Chapter 12
You can take my word for it

Approaching the Tenryou guard headquarters, Ayaka spotted something that made her stop. Outside the fence surrounding the building, a man was sitting just to one side of the main gate. His back was against the fence and his head down, his chin tucked into his chest. Beside him on the floor, a sword rested in its sheath. At first glance, he would seem just a beggar, resting or waiting for someone to be kind enough to share some moras with him. However, he wasn't just any person, and Ayaka managed to recognize him almost immediately.

"Thoma… That man…" the young Kamisato indicated to her companion, pointing to the seated man. Thoma looked at him, and though he didn't recognize him as quickly as Ayaka had, he finally did.

He was the man with the Pyro vision from the day before. The one who had confronted the Tenryou guards and been struck down by General Kujou's arrows. What was he doing there on the street? He should be in a cell from what they had said before they took him away.

As Ayaka and Thoma watched from afar, two guards came out of the main gate armed with their spears. Catching the man sitting next to them, their gazes were visibly filled with annoyance.

"Still here?" One of them muttered, irritated. "We already told you to leave, now."

The man reacted succinctly to being alluded to. He slightly raised his head without focusing his gaze on them or any other place. His lips parted, and from them came some very low murmurs.

"What are you saying?" one of the guards muttered, crouching beside him.

The man continued to murmur, but he raised his tone little by little until his words managed to be heard.

"My vision… I want my vision…"

The guards hissed in irritation.

"You are stubborn. You know very well that we will not return it to you. Go now before we kick you out."

The warning had no effect. And even that man dared at that moment to extend his hand towards one of the guards, taking his ankle firmly with his fingers.

"My... vision... Give me... my vision..."

"What's wrong with you? Let go of me!" exclaimed the guard he'd held down, quickly kicking him away from him with his other foot. The samurai's body was pushed back, falling onto his side.

"You asked for it…" snapped the other, raising his spear with the clear intention of hitting him with the lower point of the weapon.

"Hey!" Ayaka's voice suddenly rang out, quickly running towards them. "Stop right now, please!"

The sudden presence of the Heron Princess drew the attention of the two guards in another direction. And recognizing who it was, the attitude of both changed, taking a step back and adopting a firmer and safer position.

"Ah, Lady Kamisato," one of them muttered, his voice almost trembling. "It is an honor…"

Ayaka ignored them and instead went straight to the man on the ground, crouching down beside him to check him out. He had the mark of the kick stamped on his face, but he did not seem disturbed by it. In fact, his gaze was gone, fixed somewhere far away; he didn't even seem to notice the young woman's presence at his side.

Beneath his worn clothes, Ayaka ascertained that his arm and leg, which had been stabbed by the arrows the day before, were bandaged. But very little time had passed, so surely the wounds must still be open. They also needed to be cleaning and changing bandages.

"What's going on here?" Ayaka questioned sternly, turning to the two guards. "Wasn't this man apprehended yesterday?"

"That's right, milady," one of the Tenryou men replied, nodding. "But after treating his injuries, General Kujou Sara took pity on him and decided to release him this morning. But he has refused to leave. He's been lying there on the sidewalk or wandering around all day, just repeating he wants his vision back."

"Evidently, he's one of those who lose their minds when their vision is taken away," added the other with apparent disdain. "Poor wretch…"

Ayaka was silent. She looked back at the sprawled man, peering into his face, expressionless and lost. She had seen people who had their vision taken away in states like that before. Some managed to recover a bit over time and returned to their normal lives. Others, however, never came out of this almost catatonic state. And even among those who showed recovery, many just didn't quite get back to themselves. It was just as if something deep inside their chests was being ripped away, leaving a huge void in its place.

"I understand your frustration, officers," Ayaka murmured more calmly, turning back to the two men in purple armor. "Please let me take care of him."

"But, Lady Kamisato…" One of them whispered, confused. "Even when he had his vision, he was nothing more than a wanderer who roamed the city. There's no need for someone like you to deal with… someone like him."

"I understand your words," Ayaka replied calmly, remaining level-headed. "But my job as a member of the Yashiro Commission is to help people's well-being. Just leave it to me."

The guards looked at each other, unsure how to proceed. But there wasn't much they could say or do in the end. She was a Kamisato, and they were just two ordinary servants.

"Whatever you say, milady," they finally answered. And after offering her a solemn and respectful bow, both turned in the direction of the street and left to carry out their work.

Ayaka sighed heavily. It was pretty apparent at times that the members of the Tenryou Commission lacked a certain amount of empathy when it came to enforcing the Vision Hunt Decree. But Ayaka couldn't blame them directly. After all, they had been instructed to enforce the Shogun's wish without exception. And equally, most of them did not have a vision, so they could not fully imagine the shock that all this caused in some people.

Things had to change as soon as possible. But for now, she needed to focus only on the person in front of her who was occupying her aid.

She moved closer to that man, placing a hand on his shoulder so that he could realize through touch that she was there with him.

"How are you?" Ayaka whispered slowly and in a friendly tone. "Do you remember me?"

The man turned his gaze on her just a little, contemplated her in silence for a few moments, and then simply murmured:

"My vision... I want my vision... give it back to me..."

Ayaka felt a small squeeze of anguish in her chest.

"Looks like he's still severely affected by his vision capture," she heard Thoma mentioning. He crouched down beside her right after. "He doesn't seem to be fully aware of where he is or who he's talking to. It will be difficult for him to recover."

Ayaka's fist clenched tightly in frustration. It was incredible that more people had to go through that to enforce that absurd decree. And all for what? Was that really the way to obtain the long-awaited eternal nation of the Shogun?

Ayaka refused to give up.

"Hey, look at me, please," she whispered and quickly took the man's face in her hands, turned him completely towards her, and made him look at her eyes gleaming with great determination. "I can't tell you when or how it will happen, but I promise you that sooner or later, you will have your vision back. You can take my word for it."

"Milady…" Thoma muttered slowly, certainly concerned to hear her say those words with such certainty.

Still, that statement seemed to have an effect on the samurai somehow. His eyes managed to fix on Ayaka's, and something was perceived in them. He seemed to be finally aware that she was there in front of him. And, at the same time, aware that he himself was in that place and moment as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep.

"You are... Kamisato's daughter... right?" the man murmured slowly, more clearly than before.

"Yes, it's me," Ayaka replied, smiling. She released his face and let him sit on the ground on his own. It was evident as he moved that his injuries were still causing him pain. "My name is Ayaka. What's yours?"

The man lowered his eyes to the ground, frowning a little as if he had to try too hard to think.

"Do you remember your name?" Ayaka muttered slowly. Memory loss of certain aspects of the person's life was a common symptom of vision capture and often lasted longer than the others. However, after a while of meditation, the man managed to answer:

"Ouji …"

"Ouji, it's a pleasure to meet you formally," Ayaka replied politely. "Are you hungry? We were about to go to dinner. Would you like to join us?"

The swordsman didn't answer anything directly but slowly began to try to get to his feet, using his sword like a staff. Ayaka wanted to help him up, but Thoma hurried to do it himself. He was also helping him advance down the street since he was limping a little on his injured leg, and he continued to use his sword as a support.

The three then walked away from the headquarters, down the street towards the Kiminami Restaurant.

Thoma wondered if his mistress had forgotten the business that had brought them there in the first place. He supposed not, especially considering the fervent interest she'd shown all day about it. However, even so, it showed that she could not put aside her duty to people. She was indeed an admirable person in every way.

When they arrived at the establishment, the three sat on the benches at the outside bar. Thoma helped Ouji to his seat as well. The samurai stood there crestfallen, again lost in his own thoughts, but at least not as absent as he was a while ago.

"Order whatever you want; I'll invite you," Ayaka told her kindly.

Ouji glanced at her for a moment, then turned slowly to the attendant on the other side of the bar, who was patiently awaiting his order.

"Just a fried fish," he muttered slowly, looking down just after.

"For me too, please," Thoma said immediately.

Ayaka had to think about it some more before deciding.

"Maybe a little tuna sushi for me."

"It'll be out right away," the manager replied, hurrying to get their order as soon as possible. It was always an honor to have the Heron Princess as a guest, and she had to be treated like the special customer she was.

When the food was brought to them, Thoma and Ouji began to eat immediately, quite hungry. Ayaka was more reserved with her dinner; she was still a bit full from afternoon Udon.

Ouji ate in silence, taking pieces of his fish with his chopsticks and quickly popping them into his mouth. Ayaka calmly let him eat until he looked satisfied. Once she considered it prudent, she commented slowly:

"I was pretty impressed with the skills you displayed against the guards yesterday, Mr. Ouji. Not only the use of your vision but also the sword's handling." Her eyes subtly settled on the sword propped against the man's bench. "Tell me, are you a samurai?"

"I was," Ouji replied in a raspy voice. He didn't have to force himself to remember this time, which was a good sign. "But I lost my lord a long time ago."

Ayaka nodded.

"That means... you're a ronin, right?"

"I guess that's how you can call me," Ouji replied nonchalantly.

Ayaka watched him in silence for a few moments, perhaps debating whether it would be wise to do as she thought. In the end, she decided to take the step forward, but with caution.

She reached her hands to her travel bag, taking the folded pamphlet she carried with her. She unfolded it and placed it flat on the bar, bringing it closer to the samurai.

"Ouji, have you by any chance seen this man before?" she asked cautiously, pointing the finger at the drawing on the paper.

The swordsman slowly shifted his gaze to the scroll, observing it. Again his brow furrowed, and his head tilted a little to the right. He was trying hard to remember.

Ayaka had already resigned herself to the fact that this would have the same result as the other attempts when suddenly Ouji spoke again:

"That... is Katsumoto, right?"

Both Ayaka and Thoma jumped, surprised to finally hear from someone who recognized the man in the drawing and also knew his name.

"Do you know him?" Ayaka asked expectantly.

Ouji was slow to react. He was looking absently at the drawing, and only after a while did he seem to be aware of what he had said. Looking back at Ayaka and Thoma, he was alarmed. Evidently, he had spoken without thinking and especially without realizing to whom he was saying it.

"I have to go... Thanks for the food," he murmured as he tried to get quickly to his feet.

"No, wait, please," Ayaka hurried, taking his arm to stop him. "Sit down for a minute; I need to talk to you some more. Please…"

Ouji looked at her, confused and concerned. It wasn't clear what was going through his mind at that moment, but surely the idea of doing just what she asked didn't seem like a good option.

Thoma intervened at that moment, standing up and speaking firmly to him:

"The least you can do to appreciate all the attention from Lady Kamisato, is to listen to her."

That didn't sound like a threat, but his words still carried weight. Ouji looked away, put his sword back in its place, and sat back on the same seat, next to Ayaka.

"Thank you," the noblewoman murmured gratefully. And turning completely towards him, she began to speak to him clearly and carefully; she wanted him to understand every one of her words. "I met Katsumoto when I was a child, training at the Kaedehara dojo. He was one of my many teachers in the art of the sword. I have no interest at this time in apprehending him or those who accompany him for what they have done. Of course, I am not supportive of the path of life he has taken, neither as part of the Yashiro Commission nor as a person who knew the honorable and good man he once was. But right now, what interests me most is to talk to him as soon as possible."

"About what?" Ouji muttered, somewhat incredulous.

"It is a matter of great personal importance to him and me. I know you have no reason to trust me, and all I have to offer you is my word. But as a Kamisato that I am, I promise you that I don't wish to harm Katsumoto. I just want to talk to him, and then I'll leave him alone."

Ouji again seemed to struggle. The young woman's words seemed sincere, and they were. But his reticence was more than justified. She was, after all, a member of the Yashiro Commission. She might not have been directly responsible for what happened to his vision, but in his mind, surely dividing one thing and the other wasn't going to be easy.

"What you said a while ago…" he murmured suddenly. "You said that I'll get my vision back one day, that you promised me. It was true?"

"Yes, it is," Ayaka answered without hesitation. "This shadow that hangs over us will not last forever, I guarantee it. Everything will be better, and I will fight for that."

Ouji lowered his gaze and contemplated some more.

"Katsumoto's place is not safe for a lady like you."

"I trust Katsumoto, and my friend Thoma is here to protect me as well. Besides, I can also defend myself, I assure you," she indicated, placing a hand on her own sword.

"Okay…" the swordsman muttered, getting to his feet once more. "I'll take you... But I can't guarantee that you'll get what you want from Katsumoto."

"That's all I ask," Ayaka agreed. "Thanks."

Ouji started walking, clearly still limping. Thoma tried to help him again, but he waved him away with an arm.

"Leave me alone; I have to recover my strength on my own…"

And with that said, he kept going. Thoma wasn't bothered by it; at least he seemed to be regaining his humor.

Ayaka, for her part, hurried to pay for the food so as not to be left behind.

"That promise you made him about his vision," Thoma muttered behind her. "That's a big promise, milady."

"I know," Ayaka replied with some regret in her voice as she placed the necessary moras on the bar. "And I wish I had something else to back it up with besides my word. But I know that one way or another, that will happen."

Thoma wasn't so sure about it, but the Heron Princess's confidence and hope were usually contagious.

They hurried to catch up with Ouji, although he hadn't gone too far. And the three of them headed together towards the exit of the city.

Again, fate worked in curious ways. A few minutes apart and Kazuha could have crossed paths with Ayaka at Inazuma's entrance; just what he feared would happen. Instead, by the time Kazuha and Tomo arrived, young Kamisato and her companions were already making their way to their mysterious destination.

As Tomo had said, his intention was to go to the Adventurers' Guild. Like the last time, the two were covered with their capes, hiding their swords and visions. Their straw hats hide their faces too. It was already night, but one could not be too forewarned; the main street was well lit, after all.

The Adventurers' Guild booth was served by a woman with short black hair and a good-natured smile, wearing a white and green dress. Kazuha had a strange deja vu when he saw her. And not because of the day before, but he had the feeling that he had seen that woman, or one very similar to her, attending that same stand years ago when he was a child.

Surely his memory was wrong.

"Good evening, miss," Tomo greeted effusively, stopping just in front of the stall.

"Ad Astra Abyssosque," the receptionist replied immediately, widening her smile. "Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild. What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to give a request to one of your adventurers. A delivery to the Sangonomiya Shrine on Watatsumi Island."

"Sure, we can definitely support you with your request. What is it that you need to deliver?"

Tomo put his hand inside his kimono to take out the two items he would send, but Tama jumped forward from his clothes to stand on the reception bar, beginning to stretch.

"Ah, ignore the little kitty; she stays with me," Tomo muttered, chuckling a little. He then proceeded to put aside what he was really looking for. "It would be this letter and this package. The content of both is confidential and only for the eyes of the person to whom they are addressed. Do you understand me?"

"Absolutely, sir," the woman across the bar replied, her expression unchanged. "Detailed instructions would be given to the adventurer in question to protect the confidentiality of the package."

"I like to hear that. And it is also imperative that it arrives as soon as possible; if you can before a week, it would be excellent."

"Understood. The adventurer in question will be instructed to leave as soon as possible and cover the distance in the shortest time possible."

"The famed efficiency of the Adventurers' Guild," Tomo muttered, clearly pleased.

"Any other instructions, sir?"

"None. I think that would be everything."

"Very good. The cost of this request would be 500,000 moras."

"What?!" The wandering samurai exclaimed, so loud that surely more than once in the street and beyond heard him. "Did you say 500,000?!"

Kazuha looked around worriedly, fearing that this outburst would somehow alert a nearby guard. Luckily it didn't seem like that, but he did notice a few people who had subtly diverted their attention to them.

"Do you have a problem with the price, sir?" asked the receptionist, without changing the tone of her voice one bit. Apparently, the scream hadn't alarmed her at all. "This calculation is derived from the high value that the package has, the urgency of discretion, the long-distance it takes to travel, and the rush to do it in the shortest possible time. Given these parameters, the price mentioned is fair."

"Wow, you sure are mercenaries," Tomo muttered under his breath. He was smiling, but he certainly wasn't happy.

"If you disagree with the price, I'm afraid we won't be able to accept your request..."

"Wait, wait," the wandering samurai snapped quickly before she finished her sentence. "Let's not rush; let's negotiate a little..."

Kazuha sighed a little and decided to walk a few steps away. If he started negotiating that price, it might take him some time. That, if there was anything to negotiate.

Her attention was drawn to a nearby bulletin board, moving away just a little. Several things stuck to this one, but one in particular immediately caught Kazuha's attention and practically forced him to quickly move closer to get a better look. It was a "Wanted" poster, with Katsumoto's clear face drawn on it. It was a drawing, in fact, quite similar to how the former samurai had looked the night before when they found him.

The presence of that poster didn't really surprise Kazuha too much. The Tenryou guards must have been looking for him all over the forest and the paths. And a part of Kazuha wished that he would be caught soon before Tomo's alternative had to be applied...

"Look, darling," he suddenly heard someone say next to him. Kazuha hid a little more under his hat and took a look. An elderly couple had stopped by his side, looking and pointing at the same pamphlet he was. "Isn't that the man Ms. Kamisato is asking about?"

Kazuha jumped, almost scared at such words. Discretion ceased to be part of his thoughts. He turned entirely towards them without further ado, listening to what they were saying.

"Yes, that highway robber," the old man added, adjusting his glasses to get a better look. "He is seen as a dangerous guy for a lady like her to be looking for him on her own. She should leave that responsibility to the guards."

"You know how the Heron Princess is," the woman commented, walking away from the bulletin board. "She is always willing to help people."

They both walked away slowly with a leisurely step, unaware of the strong reaction their words had caused in the boy standing next to them.

Is Ayaka... looking for Katsumuto?

He looked at the poster again, contemplating again that distorted face of the one who had once been his teacher. Now what he remembered most was the night before, how he had thrown it at him with all that ferocity, with the sole intention of killing him without caring about anything else...

"Ayaka..."

Author's Notes:

Hello again everyone. After a week-long trip, we come back with some crucial chapters. I think there is not much to add for explanatory notes, except perhaps I am taking minor liberties to describe the effects of someone having their vision removed, using what we saw in the game as a base.

As you can see, things are adjusting, and what we were presented in the previous chapters is already bearing fruit. Stay tuned for the following chapters; you won't want to miss them.