The Tenshu is the tallest, most central, and most iconic part of a Japanese castle. It functions as a watchtower and command post and is also a symbol of feudal authority.
The earliest Tenshu originated with Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the last shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, and was built in his residence, the Muromachi Palace. At that time, its name was written as Tenshu (天主), meaning "Lord of Heaven."
When Oda Nobunaga expanded Gifu Castle, he called it Tenshu (天守), and this four-story keep also marked the turning point when the name evolved from denshu (殿守, "palace guard") to tenshu (天守, "heavenly guard").
It can be said that behind every tenshukaku, or castle keep, lies a glorious history.
Having walked out of the forest, Li Zihan stood some distance from Yae Village, gazing at the distant castle keep. While it wasn't exactly magnificent, it was still remarkably impressive. He fell into deep thought.
Why would a village have something like a castle keep?
Setting aside how they even managed to gather the resources to build this thing, for a group of ordinary farmers to construct a castle keep... weren't they afraid of being branded as rebels by the neighboring daimyo and wiped out?
"Big Brother, is this the village you were talking about?"
Seele, who was traveling with Li Zihan, looked at the place, which seemed a bit too high-end and resembled a city-state, her expression somewhat dazed.
"Captain, is this really a village?"
The well-traveled Miss Dull Goose, who had caught up from behind, also had a somewhat vacant look on her face.
This place was slightly different from the ancient villages she had imagined.
"It's probably a low-spec Konoha Village."
Li Zihan pondered for a moment before explaining to Durandal the Dull Goose and Seele.
????
That was Seele.
????
And that was the Dull Goose.
"What is Konoha Village?"
The Dull Goose, who was unaware of a manga called Water Shadow Ninja in another world, became even more confused.
"It's a magic guild established by the Mountain Bandit King, Luffy, for the purpose of collecting Dragon Balls."
Li Zihan blinked, speaking nonchalantly.
???????????
Even more questions flooded Durandal the Dull Goose's mind.
Mountain Bandit King, Luffy?
Dragon Balls?
Magic Guild?
"Captain, could you please explain in detail what you were just talking about?"
Bianka, who had been criticized by her orphanage counselor as a blockhead who couldn't think on her feet, pondered for a long time without finding an answer. She then asked the purveyor of absurd stories with great seriousness.
Asking when one doesn't understand, and being eager to learn—this quality was exceptionally evident in Durandal.
...
This display made even Seele, standing on the side, feel a bit awkward.
When she was at the Matou residence with the emotionless girl named Karen, she had heard her complain that Li Zihan loved to string many stories together, creating a stitched-together monster to tell others.
If she wasn't mistaken, the story Big Brother had just told was one such stitched-together monster.
And this person seemed to have taken his words as truth.
Li Zihan, who was no stranger to making up stories, looked at the person who, according to Rita, was a "one-track-minded idiot." He thought for a moment and decided to give a reasonably plausible explanation.
"That's the story for a manga I'm preparing to draw."
The young man, who was very good at bullshitting, smiled faintly and said to Durandal the Dull Goose.
"Manga?"
Durandal the Dull Goose was stunned.
In her impression, Li Zihan was a researcher who seemed somewhat laid-back but was extremely rigorous when he got down to business.
For a super-scientist to suddenly say he had decided to draw manga... the sense of contrast from this role change left even Durandal the Dull Goose a bit stupefied.
"Don't you still have experiments to continue?"
Feeling that Li Zihan's current behavior was a bit of a dereliction of duty, Durandal's slender brows furrowed as she asked.
"The Artificial Herrscher Project and the Human Order Security Project are more or less complete."
The young man, who was genuinely considering drawing a super-stitched-together-monster of a story, glanced at the Dull Goose, who seemed a bit dazed and looked rather goofy.
"By then, I can take a bit of a breather and find some fun things to do for amusement."
The young man, who would probably become a character akin to Yoshihiro Togashi if he really did become a manga artist, smiled faintly.
"Combining some of my personal experiences and childhood fantasies to draw a manga to pass the time seems like a pretty good choice."
"When the time comes, are you interested in being my assistant?"
The young man, who was projected to become Togashi the Second, turned his head and extended an invitation to the very lovely girl beside him.
"Eh—"
Miss Seele, who had never expected Li Zihan to suddenly invite her to be a manga assistant, was taken aback for a moment, then her expression became troubled.
Miss Seele...
...had never learned how to draw.
"Big Brother, I'm not very good at drawing."
Seele really wanted to set up a studio with Li Zihan and work together on a manga.
A manga artist and an assistant... no matter how you look at it, it has the feel of a couple.
Moreover, once the studio was established, the assistant would naturally have a lot of time to spend with the manga artist.
That undoubtedly long period of time together was incredibly tempting for Seele.
Unfortunately, Seele did not possess the skill of art.
Feeling as though a considerable amount of private time together had just flown away, the cowlick on the girl's head even began to droop.
If she had known, she would have taught herself some art.
And then—
The young man's voice entered her ears.
"It's okay, I'll teach you then."
The young man, who had never cared about any so-called manga, cheerfully took the girl's slender hand and smiled gently.
"Of course, it doesn't matter if you can't learn. I can hire other assistants to help with the drawing. You just need to wash your hands and make me soup when necessary."
W-Wash hands and make soup?
A rather forceful and direct statement came from the young man's mouth, causing the girl's heart to accelerate wildly.
Because Li Zihan's hometown was likely in Shenzhou, Seele had also been diligently studying the knowledge of Shenzhou.
In the process, she had once flipped through a poetry collection and seen such a poem.
Three days after entering the kitchen, I wash my hands to make a soup. Unsure of my mother-in-law's tastes, I first ask my young sister-in-law to try.
And the title of this poem was "Poem of a New Bride."
Was this... a marriage proposal?
Wasn't it too soon?
The girl, who knew the origin of the phrase "wash my hands and make me soup," felt her face burning, as if she were about to cook herself.
What on earth are these two doing?
Watching her captain, who was giving off more and more of a host club vibe, and the girl who practically had "I like the captain" written all over her face, the corner of Durandal's eye twitched slightly.
Were they on a mission, or a couple's trip?!
Come on, we're on a mission here!
If Durandal the Dull Goose were the captain, she would definitely shout at them, telling them to tone it down and save the lovey-dovey stuff for after the mission was over.
But she wasn't.
Therefore, she could only squat by the side in boredom, watching her captain and another team member display their affection.
If only I had a toy to pass the time.
Durandal the Dull Goose, too embarrassed to interrupt their intimate moment, thought with utter boredom.
Not long after this thought surfaced in her mind—
"ROAR—!!!"
A giant bear with tentacles sprouting from its back suddenly burst out of the forest, letting out a loud roar before it began to feed.
And then—
The eyes of the very bored Durandal lit up slightly.
It seemed something to pass the time had appeared.
In the terrified gaze of the Honkai Beast, the strongest goose in history clenched her fist.