Great Lakes and Expectations Chapter 7

Regina finished writing her her report in English and hoped that Tomiko-san would be able to read it. She would definitely answer questions, but…. Her understanding of Japanese wasn’t really suited to this kind of situation. 

Obviously, that meant she needed to study more. But it was unlikely that she was going to run into more situations involving mutiny and cannibalism. Or maybe not? This place was hella weird. And it wasn’t like this kind of situation never happened in human history. That wasn’t even the weirdest thing that she’d seen today. 

When she was finished, she handed the papers to Osafune in the scroll case that had been provided for protection. He took them solemnly, and vanished out of sight. 

Only Shizune remained with her. She’d been so quiet all day that Regina had nearly forgotten she was there. 

「大丈夫ですか？」Shizune asked, sounding more friendly than she had the night before. 

Regina just turned to stare at her. No? She wasn’t ok. That situation was highly disturbing and her life was a constant nightmare. She wasn’t even sure she’d done a good job. Would her assessment disagree with Tomiko’s? If it did, was she safe? She didn’t even know where she could go if Iron had somehow found her offensive. 

Jiraiya was the only one in the world who knew what had happened to her, and only god knew where his ass was. Tsunade was gone, her life here was a lie- 

She wanted to fall down into a hole and die.

Unfortunately, that was the only path she could take that would definitely harm her chances of getting home. Maybe she could cry, instead?

Shizune asked again, looking a little more concerned. Or perhaps unsure if Regina understood basic Japanese. 

She could cry later, when she was alone. That way she wasn’t likely to make anyone too upset with her. She needed their benevolence desperately. 

「はい、大丈夫。」She said quietly instead. 「今日の予約。。。ありがとうございたします。お疲れ様です。」 Regina stood, and stared out the window into the snowy streets of Iron. 「あのう、私は疲れいたします。おやすみなさい、しずねさん。」

Shizune nodded.　「おやすみなさい、レジナさん。明日は帰ります。」 

Regina bowed, and Shizune bowed back, lower. 

When Shizune left, Regina felt somehow lonelier than before. She watched the snow fall outside for far too long, then went to cry beneath her futon. 

The next morning, Regina rose with the sun. Mostly because Fujita-san had again opened the window to the outside and whooshed the futon off her body like a magician. 

Fujita-san had also prepared one of the most expensive kimono she’d been given, which was a good indication that she would be meeting with either Tomiko or Mifune today. Or that they were taking this “hime” thing and running with it. Hard to say, because she would likely never understand the explanation even if one was provided. 

Regina stood and then sat obediently as Fujita-san yanked her into good social standing from head to toe. 

Afterwards, she followed her into the dining room, where other people were busily arranging the table with tamagoyaki, tsukemono, miso, tofu, and a whole seared fish. Doubtless the rice would arrive soon. 

Regina stared into the fish’s baked eyes and waited for her hosts to arrie. At least this looked like one of the seared miso seasoned ones. Even if she was expected to eat everything but the bones. To be honest, the bones were the only part that she actually had a problem with, other than the fact that denucleating a fish felt almost unnecessarily violent at 6 am. 

Osafune and Kumiko arrived not long after, looking impeccable and without emotion. They were also wearing even nicer garments than usual. 

Regina then noted that the place settings were for a party of five. 

They waited. 

A few scant minutes of silence later, the main doors slid open. Tsunade and Shizune appeared, looking slightly pink-cheeked from the cold. They took their places at the table gracefully. 

Immediately after, the rice was served. Regina watched the tendrils of steam rise into the cold air while her four companions talked at a clip she was far too tired to comprehend. She was reserving her brain power for when she was addressed directly- all her other effort went to seeming amiable and polite so as not to offend any of the people that had her life in their hands. 

Oh god, wait. Eating. 

Regina glanced at her dining companions. Osafune and Kumiko had seen her eat before and she hadn’t managed to be overly laughable or to mortally offend. But eating with supervision was weird. Any misstep she made was noted, even if dropping things with chopsticks was fairly average for anyone. 

This was why she’d hated eating with other people on her study abroad. 

Luckily, no one seemed to be caring whatsoever about her at the moment. Though the conversation she did catch was at least partly concerning her, it didn’t seem to include any queries as to her ability to feed herself. 

She took advantage of the moment, downing her miso as delicately as possible before moving on to the tofu and tsukemono. The fish was going to be the hard work- taking meat off fish bones with chopsticks was no joke. She prided herself on doing it cleanly, because wasting was basically a mortal sin. 

At least that was the same in Japan as it was in the American Midwest. 

The tea was particularly excellent this morning. It wasn’t standard to give your thanks to the chef, but Regina sent out a good feeling to whomever had bestowed tasty caffeine upon her sorry soul today. 

Though she wasn’t trying to, she caught some words in their conversation. THey were talking lowly, but it was probably more that servants didn’t need to know business than anything concerning her. She caught the words ‘useful’, ‘special- although what or whom was special was unknown’ and something about an obligation. 

Overall, it kind of seemed like the same things she’d heard before. She was probably the obligation, but whose? That seemed up for debate. Jiraiya’s? As he’d claimed her as his daughter, that was likely. But he hadn’t come back or seemed to have mentioned returning to anyone else that she’d heard. Iron was taking care of her for now, but that couldn’t last. And whatever country Jiraiya was from still had no responsibility for her. Also she didn’t even know where that was. Tsunade, the newest love of her life, wasn’t even necessarily from the same country. And they’d just met yesterday. 

And Tsunade was going to murder her hairy not-father, apparently. So that closed several avenues of rescue. 

Regina looked at Shizune and found that she was looking back. She smiled, and Shizune did, too. 

Maybe that was good. 

Tsunade left after breakfast, but Shizune stayed by her side as Osafune guided her again on the short walk to what was apparently the central government building she’d been taken to on her first day. 

This time, they were sent to wait in a large room with a long dining table. Osafune and Shizune sat to either side of the very end, and indicated that she was to take the cushion at the end. 

She sat in seiza and waited. Truly, this was the authentic Japanese life experience. You sat uncomfortably and quietly with heavy clothes and hair and waited for someone with far more social capital than yourself to arrive, speak, and determine exactly what would happen with the rest of your life. 

They had not come to Tomiko’s home, but Regina was not surprised to see her arrive. And the intimidatingly serious man she was accompanying must be the infamous Mifune-sama. 

Admittedly, he was less tall and terrifying than the spectre Regina’s anxiety had produced. But his demeanor and the mood in the room left no doubt that he was the real deal. 

She only hoped that she was somehow important and useful enough that this would go well. 

There were no guards posted in the room this time. Was that because she wasn’t dangerous, or they were trying not to intimidate her? 

Obviously, they weren’t needed. But the fact remained that Mifune was a samurai (emperor, maybe), Osafune was one of his samurai, and Regina had the combat skills of a dried fig. Sure, Shizune had glowy hands, but Regina wasn’t sure that Shizune was really there to keep her safe, either. 

Not being able to read the air straight-up sucked. 

She was probably puzzling over something obvious. This was an in-house confidential discussion, with Shizune for some reason. 

Mifune seated himself and Tomiko did as well. 

There were greetings that Regina didn’t understand (it was definitely all Keigo), but she bowed when everyone else did and tried her very best not to make an ass of herself. 

After a long speech by Mifune-sama, Tomiko looked to Regina directly to translate. “Mifune-sama and the Land of Iron would like to welcome you, Jiraiya no Rejina-hime, and Katou Shizune-hime, to our land. We hope that you have found the Land of Iron welcoming.”

‘Is that my last name now? Jiraiya?’

Regina turned that over in her head. Well, it could be worse. She could be any number of rice fields. Mountain field, Middle field, hill field…. 

After the formal parts were concluded, Mifune-sama gestured to the papers on his side of the table and asked something. 

Was he asking her? Probably? No one else was answering. She knew she was getting wide-eyed and looked like a baby nitwit. 

Tomiko rescued her, but probably because that was one of her roles in this meeting. 

“Mifune-sama would like to thank you for your help.”

That wasn’t a question, so Regina just bowed deeply in his direction because it seemed like a good time to do so. 

That was obviously the right move, because Osafune visibly relaxed his jaw in the corner of her eye. 

“Your report has been read.” Tomiko continued in her careful English, “And Mifune-sama would like to ask you some questions regarding this situation.” She paused. 

Regina bowed again.

“In your opinion, what was the purpose for their arrival here?” Tomiko asked. 

Regina bowed her head. So much bowing. Her neck and back were gonna be so fit. 

“Mifune-sama. After talking to all of the alive sailors,” she said slowly, “I believe that they arrived in the Land of Iron by accident. They seem to have been trying to return to their port and were waylaid by a storm, as well as a change in leadership.”

She waited while Tomiko contemplated and then translated her assessment for Mifune-sama. He listened impassively. After Tomiko was concluded, he asked yet another question.

Tomiko again turned to face Regina. “Mifune-sama would like to know if you believe they are a danger here.”

Regina bowed her head again. This was the question she’d wrestled with so much the night before. She felt like an agent of doom. 

“I do not believe the majority of these sailors present a threat to the Land of Iron.” She struggled to keep in a sigh, and succeeded. “However, the First Mate may be considered dangerous and would be considered a criminal by the laws of his land for mutinous actions.” There, she took a pause. She felt uncomfortable saying this, but it was important. “The country they are from is well known for invading and occupying other countries. While I believe that this crew is not dangerous, the prospect of the English military becoming interested in the Land of Iron would most assuredly be.”

Awkward. She knew Tomiko had studied in England. But it was the truth. Hopefully she hadn’t enjoyed her time there so much that she was willing to hang Regina out to dry over an honest assessment. 

She strained to listen carefully to Tomiko’s translation, but wasn’t sure of the nuance. It seemed like she understood the gist of what Regina had said, but it was hard to tell whether she agreed. Her face betrayed none of what she was thinking. 

Regina tried to think about puppies, for hope. 

Shizune and Osafune also looked as placid as lakes. Everyone here could be a poker champion.

Mifune-sama said something long that sounded very intelligent. 

“Rejina-hime,” Tomiko began. “Thank you for your assessment. What do you believe we should do with these sailors, in light of these circumstances? Do you believe that any crimes should be punished in the Land of Iron?”

She nodded. She felt like a chicken. “I believe that their crimes should be left to their country. Any punishment by the Land of Iron could be seen as provocation, unless the Land of Iron has any previous agreements with the British Empire. However, merely returning these sailors to their home may spark interest in the Land of Iron and surrounding areas, leading to invasion for resources and tradeable goods.” 

Regina shifted minutely on her cushion. It wasn’t elegant to do so, but it hurt. “They are mostly concerned with trade and valuable items. If they can meet this need without violent means, I believe they will. In my opinion, there are two possible options: either to keep these men indefinitely, in prison or by killing them, and pretending they never came here whatsoever, or to engage in the trade they seek on your own terms. The former suggestion has obvious drawbacks- it may cause worse problems later on if it is ever discovered, for example.”

“My recommendation is for the Land of Iron, or some other interested country, to begin peaceful and monitored trade with the British Empire. By sending back their remaining sailors in good health with goods as potentially valuable as those that were lost, with escorts from the Land of Iron, they may be willing to enter a trading agreement that would benefit both parties. Limiting their entry ports would minimize their intimate knowledge of the Land of Iron for a potential invasion.” Thinking carefully over everything, she found something she had missed. “I would recommend keeping the cannons that foundered here and maintaining that they were lost at sea, as well as sending a letter detailing the circumstances of these sailors’ arrival to ensure goodwill.”

It took quite a while for Tomiko to translate all that. When she was finished, Mifune-sama hummed, which seemed like a large reaction for him. His face still didn’t move. 

Regina studied that and committed herself to emulating it. He was a boss. 

At least she was finding very good leadership role models in Hell Japan. 

Mifune-sama was obviously considering something because he wasn’t talking, but didn’t show any particular emotion. 

They all sat in serious silence. Honestly, it all made Regina feel rather important, like she was briefing the President in the Situation Room. 

After a minute or so of silence, he spoke. 

Regina waited. 

“Regina-hime, Mifune-sama thanks you for your considered opinion and solutions.” Tomiko started off, voice a little hoarse from all the talking. “The Land of Iron thanks you and the Land of Fire for assisting us in this situation. We feel that we can reach a good solution, thanks to your expertise. Thank you for your hard work. We hope that you will continue to enjoy your time here in the Land of Iron, and our good relationship in the future.”

Regina bowed, as did Shizune. 

Then Mifune stood, and they all stood. 

He and Tomiko bowed. Honestly, it looked like Mifune-sama bowed lower than he should have. Regina didn’t have an eye for these things, but it seemed lower to her mind than his earlier one. Plus, a guy running a whole damn country didn’t owe much of anyone more than a nod or slight tilt. That was the way power distances worked. 

But reminding herself that she didn’t know anything was probably best. Regina bowed low, as Osafune and Shizune did the same. 

Then they left. After Mifune-sama and Tomiko were gone, Osafune guided them out of the building and back to his home. 

It seemed he had business to do in the bearded man center, because he left after his mother bestowed tea upon them. 

Kumiko-san had left the room for more snacks (why were there so many snacks. They’d had breakfast like, an hour or two ago), and Shizune turned to Regina. 

「いいですね、」 she said, companionably. 「たくさん教育を受けていますか？」

Regina parsed through that. She’d definitely caught ‘lots of’  and ‘education’. The verb form was unknown. But at least she had a good guess. 

「あのう、」 she hedged 「すごい勉強をしました、でも私は賢くない。」

It would be rude to be anything less than self-effacing. Regina wasn’t sure that if she was actually amazing like she longed to be, that she would be able to cut off her own nose like that. 

Actually, that was why Jiraiya was weird here. Telling someone you’re famous and other things would be incredibly rude by typical standards for manners here. 

In that moment, she felt closer to him than in any of the time they’d spent together as he’d carted her ass across the countryside. 

「そう、ですね。」Shizune politely sipped at her tea. 「自来也さまはいいお父さんですか？」

Regina pondered that for a moment.　「穴太、私は二週間前に初めてお父さんにあった。。。意見で、いいお父さんです。でも、全部が新しい。」

At least that probably wasn’t going to get her killed. She hadn’t even met him before two weeks ago. And he was a good dad, by the metric that she had not yet died in the face of so much possibility of dying. 

「お父さんは火の国教えてくれましたか？」 Shizune asked. These constant interrogations were making Regina tired. 

「いいえ。」 she replied simply. 「全然を分かりません。」

Thankfully, Shizune left it at that. Regina was sure there would be more questions in the future, but hopefully they would give her more time to study before they asked them. Her Japanese skill level was just not high enough for this shit. Her head hurt from trying to digest what everyone was saying all the time.

「大丈夫です。」 Shizune breathed in the matcha aroma. Regina wanted to offer her hers because it was really bitter and she’d already had three. But that was also weird and rude. 

She was tired of being polite so she didn’t die. But she drank her matcha anyway and smiled when Kumiko made her more. 

「ああ！」 Shizune exclaimed pleasantly, which made Regina look up. 「レジナさんは甘いものが好きですか？」

Why, yes. She did sometimes like sweet things.