The General's Thoughts (Aether x Sara)

Chapter 5: Intentions

"So.. the Almighty Shogun... likes this sort of story." Sara worded it out slowly, confirming it for a final time. She said it in a way that seemed as if there was a lump stuck within her throat.

Her once gleaming eyes at the start turned murky after the horrifying tale. Sara began ruminating more and more about what she had just read, processing it in detail.

'A... story with many females in love with a man. What could the Almighty Shogun's goal be in this? Could there be a hidden secret that lies within this novel? Perhaps, it could pertain to the eternity she seeks...' Sara thought of the possibilities, gauging each intention the Shogun might have had, before taking another apprehensive look at the closed book.

It was a novel with the cover of a brown haired male who had ordinary looks surrounded by seven distinct heroines. An overly used trope but remained fresh depending on how each author tackles it.

'...As if.' She dismissed the idea.

Nobody dared to make a comment whilst Sara basically gave a death stare to the unmoving book at the counter.

Sara wanted to be careful not to release her true feelings regarding the novel if the Shogun truly found interest in it. Alas it leaked out even though she tried her best.

Though she remained assured that there was no way the book could be linked to eternity, there must have been something which drew the Shogun's interest to it.

A faint trace of doubt sprouted within her about the Raiden and herself due to this novel, growing by the moment. As a loyal subject of the Shogunate, it was her mission to understand the Raiden Shogun no matter how small the action was.

'To begin with, is that even how love works? Being persistent in advances towards the dense target... Could that be the way to shoot through someone's heart emotionally?' Sara shook her head as if waving off those thoughts.

She had realized these late questions weren't even related to the Shogun anymore. She needed to be careful in avoiding to think about implausible scenarios and her own thoughts regarding romance.

'No, I shouldn't continue to ponder about something I'm unfamiliar with. I just need to have faith in the Almighty Shogun as always.'

She cleared up her throat before fixing her complexion with a look of newfound enlightenment,

"No, it is not 'like'... It is simply interest. Yes, only interest. The Almighty Shogun must have had some profound idea in mind when she read this." She said proudly, believing she finally cracked the code to the mystery behind the Shogun's interest.

"Sara.. stop..." Aether weakly said, almost coughing blood from regret and guilt for bring her here. He was clutching his chest tightly as he stared at Sara, suffering from imaginary pain and secondhand embarrassment.

Despite Sara's words, her face was as red as a beet failing to look confident, inciting muffled laughter from Kuroda.

"Not your type of story, Madam Kujou Sara?" He asked fixing his glasses upwards, deciding to add a comment. Kuroda was now used to dealing with high-positioned women encountering their first light novels.

He could already be considered an expert in introducing light novels now!

The bespectacled man then rose another book which contained the cover of a bruised man in rags backed by the Raiden Shogun's silhouette behind him, pulling out the Musou no Hitotachi from her chest.

Purple outlines made the presentation of the blanked out Raiden Shogun silhouette eye-catching, while managing to guide the gaze further down towards the man. It was illustrated in a way to make the Raiden seem like a shadow, highlighting the man in rags, perfectly conveying the simple theme of the story.

Reincarnating as the Shogun.

Sara turned her head away not wishing to see the raised novel. Any more of these light novels would endanger her state of mind.

She tore her gaze off from the books to meet with Aether but was greeted with a man lowering his upper-half, performing a complete and perfect 90 degree bow. This gesture showed his genuine respect and... apology.

"W-what are you doing?" Sara started to question Aether, her voice intensifying.

"I-I'm so sorry!" The traveler uttered still bowing, not showing signs of ceasing. "...Truth is, me and Paimon were the ones who introduced the novel to the Shogu-"

"..." Sara's disoriented stare morphed quickly into a choking glare, stopping Aether.

"n..." He trailed off.

"...Continue. Tell me of Her Excellency's thoughts."

Aether's face paled when he realized he practically signed his death certificate.

"...Uh. She was confused on why they were all interested in a single man...and why couldn't he just accept all his..... admirers."

Sometimes, in this world...one should merely keep quiet. The truth hath no need to be leaked out.

"We'll move now." Kujou Sara said simply, walking away from the publishing house. She didn't want to be involved in or associated with the Yae Publishing House anymore.

Kuroda thanked the heavens for her departure but then realized,

"Wait... you didn't even buy anything again!" Kuroda snapped at the Traveler in Sara's place, he wouldn't dare bring it up to a general after all. She had essentially read an entire book for free but unfortunately for Kuroda, the blonde haired man didn't show any care whatsover as her representative.

Aether was just glad and made a gasp of relief, feeling like he had dodged an arrow. At the same time, he pitied Sara since there was an extreme lack of context to the situation.

He hurriedly apologized to Kuroda and bought one of the books to appease his anger. Aether placed it within his bag then shifted his attention to the lady walking further away.

Aether followed after her despite himself not knowing the destination. Rushing his pace, he barely managed to keep up with Sara who had wandered off after hearing his words.

He slowed down his footsteps as Sara continued to pace faster. When he thought of why she'd so such a thing, his head lowered to face the concrete ground depressively. He believed that he had ruined today's hangout.

Aether's head cocked upwards when she halted in place, arriving at her stop. He dropped his jaw as he saw the destination Sara had in mind.

His eyes focused on the pink signboards and numerous clothing folded neatly, each diverse in pattern and style which were displayed on shelves. With textiles sorted and placed together within a crate alongside lanterns which hung over the entrance, Aether knew he was no stranger to this place.

Following his eyes to the interior, a lovely pink kimono with flower patterns was hung and displayed intetionally to catch eyes. The kimono was placed at the top middle section of the wooden boarded wall so that it could garner attention easily.

A clothing store. Specifically Ogura's Textiles and Kimono shop.

"So, you've made it." Sara said as she placed her hand on her waist, making a soft smirk to his astonishment.

"Why are you looking so surprised? They say that clothing can change a person's nature and the air around them."

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