Chapter 106 THE SAIKANJI’S SECRET ART
Lily decided to enter the mountain tomorrow as she walked on the increasingly quiet street. The rising of the moon indicated that it was indeed night time already. As she continued to walk down the street, she wondered to herself whether she would finally catch sight of the daybreak tomorrow.
She turned towards a well-maintained and spacious street. At the other end of the street was a white wall with ornamental wooden doors. Beyond that wall was the residence of the Saikanji house.
“Miss Kagami, l- long time no see!” The one who greeted her was none other than Taihara Sugiyama. Lily’s impression of him wasn’t actually that deep.
After entering the courtyard, she made way towards her guest room.
However, as she passed through a certain hall, she could hear Nanako’s weeping sound and slapping sound coming from within.
From the look of it, that must be the inner court of Saikanji Yomika. She was probably disciplining her daughter.
Lily’s heart throbbed. She took pity on Nanako, but this was also within expectation. There were indeed a few times when she was too rampant and neglectful. It was one thing if she bullied other people, but this time she even got herself into danger. It was only natural for her mother to discipline her. Lily believed it would be for the best for her to stay out of their family matters.
However, wasn’t she also invited to Yomika’s inner house later?
Is Yomika planning to discipline me too?
Lily shook off the thought, ‘Nonono, there’s no way that would happen. I’m a guest, not her daughter. And they’re even going to be relying on me in the future, I shouldn’t undervalue myself like this.’
But then, after taking a few dozen more steps, Lily came to a halt.
“Nanako will be my vassal in the future, as her master, is it really a good idea to ignore it when she’s being punished by others?”1
Lily quietly turned around and made her way towards her inner house. When she arrived in front of the door, she happened to notice that the door wasn’t closed firmly. There was a small opening enough for her to peek into it.
As Lily took a stealthy glance, her face immediately blushed.
That Nanako was indeed being spanked by Yomika. She was lying down on Yomika’s lap, with her skirt lifted up to the waist. She didn’t wear anything down her waist and her smooth lower half was completely exposed.
“As the lady of the Saikanji house, you are much too careless. You even signed a slavery contract with the others. If not because Miss Kagami is broad-minded and open, wouldn’t my Saikanji house be shamed entirely because of you?!”
“Slap! Slap! Slap!”
Nanako’s hands were locked behind her back by Yomika as she spanked her without holding anything back.
“Mom— I’m sorry, I was wrong! Boo hoo hoo!”
Lily was surprised by Nanako’s conduct. She was normally so proud and unruly, but when her mother was spanking her, she didn’t even resist and only weep like a baby. If she knew this was coming, then why act so willful all the time.
Afraid that she would be discovered in an awkward position, Lily decided to stop watching and secretly left.
After returning to her room, Lily took a short nap. She woke up by the time she felt the promised time was near.
There wasn’t enough time left to take a bath, so she had the servants bring two basins of water into her room. One to wash her face, neck, and breasts.
As for the other one… she lifted her skirt and squatted on top of the basin, then used a white towel to wash her bottom.2
For better or worst, she was a girl now and needed to wash her body every day. Sometimes, the condition may not be that good since this was the Heian period and all, so she had no choice but to wash like this. This method of bathing was a common practice among the girls of this time period.
After Lily put on a pink kimono with indigo flowers, she walked towards Yomika’s room with small and graceful steps.
“Madam, Lily has come as appointed.”
The door was closed tightly this time. Not a sound could be heard from inside, but then, she could hear some strange yet unclear sound. The entire place was shrouded by an elusive atmosphere much different from before.
“Madam?”
Lily could feel someone in the room, yet they remained quiet. Worried that something might have happened, she pulled open the sliding door.
Shift!
In the room dimly lit by the candle flame, all she saw was Saikanji Yomika and Nanako, the mother and daughter, being tied together by a thick rope and was hung in midair with their backs facing each other.3
Their bodies were bound tightly by the rope, and their hair was a total mess. Their expression was a mix of depression and shame. Even their mouths were stuffed by a piece of cloth.
“Madam! Nanako!” Lily immediately blushed at the sight, but as she thought this was done by some perverted robber, she immediately spread out her Spirit Waves. Contrary to expectation, she didn’t find anyone in the vicinity, nor was there any trace of fighting in the room.
Regardless of that, Lily first rushed up to Yomika to remove the cloth in her mouth.
“Madam! What’s going on?” Lily asked anxiously.
Though Yomika looked dejected, she was not panicked at all. After exhaling a sweet sigh, she said, “Miss Kagami, my daughter is insensible and ignorant, she had repeatedly offended you in Takeshita and yet, you still saved her. Since our Saikanji house has decided to pledge our loyalty to you in the future, we must naturally devote our heart and soul to apologize to you. This is to show our guilt and good faith towards you, Miss Kagami!”
“Miss Kagami, the mistakes of my daughter lies with my lack of discipline. For Nanako to turn out like this, it is my responsibility as a mother to receive punishment along with her. Please, punish us to your heart’s content, Miss Kagami! Don’t hold back at all, otherwise, I would be too embarrassed to face you!”
Yomika said with that with a deep red face and rough breath. No sense of guilt or shame could be detected from her words at all. On the contrary, her face had a look of expectation.
On the other hand, Nanako was really ashamed. She was already at her limit to be seen like this, and now her mother was adding salt to injury. How would she be able to face Lily like this in the future!
“Huh? That… um… j -just what are you saying, madam? Nanako is a good girl, I believe that if I am in trouble, she will come and save me without fail. Besides, even if she did something wrong, we can just discipline her. There’s no need for the madam to chastise herself! Quick, madam, please come down and don’t be like this!”
Lily’s face was burning up, she wanted to help Yomika untie the rope, but she didn’t know where to start.
“No! Our Saikanji house is unworthy of your pity, please punish us! Don’t let us down!”
Lily also started panicking, “Madam, please don’t be like this! I have already received such a precious item from the madam, I should be grateful to you instead. If madam keeps this up, I will feel troubled!”
“If… Miss Kagami insists on not punishing us, then you must at least give us a chance to redeem ourselves.”
“Let’s talk about that again after I get the madam down!”
“No, I won’t go down if Miss Kagami doesn’t promise me this!”
“Uuu alright, I will make the promise, but what do you want me to do?”
“Although my Saikanji house is a noble house, we are also of the martial lineage. Since Miss Kagami is using the sword, you won’t be able to use most of the techniques, but there is one Restraint Release that can be used in all kinds of situations. Even if you survey the entire Heian Empire, our Saikanji’s secret art is the only one that stands out. If Miss Kagami agrees to learn and let me pass this technique to you, I will consider that as our redemption and feel ease at heart!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll learn it alright? Now tell me how to undo this rope!”
At this time, Yomika suddenly had a sly smile.
“Rustle, rustle—!” The rope loosened in the blink of an eye and Yomika landed gracefully on the ground. Lily could only stare at the scene with a dumbfounded expression.
The rope binding Nanako was also loosened, but it didn’t seem like she did it herself. Nanako felt complicated and was kneeling at the side as she removed the cloth from her mouth. Then she went to hide in the corner and explained with a flushed face, “I- it’s not my idea to apologize to you in such a shameful manner. M- my mother… forced me… to do it… without permission…”
“You shut up!” Yomika knitted her brows and scolded, “If you’ve learned the Restraint Release, you wouldn’t have been kidnapped! Do you still want to take a beating?”
Scared by the three words ‘take a beating,’ Nanako could only lower her head in shame and remain silent.
Yomika faced Lily and said, “As Miss Kagami can see, this Restraint Release might not be a powerful art, but it is the finest skill in Heian that only the Saikanji can offer! Miss Kagami has extraordinary sword skills, but if you go out there and run into danger by any chance, this technique can help you escape!”
Lily could only nod in agreement. In fact, she already wanted to learn the technique after seeing that trick just now. When going out there to adventure, safety was most important. She was shouldering the life of both the senior sister and herself, how could she let something bad happen to herself! There was no harm in learning this trick!
“In that case, I’ll trouble the madam to teach me this Restraint Release,” Lily said in deadly earnest.
“Very well!” Yomika was excessively happy, which made Lily somewhat worried. It felt as though she had fallen into her grasp.4
“Nanako! What are you waiting for? Quick, tie Miss Kagami up and hang her on the roof beam!” An orange glint flashed on the lens of Yomika’s deep red glasses as she said with a devious smile.5
“Huh?”
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