Vol. 1 Chapter 1.1 – When I Met Lord Nobunaga

Mid-March, 1565

Just how happy would I be if I could meet a historical figure in person?

But I wasn’t childish enough not to understand that such a dream could never come true.

Still, I couldn’t say that I had never wondered,『What if?』

Whenever I did, I would satisfy myself by filling a notebook with all sorts of things.

Apparently, from an ordinary person’s perspective, it would fall into the category of a『delusion notebook.』

But starting today, I won’t need that notebook anymore.

Because──────

“Who the hell are you?”

I’d gone and time-slipped.

‘W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-What the heeeeeeeeeell is going on───────────!!’

In the midst of her panic, the girl once again tried to make sense of the person standing before her and the situation she now found herself in.

‘Umm, let’s see…I’m pretty sure that after helping Grandpa with the farm work, I got some of the harvested produce and seeds from him…Then, when I was about to take Grandma’s simmered dish home with me, Onee-chan called me…’

She retraced everything she had done up until now, but there was no way she was going to find any reason why she had time-slipped.

For that matter, she didn’t even understand how time travel itself could possibly have happened.

‘I was made to buy that huge, thick military book, and since it was heavy, I thought I’d take the shortcut along the animal trail and come out behind the house…’

The girl looked to her left.

Then she looked to her right.

No matter which way she turned, all she could see was dense, overgrown forest.

What was more, every single tree growing around her belonged to species that she would never have seen anywhere near her home.

“Girl. I am not a patient man.”

She was on the verge of panicking again but the voice coming from above brought her back to her senses.

When she timidly turned toward the voice, she saw a man of about thirty on horseback, a vein bulging on his forehead as he addressed her.

“I’ll ask you once more. What is your name?”

The girl knew the man speaking to her with one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

The name of the man she should never have been able to meet was—

“Oda Kazusa-no-suke Saburou Taira no Ason Nobunaga…?”

At that moment, there was a sharp『buchiri』—as though something inside him had just snapped.

Sensing danger instantly, the girl focused every nerve in her body and leapt sideways.

“You… I see you have no need for your life!”

The man who had unleashed the slash spoke with a vein throbbing on his forehead.

He was radiating killing intent so intensely that it was obvious he fully intended to kill her—and that the next strike would certainly do it.

‘Eeeeeeeek────!! That’s right! In the Sengoku period, you weren’t supposed to say someone’s『imina』out loud!’

From the perspective of a modern Japanese person, the names of people of daimyou rank during the Sengoku period were extraordinarily complicated.

For example, although it varied depending on the period, Oda Nobunaga’s formal name was Oda Kazusa-no-suke Saburou Taira no Ason Nobunaga.

『Oda』was what might be called his surname or family name, indicating the family to which he belonged.

『Kazusa-no-suke』was what was called a《kemyou》, something akin to an official title, although such titles were very often self-proclaimed.

『Saburou』was what was known as a《haikoumei》, a name used by parents when addressing their children and carrying a meaning relatively close to the modern concept of a given name.

『Taira』was called the《uji》, indicating the ancestral roots of one’s clan, although people often adopted such names on their own in order to enhance their prestige.

『Ason』was called a《sei》, indicating one’s relationship with the Imperial Court.

And finally,『Nobunaga』 was his personal name.

A personal name was also known as an《imina》. The term carried the meaning of『a name whose utterance is avoided.』 

The reason for this was that, during the Sengoku period, a person’s personal name was regarded as a name representing that individual’s very identity.

Therefore, out of respect for the other person, proper etiquette dictated that one should not address them by their personal name.

Conversely, for someone who was so obviously of lower status, like the girl, to address him by his personal name was an extremely unforgivable act.

In other words, she would have no grounds for complaint even if he struck her down on the spot for her insolence.

“I-I-I-I-I-I’m so sorrrrrrrry! Kazusa-no-suke-sama! Please! Please forgive me──!!!”

So how was one supposed to address another person?

In the case of a man, the proper form of address was to attach an honorific to a commonly used name, such as his『official title』.

Dramas, manga, anime, and similar works often depict Hideyoshi calling him『Nobunaga-sama!』, but in reality, if he had actually done so, he could quite literally have been cut down on the spot for his insolence.

After all, the《imina》would normally only be used when someone of higher status than Nobunaga addressed him.

Alternatively, it might appear in official documents issued by the Imperial Court. Even then, it would be written as『Taira no Ason Nobunaga』, incorporating his relationship with the Court.

“…Ordinarily, I would cut you down where you stand, but your bizarre attire has caught my interest. There will not be a third chance. What is your name?”

Still with a vein bulging on his forehead, Nobunaga irritably returned his sword to its sheath.

The girl understood that if she chose the wrong answer this time, she would be heading straight for a bad-end route—in other words, she would be cut down on the spot.

Her lips trembling, she answered.

“Shizuko… My name is Ayanokouji Shizuko.”

Shizuko introduced herself while prostrating herself—or rather, practically in a full dogeza.

Nobunaga stared Shizuko up and down as he thought.

‘She looks about fourteen or fifteen. She’s almost the same height as Ichi and that bizarre outfit immediately catches the eye. I have neither seen nor heard of anyone dressed like this before… And judging from the way her hair has been cut evenly, there can be no doubt that this girl is from Nanban.’

Just as Nobunaga’s keen powers of observation had concluded, Shizuko was fifteen years old and almost the same height as Nobunaga’s younger sister, Oichi (approximately 165 centimeters). Considering that the average height of a fifteen-year-old girl in modern times is around 160 centimeters, Shizuko would still be considered fairly tall even by modern standards.

However, during the Sengoku period, the average height of a woman was about 145 centimeters, while that of a man was around 157 centimeters. Considering that Nobunaga himself stood about 172 centimeters tall, it was easy to see just how unusually tall Shizuko appeared.

Her height was surprising enough, but what caught Nobunaga’s attention most was Shizuko’s clothing. Not only had he never seen such attire before, but the fabric glittered and reflected the sunlight.

Furthermore, although Shizuko’s hair was tied up in a mage, it had been neatly cut to an even length overall. Compared to girls of the same age, her hairstyle was completely different, and from Nobunaga’s perspective, it was nothing short of utterly unconventional.

During the Sengoku period, there was no culture of women cutting their hair. To put it in extreme terms, women of that era could go their entire lives without ever having their hair cut. If a woman did cut her hair, it generally meant shaving her head and becoming a Buddhist nun.

Seeing clothes made from materials he had neither seen nor heard of before, smelling the hair cologne drifting from Shizuko, and noticing her glossy, beautiful black hair tied into a mage despite having been cut evenly, Nobunaga concluded that Shizuko must be someone from Nanban.

Whether she was friend or foe, he could not yet tell but if she were a spy, Nobunaga thought she was an exceptionally incompetent one.

She had been trembling in fear this whole time and her movements were sluggish enough that he could dispose of her without difficulty.

‘…The people of Nanban possess advanced technology. If I can make use of it…’

“Shizuko, was it…? What land were you born in?”

“Huh? My homeland? Oh, you mean where I was born? U-Umm… Tokyo Metropolis.”

“Tokyo… Metropolis?”

Between the unfamiliar name, her strange appearance, and the possessions she carried, Nobunaga concluded that Shizuko was a Nanban person.

If that were the case, he decided that rather than killing her, it would be more beneficial to use whatever knowledge and technology she possessed to strengthen and enrich his domain.

“What a bizarre name. Well, no matter. I have no further business with you. You may go.”

“…Huh?”

However, Nobunaga did not believe Shizuko would obediently submit to him if he simply ordered her to, so he devised a plan.

The fact that she was all alone suggested that she did not belong to any particular group.

And judging by how hopelessly careless she seemed, there was little chance she could actually be a spy.

“Did you not hear me? I told you to get lost. I will soon be returning to the castle myself.”

“U-Umm… E-Excuse me!”

A lone girl would never survive in this war-torn age without someone’s protection.

Fortunately, she seemed to know who he was. Nobunaga reasoned that, given how frightened and uncertain she was, she would eventually ask him for protection.

“I-I’m terribly sorry for asking this so suddenly! But could you please take me with you!?”

“No.”

“Gaaaan!”

“What possible benefit would I gain from bringing along some suspicious creature like you?”

“Eh!? U-Umm, umm…”

Shizuko floundered about in confusion, desperately trying to think of some advantage she could offer him.

Watching her, Nobunaga curled his lips into a grin.

‘I will obtain the technology of Nanban from this girl. With it, I will build a nation capable of standing against the world.’

“Ah! Y-Yes, that’s right! I studied agriculture, so… I-I can be useful to you in that field!”

“…Hou. Agriculture, you say.”

‘Not bad. I have little interest in food itself but increasing agricultural productivity will lead to a wealthier domain. It may also help prevent peasant uprisings.’

During the Sengoku period, uprisings were a constant source of trouble.

If a peasant uprising broke out, agricultural productivity would fall drastically.

That meant the amount of annual tribute that could be collected would decrease.

“Very well. Put your abilities to use for me. The day you leave my side will be the day you die. Do not forget that.”

“Y-Yes!”

His words also carried the meaning,『If you betray me, I’ll kill you. If you make a mistake, I’ll kill you.』But perhaps because Shizuko’s mind was completely occupied with simply surviving the immediate situation, she failed to notice that implication.

‘Today is a good day. After all, I’ve obtained the technology of Nanban. Now then… how shall I persuade Saru and Yoshinari?’

With the bag she had been carrying slung over her back, Shizuko followed after Nobunaga.

Naturally, she was walking.

There was no chance he would let her ride a horse, so she ended up trudging along with the heavy bag on her back.

‘Onee-chan’s books…I want to throw them away but if I somehow get back home and they’re gone, she’ll kill me…’

They were things her tyrannical older sister had gone so far as to call her specifically to buy.

One of them was a book titled【A Complete List of Weapons from Ancient Times to the Modern Era】.

It was exactly the kind of thing her military-otaku older sister would want. She had also been forced to buy two more books, and those were inside the bag as well.

‘…There are also several kinds of seeds Grandpa gave me. I have to use them to make Nobunaga go, 『Whoa!』…’

If history was accurate, Nobunaga was short-tempered.

If she made even the slightest mistake, she could end up being cut clean in half on the spot.

On the other hand, among the warlords of the Sengoku period, he possessed ideas so innovative that he could almost be called an eccentric.

Far from avoiding rare or unfamiliar things, he was curious enough to take an interest in them and carefully observe them.

‘If I remember correctly, sweet potatoes only spread through Japan via Kagoshima during the Edo period… In that case, sweet potatoes should count as an『unknown taste』to him.’

Adjusting the bag on her back, Shizuko began taking stock of the『weapons』she currently had at her disposal.

‘Pumpkin seeds from Grandpa, sweet corn seeds, tomato seeds, komatsuna seeds, pungent onion seeds, and sugarcane seedlings for transplanting. Then there are the three varieties of sweet potato we harvested to check how well they had grown—(Beni Azuma), (Anno Imo), and (Tamayutaka). I’ve also got a few Tirol Chocolates I bought at a convenience store and some fruit-flavored drop candies… All right!’

This could work, Shizuko thought.

Sweet potatoes could simply be soaked in water until they sprouted and then planted, and they were hardy enough to grow even in volcanic-ash soil.

They were weak against the cold, but if Nobunaga was here, then she had to be somewhere in either Mino Province or Owari Province.

‘Owari Province corresponds to the western part of modern Aichi Prefecture, where the Toukaidou runs through. The climate should be more than warm enough, and pumpkins, tomatoes, and komatsuna don’t require much maintenance, while also being highly nutritious and producing large harvests. Sweet corn is the only one that needs a lot of water, but I should be able to work something out. And above all, there’s the sugarcane. This variety was selectively bred from chikuto cane, so it should grow well enough even in this era. And Japan during the Sengoku period imported huge amounts of sugar, so being able to produce sugar would be a major advantage.’

The vivid colors of tomatoes and sweet corn, the high yields of sweet potatoes and pumpkins, and then the sugarcane.

Every one of them would qualify as something 『unknown』to Nobunaga.

For that matter, the West itself—Nanban—was still something largely unknown.

‘Unlike the varieties that were eventually introduced historically, these vegetables were selectively bred using twenty-first-century science and technology. And the agricultural techniques I know would also be ridiculously overpowered knowledge for this era.’

From the perspective of Nobunaga’s time, the knowledge Shizuko possessed amounted to unknown scientific technology.

Naturally, Shizuko assumed Nobunaga intended to work her to the bone precisely because of that.

There was, however, one problem.

‘This is an era where women sticking their noses into things in the first place isn’t considered acceptable… right?’

The Sengoku period was an era in which even a woman voicing her opinion was often frowned upon.

To put it plainly, women had virtually no rights.

Political marriages were commonplace, while marrying someone after freely falling in love was little more than a distant dream.

‘To survive, I need Nobunaga to like me. But I also can’t achieve so much that all of his other retainers start glaring at me. Th-This is haaaaaaard!!’

She needed to make Nobunaga think,『She’s too useful to let go』.

But if he favored her too much, she would instead earn the resentment of his retainers.

It required an incredibly delicate balance.

‘According to Onee-chan,『There are two terrifying enemies that threaten soldiers. One is disease, and the other is hunger.』So if I can improve the food situation…’

Rather than earning achievements directly by commanding the soldiers herself, perhaps she could avoid provoking resentment if she simply raised the soldiers’ overall strength.

Put simply, she had no choice but to make them think, 『We can manage without her, but having her around makes our soldiers stronger.』

‘I have no idea how to get back home, so for now, I just have to survive!’

There was no point in continuing to panic.

With that thought, Shizuko clenched her fist tightly.

She would survive this war-torn Sengoku era and, no matter what, make it back to the modern day.

「織田上総介三郎平朝臣信長,Oda Kazusa-no-suke Saburou Taira no Ason Nobunaga」:

– Family name: 織田 (Oda)

– Official title: 上総介 (Kazusa-no-suke) — a court office/title, roughly “Assistant Governor of Kazusa”

– Common name / yobina: 三郎 (Saburo)

– Clan name: 平 (Taira)

– Courtly hereditary title: 朝臣 (Ason)

– Personal name / imina: 信長 (Nobunaga)]

Saru & Yoshinari refers to Toyotomi Hideyoshi & Mori Yoshinari ]

[Beni Azuma (紅東) is a popular variety of Japanese sweet potato (satsumaimo) known for its vibrant purplish-red skin and pale yellow flesh. Anno imo is a premium variety of Japanese sweet potato famous for its high sugar content, moist texture, and custard-like, honey-sweet flavor. 玉豊 (Tamayutaka) is a specific variety of Japanese sweet potato (satsumaimo). It is famously known as the definitive, traditional variety used for making hoshi-imo (Japanese dried sweet potatoes).

TL: Hello, everyone!

This will be my first time translating a novel with a female main protagonist!

The novel is hard as some chapter it does use the old language so I use AI to help with some of the more difficult parts.

The novel currently has 19 volumes… Yes, 19, and still counting! So, there’s a lot catch up to do.

For Volume 1, all chapters will be completely free. However, starting from the following volumes, chapters will gradually become time-locked.

I’ll also be translating another novel featuring a female protagonist, this time with an isekai × modern military combat setting. Hopefully you’ll read that too.

Also, I’ve noticed that a previous translation group had picked up this novel but eventually disappeared. To avoid a similar situation, I’ve decided not to list this translation on Novel Updates (NU). I would also kindly ask readers not to submit or add this novel to NU.

That’s all from me for now! Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy reading the novel as much as I’ll enjoy translating it!