A Bitter Truth from A Shogi Game

"Please tell Lady Himeji that I'll be away for today. I heard that there are some valuable herbs in Hashidate, and I want to personally come there to buy them."

"Understood. I'll inform Himeji-sama about it."

"…Is she still isolating herself after what happened last night?"

"…Yes. I heard that she is still depressed after Lady Tsuchiyo's death. There was also the thing about the executions that Lord Tozen and his retainers did yesterday. All of this is becoming a burden to her now."

"I see…"

I stepped near the tent and through the gap of the tarp door, I saw her laying down of her bed, pale as the snow and staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Pardon the intrusion…"

"…"

I entered the tent and sat near her bed to comfort her.

"I won't be asking if you are alright anymore… I know that you aren't."

"Thank you."

"About your friend who recently died, I heard that she has a sister who is being kept by the Fujita clan. Do you know anything about her location or something?"

"No… Nothing. The line was cut when we were talking, right?"

"…Yeah. She was crying so much back then and cut the line since she doesn't want to make you hesitate to do what you have to do."

"Until the last point, Tsuna really is selfless… As her friend, I would miss her now that she is gone."

"You don't have to."

"Huh?"

As I said that, a soldier entered the tent. On his face is a long moustache which reached to his chin.

"I'm sorry for keeping this a secret and causing you great pain, Lady Kotori, but we have reasons to keep this away from your knowledge."

The soldier began to tear the moustache off his face and once he removed his straw hat, the face that Kotori saw made her eyes glow and tear up.

"I'm sorry, Kotori-chan… If I didn't do this, you would probably be the one in great trouble."

"Tsuna… I-Is that really you, Tsuna-chan?"

"The one and only one."

After she slowly sat up and reached for her, Tsuna inched her face closer which Kotori pinched.

"You're warm."

"Well, I'm alive, you know."

After confirming that she is not an apparition or a ghost, Kotori began to cry while sitting up her bed as Tsuna knelt to her height and embraced her tightly to comfort her.

"Tsuna! TSUNA-CHAAANNN!!!"

"There, there… Just let it all out…"

"You dummy! Why did you have to scare me so much like that! Uwaaaahhh!!!"

"Sorry… I'm so sorry for doing that to you…"

Not wanting to ruin the atmosphere of their reunion, I walked out of the tent and spoke to the soldier guarding her tent.

"I believe I don't have to explain anything anymore?"

"Don't worry, Iwasawa-san. All of us owe our lives to you. I heard nothing and saw nothing and anyone else would surely do the same."

"Thank you. Please guard the two of them for now. As I said earlier, I have things to do outside of the Nachi clan's current territory."

"Understood. May the heavens bless your travels, Iwasawa-san."

After saying my farewells, I walked out of the camp where my men are staying at with our horses.

"Iwasawa-sama, all of us are in attendance."

"I see. Let's go now before we run too late for the agreed time. Our enemy today is someone that we cannot underestimate. Am I clear?"

"""Yes, sir!"""

A few days ago, I sent one of my men deep into the Fujita territory with a letter. He went to Myoko, the capital of Haguro, and met with one of Minori's acquaintances that works inside the castle. The letter they were transmitting was one that I wrote and sealed with the Kirin Lord's seal. That alone, would carry great importance.

And the recipient is just, if not more important than I am.

"This is it, my lord. The trade city of Rinya. The Shogun's reply spoke about a certain tea house in this city where he agreed to meet with you."

"Well then, let's go now."

Today, I was invited by the Shogun to a tea house where he agreed to meet and talk with me.

To be honest, I am keeping myself from blabbering my complaints about every bad thing that happened to me ever since he sent his men to assassinate me and the people around me.

"We'll scatter around the area, Iwasawa-sama. We're meeting with an enemy so it wouldn't be wrong to look out for your safety."

"Understood. Keep yourselves safe too."

As we entered the town's quiet residential quarter, my men scattered around the place, looking for vantage points and hideouts to watch over me and Minori who would be the only people there on the spot.

"There they are."

"I see… so that is him."

Once Minori and I unmounted from our horse, we sat down on a table outside the tea house where a man is sipping his tea beside a woman who has a paper parasol slung on her right shoulder.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Iwasawa Hiroshi, I presume?"

"I am…"

"Well, color me surprised… I expected you to sound more hostile."

He was a bit late, but I shouldn't expect him to come here on time given the terrible roads in this province and the current warzone he was at.

"Oh please, you'll hear about all of it soon."

"I see."

I put down my teacup and looked at Chiasa who took a small wooden case from her sleeve pocket and gave it to me.

"That is…"

"I apologize. I have some visual problems, you see."

The content of the case was my eyeglasses. I wiped its lenses and wore it, to finally see their faces more clearly.

"Should I order you some snacks and refreshments?"

"No thanks. I can choose it by my own."

"Suit yourself."

Hiroshi raised his hand and one of the waitresses took his order of Daifuku buns and green tea. He was about to reach into his purse to pay for it when the waitress turned to me, bowed and went back inside to prepare his food.

"W-what?"

"Look there."

I spoke and pointed my thumb to the signage of the tea house.

"Takamori?"

"That was my surname before I became an Amanogawa and the Shogun. My name used to be Takamori Sora, you see."

"…"

For a moment, I saw him furrowing his eyebrows in order to think and after he connected his thoughts, he turned pale.

"Would you like to play some Shogi while we are exchanging our thoughts, Iwasawa-kun?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After he offered a game of Shogi, I understood the meaning behind his oppressive tone. He isn't offering me the game. He is telling me that we will play it. This made me nod which he responded to by placing a Shogi board on the table, one made with cardboard for ease of use in travels.

"We have some similarities with how we lead our lands, Iwasawa-kun. Just like you, I've also made sure to apply our past world's knowledge, technologies and education to rapidly develop the provinces I control and about to control. The only difference we have is that I am heading upwards continually but you will rise today only to fall tomorrow."

"What are you talking about?"

"I really liked that fountain in Aoya. It was exquisitely designed and engineered to keep the plaza cool. The clocktower at Naka was also quite a sight. I wanted to climb there with my wife to watch the sunset during our visit but it seems like we came at the wrong time since it was maintenance day."

"You…"

"That's right. I visited your province one too many times already. And because of that, I can make that conclusion… Your land will fall sooner that you think so."

After placing the last piece on his side of the board, he spoke those words.

"How…? Why are you saying that my land will fall?"

"Your people are too free. They all have their own ways and thoughts…"

"I am their Daimyo. They will obey me."

"What about when the time comes that you are no longer there?"

"…"

While we are playing Shogi, we conversed about our way of governance.

"We came from the same world, Hiroshi. I know that you know the reason why our past world failed and later stagnated to the point of imploding upon itself."

"…"

"Our past world loved freedom. It loved freedom so much that it would later languor in that thought and cause it to lose sight of its goals. In a world where everyone is free to chose what one wants to do, think, say, plan and aim for, what kind of world would that be?"

"Even if you say that, it only means-"

"Means what, Iwasawa? That they can improve themselves in all of that freedom? Don't bend the truth, both of us know that no one can easily achieve anything without being pressured. And what does freedom afford people? Of course, it would erase that pressure and thus, any motivation to improve."

"But there are people who chose to be-"

"A very miniscule few, Iwasawa. A very little number compared to the billions of people who simply let themselves be swept by the world so long as they can be free."

"…"

He is right… I cannot deny that our world deteriorated because those that stagnated it greatly outnumbered those who didn't.

"What differentiates my way from yours?"

"You let your people to do as they wish. You give them freedom, security, companionship… all the needs that they are supposed to earn is now just being fed to them in a silver platter."

"That's not true. Everyone in Kiko who can work is working. There is no place for slackers in my land. Everyone has a meaningful thing to do for the society."

"If that is so, then why does the Kiko Land Guards exist?"

Why is he asking something like that? Isn't it normal for a police force to exist in… wait… no…

"If everyone has a meaningful, rewarding and socially useful job, why does Kiko have the most number of policing forces in this country and why does it allot so much of its national budget to the peacekeeping and law enforcement branches of its government?"

"You can't be saying that…"

"You might have lived a good and peaceful life inside your magnificent harbor city and mountain castle… You made good trips on the vast and fruitful village domains of Aoya, Aketsu and Kagetsuchi. But what about the areas untouched by your development and rule? Does news of starvation at the island towns on your north reach your ears? Has someone ever mentioned the gang violence that is happening like wildfire in the southern towns in Fumikage domain? What about the prison camps in Hikigaya domain, has someone mentioned that they are your province's current definition of slave labor?"

"How… Why has this never reached my ears?"

"Because if it is mentioned, they cannot justify the alibis they use to cover up their wrongdoings. They will incur your suspicion, and in turn, they will lose the freedom that they have been using to their own benefit."

Slowly, I lost focus on the game as I began to imagine the things that he described that I was sure do is happening in Kiko without my knowledge.

"When someone tastes the forbidden fruit, they will learn that they cannot live with it anymore and in turn, they will hide their wrongdoings, shames and involvements… They will use their freedom as a way to protect it and in doing so, commit crimes that they fear would make them lose that freedom."

"What do you propose then to stop this kind of thing from happening?"

Cornered by his words, I asked him as I knew that he cannot say anything else that would solve the problem that I simply sidelined as he said before.

I was mistaken. He had a solution, one that even I that hated it, cannot undermine as not the only solution.

"Everyone must fear something. Everyone has to lack something… Only then will they become desperate enough to give up or set aside their freedom and achieve the things that they are supposed to reach for."

"But that would-"

"Would what, Iwasawa? Will you tell me that they will rebel because they are not free?"

I nodded which made him chuckle lightly before replying with a firm tone.

"At first, they will hate their circumstances. They will complain why they cannot do this or that because they have to constantly handle some inconveniences and solve the problems they will face. But after they reap the constant rewards of facing those hardships, they will grow to love it and so, they will choose to become strong in being challenged than being weak in relative safety."

"If that kind of society works like that, there will be no peace."

"You are wrong. They will have to reach for that peace. And in order to do that, everyone has to handle their own weight because that social structure cannot tolerate any slackers or selfish members."

"Are you saying that…"

"Yes. I lead an authoritarian government where I don't deny them their freedom. I deny them the right to think for only their own self."

Authoritarianism. It's a way of governance that would make people think of brutal militarism, lack of freedom or forcibly taking possessions from the people.

But the way he explained everything. The way he said that he'd force his citizens to get out of the places where they are comfortable at in order to contribute to society. The way he said that any kind of selfishness will be taboo and how his society is directed to continuous and cooperative development…

"You're insane… a society like that can never exist."

"You're wrong again. It already does."

After saying that, he pointed at the Shogi board that I didn't gave much thought at and saw that only a few more pieces are left in my side.

"A society that values freedom, hails it as its most valuable possession and simply hands it over to anyone regardless of their ability to handle its responsibilities or respect the freedom of others are headed to the same fate that our old world plunged itself into."

One by one, the remaining pieces that I have was captured and turned to fight against mine.

"Tch!"

"Someone like you who is headed back to the failure of a world that you came from can never defeat me. You will never defeat something that is aware of its weakness and would do anything in order to overcome it and learn from it."

"NO! STOP!"

"Thinking back at it, maybe believing that we can work together is a mistake… yes, it is definitely a mistake."

At last, he caught my last remaining pieces, and my King piece was the only one left. I am only a few moves away from defeat.

"…"

"But if you can understand my aspirations, learn from it and change your way of leading… maybe you still have a chance of avoiding a repeated scenario as our world."

After saying that, he moved a piece forward into the capturable area of my remaining King piece. It was his own King piece.

"Maybe you still can do what I have always planned you to do."

"What are you saying? That I can do what you wanted me to do?"

He took off his glasses and sighed before replying.

"Let's start from the very beginning shall we, Iwasawa-kun?"

No way… There's no way that he's this powerful… how can I be tricked so much like this…

"You weren't summoned, you weren't reincarnated, you didn't even Stray into this world. You are a special instance, a one unique outcome inside an infinite amount of three of the same outcomes. You woke up in a village that didn't exist, walked inside a land that was never there, and in the end, you met someone who looked like he died but never existed in the first place."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the time you spent by yourself when you initially came here."

How? How did he know?

"Let me correct myself… You didn't exactly reincarnate in this world. Rather, your soul inhabited a body that wasn't yours in the first place. A body that even to this day, you didn't question where it came from."

"You… what are you trying to say?"

"I made you, Iwasawa Hiroshi."

"-!"

What the… is he saying that-

"The body that you are moving in, the name that you are using, the very aspect of yourself that you haven't fully understood and used until now… Everything that you became was from my idea and from my own manipulation."

"Why you-!"

*Pyak-!*

After hearing that, I slammed my hand on the table in anger and would've took him by the collar if not for the woman beside his slapping my hand away with her folding fan.

"…You cannot escape the truth, Iwasawa. It was only because of me that you came here in the first place. You're not aware of how many failures it took to bring someone like you from our former world into here…"

"Hiro…"

"What?"

"My name is Miyazaki Hiro. Don't you dare call me otherwise."

"Oh. Are you actually who you call yourself as?"

"-!"

What am I saying…? Why am I using that name and identity?

"The last time I checked, you weren't Miyazaki Hiro… Am I right?"

"No… Don't tell me that…"

"You are Subject 32-C."

That codename… that darned codename!

"Are you one of those-"

"Whoa there… Don't try to suspect me as one of those wackos… Even I won't go that far."

"…"

I don't know if I should trust him… He's saying that he's not one of those scientists who cloned and conditioned me. But how does he know my codename?

"Since I've already said it, I guess there's no reason to not explain it…"

He looked at the woman beside him and she leaned sidewards to take a book from a basket beside the table.

"This is…"

"A document from Miyazono Genetic Laboratories. One of the few that survived the fall of the company. Here, I learned about your story and was convinced that an abnormal existence like you who later died with an unfulfilled goal would surely have a high chance of coming to this new world."

What he gave me was the exact documents that I saw at my time in the cloning facility. It contained all of our data and on the last pages, detailed my life as Miyazaki Hiro before I saved that girl and later died.

"I don't understand… Just who are you?"

"I am nothing special, Iwasawa-kun. Just someone who kept his head down in a world so enamored by its own freedom and later died for saying the bitter truth."

I closed the folder and tried my best to not look like I am being overwhelmed by the things he just told to me.

"The books that you found in that cave, the horse that was left there and the knife you later gave to the Kusanagi princess. I left it there as my way of boosting the success of your reign, which was also one of my many ways to manipulate things behind the scenes."

"Are you saying that you were responsible for the Kiko Three's decision to make me the Daimyo of Kiko?"

"Why are you so confused? Do you think that just any random village doctor can become the Daimyo? If I didn't make my own moves to influence the decision of those three old men to settle on someone who isn't in their group of nobles, the entirety of Kiko will be engulfed in a civil war, your beloved Aoyama Chiyo will be used as a bargaining chip for her father's war effort and the youth and innocence of the little girl whom you're trying to use to usurp my reign will be the first casualty as she becomes an important political puppet that everyone wants to possess."

"How… How can you say all of that?"

"The Phantom of Kiko, do you remember the moniker of the man that I left in that province to watch over your reign?"

"-!"

I remember him. He was the guy who saved me from an assassin, the one who gave me a jewel necklace and later died because I didn't want to be under his orders anymore.

"Then the development of Kiko… the opening of massive trade routes and the willingness of the merchants to trade iron and other resources for a lowered price…"

"My work as well. You don't have to thank me."

At this moment, I knew it. I have never achieved anything at all.

"Sir, here is your daifuku buns and green tea."

As the waitress placed a plate of the snacks and the cup of green tea on the table, I took the warm cup and silently sipped it without looking at anyone.

"If not for me and my actions, you will be nothing, Iwasawa. You will never become a Daimyo, never become someone significant to your people and probably not alive as well."

"…"

As he moved my own King piece to capture his King piece, that is the moment when I knew that everything he revealed and said was the truth.

If not for him manipulating things, I cannot achieve anything. I can't even grasp the victory that I need, and he had to take it for me.

"I thought you will learn when I gave you your challenge of leading your people in the war in Yukonami. I thought that you will realize that letting people to do as they wish will make their differences obvious and as such, you'll change your thoughts about them and lead them to realize their own weaknesses and need to improve their selves to help out other people. Instead, what I got was someone who simply considered others as his enemy and orders his men to do the same and meet them with death."

"…"

"Then the assassination attempts are also your work?"

"They aren't mine, but I didn't stop it, so you'll constantly think of what to do to solve it. Instead, you came here to blame it on me, so you'll have a scapegoat for the things that you are meant to solve by yourself."

He stood up to leave while I still have unanswered questions.

"Wait! I'm still not done with-!"

But then, everyone who was walking at the street, everyone who was eating or drinking in the tea house, just all the people that was in that area stopped what they were doing to look at me and Minori who was both shocked of the sight.

"Minori, what is happening?"

"We're surrounded. I'll signal the Crows to-"

"Sorry sir…"

Just before he drew his signal flare to make our comrades to spring into action, they appeared behind us with their hands raised and some soldiers pointing swords and pistols behind them.

"Remember these words, Iwasawa…"

"…"

"While I am the Shogun of this country, you will never gain an advantage. My men are everywhere, followers who are prepared to die for me and my cause. Not a single thing can be a secret to me, I can manipulate everything to fit my desired plans, and you can never have an ace on the sleeve while I am in power."

After he took the woman beside him by the hand to let her stand up, he turned around and threw something at the table while everyone is still not moving and staring at me.

"Unless you find a better method to save this world and you can prove that my concept of governance and society is flawed, I will spread my control, I will dispose anyone who doesn't want to contribute to society, and I will never let them be free in this world that I am saving from future ruin."

"This is…"

"Farewell, Iwasawa Hiroshi. We won't be meeting for a great while."

The thing he threw on the table was the same blue jeweled necklace that the Phantom of Kiko gave me. But now, it has changed slightly.

"That necklace is…"

"A blue iris flower."

After he rode his carriage and left, the people moved again and to our surprise, they began to take down the entire town.

"W-what?"

"H-Hey… this is…"

From houses that looked like it was here all this time, to stores that initially looked full of products but was merely filled on the brim, everything was taken down like a movie set when the videotaping is over.

"Minori, I thought this town was an important trade city? What is the meaning of this?"

"I… I believe that that information is also something that he manipulated to become factual… He surely knows his stuff."

Soon, we were left in the middle of nowhere. Everyone was gone with the detached buildings and the only object left there was the table, the chairs, the Shogi board and the food that I ordered.

"Iwasawa-sama…"

"…Let's go back. I need to think."

"Understood."

Today, I lost every sense of pride that I ever held. All the achievements that I thought I won, all the things I did that I thought was something that I brilliantly thought as a solution to my problems and the very method that I use to govern my people… All of it is now gone. Claimed by the fact that the person who was responsible for it was never me but the man who all this time, I thought was my enemy.