Yashiro the Blind

"Big sister is amazing!" Chuya clapped her hands excitedly from the side. "It's just the two of us left again! I'm sure I'll win this time!"

"Not always."

"Hmph, then big sister, you can watch and listen carefully!" The girl snorted defiantly. Yashiro stood up with a smile, switched places with Hikogoro, and sat opposite Hatsume to begin the final one-on-one session.

The two losers stepped aside and joined Jia Nai as spectators. As with any one-on-one duel, the battle lasted a long time, with the two exchanging blows fiercely, neither able to gain the upper hand.

To avoid being noticed by Yashiro—though it's unclear how she figured it out, in the girl's mind, this older sister was already incredibly tall and powerful, and her ability to see without using her eyes was a piece of cake—the little girl took a deep breath, her cheeks puffed up like balloons, her big eyes wide open, staring intently at the wooden sign in Yashiro's hand.

"Hmm, this one, or this one..."

With a slight smile on her face, Yashiro shook her left hand, changing the wooden plaques back and forth, dazzling Hatsume, who unconsciously began to sway along with them.

Suddenly, her ears twitched slightly as she heard a soft thud from outside the window... it sounded like someone had thrown a small pebble.

Hikogoro glanced at the window, then silently slipped out of the room. His movements were very light, but apart from Hatsume who was completely focused, the other three people in the room, including Yashiro, all noticed it.

You could sense that the couple, Daizo and his wife, were clearly hesitant and uneasy, whispering to each other. You didn't know what they were talking about, but considering it was their privacy, Yashiro didn't pay attention and continued to focus on the intense battle in front of him.

"—It's decided, this is the one!"

After hesitating for a long time, Chuya finally made up her mind. With a sudden, all-or-nothing determination, she resolutely pulled a wooden plaque from the girl's hand—

"……what?"

Just then, Hikogoro's voice drifted over from afar. It was so far away that only Yashiro could hear it, yet even then, it was barely audible. She frowned slightly, only hearing snippets of conversation carried by the whistling wind through the half-open window:

"By the river... blood-stained sleeves... Big brother... something happened... what should we do..."

His tone was full of surprise and barely suppressed panic.

Yashiro sighed inwardly, and just as she came to her senses, she heard Hatsume cheering, "I won! Oozo-nii, Yoshino-neechan, I finally beat big sister once! That's great!"

Amidst the girl's laughter and the congratulations of Mr. and Mrs. Daizo, she heard hurried footsteps running towards the house...

……

Chapter Eleven: Senior Brother and Junior Uncle

The cold air seemed to freeze.

The laughter and chatter that had just been there seemed like an illusion, leaving no trace in the room. All that remained was the deep darkness outside the window, with the occasional distant howl of a wolf, seemingly real, making one feel as if immersed in a pool of icy water, penetrating to the bone, indescribable.

Suddenly, a flash of sword light appeared, and a few drops of blood mixed with a silver needle shot out. However, with a wave of his right hand, Yashiro collected the silver needle and the poisoned blood into a piece of cloth that had been prepared beforehand.

She then applied the prepared herbal medicine to the wound, carefully bandaged it, and briefly checked the little girl's heartbeat and pulse. Finding nothing abnormal, she finally let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Now all nine needles have been removed. After a period of observation and recuperation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, rehabilitation should begin soon. However..."

"but?"

"You have to be mentally prepared."

Yashiro carefully considered her words, “Because too much time has been wasted, even if you eventually recover, you probably won’t be able to run and jump like a normal person, or walk as fast as you can.”

“Oh…” Chuya blinked. This news should have been a bucket of cold water for her, but the girl didn’t react much. It was unclear whether she had expected it or had already come to terms with it.

She subconsciously reached out and touched the wound on her leg. The burning pain made Chuya's fingers tremble suddenly, and her face turned pale. However, this unfamiliar pain inexplicably made the girl feel a sense of relief.

She swallowed hard and asked, "So... I can still stand up on my own, right?"

"Yes."

"That's enough." Chuya smiled. "As long as I can do some simple things myself and don't have to bother others with everything, I'm already very satisfied."

She said this sincerely, and you could tell she genuinely thought it that way, rather than saying it on purpose to comfort Yashiro.

The girl nodded and said nothing more. After all, things had come to this point, and any words would seem extremely inadequate.

The thought of a little girl—who is not even ten years old—who will have to walk slowly with crutches for the rest of her life, even if it is not her fault, still makes Yashiro feel a little choked up.

Seeing this, Chuya moved forward with difficulty and rubbed her forehead with her tiny fingertips.

Yashiro was taken aback, and her furrowed brows relaxed involuntarily.

“And it’s not all bad. For example…” she pointed to the girl’s cane lying to the side, “that way I’ll be just like you, big sister.”

"Hoohoo."

These words warmed the heart. Yashiro chuckled, patted the little girl's head, got up, picked up his cane, and went to the well outside to wash his hands and face briefly, then rinsed his mouth with clean water.

Then she took a clean cloth, wet it, and came back to wipe Hatsume's face and hands. She also poured a bowl of water for her to soothe her throat and rinse her mouth. These chores were originally Yoshino's responsibility, but Yashiro took them over. Yoshino was a little embarrassed at first, but when she saw that she did it skillfully and that the girl especially liked to stick to her, she stopped insisting and was happy to relax.

After a flurry of activity, once Chuya had finished washing up, she laid out the bedding, carried the little girl over her back, and sat down beside her, preparing to tell a few stories as usual to lull Chuya to sleep.

Perhaps it's because of the historical context here, but compared to those ethereal princesses and princes, Hatsume prefers to hear stories of ancient warriors fighting, especially the deeds of Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Every night, he would pester her to tell him stories, and she would stay awake until her eyelids were drooping.

"Let's continue from where we left off last night. Speaking of Judge Jiulang, he..."

But today, right after it started, Chuya timidly called out, "Big sister..."

"kindness?"

"Do you think... my brother will be alright?"

She asked softly, her long-suppressed worries and anxieties finally spilling out with those words.

We've finally brought up this topic...

Yashiro sighed inwardly.

Although Hatsume calls everyone "brother" and "sister," she actually has an older brother, the one whom Hikogoro and the others call "elder brother," named Tenji Takeru. He is more than ten years younger than Hatsume and is considered the leader and pillar of the village.

Even though Hikogoro didn't say it outright, the girl could guess that the other party was very likely the real Dragon Palace Child of this generation—at least he seemed more reliable than Hikogoro and Ozora. He was not in the village now, probably because he had gone out on business and hadn't returned for several days until earlier when someone found a pool of blood by the stream near the village.

Among the bloodstains, half a piece of Tianzhi Wuliu's clothing was still soaked.

This matter could not be kept from his younger sister. After learning the news, Hikogoro rushed back immediately, told Hatsume about the "bad news," offered a few clumsy words of comfort, and then took Ozura and his wife out, saying that he wanted to gather everyone and find the whereabouts of Tenjibu-ryu as soon as possible.

To put it bluntly, we want to see the person alive or dead.

Before leaving, Hikogoro made a special trip to see Yashiro alone, and once again skillfully performed the Tiger Landing Stance, earnestly requesting that Yashiro stay by Hatsume's side as much as possible during this time, hoping that she could do something to stop any bad things from happening.

Of course, even if he hadn't said it, Yashiro wouldn't have just turned around and left. She didn't want to meddle in other people's business, but with her skills, she wasn't afraid of getting into trouble—most of the time, trouble was just a little bit of a hassle for her.

"Sure, but... let's make a deal. Next time, let's talk things out properly. Can we please stop kneeling and begging like this?"

She sighed and helped him up. Hikogoro was very touched, but the girl was actually afraid that he might suddenly jump up and bite her knee...

I once heard my master say that there was a strange swordsmanship school in the Kanto region called Da Fuliu, which emphasized unpredictable sword techniques and a sword posture resembling a frog.

It is said that the founder of the Great Floating School once had a life-or-death duel with the famous Tsukahara Bokuden. In front of Hojo Soun and a group of military and civil officials, although he was defeated and died in the end, he thoroughly made the school famous.

But just from these eight characters, the girl found it hard to imagine what kind of fighting style this school of thought actually was. No matter how much she pondered and speculated, she could only associate it with a certain Toad Style martial art from the Western Poison, which involved jumping around and then being knocked down with a single finger...

Without further ado, after obtaining her consent, Hikogoro felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart. He and Daizo immediately led a group of people out of the village. No news spread until nightfall. The village was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, as if only the two people, one big and one small, remained in the house.

"It'll be fine."

Pulling his wandering thoughts back to reality, Yashiro patted the girl's cold little hand.

"Really?" Hatsune clearly didn't believe it.

“Really.” Yashiro paused, then added, “Even if something really happens to your brother, I will find a way to help him.”

"Just like when you helped me?"

"Just like I'm helping you."

This time, the girl's voice became calmer, and her body stopped trembling as before.

Yashiro held her hand: "Go to sleep."

"kindness."

Chuya obediently closed her eyes, and soon her breathing became even.

Even though she was asleep, she still held tightly to Yashiro's left hand, unwilling to let go. The girl tried to pull her hand away, but couldn't. Considering that any more force might wake her up, she simply adjusted her posture, sitting cross-legged, preparing for a long battle.

Whether it was purely psychological or the long-standing Buddhist sitting posture truly had remarkable effects, as time passed and the wind howled outside the window, the room became increasingly quiet, and her heart became more and more serene, like a still, ancient well, without ripples or waves.

The girl's breathing was shallow, long, and very rhythmic. Yashiro's left hand loosely grasped the girl's, while his other hand reached out silently and grabbed his cane.

wow-

Another gust of night wind blew, causing the window to sway twice, and the wooden window sill made a soft creak.

"Shhh."

The girl loosened her grip on the cane and instead lightly touched her lips with her index finger. "Speak softly, don't wake people up."

A soft voice echoed forlornly in the humble little house.

But the next moment, a low, hoarse, and unpleasant laugh, like that of a raven, suddenly came from behind her: "Don't worry, she has already inhaled my sleeping powder. She won't wake up easily until sunrise tomorrow. Speaking of which... why don't you seem to have any reaction?"

"What, should I sneeze twice to show respect?" Yashiro rubbed the tip of her nose, snorted, and two small balls fell out of her nose. "Friendly suggestion, you should probably change the proportions of the ingredients in the future. The smell of your sleeping gas is almost as bad as Master's body odor."

"...You really aren't afraid of death."

The raven-like voice paused for a moment, then cackled again: "Speaking of which, it's been years, but the puppy's nose is still as sensitive as ever."

"It's been years since we last met, and your mouth is still as sharp and sarcastic as ever, Senior Brother." Yashiro smiled and replied.

"You have no manners! Call me 'Uncle-Master'!"

"I'm afraid that won't work. We share the same master. If I call you 'uncle-master,' wouldn't that mess up the seniority?"

"Hmph, your father called me senior brother back then, and now even you call me senior brother. Father and daughter are of the same generation, how can this be so outrageous!"

Shaking his head and sighing, the words had just been spoken behind her, but when he said the second "How outrageous!", he suddenly swayed and instantly covered several meters, standing next to the gate.

The clear moonlight illuminated his appearance—similar to the impression his voice gave: a withered little old man, in his fifties, with graying hair and beard, wearing a dirty, close-fitting black coat, carrying a short sword on his back, and several kunai hanging jingling at his waist.

Although it wasn't very formal, it was clearly a ninja outfit.

"Forget it, forget it. That old geezer has done a lot of ridiculous things, one more won't make a difference... But I'm very curious, has that old geezer actually changed his mind and is willing to let you go down the mountain?"

"To be precise, it wasn't 'put down,' but 'thrown down'... I was thrown off the mountain by my master under the pretext of 'reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles. Now that you have mastered martial arts, you should travel the world and broaden your horizons.'" Recalling that unbearable past, Yashiro couldn't help but sigh again.

The aged voice cackled, "Same old story, which mountain did you fall from?"

"Kumanoyama."

"That's a little better. It means the old woman held back. Back then, she grabbed me by the neck and threw me off the top of Mount Fuji, breaking my arm. Good heavens, that's why I've been unable to beat anyone for over fifty years. What a tragedy."

"Senior brother is too modest. You should know that the name of Hibiki Kato is known not only in Echigo and Echigo, but also in the Kinki region."

"Hehe, you little devil, you've got a sweet tongue!"

The smug laughter came from near and far, as if the person was darting around the house, sometimes at the door, sometimes by the window, and sometimes hanging upside down under the eaves like a bat.

Suddenly, a strong, pungent smell of tobacco hit him, and he lunged at him, hands on the floor, head down, feet up, his eyes fixed on Hachiro, his expression full of surprise. "Has this old man's reputation really spread to the Kinki region? Everyone knows him?"

The girl smiled slightly: "It's fake."

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, the old man suddenly let out a strange cry, somersaulted back to the roof beam, and hung from his toes, swaying back and forth like a hanging bell.

"Boring, boring! You're just like your dad, never uttering a single truthful word. So boring, let's go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and was about to rush out of the window when a flash of silver light appeared, and a long, narrow sword blocked the window.

Kato blinked his cloudy eyes, grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Kid, what do you mean by this?"

"It's nothing much, it's just that we've had a rare reunion, and I wanted to chat with you a bit more, senior brother."

Yashiro sat firmly in place, holding his sword in one hand. The sword light reflected the bright moon outside the window, its shimmering light like mercury spilling, leaving behind a trail of white frost.

"The intoxicating smoke, the sneaking in through the window, your target must be Chuya, right... someone entrusted you with this?"

"Hatsume, oh, is that the girl's name?" Kato scratched his chin. "Indeed, I received money from someone to bring this girl over unharmed... What's your relationship with her?"

Yashiro thought for a moment: "So, we're... friends?"

"friend?"

"friend."

"So you mean you won't just stand by and watch me take her away?"

The girl nodded.

"Alright! For your sake, kid, I'll just take my bad luck this time—may the mountains remain green and the waters flow on forever, farewell, farewell!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Kato turned around again and rushed toward the door. His leaping motion was like that of a hawk, and in an instant he was at the door...

Then they were forced back.