Short Story | The Night Folding Screen (Kikuno, Returning from the Underworld! Side Story)

This is a thank-you short story for those who sent fan letters for the 8th Kadokawa Bunko Character Novel Grand Prize-winning work, 'Kikuno, Returning from the Underworld!'
Since a year and a half has passed since its release, I am making this available to the public.
I was very happy that so many people online came to love Kikuno & Tsurumatsu. I dedicate this work to you with heartfelt gratitude.

It can be read on its own, but in terms of the timeline, it is an event that takes place on a certain night around Chapter 4 of the main story. Please enjoy.

The Night Folding Screen

"Tsurumatsu, you are always so casually considerate of me."
When Kikuno said this, Tsurumatsu, who had been setting up a folding screen between their futons, looked at her with a suspicious expression.
It was night. They were in the waiting room for boat passengers on the second floor of the boat inn, 'Namisen'.
For the past few days, the two had been eating and sleeping in this room to resolve the monster disturbance that had occurred at Nagasakiya.
It had come to this thanks to the kindness of the landlady, Saemon, but although Kikuno looked like a young girl, she was a 28-year-old samurai woman on the inside. Even if there was a reason for it, she couldn't help but feel some resistance to sleeping in the same room as a man other than her husband.
Perhaps sensing those feelings, Tsurumatsu had been preparing this folding screen every night without Kikuno even having to ask. It was a trivial thing, but Kikuno was happy for his subtle consideration.
However, Tsurumatsu snorted with a mocking expression.
"Who's being considerate of you? This folding screen is for my own protection."
"Hmm. What do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean? Listen, from this folding screen over, it's the bed of the 22-year-old, flower-like Tsurumatsu-sama. If even a single finger crosses over, I'll report you to the magistrate."
Kikuno was dumbfounded and hurriedly retorted.
"Who would want to enter! You're the one who shouldn't step even a toe into my territory, you defrocked monk!"
"Unfortunately, I have no interest in children."
"I am not a child, I am an adult! You know that."
"I'm not talking about your appearance. Kikuno, you're a brat on the inside, not just the outside."
"What part of my inner self do you call a child?"
"Is climbing trees and running on roofs barefoot the behavior of a proper adult?"
"Guh... w-well, that was unavoidable."
"For someone who says it was unavoidable, Kikuno-san, you looked quite triumphant..."
Kikuno's cheeks flushed hot. It was true that running on the roofs of merchants' houses in Nihonbashi and climbing trees in the temple grounds had been quite fun.
"...I understand. I admit I am childish. But what exactly do you mean by 'for my own protection'?"
Tsurumatsu stared at Kikuno with a deadpan look, then slumped his shoulders, saying, "It seems you have absolutely no self-awareness."
"Well, you're having a hard time suddenly being in a child's body, so I won't say anything more."
"Eh, no, wait, what are you talking about!?"
What was this self-awareness? And what did it have to do with the folding screen? Ignoring Kikuno, who was becoming terrified, Tsurumatsu said,
"Anyway, all I want to say is don't come past this folding screen. Whether the Akō rōshi come to raid or Mt. Fuji erupts, just sleep quietly over there."
"Hahaha, Tsurumatsu. The idea of Mt. Fuji erupting is impossible. By the way, what is an 'Akō rōshi'?"
Kikuno, who didn't know about the raid of the Akō rōshi that happened after her death or the great eruption of Mt. Fuji the year before last, tilted her head, but was brushed off with a "Just go to sleep," and she reluctantly got into her futon.
(With such a restless feeling, will I really be able to sleep?)
Kikuno closed her eyes with anxiety—and a moment later, she was breathing comfortably and had fallen into a deep sleep.

Now, it was the middle of the night.
Tsurumatsu woke up to a "clatter" sound. Immediately after feeling a slight impact as if something had fallen onto his feet, he received a powerful blow to the side of his head.
"...This girl!"
Tsurumatsu sat up vigorously. Straining his eyes in the darkness, he saw the fallen folding screen lying on the lower half of his body. Glaring at his neighbor, he saw Kikuno, the culprit who had kicked over the screen, sleeping soundly on the floorboards right next to his futon.
Her arms and legs were spread out, and it seemed her right hand, which was balled into a fist, was what had just hit Tsurumatsu's head.
"Are you really a samurai princess!"
Can't something be done about this terrible sleeping posture every single night? Last night she kicked Tsurumatsu in the face, and the night before that she held Tsurumatsu's head and comforted him while sleep-talking, saying, "There, there, good boy, Zentaro." The folding screen was completely useless, but he had thought it was better than nothing, yet tonight she had finally kicked that over too.
"I'm going to roll you up in a straw mat and throw you into the Kanda River soon."
Tsurumatsu was irritated and pulled Kikuno's cheeks to the left and right.
Then, Kikuno smiled a "hee-hee" in her sleep. How carefree and innocent that sleeping face was.
"How can you sleep so defenselessly next to a man you only met a few days ago..."
Tsurumatsu sighed deeply, scratched his short hair, and stood up. He picked up Kikuno and gently laid her in the child's futon. While he was at it, he spread out the comforter that had been crumpled into a ball and covered her with it. After setting the folding screen back up properly, Tsurumatsu returned to his own futon.
(Well, fine. This is only until Kikuno returns to the Underworld. I'll put up with it a little longer.)
Besides—Tsurumatsu thought.
To be honest, hearing her peaceful breathing from the other side of the folding screen wasn't actually that bad... he thought, or maybe he didn't.
Tsurumatsu realized he was enjoying being with Kikuno more than he expected, and feeling embarrassed, he pulled his futon over his head.
"Good night, Boar Princess."
"Umm... Tsurumatsu... good boy, there, there..."
"No, don't comfort me."

The End

Thank you for reading!

Main Story Synopsis

The time is the Edo period. Kikuno, a samurai woman with a tomboyish, justice-filled spirit known as the "Male Princess," passes away from illness at the age of 28.
She had no regrets left—.
Having seen "something" at the very end, Kikuno should have departed for the Underworld without regrets, but for some reason, she suddenly returns to life fifteen years in the future. And her form is that of a seven-year-old girl!?
Together with the demon-slayer Tsurumatsu, she challenges the resolution of the "Beast Monsters" shaking the town of Edo while searching for a way to return to the Underworld! An entertainment period novel.

Book Information

Try reading the whole first chapter (Kakuyomu version)

Character Introduction

Since there is no place where this is published other than the post on X, I will save it here permanently...! Kurodeko-sensei (@ymtm28), thank you for giving soul to Kikuno & Tsurumatsu!