December 17 2022


The Foreigner from a Distant World

CHAPTER 8

The Flight to Inazuma City


"Ah fuck!" I seethe and let go of my naginata when I tried to lift it from its rack. It falls beside my bow which I dropped when I couldn't handle the pain in my fingers and arms which are still healing. At least I can lift some light stuff on my left arm since my right got dislocated. My left thigh is covered in bandages after that piece of ice stabbed me and my left foot is still swollen.

The Kitsune and Bake-Danuki nurses should come to my tent soon. My bandages need replacing and I need some ice to control the swelling. I can't wait to see the nurses and their attendants. They always bring me the latest gossip in my camp. As its Captain, I discourage such things but not when I can learn information from them.

I hear a pair of footsteps directly outside my tent. Finally, they're here.

Instead of seeing the nurses, I see the Tengu sisters who serve as my elite bodyguard.

"Enri? Ritsu? Something to report?" I ask and the older and stricter of the two possessing an electro vision answers first.

"The supply caravan has arrived and is currently distributing essential goods to the assigned personnel." She replies with a tone and posture of a soldier responding to her commanding officer. Enri had come out of the battle with relatively minor wounds unlike myself. After delivering me to the emergency medical tent, she had flown straight back into the fight while Ritsu helped take off my bloody armour and tend to my wounds.

Ritsu walks over to me after the two of them bow. She has short hair identical to her sister and other female shogunate soldiers but hers has a more boyish and tomboy feel to it. Aside from that, her bangs are slightly longer but she keeps them in place with a hairpin.

"How are you feeling Captain?" She asks.

"Horrible, terrible and every negative word from every language past, present and those yet to be spoken and written. I feel like absolute shitte thank you very much." I reply with a deadpan stare.

She shakes her head and rolls her eyes which would be disrespectful if we weren't friends.

"You've been so cranky and irritable like an old man these past few weeks. Lighten up! We won! The Generals agree that it's gonna be skirmishes after this on Narukami Island serving as clean-up operations!" She exclaims hopefully and pulls a chair beside my bed.

"Hmph. It's still too early to celebrate. Where's that juice thing you mentioned?" I reply and Enri answers for her.

"It is an extract from a rare flower that grows in moist areas in Mt. Yogou. We will administer it to you when the time is right."

"We also received a letter concerning you," Ritsu adds and takes out a tiny parchment stored inside a bamboo tube hidden within her sleeve. She unfolds it and holds it out for me to see since the fingers on my left hand are busted.

"Thank you." She nods as I start reading the message and I motion for Enri to sit down since she is still waiting for further commands. My frown deepens with every word of the letter and I sigh and lean back against the pillows which help me sit up.

"What's it about?" Ritsu asks after I commanded her to burn the letter for the protocol. The paper turns into ashes on her hands just as Enri hisses sharply at her.

"Ritsu! Know your place! We are not allowed privy in such matters!"

The younger sister flinches at the tone and shrinks under her scrutinizing gaze. "Jeez, Nee-sama…"

I shake my head and close my eyes, taking a moment to compose myself and absorb the information.

"Command has set out orders to every man too injured to fight and who are severely bedridden. They are to be sent home through a ship on the western side of Narukami Island island ten days from now. Going by land is much more stressful and the waters in the west are safer than here in the east. The men will rest and heal up at the shogunate military hospital in Hanamizaka."

They reply to me with silence and the only sounds we hear are those coming from outside my tent. Ritsu sighs with relief and Enri visibly relaxes.

"That's good news Captain. I doubt you'll be able to recover properly here in the front."

"I concur."

I nod dully. I've been at the front for three months and throwing myself where the fighting is the thickest. It is thanks to my training in the Shuumatsuban and with Kamuna-sensei and Iwakara-sensei that I remained alive with relatively minor injuries up until very recently. My mistake of being hit by that Lawachurl almost cost me my life. I thought that I'll stay here until I'd fully recovered.

The thought of going back to civilian life feels alien and unthinkable.

Enri clears her throat to get my attention. "In any case, your usual nurses are unable to come. And so we volunteered to replace your bandages and bathe you for tonight."

I have no qualms or complaints about her statement. Irrelevant stuff like shame from nakedness is ridiculous when you're being treated. The Kitsune women have been tending to me very carefully all this time. They have this aura around them which calms me down and their hands are so soft when they work on me. The cute Bake-Danuki dance and make music to cheer us up here in the front to keep our morale and spirits up and also help the nurses by fetching things with their furry paws.

"Then let's get to it then." I turn to Ritsu to help me get off when I see a sly smile on her face.

"Kyaa~. So eager I see~." She says and giggles behind her hand as I glare at her with irritation. Outside of the battlefield, she has somewhat of a relaxed and carefree attitude and is a bit playful too. I think it's because she grew up in a village with humans unlike her sister in the community led by the Yogou Tengu. A moment later, Enri appears behind her and smacks the back of her head with a loud sound and nearly falls over me.

"Ow! Nee-samaaaaaa!" She cries out tearfully, turning to her older sister and scooting over to my side. What the hell!? Is she gonna use me as a human shield?!

"Captain, please forgive my sister for making inappropriate comments." Enri grips her younger sister's head and forces her to bow in apology. I sigh and nod at them dismissively.

"Yes, of course. Now help me take my clothes off and replace my bandages! I feel icky and can literally taste the iron in the air coming from the blood on my wounds!" I exclaim with annoyance and a nerve throbbing on my forehead.

Hm, I think Ritsu is right being me being irritable all the time… Maybe going back home doesn't sound so bad.


My vision is blurry as I groggily wake up. The sound of horses and their hooves on stone, as well as the little creaks from our roofed carriage, enter my ears. Sunlight peeks through between the small curtains which are interrupted by shadows. Across me, I see a figure in partial samurai armour looking out before turning to me.

"Oh, you're finally awake."

"Enri?" I yawn and realize that my head is resting on Ritsu's lap. She had fallen asleep in a seiza position with her head drooped. I didn't even know that you can sleep like this. Enri stands and helps me sit up on the bed inside the carriage. Regular soldiers don't have the same luxury as I and this is because I have a rank in the shogunate army and within the Tenryou Commission. I'm sure that Commissioner Horimoto sent this after being informed of my pitiful state.

"We have arrived in Hanamizaka. By the way Captain, do we head straight to the Tenshukaku?"

"Yes, tell the coachman. No need for me to stay down here when there's a resident doctor up there." I reply and carefully stretch my back. Ritsu wakes up with a start when my carriage bumps into a rock on the path and looks out the window.

"A lot of people are talking in the streets…" She says after peeking through the curtains.

"Well, that's to be expected since this is the Commissioner's carriage after all," I reply.

Ritsu turns to me with wide eyes and a look of surprise, "Cap, are you his adopted son or something?"

"You'll have to ask him that yourself."

After another hour, we finally reach the gates of the Tenshukaku. Ritsu and Enri open the doors and help me to my wheelchair and I see Commissioner Horimoto, little Ako, my military instructor Mizuhara-sensei and people from the Tenryou Commission waiting for me with cheers. I weakly smile and lightly raise my hand at the reception. They quickly come and welcome me into the Tenryou Commission grounds while the servants get our things from the carriage.

We meet Kamuna-sensei and Iwakara-sensei on the way inside and I attempt to stand up on one foot and shaky arms but Enri puts a firm but gentle hand over my left shoulder. For some reason, Ritsu has stars in her eyes and I can see her hands shaking when she sees my teachers.

"No need to bow, Hikigaya-kun. Or should we say, Captain?" Kamuna-sensei says with a wry smile.

Iwakara-sensei sees my injuries, "Hm, you'll recover. I'm sure you did your best." The two of them nod with approval and we separate ways with them after I promise to catch up and tell them my stories this evening. Ako was reluctant to leave me and got dragged by her father to give me some privacy in my quarters.

Seeing the place I've called home for almost a year after not coming here in three months feels…

There are a lot of words in my head to choose from, but the feeling gives me a sense of peace and calm.

"WOAH?! WAS THAT KAMUNA HARUNOSUKE OF THE YOGOU THREE AND THE SWORDMASTER IWAKARA DOUKEI?!" Ritsu screams excitedly after Enri closed the door. I ignore her and look around the room - it's clean and orderly as the day I left. The servants deserve my gratitude for this.

"CAP! NO WONDER I COULDN'T BEAT YOU IN A FIGHT! YOU'VE BEEN TRAINED BY LIVING LEGENDS! HOW COME YOU NEVER TOLD US?!" She exclaims and waves her arms around and starts talking so fast that her spit starts flying in all directions. Thankfully, none of them hit me as I made a barrier from onmyoudou magical arts to cover my entire form.

"It's a secret, that's why," I reply before requesting Enri to push me towards the balcony. A small figure flies towards us from the opening of my room. It is a paper cut out, a friend I made before marching to war who I left here.

"A shikigami?" Enri says to herself as her eyes go wide since Ritsu is too busy fangirling. "So that's why yours was missing!"

I nod and the paper figure floats over my hand, "Yeah, he's not the fighting type. Sorry about leaving you, buddy."

He makes musical humming noises and shakes his head, indicating that it's okay. Shikigami were invented by Kamuna-sensei and distributed to samurai to help in combat operations. They possess magical powers that should not be underestimated for their small size.

"I made him purely to help me here at home. He's not fit for combat: well, not yet anyway unless I modify his classifications." The handles to the shutters glow as the shikigami opens them for us. The familiar sight, as well as the scent of the sea, brings a smile to my face.

"Quite the place you have here Captain." Enri comments, pulling a chair from the side and sitting beside me.

I turn to my companion. The Tengu sisters look very similar to each other from a distance almost to the point where one can mistake them for twins. Enri has sharper features than her sister and is also taller by half a head. She also applies red and black eyeliner on the sides of her eyes while her Tengu mask is on the right side of her head and she likes her tea extra bitter. In terms of combat prowess we are evenly matched except in archery but that's unless I go all out and use everything at my disposal.

"Enri, are you two sure about this?" She closes her eyes for a moment and turns to me with a serious expression.

"Captain Hikigaya Hachiman of the 8th Artillery Support Company," She says in a tone that felt like I'm about to get scolded by my mother. "Ritsu and I have already decided to stay with you until you are fully recovered. We will not break our oaths until that happens no matter what you say."

"Yeah Cap!" Ritsu cries out behind us. It seems that her fangirling has temporarily stopped. "If our clan patriarch found out, he'll kill us for sure!"

I turn to Enri with a horrified expression, "He'll what?!"

"That is an exaggeration…" She quietly replies

I shrug and let the matter go. It's not like I can do anything by myself and having them here is a huge help. Feeding and taking care of myself is impossible. I can't just turn them away when they earnestly want to help me recover.

"Okay. Thank you for being here." A small rare smile graces her lips and she bows.

"You are quite welcome, Captain."


"Fuyumi-chan!" I exclaim when I see the small bundle of white in Eirin's arms. She and the other employees have come to visit me bringing fruits and other offerings and wishing for my speedy recovery.

"Hikigaya-sama… You look…" The moment they cast their eyes upon me, their voices start breaking and clutch their mouths with sadness. Eirin wipes tears from the corners of her eyes as I try to lift their spirits.

"H-Hey! It's not as bad as it looks! The sorcerer-healers all agree that I'll make a full recovery in a month…or two!" I say.

" Aktchually, it's three months Cap! And that's why Nee-sama and I are here to make it soon as possible!" Retsu adds helpfully with Enri nodding and humming beside me. I make a deadpan stare at her sorry excuse for backup which instead made it sound far worse.

"Well, I haven't broken anything permanent so this is nothing to worry about!" I exclaim loudly more to convince myself. "Fuyumi-chan! Come here!"

Eirin steps forward and carefully puts the baby on my lap and I hold her with my left hand. The two Tengu quietly exchange glances.

"Cap, you never mentioned a daughter…"

"..."

Because of the growth rate of her kind, Fuyumi-chan looks rather the same as when I left. I doubt that she progressed beyond barely walking with her chubby little wobbly legs. She looks at me with her bright yellow pupils and tilts her head to the side while hitting my cheeks. Fuyumi-chan suddenly makes a wide toothless smile and loudly squeals and buries her face on my neck.

"Aw, I missed you too…" I say and kiss her chubby cheeks and forehead. Fuyumi-chan laughs cutely and kicks her little legs and shakes her white fluffy tail in response.

My subordinates stay in my abode for a little while before leaving to go back to Hanamizaka. Eirin and a few stayed after I invited them to dinner later hosted by Commissioner Horimoto himself. Because of the nature of their responsibilities in the orphanage, not all of them can come which is a shame.


The celebration dinner ended sometime after midnight. During that time, Hachiman spoke with his sensei and close associates after not seeing them in three months. He recounted his battles as the guests eagerly listened to his tales. Enri and Ritsu also spoke but accidentally made some parts more extraordinary than they were. Everyone ate and drank their fill to celebrate Hachiman's safe return and and wish for his quick recovery.

Hachiman also had his first taste of sake when Ritsu poured him some. He politely declined after his third glass when he felt its immediate effects. He became very visibly flushed thanks to his pale complexion and no sooner was he learning on the two Tengu's shoulders with barely his wits on him a quarter through the dinner. Ritsu was the first to be defeated by the alcohol and started sobbing and screaming for no reason and clutching at his Kimono while being held back by her sister. He managed to stay awake when the dinner concluded and he was back in his quarters with the two women.

Ritsu nearly falls over him in her drunken state, muttering nonsensical things about her two idols. She accidentally lets out her wings and flaps them all over the place causing papers on his desk to go flying. Hachiman groans dizzily and slowly sit up on the bed with Enri's help.

"Cap, teashh me abut…onmyoudou…hehehe…shtyupid hilichurls, I'll kill evewy lasht one of yu…" The young Tengu drawls out and her four wings disappear as quickly as they appeared. Due to her erratic movements and loose ties, the kimono around her chest had come slightly undone.

"Captain, I'm so sorry about Ritsu. She can barely hold her alcohol and turned you into this." Enri bows in apology. Unlike her sister, she knows when to stop but still feels the flushness and hotness on her face and body. Hachiman turns to her. By this time he has already lost his wits and is no different from the other Tengu lying on the floor and drooling on his uninjured leg.

"Enri…?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Do you… Do you have…husband?"

The older Tengu is surprised at the question. He had never asked about her personal life before nor did he ever make a hint at it. She on the other hand thinks about it and realizes that she too did the same. Personal matters not be brought up, especially by people like them.

"No… I never had the time nor thought to settle down…" She says and shakes her head.

Hachiman tilts from side to side. In his eyes, the world is spinning around him like one of those wheel-like rides in carnivals and fairs from his distant home. Despite that, he stares at the Tengu and takes in her entire figure that even the serious and disciplined woman fidgeted and felt self-conscious under his intense gaze.

"Your body…it's too lewd…the way your Kimono hugs your body is too lewd…lewd… Are you… trying to…seduce me…?"

Enri blushes brightly, " W-What?!" She exclaims and covers her body with her arms.

"It's too lewd in that kimono… I've never seen you wear clothes outside partial armour…"

With the initial surprise and her hard soldier-like personality after being forged during the Cataclysm, the woman part within her was secretly delighted at his words. Perhaps too much, as she felt her face get warmer and her heart beats faster. As a Tengu, she looks younger than her actual age which is thirty-eight years old. Even so, this is the first time that a man has ever complimented and shown interest in her in such a way.

"I-I see… P-Please continue…" She mutters shyly like a young maiden and plays with her fingers. Hachiman almost falls to the side but is held in place by her.

"Hm… I-I like your eyes…and the way you wash my hair…and your techniques in battle. Whenever we spar…I was always holding myself back."

"So you've never fought me in earnest?" She asks and he dizzily shakes his head all the while hiccups rack his body. His answer surprised her as she never expected nor considered such a thing. Hachiman raises his left arm and touches the side of her face with his bandaged fingers.

"If I was born ten years earlier, I would have taken you for myself."

His words make her dizzy as she feels a strange and unfamiliar feeling well inside her. The alcohol was making her head go blank and making her think of inappropriate things. He cups her face with his hand and his thumb grazes the side of her lips.

"It was just a joke…that thing I said before." She says quietly.

Enri leans closer to him, her eyes transfixed on his flushed face and lips. Reason seemed to escape her at that moment as passionate thoughts filled her head. Her body had grown hot with desire as if a fire was burning in her core. Her heart pounded so hard she can feel it beat in her ears and feared that it will burst from her chest at any moment.

Before their lips could touch, she is unceremoniously startled by the other occupant in the room.

Ritsu, who had been remaining quiet until now, chose the perfect time to interrupt the intimate moment by groaning like a zombie. Once again, her wings sprout from her back and small embers of fire shoot from her mouth as she unconsciously uses her pyro vision.

"N-Nee-sama… I feel sho hot amd shweatyyyyyy…" The younger Tengu says and starts grabbing and pulling at her clothes. She manages to remove her outer layer revealing the white shirt underneath when Enri goes over to her and curses under her breath.

"C-Captain, I'll move Ritsu to her room for the night. But I'll be nearby if y-you need me..." She pauses for a moment in front of him, before sitting beside him and kissing him on the cheek.

"G-Goodnight, C-Captain…" She says shyly and hurriedly carries her sister out of the room. Hachiman stares dully in a drunken daze at their retreating figures and lies back down on his futon bed.

"Sogni…d'oro."


Soooo… I think I caused a misunderstanding back in Chapter 6.

The" tragic and sad end" that I was talking about was him getting "rejected" by Enri and Ritsu in the following chapter lol xdddd.

Also, I think I'll refrain from giving 8man too many injuries in the future. I sprained my right foot nine days ago and I might have to go through an x-ray. I'm superstitious and stuff like this bothers me quite a lot.

You guys made the "special juice" sound really weird and perverted…

Anyway, feel free to SMASH THAT MFING LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE BUTTON xxxdd I know it's cringe but it's hilarious lol. Leave a review to let me know your thoughts and suggestions and areas where I can improve!

Goodbye!