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Runic arcane ring portals don't usually appear on dark corners of deserted alleyways, and normally, people don't randomly appear from inside the ring. However, one oni did just that.

The bluish-grey skinned oni stepped out from the churning vortex inside the runic ring, which began to close itself out of existence with a fizzle not a second later. The oni's flashy appearance coincided with sounds of firecrackers exploding and loud cheers, something which he immediately picked up, causing him to grin to himself.

"Looks like I'm just in time," he said quietly to himself. Without missing a beat, he cast a disillusionment barrier around his body, rendering him effectively invisible to others, though he could still see himself. The oni tapped the leather cuff bracelet on his arm. At a glance, the accessory looked like an ordinary studded leather band with a metallic disk-shaped charm in the center. On closer inspection, the studs had runes engraved into them and the charm itself was glowing with arcane energy.

It seemed to pulse after the oni tapped it before it produced a holographic image of double-layered arcana disks right on the palm of the oni's hand, which spun slowly as they awaited commands.

"Status report."

The disks pulsed before displaying a status report above the oni's palm.

Chrono-Manipulator Status : Operational Kronosium : Charging... 20% Time Jump : Success Location : Castle city of Kazemori, Taiyonese Empire Period : 1788 -- Late Kinsei Period Current Local Time : 16.36

The oni breathed a sigh of relief as he dismissed the status report. He was really glad that he could jump into a predetermined historical period and location without any sort of trouble this time. With a grin, he said, "Record log," which prompted the floating arcana disks to change form.

"Tenzou Ryoden, Research Log: 103," he said as he brought his hand closer to his mouth. "Achieved successful time jump with different location and time zone. I've arrived in Taiyo during the late Kinsei era... late 18th century to be precise. I've arrived in the castle-city of Kazemori. I seem to have arrived just in time for their annual summer festival. Note to self: find a way to install emergency kronosium... or invent faster kronosium recharge rate. Log end."

The arcane disk reverted back to their original form. Ryoden then walked to the end of the alleyway where he could see the residents of the city walking to and fro on the street outside, all seemingly enjoying the festivities. A great number of people were wearing brightly colored summer kimono and yukata, which made Ryoden realize he was still wearing his modern era sleeveless hoodie, jeans, and leather boots.

Ryoden swiped his finger across the holographic disks, muttering an incantation before making a wide, swiping motion across his body with the disks. Glowing rings of arcane runes encased his whole body for a brief second before disappearing. The clothing transfiguration spell had morphed his clothes into something more era-appropriate.

With another gesture from his fingers, a runic array formed on the air before him and formed into a thin sheet of glass which reflected Ryoden's form back at him. His broad, well-muscled frame was now clad in a dark blue yukata with white diamond-shaped patterns, complete with a black obi belt. His boots had also been replaced with a pair of geta sandals. All in all, he looked like a regular citizen of Kazemori going out to enjoy the festival.

His personal information runic-processor bracelet hadn't changed by default since there wasn't any traditional equivalent to it, but a quick undetectable glamour charm made it look like Ryoden was wearing multi-layered beaded bracelets. Not really something you'd actually see in this era, but those types of bracelets were common enough that it wouldn't really stand out.

The spell also didn't change his hairstyle nor his short beard, something which the oni had to quickly correct. Ryoden pulled his hair back into a quick top knot as a modern undercut hairstyle would really draw attention, but tying it up into a top knot would make it look traditional enough. After making sure that he didn't have anything else that would make him look out of place, Ryoden dismissed the conjured mirror and dropped the invisibility barrier.

"Multispatial Recording Mode: Start," he muttered into the bracelet as he stepped out from the alleyway and into the cobblestone street, joining the other denizens of Kazemori with ease. The disguised bracelet pulsed softly in response.

The residents seemed pretty happy, Ryoden observed as he made his way towards what he guessed was the main street. Men, women, and children of various species were out and about in the warm afternoon sun. He also noticed that there seemed to be a large presence of oni in the city and he wondered if it has something to do with the festival.

As Ryoden continued to observe his surroundings, he was glad that he had programmed a universal translation spell into his bracelet. With that, he could easily understand the conversations around him, and others would easily understand what he'd be saying. It's not like he wasn't fluent in Taiyonese, being an oni with a Taiyonese ancestry and all, but without the universal translator, all Ryoden would hear was a bunch of archaic nonsense and the people in this era would only hear complete gibberish from Ryoden's mouth.

It didn't take long for Ryoden to reach the main street. It was heavily decorated for the festival, with hundreds of lanterns lighting up the street from end to end alongside many colorful banners. Street performers sang, played festive music, or performed intricate magic tricks to entertain the crowd, while vendors had set up stalls further in the main street, peddling various knick-knacks and street food to anyone who happened to pass by.

The main street twisted and winded around the tallest hill in the city, where a huge, impressive looking castle stood, towering above everything else in Kazemori. Opposite the castle, on top of a relatively shorter hill, was a large temple complex, reachable by another wide street which branched off the main street. The pedestrian flow seemed to be concentrated to the temple, and that's where Ryoden decided to go first.

The food and merchandise stands seemed to multiply the closer Ryoden walked towards the temple. He couldn't help but to sample some of the street food and buying a few novelty items from the vendors, paid with the correct currency of course. Kinseian Taiyo used Feudal Kai instead of the modern Imperial Ten. It took Ryoden a while to get used to the coinage, but he got the hang of it in the end.

He ended up buying so much that he found himself purchasing a surprisingly cheap drawstring bag made from a sturdy and highly decorative cloth. Discreetly as possible, Ryoden cast an extension charm and attached it to the bag's interior so that it could hold a lot more than it appeared, and also so that it wouldn't weigh as much as it was actually carrying. Once the charms were in place, he continued on his way towards the temple.

There seemed to be a stall-free perimeter around the stone steps leading up to the temple. Ryoden joined the crowd climbing up the many steps which cut straight up to the top of the hill, until he reached the temple complex proper. The sounds of the festival seemed so far away upon the temple hill. The atmosphere here was pretty solemn and calm, Ryoden noted.

There were a few shrines in the temple complex but the crowd seemed to congregate towards the main shrine, which was the largest and tallest building in the area. He followed the crowd, falling in line with the others towards the main shrine to pay his respects to the temple's kami. The kami was associated with strength, valor, and fertility, which explained the larger crowd of men gathered in the temple, Ryoden mused. After he managed to pull himself away from the crowd, Ryoden headed off to explore the temple grounds.

The sun was already going down on the horizon, casting deep shades of crimson and oranges on the sky when Ryoden was done looking around the temple complex. The oni carefully climbed down the stone steps. The street lamps and festival lanterns were already being lit, brightening the gradually darkening streets. As it turned out, he arrived just in time for the mikoshi parade to start.

The crowd had parted to the sides of the street, giving way to a procession of lantern bearers. They were carrying dozens of huge lanterns emblazoned with various kanji and symbols, propped up on tall wooden poles. The lantern bearers were followed by a group of musicians playing a festive tune, and also a troupe of taiko drummers. The crowd cheered when the mikoshi finally arrived. The mikoshi--portable shrines hoisted on palanquins--were carried by dozens of men in distinct happi coats. Ryoden saw that there were three mikoshi groups marching down the street, each of them chanting loudly as they moved their mikoshi around the city.

"SEI YAH! SOI YAH! SAH! SORYA! SEI YAH! SOI YAH! SAH! SORYA...!"

The first group consisted of at least five dozen male oni wearing black happi coats with red hachimaki--a kind of headband, and obi belts. Their sturdy bodies strained under the weight of the mikoshi they were carrying. It was quite large, with its six sides heavily decorated with talisman and gilded with gold. The oni chanted on the top of their lungs as they swayed the mikoshi rapidly up and down, and sometimes from side to side. Ryoden stared when he noticed two large oni standing on the forefront of the mikoshi, practically screaming their chants and waving their arms in wide, rhythmic motions, obviously directing the oni carrying the palanquin. The two oni, whom Ryoden could only guess as the "leaders" were so spirited that they didn't even care that their happi coats had become undone, showing their bare, well-muscled bodies. They were only wearing fundoshi underneath their happi.

"SORYA! SEI YAH! SOI YAH! SAH! SORYA! SEI YAH! SOI YAH! SAH...!"

The second mikoshi was carried by an army human men in indigo happi coats with white hachimaki and obi belts. Their mikoshi was more or less the same size as the oni's mikoshi, but the shrine was six sided, decorated with small lanterns that shed some light into the shrine's gilded interior. Like the oni, the men also bounced their mikoshi with vigor as they chanted as loud as possible, lead by at least four "leaders" standing on top of the palanquin. Two at the front were huge and well muscled, while the two at the back were stocky but no less strong looking. Ryoden couldn't help but join the cheering crowd as the mikoshi group marched past where he was standing, his silvery eyes trailing after the muscled forms in front of him.

_ "SOI YAH! SAH! SORYA! SEI YAH! SOI YAH! SAH! SORYA! SEI YAH...!"_

The last mikoshi was the largest and the most heavily decorated of all. It was twice the size of the earlier mikoshi, gleaming as if it was made of pure gold and bedecked with colorful tassels, paper talisman, and charms made from precious jewels, and lit by a huge number of lanterns hung from its eight sides. The mikoshi was carried by a group of huge, strong-looking dragon beastmen in forest green happi coats with matching white hachimaki and obis. The "leader" was a singular dragon who proudly stood at the forefront of the mikoshi, clad only with his headband and fundoshi. His happi coat seemed to have been cast aside at some point, lying on a heap behind his legs. The dragon's golden scales glistened with his sweat under the lantern lights, accentuating each contour of his powerful muscles that bulged and contracted as he directed the mikoshi bearers with a deep, booming voice.

Ryoden had to admit, the golden dragon was definitely the largest beastman he'd ever seen in his life. So far, the beastmen's chants were the most ferocious, almost sounding like a war cry, in fact, easily drowning the cheering crowd around them.

"SEI YAH! SOI YAH! SAH! SORYA! SEI YAH! SOI YAH! SAH! SORYA...!"

It was quite the sight, seeing the three shrines being carried around the city by an army of big, strong males. Ryoden couldn't help but continue to cheer and chant along with the crowd as the mikoshi went past. Following up the mikoshi at the back was another procession of taiko drummers, playing in rhythm with the chanting, riling the crowd even more. As soon as the parade passed further into the city, the pedestrians quickly filled the streets once again.

It was getting late at night when the festival activities began to slow down. Ryoden was already feeling tired and full from walking around and sampling never-ending street food. Children had long since disappeared back to their homes with their parents, and now the majority of people wandering about in the lantern-lit streets were adults. Some were simply content to enjoy a walk in the night, while others seemed to crawl from one tavern to another, or disappearing to seedier looking neighborhoods.

Already, men were getting drunk at this hour of the night. Ryoden had to carefully avoid a few overly inebriated villagers who stumbled towards his general direction. There weren't many, but it was frequent enough to make Ryoden annoyed. There were also rough-looking types already prowling about who'd give a death glare to anyone caught staring at them. It wasn't that Ryoden couldn't put up a fight, just more that he'd rather avoid confrontations, especially during this period where you'd easily lose your head from messing with the wrong people.

Perhaps I should look for proper inns to stay the night, Ryoden thought sometime later. He didn't feel like returning to his timeline just yet but as it turned out, finding an inn in this time of night was surprisingly challenging. Twice, Ryoden was directed to different brothels and geisha houses. The handful amount of genuine inns he managed to find was either fully booked or too expensive for him.

The oni already had half a mind to return back to his timeline when he suddenly bumped into someone around the corner and got splashed with something at the same time.

"O-oh! Sorry there... wa-wasn't lookin'..." said a boar-man who had bumped into Ryoden with a too-wide smile. The boar was clearly drunk, as his face was a deep shade of red under his fur and his breath reeked of cheap sake. The same smell also came from the stain in Ryoden's yukata.

"It's okay," Ryoden said amiably, trying to move away from the drunken beastman. However, the boar suddenly grabbed the sleeves of his yukata.

"Oi, oi... why don'tcha come... come with me eh?" the man hiccuped, leaning close to Ryoden with a lopsided grin. "I like strong, han-handsome oni like yuh... Ah'll give you uh... a very good time hehe..."

Ryoden resisted the urge to groan as he pried his sleeves away from the drunken man's grip. "Sorry, I'm not interested," he said as calmly as possible and tried to move past the boar.

However, before Ryoden could take three steps, the man grabbed Ryoden's arm with a surprising amount of strength and pulled him so close that their faces were almost touching. Ryoden grimaced from the stank of alcohol coming from the beastman's mouth.

Ryoden was just about to blast the drunk with a good Thunderwave but he held back. "Sir... let go of my hand," he said as calm as he could.

"Awh... come ooonnnn.... I have--haven't got a good lay this week... How 'bout you be a good boy, eh? Or... ah'll be your good boy if that's what you like... ahaha..." the boar hiccuped again. "No? I'll pay...pay you a good sum, h-how bout that, eh?", as if to emphasize his point, the beastman reached into his coin purse, only for it to slip from his fingers and clatter to the ground noisily. He cursed loudly and dove for his coins. Ryoden took the opportunity to leave and slip between the crowd that had come over to look at the commotion.

Ryoden quickly ducked into a quiet alleyway and performed a quick scouring charm on his clothes. The sake stains and the smell disappeared without a trace. However, as he'd been walking about in the hazy afternoon heat, Ryoden still felt sweaty and sticky. I really needed a good bath, he thought... just as he saw an ornate looking house right across the street.

It was a bathhouse, Ryoden realized happily as he saw the Taiyonese sign for bath houses painted on the noren--a large curtain draped over the entrance. The name plaque on top of the doorway spelled out "Ooshimayu". There was an additional signage board placed next to the entrance which explained that throughout the festival, the baths would be open until two hours past midnight.

Taking it as a sign of encouragement, the oni crossed the street and went into the bathhouse.Past the front door was a small reception area. There were shoe racks lining the walls and there were only a small number of sandals inside them. Guess it's a rather quiet night. There's a front desk of sorts taking up the middle of the room with two doors, covered with norens marked with kanji for "male" on the left and "female" on the right.

Sitting behind the front desk was a middle-aged tiger beastman. The tiger's white hair was styled into the typical top knot style of the era, and his broad, strong figure was clad in a charcoal grey happi coat with blue wave-shaped patterns on the sleeves. The bathhouse's name and symbol were emblazoned on the collar and back. The tiger smiled brightly when he saw Ryoden enter.

"Welcome to Ooshimayu!" the tiger exclaimed with a customary bow.

"How much for a bath?" Ryoden asked after he removed his geta and placed them by the shoe racks.

"500 Kai. 600 if you want the hot spring facilities. 120 Kai if you want to rent bathing supplies," the tiger recited out in a well-practiced tone.

Ryoden did the calculations in his head. A hot spring bath plus the bathing supplies didn't sound too expensive.

"I'll take the hot spring bath, and also I'd like the bathing supplies," he told the receptionist.

"That'd be 720 Kai," replied the tiger. Ryoden handed over the correct amount of coins to the tiger who, in turn, handed the oni two wooden tags: one was plain with a set of numbers painted on it, and the other tag was completely blue and was well lacquered, with the usual symbol of hot springs painted on the top, along with a set of numbers, similar to the ones on the first tag right below it. There was a loop of colorful string tied to the tag big enough for Ryoden to slip his wrist into.

"Your bathing supplies should be in your shelf. Show the blue tag to the attendant when you want to use the hot springs," the tiger informed. "Once you're done, please return the towels to your basket after you're finished."

"Alright, thanks," Ryoden nodded and headed into the men's changing room.

There weren't many customers around, understandable since it was getting fairly late at night. Most of the guests seemed to be finishing up after a satisfying bath. Ryoden went to look for his assigned shelf, which he later found tucked away in a corner of the dressing room. True to the receptionist's words, there was already a set of clean towels and toiletries arranged neatly in a wicker basket inside the shelf. The oni then began to undress. He tossed his yukata and the rest of his belongings into the basket.

With that done, Ryoden pulled the towel around his neck as he headed towards the bathing room in the nude, as it was customary. No one was really bothered with nudity in Taiyonese bathhouses.

A layer of steam permeated the bathing room. There were two rows of wooden tubs filled to the brim with fresh water and wooden stools arranged in the center of the room. A large plunge bath was on the other end of the bathing area, while a curtained doorway leads towards another area that Ryoden guessed would be the hot springs.

Ryoden picked an empty spot and began to rinse himself. He wasn't really sure how effective the rudimentary, the soap-like material he was given to clean up. It definitely felt soapy and smells heavily of herbs. It also felt like a body scrub with the tiny grains that came off from the lumpy soap. Nevertheless, the oni lathered himself with the soap, from his toes to the top of his head, hair included before he rinsed until he was sure the suds were completely washed off.

He then toweled himself dry before continuing on to the hot spring area. There was another bath attendant standing next to it, a tiger who looked similar to the receptionist at the front desk, but several years younger. Ryoden showed the tiger attendant the blue lacquered tag, which the attendant collected before letting the oni pass through.

The hot spring area was also in an enclosed space, similar to the bathing chamber. However, there were huge windows giving view to a tiny Taiyonese garden outside. The hot springs itself was a wide, natural pool lined with smooth rocks. The steaming pool continued to one end of the chamber, where it met with a tall, wooden divider. The women's area must be on the other side of the partition.

Similar to the bathing chamber, there were only a handful of bathers using the hot springs. They seemed to be completely relaxed, enjoying the bubbling, naturally heated mineral-rich water, occasionally chatting on various random topics. Mostly about the festivities today. The oni placed his towel on the wooden railing circling the stone-lined hot spring, just like the other guests had done, and stepped into the pool.

He let off a relaxed sigh as he slowly eased his body into the wonderfully hot water. It definitely felt great. Ryoden was soon submerged up to his shoulders. He closed his eyes and simply relaxed for a while, enjoying the warmth seeping into every part of his body.

It wasn't until Ryoden sensed that he was being watched that he opened his eyes. The oni blinked and sat up straighter, looking at the handful of bathers. Most seemed to be preoccupied with their friends or simply relaxing alone. One or two seemed to be idly observing others but their gazes never lingered more than a fraction of a second. However, one particular bather stuck out.

It was an oni sitting across the pool. He was at least several decades older than Ryoden himself, sporting a deep crimson skin. His strong, muscular body was riddled with numerous scars. Some looked fresher than the others. A pair of curved, jagged horns grew out from his forehead, and his jet black hair hung down to his nape. The oni was also sporting a thick, full beard, in contrast of other oni bathers who either kept their beards short and neatly trimmed or shaved them off. A pair of pale gold eyes locked to Ryoden's silver ones and Ryoden was momentarily struck with a sense of familiarity.

The feeling disappeared quickly when the red oni smirked. Ryoden couldn't help but grin back. The red oni then stood up, revealing his broad, well-muscled chest covered by a dense layer of body hair that trailed down to his pubic area. Ryoden blinked in surprise when the older oni moved to sit closer to him instead of exiting the hot spring as Ryoden had expected.

"Are you new in town? Never seen you around before."

The oni's voice was deep yet pleasantly smooth.

"Yeah, just visiting the town for the festival," Ryoden replied.

"Ah," the older oni nodded with a grin. "How are you enjoying Kazemori so far?"

"It's a pretty nice place. I really enjoyed the festival tonight," Ryoden replied.

The red oni nodded with a hum. "The festival is going to last for five more days. Are you staying for the week then?"

Ryoden honestly didn't know how long the festival was held, but he nodded anyway. "Yes, I heard as much. I'm looking forward to the festivities for the next few days."

"Have you visited the temple yet?"

"Ah, I have. It's the first thing I did when I arrived." Ryoden nodded. "The procession of mikoshi was pretty amazing I must say."

The oni chuckled. "Ah yes, those are always impressive. They will be carrying the mikoshi again on the last day of the festival!"

"I'll try to not miss them, then," he said with a big grin, slowly becoming aware that their knees were touching underwater.

"Believe me, you won't want to miss it," the red oni grinned widely. "That, and also the taiko contest tomorrow. I always liked looking at the drummers showing their skills. Always gives me a good rush."

Ryoden found himself nodding. "Oh yes, I know what you mean."

The oni gave him a long glance as if he's gauging him for something. "Would you like to have a drink together later? I happen to know some of the best izakaya and teahouses in the city," said the oni with a nonchalant tone, shifting his position slightly. Their legs were definitely touching now, underwater.

"There's one teahouse by the riverbank which serves really great tea. Their house's specialty blend and the leaves are handpicked from Kazemori's tea plantations. I really recommend that one for an evening drink and their service is really top of the line," the oni continued with a smile.

"But if sake is more your line of drink, there's this izakaya by the main street which offered a wide range of sake and really great grilled food," he explained. "Really cheap too, also they have good oden."

Ryoden nodded with a chuckle. "Sounds interesting."

"I'm actually planning to head over to the teahouse later on. I'd be happy if you'd accompany me for some late-night drinks."

Ryoden felt the oni's large, calloused hand rested on his thigh. He knew the older oni was interested with him, and honestly, who wouldn't say no to a handsomely rugged oni like him?

"Of course, I'm down for a drink or two." He replied, angling out his leg a bit more, and gave the older oni another grin.

Seeing that as an invitation, the red oni's smile widened and he began to slowly rub Ryoden's thigh.

"Good to hear! I could show you places you'd definitely be interested in, along the way," the older oni grinned back, moving his hand closer to Ryoden's groin.

"Do you even know what I'm interested in?" Ryoden asked, arching an eyebrow.

The older oni gave him a meaningful smirk. Ryoden jerked slightly when he felt the oni's large, calloused hand wrap around his half-hard cock under the hot spring water.

"I think I do," the red oni replied smoothly, giving Ryoden's dick light squeeze.

"Well, if you think you do, then by all means...," Ryoden chuckled weakly, feeling himself growing hard under the older oni's touch.

There were a few minutes of relative silence as the two oni simply relaxed in the hot spring, or rather, Ryoden trying with the older oni slowly stroking his cock under the murky waters while trying to look nonchalant. He breathed out a sigh when the red oni removed his hand from his throbbing shaft. However, Ryoden wasn't expecting the older male to grasp his hand and slowly guided it over to his thighs and down to his crotch. Ryoden felt his heartbeat rise when his fingers wrapped around the other male's thick, hardening cock, sending a thrill running down Ryoden's spine.

They stayed like this for a long moment, until the older oni removed Ryoden's hand from his crotch. Sending him a smile that made Ryoden feel funny, the older male said, "We should finish up if we don't want to be late to the teahouse."

"Ah, right," Ryoden nodded quickly. Pretty sure he was still flushing deep red. He got a good glimpse of the older oni's assets when he climbed out from the hot spring. The older male had a firm, well-muscled ass, and Ryoden also got a peek of the oni's nice thick package hanging between his legs.

Ryoden stepped out from the pool on the next second, not forgetting to retrieve his towel from the railing to dry off. Looking at the red oni, he was definitely showing off a bit as he toweled himself dry, Ryoden thought with a bemused smile. The younger oni definitely liked what he saw.

They made their way back to the changing rooms and then the red oni said. "The name's Eijiro."

"Ryuichi," said Ryoden, choosing to go with an alias. "Pleased to meet you."

Eijiro's shelf was a few feet down from Ryoden's own. Ryoden couldn't help but stare as the oni began to put on his fundoshi, which framed his perfect ass so well. As Eijiro was putting his kimono together, Ryoden finally blinked out from his stupor and quickly changed into his clothes. He slipped on his bracelet first, feeling the familiar weight around his wrist, before setting himself on the daunting task of putting on traditional Taiyonese casual wear.

Wearing a fundoshi was quite tricky for someone who's not used to it, even with some practice. Ryoden could feel Eijiro's eyes on him as he managed to tie the loincloth together, not that he minded being watched much. He simply smiled back at the older oni while he wrapped his yukata around his body tied it up together.

Eijiro finished up by pulling his hair back into a loose ponytail at the back of his head. Together, they headed back out through the bathhouse's entrance. Ryoden turned to look when the red oni rounded towards the front desk.

"My swords please," he said.

The tiger nodded and retrieved two curved swords from the shelf behind him. One was larger than the other. If Ryoden had to estimate a guess, the larger sword couldn't be more than thirty inches, and the smaller sword was around twenty inches or so. Ryoden quickly recognized the two swords as a katana and a wakizashi. Carrying both in Taiyo during this era would signify that the bearer was an officially recognized swordsman.

Come to think of it, Eijiro's clothing was very plain, with no fancy patterns or anything. There wasn't even a house crest emblazoned on his kimono. Eijiro was either on off duty--do samurais even have "off days"?--or... perhaps he was a wandering ronin.

A ronin. Of all people I could hook up with... Ryoden couldn't help but believe his luck. Things were getting interesting.

The tiger handed the swords back to the oni, who took them back carefully from the tiger with a thankful nod.

"Thank you for your patronage, Eijiro, sir. We hope we'll serve you again in the future!" exclaimed the tiger with a bow.

Eijiro chuckled and returned the gesture. "You know I'd never turn down a good bath from your place, Ooshima," he said as tied his swords on the left side of his waist. "Well then, shall we get going?" he asked, turning to Ryoden with a small grin as he placed his hand on the younger oni's shoulder.

It was already quite dark outside and there weren't many people wandering about when they walked out. Some of the shops had already closed down, and now only the festival lanterns cast their light on the streets. Ryoden quickly noticed that Eijiro was steering him towards the riverbank area, close to the city walls.

Eijiro pointed out several places of interests, such as the best izakaya in the area, well-known geisha houses (one of which Ryoden nearly walked into earlier), various kabuki theatres, gambling parlors, and also notable teahouses.

"And here we are," said Eijiro as they arrived at their destination.

Omodakaya teahouse, as it was named, looked practically similar to the buildings surrounding it. With it's dark tiled roofs, timber-framed walls, and lanterns providing illumination, the teahouse was a typical late-Kinseian Taiyonese townhouse. The noren hung by the doorway depicted a symbol of three blue omodaka leaves locked around each other.

The two oni walked inside. Like the bathhouse, past the entryway was a small reception area with shoe racks lining the wall. There was a tall front desk off to the side of the room instead of being in the center, and it was manned by a wolf beastman, clad in a black and teal kimono with omodaka leaf patterns. The wolf stood up when he saw Ryoden, with a greeting ready, but those words died with him when he saw who had entered behind the oni.

"Ah, Eijiro, sir! Welcome!" the wolf greeted the red oni enthusiastically with a deep bow. "Fresh from the baths I see. Here for your regular drinks?"

"Good to see you again, Yasuhide," Eijiro greeted, nodding his head at the wolf before gesturing to Ryoden. "Yes, I'll be taking my usual room. Also, I've brought a friend with me."

Yasuhide bowed his head at Eijiro, and then to Ryoden. "Welcome to our humble establishment. Please, come inside," he gestured for them to continue towards another curtained doorway on the other end of the small room. "Ah, before that, your swords please," the wolf added quickly, turning to Eijiro.

Eijiro untied his katana and wakizashi and handed them to Yasuhide for safekeeping. "I trust you'll be taking very good care of my blades," he said with a teasing smirk.

The insides of Yasuhide's ears reddened as he gave a small chuckle. "Of course," he replied before ducking to the back of the front desk to store the swords.

"Ah, right. A question, Ryuichi," Eijiro began as they headed towards the doorway on the other end of the reception room.

"Yes?"

"Would you mind if we have another company joining us for the night?"

It took Ryoden a millisecond to realize what Eijiro was really talking about. Hoo boy... he bit his lips, thinking. It might not be so bad.

"Hmm... I wouldn't really mind, if they're handsome enough," he finally decided with a slightly impish grin.

Eijiro laughed as he pushed open the noren. "You won't be disappointed, trust me."

Past the reception was a spacious lounge lined with tatami mats and tasteful woodblock paintings on the wall. Dozens of low tables were arranged throughout the room with plush seat cushions. One side of the room was lined with windows and it opened into a small courtyard, where a tidy looking garden was set up with a small decorative pool.

There were quite a few guests in the lounge, all of them males, being served various drinks and snacks by the teahouse's attendants, also males. The teahouse attendants were all dressed in uniform kimonos in black and teal, with identical omodaka patterns. On two sides of the lounge were dozens of small alcoves made up by bamboo-framed dividers and covered with large, highly decorative noren. Ryoden could see that the alcoves were equipped with low, circular tables and cushion seats.

Clearly, those are the private tea rooms. A number of guests had used those rooms accompanied by their friends or by one of the attendants instead of the lounge area.

Eijiro didn't move to the private alcoves, however. Instead, the oni was making his way to the staircase at the end of a short hallway. Before they could ascend, however, a middle-aged dragon with fading red scales approached them. He was still tall and robust despite his age. He was also clad in the same kimono as the teahouse staff members, but with an extra layer of a black haori, giving it a slight air of formality.

"Ah, welcome once again, Eijiro. Here for your usual?" the dragon greeted them with a customary bow. "And I see you have a companion for tonight. Welcome to Omodakaya!"

"Evening Takeuchi. I see you're pretty busy tonight. Business is booming, eh?" Eijiro pointed out with a large grin. "And yes, I'd like Masao to entertain us for tonight if that's possible," he added.

"You're just in time. Young Masao had just finished his rounds in the lounge rooms. He'll be available for the rest of the night," said Takeuchi with an enthusiastic tone.

Eijiro grinned. "That is good news. I shall be in my usual room upstairs," he informed the dragon.

"Of course. Enjoy your stay Eijiro," replied Takeuchi with another bow before he left.

"Takeuchi runs this place," Eijiro explained as they ascended the stairs to the upper floor. "He's a jolly old man, but don't get on his bad side."

"Noted," Ryoden chuckled with a nod.

On the upper floor landing, two hallways branched out from the staircase foyer. Arranged alongside the hallways were many rooms made up of sturdy, bamboo-framed washi paper covered walls and dividers. Some of these rooms had the doors left open, revealing that it was vacant and ready for use. The ones that had their doors closed obviously had guests, and Ryoden could hear rowdy noises coming from them.

"Come this way," Eijiro said, leading Ryoden to one hallway and gestured to one of the rooms further in. It was almost identical to the other rooms, decorated with traditional Taiyonese style with tatami mats and muraled walls. The murals in this room depicted a churning, stormy sea and a couple of water dragons dancing. There were also windows facing the street, currently curtained off for privacy. The room was lit by four andon--lanterns shaped like a floor lamp, which bathed the entire room in a warm glow.

Just as the two oni were about to sit down by the low table in the center of the room, one of the attendants appeared by the doorway.

The attendant was another oni. He looked young, perhaps a couple of years younger than Ryoden, but he was quite attractive. The oni had a reasonably tall frame, with strong, broad shoulders. His skin was dark grey, with a faint tinge of purple. He kept his dark hair short, which was slicked back with fragrant oils, and he was clean-shaven, showing his strong jawline. The oni had a single horn on the center of his forehead, which was a few shades darker than his skin. It was sanded and trimmed relatively short, something a bit of an oddity considering most of the oni generally don't trim down their horns without a very good reason.

"Good evening. I'm Masao, a pleasure to be of service," said the attendant with a very pleasant smile. "Good to see you again, Eijiro, sir," he added right after he bowed.

"Ah, I see you've cut your hair, Masao," Eijiro pointed out. "I think it suits you better than your long hair. Anyway, let me introduce you to Ryuichi. We just met today at the baths."

Masao turned to Ryoden and bowed his head. "Pleasure to meet you, sir."

"The pleasure's mine," Ryoden replied, returning the gesture.

"I've brought up some refreshments," said Masao as he brought a large tray into the room, laden with a teapot, several earthen cups, and plates of light snacks and sweets.

"So, you're his regular customer I take it?" Ryoden turned to Eijiro as Masao arranged the teacups before the two guests and began filling them with fragrant smelling green tea.

The red oni grunted. His face seemed to get a little bit redder. "Yes. I particularly enjoy Masao's company."

"You're too kind, sir," Masao chuckled before he turned to Ryoden. "Is this your first time in Omodakaya?"

"Yes, indeed. So far I'm having such a wonderful time exploring everything for the first time." Ryoden replied.

Masao nodded. "Ah, that's very good to hear. I hope you'll find your stay tonight even more... enjoyable."

"I believe I will," Ryoden said with a nod and a wink as he took a sip of the tea which Masao had served. "Oh, this is good!"

"I told you. This place serves the best tea in town," Eijiro chuckled, sipping his own drink.

Ryoden continued to drink the steaming, highly fragrant tea, enjoying the warmth that gradually spreads around his whole body. Masao refilled his cup when it was nearly empty.

"Is this place always as crowded as today?" Ryoden went to ask.

"Oh yes, big occasions tend to give us more customers than usual," Masao explained. "Usually, we only get our regulars so we weren't as busy. Of course, we get new regulars every now and then."

Ryoden nodded, taking a bite from one of the dango sticks. "Well... am I correct to assume that Eijiro here is a long-time customer?", he couldn't help but add with a bit of a smirk.

He watched as Eijiro's face got a few shades darker and Masao let out a chuckle.

"Ah, I can't say to be honest," the grey oni said, pouring Eijiro some more tea. "I'm relatively new in Omodakaya myself."

"Oh," Ryoden blinked. His curiosity piqued. "How long have you been employed here, if I may ask?"

"Give or take three months. I'm quite lucky to get into this position in a relatively quick time. I used to be a craftsman in a village to the north, you see" Masao said with an even tone. "The Great Civil War took a huge toll on my village and I had to abandon my home before..." his smile faltered slightly. "Ah, well, I traveled around, did a lot of random work in a couple of villages and towns before settling in Kazemori," the oni finished, a serene sort of smile returning to his face.

Ryoden nodded as he sipped his tea. He couldn't help but feel bad for the young man.

"Master Takeuchi was pretty generous, especially when he learned I could brew and serve at the same time," Masao added.

Ryoden looked down at the steaming tea he had been drinking. "You made this amazing blend?"

"Why yes," Masao smiled brightly. "I'm glad you enjoy it."

Eijiro suddenly laughed, patting Masao's shoulders. "Handsome and talented. Hard to find guys like you nowadays. I can see why Takeuchi took a shine on you!"

Masao's face colored slightly, turning into a darker shade of purple, but he seemed to preen hearing Eijiro's praise.

They continued their small talk for a while, with Masao refilling their drinks every now and then. The light snacks were pretty great, and most of them disappeared into Eijiro's mouth. Who knew the oni had such a big appetite. At some point, the tea was switched to a fairly sweet-tasting sake. They exchanged stories, mostly about random, inconsequential events of their lives. Ryoden had to carefully change parts of his story however so he wouldn't give away the fact that he was from centuries in the future.

Masao was a great listener, and he too had a few interesting stories to share. The young oni told a few of his borderline amusing misadventures during his earlier travels, and also some of the interesting places he had visited up to this point. Eijiro however, seemed to have gone to all sorts of places in the country. The older oni mentioned a few major cities and their daimyos, as well as snippets of court life. He even mentioned that he had been to the capital city a couple of times.

"So you've been to the imperial palace then?" Ryoden asked.

Eijiro, who was now properly buzzed, had moved to sit next to Ryoden. "Yes, and I hated every moment I spent inside those walls," he said, draping his arm over Ryoden's shoulders. "Let me tell you, Ryuichi, that place is a snake pit and there were more than rules of conduct than I could count. Everyone acts as if they have a stick up their asses and don't get me started on the courtiers and ministry officials. Bunch of ass-kissers they are. One thing I didn't miss from my samurai days was the stringent court etiquette... Good riddance to all of that!" he boomed, taking a huge gulp of his sake. "At least... ah, the guards weren't so bad looking and I always get a chance to spar with worthy opponents... but I'm not sorry I've left it all behind!"

Ryoden hummed. "Ah, I guess you used to be a samurai?"

"Yes. What about it?" Eijiro suddenly rounded at him. "You have a problem with that?" There was an edge to his voice.

Ryoden blinked and shook his head. He didn't expect Eijiro to openly admit that he was a ronin. Looking at Masao, the oni simply gave a small nod of his head. This definitely wasn't news to him.

"No, no. I'm just surprised, that's all," Ryoden quickly replied with a placating tone. "I mean, I have my suspicions earlier. I don't hate ronins in general, no I really don't," he insisted when Eijiro's eyes narrowed. Ryoden sighed, rubbing his face. "My grandfather was a ronin, in fact..."

It was technically true but said grandfather was more of Ryoden's distant ancestor.

"Ah? Oh..." Eijiro blinked. The oni seemed to deflate somewhat. "I see..."

"If I may ask," Masao suddenly spoke up. "What happened to your grandfather, Ryuichi?"

Ryoden tried to remember, but that particular piece of family history was somewhat obscure. His slightly buzzed state didn't really help his thinking process either. "He uh... died. I'm not exactly sure where and how. Some said he died in the war, while some said he simply killed himself. No one in my family really talked about him, so..." he trailed off.

To Ryoden's surprise, Eijiro wrapped him into a tight bear hug. It was quite nice, Ryoden decided as he went to wrap his arms around the older oni's back.

"I'm sorry," Eijiro said in a low murmur. "I'm sure he was an honorable man..."

"Oh! Er... thanks. Don't... uh, I mean... I don't really hear that said to me often," Ryoden gave Eijiro an awkward back rub. He was suddenly reminded how one's status and honor was a huge thing in this period, especially for the samurai class with their stringent code of conduct. Having a ronin as a family member must be tough.

Eijiro eased from the hug, but he still held Ryoden close. Pale gold eyes bore into Ryoden's silver ones. Ryoden was struck by the intensity behind Eijiro's eyes.

"You reminded me of someone, can't remember who," said Eijiro with a hum.

"Ah," was Ryoden's response, before he felt Eijiro's lips on his.

The ronin was a rough kisser. He bit and nibble Ryoden's lips and their tusks occasionally bumped against each other. Ryoden surprised him by pulling Eijiro's collar and pushing his tongue into Eijiro's mouth. He could feel Eijiro's jaw slacken for a few seconds before he returned the gesture. It soon became a battle of dominance, and Ryoden quickly found himself falling into the tatami with Eijiro on top of him. The older oni's hand had slipped under his yukata and gently squeezed his hardening member.

"Feisty... and a bit rough," Eijiro breathed with a huge grin. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Uh..." Ryoden honestly wasn't sure how to answer, and before he could, Eijiro had kissed him again, quickly pushing his tongue into Ryoden's mouth without giving him a chance to breathe. He ground his body against Ryoden, rubbing their bulging crotches together while he groped every part of Ryoden's body he could reach.

By the time Eijiro pulled away, they were both equally breathless. Ryoden's yukata was halfway being undone, and Eijiro's own kimono looked pretty disheveled as well. The older oni had a wide, predatory grin on his face that honestly made Ryoden feel more excited.

However right at that point, a knock came from the door and it was slid open with a polite, "Pardon me."

Ryoden and Eijiro turned to look at the door. Waiting outside was a young, male, black-furred cat beastman, clad in a simple dark teal happi coat. The teahouse's emblem was emblazoned in white at the back of the coat.

"I'll be laying out the futon, sirs. Please excuse me," said the cat with a customary bow. He didn't even seem to be fazed by Ryoden and Eijiro's compromising position.

"Ah, right," Eijiro seemed to sigh before he pushed himself up. He helped Ryoden up on his feet as well.

"Would you like me to leave you two for the night, Eijiro?" Masao asked, turning to the oni with the same friendly smile he had been sporting earlier.

"Hmm? No, no. I'd like you to stay, Masao," Eijiro said.

Masao merely bowed his head. His smile seemed to grow ever so slightly. Somehow, Ryoden felt that the younger oni was only too happy to stay with them.

Eijiro suddenly thumped Ryoden's back. "Come on, better get ourselves ready while they set up the room."

"Huh? Oh!" Ryoden quickly nodded. "Right, right... where's the washroom then?" he turned to Masao.

"Go down the stairs, head across the hallway facing the courtyard and the washrooms should be on your left."

With that, the three oni parted to get themselves prepared. Ryoden and Eijiro went down to the first floor while Masao went the other way. Staff members probably had their own washing facilities so as not to be mixed with the guests.

Masao was already waiting for them when Ryoden returned to their assigned room. He noticed that the table and the seat cushions had been pushed to the corner of the room and the lantern lights had been considerably dimmed down. Masao himself was standing near the two large futons laid out neatly in the center of the room, and it seemed that Ryoden walked in when the other oni was in the process of removing his kimono.

"Oh, I didn't see you there Ryuichi, sir," said Masao when he turned his head. "Please, make yourself comfortable," the oni smiled as he undid his belt and let his kimono fall from his shoulders. All of the layers fell with a soft whump around his feet, exposing his broad, smooth, well-muscled body, which was now only clad in his fundoshi.

"Ah..." Ryoden stared, not fully expecting how built Masao was. His eyes trailed after Masao's mostly naked form as the oni gathered his kimono and folded it neatly to the side. The oni then proceeded to untie his loincloth in an agonizingly slow manner that Ryoden took a while to realize that Masao was teasing him.

He was so absorbed in watching Masao strip that he barely noticed the door sliding open and Eijiro enter.

"Still dressed, Ryuichi?" came the oni's husky voice close to his ear.

Ryoden jumped when he felt Eijiro's warm hands slip into his loose yukata, feeling out his pecs before going down his abs while undoing the loose belt at the same time. Ryoden moaned lightly when the older oni's fingers slipped behind his fundoshi and gave his hardening cock a squeeze.

"I've never seen quite the treat like yourself, Ryuichi..." Eijiro whispered, pulling off Ryoden's yukata none too gently.

Ryoden felt his cheeks warm. "You're not so bad yourself old man," he grinned, turning to look at the older oni as he pressed his ass cheeks on Eijiro's obvious bulge.

Eijiro rumbled out a low chuckle, tilting his head so he could mash his lips against Ryoden once again. Ryoden felt his loincloth loosen and fell into a heap around his ankles before he felt warm lips wrapping around his stiff cock.

Ryoden shuddered as Masao skillfully used his tongue to tease his shaft. Eijiro continued to kiss him roughly as he squeezed Ryoden's firm muscles. The older oni had removed his own fundoshi and Ryoden could feel the throbbing cock pressed deep against his buttocks, slowly sliding against his rear entrance.

It wasn't long before Masao pulled out from his cock and gently guided Ryoden to lie down on the futon. The younger oni gave Ryoden a kiss, far gentler but just as passionate as Eijiro as he guided Ryoden's hands to touch his body. Ryoden couldn't help but admire Masao's body. He wasn't as big as Ryoden or Eijiro, but he could feel each hard, thickly corded muscle beneath the oni's smooth skin. Masao's cock wasn't that bad either. Ryoden grasped the young oni's girthy, throbbing shaft, sliding his hand up and down its length

As if sensing Ryoden's needs, Masao crawled forwards until his crotch was right before Ryoden's face. The oni wasted no time wrapping his mouth over the smooth cock and savored its taste. He could hear Masao's pleasured hums as he gripped the oni's thick, well-muscled hips for support as he sucked the oni, rolling the thick cock around his mouth with his tongue.

Masao definitely took self-grooming seriously, Ryoden couldn't help but notice. Masao had shaved the hair on his pubes, cock, and his balls clean. Gripping the oni's well-formed ass, he noticed that it was pretty smooth down there too. Ryoden usually preferred guys who let their body hair grow, but he couldn't bring himself to care at that moment.

Ryoden suddenly felt Masao tremble above him. Blinking, he saw that Eijiro had knelt with his legs beside Ryoden, and his face planted on Masao's backside, eating out the younger oni's ass with fervor. The sight caused Ryoden's cock to twitch, drips of pre trailing down the length of the member. He continued to watch Eijiro rimming Masao in fascination as he continued to suck the younger oni. Eijiro's large, thick red cock was rubbing against Ryoden's own. The oni's heart flipped around for a beat when Eijiro suddenly gripped both of their cocks together with his large hand and began to stroke them slowly.

The three oni's soft moans and labored breaths filled the room as they continued to pleasure each other's bodies. Ryoden was terribly close when Eijiro suddenly stood up and Masao pulled back right the next second. It was as if Masao knew what to expect from the older oni as he then wrapped Eijiro with his arms, and their lips and tongue played. Ryoden had to really hold himself back from jacking himself off as seeing those two kissed and stroked each other's members was really hot.

The way the two onis held and touched each other and the way they kissed was more slow and passionate as if Eijiro and Masao were savoring the moment. It was almost as if the two were devoted lovers.

Masao gave a sheepish grin at Ryoden at one point, after he and Eijiro had done kissing for what seemed like forever. He had seemingly forgotten about the third oni in the room. Ryoden was still hard from the erotic display, and Masao seemed to focus on Ryoden's hard-on, especially how drops of pre was cascading freely from the tip his cock.

Ryoden watched in fascination as Masao went to get the earthen bottle of lube from the corner of the room, which faintly smelled of honey and herbs, and began to lubricate his backside. Ryoden didn't know how Masao managed to turn an ordinary task of lubing oneself up into incredibly sensuous imagery. His own cock twitched in anticipation as Masao then knelt down and began to cover his stiff dick with the lube, giving it a gentle stroke every now and then.

"Oh gods...!" Ryoden gasped out as Masao knelt down above him and guided his member into his awaiting ass. It slipped inside without any resistance and the young oni practically began riding it.

"Ah...ngh..." Masao panted, pressing his hands against Ryoden's firm pecs. The oni had a really pleased expression on his face, which seemed to turn into a darker shade of purple as he flushed a deep red color.

"You have... a-ah... a really thick cock, s-sir..."

Hearing that made Ryoden grow hornier. His shaft throbbed and twitched as Masao's delightfully warm ass slid in and out. Ryoden was so preoccupied with the pleasurable sensations his cock was getting that he didn't notice Eijiro had moved behind Masao and applied a couple of lubed fingers into Ryoden's ass. The feeling of the cool, viscous liquid making sudden contact with his pucker made the oni jump a bit, causing him to buck into Masao who cried out a loud, surprised moan.

"H-hey... a little warning...ngh... next time...?" Ryoden said between his breaths, craning his neck to look at Eijiro who was now spreading the lube around his hole and inserting his fingers in, causing Ryoden to moan and buck into Masao again.

"Just relax, kid..." came Eijiro's reply. He was now positioning his huge cock right over Ryoden's ass.

The blue oni gulped when he felt the tip of Eijiro's shaft press into his pucker. He definitely hadn't been expecting Eijiro to suddenly ram his entire cock into him, causing him to cry out with pleasure and a little bit of pain. Eijiro's cock filled up his ass nicely and the oni didn't waste time railing him with such vigor that Ryoden ended up feeling lightheaded due to the onslaught of pleasurable sensations wreaking havoc across his body.

Masao kept riding Ryoden as Eijiro grabbed the blue-kinned oni's legs and wrapped them around his muscled hips, bucking and thrusting into the oni's ass in a non-stop motion. Ryoden was left in a writhing, moaning mess as he was fucked and ridden by the two sexy oni above him. He couldn't help but cry out several loud moans. And soon enough, he came with a shout.

Masao moaned when he felt Ryoden's cock spasmed before a torrent of warmth pumped into him. His own cock had been dripping pre on Ryoden's chest, but he wasn't close to cumming yet, and so was Eijiro from the way he kept thrusting into Ryoden.

Soon enough, the two oni slowed down to a stop and pulled out, much to Ryoden's confusion and disappointment. However, he didn't expect Eijiro to roll him around on the futon until Ryoden was on top of the older oni.

"Fuck me," the red oni said huskily. It was enough to make Ryoden hard again. Masao in the meantime, didn't miss a beat before he straddled Eijiro and slid down the oni's thick, girthy cock, riding it like it was the most natural thing to do.

Masao was moaning and panting more, Ryoden noted as he fingered Eijiro's ass with the lube. Once he felt Eijiro was properly lubed up, he poured the liquid on his shaft, once again on full mast, before he pushed Eijiro's legs wide and thrust into the red oni's rear.

Eijiro suddenly howled in pleasure, and Ryoden knew he had nailed the male's prostate. The blue oni continued to fuck Eijiro's well-muscled ass, pacing himself to match Masao's bucking hips. Ryoden couldn't help himself but pull Masao back into a brief, hungry kiss. The grey oni then bent down, grinding his ass into Eijiro's shaft as he smashed his lips against Eijiro's.

Eijiro's breathing grew shorter and more labored as he was getting closer to his climax. Masao hastened his pace, now effectively grinding the oni's cock deep into his ass. Ryoden continued to pound, nailing the oni's prostate over and over again as he held onto Eijiro's thighs for support.

The red oni finally came with a loud howl, bucking wildly into Masao. The younger oni followed soon after, spraying his seed all over Eijiro's chest and face as Eijiro's cum filled up his ass, mixing with Ryoden's. Ryoden himself stopped thrusting into Eijiro when he felt the older oni's body seem to slacken. He pulled out with his cock still hard and leaking.

The two oni quickly collapsed into each other on the futon, sweat glistening from their muscled bodies as they panted and kissed fervently. Masao went to pull Ryoden into their embrace too, where the blue oni's entire body seemed to be worshipped with the other two oni's tongues and lips. Eijiro even went as far as blowing Ryoden's hard shaft. Masao fingered his sore ass at the same time, rubbing and prodding his prostate with surprising accuracy as warm cum leaked around his digits.

It didn't take long for Ryoden to climax for the second time, painting Eijiro's mouth white with seed, which the oni was only too happy to swallow. With a mischievous glint, the red oni then pulled Ryoden into a very messy kiss. The slightly salty taste of his own cum mixed with the leftover honey-flavored lube left an interesting aftertaste.

The three oni lied down together on the futon, catching their breaths. Ryoden simply smiled as he was practically sandwiched against the two oni. Eijiro seemed to drape over him and Masao protectively, murmuring surprisingly tender, appreciative words to the two.

Eventually, they have to clean up their mess. Masao dutifully wiped them dry before they headed back to the washroom to properly clean up. When they returned to their room, the futons had been neatly rearranged and once again, Masao was already waiting inside. He had draped the outer layer of his kimono over his shoulders.

"I hope you'll have a pleasant rest for the night," the young oni said with a small bow and a polite smile. "If you don't need anything else, please excuse me."

Before Masao could move, Ryoden quickly spoke up. "Ah, couldn't you stay the night here, with us?"

Eijiro chuckled. "I was about to suggest the same thing!"

Masao blinked once before he nodded. "Of course, I'd be happy to," he said. His smile seemed to have grown wider.

The grey oni had to actually pull another futon from a cleverly hidden closet in the room. Once the last lanterns had been blown off, Ryoden found himself cuddled up against Eijiro's broad, muscular back. The oni himself had gone off to sleep with his limbs wrapped around Masao. The two hadn't bothered to wear their clothes back, preferring to sleep in the nude, and Ryoden simply followed.

He could hear Eijiro whispering sweet nothings to Masao as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

******

Ryoden stayed in Kazemori until the end of the festival.

He had thoroughly enjoyed his stay, and he had planned to stay at a local ryokan for the duration of the festival, but Eijiro had generously volunteered his home for Ryoden to stay. As it turned out, Eijiro ran a small swordsmith workshop on a two-story townhouse in the busy and crowded Merchant's Quarters, employing a young human man as his helper. The ronin lived alone on the floor above the workshop.

Eijiro seemed to be only too happy to let Ryoden stay in his home, and he accompanied Ryoden whenever he went to join the festival whenever he wasn't too busy. There wasn't much room in Eijiro's living quarters, but it was pretty comfortable. And of course, Ryoden repaid the Eijiro's kindness by worshipping the ronin's cock when they were in the mood, something Eijiro easily agreed with.

Eijiro was a great lover, that was for certain. But Ryoden had a feeling that the other oni had his eyes set out for Masao, not that Ryoden minded. It was pretty evident from the way he acted around the young teahouse attendant, in fact.

They met Masao on the temple on the third day of the festival as he was allowed a day off. Eijiro never looked so happy as they spend the rest of the day together. At sundown, the two disappeared off to who knows where, though Ryoden had a strong hunch of what they were doing to each other. Since he was left to his own devices, Ryoden visited some of the places where men like him tended to gather to find prospective partners for the night, courtesy of Masao's helpful tips.

And Ryoden did quite have a bit of fun for a couple of nights while Eijiro was away.

On the last day of the festival, Eijiro decided to visit Masao alone in Omodakaya. Ryoden went to watch the procession of mikoshi, which actually started from dawn and lasted until sun down--with breaks, naturally. He also went to watch the brilliant display of fireworks at night, which was the main event of the festival. He had to admit, ancient Taiyonese could be pretty creative with their fireworks show.

And then, it was time for Ryoden to return back to his timeline.

"Promise me you'll visit us when you return!" Eijiro said with a boisterous laugh as Ryoden was getting ready to leave the next day.

Ryoden couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind," he said as he gathered his belongings, which weren't that many to begin with.

"Where will you be going?" Masao, who happened to have another day off that day, went to ask.

"The capital. I have, uh, an appointment with the craftsman guild." Ryoden lied. He couldn't very well tell them he's about to travel through time back to the future now, could he?

"We hope you'll have a safe journey ahead," Eijiro said. "The roads aren't as dangerous as back during the war, but it's still quite a long journey."

Ryoden smiled with a nod. "Thank you for your concern, Eijiro. I'll be careful along the way," he said. "Well, I best leave now if I want to reach the next village by sundown."

The two oni saw Ryoden out from Eijiro's place and were even kind enough to walk the blue oni to the city gates. Ryoden couldn't help but feel touched by their friendliness and hospitality and so he made a mental note to visit Kazemori again the next time he jumped to Kinseian Taiyo.

After walking a considerable distance, Ryoden turned into the forest and cast a disillusionment barrier around himself before he reactivated the time portal with his bracelet, setting the destination back to his timeline. He watched as the runic rings burst to life before his eyes, opening the swirling vortex of the time portal. Steeling himself, Ryoden stepped into the portal and was sucked back into the future.

"Whoof... that's quite the bumpy ride," he murmured, rubbing his temples as a wave of dizziness hit him. It quickly subsided however and Ryoden looked around. He had arrived back in his apartment in the present time, and judging from the time, he left no longer than five minutes.

"Alright, everything seems to be in working order from the trip back," he said to himself as he ran a diagnostic on his magitech bracelet. "Need some proper calibrations and some more tweaks... perhaps a few improvements to the time jump..." he trailed off, heading to his room to change back into his usual hoodie and jeans.

About an hour later, Ryoden was sorting out the multi-dimensional video recordings he had made from his trip. To his embarrassment, he had ended up recorded the entire length of his night with Eijiro and Masao in Omodakaya. Must've forgotten to turn off the function that night. He'd definitely move them to a private folder to enjoy later.

However, before he could do so, his phone rang from an incoming call. Gulping down the coffee he had been drinking, Eijiro saw that it was from his grandpa. The oni quickly wiped his mouth and pressed the answer button.

Almost immediately, a semi holographic image of grandpa Kazuya appeared from his phone screen. The elderly oni's grey-blue skin was slightly off-color in the pop-up hologram, but Ryoden could see that his grandpa looked healthy as always.

"Hi, grandpa!" he greeted with a small wave.

"Ryoden, glad I could call you," said grandpa Kazuya with a smile. "Listen, we're gonna have a barbecue party this weekend. Your uncle's hosting it in his backyard."

Ryoden grinned. "Sounds great! I'll be there!"

Grandpa Kazuya's smile turned into a full-blown grin. "Your dad should be sending the details soon. Also, don't hesitate to bring your friends... or boyfriends if you have any, haha! See you soon kid!"

As the call was cut off, Ryoden blinked. Twice. Something about his grandpa struck him with a deep sense of familiarity somehow. It's like he had seen that kind of grin and heard the same kind of laugh before...

Ryoden shot up from his seat and quickly headed for the Arcaneum down the hallway. It was a small, circular wooden table decorated with two arches and inscribed with many informational runes. With a wave of his hand, the runes came to life and runic circles materialized above the table.

"Greetings, Master Tenzou Ryoden," came a polite, disembodied voice from the Arcaneum. "How may I be of assistance?"

"Bring up Tenzou family genealogy all the way down to the 18th century, please."

The floating runic circles pulsed briefly before it spun. It then dissipated into a large, and extensive projection of Ryoden's family tree. The oni scrolled past the newer generations, going all the way down to the very bottom. He stared at one particular picture for a minute, a frown on his forehead, before he spoke, "Show information on Ishizawa Ryuunosuke."

"Ishizawa Ryuunosuke, born as Ishizawa Eijiro, was a renowned samurai born of the Ishizawa clan in the later stages of the Warring States period and lived through the mostly peaceful Kinsei period," the Arcaneum read the information out. _"Ryuunosuke was a high ranking war general under daimyo Tadashima Matsumoto. Ryuunosuke was later stripped of his rank for refusing to seize the castle-city of Hoshinori during the war, believing there was no strategic importance to take the city. Matsumoto effectively declared Ryuunosuke as a ronin and banished him from his court. Ryuunosuke later divorced his wife, Lady Akane, believing that he wasn't worthy of her after being disgraced. After a prolonged divorce settlement, Lady Akane finally left, taking their children with her and returned to her family.

Going by his childhood name, Ryuunosuke became a wandering mercenary before he later settled in the castle-town of Kazemori and found work as a swordsmith. Ryuunosuke slowly built his reputation through the years, expanding his craft until daimyo Akamatsu Hidetomo of Kazemori became his patron. Ryuunosuke would have a few proteges, but his most notable protege was the famed swordsmith, Ishizawa Masao, who was Ryuunosuke's favorite and whom Ryuunosuke later adopted as his son. Masao was famous for popularizing the use of magically infused swords among..."_

"That's enough," Ryoden said abruptly with a motion of his hand. The Arcaneum quietened. The oni sighed, looking at the information displayed in the runic circles before his eyes. There was more info listed further down, but Ryoden did not bother to read them. He could only stare at the handful of black and white pictures provided at the bottom of the page.

One picture was depicting a lone, familiar looking oni in a formal kimono. He looked at least ten years older in the picture and had more serious air around him. There were wisps of white on his hair, and he had two swords strapped on his belt. The second picture also depicted the same oni, but this time he was accompanied by a younger-looking oni with a darker skin tone and a singular horn, also dressed in a formal looking kimono. The younger oni's hair was longer than Ryoden remembered, and there was a happier glint in his eyes despite the somber tone of the overall picture. The next few pictures depicted a very familiar-looking workshop, with the two oni working at the forge in loose clothing and leather aprons, assisted with a handful of helpers. Their faces were lined with soot.

These pictures were probably taken by a traveler from the western countries when the country slowly opened itself to outsiders in the following years. Without question, the pictures were of Eijiro and Masao. Older, but they looked happy.

Looking at the family tree, Ryoden saw that his family, the Tenzous, were descended from Eijiro's--Ryuunosuke's youngest child from his marriage with Lady Akane. That fact alone made Ryoden realize that... that he had slept with his own great-great-great-great-etc-etc-grandfather.

Ryoden rubbed his head. He could feel a headache incoming. Still... Eijiro was indeed hot, and he really was skilled when it comes to sex. It will definitely be an awkward meeting the next time he decided to jump into Eijiro's timeline once again. He made a promise after all.

So much for a simple time jump and historical research...