Nobunaga Act 2 Fate (happy) ending

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Nobunaga is the worst husband ever. The day after his wedding he drugs MC and has her put in Mitsuhide's dungeons. This is all apparently part of a clever plot.

Because this is the AU happy ending, the plot is not for Mitsuhide to kill Nobunaga. It is for Mitsuhide to pretend to kill Nobunaga so that he can go into hiding. MC finds that out after escaping from the dungeon with great badassery (that unfortunately this is the first time she's shown in the route) then sneaking into Honno-ji while it is burning. Because this is the AU happy ending, she isn't shot on the way in. Instead she is saved by, of all people, Ranmaru. (Aw. Why is there no Nobunaga/MC/Ranmaru OT3 shipping?) Apparently Ranmaru has secret archery skills. Also apparently he didn't leave Honno-ji when Nobunaga told him to. (I was wondering about that, it didn't make sense that he would leave.)

Mitsuhide continues to be super-annoying in this route. When MC shows up to find him canoodling plotting with her husband ex-husband male source of brain-confusion, Mitsuhide notices the blood on her and is like, oh no, I hope you didn't get hurt in my dungeon that I threw you into without telling you why. Mitsuhide, I was already mad at you for the pining and the pimping, you're not making it better here. I'm sure if I could get things from his POV he'd have some reasons for how he's acting, but I can't, because nothing here is like anything that happens in his own route. Beh.

On the other hand, this ending finally made me impressed with this route's MC. She's been dithering the whole route, but here she barges into Honno-ji, gets in the middle of Nobunaga's conversation with Mitsuhide, and throws herself at his feet to ask not to be separated from him again. He then pulls out a sword and puts it to her neck.

Nobunaga: I ask you again, why did you come here?
MC: ...Because I am your wife, Lord Nobunaga.
Nobunaga: Last I checked, we should already be divorced.
MC: But that letter was nothing but lies was it not?
But even if it had not been, even if every word had been true...
Even if I am no longer the wife of Odo Nobunaga, I am here as the woman who loves him still.

And ok I'll take it. Her route begins with her refusing him with unusual courage and she uses the same courage to insist on being with him.

Nobunaga: The letter should have told you everything, that I am nothing more than a worthless man, pissing in the wind. You are no longer a woman of the Oda clan. Return to your family.
...
If you do not turn away from me by the count of ten, I shall kill you myself.
MC: I refuse! I swore I would stay at your side forever!
You were the one who told me I was yours, did you not? You were the one who taught me to take pride in that, weren't you?
So, don't you dare just run off somewhere on your own and leave me here...!

Congrats, MC, you have now become just crazy enough that I finally at last am convinced that you are a good match for Nobunaga.

At this point Nobunaga tries to kill her with a sword, because apparently he still hasn't gotten over wanting to do that. Mitsuhide, finally being non-terrible for once, puts himself between them and blurts out the plan:

Mitsuhide: What of your plan to publicly divorce MC, then return her to you as soon as the opportunity arose?
MC: His plan to...huh?
Lord Nobunaga does not answer, giving Lord Mitsuhide nothing more than a serene look. Once he sees it...all the color drains instantly from his face.
Mitsuhide: You didn't...
Nobunaga: You played right into my hands from the start.

Wait, Nobunaga tricked Mitsuhide! After convincing him to stake his reputation and his life on a plan that they had made together. Nobunaga, even for you that's low. And then Mitsuhide finally gets mad, because he was not signed on for any plan that involves losing the man he loves:


Lord Nobunaga smirks...though his chuckle is instantly met by Lord Mitsuhide's blade.
Mitsuhide: You will not! You absolutely will not!
MC: Lord Mitsuhide?
Mitsuhide: I am here now because I have come to aid the one who holds the ability to influence the world...in a way that only Oda Nobunaga can. There could never be an Oda clan without you...there is no world left to rule without you in it.
Lord Mitsuhide whirls on Lord Nobunaga, his blade still drawn.
Mitsuhide: For the sake of the name of the Oda...no...for the future of this land...Even if you strike me down I will stop you.
Nobunaga: This should be fun. Try me.
Lord Nobunaga adjusts the grip on his blade, facing Lord Mitsuhide.
MC: Lord Mitsuhide, please, stop this!
Mitsuhide: I am sorry, MC. No matter what it costs me...I do not want to lose him.
MC: What, then why...
Nobunaga: You stay out of this.

Nobunaga's real plan, as he explains while trying to provoke Mitsuhide into killing him, is that Mitsuhide will be welcomed as a hero after killing Nobunaga and will be able to get the loyalty of the people in a way that Nobunaga can't. This is a terrible plan for lots of reasons but fortunately this is the AU happy ending. Nobunaga fights Mitsuhide, eventually disarms him, is about to stab himself, but then MC throws herself in front of his blade.

MC: Lord Nobunaga, you take too much upon yourself. Just as you wish to protect everyone, everyone wishes to protect you. Is it really so impossible to share the burden of protecting everyone?
Nobunaga: What are you even talking about...
MC: I'd have to be blind or stupid not to have seen that this is how you are after being around you all this time. But...everyone shares your dream of peace. All of us want to defend others, just like you do.

And just like that I'm starting to believe that Nobunaga is redeemable. If he can see himself as part of a community with others who are working together with him rather than as a lone savior who has to take everything on himself, he might actually have a chance. You go MC.

Then she explains to him that in any case his plan is terrible because the people who love him will get pretty upset when he's dead and won't necessarily be happy with Mitsuhide for killing him. Thank you for saying what we all wanted to, MC. Meanwhile, Mitsuhide and MC have managed to keep Nobunaga talking and not killing himself just long enough for the retainers to be about to arrive, making Nobunaga's plot to kill himself and blame it on Mitsuhide pretty much impossible. So Nobunaga and MC take the escape route that Mitsuhide prepared for them.

I suppose the end result of this will be that Mitsuhide will be killed by Hideyoshi for a murder that didn't happen. Sigh. Or maybe Hideyoshi understands and Mitsuhide gets to live as Tenkai.

Nobunaga's still mad:

Nobunaga: This is all your fault! How the hell did I end up with a wife who would dare get in the way of her samurai husband's honorable suicide!?!
He sounds so utterly upset by this that I can't stop myself from laughing.
MC: I seem to remember that a certain someone divorced me, cough, so...
Nobunaga: ! You honestly think that anyone other than me could possibly take such a brazen woman to wife willingly?!

They laugh, and escape together holding hands.

Okay I am impressed. In two chapters this story got me from hating both Nobunaga and his MC to liking both of them and being happy that they are together.

There's an epilogue that will take me another two days to read so I'll summarize it then. I just hope it tells me what happens to Mitsuhide, and to Ranmaru, because I am seriously worried about both of them.

Comments

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Well, the epilogue ends with Mitsuhide still in charge and Ieyasu still creeping around the shadows. So I guess this is all setup for act 3? I am now so curious about act 3 and what the big plan here is, I'd previously thought of the happy endings as standalone fanservice but hunh, maybe not.