Nobushirou

“Don’t mind them. They’re just a farmer, fresh from the orchards.” That’s what the guards in The Teikodian Empire say. Nobushirou’s family did tend the imperial apple groves, where life was measured by ripening fruit, not political favors. When a decree demanded each family offer a youth for palace service, they were sent. They traded birdsong for the cold echo of marble halls, carrying only an apple-wood stick from home. For months, they were invisible, a placid trainee known for their ramen hat and sipping strawberry milk. The turning point came during a brutal training drill. A commander, mocking their rural origins, snapped their practice sword. Without a thought, Nobushirou used their apple stick, disarming the veteran with a swift, practiced motion used to knock down fruit. They were not punished, but they were no longer invisible.