Chapter 31
The Hero of Hanamizaka
Miss Kuki Shinobu left her home in Hanamizaka that afternoon, dressed in a discreet pink kimono; an outfit more in line with the type of clothing her mother preferred to see on her. Her mother, in fact, had locked herself in her room early that day, apparently doing her usual rounds of prayers and a little more. Shinobu wasn't entirely sure for what specific reason her mother was praying and asking for so much in those days, but she sensed that it might have to do with the desire to straighten the course of her wayward daughter.
As it was, the last thing Shinobu wanted was to receive questions from her. So after getting dressed and ensuring her mother was in her room, Shinobu prepared to head out of the house as discreetly as possible. And it almost did its job. She managed to slide the front door with as little noise as possible. She managed to tiptoe out and close the door again. Outside, she could breathe relief, feeling out of danger. She took a few steps forward with complete confidence just before she heard the door slam open behind her.
"Where are you going?" her mother's voice questioned from inside the house. The young woman winced a little and turned slowly. Her mother was watching her questioningly from the doorway.
"Mother, good afternoon," Shinobu murmured in a cautious voice. "I'll just go… walk around."
"You're not going to waste your time with that bunch of good-for-nothing again, are you?" Mrs. Kuki questioned her severely, with her hands on her waist.
"No, mother," Shinobu replied as firmly as possible. "I'll just buy some books and maybe some fireworks before the festival starts, and they're all gone."
Mrs. Kuki's gaze hardened remarkably, making it clear that she did not fully believe her daughter's words.
"I don't know why you insist on hanging out with those vandals," she blurted out in a bellicose voice, crossing her arms. "They're just a bunch of troublemakers, sloths, and felons. Especially that oni… whatever his name is. I don't know what you are waiting for to stop wasting time and resume your classes at Narukami Shrine."
"Mother, we already talked about that..." Shinobu murmured in a low voice, lowering her gaze a bit.
"Not enough, I see."
Ms. Kuki was more than willing to say more, but something else seemed to pique her interest at that moment. She raised her gaze to the sky, making a visor with one hand to see the sun's position. She indeed had some other activity that required her attention at that time.
"Don't come back late," she instructed, sounding almost like a threat. "I want us to go and see the High Priestess to discuss your future."
"Surely she must be too busy for us to bother her with that, mother," Shinobu murmured.
"I'll make sure she gives us space. So don't you dare stand her up.
"Yes, mother…" Shinobu released in a sharp breath.
Saying what she had to say, Mrs. Kuki turned back into the house, sliding the door behind her with some force to close it.
Left alone, Shinobu finally dared to look up, her eyes brimming with all the anger and frustration with which it would be impossible for her to look at her own mother.
She began to walk quickly away from the house. With her hands, she quickly removed her kimono, revealing under it her outfit of a black top, shorts, and purple jacket; the outfit her mother hated so much, and it made her angry whenever she saw Shinobu with it, especially on the street. And, of course, she accessorized her look with the black mask that covered her mouth and nose. An appearance that felt much more like her and less like the daughter of an honorable and respectable priestess of The Almighty Shogun.
She put the pink kimono inside a jar like she always did, so she could put it back on before going home.
"I don't want... to be... a priestess…" she muttered slowly, the words trailing down her throat until they almost hurt her. "I have already told you thousands of times... How are you going to understand it?"
She wishes she could have the strength to scream all those words, even in her mother's face. But if ever she would, that day seemed far away.
Shinobu got up once she hid the kimono in its place and prepared to continue on her way.
"Maybe it would work better if you wrote it down for her," she suddenly heard someone pronounce right behind her. "It is well known that some people understand things better with written communication."
Shinobu started in surprise, believing from the impression that it had been her mother, and the mere idea filled her with terror. However, when she turned to see who was speaking to her, she found the smiling and carefree face of someone else watching her from his seat on the nearby wooden fence.
"Heizou," Shinobu muttered in annoyance. "Were you spying on me?"
"Me? Not at all," laughed the young detective from the Tenryou Commission. Just then, he jumped off the fence, cushioning his descent with a bit of wind, to fall gently to one side of the green-haired girl. "I was just passing by, ensuring everything was in order, and I heard you take out your frustration on that jar. By mere coincidence, of course."
"Yeah, of course..." Shinobu muttered with considerable skepticism. "And since when have the agents from the Criminal Investigation Office been in charge of patrolling and ensuring that everything is in order?"
"Hey, that's a good question," Heizou said, pointing at her. "I should hire you to sue my boss for a raise. What do you say?"
"You're out of luck," Shinobu replied bitterly, turning at once to start walking. "You know very well that I couldn't get my degree before…"
Before I got locked up in this place because of the stupid Border Closing Decree, she thought with annoyance but resisted with all her strength to let none of those words come out of her mouth.
"...before it was no longer possible for me to return to Liyue," she murmured more restrainedly instead.
Shinobu considered the talk over at that point, but evidently, the young detective had another idea because he suddenly quickened his pace until he was right next to her and then began to walk at her same pace.
"That's bad luck," Heizou pointed out, with a touch of humor that Shinobu didn't find very pleasant. "Who could have guessed that the Almighty Shogun would decide to close the borders just as you were visiting? It even looks like your mother plotted with her, doesn't it? But I don't think Mrs. Kuki has that kind of influence, does she?"
Shinobu's frown twitched in annoyance.
"Is there something specific you need to tell me?" she whispered softly, looking straight ahead. "Or were you just so bored this afternoon that you decided to come to bother me?"
"A little of both," Heizou replied, sticking out his tongue playfully. "But seriously, the truth is that I'm working on an important case, and I'm checking around to see if anyone has seen anything. Haven't you noticed anything suspicious or strange around here these days, Miss Kuki?"
"In Hanamizaka?" Shinobu snorted mockingly. "You must be more specific with what you mean by suspicious or strange. What is your case? The ronin assaults?"
"It's confidential," Heizou pointed out, winking at her knowingly. I guess I mean something out of the normal standards for these parts."
"Well, no," Shinobu denied calmly. "Nothing weirder than usual."
"I see…" Heizou agreed, raising his gaze towards the sky as he continued walking next to Shinobu.
They were silent for a while, in which the green-haired girl waited for him to ask her or say something else. However, the detective's attention seemed more on the sky above their heads. Shinobu was then about to ask him if perhaps he had finished with his questions when Heizou first uttered:
"Have you heard of anyone around here who still has a vision?"
That sudden question caught Shinobu off guard, so much so that her feet almost stopped walking.
"What?" she exclaimed, slowly turning to look at him. "A vision? No, of course not... That wouldn't be possible. All the citizens of Inazuma who had a vision..."
"They all gave this one of their own free wills when the Vision Hunt Decree began," Heizou completed her sentence. "And the ones that didn't, the Tenryou commission had to forcefully take them away. Yeah, we know that. Or, at least, that's what we think we know, right?"
At that moment, he turned towards her completely, outlining a wide and carefree smile as if this was a most casual and usual conversation between them. But putting aside the fact that it wasn't at all, there was something about the shape of his smile and the twinkle in his eyes that made Shinobu feel markedly uncomfortable.
"For example, you gave up your Electro Vision back then, right?" Heizou pointed out of the blue without any (apparent) hint of accusation.
"You know so," Shinobu replied dryly.
"Yes, I know so," Heizou repeated slowly. "It would have looked very bad for the daughter of one of Her Excellency's priestesses not to do it like that, right? How do you keep up with the side effects? You look… quite recovered. No memory problems or confusion prevailing?"
"I'm fine," Shinobu said firmly. "But thanks for asking. What about you, Shikanoin?" she blurted out, turning the direction of that conversation around. "When do you plan to give up your vision of your own free will like we all did?"
Heizou's smile widened a bit.
"When the Shogun tells me to do it, of course."
"That easy, huh?"
"That easy…"
They both remained silent again, looking at each other and successfully meeting the other's gaze. But, of course, that silent duel could not last all afternoon.
"Oh, well," Heizou pronounced, turning away and placing his hands behind his head. "If you were to see any individual hiding their vision, I know that as a responsible Inazuma citizen that you are, you would immediately report it to the Tenryou Commission. Right?"
Shinobu hesitated, only for an instant, but quickly managed to pull herself together to give a direct answer.
"Of course, yes."
"Very good," the detective agreed. "Then I'm counting on you. Enjoy your afternoon…"
And with that, he turned on his feet and started walking in a totally different direction from hers. Shinobu stood still for a few moments, trying to quickly decide what she should do after such a suspicious conversation. And really, what did it all mean? Was he indirectly trying to tell her that he knew something? Or was Heizou just joking around and trying to unseat her as usual?
It could well be both, as he himself said.
Whatever it was, she had to go quickly to see her friends and tell them what had happened. So in a hurry, though not so fast that it looked suspicious, Shinobu quickened her pace.
After separating from Tomo, Kazuha (and Tama hidden inside his clothes) began to walk through the streets of Hanamizaka to go to the outskirts where they were camping, just as he had indicated to his friend. And while Hanamizaka had a reputation for being less guarded than the city's main areas, the wandering swordsman still couldn't afford to be careless. As he did every time he went to the city during this journey, he kept his face hidden under his kasa and the rest of his body wrapped in his thick traveling cloak. It was unlikely that anyone out there would recognize his face, but it was undoubtedly best to remain inconspicuous, like another traveler. Once he was out of town, he could relax a bit.
On his way, however, something ended up calling his attention, so much so that his feet stopped before he was aware of that act. To his right, his gaze had fallen on a hawker stall on the side of the street, attended by an elderly man with small eyes and a full gray beard, sitting on the ground just to one side of a spread blanket. On it were various small and colorful items, accessories, and costume jewelry, if he was correct. But out of all of them, one in particular remarkably caught his attention; or, rather, they seemed to be three as part of the same set.
Without fully consciously intending to, Kazuha approached the blanket and squatted in front of it to get a closer look at those three specific accessories. Each one resembled the shape of a butterfly in beautiful bright blue colors. One of them was a small ring, and the other two, of a larger size, seemed to be brooches or some kind of hair ornament, definitely matching the ring. Kazuha couldn't help but notice that they stood out quite a bit from the others on the blanket, which were accessories in a more traditional style used in Inazuma. But that butterfly-shaped set, from its shape and even from the materials with which it seemed to be made, Kazuha would dare to bet that it had not been made anywhere near there. Could they actually be…?
"This set of blue butterflies," Kazuha mused, looking up at the old man sitting next to the blanket, "Is it from Fontaine?"
"You have a good eye, boy," agreed the old man. "I bought it from the daughter of a Fontaine merchant in Ritou just before the borders closed. Now it will be complicated for you to find these types of accessories around here, at least at a good time. They would be a nice touch for the right girl, don't you think?"
Kazuha remained silent while his eyes remained fixed on those three accessories. The shape of the butterfly, in addition to that color combination, for some reason reminded him of a specific person, one he had been thinking about practically all day. Furthermore, it was a real object from outside of Inazuma. Just yesterday, they were both talking about how much they would like to one day leave their nation and see everything that the world out there had to offer them...
Kazuha didn't think he could call that a sign from the Archons, but it seemed to somehow be the sign of something or someone.
He took a moment to ponder the possibilities. That man was right that it would make a good gift for the right girl, but it was hard to tell if the person he was thinking of was precisely that girl. They were Fontaine pieces and undoubtedly crafts of undeniable quality and delicacy. However, they were still modest objects, not to call them common. Surely a noblewoman like Kamisato Ayaka must have hundreds of accessories much more luxurious and expensive than those...
Would something like that be a suitable gift for her under such a scenario?
"How much do they cost?" He asked out of mere reflex, still without having made up her mind at all.
The old man looked at him carefully, passed his hand through his long beard, and then replied:
"For you, one hundred and fifty moras."
Kazuha took the small money bag he had attached to his belt and quickly checked its contents. He didn't have to count each mora to be sure it wasn't anywhere near a hundred, let alone a hundred and fifty. So, in the end, it didn't matter if it was a suitable gift or not; even if it were, he couldn't afford it.
"Thank you," Kazuha murmured respectfully, standing up again and preparing to leave.
"I'll be here all day if you change your mind," the vendor informed him, to which the swordsman nodded his thanks before resuming his march.
It would be quite evident to anyone that being a wanderer, and not a noble like before, would inevitably bring thousands of disadvantages. In all those years, however, Kazuha hadn't become so aware of them until his recent reunion with Ayaka, which led him to wonder if everything could have turned out differently...
He hadn't gone too far when something else suddenly caught his attention. But this time, it wasn't something he saw, but rather a scent wafting through the air, very close to him, one that immediately reminded him of that ramshackle dojo from two nights ago.
Katsumoto? was the first thought of alarm that crossed his mind.
He quickly ducked into a narrow alleyway to hide and leaned out to look at the people walking on the street. Tama, perhaps alarmed by the drastic change or by the tension in the air, poked her head out from inside Kazuha's kimono and might have jumped out of it if the young Kaedehara hadn't stopped her with one hand.
After several seconds of observation, he still did not look at anything suspicious. However, the same aroma of the stale air that permeated the old Kaedehara dojo the other night was still there. He had no doubt that it was the same and that it was almost impossible to simply replicate by coincidence. Someone who had been in that place long enough to be impregnated with that same aroma was nearby, and it could only be Katsumoto or one of his followers...
And then he saw them, passing a few meters from the alley he was hiding in: three men in threadbare clothes and straw hats, each carrying a sheathed sword at his waist. The three of them advanced almost in formation, their heads lowered so that their hats fell over their faces, similar to how he himself had been walking just moments ago.
The scent came from those three. They seemed familiar to Kazuha and not just from that other night. If he was not mistaken, at least two of them, eight years ago, were also young samurai of the Kaedehara clan under the command of Katsumoto. And, most likely, they were also part of his group of ronin.
What were they doing there? Wasn't Ayaka supposed to have told everyone to get away from the city? Seeing still some of them there definitely gave him a very, very bad feeling.
He didn't overthink it before his body left the alley and began to follow the three men at a safe distance. He had to know if they were up to something crazy.
"Are you sure about this, Mugen?" asked one of the ronin of the one in front of them. "If the guards from the Tenryou Commission..."
"The guards hardly stop Hanamizaka," the other ronin replied tartly, "and most of them are more than busy looking after the festival preparations and the important people. Besides, if you think I'm leaving here empty-handed, you're sorely mistaken. Katsumoto could have given in so easily, but not me. One last blow, we fill our pockets with moras, and we get out of this damned city."
His two companions seemed somewhat unsure about the proposal, but they still followed him until the three of them stopped right in front of the door of what appeared to be a restaurant. They looked at each other, nodded, and then the three forced their way into the establishment.
"Nobody move!" one of the ronin snapped like thunder, booming enough for even Kazuha to hear outside, accompanied by the distinctive hiss of swords being drawn. Some screams and exclamations of astonishment were soon present as well.
Kazuha hurried towards the establishment's door, stopping just outside, barely glancing inside. One of the ronin was pushing the waiters to one side; another was threatening with his sword pointing straight ahead towards the customers' area; the last one was holding a man by his clothes, who was perhaps the owner while holding the edge of his sword dangerously close to his face.
"Give us all the day's earnings, old man," the ronin holding the owner exclaimed aggressively. "And you better not want to be too clever, or someone will get more than hurt out of here!"
Making that threat, he jerked his sword to the side, bringing the tip of the blade a few inches from the pale face of a young waitress. She started in fright but couldn't even turn her face away in fear.
"What are you waiting for?!" the ronin yelled angrily, pushing the owner violently and causing him to fall to the ground. "Move quickly, or I'll lose my little patience!"
The owner got up, giving little bumps, to run towards the cash register and obey exactly what he had just been ordered. The rest of the waiters and clients watched everything from their positions, entirely still, pressing against the walls in a vague attempt to put as much distance as possible between themselves and those dangerous swords.
Kazuha watched all this from the doorway, incredulous that they were really doing what he saw, especially in the middle of the afternoon. Had the once proud swordsmen of the Kaedehara clan sunk so low as to be reduced to mere raiders and bullies? It was simply inconceivable to him.
He began to actively debate with himself whether or not he should intervene in any way. After all, they not only knew who he really was, but they had seen him using his vision the other night; two pieces of information that could prove dangerous if they ever decided to use them. However, the fact that samurai who had once belonged to the Kaedehara clan were doing such a display of violence right under his nose was simply something he could not tolerate. So much so that, when he least realized it, his hand was already on his sword, ready to draw at the first indication of the rest of his body. But he only got it out a few inches when something stopped him.
The restaurant had fallen into an unusual and almost gloomy silence; even the sobs and cries of the people had subsided. But suddenly, they heard someone lowering his plate with force against his table, making a loud noise that resounded throughout the place and immediately drew everyone's attention, including that of the three assailants. From their position, however, they only distinguished the albino and spiky hair of that person, peeking out from the small fence that separated his seat from the others. But besides the white hair, something else was sticking out of his head: two long, pointed red horns.
"Can you believe this, Akira?" the individual's gravelly voice snapped. "These rascals not only come here to interrupt the pleasant lunch we were all having with their shouts. On top of that, they plan to get paid for it. Isn't that the height of shamelessness to you?!"
"Ah, yes... boss," the person sitting in front of him pronounced somewhat nervously, a young and robust man with a nervous expression like everyone else present... although perhaps not for the same reasons.
"What are you saying, idiot?" one of the ronin pronounced with annoyance, advancing in his direction, sword in hand. "If you're so brave, why don't you tell me up…?"
That individual stood up suddenly, revealing at that moment his tall stature, protruding at least a head above the ronin, in addition to his broad back and muscular arms. The courage that the assailant had shown until a few moments ago crumbled slightly, so much so that by mere reflex, he took a step back.
The white-haired, horned man immediately turned to the assailant, fixing his intense amber eyes on him. He had bushy eyebrows a shade darker than his hair, and wore an outfit that exposed much of his torso, especially his prominent, ripped muscles. Red marks, paint, or perhaps tattoos ran across his face, torso, and arms.
"If I'm so brave, what, little man?" the horned man murmured confidently. He then began to crack his knuckles while a cunning smile played on his lips.
An Oni? Kazuha thought in amazement as he saw the appearance of that individual more clearly from his position. His entire appearance, especially those red horns, made his true nature quite evident.
The ronin who had initially threatened him managed to recover from his initial shock and held his sword firmly in front of him.
"Go back to your seat, stupid Oni!" he demanded commandingly. "Or else…"
"Or else what?" the white-haired man mumbled, leaning slightly toward him. "What exactly will you do…?"
"Itto, please don't do another of your stupid things!" the owner suddenly yelled from the checkout, with apparent exasperation.
"Huh?" the white-haired man exclaimed, somewhat confused. "Me? But if these guys are the ones who started it all..."
"Just let them take the money!" the owner added angrily. "I don't want you to end up doing more damage like last time..."
"Yes, boss," the robust young man added nervously, still sitting at his table. "It will be better not to make another scandal again. They warned us last time."
The oni hissed in annoyance, obviously frustrated at the lack of support, even from his own friend. He turned offended to the side, crossing his arms.
"Yes, listen to them," the ronin laughed mockingly, seeming a bit more emboldened. "Monsters like you must learn to behave, you silly beast..."
Another gloomy silence permeated the entire restaurant, although the feeling differed. The eyes of all the employees and customers focused on that oni, more nervous and scared than they apparently were by the three assailants...
The horned man turned slowly back to the ronin in front of him. The expression in his eyes had turned cold and hard… charged with palpable anger…
"What did you call me?" the oni muttered in an icy voice.
"Didn't you hear me, beast?!" the assailant snapped, even daring to take a step toward him. "I told you that you must…!"
Before he could finish his sentence, the horned man's right fist came straight at him from below, crashing in the form of a tremendous blow to the chin, so hard that the assailant's entire body was lifted off the ground and flew like an arrow shot up until it smashed squarely into the wooden ceiling above them, cracking it slightly on impact, and then plummeting back to the ground, smacking face-first into it right at the oni's feet. All this in just a few fractions of a second.
The breath of everyone present was instantly cut off upon seeing this, including that of the two assailants still standing... and especially that of the owner whose face turned ashen, and his jaw was opened so much that it almost touched the ground.
"Bu... but..." another of the ronin mumbled, the one who had initially had that idea. "Who the hell are you…?"
The oni's smile widened even more upon hearing that question.
"Who am I...?"
The horned man bent his knees and extended his hands in front of him, adopting an almost dramatic position befitting a kabuki actor.
"Not a beast, nor monster!" he added forcefully. Then he spun around, jumped halfway, and fell back, planting both feet on the ground so hard you could almost feel it rumble. "I'm the one anyone who disturbs the peace of my home will have to deal with!" he exclaimed loudly, turning fully towards the two assailants, extending his left hand in front and the right behind. His smile and gaze overflowed with confidence and charisma. "I am the Hero of Hanamizaka! The Great Arataki Itto!"
And he ended his presentation with a loud and shrill laugh that deafened the entire venue.
Author Notes:
New characters make an appearance, including especially Arataki Itto, a character that I had been waiting for a long time to be able to write a little about, and there will be the right time. We could also see Kuki Shinobu, which, as you will assume, will have its degree of importance in this small arc. As with the other characters, I'll take a couple of liberties with some aspects of them, mainly to give them more room for the story's tone. I hope my versions are to your liking, as they are made with great affection for both characters, as with all the others. Let's see what happens in the following chapters, especially with this hypothetical first meeting between Kazuha and Itto.