Kagemochi poured the drink called amazake into my cup with quiet precision.

Amazake… a name I had never once heard before. Yet there was no trace of alcohol’s sharp fragrance, only a gentle unfamiliar purity.

Its pale, milky haze made it resemble a softly clouded sake. Or so one might assume at first glance.

I lifted the cup and let it touch my lips. The liquid lingered briefly on my tongue before unfolding a quietly, tenderly faint sweetness that spread through me like warmth returning to cold hands.

From the taste alone, it resembled chilled sake… and yet, I understood at once that it was something entirely different.

There were no grains of rice suspended within it.

Perhaps because of that absence, the drink slipped down with an almost disarming ease— smooth, gentle, unguarded. Even this notion of chilled sake was something I had never encountered before.

…This is good.

“ …It is quite delicious. I have never known chilled sake to be like this. ” For a season such as this, when the air itself clings like heat to the skin, it was an unexpectedly perfect solace.

“ As expected of Lord Kenshin. You recognized it at once. It is made from rice koji and brown rice. ”

So that was it. No wonder it lacked the usual sharp edge that sake carried.

Now I understood why Kagemochi had brought it to me. He likely intended to steer me away from my usual liquor… toward this gentler alternative.

He had long been persistent about it… always urging me, half-scolding, to either abandon drink entirely or at least restrain myself.

“ I suppose it is just like you to bring something like this, Kagemochi. Very well… I will humor your little scheme. Where might one obtain it? ” It was rare. Too rare.

I found myself willing to indulge his plan simply because the taste had already taken hold of me. I wondered what manner of shop could possibly produce such a thing.

Yet Kagemochi’s expression shifted into something faintly weary. “ This brown-rice amazake was prepared by Lady Sai. She used the rice koji you had left by the well. ”

“ …What did you say? ” So it was she. She had made this with my own hands, or rather, with what I had left behind.

“ …To think she would go so far as to create even this. How… interesting. ”

“ I was surprised as well. ” Kagemochi continued.

“ I did not expect her to be capable of such things. I understand your interest in her, but please refrain from wandering off on your own. It is troublesome to search for you. And furthermore… ”

Before his usual lecture could fully bloom, I gently steered the conversation away.

His admonitions tended to stretch on far longer than necessary.

“ Why would she choose to shape it into something chilled like this? One would not arrive at such a form without knowing what chilled sake truly is. ”

For a commoner, tasting true chilled sake would not be easy. Even if she had somehow known it, few would know how to recreate it so faithfully.

Kagemochi exhaled softly, almost resigned.

“ Lady Sai says she once made something similar in the past and drank it then. She simply followed her memory. Also, on our way back today, we were given oyakodon, along with a simmered egg and daikon dish. It was… remarkably delicious. I found myself wanting to taste it again. ” To think she had not only made amazake, but even dishes with eggs.

Eggs were not something commonly embraced in daily fare. And yet… she had chosen them without hesitation.

The thought lingered strangely.

If even Kagemochi spoke of it like this, then it must have been beyond ordinary. Against my will, a quiet curiosity took root.

“ …So you partook of all that without me. ”

Kagemochi glanced at me, slightly caught off guard.

“ Do you… wish to try them?v”

If asked plainly, whether I wanted to or not… The answer was already decided.

“ …Perhaps I should. ”

Yes. Tomorrow, I would leave something once more at the well. But what would be appropriate? Something of use in cooking, perhaps.

I wanted to ask her directly, but it seemed I had already been placed in the category of someone unwelcome.

Strangely enough, that thought did not discourage me.

If anything, it made the idea of tomorrow feel a little brighter.

Kagemochi continued to watch me in silence.

“ Lord Kenshin… what are you thinking? ” He likely already knew the shape of my thoughts.

“ …Nothing you need to concern yourself with. A secret. By the way, may I have that drink again? And the rice balls as well. ”

“ As you wish. ”

If I simply asked for food, he would comply without protest. As for gratitude… I would have liked to send her something in return. But that too would be better handled through him.

“ Kagemochi. I would like to offer her a token of thanks. Go and ask what she might want. ”

He would be far more capable of drawing out an honest answer than I ever could.

“ Very well. However… if we do so, there is a risk your identity may be exposed. At present, she likely believes you are merely the son of some well-placed household. We should be cautious. ”

If it were her, I almost felt she would not mind the truth. But this man would never allow such recklessness.

“ Then let her continue believing as she does. As long as it is not something too extravagant, it should be fine. I leave the judgment to you. ”

“Understood. I will proceed accordingly. I am currently using the name Tokitsugu— please do not forget it.”

Ah… yes. That name again.

“ I know. Tokitsugu. I will leave it to you. ” Kagemochi bowed slightly and quietly withdrew from the room.

Left alone, I gazed into the last traces of amazake in my cup, and drank it slowly—like a thought that refused to fade.

This series has advanced chapters, you can check out my Kofi!