"Well I'm sure if someone did, the Phoenix were ready to offer them medical attention. That seems to be a minor recurring theme with some of these events." he said. "But I suppose it shouldn't be that surprising. Some people may be growing desperate to gain the approval of the Phoenix matchmakers, and so they push things well beyond what is safe."

He shakes his head a bit.

"I am pleased that I will take my drone with me when I leave here, but I don't think my clan will accept it as a valid substitute for a wife."

"It's true... Very odd. I suppose that makes sense. Go big or go home. Not that I particularly followed that philosophy in the end, but... it worked out."

She nodded. "The tension's getting pretty high about that. The Phoenix didn't look particularly well on your Clan to begin with."

Tsugiharu nodded.

"Indeed not. Nor anyone who didn't bring a katana with them for that matter. It's strange to me how little these Phoenix seem to care for the ability to communicate with the kami. I know that they have a legacy of being the masters of magic, but historically I believe they typically were in favor of adding bloodlines to their clan that carried the gift, not turning up their nose at it." he offered.

"Yeah, that struck me as strange. But maybe it's a matter of personal taste for the governor and what he thinks he needs for this particular planet," she replied with a shrug. "I'm not in any particular place to judge his choices."

"Of course, there are limitations with wielding a katana, too. If someone's hoping for connection to a spirit realm, maybe, but I'm not so good for strengthening someone's family's connection to the kami."

Tsugiharu nods.

"True, whoever gets you will only get a beautiful, smart, and talented programmer and soldier. How terrible." he said with mock dismay.

She waved a hand, looking embarrassed. "Sorry, I'm not trying to come off as throwing out false humility or something."

Tsugiharu shook his head.

"Ie, you've been fiarly straightforward with me, Daidoji-san. I truly appreciate that. Not everyone attending the miai has been quite so honest about who they are and what they want. I wonder how many will be in for a shock when they actually find the true after they marry?"

She shrugged. "Hard to get what you want if you don't say what you want," she replied simply. "I'll leave beating around the bush to courtiers. But I'm glad you appreciate it."

Tsugiharu couldn't help but picture Ichika furrowing her brow.

"True enough, true enough. But we're closer to the end of the miai than the beginning now. Do you feel like you've gotten a better idea of how it will end for you?"

She sighed, leaning against the wall. "How it will end, I'm not sure, honestly. I doubt I'm on the top of the list of anyone's list, so it kind of depends how everything shakes out."

Tsugiharu leans against the wall as well, chuckling a little bit.

"Not a great feeling, ne? No one wants to hear on their wedding day, 'Well ever since A-ko, B-Ko, and C-ko were promised to somebody else, it's been my greatest hope to marry you D-ko. I expect we will live moderately happily ever after.'" he put forth. "A marriage blessed by Hamanri rather than Benten."

"Hai, absolutely." She puffed out her cheeks with annoyance briefly. "I'm trying not to get too attached to any one choice partly so I don't have to make anyone feel like they were... defaulted to. If it comes down to me choosing someone and not someone choosing me."

Tsugiharu nodded.

"That's about the best that can be managed. Try not to be 'too' attached. You can't be completely detached about it, but you try and protect yourself as best you can." he agreed.

"I'm more concerned about the other person than myself," she replied, shaking her head. "Like you said, it would suck for the other person to feel like they're the 'I guess you'll do' option."

That drew a raised eyebrow.


"Hmmm. Well, perhaps one could think of it more along the lines that whatever match is made was, in fact, meant to be, even if those matched do not realize it." he suggested.

She nodded. "Yeah, that's a good way of looking at it."

Tsugiharu grinned.

"That being said, I do have some hopes for what said match might end up being for myself. It's foolish, but I am, alas, only human."

"Oh?" She tilted her head curiously.

Tsugiharu nodded.

"Well, yes. I would prefer someone intelligent. Someone I could spend hours talking to, and learn from and with." he admitted. "Not everyone I've met at the miai would qualify as such, I think."

She hummed softly. "Yeah... I've been lucky, I guess. I've met a lot of people who are interesting in some capacity or another. I haven't admittedly been going out of my way to meet a lot of people, though, so I might have missed the boring ones."

"I think I'd want that, too... I'd also like a partner with a sense of fun. It sucks to get excited about something, only to have someone get annoyed about it."