Mission: 063 Trap Operation

Mission:06-3 Trap Operation

The Dragon of Echigo, Uesugi Kenshin—originally named Nagao Kagetora—had likewise come from the Sengoku period of Japan, and was a famous warlord known as the God of War.

But for Izumo no Okuni, this famous figure, who could be said to have died young, had passed away when she was only six years old. Though the two had been born in the same era, they had never had the chance to meet.

So if one said Izumo no Okuni admired Uesugi Kenshin and, after being summoned, hoped to get the other woman's autograph... that was reasonable enough?

After all, the Dragon of Echigo was not only a warlord. She had also been highly accomplished in literature, and quite a few of her works of calligraphy had been passed down to later generations.

"I... I see." Ritsuka scratched her head, her expression a little awkward. "Then, in that case, the Heroic Spirit who just left was the renowned Uesugi Kenshin?"

"That's right."

Okuni adjusted her stance and hugged the naginata in her hands to her chest, the dissatisfaction on her face still not gone. Her cheeks puffed slightly, and somehow it even gave off a faintly coquettish air.

Nero sighed and turned her head back this way. "But even if you say that, you actually can't catch up to her at all, can you?"

"Ah."

A faint blush rose on Okuni's face after her attempt to argue had been exposed. She blinked, then instantly changed to a pitiful expression, and even the way she held her weapon became a little timid. "B-but I don't have any other way. Lady Uesugi runs the moment she sees me now, and doesn't give me any chance to talk at all..."

Faced with this woman who could change faces, Nero was once again speechless. She turned to Ritsuka and asked, "What do we do? Should we help her?"

"More than that, I want to know how she managed to make that God of War run the moment she saw her..."

At Ritsuka's question, Okuni's face reddened a little more, making her look especially alluring. "I don't know either~ Maybe... maybe I was too enthusiastic during our First Meeting?"

Everyone fell silent. A slightly chilly wind blew across the grassland, making Nero and Ritsuka shiver.

Nero marveled that this Heroic Spirit had even changed the entire art style the moment she appeared, then took the initiative to speak. "There is something we would like to ask your help with."

"What help?" Okuni's gaze turned sharp again, and she pouted as she said in a small voice, "For me, the most important thing right now is getting Lady Uesugi's autograph! Until then, everything else is off the table."

Then there was no helping it. Ritsuka could only answer, "We'll help you get the autograph you want, but in exchange, could you listen to our request?"

A promise for a promise. That was very reasonable.

"All right!"

In an instant, Okuni changed faces again, putting on a bright smile and throwing Ritsuka a flirtatious wink. "Tell me, then. What do you want me to help with?"

Izumo no Okuni—what a terrifying woman.

Nero shook her head and sighed inwardly. Though the Heroic Spirit before her was wearing a conservative and plain miko outfit, every movement she made seemed coquettish, as if meant to tempt others.

What was even more frightening was that even so, she did not give Nero the unpleasant feeling of being "affected." Even though Nero was perfectly aware that she was probably acting the entire time, she still could not truly bring herself to dislike her.

Izumo no Okuni—what a terrifying woman.

But in any case, they had managed to make her an ally. Ritsuka had already begun explaining the matter of the sealed cave, while Okuni listened and nodded with little "mm-hm, mm-hm" sounds.

After listening to Ritsuka, Okuni tilted her head and smiled. "It doesn't sound too difficult, but I'll still have to see it with my own eyes before I know."

"That's good." Ritsuka let out a breath of relief.

Nero poured cold water on them at that moment. "But how are we supposed to catch a Rider called the God of War? In terms of speed, not one of us can match that War Chariot, can we?"

That question reminded Ritsuka of something. She asked Okuni, "Miss Okuni, may I ask what your Class is? Rider?"

Okuni twirled the naginata in her hands behind her, her pure-white sleeves blooming like petals. "Wrong, wrong. I'm a Lancer."

That could not be called martial arts. It could only be called dance. As the founder of Kabuki, Okuni's spear dance was indeed pleasing to the eye. Ritsuka asked again, "Then that horse from before was?"

"A prop used onstage, of course."

That answer left both Nero and Ritsuka stunned. Seeing them like this, Okuni let out a light laugh and summoned it again. "I'm not lying to you. I really do use this fellow as a stage prop. But it is also a Puppet Shikigami used by us shrine maidens."

The tiny wooden box rapidly unfolded on the ground and turned into a pitch-black Wooden Horse, standing motionless in place. There was no way to tell that it could gallop across the grassland.

Only after looking closely did Nero notice that there were indeed several talismans pasted on the Wooden Horse's body, though they were not very obvious.

"But this thing still can't catch up to Uesugi Kenshin." Nero mercilessly poked Okuni's sore spot again.

"Sh-shut up!"

Okuni hugged the horse's neck and made a face at Nero, her cheeks flushed.

And so, the strategy meeting began again. This time, what they had to discuss was how to capture the God of War, Uesugi Kenshin.

Since competing in speed definitely would not work, they could only choose a trap. And the setup of the trap also required careful discussion.

Because the prerequisite for a Trap Operation was knowing Uesugi Kenshin's route in advance. In that regard, the only person who might have some understanding was Okuni.

As they discussed, the plan quickly took shape.

First, they would have Izumo no Okuni do as she had before and follow the ruts left by the War Chariot to find her. Then, after Ritsuka and the others were in position, Okuni would start the chase again and make the God of War fall into their encirclement.

Then Nero would be responsible for making the God of War fall from her horse, after which Ritsuka would come forward to pacify her and have her join them. Finally, Okuni would get the autograph she wanted. Perfect!

That was right. This was also an important reason Ritsuka was willing to help Okuni. Since they had found a Heroic Spirit acting alone, there was naturally no way they could just let her go. Even if the other party was unwilling to join, they had to at least try first.

The operation began.

On the grassland, the tracks left behind by Uesugi Kenshin's War Chariot were quite obvious. This was also the key reason why, no matter how fast the God of War was, she could not completely shake off Izumo no Okuni. After being summoned to this Singularity, ever since she had met Okuni on the first day, Uesugi Kenshin had been circling around the grassland.

There was no helping it. The Singularity was only so large, after all, and something like a War Chariot was not suited to traveling through mountains and forests. If she accidentally plunged into them, she would instead be easily caught up to by Okuni's Mechanical Horse.

Because of that, neither of them had left this plain south of the small town. If Ritsuka and the others had not received Sphinx's hint, this chase might very well have continued.

Dressed in armor and standing beside her Beloved Horse, Uesugi Kenshin thought of the woman chasing after her from behind and could not help but shiver.