Hako's Financial Recovery

Expedition

Separate from whatever other mischief in his chaotic cookbook, Matsumoto Ooawagaeri, in his guise as Susuki, was also engaged by Tōdaisen Nobuhara to search for Musashibō Benkei's missing naginata, Iwatōshi. He had seen it prudent to involve Tōdaisen Nobuyoshi in this expedition, and the two had begun their search at Benkei's and Minamoto no Yoshitsune's shared quarters in Wakigami Castle. After bypassing the security measures there, however, they were no closer to an answer, and so Susuki began to consider other avenues of action.

Weaving a powerful spell, Susuki left it to magic to find Iwatōshi's location. The spell, which had a somewhat limited ranged to begin with, returned to him with a vision of a snow-capped mountain. Carved into its many faces were gentle roads sloping upward, all well-travled and converging on its peak. Although the vision was fleeting, Susuki was able to identify it as Mount Omine and called upon Shigeaki Fujino to convey himself and Nobuyoshi to its base.   When they arrived, Nobuyoshi and Fujino eagerly joined in the search for any clues to the weapon's whereabouts. The most obvious of these, which presented itself immediately, were the fresh wheel-grooves in the slushy ground at the mountain's base. A cart, or carts, had come through this way recently. Following the tracks over a foothill, the trio soon found their source. A swarthy man in ragged, once-fine clothes was swearing and pushing at a cart that lay on its side in the remnants of last night's snow. A fresh set of animal tracks leading away from it told to the man's dire situation, as his pack animal seemed to have already fled.   Approaching, Susuki hailed the man and introduced himself as a traveler passing by. The other stated his name as Hako, and explained that he had been hoping to make a pilgrimage to the top of this mountain in order to trade with the Tengu who presided there and begin a new life as an art peddler. Hako's cart was suspiciously empty of art, but it did contain Iwatōshi, leaning casually against the container's lip. Fujino and Nobuyoshi both expressed their interest in this beautiful weapon, but Hako retorted that it wasn't for sale. Even when tempted by two jewels offered by Susuki he refused. The cart, he explained, was to carry back all the treasure he hoped the Tengu atop the mountain would shower him with upon delivering that naginata.   Deciding to see this through with his new companion, Susuki first employed his great strength to flip the cart over, and then a dash of magic to fix the damaged wheel. That left the problem of lacking an animal to pull it, but Susuki hefted the yoke himself and began to pull the cart up the slope himself. After a moment, Hako joined in, helping him while Fujino and Nobuyoshi hopped in the back to ride.   It took them a few hours of hard work, and a few stops for Hako to rest, before they arrived at the summit. Here, a small commune had been built, with white and red tents surrounding a central complex. Above it all, lounging under an umbrella and waited on by tiny dogs in shades and scarves, the tengu Zenkibō watched Susuki and Hako approach. Their audacity in pulling a cart up bare-handed had intrigued her, and so she asked if they had anything to present. When Hako offered up Iwatōshi, a pair of dogs grabbed it and brought it for the daitengu's inspection.   As Zenkibō studied the naginata, she spoke briefly with Susuki. The youth confirmed his relation to Masamune as apprentice, but gave away little more than that, and stated that he had nothing of his own to present that day. Rather, he was simply being neighborly and helping Hako out of a jam.   Without hesitation or remorse, Zenkibō snapped Iwatōshi in half, and ground the weapon between her hands into a fine dust. As she opened her palm, what remained of Benkei's naginata drifted away on the wind. Thinking quickly, Susuki called upon his motile water to grab the dust out of the air and bring it back to him, lest the weapon be completely lost. Obviously its workmanship had not impressed the daitengu, but as there was currently no exhibition in progress, she decided that Hako's obvious despair was punishment enough.   Not wishing to push their host's patience any further, Fujino teleported the four of them off that mountain and back to its base. The fact that Hako's cart hadn't come with him only drove him deeper into sadness. Never, he swore, would he financially recover from these events. Feeling sorry for the stricken man, Susuki offered him a pouch of gold coins, even as he cast a spell of restoration to remake Iwatōshi in its perfect previous image. Hako and Nobuyoshi were both struck equally in awe by his power and generosity, but Susuki brushed their admiration off with his usual humility.   Hako agreed to return with them to Wakigami, as that was as good a place as any to spend his new coin. As Susuki finished reportingl the results of his misison to Nobuhara, Fujino gathered them all up and whisked them back to the heart of the Hashinara's domain.