A Shogun's Fall

Chapter 5: The Trial

*Click* *Clank* *Click* *Clank*

Under the calming blue skies and the light of the warm sun, Kotaro along with his men were riding towards Narukami city. There were about fifteen men including Kaiden who rode from the Kamisato household to the capital city of Inazuma island which is called Inazuma city. It wasn't that far but it would take at least a day or two to arrive through the use of horseback riding. The group wasn't in a hurry so, they just relaxed for a bit while also keeping their guard out to spot any bandit ambush. Currently, Kamisato Kotaro was talking with Kaiden while the others behind him continued to ride in silence. 

"So, it's been almost a year now since you have been captured. I wonder why you're Empire isn't fighting back. Do you know a reason?" Kotaro asked.

"The Empire won't stop until they are either defeated or they win. For now, they're biding their time to prepare for another invasion." Kaiden answers him. 

"Is that right?" Kotaro asked without any hint of fear in his voice. "Well, I guess you can tell the Shogun about it," Kotaro said. "I'm sure she has a lot of questions regarding our encounter with your forces." 

"Perhaps. I honestly still don't know why she wouldn't just outright kill me." 

"Maybe the Shogun is actually looking for a husband and found you?" Kotaro jokingly suggested that and shortly after, he laughed.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," Kaiden said sarcastically. 

As soon as Kotaro stopped laughing, he sighed while looking up at the skies. "It's peaceful, isn't it?"

"You're right," Kaiden answered.

"When all of this is over... I'd like to have another match with you in that game of chess. I find it fun." Kotaro said as he reminisce about the time they had played chess.

*Flashback*

 Back in the Kamisato mansion, there was a man who delivered a parcel for the patriarch of the Kamisato family. Kotaro was unaware of the parcel as he did not order anything, even if he did. He wouldn't have waited that long. The delivery man said his goodbyes as Hori also bows down. Hori looked at the parcel which was a brown box, it was flat, it was square, and not rectangular in shape.  

"I wonder what this is?" She asked herself out loud as she goes to Kotaro's study room. As soon as she reached the doors, she announces herself. "Kamisato-sama, there is a parcel here for you," She said.

From inside the room, Kotaro was reading some of the books in the library and when he heard Hori's voice, he wondered what the parcel was. Standing up, he said. "Alright."

Standing up from his chair, he opened the sliding door and took the parcel from Hori. He thanked her and she left and returned to her duties. As for Kotaro, he went back to the table and opened the parcel. Once he drudged through the whole box, he saw another box but this time it had a simple design of black and white tiles. Kotaro opened the box and saw the chest board along with the chess pieces. 

"A shogi board?" He asked himself. "Strange, I've never seen the pieces like these before...." He said as he analyzes the pawn piece. "I wonder if Kaiden-san knows about this." 

Putting the piece back, he walked out of the room with the chess board and went to look for Kaiden, he then saw him trying his best with calligraphy with Ayaka. Kaiden was struggling too much as he tries to emulate what Ayaka was doing, he even looked at her work as he tries to copy it. Ayaka just laughed at his antics. 

"That's not how you write with a brush, Kaiden-san." 

"Really? I was trying to do what you did with yours."