Kuzuhara was chatting with a slightly naive Damselette. Seeing the Damselette's bewildered look, Kuzuhara laughed heartily, playfully tapping her head with her pipe.
"I'm sure young Hibiki has also found her destined partner, haven't you?"
"What kind of destined partner could there be with that rude brute!"
Presumably, this Damselette was Asase Hibiki. Faced with Kuzuhara's teasing, Asase rebutted with a flushed face.
It was unclear whether it was due to anger or shyness, but Kuzuhara let out a joyful laugh upon seeing the Damselette's expression. The Damselette beside her, seeing Kuzuhara's reaction, pouted her cheeks in anger, looking very cute.
The scene shifted, Kuzuhara disappeared, and in front of Asase Hibiki appeared a young man in his early twenties.
Asase Hibiki looked at the young man with disdain, continuously speaking harsh words to him. Faced with the Damselette's words, the young man showed no anger at all; instead, he seemed to enjoy it, with a smile on his face.
This scene kept repeating. Every time the young man came to find Asase Hibiki, she would speak to him in a harsh tone, but at some point, Asase Hibiki couldn't help but smile herself.
This young man, who often pestered Asase Hibiki, must be Konbumaru, whom Neko mentioned Asase Hibiki would always smile when talking about.
So that's it. Because he was her beloved, whenever he was mentioned, those past memories would flood her mind, and Asase Hibiki would smile.
Durandal and Shenhe thought their relationship would continue to warm up like this, and perhaps they would be together in the future. However, what appeared before them was a scene completely different from what they had expected.
Konbumaru, with the archery he learned from the Tengu and his increasingly refined swordsmanship, quickly became a Hatamoto, receiving the Shogun's bestowed famous blade, "Mistsplitter Reforged."
Despite his elevated status, Konbumaru did not marry Asase Hibiki as Durandal had expected. Instead, he became engaged to the daughter of a high-ranking samurai and was about to marry her.
How should she describe this twist? Durandal recalled the words people used to describe others when she had inadvertently overheard an argument.
Dog... *cough! cough! cough!* Better not say the whole thing, no cursing.
However, it must have been just a political marriage. After all, Konbumaru had become a Hatamoto. To win him over, an arranged marriage was a tactic every noble would think of.
Moreover, this was Inazuma five hundred years ago. Values were not judged by current concepts. Although Asase Hibiki was somewhat sad, Konbumaru did not forget her because of that.
He even spent time with her by teaching her archery, and occasionally took her to the beach for secret rendezvous, enjoying their time together.
Unconsciously, they were no longer young. Later, when they met, they would talk about past events, reminiscing about their lost youth.
Up to this point, everything was beautiful, right? But with the arrival of the calamity, everything took a sharp turn.
As a Hatamoto of the Shogunate, Konbumaru naturally had to go to war to quell the disaster. Before his departure, he found Asase Hibiki and made a wager with her.
Speaking of which, this fellow loved to make bets with people. He had once wagered with a Great Tengu, and they ended in a draw. Konbumaru received the Great Tengu's bow, and he became the Great Tengu's subordinate.
The reason he became a Shogunate soldier was also because the Great Tengu found him annoying and sent him to the Shogunate.
He made a wager with Asase Hibiki about whether he would return alive. If he didn't return, the bow would belong to A Xiang.
If he could return... he didn't say the rest, but Durandal and Shenhe could both tell what he wanted to say.
"Marry me."
This was what this man had never said to Asase Hibiki. They probably understood each other's feelings, but due to their personalities, they couldn't properly voice their words.
This time was no different. This man faltered at the crucial moment, only giving Asase Hibiki a familiar smile before leading his army to quell the disaster.
Ultimately, he was completely engulfed by the dark mist. Before the dark mist completely consumed him, Durandal heard what he said.
"The wager hasn't been decided yet. I... I must return to Asase's side."
It was with such strong obsession that Konbumaru truly climbed out of the abyss, but after years of corrosion in the abyss, he had completely become a monster.
This remaining obsession led him to the no-longer-young Asase Hibiki. Upon finding his beloved, who had sustained him in climbing out of the abyss, blood tears flowed, and his dried, dark eyes regained their luster.
But at that moment, Durandal and Shenhe widened their eyes. They saw Konbumaru's re-illuminated pupils pierced by a sharp arrow, and that arrow was shot by Asase Hibiki.
Looking at the fallen Konbumaru, Durandal's eyes widened, as if she had suffered some shock, and her breathing became rapid.
Everything, everything was destined for a tragic end the moment Asase Hibiki drew her bowstring.
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