Category: Koushoku no Chuugi Kunoichi Botan

In “A Borrowed Peony,” we follow the kunoichi Botan on the eve of what should be a joyous occasion, her wedding. Instead, she is bound by a different vow: loyalty. Her master’s household is in decline, and in a desperate bid to secure support, she accepts a request from her uncle, their financial patron. What follows is a heart-wrenching submission. She tells herself it is merely a mission, a transaction for a greater cause. She clings to this rationality. In secret, hidden away from the master she truly wishes to serve, Botan surrenders herself to her uncle’s demands.