Tanabata was here. Well, good for it. Shokomaru had a feeling things would be alright. Not great, but alright. He scrubbed down with some care, thinking about what might happen. He had a lot of pleasant thoughts, but he knew none of it would happen.

It's not that he had no confidence, he just wouldn't have any opportunity. That was alright, he supposed. He could just play some games and head back to the hotel. He had to admit, being the oldest in his family in a region where his bloodline was top of the heap, he'd gotten used to being the center of attention, here it was so different. Most people were polite enough, but there wasn't much care. He felt a little more normal and as odd as it was, it didn't disappoint him.

When he was ready he rinsed off, got up and then settled into the bath and let possibility play in his head one last time before going to meet reality head on.

After his shopping tour, Nishida wanted to get clean before the tanabata. After he had cleaned up thoroughly, he set out to get into the pool.
Once again he met Shokomaru. He had probably seen the spider chui more often naked than dressed.

"Hello Daigotsu-sama, have you had a good day so far?" he greeted him.

"Yo", he sat up and waved greeting, waiting to relax when Nishida got in and could so so himself. "Day's fine, boring, just waiting for things to happen." He chuckled. "But they won't, so the sooner it's over the better, I guess. Yourself, Yasuki-san?"

"Huh, boring is good, ne?" he said, "At least i heard that. My day was fine, mostly. I needed a new yukata for the festival and got lost in the shop....

..

Tomorrow's the big day, huh? I remember our first meeting, have you made a choice? I don't think we pursue the same target, after all,.. If i may ask, of course."

"Targets are for the campaign", he countered, a little coy. "A miai is just shopping with a pecking order that ignores the will of the heavens." The Spider smirked looking down at the water, he seemed both tense and wistful at once. "Over the past week and more, I've met some people I think would be proper to marry, and though nakodo talks are a thing, there will still be a lot of circumstances beyond my control. I'm counting on everything going wrong and leaving here with someone I haven't met before tomorrow." A shrug and he stretched his arms. "Though if you have a serious intended, I have to say I'll be cheering for you. Not publicly, of course."

Nishida leaned back. "In the beginning I tried to look at it as a business negotiation. Find the biggest fish and fish it, and if you don't get it, well, there are surely other fish in the water that are profitable..." he let out a sigh.

"But now? I'm not so sure anymore if that approach was good."

He was leaned back as well, eyes closed, listening. That sigh Nishida let out made his lip twitch.

"Doubt leads to defeat, Yasuki-san", he warned. "Or did you pick a lover and not a match?"

"You see,.. I am no longer so sure of this myself"

Why in Jigokus name did he tell this to a spider? Well, it wasn't as if he had someone else to talk to about it,..

"Well, so...", he opened one eye and looked at Nishida. "What is it you aren't sure about? How you feel, how they feel?"

"At the beginning everything was as usual: a meeting here, a courtesy there,... nothing unusual, really. Business as usual. But the more I met her, the more I talked to her, the more I saw her smile, the more I lost the feeling of 'distance'. And it was replaced by... anxiety?"

"That's normal, doing fine", the Spider commented. "What else?"

"I'm worried i can't get my match, even with my high standing in the miai, that's the main source of my anxiety i belive."

The Spider considered that, and his own situation. He'd done nothing right himself. He wasn't strong enough, quick enough, clever enough or lucky enough to have impressed anyone, especially himself.

Though he hadn't ever given up despite looking like a fool. Some would turn around and hide to save face, Shokomaru wasn't the type.

So he knew what he had to say.

"Struggling is what we do", the words came easy. "We find ourselves in an unfamiliar place, doing things that many of us never imagined or have been trained for, and are expected to excel. It's a fool's game." He chuckled. "So when you think about it that way, the only person you're competing with, the only person you're really negotiating with, in truth, is the one you're after. Worrying about what some other person will do isn't going to put your mind at ease, and it sure as hell won't make you feel better if things go wrong, you'll just blame the wrong thing."

he put his hands behind his head, looking up. "Talk to your intended, and try to find where they are, how they feel. Then appeal to them, just be honest. It doesn't take crazy tricks or careful footing."

Nishida chukled, here he was, a crab courtier, naked in a bathhouse, getting a life tip from a spider. Maybe Akemi's pick wasn't that bad after all?

"Thank you, Daigotsu-sama, I'll,... I'll try to do that"

"No need to thank me, you just couldn't see sense because you're worried, you'd have hit on it eventually on your own", he said confidently, still looking up. "Are they worth it?" he asked after a while.

"Yes. Yes they are" he said with a smile.

"Then, my last piece of advice is this...don't be a fuck up", he told the Yasuki. "If things go wrong, carry that worthiness, show some respect, and don't make a fuss or lash out."

He sat up. "I know it's not something I should have to explain to another samurai, so I understand if that's offensive...but feelings like these make us blind and stupid."

He nodded. "I'll take your advice to heart, Daigotsu-sama, after all, if this match won't happen there's not much i'll be able to do."

"Good luck, though I'm sure you'll do fine", Shokomaru assured him. "A bit of nervousness never killed anyone our age. It's good to struggle. As for me, I have it all lined up, there's no way to lose no matter what I do."

He nodded. "The beer they have in this vending machine over there is pretty crap,... but want one?" he asked.