Samurai Love Ballad Party: Kyoichiro and Hotaru starter route
Masterlist and guide
Kyoichiro is a snarky merchant with a secret life as a robin-hood type figure.
Hotaru is a deeply traumatised ninja who was kept in a dark room for much of his life and only let out to kill.
And MC is a ninja looking for a way to keep her village of fugitive ninjas safe. The story of her meeting the two of them, and learning their secrets, was pretty fun!
There's a brief implication of sex slavery in the background.
I like the sound of both of these guys, so!
As a reminder: The main character of this story is the ninja Shadow!MC, and is a different person to the pacifist cook/maid Radiance!MC who is the protagonist of most stories.
The upside about playing Shadow!MC is that she's a badass ninja. The downside is that I keep going KAAEEDDEEEE WHY WON'T YOU LOVE MEEEEE ;_;
(Kaede is her cute amab non-binary BFF, who is currently passing as a cis woman, and does not have a romance path because life is suffering)
Anyway.
MC's village used to be part of a larger ninja village called Iga, which work as mercenaries. But when MC was a kid her village broke away so they wouldn't have to live that life any more, and they've been on the run from Iga assassins ever since.
They've recently been allied with Lord Nobunaga, making him Secret Herbal Remedies, but are starting to wonder if he can be trusted, given what a ruthless warmonger he is.
While the village decides whether to stay aligned with Nobunaga, MC is sent to Kyoto with Kaede to safeguard her unique knowledge.
MC finds the big city intimidating and now I really want her to get a tour from Radiance!MC, since she's originally from Kyoto. BUT ANYWAY.
Kaede introduces MC to Kyoichiro as her little sister.
Kyoichiro: Kaede's renowned for her beauty but you don't look anything like her. Especially in figure :)
I would have said Kaede being a head taller with pink hair was more of a difference, considering neither of them have much in the way of boobs. Also: BACK OFF KYOICHIRO, MC IS SUPER CUTE.
MC is quietly pissed and Kaede tells Kyoichiro off. But he's found a place for them to live, using his connections as a trader with Europe, and based on owing Kaede a favour.
Kaede smilingly deflects his smiling attempts to dig into why they're here. MC takes this as a sign that Kaede doesn't trust him, and so neither should she. She also decides that Kaede 'wears the hakama' in this relationship haha.
Kaede notices that MC is tense and takes her out for dessert. They hear people gossiping about Ishikawa Goemon (Kyoichiro's Robin Hood-like alter-ego) stealing from a corrupt official. "That's my Kaede. Careful to make it look like she's not paying attention even when she's listening intently." The two of them smile and chat about cake as they gather information. Kyoichiro has some heavy work ahead to make me ship him more with MC than Kaede.
Kaede says she's listening to rumours because she's heard there may be Iga ninjas in town.
Kaede knows Radiance!MC's little brother Yahiko??
KAEDE WORKS UNDERCOVER AS A WAITRESS AT RADIANCE!MC'S RESTAURANT??
Did she start before Radiance!MC left? Are they friends?? I ship MC/MC and Kaede/Shadow!MC but had never really considered Kaede/MC/MC...
Anyway. Kaede goes to help out and MC is left alone in the city.
She encounters a limping cat and takes care of it's wound despite getting scratched.
Hotaru: !!
MC: Are you the owner? I'm glad it will have someone to take care of it.
He scrawls 'thank you' on a bit of paper, and turns out to only communicate via these notes. As they're parting, MC realises he's lost, and offers to help him find his way. They eventually make it to a restaurant called "Yugiri".
The owner steps out, and I thought it might be Radiance!MC's mother, but instead, it's...Saizo!!
Are all the ninja moonlighting as waiters??
He sighs at Hotaru then smiles and thanks MC. THAT'S RIGHT, APPARENTLY SAIZO IS AWFUL TO HOTARU ON THIS PATH >:(
MC bumps into Kyoichiro, who forcibly leads her away then coldly asks what her relationship is with Hotaru.
MC: Why do you care?
Kyoichiro: Well, whatever. But things don't work here the same here as they do deep in the mountains. You'd do well to keep your nose out of other people's affairs.
MC: How gracious of you to pass on your sage advice to a country bumpkin such as myself. Goodbye.
MC <3
Kaede takes MC to Kyoichiro's shop, where he sells European wares.
Merchant: Even though he's young, he serves a lord as powerful as Nobunaga! Though you'll be in a tough spot if he goes to war.
Kyoichiro: I just happen to be based out of Kiyosu (Nobunaga's hometown). I'll sell to anyone if the price is right, and peddle my wares in other regions if it comes to that.
MC never knew such freedom was possible. Could her village ever be in a position to negotiate with lords as equals, instead of being powerless vassals?
MC sees Kyoichiro cheerfully bidding goodbye to what is clearly a courtesan and assumes she's an unfaithful girlfriend haha. OH NO SHE FEELS DUTY BOUND TO TELL HIM HIS GIRLFRIEND IS 'CHEATING'. He finds this very amusing.
MC tails Hotaru for a while, but then he vanishes. We see Saizo berate Hotaru for letting MC follow him at all >:(
MC bumps into Kyoichiro in a back alley, dressed in a fancy red outfit and hiding from guards, who are chasing a thief.
MC: (So he's a theif??)
Kyoichiro: So you're from Iga, huh?
MC: ...what do you mean by that? >.>
Kyoichiro just laughs and implies he'll keep her secret if she keeps his, including from Kaede.
Kyoichiro: Have you heard of the Jewel of Iga?
MC: No (But it sounds important...)
The next day MC investigates the place Kyoichiro stole from...and it's the courtesan house, whose owner rants "Does this thief have any idea how hard it is to kidnap women and force them to rip off customers?!" Subtle, game.
MC is very uncomfortable with Kyoichiro having recognised that she's a ninja, and wonders if he's one himself, even if he's obviously not a hunter sent to murder her.
MC encounters two of Kenshin's retainers, Yoshichi and Kageie, looking for somewhere to eat, and manipulates them into going to Radiance!MC's restaurant with her, so she can learn about things in their region. They make Kenshin sound like exactly the kind of competent, peaceful ruler MC would want to work for.
Yoshichi is just happy to eat nice food with a cute girl, but Kageie is clearly suspicious of her motives.
Kaede is a fan of MC's plan to negotiate a more equal protection deal, and agrees that while Kenshin sounds pretty good they should investigate as many lords as possible.
While investigating the slums, MC sees a poor family find a pouch of money by their house, marked with a paper crane- the calling card of Goemon.
It's also a bag she saw Kyoichiro holding during his robbery. She puts two and two together, thinking "Huh. So that mouthy Kyoichiro has a heart of gold..."
She bumps into Hotaru, and while initially on guard, melts in the face of his adorable childlike happiness that his cat, Tora, is better. But then she realises his arms are covered in scars from the cuts of kunai: ninja throwing knives.
When she asks what happened, he looks surprised, like he hadn't even noticed. He sits quiet and obedient as she does first aid. He seems too innocent to be a ninja, but, feeling like a jerk, she subtly pumps him for information.
MC: We're friends, right? What's your name?
Hotaru: (Friends???) ...Hotaru.
MC: Oh, you can talk?
Hotaru: ...I'm not really allowed.
He won't say why, but does say that he's from somewhere a little way from Kyoto but will soon be travelling somewhere northern that sounds a lot like Kenshin's domain.
And then suddenly he jumps up onto a roof and starts chasing someone across the rooftops.
She follows him to a forest and sees him competently fight, and then coldly kill, an unfamiliar ninja. Just as MC is trying to reconcile the Hotaru she knows with this ruthless killer, she finds herself captured by another unfamiliar ninja. She's about to break her cover and free herself when Hotaru suddenly goes up to the guy's ear and whispers something that makes him scream, fall the ground, and start vomiting blood D:
Hotaru: It's alright now, I broke him.
MC: D:
And then he spots something, and springs towards...
Kyoichiro: Sharp eyes! But you're after them, not me, right?
Hotaru: ...
Kyoichiro: Just a suggestion, MC, but you might want to block your ears :) Never let your guard down around Iga's precious jewel. You could show a little gratitude for how much I've been teaching you lately, too.
He then has to quickly dodge an attack from a masked Saizo, who MC recognises immediately despite having met him once, yes I am looking at you, Yukimura!Radiance!MC.
Saizo: I knew you were still alive :)
Kyoichiro: Doesn't look like you've done me the favour of dying either :) But I don't see why you're attacking me, I'm not nor have I ever been from Iga.
Saizo doesn't reply, but suddenly starts heading towards MC, blades drawn.
Hotaru: Brother, stop!
Saizo stops. And then MC realises she can't move either.
Kyoichiro, also paralysed: This is the worst.
Saizo, pondering MC: Huh. *sigh* I'll look the other way this time.
And then everyone gains the ability to move and nopes away in different directions.
Back home, MC remembers hearing about the Soul of Language back in Iga, a mythical technique which allows people to manipulate others through words. As Kaede cleans MC's wound, MC explains everything that happened, still unsure about what exactly is going on.
MC feels like she has two possible paths:
1) Follow Kyopichiro's path of independence, and figure out some way to deal with Iga.
2) Get Hotaru onside, and use him to free the village from Iga.
I've mostly ended up with Hotaru points (I just couldn't ever bring myself to be mean to him), so my home screen is him saying "Let's sleep together. It'll be very cozy. Tora will probably join us, too."
But man...idk. His path would certainly be a different kind of consent issues to the usual for otome but I hear it gets squicky.
Kyoichiro's kind of a jerk, but does feel like the more in character choice and I hear his romance is a slow burn. He was a pretty good boyfriend in the post-path event I played, and robbing the rich to feed the poor is pretty appealing. So I think I'll choose him.
My brain: And then write Hideyoshi/Kyoichiro/MC!
Me: Really, you want to write fic about Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the violent warlord who invaded Korea, imposed a rigid class structure, and crucified children?
My brain: ...or maybe Kaede/Kyoichiro/MC... >.>
(Obviously I am ok with other people writing RPF about morally dubious warlords, or I wouldn't be playing this game, but I don't think I could do it myself. The nice thing about the Shinsengumi in Hakuoki is they never actually achieved very much. Also they were vampires, which helped make the fictional/historical distinction clearer in my head)
And now my home screen is Kaede saying "No daydreaming! Hurry up! Love awaits."
...and now it's Kyoichiro saying "I'll take you to the festival, bumpkin. It'll be fun for you." WELP. THIS IS WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR I GUESS.
This entry was originally posted at https://alias-sqbr.dreamwidth.org/795215.html. There are
comments.
Kyoichiro is a snarky merchant with a secret life as a robin-hood type figure.
Hotaru is a deeply traumatised ninja who was kept in a dark room for much of his life and only let out to kill.
And MC is a ninja looking for a way to keep her village of fugitive ninjas safe. The story of her meeting the two of them, and learning their secrets, was pretty fun!
There's a brief implication of sex slavery in the background.
I like the sound of both of these guys, so!
As a reminder: The main character of this story is the ninja Shadow!MC, and is a different person to the pacifist cook/maid Radiance!MC who is the protagonist of most stories.
The upside about playing Shadow!MC is that she's a badass ninja. The downside is that I keep going KAAEEDDEEEE WHY WON'T YOU LOVE MEEEEE ;_;
(Kaede is her cute amab non-binary BFF, who is currently passing as a cis woman, and does not have a romance path because life is suffering)
Anyway.
MC's village used to be part of a larger ninja village called Iga, which work as mercenaries. But when MC was a kid her village broke away so they wouldn't have to live that life any more, and they've been on the run from Iga assassins ever since.
They've recently been allied with Lord Nobunaga, making him Secret Herbal Remedies, but are starting to wonder if he can be trusted, given what a ruthless warmonger he is.
While the village decides whether to stay aligned with Nobunaga, MC is sent to Kyoto with Kaede to safeguard her unique knowledge.
MC finds the big city intimidating and now I really want her to get a tour from Radiance!MC, since she's originally from Kyoto. BUT ANYWAY.
Kaede introduces MC to Kyoichiro as her little sister.
Kyoichiro: Kaede's renowned for her beauty but you don't look anything like her. Especially in figure :)
I would have said Kaede being a head taller with pink hair was more of a difference, considering neither of them have much in the way of boobs. Also: BACK OFF KYOICHIRO, MC IS SUPER CUTE.
MC is quietly pissed and Kaede tells Kyoichiro off. But he's found a place for them to live, using his connections as a trader with Europe, and based on owing Kaede a favour.
Kaede smilingly deflects his smiling attempts to dig into why they're here. MC takes this as a sign that Kaede doesn't trust him, and so neither should she. She also decides that Kaede 'wears the hakama' in this relationship haha.
Kaede notices that MC is tense and takes her out for dessert. They hear people gossiping about Ishikawa Goemon (Kyoichiro's Robin Hood-like alter-ego) stealing from a corrupt official. "That's my Kaede. Careful to make it look like she's not paying attention even when she's listening intently." The two of them smile and chat about cake as they gather information. Kyoichiro has some heavy work ahead to make me ship him more with MC than Kaede.
Kaede says she's listening to rumours because she's heard there may be Iga ninjas in town.
Kaede knows Radiance!MC's little brother Yahiko??
KAEDE WORKS UNDERCOVER AS A WAITRESS AT RADIANCE!MC'S RESTAURANT??
Did she start before Radiance!MC left? Are they friends?? I ship MC/MC and Kaede/Shadow!MC but had never really considered Kaede/MC/MC...
Anyway. Kaede goes to help out and MC is left alone in the city.
She encounters a limping cat and takes care of it's wound despite getting scratched.
Hotaru: !!
MC: Are you the owner? I'm glad it will have someone to take care of it.
He scrawls 'thank you' on a bit of paper, and turns out to only communicate via these notes. As they're parting, MC realises he's lost, and offers to help him find his way. They eventually make it to a restaurant called "Yugiri".
The owner steps out, and I thought it might be Radiance!MC's mother, but instead, it's...Saizo!!
Are all the ninja moonlighting as waiters??
He sighs at Hotaru then smiles and thanks MC. THAT'S RIGHT, APPARENTLY SAIZO IS AWFUL TO HOTARU ON THIS PATH >:(
MC bumps into Kyoichiro, who forcibly leads her away then coldly asks what her relationship is with Hotaru.
MC: Why do you care?
Kyoichiro: Well, whatever. But things don't work here the same here as they do deep in the mountains. You'd do well to keep your nose out of other people's affairs.
MC: How gracious of you to pass on your sage advice to a country bumpkin such as myself. Goodbye.
MC <3
Kaede takes MC to Kyoichiro's shop, where he sells European wares.
Merchant: Even though he's young, he serves a lord as powerful as Nobunaga! Though you'll be in a tough spot if he goes to war.
Kyoichiro: I just happen to be based out of Kiyosu (Nobunaga's hometown). I'll sell to anyone if the price is right, and peddle my wares in other regions if it comes to that.
MC never knew such freedom was possible. Could her village ever be in a position to negotiate with lords as equals, instead of being powerless vassals?
MC sees Kyoichiro cheerfully bidding goodbye to what is clearly a courtesan and assumes she's an unfaithful girlfriend haha. OH NO SHE FEELS DUTY BOUND TO TELL HIM HIS GIRLFRIEND IS 'CHEATING'. He finds this very amusing.
MC tails Hotaru for a while, but then he vanishes. We see Saizo berate Hotaru for letting MC follow him at all >:(
MC bumps into Kyoichiro in a back alley, dressed in a fancy red outfit and hiding from guards, who are chasing a thief.
MC: (So he's a theif??)
Kyoichiro: So you're from Iga, huh?
MC: ...what do you mean by that? >.>
Kyoichiro just laughs and implies he'll keep her secret if she keeps his, including from Kaede.
Kyoichiro: Have you heard of the Jewel of Iga?
MC: No (But it sounds important...)
The next day MC investigates the place Kyoichiro stole from...and it's the courtesan house, whose owner rants "Does this thief have any idea how hard it is to kidnap women and force them to rip off customers?!" Subtle, game.
MC is very uncomfortable with Kyoichiro having recognised that she's a ninja, and wonders if he's one himself, even if he's obviously not a hunter sent to murder her.
MC encounters two of Kenshin's retainers, Yoshichi and Kageie, looking for somewhere to eat, and manipulates them into going to Radiance!MC's restaurant with her, so she can learn about things in their region. They make Kenshin sound like exactly the kind of competent, peaceful ruler MC would want to work for.
Yoshichi is just happy to eat nice food with a cute girl, but Kageie is clearly suspicious of her motives.
Kaede is a fan of MC's plan to negotiate a more equal protection deal, and agrees that while Kenshin sounds pretty good they should investigate as many lords as possible.
While investigating the slums, MC sees a poor family find a pouch of money by their house, marked with a paper crane- the calling card of Goemon.
It's also a bag she saw Kyoichiro holding during his robbery. She puts two and two together, thinking "Huh. So that mouthy Kyoichiro has a heart of gold..."
She bumps into Hotaru, and while initially on guard, melts in the face of his adorable childlike happiness that his cat, Tora, is better. But then she realises his arms are covered in scars from the cuts of kunai: ninja throwing knives.
When she asks what happened, he looks surprised, like he hadn't even noticed. He sits quiet and obedient as she does first aid. He seems too innocent to be a ninja, but, feeling like a jerk, she subtly pumps him for information.
MC: We're friends, right? What's your name?
Hotaru: (Friends???) ...Hotaru.
MC: Oh, you can talk?
Hotaru: ...I'm not really allowed.
He won't say why, but does say that he's from somewhere a little way from Kyoto but will soon be travelling somewhere northern that sounds a lot like Kenshin's domain.
And then suddenly he jumps up onto a roof and starts chasing someone across the rooftops.
She follows him to a forest and sees him competently fight, and then coldly kill, an unfamiliar ninja. Just as MC is trying to reconcile the Hotaru she knows with this ruthless killer, she finds herself captured by another unfamiliar ninja. She's about to break her cover and free herself when Hotaru suddenly goes up to the guy's ear and whispers something that makes him scream, fall the ground, and start vomiting blood D:
Hotaru: It's alright now, I broke him.
MC: D:
And then he spots something, and springs towards...
Kyoichiro: Sharp eyes! But you're after them, not me, right?
Hotaru: ...
Kyoichiro: Just a suggestion, MC, but you might want to block your ears :) Never let your guard down around Iga's precious jewel. You could show a little gratitude for how much I've been teaching you lately, too.
He then has to quickly dodge an attack from a masked Saizo, who MC recognises immediately despite having met him once, yes I am looking at you, Yukimura!Radiance!MC.
Saizo: I knew you were still alive :)
Kyoichiro: Doesn't look like you've done me the favour of dying either :) But I don't see why you're attacking me, I'm not nor have I ever been from Iga.
Saizo doesn't reply, but suddenly starts heading towards MC, blades drawn.
Hotaru: Brother, stop!
Saizo stops. And then MC realises she can't move either.
Kyoichiro, also paralysed: This is the worst.
Saizo, pondering MC: Huh. *sigh* I'll look the other way this time.
And then everyone gains the ability to move and nopes away in different directions.
Back home, MC remembers hearing about the Soul of Language back in Iga, a mythical technique which allows people to manipulate others through words. As Kaede cleans MC's wound, MC explains everything that happened, still unsure about what exactly is going on.
MC feels like she has two possible paths:
1) Follow Kyopichiro's path of independence, and figure out some way to deal with Iga.
2) Get Hotaru onside, and use him to free the village from Iga.
I've mostly ended up with Hotaru points (I just couldn't ever bring myself to be mean to him), so my home screen is him saying "Let's sleep together. It'll be very cozy. Tora will probably join us, too."
But man...idk. His path would certainly be a different kind of consent issues to the usual for otome but I hear it gets squicky.
Kyoichiro's kind of a jerk, but does feel like the more in character choice and I hear his romance is a slow burn. He was a pretty good boyfriend in the post-path event I played, and robbing the rich to feed the poor is pretty appealing. So I think I'll choose him.
My brain: And then write Hideyoshi/Kyoichiro/MC!
Me: Really, you want to write fic about Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the violent warlord who invaded Korea, imposed a rigid class structure, and crucified children?
My brain: ...or maybe Kaede/Kyoichiro/MC... >.>
(Obviously I am ok with other people writing RPF about morally dubious warlords, or I wouldn't be playing this game, but I don't think I could do it myself. The nice thing about the Shinsengumi in Hakuoki is they never actually achieved very much. Also they were vampires, which helped make the fictional/historical distinction clearer in my head)
And now my home screen is Kaede saying "No daydreaming! Hurry up! Love awaits."
...and now it's Kyoichiro saying "I'll take you to the festival, bumpkin. It'll be fun for you." WELP. THIS IS WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR I GUESS.
This entry was originally posted at https://alias-sqbr.dreamwidth.org/795215.html. There are
comments.