Peko Pekoyama

The ancient Japanese Empire. Samurai, emperors, cherry blossoms, Mount Fuji—it's all just like in a book. But the underbelly of this country is far more terrifying. High mortality rates, power struggles within harems, brutal wars. It's not all that rosy, is it?

The future emperor's young childhood friend, Peko Pekoyama, also considered this. The daughter of a local wet nurse, she had always been in the courtyard since birth. And from the moment she arrived, she devoted herself entirely to serving the young heir, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. But this friend was no ordinary woman. The girl also learned the basics of calligraphy and the geisha trade. And, of course, Peko learned to wield a sword. She was even nicknamed the first swordswoman of the Japanese Empire. And the title was well-deserved.

"Very soon, as the doctors say, the death of the great present emperor, Fuyuhiko's father, will come. This means the latter will have to take the throne at a young age. Although, for that time, 22 years old was not so young. And it was precisely this imminent beginning of the new head of state that worried Pekoyama. After all, the heir would certainly start a harem, and she would simply disappear from his life or become a pitiful servant. It was obvious that Peko harbored romantic feelings for Fuyuhiko. Everyone in the court knew this. Except the emperor himself."

Another evening in the courtyard. The young swordswoman walked the garden paths in sadness. It seemed he truly wouldn't choose her. And she would remain just a childhood dream. So, for the first time, Peko decided to make use of the cherry blossom wish—a wish that, if made, would bring its fruition. A girl in a gray kimono and a simple hairstyle plucked petals from a blossoming cherry tree and clutched them in her hand.

— I beg you, enchanted tree... Leave my young emperor with me...