The Nine Tails Saga: Side Stories

The Boy and the Beetle II

The arrival of night brought with it the lighting of streetlamps and candles as Ichiro joined his parents for dinner. His score with Shinrokurō still bore heavy on his mind, and he couldn't wait for a chance to search for the perfect beetle. 

He sat with his elbows on the table and rested his chin against both hands while his parents took their positions on either side of him. To Ichiro's distaste, his father Susumu noticed his lazy comportment and chided him with narrowed eyes. 

"Sit up straight, young man. You'll never attract a girl with that hunched back."

Ichiro puckered his lips, finding the very idea of a girl being interested in him repulsive. With the exception of his mother, they were frivolous and stupid creatures who would make his life utter hell if he allowed them to become his playmates. Therefore, he chose to defy his father by leaning further forward.

Susumu grabbed Ichiro by the shoulder before jerking him upright. Ichiro winced while flailing his arms. "No! Papa!"

"All our hopes rest on you, so you have to become a man worthy of the world's respect. Do you understand?"

Ichiro's arms returned to his sides as Susumu released him. "Yes, papa," he said in dull spirits before remembering the name of the tea master who served under Lord Toyotomi. "If Sen no Rikyū can reach an illustrious position, then so can I..." 

"Exactly." Susumu picked up his chopsticks, which signaled to Ichiro and his mother that they could do the same. "This is why we've been teaching you the proper way to serve tea. So that maybe one day, an important person will see your skills and employ you in their service."

"And when will that happen?" Ichiro asked while prodding his rice. 

"When you come of age. Our family has struggled far too long, and we mustn't waste any opportunity."

Ichiro thought of Shinrokurō, and smiled a moment later, because he knew that this new friendship could be used in his favor. "Mother, father, I met another boy today. His family lives in a big house and they wear nice clothes."

Two pairs of chopsticks came down at once. Ichiro's mother Kaede reached his side first and her hand brushed against his cheek. "Is that true, darling?"

"Yes, mother." Ichiro pushed her arm away to prove that he was a grown boy who didn't need her affection. "His name is Shinrokurō."

Susumu grinned and used his large hand to ruffle Ichiro's hair, which still hadn't grown long enough to be tied into a topknot. "That's what I'm talking about. What's he like?"

Ichiro saw another chance and took it. "He won't play with me unless I find a beetle just as good as his. Also, his mother doesn't like me because I look poor."

Susumu gasped and Kaede retreated to her original position. Ichiro began to regret being so honest and shrunk in shame. "Sorry for disappointing you both..." 

"No. We still have a chance," Susumu insisted after a long silence. "We'll save enough money to visit a tailor and ask a neighbor to help you with beetle hunting. But, at the same time, you shouldn't get lost in childish games. You're already eight, and you'll be a man before you know it."

"Of course, father," Ichiro mumbled in response despite finding it difficult to believe that he would become an adult so soon. A day often felt like an eternity to him, let alone a month or a year, and he suspected that he would sooner see the end of the world than grow to be as tall as his parents. "I'll do my best."

"That's my boy. Now, eat up and make us proud."

******

Following a restless night, Ichiro got out of bed in accordance with his mother's wishes and was introduced to the person who would be overseeing his beetle hunt. A bitterness formed in his throat when he recognized the gray hair and wrinkled face of his neighbor Shinobu. 

"Good morning, little one," she greeted before giving a hearty laugh. "Your mother says she can't accompany you, so I'll be taking her place. I think the two of us will have plenty of fun." Her back creaked as she stood up and shuffled forward with swollen hands outstretched, ready to squeeze his cheeks like he was a fleshy doll. "Come to granny. I promise I won't hurt you..." 

Ichiro smelled her foul breath and panicked. He flung his foot at her shin, only to overstretch himself and fall over from a loss of balance. Shinobu towered over him with a gleeful grin, then crouched down to lift his frail body right over her shoulder. 

"There's nothing to be afraid of, my sweet. I'll return you to your parents by tonight," she announced in a mocking manner. "Or maybe keep you to myself. Whichever is better."

The chuckle she gave afterwards sent Ichiro from panic into a frenzied resistance. "Mama, help me!" he screamed, convinced that he was about to be stolen just like his sister. "I don't want to leave you and pa!" 

However, no response or rescue came, and Shinobu continued to carry him off to a place only she knew of. 

******

Historical Note: Sen no Rikyū was a merchant's son from Sakai who studied tea ceremony and Zen, eventually becoming a tea master for both Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi when the former died. Unfortunately, he was forced by Hideyoshi to commit ritual suicide in 1591, which probably discouraged anyone from trying to become like him.