Ishikawa Goemon - LE Story

"Anywhere, everywhere"

“Sister… I wish you were my brother's wife.”

A child's innocence can sometimes be a disaster. It seemed that Shinpei had already taken a liking to ‘her’.

This is east of Kyoto - Rokutsuji Temple. This temple enshrines the Great King Enma, and it is said that if you offer dumplings to him, your wish will be fulfilled.

“Then, you should go and worship Enma-sama.”

“I will! But in Kyoto, there are so many stories about Enma-sama, aren't there? In the village where I was, there was only Buddha.”

"I don't know if it's true or not, but it seems that during the Heian period, there was a nobleman who went to Hell from a nearby well."

“I heard it was a man named Ono, right? I secretly went to see the well. I threw a pebble into it and found that it was so deep that I couldn't believe that hell could come from there.”

"There are many stories about demons and tengu in Kyoto, so someone's made-up story must have spread."

"I don't know if that's true... But then, is the story of the dango a lie too? Wishes don't come true?"

"What do you wish for?"

"Well, I hope we live well every day, that we become rich, that we don't miss our hideout, and just yesterday, I hope you and Sister get married!”

"Ha-ha-ha, you're greedy."

Yes, children are really clueless. They don't know what I'm thinking when I stare at her.

“I've eaten dumplings at every single one of the dumpling shops along this street. But I know that the dumpling shop owned by Sister is the best!”

It was a funny thing. Dumplings are just dumplings made of flour and kneaded with water, but when you compare them, the taste is definitely different. If I was the only one who thought they tasted good, it would be a false impression, but the women in the base also praised them, so there was no doubt about it.

“Brother, you like Sister too, right?”

I miss her so much that words like that cannot describe my feelings enough.

“I don't like to talk about this, but... She was attacked in the mountains... You know, everyone's talking about how she can't be a wife. But I want you to be happy. You've always been so kind to me. If I could be born again, I'd want to be Brother and Sister's child.”

"Idiot."

"Ouch! I'm going to die!”

When I lightly flicked his forehead with my fingertips, Shinpei displayed an exaggerated pain. He was now able to make such a joke.

“I'm not going to thank you for saving my life. You're going to sell me off anyways, right?”

The buying and selling of people is a common practice in every village. Babies have been bought in the ninja villages, and some kids as old as Shinpei are wanted for slavery or as sexual partners.

I didn't even think about saving the child at all, and at that time I just happened to see the back of the child being dragged by a rope. Or maybe I didn't want to create a “next me”. Sold children are rarely happy.

For example, someone's son killed by a ninja will be raised as the next ninja. If you think about it calmly, being taken in by a thief should be unfortunate enough.

Flashback to Shiroku: “Goemon, sharpen more carefully. You'll soon get rust on it.”

I wondered if he was well, the man I grew up with like a brother. It has been many years since I left my hometown, but every time I recall him, I feel bitter.

It was not all that I disliked it. The training was strict, of course, but we were not oppressed. There were many things that I missed, such as eating persimmons and kidori, and competing to see whose trap would hold the most fish.

But there was one question I could not shake.

Did someone in the village - someone I knew well - slaughter my father?

I knew that asking the question would not bring an answer. So I kept the question in my mind. I wondered if one day I would be able to kill someone.

“Hey, Shinpei. About the other day…”

"I will not enter into an apprenticeship. I will succeed you, brother."

Before I could say anything, I let out a sigh. At the very least, I want him to walk on a bright path. The people who gather at the base are all quirks, and there are even those who have killed their parents and run away. Others have beaten their masters and stolen their money, and some have never returned to their original places.

However, Shimpei is still white. His crime was probably nothing more than stealing potatoes from a field because he was starving. If that is the case, there is still another way.

I approached a merchant who knew about an apprenticeship and was told that he could take it on.

"That's right, big brother, I've come up with a good idea!"

“A good idea?”

Immediately after showing a bursting smile, Shinpei's shoulders slumped.

"Ah... no, never mind."

“Tell me.”

“You see, Hideyoshi is after you, right? We can't stay in the base forever, so I thought it would be a good idea to escape to the south with everyone, including Sister.”

I heard the sound of waves in my mind.

“But, you know, she has a father and an older brother, so she can't leave them behind. But we can't leave her!”

“Don't be stupid.”

“I'm not! I meant what I said before, that I want to be Brother and Sister's child!”

"You won't know until you die."

“If so, I'll ask Enma-sama for a favour. If I see you again in my next life, I will say hello to you, brother.”

I’m not sure about that. It's better to cut all ties with a thief now. I, who abandoned my village, will not be happy, nor should I be.

“But first things first! My dream is to be a great thief! Quickly teach me how to steal!”

“Those voices… It’s Daigoro-san and Shinpei, isn't it?”

I thought my heart would stop at the sound of her unexpected voice.

“Sister! How’s the shop doing?”

“All the dumplings are sold out. So we're closing early today.”

Today is my lucky day. Most of the time she comes out of the store early in the morning before she starts baking dumplings. The rest of the time, she runs errands around the neighborhood or makes small talk when the store closes early like this.

“Oh! I just remembered I have something to do! See you later, bro!”

Shinpei is too obvious, that's for sure. I didn't feel bad even though I blurted it out inwardly. There were few opportunities for me to be alone with her. To be precise, I was never alone with her.

She was attacked by bandits in the mountains.

If she had been attacked by bandits in the mountains and had been friendly with a suspicious man like me, it would have spread even more notoriety.

“Are you going to visit Enma’s temple again?”

“Yes.”

“Then may I go with you?”

“Of course!”

"Why... why did you save me... even though I have no choice but to die?"

Is it a good deed or a bad deed to save a woman who wants to die? Perhaps it is a bad deed. She must have been praying to Lord Enma every day, so Lord Enma would have been very happy to see her.

I am sure that when she dies, she will surely be reborn in paradise, and she will be happier than roasting dumplings while covering her ears from the rumors.

“Daigoro-san, thank you very much for buying my dumplings every day…”

“It's because they are delicious.”

I can't tell her my name because I'm a lowly thief, a scoundrel, and from a shinobi (ninja) village.

I have no place to stay, and I will never see the light of day in my life. Even if I wanted to make her happy, it would only make her unhappy.

“Whoa, that was close.”

"Kya…!"

A man smelling of alcohol almost tripped over her legs. Quickly, I held her slender shoulders and she smelled of dumpling-burning coals, which is a terribly happy smell to me.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“It's not your fault, okay?”

How I wish I could continue to hold her like this. But that is not going to happen. I casually pulled my body away from her, but my fingers still wanted to touch her.

The man makes no apologies and walks away again in his drunken state. This was a coincidence. I didn’t hug her. It was just... Because the drunk just bumped into her.

So she is untainted. No matter how much in my heart I wanted to embrace her, kiss her on the mouth, and let my fingers trace her white skin…

……

“Goemon? What are you in a daze about?"

Her voice startled me.

"Did you see anything suspicious? Do you want me to call the others?"

“No, not at all. I just... I was looking at this and it made me nostalgic.”

On Enma Street, there is an antique store named "Jigokudo" (Hell Hall), where shaved ice from Hakkan Jigoku is available at the adjoining cafe.

We came here for it, but the menu also included oshiruko (sweet red-bean soup with baked rice cakes), which reminded me of the time I was alive.

“Speaking of which, I have to go back to hell to roast some dumplings.”

“Ha-ha! I remember you and the old man talking about that.”

That man did it. It's not just me or her. Even Shinpei's wish was granted. According to her, back then, he fell in love with her dumplings and would sneak out in the middle of the night to eat them.

It was somewhat annoying to think he had eaten her dumplings.

“Father is being troublesome.”

Despite saying so, the two of them have a wonderful father-daughter relationship.

Flashback to Rin saying: “I think everyone has ugliness, weakness, and stupidity. But I love that kind of ugliness and stupidity. Because I think that's what it means to 'live'.”

That scene at the Square was spectacular. Even though her whole body was ragged, she was more noble than anyone else that day.

On the day we told her that she was going to join us to the human realm, she was hiding her anxiety and putting on an air of bravado. But now, standing in the plaza, she was already a splendid representative of King Enma, no matter who looked at her.

"May I make a suggestion, my lady?”

“Don’t call me that.”

"Next time, why don't we have a dumpling party?"

She held a silver spoon in her hand, her eyes flashing.

“You know, using the barbeque set. It's used the same way as this rice cake, right?"

"Eh, eh? And so the dumplings... I'm the one who’s grilling them?"

“No, if you teach me, I can grill them. I just thought it would be fun to eat them together since we have charcoal.”

"That sure sounds fun.... I'm sure that would be fun, but..."

"Well, Kiku will be there, and 100 round dumplings won't be enough for him, so I'll prepare some meat too. But if that's the case, I'd rather treat it as a dessert, like a marshmallow."

She took a bite of shaved ice and spoke. The bright red syrup of the strawberries strangely looks glamorous on her.

“It's not a bad idea, but can I practice it once before I grill for everyone?”

“I see what you mean.”

“I'm sure my hands will remember it, but just in case. The fire back then is different than it is now.”

“That's true.”

"But why all of a sudden? Did this mochi look so delicious?"

She poked at the picture on the menu.

“Shinpei really liked it too. So I wanted him to try it and... in a good way, and I thought that was enough."

"Enough?"

I scooped myself a scoop of shaved ice.

"Didn't I tell you a while ago… to forget about me."

"... You did mention it, something like that."

“I did not lie when I said that. I knew you would be unhappy if you remembered. But... The thread is now unknotted.”

Her fingers moved slightly.

I'm not going to hold on to my past life things, because I’ve had the most fun in a long time right now. But it was still me then ... and it would have been cowardly of me to turn a blind eye to it.

“I kind of understand what Goemon is trying to say.”

With a small smile, she tops off her condensed milk. The pure white melted into the bright red shaved ice, creating a beautiful swirl pattern.

"Sometimes I think about it, too. No, it just pops into my head. Now is the time, so I'm going to confess... While standing at the store, I thought that Daigoro-san came late today."

“I’m honoured.”

I was relieved. Her expression was soft. I was so relieved to see her face, even though all the wounds she had sustained had not disappeared.

"Oh yeah, you helped me when I fell, didn't I? I think I was hit by a very drunk man."

“!!!”

“When I think about it, I've fallen down a lot in the past, and you've saved me every time.”

"At that time... You couldn't see, so it can't be helped."

"But you see, even in the Mitsuse River, when I returned to the Enma Palace because I couldn't stay in that house anymore, you came to pick me up… when I slipped."

“Haha, indeed."

"The way you stole was also cool. No, it's not good to praise thieves, but..."

After giving me a mischievous shrug of her shoulders, she said, "I thought this man could run to the moon. He could go anywhere, anywhere, on his mountain."

Her smile was so beautiful. But that is the face of someone who knows pain.

"He knows a lot of people, but he loves them all."

I put down my spoon and took her hand.

"Goemon?"

"From now on, you can go anywhere."

Her thin fingers trembled.

"We're supposed to be unable to leave the Asakusa Special Zone, but the old man came all the way to Kyoto to eat dumplings, so we should be able to get out."

"Hey? Did you think about that? But the rules are..."

"We are free."

I touch her fingers with my lips. Yes, I couldn't touch her then, but now I can kiss her like this. As many times as I want, as much as I want.

"I understand. Then if you run away, I'll chase you wherever you go and catch you."

"Ahaha! Oh yeah, that’s the spirit!"

The thread came loose. Nothing binds us anymore.

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