After a few minutes, the large man on the ground began to stir. He lay on his back, staring at the sky, taking a long time to process what had happened.
"Did I... pass out?"
There was no soft lap for him to rest his head on, nor was there a beautiful girl to greet him when he opened his eyes. Just a red-haired man…
He was finally fully awake and shot up from the ground.
"It's over," Muramasa said, as if to comfort him, but the words had a strange undertone to Hisamasa, almost as if he were being told, You did your best.
"So, are you ready to sit down and talk with me now?" Muramasa asked. "Though I'm afraid there's no tea."
He sat down cross-legged and gestured for Naoe Hisamasa to do the same. The man hesitated, as if still trying to savor the aftertaste of their battle. The dull ache in the back of his head, however, was a stark reminder of reality. His plan had been to use his size advantage to grapple with his opponent and then overpower him with his superior durability. The worst-case scenario was trading injuries, but he never expected to be so thoroughly outplayed and taken down in a single blow.
So, he too sat down cross-legged. At least he was the one who lost; it was only his own pride that was wounded. If he had continued to be stubborn, the resulting rumors could have reached the Shogun, a failure for which he could never atone. He wasn't a clever man; he couldn't see another way out of the situation.
"The result?" he asked, referring to the captured spy.
"That guy Thoma is handling it. They're all the same, those types. They won't lift a finger unless there's something in it for them." Muramasa shrugged. He knew that even if these people were good-hearted, that only applied when it affected them personally. When they were cogs in a machine, they had to consider the bigger picture. In other words, if it only affected Thoma himself, he could act solely out of chivalry. But when representing the Yashiro Commission, he had to weigh whether the other party was worth the effort.
"Him... I see." Hisamasa nodded, confident in the Yashiro Commission retainer's abilities. "Then, no problem. What about you?"
Finally getting to my question, are we…
"So, what rumors did you hear?" Muramasa asked.
Yoimiya had quietly sat down behind him, listening in on their conversation.
"That doushin. Said you. A yokai."
"Your sword. A demon blade."
"Suspicious. Needed verification."
So, they suspected I was a yokai, and that's how I was able to forge a demon blade… It was a bit of a stretch. There was likely some truth to his "befriending through combat" claim, along with some other motives. But…
"By the way, do you have a nickname or something?" Muramasa suddenly changed the subject, catching the other two off guard.
"Hmm?" Despite his confusion, the man thought for a moment. "I believe. I do."
"Tiger's Obsession."
So that's why they picked this guy.
"So, they were the ones who told you how to verify it?" Muramasa pressed.
"Yes."
"He said. He knows you. If you are wounded. You will be exposed."
Wounding me… If I hadn't intentionally suppressed my magical energy, the wound would have indeed healed on its own. And when I increased my mana output earlier, I deliberately kept it from healing the wound.
An uneasy feeling churned in his gut. They weren't completely ignorant about him. But how had he been exposed? And how much did they know…
"In any case, thank you for your answers." After discussing a few more details, Muramasa stood up. "I have other things to do, so if you'll excuse me."
"Wait," Naoe Hisamasa said. "Commission. Where?"
"Ah… you want to commission a sword from me? The forge isn't open for business yet. We can talk about it then."
He was about to grab his mantle from the ground but found it was gone.
"This is what happens when you don't take care of your things. It's over here~" Yoimiya held up the folded mantle and playfully slapped it on his shoulder, a teasing look on her face.
Watching them leave, Naoe Hisamasa remained seated on the ground. It was a long time before he finally stood up, muttering to himself, "My training... is still not enough..."
…
Yoimiya and Muramasa walked through the golden-yellow streets of dusk. The setting sun hanging in the sky was a reminder that the workday was ending.
"We didn't really get to have any fun today~" the girl said, her hands clasped behind her head, though there was no sign of distress on her face.
"Is that so?" Muramasa noticed the subtle thoughts behind her expression. "From what I can see, you seem quite happy."
"Hehe~ The two aren't mutually exclusive!"
"Have you thought about what to eat tonight?"
"Well…"
As they chatted, they spotted a familiar figure.
"Ah, it's Hailing~!" Yoimiya pointed ahead. The girl was standing next to a middle-aged woman, discussing something. When Hailing heard Yoimiya's voice, she paused her conversation, exchanged a glance with the woman, and then hurried over.
"Muramasa! Yoimiya~" Hailing approached them, looking excited. "Are you two out having fun?"
"Not really, we were just on our way back from outside." Yoimiya faintly noticed something odd about the way Hailing had addressed him but kept it to herself.
"How did things go today?" When Muramasa brought this up, he could clearly see Hailing's smile stiffen for a moment.
"Um, most of it is settled... And, I told Auntie Nan about what happened." She glanced at the woman who was still working, a hint of sadness in her eyes. Just like the other villagers, emotions and life were calculated separately.
"In that case, let's all have dinner together tonight!" Yoimiya patted Hailing's shoulder and pressed the pouch, which was still more than two-thirds full, into her hand. "Here! Your expense money. The rest is inside~"
"Eh?" Feeling the heavy weight, Hailing glanced at Muramasa. "You didn't buy anything, Muramasa?"
"Not nothing. We had a meal, I think," he stated plainly.
"But didn't you need to buy iron or something? And clothes."
"Eh? Hailing, you don't know!" Yoimiya looked surprised. "Our Muramasa won a huge victory in a wager with the Amenoma Smithy this morning! So, the biggest expense, the ore, is no longer a problem~"
Muramasa had no complaints about this declaration but silently covered one ear. "Too loud…"
However… Yoimiya and Hailing exchanged a glance, then looked Muramasa up and down. The blond girl and the white-haired girl leaned in to whisper to each other.
"Hailing, have you seen him change his clothes?"
"No…"
"He was wearing this yesterday too, right?"
"And I don't think I've seen him with any personal luggage, like spare clothes or anything…"
They both nodded at the same time, staring at Muramasa with a long, drawn-out, "Hmm…"
-------
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