Ah Man is an outstanding "Original Ninja"—or rather, her grandfather is definitely a top representative among the Koka group, the kind of information broker who's become a sly old fox with age. He knows the ins and outs of every country on the East Sea Road like the back of his hand and is absolutely top-notch at his job. But when it comes to their judgment, well...
Oda Nobuhide beat up all his neighbors, but then got beaten up by them in return. According to Ah Man, Oda Danjo Chonosuke's grip on Owari is already shaky as hell—the clan members and household retainers have taken a huge hit, local influential families and Earth Warriors are starting to get sneaky, and his enemies are already prepping for a victory party.
But none of these people ever expected that Oda Nobuhide still had a ridiculously badass son...
Harano shook his head. "That might not be the case."
Ah Man looked down on his so-called "judgment" just as much, scoffing, "Don't talk nonsense! You're just some outsider who doesn't know the first thing about the East Sea Road!
The Oda Danjo Chonosuke clan is already done for. Stuff like this has happened so many times before: some minor local family suddenly rises up and then vanishes just as suddenly—it's the most normal thing in the world. You're just too inexperienced! A mid-level Magistrate clan serving as Guardian—a Lord of a City! It's pure dumb luck they managed to keep Owari under their thumb for over twenty years. Now that their luck's run out, what, you think they're going to defy fate? If you don't know what's going on, don't talk crap and make yourself a laughingstock!"
As she spoke, she suddenly got excited, straightened up, her round eyes shining as she stared at him and said, "If you don't believe me, then how about a bet! My grandpa says Oda Nobuhide's time is just about up, and as soon as he dies, Oda Danjo Chonosuke's clan is finished. Anyone with eyes can see that! If you don't want to admit it, have you got the guts to bet with me?
The moment Oda Nobuhide dies, Oda Danjo Chonosuke's clan is toast!
If I lose, I'll give you my head. If you lose, you just give me ten—no, eight—no, five Wen!"
She was afraid Harano wouldn't bet with her, so she kept dropping the price lower and lower.
"Not interested. I don't like betting." Harano wasn't some preschool kid—no way was he that childish, betting heads and all.
"You're just scared, aren't you?" Ah Man's bean-shaped brows twitched, and she cranked up the reverse psychology to full blast, clearly hoping to win his five Wen for free. She put on an oh-so-scornful face and said, "You really are a wimp! Five Wen is nothing to you. Even if you lose, you've still got ten Wen left! Don't you even have that much guts?"
"I just don't like it. That's all."
Ah Man's attempt at freeloading fell flat. She was pretty disappointed, tilting her head and muttering quietly, "You really don't have a shred of manly backbone. What a waste to be so big; I bet you'll never amount to anything in this life."
Harano shot her a glance. Even though he didn't like childish bets, he decided to teach her a lesson, so he changed his tune and agreed, "If you don't want your head, then just give it to me!"
Well, a dog's head offered up for free—he'd be a fool not to take it. If he won, he could use it as a toy or something.
Ah Man hadn't expected this twist at all. The cooked duck had flown back into her mouth, and she was overjoyed. "Deal! The moment Oda Danjo Chonosuke's clan bites it, I'll come collect my money!"
"And what if they don't?"
"Don't worry! When it comes to gambling, I've got a stellar reputation—nobody's ever doubted me. Our Koka group keeps its word; our good name goes back almost a hundred years! If Oda Nobuhide dies and Oda Danjo Chonosuke's clan still controls most of their territory within five years—no, three years—no, two years—even if they get lucky, all they can do is hole up in Shoban Castle, and if things go really badly, they'll lose their ancestral land too—no matter how far away you are, I'll bring my head right to you!"
"And what if you don't show up?"
"If I don't, then let me—no, let me and my grandpa—no, let our whole family be struck dead by lightning in the rain, drown crossing a river, get buried alive by a landslide climbing a mountain, or choke to death eating with no water!" For five Wen, Ah Man was really laying it on thick—even her bean-shaped brows were bristling with excitement, turning into a big "eight" shape. "You can have me swear any kind of vicious oath you want! I'm not gonna lose anyway; Oda Danjo Chonosuke's clan is definitely going down!"
"Don't be so sure. Oda Nobuhide still has an heir, so Oda Danjo Chonosuke's clan might not end up in the worst situation," Harano couldn't agree with her at all. Even if you didn't know much about Japanese history, you must have heard of "the Sixth Celestial Demon King," Oda Nobunaga's famous name. He was sure Nobunaga would turn the family's fortunes around.
Ah Man froze, stared dazedly at Harano for a good long while, and then flopped back, hugging her belly and cracking up: "Hahahaha, you're killing me! You really are a clueless outsider! You're actually putting your hopes in Oda Nobunaga, that 'big idiot of the Oda Family!'"
This had to be the best joke of the twentieth year of Tenmon. If she weren't injured, she'd be rolling around on the ground laughing by now.
Harano wasn't offended; instead, he was curious why Oda Nobunaga had such a nickname. In the Japan Warring States Period, when everyone and their mother had flashy titles like "Incarnation of the Gods," "Buddha," "Bodhisattva Reborn," or were called "Tiger," "Demon," "Fierce," "Number One Something-or-other," "Big Idiot" actually stood out as kinda fresh and low-key.
He couldn't help but ask Ah Man, "Why do you call him the Oda Family's Big Idiot?"
Ah Man stifled her laughter by sheer force, sat up, wiped away her tears, snatched the pen from his hand, and drew a "Mokko crest" on the paper.
This was a kind of good-luck symbol that came to Japan during the Tang dynasty. Because it was mostly used on the decorative hat-plates of shrine bamboo blinds, it was originally called the "bamboo blind hat-crest." But since the design looks like a cross-section of a sliced quince, and also resembles the top-down view of a "nest" (a structure birds build on flat ground or rivers; the ones in trees or on mountains are called "chao"), and since the old pronunciation of "nest" is similar to "mokko" (quince), the pattern came to be popularly known as the Mokko crest.