Year of the Boar, Thirteenth Month, Day 26.

 Re-reading Horri Tsuyoshi yesterday got me thinking. I have decided that the easiest way to find out what Sasanuma knows, or, more to the point, how he knows what he knows, is to get close to him. To that end, I have sent him a note requesting that he teach me sword skills. 

It is what I wanted when I was growing up and Father indulged me until Mother put a stop to my lessons. I have forgotten much of what I learned and it has been such a long time since I held a sword, it will be very useful to re-learn what I do not remember and ideally, learn something which will help me. Regardless of what happens when I reach Purple Lightning or what I decide to do when I leave, being able to use a weapon properly will certainly be advantageous. I have not received a reply from him yet but I am taking tea with Kaede later this afternoon and I am certain she will have something to say about it.

I, of course, have nothing to tell her regarding the intel she asked for and I am uncertain about how I should approach that fact. I suppose I could just tell her I am still looking into it or... I could tell her that I have made some enquiries through my sources and see how she reacts to that. Oddly, I find my appetite for subterfuge has waned and I feel unwilling to put nearly as much effort into it as I did even a short while ago. That is probably only because the current situation is causing me stress and perhaps once I have resolved the issue with the birds, I will feel more inclined to dabble once more. 

Until then, I will reluctantly continue my investigation into what Sasanuma knows and get the information Kaede wants and then I will see how I feel...