Chapter 114: Revelation: Incredulity

"I'll never understand how it's possible for buildings to appear larger on the inside than they do on the outside..."

Though he knew full well that Nobu wasn't expecting a response, Masahide issued a light chuckle before explaining, "It's because it's easier to grasp the scope and size of an object from afar. When you are inside, much of the building is out of view. This creates a disparity in the mind because you have already rationalized that the space you are entering is expansive. As a result, everything within feels much larger than it actually is."

Hearing Masahide's voice, Nobu ceased gawking at his surroundings, an annoyed look on his face as he remarked, "You like hearing the sound of your voice, don't you?"

Without missing a beat, Masahide issued a soft chuckle before countering, "A curious thing to hear from someone who was just talking to themselves..."

"..."

Deciding to simply ignore the man, Nobu continued observing his surroundings as Masahide led him and Yui through the estate. The interior of the castle really was massive, and, unlike the castles he had explored during his past life's trips to Japan, Inugama was largely comprised of stone and marble rather than wood and bamboo. The latter materials were still present, but, judging by how 'fresh' everything looked, they were a more recent addition to a pre-existing structure. If he had to guess, Nobu would assume they were one of the many ruins mentioned by Kumiko...a relic from the Age of the Gods...

"With this, my duty has come to an end. I wish you both the best of luck."

Breaking Nobu from his thoughts, Masahide gestured towards an adjacent bamboo door before offering a deferential bow and standing off to the side. At the same time, Yui moved away from Nobu's side, her head lowered in an uncharacteristically meek and servile manner that made him want to question her until the door spontaneously opened to reveal Senken.

"You certainly took your time..."

Restraining the urge to call Nobu a brat, Senken stared up at his eldest son with arms crossed. In response, Nobu furrowed his brows, but, rather than mirror the man's actions, he cupped his hands in the way Kumiko had taught him, saying, "It's good to see you...father..."

Blinking in surprise, Senken opened his mouth like he wanted to say something but nothing came out. Fortunately, just as he was beginning to feel like a jackass for behaving haughtily in front of his son, a gruff voice immediately shattered the tensions, asking, "How long are the two of you going to keep pissing around at the threshold? Come inside or leave. Stop dawdling."

Snorting through his nose, Senken stepped aside, saying, "Come in..." before shifting his gaze to Yui and adding, "Both of you..."

Fully expecting to have to wait outside, Yui was genuinely surprised by Senken's words. In spite of this, she managed to appear as calm and placid as the surface of a lake as she cupper her hands as a sign of respect. Her Grandmother had stressed that she should never lower her head to anyone except Nobu. This included Senken, who, despite being the Lord and Master of the Yoshitsune Clan, had no authority over her.

Rather than admonish Yui for her ostensibly rude behavior, Senken just nodded his head before following the duo with his eyes. Once they had passed him completely, he directed his fiery golden eyes towards Masahide, saying, "You've done well, Masa. When things have settled down, let's have a drink."

A stark contrast to Yui, Masahide had no choice but to bow in the presence of his Lord. The latter might not care about such formalities but it would be quite the scandal if people learned he didn't afford their Lord the proper respect. Thus, while he ultimately smiled in response to his Lord's offer, Masahide kept his head lowered as he replied, "It would be my honor."

Nodding his head in approval, Senken uttered a curt, "You're dismissed." before promptly closing the door. He understood better than most that there were eyes and ears even in the heart of the Clan, so, while Masahide's behavior annoyed him, he didn't blame the man for following protocol. Instead, he waited for Masahide's presence to disappear before shaking his head and saying, "I'm going to go and retrieve Nana. If we keep her waiting, she's bound to cause a ruckus..."

Snorting in response to his son's words, Senichi waved his hand in a dismissive manner, stating, "Then go. What are you waiting for? Permission? You're the Lord of Owari. Stop acting like a fool just because your son is visiting."

With his brow twitching, Senken resisted the urge to shout as he replied, "Stop saying things that might cause a misunderstanding you damned geezer..."

Grinning savagely in response to Senken's remark, Senichi was about to tease him further when the bamboo partitions behind him were suddenly blasted open by a burst of crimsonAura. This caused several of the surrounding oil lamps to spill, but, unlike traditional tatami made from rice straw, the materials used in the castle's were coated in a waxy residue to made them flame retardant.

"Where is my baby...!?"

Demonstrating that they were, in fact, grandfather, father, and son, Senichi, Senken, and Nobu all smiled wryly as Nana zeroed in on the latter.

"Nobu-chan~! Yui-chan~!"

Seizing the momentum from everyone else in the room, Nana made her way over to where Nobu and Yui were seated before squatting down and presenting the bundle in her arm, a breathtaking smile on her face as she happily chimed, "Look, look~! Meet your sister~!"

Returning an awkward smile, Nobu peered into the crimson bundle with the intention of offering a few polite words. What none of the people in the room expected was for the infant to immediately cry out, arms flailing excitedly as a continuous string of enthusiastic baby sounds escaped her still-developing throat.

"Hime-chan...?"

Confused by her daughter's extremely uncharacteristic response, Nana struggled to keep the infant in her embrace as Nobuhime wiggled about and flailed her arms in the direction Nobu.

("Well that ain't normal...")

Remembering the reason he had come to the capital, Nobu promptly pulled out the stone tablet before snapping a pick of the admittedly adorably little girl in his mother's arms. This ended up being a mistake, as, the moment he saw the information presented therein, regret unlike anything he had ever experienced washed over him...

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Name: Oda Nobuhime, Elizabeth Johnson

Age: 97 days

Gender: Female, H:51.9cm, W: 5.1kg, B: 42.4cm, W: 43.2cm, H: 42.3cm

Blood Type: A+

Cultivation: N/A

Aura Units: 83/108

Status: Divine Protection(+), Hungry(+), Sleepy(+), Excited(+)

-Divine Protection: Blessed by the Goddess of the Six Paths. Drastically increases Luck so long as the recipient does not harm others. Removal Cost: Cannot be Removed

-Hungry: She is hungry. Removal Cost: 1AU

-Sleepy: She is sleepy. Removal Cost: 7AU

-Excited: She is very, very excited. Removal Cost: Cannot be Removed

Main Hand: Right

Preferred Weapon: Social Media

Strengths: Cute, Intelligent, Carnivorous, Reincarnator

Weaknesses: She is a baby

Orientation: Traps

Preferences: Gap Moe, Big Dicks, Bareback, Softcore BDSM, Strangulation Play

Favorite Food: Friend Chicken, Cherry and Pistachio Ice Cream, Chicken Curry, Pickled Eggs

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"No fucking way..."

Though the name secondary name and Status were dead giveaways, Nobu nearly passed out when he read the rest of the infant's information. If he hadn't been sitting down, he very well might have.

"Nobu-chan...?"

Noticing how pale Nobu had become, a palpable anxiety spread through the room as Nana held Nobuhime in her arms and habitually looked towards Senken. He had been her emotional anchor for the past twenty years, so, whenever she felt worried or concerned, she always looked to him for support.

Though he was just as confused and worried as his wife, Senken's expression became resolute the moment Nana directed her gaze his way. Then, despite feeling that Nobu needed time to process whatever he had just learned, Senken's tone became firm as he shouted, "Hey, kid! Snap out of it! Can't you see you're making your mother worried...!?"

In response to Senken's shout, Nobuhime released an ear-piercing scream, almost as if she were trying to protest what he had just said. This left Nana feeling more fretful than ever, anxiety visible in her countenance as she looked down at the flailing infant and attempted to calm her down.

"Would you stop shouting? You're making a scene..."

Furrowing his brows, Senken was about to chastise Nobu for speaking against him when a sudden silence descended upon the room. This was strange in and of itself, but, to make matters eve more inexplicable, an awkward laugh emanated from Nobuhime's throat as the infant covered her mouth in embarrassment...

Noticing everyone's gazes shift from Nobuhime to himself, Nobu's body tensed as he tried to think of what to say. Before he could, the middle-aged man that had been observing him like a hawk ever since he arrived broke the silence, saying, "Out with it, boy. Don't even try to hide anything."

Feeling a sudden pressure pressing down on him, a wave of panic washed of Nobu's body as the rage he had been doing his best to restrain began to bubble up. Fortunately, just as he was about to tell the old fart to fuck off, Nana adopted a venomous look and tone as she glared back at him and growled, "Senichi-sama..."

Though he directed a stern gaze towards Nana, Senichi gradually retracted his aura. At the same time, however, his tone remained firm as he said, "Everyone in this room has an obligation towards the people of Nian and the world abroad. Our fates have been tied together since that fateful day more than nineteen years ago. If he can't even trust us with the truth, who can he trust...?"

Directing the last statement towards Nobu himself, Senichi made it very clear he wasn't going to settle for a half-assed explanation. Prior to hearing the prophecy from Imina, he had never cared about such things. Now that everything she promised was slowly coming to pass, he feared for the future of the entire world, not just the Oda Clan...

Seeing his father and son having a staring match, Senken was about to try and pacify the growing tensions when Nobuhime garnered all of their attention with a few baby sounds and a gesture that resembled a okay sign. The latter was clearly directed towards Nobu, who, after exhaling one of the most profound sighs any of them had ever heard, raised his head to explain, "I have no fucking clue how it happened but this baby seems to have inherited the soul of my previous life's mother..."

Expecting them to ask what the hell he was talking about, Nobu was surprised when Nana simply looked down at Nobuhime and asked, "Is that true? Hime-chan is Nobu-chan's Okaa-chan...?"

Demonstrating she knew exactly what they were talking about, Nobuhime nodded her head with a 'serious' expression that didn't match her childish appearance. In response, Nana adopted one of her characteristically breathtaking smiles as she practically sang, "How wonderful~! I can't wait to hear all the stories about Nobu-chan's previous life~!"

Confused by his second mother's response, Nobu's mouth hung open for several seconds as he found himself at a loss for words. He wasn't the only one in such a state. Senken and Senichi also had helpless expressions on their faces while Yui, unaware of the prophecy related to her Lord and lover, just stared off into empty space as if the conversation had absolutely nothing to do with her...

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(A/N: I kind of feel bad for our boy. Learning the truth about Nobuhime isn't that bad. Learning her previous life's preferences is traumatizing xD...)