As Unbridled as a Heavenly Steed
Chapter 1
1498! 1499!
— 1500!
3000 strikes in the morning, 7000 strikes in the evening— that is the Jigen-ryu style[^], which renders a second blow entirely meaningless. With this, that’s half of my morning strikes.
(... It is already quite bright out. The dawn comes very quickly when summertime comes.)
(It helps that it is bright out. Unfortunately, I would look quite suspicious if I were to work on practice-swings in the dark.)
(While I was in school, I could use my family’s dojo or the martial arts room, but I do not have access to those here.)
(I received written permission from Hasumi-dono, the dorm administrator, so I have been permitted to do my practice-swings here in the courtyard. Still–)
(Something terrible happened around April.[^] Because it was a personal action, it is only natural that it became widely known…)
(Without me even knowing, someone saw me practicing my swings in the dark, and there were rumors of there being the ghost of a “fallen warrior of the dawn”...[^])
(But, well, the matter came to a close. Now that I work on my practice swings like this, I can do so without worrying anyone.)
(Well, there is something emboldening about wearing a proper dojo uniform in a dojo, but… I suppose silently swinging my blade in a quiet garden like this isn’t so bad.)
(After all, just about everyone is still asleep at this hour. I can focus entirely on my sword without thinking of such distractions.)
(There are the sounds of the breeze and the trees, but they serve to sharpen my mind instea…– Hm?)
— Who goes there!?
Eeek!?
Mashiro…?
I– I’m sorry! Please just spare me my life…!
I will not take your life, but… Why were you hiding behind that tree?
Uuu, well, that’s… The truth is—
Chapter 3
… So, yeah. When I’d asked them about it, it turned out they were going for the same roles.
Hokuto-senpai is going for the role of the main character, and Tsukinaga-senpai is going for the role of the traitor…
As a fan of his, of course I want Hokuto-senpai to get the lead role of the series…
And Tsukinaga-senpai would definitely nail his role too, with it being someone who acts kindly, but harbors an inner dark side…
The two of them are perfect fits for those roles. To be honest, I don’t feel like I stand a chance.
But… As an actor, I don’t want to just pass it up.
Nothing has started yet, and the application process isn’t even open.
It could even be likely that the production team might have someone in mind for the role already.
Still, I have to act. If there’s even just a sliver of a chance–
No. There doesn’t even have to be a chance. I’ll make the chance myself
Because auditions are a chance to override the preconceptions people have of you.
… Well, I get that in theory, but I don’t really know how to apply it in real life.
All of the books that would’ve helped as reference were already checked out by Hokuto-senpai and the others.
Even if I tried to learn from historical dramas, they’re really long and old, so I wouldn’t have enough time to get through them all before the audition…
I was like, “Is there a quicker, easier way to learn about samurai?” and observing you, Kanzaki-senpai, was the best thing I came up with.
Quicker and easier, you say?
Yeah. When you think of “samurai”, you definitely think of Kanzaki-senpai ♪
And I was thinking of getting proper permission. I remembered that you’re usually here early in the morning, so I came over.
But, you were really serious, so I couldn’t really find the right moment to say something…
So in the end, I ended up… stalking and watching from behind the tree. I’m sorry it seemed like I was some shady guy.
Hmph. I have a grasp of the circumstances.
I know of that project too.
Huh. If that’s the case… Are you planning to audition for the role too?
Ahh, damn, of course you are. You’re the ideal candidate for that series.
“Of course I am” … Well, it makes sense that you would think that. Actually, the production team did approach me with that exact idea in mind.
I am not taking part in an “oo-dee-shon”. They approached me with the role directly.
They approached you… So, you were given an offer?
That is right. They offered me the role of the final shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu.[^]
The final shogun…! They gave you that important of a role?
And it was an offer too… I’d thought it was weird that there were lines, even though auditions hadn’t been announced...
Well, it makes sense, it seems like important roles like that always tend to go to Kanzaki-san… Of course you would be hand-picked personally!
Mmm. I was very grateful that they reached out to me, but…
… Huh? Was there some kind of problem?
Not so much a problem, but… I’m a little hesitant to take on the role of Tokugawa Yoshinobu.
And that is because when it comes to the roles I receive for “dorama,” I am always, always casted as the samurai.
In the beginning, that pleased me greatly. I thought quite proudly that there was no one more suitable for it than I.
But, it has put me in a box lately. It is very clear that they have a simplistic train of thought about this: “He is the clear choice, because he knows everything about samurai.”
I feel as if they cast me not because they see my actual acting ability, but because they decide by themselves that… well, if there is a “samurai role,” Kanzaki Souma is the perfect fit.
Of course, I take pride in being established where I am recognized in that way. It is the personification of proof of all the efforts and accomplishments I have accumulated.
But at the same time… I feel that I am only ever seen as a “thing that can play a samurai.”
Samurai are broadly generalized with one word, but in reality, they lived in very different ways depending on the time period.
Because of that, I have tried to create different interpretations based on the project, through precise alterations in speech and conduct, but…
It often gets accepted as is without checking if it is correct, nor with any re-dos and discussions.
As that continued, it made me think that no one sees Kanzaki Souma’s range or potential as an actor. It is very disheartening.
So that’s how you feel, Kanzaki-senpai…
I’m really sorry I said “of course” you were fit for the role, earlier…
Hmph… it is alright. Lift your head, Mashiro.
What did I say? I take pride in being established and recognized in that way.
Alright… But still, I never thought a senior of mine would have those kinds of troubles.
For me, I’m “ordinary” no matter what I do. The only roles that come my way tend to be ordinary, average-joe type roles– the kind anyone could do.
I thought I’d go out for this audition, in order to shake myself out of that role…
But after hearing the things you were talking about, I realized I wasn’t thinking it through nearly enough.
Having a distinct character, just being plain ordinary... No matter who you are, everyone has their own set of troubles, huh?
Humans are creatures who are eternally dissatisfied, after all. It is exactly because of that that humans aim to reach even higher heights.
Anyways… Mashiro. If you want to do something like learn about “samurai” quicker and easier, there is one way.
How about it? Would you like to accompany me for training one day soon?
Huh? Training…?
They say you should “try a horse by riding him, and judge a person by spending time with him.”[^] You aren’t truly going to understand things by merely watching or hearing about it.
The knowledge you get from books or film does nothing if you cannot put it into practice. That being the case, you’ll learn it even quicker if you begin with practical experience from the very start.
The path of the samurai is not something you “learn” in your head, but something you grasp with your mind, body and spirit.
I see… Well, they do say a picture is worth a thousand words, after all.
Kanzaki-senpai! Please allow me to accompany you for training…!
Chapter 4
— Ah, you’re here.
Good morning, Kanzaki-senpai! Today’s the day, I’m looking forward to being under your care!
Yes, the pleasure is mine.
By the way, Mashiro, did you get proper sleep last night?
Yep. Why do you ask?
It is not important. You arrived earlier than we agreed, so I thought that the nerves might have made you too restless to sleep.
Ahh… Well, to be honest, I was definitely a little nervous, but not enough to be kept up.
I did some light exercises before I went to bed, so I fell asleep pretty quick.
Thanks to the morning air, I feel so refreshed I feel like I could do anything! Or some~thing like that…♪
So, what are we starting with? Is it going to be something like the practice-swinging you were doing yesterday?
Not quite. First, we’ll set out by foot.
Set out by foot… Ah. So we’re going walking as a warm-up exercise, huh?
Yes. Today, we will be spending time in the mountains, after all. Our first objective is to make our way there by foot.
I see, so we’re going to the mountains…
Huh? The mountains!?!? From here!? We’re not going to take the train–?
How is going by train going to forge your mind and body? Choosing to go on your own two feet is what gives it meaning.
Y–You could say that, but… Huh…?
This is part of your training too. Well then, let us depart, Mashiro.
Yessir. Alright, I’ll do my best…!
Chapter 5
Translation Notes
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