Yamiyo no Hotaru

Chapter 33

It must have been a strange sight to the onlookers. A single ox-cart and a pair of figures were moving side by side through the streets of the capital, which were organized neatly and spread out in a grid-like pattern.

No, there is no problem at that point. The problem was the family crest engraved on the luxurious oxcart with several maids and servants, and above all, the behavior of the person inside, which must be said to be out of the ordinary.

It belonged to the Tachibana Trading Company, which was known as one of the ten, if not five, largest trading companies in Fuso-kuni, and was one of the three largest trading companies in terms of foreign trade alone, especially in imported goods. The family crest of Tachibana, which not only meant that the person belonged to the trading company but also represented the Tachibana family itself, which succeeded the chairman of the company, was proudly displayed in gold letters on the ox carriage.

In the capital, where many rare items from across the sea gather and where the head office of the trading company is located, this family crest by itself has great authority. If it were a member of a royal family or a feudal lord, it's all right, but if it were a poor noble family with no manor or a small family that can mobilize only a hundred warriors, they would surrender easily.

Now, what attracts people's attention and at the same time gives a strange impression to those who see it is the eccentric or outrageous behavior of the girl who is getting into the oxcart.

The girl getting into the ox cart is Tachibana Kayo, the daughter of the chairman of the Tachibana Trading Company. She has bright honey-colored hair, which is rare in this country, and eyes that remind people of jade... She also has a pale and pretty face full of exoticism that reminds people of Nanban people in the west and wears a green-toned hakama that incorporates Nanban designs. Moreover, she has a sweet scent of citrus fruits, perhaps because of her perfume, which is associated with the house of Tachibana? If such a person, who appears rarely, opens the window of the oxcart and shows her face, it would certainly attract attention. After all, a noble woman would not show her face unnecessarily in front of a large number of people, which makes it all the more shocking.

"As I thought, your mask isn't pretty enough. Why don't you take it off? Your visibility is not so good, isn't it dangerous when walking?"

"I've already explained that proposal to you."

"It's a pity."

...it is obvious that she would attract people's attention in a bad way if she, who is a daughter above the clouds in the eyes of ordinary people, opens her window to the full and talks almost one-sidedly with a smiling face to a servant and a young servant. Moreover, if the content of the conversation is not obligatory but clearly private...

(And generally, the hate is directed toward us...)

It was a good decision to leave the central main street, knowing that it would be a long way to return home. Even now, every time we pass someone, we are met with curiosity, suspicion, astonishment, or even hatred... I wonder what would have happened if we had been on Suzaku-street (Suzaku is the name of one of the four celestial animals in Japanese mythology) with its traffic jams?

...Surely there is no lack of jealousy, but this is a world where people can barely survive, let alone rise to the top, and where there is not much entertainment. In such a world, people of lower rank who are looked at by those of higher rank are too conspicuous. They may look like scumbags who take advantage of a lowly and naive young lady, and even if they are not, it's not a problem.

The truth, the reality, and the actuality are unimportant. They just want something to take out their frustration and grudge against in this hard world. And right now, I am the perfect target.