When he returned to the Daimyo's Residence, everyone living there was caught off guard.
All these years, Namikawa Yū had never shown any interest in women.
Although he was surrounded by maids, most of them were quite proper, and to this day there had never been any rumors that he had taken anyone to his bed.
Yet no one had expected that this time, the Daimyo would return from an outing with a strange woman.
This naturally surprised everyone around him.
But when they saw the woman's appearance, they were stunned all over again.
Otsutsuki Kaguya looked unlike any ordinary woman, and her beauty was especially striking.
Her white hair and pale eyes made her all the more unique in this era.
Standing there, she was like a goddess, inspiring an inexplicable sense of awe.
Among the attendants, there were even rumors that Miss Kaguya had descended from the heavens.
If she really was such a goddess, then it seemed only natural that His Lordship the Daimyo would fall for her.
But Namikawa Yū's behavior was even more unexpected than anyone could have imagined.
On the very day Otsutsuki Kaguya returned to the Daimyo's Residence with him, he began making an earnest effort to win her over.
To put it simply, his efforts could be summed up in one word.
Fawn!
He personally brought her all three meals every day, and always visited her quarters before nightfall.
He not only visited often, but also minded his every word and action, afraid of offending her.
Considering his status as the Daimyo of the Land of Ancestors, his behavior was so attentive it was almost humiliating.
If the person he was courting had been anyone else in the world, rather than Otsutsuki Kaguya, she would probably have been moved.
As expected, his actions drew plenty of attention.
Quite a few retainers grumbled in private, thinking that His Lordship had grown lax. For the sake of a woman, he was neglecting state affairs, which was utterly unbecoming of a Daimyo.
But Namikawa Yū couldn't help it.
Kaguya wasn't an ordinary person.
She was Otsutsuki Kaguya.
In the shinobi world, that name alone was enough to suppress everything.
Not to mention mere state affairs—even if it were something more important, Namikawa Yū would have brought it out without hesitation if it could earn her favor.
Under his warm attentions, Otsutsuki Kaguya's attitude gradually softened.
As they spent time together, Namikawa Yū realized that Miss Kaguya wasn't as cold and heartless as he had imagined, nor did she regard mortals as mere insects.
She had emotions of her own, too. They were simply muted, and because she knew so little about mortal affairs, she seemed indifferent to many things, like a goddess high above the world.
But if you got close enough to her, you could earn her kindness all the same.
And because she was so unfamiliar with the ways of the world, the task wasn't all that difficult.
A month passed in the blink of an eye. Thanks to Namikawa Yū's efforts, their affection for each other had grown considerably.
Beneath the moonlit sky, a crimson flower quietly blossomed.
At some point, Kaguya lifted her gaze to the person before her.
A young man stood quietly in front of her.
He was handsome, with finely chiseled features and an unusual air about him, the sort of face one could never forget.
At that moment, he had his head bowed in thought, as if pondering some problem.
"Yū..."
Kaguya murmured, calling the young man's name.
When he showed no response, she reached out, extending a hand toward him, wanting to touch his face.
But the moment she reached out, another hand caught hers.
Namikawa Yū saw her hand reaching for him and instinctively took it, holding it in his palm.
He had done it without thinking. Only afterward did he realize what he had done, and he jolted back to his senses.
Thankfully, Kaguya didn't react to his action.
She simply stood there, her pale eyes quietly fixed on Namikawa Yū, showing little reaction.
Only then did Namikawa Yū breathe a sigh of relief.
"What are you thinking about?"
Kaguya asked. "Yū, you seem troubled."
"Have you run into some kind of problem?"
"Yeah."
Namikawa Yū smiled. "There are a few things troubling me."
"Can I help?"
Kaguya offered.
Since they had met, this was the first time she had expressed her own wishes of her own accord.
Namikawa Yū felt a little heartened. His efforts over the past few months hadn't been in vain after all.
But he still shook his head. "I can handle it."
"Besides, I can't keep bothering you."
He smiled. "As you said, Miss Kaguya, the day will come when you have to leave. If I keep relying on your help, what will I do when that day comes?"
"I can take you with me."
Kaguya replied, "If you're willing."
Hearing this, Namikawa Yū felt a little heartened.
Kaguya had no hidden agenda.
Though they had spent several months together and she had never revealed her true purpose, she had told him that she came from beyond the heavens.
She belonged to the Otsutsuki Clan from beyond the heavens; she didn't belong here, and one day, she would leave.
Of course, that was in the future.
After all, compared with the Otsutsuki Clan's long lifespan, Namikawa Yū might already be dead by the time she left.
But for Kaguya, whose nature was so detached, to say something like that was proof enough of the place Namikawa Yū held in her heart.
Time continued to pass, bit by bit.
Half a month later, Namikawa Yū gathered his courage and proposed to Kaguya.
It was an extraordinarily risky move for him.
After all, she wasn't a mortal, but someone from beyond the heavens.
Given the power she wielded, if he angered her, then even as the Daimyo of a country, Namikawa Yū could still face a terrible end.
Without the groundwork laid by the months they had spent together, Namikawa Yū wouldn't have dared take that step.
Fortunately, Kaguya didn't refuse.
On the day he proposed, Kaguya was as indifferent as ever.
She took Namikawa Yū's proposal in stride and simply asked, "If I have to leave one day, would you be willing to come with me?"
Her voice was soft and her expression detached, but Namikawa Yū knew her well enough to recognize how serious she was.
So he smiled too and gave her a sincere reply. "Of course."
After he said that, Kaguya gazed seriously at the young man before her, then finally nodded.
From that day onward, their relationship entered a new chapter.
Otsutsuki Kaguya became Namikawa Yū's wife.
According to the rumors outside, she was merely a concubine, but in truth, within the Daimyo's Residence, Otsutsuki Kaguya was the only one.
People throughout the Land of Ancestors were soon talking about it.
Quite a few of the elder retainers were deeply distressed.