Yos.h.i.+moto watched Sakura intently as she danced among all of the flower containers, her sleeves and skirts swaying. Her dainty form was still one minute and moving the next; sometimes, she would look up or drop her hand, posing as if she was enjoying the allure of nature.

The various flowers were either standing or curving, none of them having had any manual adjustment. The natural way they looked in the containers were not edited at all. At first glance, they seemed formless, after a while, the result looked more unique than the kind of flower-arrangement popular at the time. There was a subtle pa.s.sion among the elegance. In just a while, the reception room was an oasis of flowers.

“Zen Master Sessai, what do you think...” Jukei-ni asked for Sessai’s opinion in a low voice.

Sessai put the buddha beads around his clasped hands and answered, “M’am, Yos.h.i.+moto, I want to cultivate this Sakura girl. If you were to allow it, she could come to my temple every four or five days.”

“You really want Sakura to study with you?” Yos.h.i.+moto asked with half of his face covered by the fan.

Sessai smiled, “you let her stay here, and have asked me to see her flower-arranging, I a.s.sume you must have seen her potential too?”

Everyone spoke very subtly, but the sharp-hearing Sakura not only heard their conversation but the intention behind it.

Sessai had Sakura walk with her to the back garden. After observing her for a while, he asked, “tell me, where did you learn your flower-arranging? What school is it?”

“Zen Master, does flower-arranging have to be of a certain school? As long you like it, and everyone enjoys it, this is the flower-arranging I want to do.”

Sakura answered calmly, while Sessai’s unfathomable eyes showed another smile.

“I guess Yos.h.i.+moto did pick a good one. You have great potential. I think I could give you some instructions and have you go to Kai. You don’t need to go back to Suwa. The Takeda and Imagawa families are in-laws. To maintain this relations.h.i.+p, both sides need to visit often, and there’s a need for underlings to visit often too.”

So all of this ruse was for her to be a spy at Kai? They’re really devious. Sakura’s face heated. No wonder they wanted her to do flower-arranging, since flower-arranging could be used to see if a person was mature and quick-thinking. But if she did do this, she’d be back where Harun.o.bu was. If the Imagawa family spied on her, and learned she already knew Harun.o.bu, then what would happen to Suwa?

Sakura, see what you did? You thought you were smart, but now the whole fate of the Suwa family is up to you. One wrong move, and all of them would be ruined. G.o.d, please help me...

After she returned to her room, her head was lowered in desperation. She has never thought of reuniting with Harun.o.bu this way, if she did, she’d lose her bet. No one could get rid of n.o.butora then.

“Feeling sad? Is it because you don’t want to go to Kai?”

A familiar voice came. She turned and saw Yos.h.i.+moto. Weird, didn’t he have a cleanliness fetish and acted very upper-cla.s.s? Why would he bother coming to her lower-cla.s.s room? If he expected her to greet him and act as a spy, she’s in no mood.

“You’re not greeting me? Fine. I actually like your real temperament. You don’t kiss up to me like others. I liked the flowers you did this morning, if my mother and Zen Master Sessai wanted to send you away, I might not even want to.” Yos.h.i.+moto swiped her chin with his fan as usual, his eyes seemingly full of tenderness, but it was only momentary. “You actually aren’t bad-looking. You don’t have the prestige of Duke-style, but you have energy.”

“Well, I won’t have energy if I became undercover. You know your father-in-law likes to abuse his underlings, especially women. He’s a sneaky one too, do you really think sending a pretty girl would work? I don’t think this strategy would work on his son either.” Sakura gingerly moved the fan away with two fingers and changed the conversation.

“Do you have a better idea?”

“It’s up to you if you like it. I’m not the one to decide. I’m just telling you my idea.”