waterscroll

Kenshin and Shingen have a lot in common. Both practice random acts of kindness, both are bad at consent, and both (it seems) fall for the MC thinking she's a man.

Note: I am using female pronouns for her but she's presenting as male through the prologue and both LIs are treating her as male.

MC is in a cart on her way to Kai to serve as Shingen's poison taster when she's waylaid by the armies of the terrifying Uesugi Kenshin. The guy driving the cart is so terrified that he cuts the horse and runs, leaving her alone. But all Kenshin wants is to send salt to the Takeda, since they were suffering from a shortage due to embargo. Apparently this (possibly fictional) incident was the origin of the phrase 'sending salt to the enemy', which means that you should treat even your enemies decently. I love this phrase and will have to find a way to work it into conversation.

MC pulls the cart by hand and arrives in Kai days later, exhausted and filthy and carrying a cartload of salt from Kenshin. Shingen is immediately suspicious of her, since she's working for his enemy, but she insists that she's there to work for him. He's impressed with her nerve (or as he puts it, her balls) and falls in love with her immediately. She explains her backstory, that her family was threatened by their local magistrate. Shingen declares her family to be members of the Takeda clan and under his protection and a few days later MC gets a letter from her family saying that the magistrate is no longer in charge and they're safe.

This is in retrospect such an obvious thing to do that I'm side-eyeing some of the other LIs for not doing it. Hideyoshi, I'm looking at you. But it makes me respect Shingen more that she's so quick to tell him her problem, and that he immediately solves it.

Because he is in love with her, he throws a big feast to welcome her and to celebrate that she is his. All his retainers join in the celebration. After the party they go back to his room and drink sake together. He asks her what she thinks is the strength of a man. She's not sure what to say so she says strength in battle. He says he thinks it's strength of will, and that's what he sees in her. He says maybe she'll never be a warrior, maybe she'll be an astronomer like one of his other retainers, or some other kind of scholar, or find some other path, but since she has a strong will he believes she'll do great things.

And then he shoves her down and kisses her. She is super not into it and he doesn't notice.

The narrative doesn't make any excuses for him here so I won't either. But it definitely leaves questions about what was just going on. Was his whole long speech about her being strong-willed and making her own choices just window-dressing, to hide that he really didn't care what she wanted? I think that's a possible read.

In retrospect, it sort of looks like he was trying to marry her. Declaring her family to be his, then throwing a big feast to celebrate that she is with him, then sharing sake and bringing her to his room. Historically Shingen had a male partner that he was quite committed to and they even had a relationship contract together. It kind of looks to me like Shingen fell in love with her as a man and wanted to marry her as a man.

In any case she is not down with it. Yukimura interrupts them and she runs into the hall.
MC: Did you see what was happening???
Yukimura: Yes, isn't it great that Shingen called you to him so quickly after you got here?
MC: But I'm a man!
Yukimura: Shingen is so great that he doesn't distinguish between men and women in who he loves! Isn't that amazing?

MC is not impressed and runs away and finds her way to Kenshin. Kenshin sees the bite on her neck and MC tells him what happened. Kenshin takes her under his protection and brings him home - to his castle, where no women are allowed. So she resolves to continue living as a man, and to not even let Kenshin know that she's a woman.

Kenshin, as it turns out, is a bit of a hoarder and loves to collect beautiful things. One rule made by his retainers is that if he brings home something new he has to get rid of everything he has. So now that he's brought MC home he has to go through his stash of rocks, broken fans, and other things he's picked up. Everything has a story and he doesn't want to give anything away. Eventually they drift off together in his cluttered room. While she's asleep he wraps his arms around her, and eventually puts his hands under her clothes.

Like I said, Kenshin and Shingen have a lot in common. Eventually he's also stopped by the sudden arrival of his retainer, and then by Shingen's even more sudden attack.

As MC is now one of Kenshin's men she goes with him into battle and is there when Kenshin and Shingen get into a duel.
Kenshin: You hurt her! You can't have her!
Shingen: Why would I hurt what is mine?

While they are fighting, MC runs away and gets waylaid by soldiers. Then she is rescued by...someone.

And it was a hard choice! Kenshin is sweet and I like the salt thing. And Shingen really did kiss her when she wasn't into it. But I was very compelled by Shingen seeing (and falling in love with) the MC as a brave and manly but gender atypical man. I like the idea of MC being Shingen's confident, strong-willed husband. Even if it's not going to quite go that way I like that this is what Shingen wants from her. It also seems that Shingen has a pretty good record of listening to MC and doing what she wants when she explains herself clearly and confidently.

And then I think, hunh, this is pretty meta. If I think MC can stand up to Shingen and insist on the relationship going at a pace she's comfortable with, then I think MC is the sort of person Shingen wants - someone strong-willed and powerful. If I want MC to be protected from him then I think MC is the sort of person Kenshin wants, someone lovely and in need of protection.

::starts Shingen route::