its toll, as he looked even more haggard than the last time they had met.
"As you can see, my adoptive father is completely useless at the moment. I'd like to send him back — would that be alright?"
"Yes, of course. Please take care of it. I'll pass word along to Tsuki no Kimi myself."
Onsou actually looked relieved.
Rahan asked the guards to carry his pallid adoptive father to the carriage. Honestly, he had no desire to remain in the same space as that mixture of stomach bile and filth.
Rahan stuffed Rakan into the carriage and climbed onto the driver's seat.
"R-Rahan?"
"It's a bit cramped, but bear with me. If I stay in the same space as Father any longer, I'll start vomiting too."
He felt sorry for Third, but Rahan couldn't ride a horse by himself. He didn't have the stamina to walk home, either.
"Ah, I was hoping to pay my respects to Tsuki no Kimi, but I suppose it can't be helped. I'll do it next time."
Heading into that crowd now would accomplish nothing — he'd be nothing more than one face among a rabble of nobodies. Rahan knew perfectly well that he was a plain, diminutive man whose appearance was far from anything striking. For a man who looked like him to make himself seem more imposing, he needed to arrive at a stage where he could showcase his abilities, bringing information his audience would latch onto. Simply draping himself in expensive finery and putting on a brave front would only make him spin his wheels — if anything, it would be laughable.
Tsuki no Kimi possessed a keen, discerning eye and was not the sort to be easily deceived. In Rahan's mind, if her exterior was beautiful, then her substance had to be beautiful as well — anything less was unforgivable. On that front, Tsuki no Kimi was nothing short of a divine creation that embodied his ideal.
"A whole year, huh... I wonder if she's had a child yet."
Almost as an afterthought, his thoughts drifted to his adoptive sister.
Maomao I would have liked to see her and talk right away, but I needed to deal with the cargo in the carriage first, so I gave up on the idea.
"Rahan. Shall I contact Maomao on your behalf?"
Sanban said to Rahan.
"Could I ask you to?"
When Rahan sent simple messages, Sanban often wrote them on his behalf. Maomao didn't know Sanban, but Sanban knew Maomao unilaterally — that was the nature of their relationship.
"Yes, I must have Maomao take possession of those items as soon as possible."
Sanban said in a strangely earnest tone.
As for what "those items" referred to, you would understand as soon as you reached the mansion.
In front of the mansion, notable for its peculiar shogi-piece-shaped sculptures, two women were waiting.
"Rahan!"
A slender woman approached the carriage.
Yao — a girl taller than Rahan, though only seventeen years old. Behind her stood a woman glaring with sharp eyes, En'en .
These two were Maomao's colleagues, and Rahan had once put them up at the mansion hoping to earn Maomao's goodwill, which had backfired.
For some reason, the two of them had remained at the mansion ever since.
"How was Maomao?"
Her worried expression, combined with her well-featured face, was incredibly endearing. But that was all. Rahan's mind kept sounding the alarm that he must not get any closer to Yao.
"I only went to pick up my adoptive father. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring my adoptive sister along too. I told you that before I left, didn't I?"
He kept his distance when dealing with her. Otherwise, the gaze of her attendant En'en was terrifying.
"I see."
Yao looked disappointed.
"I see."
Yen-Yen was glaring for some reason. Looking at the deflated Yao, she wore an expression as if Rahab were entirely at fault. What on earth was he supposed to do about this?
"Is there anything else you require? If we keep standing here chatting, you'll keep the master waiting much longer."
Sanban said, narrowing his eyes.
"...You're right. Forgive my rudeness."
Yao, too, narrowed her eyes as she looked at Sanban. Enen wore a thin, brittle smile.
"Also, as previously agreed, you would be staying here until Maomao returns, since you were worried. I'll arrange for some porters, so please have your luggage packed and ready."
Sanban said with a refreshingly bright smile.
"Since Maomao will be returning, I'm sure you have no lingering attachment to this estate whatsoever."
For some reason, Rahab's sixth sense was telling him this place was a battlefield.
"...I suppose so."
Yao appeared to be thinking about something.
"Would you be able to wait a few days? We've been staying so long that I'll need some time to get our luggage together."
"Oh, I assumed that capable maid of yours would have things packed up in no time. Besides, from what I heard, your family member was heading to the Xi Capital as well. Wouldn't it make more sense to prioritize that over Maomao?"
"Well, about that — apparently my uncle is still remaining in the Xi Capital. My family back home is in quite the uproar over it, and I doubt there'd even be a place for me there."
Why was it that, despite the polite exchanges, sparks were flying between Yao and Sanban? And meanwhile, Enen was just relentlessly glaring at Rahab.
Rahab climbed down from the driver's seat, desperate to get away from the scene. He then called over a nearby servant.
"Is my adoptive father's bedroom ready? Prepare a gentle congee easy on the stomach and some non-greasy sweets. Fruit jelly would be fine too. And make sure the fruit water is thoroughly chilled."
"Understood."
"Well then, I'll go finish up the remaining work."
Rahab walked off briskly, fleeing the scene.