Chapter 2 Sleep Companion 1-2
Chapter 1 Sleep Companion 1-2 “Lady, how... it’s not proper for me to live here.” “No need to feel weird, and no need to thank me. Three years ago, my older daughter married and moved to Suruga, now I have another daughter marrying off to Suwa, and I miss them so much. You’re a smart girl, why not stay here and be my maid? You can keep me company.” Lady Ooi’s tender face looked like her mom’s, even the way she walked away. How could it be? Sakura was in disbelief. She had no resistance toward this kind of caring. She rubbed her eyes and rolled over, finding something hard under her, making her yelp. She opened the blanket and realized it was the precious rock she found at Mt. Dragon Horn. It has lost its golden red glow already and is all-black now. Other than its odd shape, it looked like any other rock. Did the earthquake and the time-travel happen because she took this rock? No matter what, this rock had something to do with it. She’d have to try something with the rock when there’s no one around. There’s gotta be a way. Though she didn’t want to leave, she had to go back to Guangzhou and see what damage the earthquake has caused. Or she could go to her grandfather at Foshan. For two whole days, she didn’t see one man. She had realized how strict the gender divide was in ancient Japan, especially in this kind of daimyō(or royal) family. She and other women lived in the inner compound, while the men lived in the outer compound. With the exception of major events, or if the lord wanted to rest in the inner compound or if the maids had to work in the outer compound, men and women never mixed. Sakura mumbled to herself as she was sweeping the floor. She wanted to explore the inner compound, but Lady Ooi’s maid Tsuru told her that being the lady’s maid meant she could only stay in the lady’s yard, which was a torture for the adventurous Sakura. When she saw no one was nearby, she tossed the broom and ran to the back of a shrub. She took out the dragon horn rock and held it in front of her. “Dragon horn rock, aren’t you magical? Please use your power and take me back. I don’t know if I imagined the earthquake, but I can’t stay here. Please help me...” She prayed and prayed, and even kneeled, but the rock didn’t do anything. Sakura bit her lips and tucked the rock back into her clothes. Maybe she didn’t use the right way, or maybe she chanted the wrong thing. She had to keep trying! She made a fist and posed like a superhero before trying again. All of a sudden, a man’s voice came from Lady Ooi’s room. There was a man here? She had to see who it was even if she wouldn’t know him. She took off her wooden clogs, held up her skirt, and walked toward the door opening. Lady Ooi was sitting and talking to a man in grey clothes. The light from the doorway shined on his face, showing his grim face; he had thick brows, lines between his eyes, and sunken eye sockets. Underneath his hawkish nose was a thick mustache. This was the first time Sakura saw a man after her time-travelling. Even if he was older, given how he’s aged, he was probably handsome in his youth. “Itagaki, you’re saying Harunobu is still partying all the time?” “After the Battle of Ida, even though the young lord won, the lord lectured him. That’s why I’m worried about the young lord. I wanted to ask you to help work things out, to help him regain the lord’s trust.” Lady Ooi sighed. “Harunobu has always worried me.” “Lady...” “Itagaki, you can go for now. I’ll do my best to persuade the lord to forgive him.” If Lady Ooi called him Itagaki, could he be Itagaki Nobukata? Takeda Shingen’s teacher? And is this Harunobu person also Shingen? She remembered that during this time, the Battle of Ida was Shingen’s first battle. She didn’t know too much about it, just that it was a city that his father Nobutora couldn’t conquer for a month, but Shingen was able to defeat in one day. This was a battle that made Shingen famous, and it also made the father-son conflict worse than ever. Would her being here change what happened later? Sakura smiled to herself as she kept sweeping the floor, but then she came to her senses. You’re just their maid, what are you dreaming about? Just pray that the dragon horn rock can bring you back to the present, and you’ll be too lucky. “Sakura, are you done with the yard?” Tsuru interrupted her thoughts. “Yes, almost.” She mumbled. “When you’re done, do the backyard too. Yukina is sick today.” “Yes.” When Tsuru left, Sakura rolled her eyes. She knew Lady Ooi liked her, but Tsuru didn’t. She heard from other maids that Tsuru was the lady’s favorite, but ever since she has arrived as a refugee, even jobs like massaging the lady’s back were reassigned to the new girl. She didn’t care about Tsuru making things difficult. If she had to sweep the backyard, so what, she could see more of this place. She rushed toward the back, carrying her broom. There was actually quite a distance from the front yard and the backyard. As soon as she walked in the backyard, she was dazzled by the sight. There was an amazing cherry blossom garden here!