Tensei Shite Inaka de Slowlife wo Okuritai

Kojirou　A Brother One Can Be Proud Of

「Here, this is your unadon」

I entered Kaede’s room to bring her the unadon and thrust it in front of Kaede who was sitting inside quietly.

Then, Kaede stares at the unadon with suspicious eyes. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

That’s the same look as Kinugasa. She must have been thinking ‘Cooking an eel will not make it delicious’ or something. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

However, that is a big mistake. In reality, after you tried it you would understand it on your own.

「Kojirou, give me my bowl quickly.......」

「Yes」

While I was smirking at Kaede, I was shrewdly urged by mother - who was sitting next to Kaede - to give her the unadon.

Sure enough, it looks like mother is also going to eat unadon. Or rather, did she tell Kaede to try unadon so she can eat unadon herself from the start?

I can’t help thinking like that when I see my mother sitting there somewhat restless.

And so I handed the prepared unadon for her just in case while having that thought.

But, the main character for today - Kaede - only stares at her bowl and doesn’t show any sign of going to eat it.

「Come on, try the unadon」

「……I know」

After I urge her, Kaede unwillingly picked up the chopstick and lifted the unadon.

Removing the lid, the steam rises and the fragrant smell of eel and the rich sauce floated up.

A beautifully grilled eel and its sauce appear, and under those, you can see rice that has been soaked in the sauce.

Aah, just as I thought, unadon’s smell is explosive. Just smelling this makes me feel hungry.

It’s a bewitching smell different from any other dish. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

Even Kaede couldn’t resist the smell as her expression is filled with surprise and curiosity.

「T, this is unadon」

「That’s right. What a nice smell, eh?」

Kaede tightened her slackened expression when I said that while grinning.

「……it’s the taste that is important」

Fufufu, means she thinks the smell is good.

I grin at my sister’s easy-to-understand bluff.

Now then, next is the taste.

I will have her retract her previous words after submitting to the deliciousness of the unadon.

As I looked at her while imagining such a future, Kaede put the eel and rice into her mouth.

Then, Kaede’s eyes opened wide. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

「How is it?」

As I asked her with a strong sense of confidence, Kaede slowly put down her chopsticks and bowl.

「――..」

It seems like she can’t say anything due to the tastiness of the unadon.

「Hm? I can’t hear you, y’know?」

「It’s bad」

And when I asked him for the second time, Kaede briefly answered like that.

Unable to understand what she meant, I asks again with a hoarse voice.

「Just now, what did you say?」

「I said, this is bad. This thing is not something that can be eaten!」

Ha? The unadon I made is not tasty? That’s absurd.

I tasted the unadon when I make it, but there shouldn’t be any particular taste in it.

Of course, it might still be unsatisfactory compared to the one Al made. But it should have been grilled properly and the outside texture should be crispy enough.

I also tried to eat the unadon Kaede tasted.

It has the same taste as the one I made yesterday. It’s something that made the Shogun - Gouki-sama - and my mother’s taste buds overwhelmed with pleasure.

Even my mother who is beside me said something like 「Saying unadon is bad, you’re lying right?」 with a bewildered face.

「What part of this is bad!? I may still be inexperienced in making them and some parts might be not good but the outside texture is crispy and the meat is also soft. And the combination of the sauce and rice is also excellent, isn’t it!」

「Even so something bad will still be bad! Rather than making something like this, brother should just continue being a swordsman!」

I finally wanted to do something from the bottom of my heart. And now you said it’s ‘something like this’?

It’s fine to call my cooking bad. There was also the fact that my cooking skill is still not good enough, and there is also the possibility that Kaede doesn’t like an eel to begin with. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

But, I could not forgive her for making fun of the dish my friend - Al - taught me.

「……Kaede, shut it」

Even I am also surprised at how low my tone of voice was. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

Hearing that, Kaede showed an obvious expression of fear. I did not mean to direct such an emotion toward my cute little sister, but I could not suppress my emotion right now.

However, Kaede boldly told me.

「I, I won’t be quiet! Brother should continue being a swordsman!」

「Either way, I have already returned my sword to Gouki-sama, so it’s impossible already」

「Then, I will go with you to apologize」

From Kaede’s determined expression and tone, I could keenly feel that - from the bottom of her heart - she is worried for me.

Despite being strict with her words, my sister is still more considerate and cares about me more than others.

There is no way she will be happy about my decision.

But, I also can not give up on this. If just this much is enough to sway my resolution, then I will not quit being a swordsman in the first place.

「……I’m not going back to the castle」

「If so, it can’t be helped. Let’s have a duel」

Kaede got up and quietly said that after I expressed my resolution.

She has a face full of determination and the resolution of a swordsman.

「If I win, brother have to go with me to the castle」

「Very well. But if I win, you have to take back what you said earlier and apologize」

This is illogical. Like a clash of our emotions.

Kaede wants me to return to the castle and continue being a swordsman.

While I want Kaede to recognize unadon.

That’s all there is to it.

Even if I don’t have a duel or the like, I have already quit being a swordsman.  I can just avoid this situation, but I would not be able to face Al if I did that. w

ww.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

「I will acknowledge this duel. The both of you will use a wooden sword, it’s a one-game duel」

Mother solemnly announces when Kaede and I are glaring at each other.

It looks like she has been eating the unadon all this time since there is rice stuck on her cheeks.

I’m happy that she liked the unadon, but I wish she could read the air a bit.

◆

Having decided to have a duel with Kaede, I move to the courtyard with a wooden sword in my hand.

This place is the training ground of the Inaba family, it’s not as pretty as the garden. It’s only a place covered in soft soil.

After I finished changing my clothes and arrived here, I saw that Kaede was already waiting.

Kaede is meditating quietly with her eyes closed. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

She is probably having a simulation of our fight from here on.

Ever since we were kids, Kaede and I have been practicing with the sword. We sparred for thousands, ten thousand times, I am already unable to count how many times we spar with each other.

We understand each other, to the point of picking up each of our habits or skill, so it would be important to maneuver and read the other side’s moves.

When approached her and arrived at around ten meters distance from her, Kaede opened her eyes.

Kaede calmly takes a stance with her wooden sword.

She looks at me with sharp eyes filled with a strong will. She is more serious than usual.

However, I am also the same. Just this time, I will not lose.

「Are you both ready?」

When I also assumed a stance, our mother - who acts as the referee - spoke from the external corridor.

Kaede and I quietly nodded.

「Then, begin!」

In the middle of the tension-filled training ground, our mother’s sharp voice resounds.

「Deeyaaaaaaaaaaa!」

The first person who moved was Kaede. She shortened the distance between us in an instant, closed in and attacked me with a slash.

Thrusting, a diagonal downward, upward slash, they have all been taught to use ever since we were kids.

They are basic movements everyone regards as something common, but in the hand of an expert like Kaede, they possess both sharpness and speed that will become deadly.

The average swordsman would have been taken out without even being able to receive the attack or avoid it.

But, I am not the average swordsman. And besides, I knew that Kaede would attack me like this.

Above all, I was the one who taught her this. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

There is no way I will be unable to understand the advantages and disadvantages of my own technique.

I bend my body just in time to avoid the sword slashes one after another.

Then, I stretched my leg as Kaede was about to fix her posture.

「Uwaa!?」

Immediately after that, my leg caught Kaede’s legs and she fell forward.

「Kuhh!」

But, Kaede immediately reacts and stands up to avoid my follow-up attack.

Her nose was red like she had been hit hard and there was sand stuck on her cheek.

Looking at my sister with such an appearance almost made me want to call out in worry, but we were now in a duel so I stopped myself.

Not caring for the sand stuck on her cheek, Kaede came slashing at me again.

Having seen through it all, I avoid them all with a paper-thin margin and I only need to ward off the attacks with the minimum of movements of my sword.

Such fine evasion movements use your nerves and are troublesome to use, but I can not say something like that right now. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

「Wh, why? Even though I can usually hit you....」

「I’m sorry, Kaede. I’m being serious today」

In practice, my winning percentage is 60% while Kaede is 40%. And it’s almost 50-50.

However, that is only when we are practicing in the castle.

「’Being serious today’....so you are saying that you are usually not serious!?」

「Yeah」

No matter how skilled you are, even now the fact is there is still a strong sense of discrimination toward women.

If Kaede were to continue to be thoroughly beaten every time, then there may be voices of doubt that arise toward female swordsmen. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

Even with Gouki-sama’s and the Inaba’s support, there is still strong criticism toward female swordsmen.

「Even though you are such a sloppy older brother, I thought you were serious about swordsmanship more than anyone else!」

Hearing my answer, Kaede burst out in anger mixed with some disappointment at me.

As Kaede becomes angrier, her attacks become simpler and straightforward.

And I - who understood her habit from a young age - disturbed her pace by closing our distance.

And when Kaede was about to close in and slash at me, I stretched my leg again.

Kaede was then rolling on the ground, but she immediately stood up and came at me.

Going that far, do you really want me to stay as a swordsman that much? Will you support my decision to become a swordsman then? As an older brother, I am happy to see my little sister expressing such honest feelings toward me.

However, I also have something I can not give up on. Quit as a swordsman, making delicious unadon, and opening a restaurant to spread it throughout Kagura.

I promised my friend. I can not afford to lose my sight in a place like this.

I swing my sword, aiming at Kaede’s arm as she raises her arm and is about to make a downward slash from overhead.

And perhaps I hit her at the moment when her grip strength was not strong since her sword flew away and fell to the ground. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

I lightly hit her head while she was looking up at me in a daze.

「This is one point for me」

And when I hit her to get the point, Kaede...

「U, uuuuh......」

「What’s wrong!? Does it hurt a lot? Or did your face hurt when you fell before!?」

Seeing my sister suddenly crying, I spontaneously became flustered. Sure enough, although it was a duel, could it be because she fell several times? But, the stubborn and obstinate Kaede wouldn’t have been convinced if I kept on dodging so what should I do then? www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com

「N, no. It doesn’t hurt」

「Sorry, I should have done it a little more carefully. I lost my cool against my better judgment, it’s oniichan’s fault」

「Uuuuuh, hic......then, will you come to the castle with me?」

「No, that’s still impossible. I won this duel」

As expected, even I - who is weak to my sister - still can not agree to her wish.

Or rather, I’m the one who won this duel.

「Fine, idiot oniichan ー!」

When I bluntly said that, Kaede shouted in anger and ran away.

I wanted to chase after her seeing her sad figure running away, but I could not do that right now.

As I stood still like that, Mother approached me and says.

「Kaede has always been chasing after your back. And, she must have been happy she could stand side-by-side with you in the castle」

「Yes, I knew of that」

Kaede has always been chasing after me since long ago, and she looked like she was happy having a spar with me.

I also enjoyed spending my time with Kaede.

And even when I was about to be crushed by the pressure from the Inaba house and my mother, that innocent smile of hers saved me many times.

I was very proud that we siblings managed to become top swordsmen in the castle.

But, I have found a new path for myself and thus, I can not stay there.

I want to convey the completed unadon that Al taught me and share the same strong emotion I felt from the unadon with others. I want to make people smile.

And so, this time I want to make Kaede smile from eating unadon.

I might have spent my daily life feeling disillusioned with Kaede for some time, but eventually, I want to make Kagura’s most delicious unadon.

And at that time, I want to become a brother Kaede will be able to be proud of.

Author note :

This is the end of Kojirou’s side story.

Next will be Alfried’s story, and the nobles' Harvest Festival