Yashiro the Blind

"I……"

"Tianzhi, do you know your mistake?"

Asking questions at every step, the gunman slowly entered the cave. The faint scent of sandalwood emanating from him contrasted sharply with the young man's drenched appearance. He bit his lip, lowered his head with deep remorse, and dared not look the other man in the eye, only stammering, "I...I know I was wrong..."

"Then close your eyes and grit your teeth." A cold voice came from above. He prepared himself mentally and held his breath.

But the expected pain never came. Whether it was a slap, a fist, or even a gunshot, he thought he was going to be hit several times as the warm breath of that human body gradually approached. In the end, he only heard a soft sigh, and then his forehead was flicked lightly.

To be honest, it does hurt a bit.

But it was too light than I had imagined.

The young man was momentarily stunned: "Big sister, what's wrong with you..." When he opened his eyes and finally saw Jiro's expression, he swallowed back the rest of his words. There was no anger or disappointment on his face, only a deep worry.

"Don't do that again next time."

"……it is good."

The young man hung his head, looking listless and dispirited, like a wilted eggplant.

Jiro looked at him, sighed again, took off his outer robe and draped it over him: "Change your clothes, you'll easily get sick if you go back like this, all wet."

"I'm fine..."

"Besides, you don't look presentable in public right now. You'll easily be exposed if you go out." As she spoke, the woman glanced intently at a certain part of her body, her meaning clear.

The young man blushed slightly upon hearing this, but he didn't refuse any longer. He picked up the outer robe, turned around, and quietly changed his clothes. Jiro looked at his back and suddenly said, "You've lost a lot of weight. You should eat more."

"Not thin enough."

"I know what you're thinking, but I've heard people say before that you can't lose weight in that area, so don't waste your time."

"……real?"

“Really.” Jiro nodded earnestly.

The young man seemed deeply shocked, and even his changing of clothes slowed down. After a moment, he asked again, "Big sister... does Master Nanxi know?"

"Since even I can see it, it certainly can't be hidden from him."

"That……"

"However, the fact that Master brought out this Tiger Scroll means he is not angry."

"But these are things belonging to an old friend... Oh, right, I heard that Lord Tianfeng's daughter is still alive, and that she even helped Chuya solve her leg problem. Is that true?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, the young man's tone became noticeably happier. "That's great! I must thank her later and prepare a gift, but I don't have anything of value to offer right now... Sister, what kind of gift do you think would be good? Since she's someone I can trust, how about we give her a few more fortune slips?"

Master Jiro thought for a moment and said, "That should work."

"Then it's settled!"

After a while, he finally changed his clothes, awkwardly wearing Jiro's outer robe, tugging at the hem, feeling rather uncomfortable. The woman looked him up and down a few times, then nodded with satisfaction, turned around, and walked out of the cave: "Go back."

"it is good."

Blood still clung to the corner of his mouth, and his injuries still ached all over, but the young man didn't complain. He limped along behind, looking somewhat like a little duck. After a few steps, he whispered again, "Big sister..."

"Ok?"

"Feel sorry."

"Who are you apologizing to?" Jiro asked rhetorically. "If you die, I won't be the one who is most heartbroken."

"Yes, I understand..."

"If you understand, why can't you let go?"

"Let go... Eldest sister, do you mean I should let go of my hatred for my parents?"

"Your parents were not murdered, but died of illness."

The young man retorted angrily, "But... if they hadn't been slandered by villains, if they were still samurai of the Hojo clan, they might have had the money to get medical treatment!"

"So, you're planning to take revenge on those who framed your parents?"

"Of course!"

The two stepped out of the cave. The sun was setting in the west, the sky was filled with red clouds, and all was quiet.

Jiro suddenly stopped, looked up, and saw the bright red sun reflected in his eyes: "If that's the case, why haven't you gotten what you wanted yet?"

"Hey?"

"With your current abilities, killing one or two people shouldn't be a problem if you're prepared to take advantage of someone's unpreparedness. If you just wanted revenge against those who made false accusations, that grudge should have been settled two years ago. Besides... dealing with a few lower-ranking samurai doesn't require becoming Minamoto no Yoshitsune, nor does it require the help of the legendary Tiger Scroll."

"Tianzhi, do you really want revenge? Or should I ask this—"

She turned around, the reflection of the setting sun still lingering in her eyes, yet it already reflected the young man's pale face. "You compare yourself to Judge Jiulang, seeking wondrous military strategies. With such ambition, who exactly do you want to avenge yourself against?"

"Was it the colleagues who framed your father, or the Hojo family who expelled your father without distinguishing right from wrong, or... this world that caused you to lose your parents and family, leaving you and your sister to depend on each other for survival and wander from place to place?"

……

"...It should be this one!"

Inside the meditation room, the two sat facing each other. More than a dozen pieces of paper were scattered on the floor between them, blank ones facing up, and only one was reversed, with a monkey drawn on it in a child's innocent strokes.

Chuya excitedly flipped to the other page, then pouted, "Wrong..."

The piece of paper depicted a clothed man with a distinctive bald head—along with lines creating a shimmering effect—who appeared to be a monk.

"Uuuuuuu..."

Somewhat reluctantly, she put the piece of paper back, then began to stroke her chin, deep in thought. "Which one is it...? Yashiro-neechan, what do you think...? Never mind, I'll think of it myself, please don't help me!"

"it is good."

Yashiro sat there, smiling and nodding, but her expression was somewhat strange.

Because the "playing cards" she had casually made in the village had been very well received, now that they were at Ryutaiji Temple, to keep Hatsune bored, she asked the monk Jiro for a few sheets of half-sheets that children use for practicing calligraphy. She cut them into palm-sized pieces and had Hatsune draw different patterns on them, matching them in pairs. After she finished drawing, he taught her how to play this matching game...

Actually, this country itself has a similar game. It was initially played with seashells, and the rules were pretty much the same. Later, waka elements were added, and it was called Karuta. However, this type of game is currently mainly popular among the court nobles. Yashiro wasn't particularly interested in waka, so she simply took a simplified version and taught Hatsume how to play.

However, it wasn't until she taught the little girl the rules of the game and started playing that she realized something—she didn't seem to be able to play the game.

If there were a third person present, it would be fine. But when it's just her and Chuya, as it is now, she usually sits beside the girl, listening to her happily playing by herself, ostensibly as a referee, but really just there to create atmosphere. Although it's mainly her own lack of foresight, isn't Chuya, who has been playing enthusiastically for days and still doesn't seem to get tired of it, a little...

But since the little girl is having fun, it's fine.

Moreover, after some whispering and discussion, they actually came up with a way to play that Yashiro could also participate in. It was very simple: the girl would first choose a card, and then Hatsume would choose the corresponding card. Since she was blind, whether this game would work depended entirely on the girl's moral character; if she really wanted to cheat, Yashiro would be powerless to stop her.

However, it seems that Miss Hatsume hasn't even thought of the first stroke of the character for "cheating," and is playing seriously all along, which makes Yashiro both gratified and admiring.

After all, she still remembered playing Chinese chess with her family when she was very young in her previous life. She secretly flipped the chessboard while her family went to the toilet. Although she wasn't caught, she deliberately lost the game because of guilt. Even though she didn't have a photographic memory in her previous life, this incident was still very memorable and would come back to her from time to time, reminding her to be vigilant.

On the other hand, Chuya is such a good child...

As she pondered this, she noticed that the little girl seemed a bit down compared to yesterday and the day before. Had she grown tired of the game? Or perhaps…

"Are you worried about your brother?"

When Yashiro asked, the little girl trembled like a mouse caught stealing lamp oil, stammered for a moment, and then nodded: "Um, a little bit..."

"If you're worried, go see him. Do you want me to take you there?"

“No need.” This time he shook his head vigorously again. “Whenever my brother does something wrong, he will hide himself away like a turtle for several days. He won’t see anyone, whether it’s me, my older sister, or anyone else… But once he understands, he will become his usual brother again.”

"I see."

Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes. Since the other person's sister had already said so, Yashiro decided not to say anything more. However, at that moment, Hatsume's eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had thought of a brilliant idea. She clenched her right fist and slammed it against her left hand with a "smack," as if a large light bulb had popped out of her head...

Oh, it seems like light bulbs hadn't been invented yet in this era.

That's when a dazzling, towering bald sun suddenly appeared... Anyway, it's all in Yashiro's imagination, everything is arbitrary.

"Oh, right, I've got a great idea, Yashiro-neechan!"

At the same time, listening to the girl's expectant voice, she suddenly had a very bad feeling, as if she was about to be entangled in some trouble again...

"Why don't you go and comfort your brother?"

My premonition came true.

"I... didn't he not want to see anyone?"

"It's alright, it's alright, just open the door and go in. You've done me a huge favor, he definitely won't be angry with you. Besides, even if he were, my brother definitely couldn't beat you! Anyway, he must have done something wrong to make you angry, that's why he's hiding away and not seeing anyone. Don't hold back, just give him a good beating!"

The little girl waved her tiny fists and said fiercely.

……

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Unexpected Names

Dude, dunk, dunk.

She bent her fingers and knocked lightly three times on the door. After waiting a moment and hearing no response from inside, Yashiro opened the door and stepped inside: "Excuse me—"

"Who...who are you? Why are you suddenly...get out of here!"

The room was quiet and still until she opened the door, at which point a strange rustling sound suddenly came out. The figure huddled in the corner suddenly sprang up and let out a slightly shrill scream. For a moment, she was trying to yell and cover herself with her hands, all in a flurry of activity.

"Don't worry, I didn't see anything, because I can't see anything."

Yashiro, however, remained calm and composed. She took two steps in, then turned around and closed the door again.

Only at this moment did the other person seem to finally notice the cane in her hand. Startled, he slowly lowered his raised arm. A few seconds later, he coughed deliberately, and when he spoke again, his voice was noticeably lower: "You are... Lord Tianfeng's daughter?"

"It's me."

The room didn't smell pleasant; the scent of herbs mixed with a faint smell of blood, creating a strange atmosphere that was different from the disinfectant used in the hospital in my previous life, yet in some ways quite similar.

The girl put down her cane, sat cross-legged, lowered her head slightly, and smiled at the somewhat uneasy young man in the corner. "Want to chat?"

"Um... what do you want to talk about?"

"do not know."

This answer was mostly unexpected, and the voice couldn't help but change slightly: "N-I don't know?"

"Your sister sent me here, saying she hoped I could talk to you, but she didn't tell me exactly what we should talk about." Yashiro spoke frankly, without any intention of hiding anything or beating around the bush.

Tenji Takeru paused for a moment, then sighed with mixed feelings: "This... has made her worry."

"It's normal for younger siblings to worry about their older siblings. As older siblings, we should also try our best not to cause them any worry."

“That makes sense, I’ve learned something.” The young man nodded. “But judging from this, does the young lady also have younger brothers and sisters? But I clearly remember…”

"I've dreamt about it."

"In a dream?" He stammered again.

But what Yashiro said this time was the truth. Although it wasn't in a dream, but in a past life, she—he—had a younger sister who was eight years younger than him.

Due to various complicated family reasons, he had already taken on the responsibility of supporting his family as early as high school. He dropped out of school to work and worked hard to ensure that his younger sister could finish university. Unfortunately, before he could witness her getting married and having children, he was transported to this strange ancient world... This is probably one of the biggest regrets in Yashiro's heart.

I wonder how the other person is doing these days, whether they are happy or not...

Recalling the past, the girl's expression dimmed slightly for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and returned to reality. Noticing the young man's words, she asked with some curiosity, "Do you know my father?"

When she first came in, the other person said "Lord Tianfeng's daughter," and just now she said "I clearly remember..." which should mean that she clearly remembers that she is the youngest in the family. These two points combined are enough for Yashiro to draw this conclusion.

As expected, Tianzhi Wuliu nodded and replied, "Indeed, we knew him... It's not just a simple acquaintance. It can be said that nearly 80% of our skills were taught by Lord Tianfeng. His kindness in teaching us is as vast as a mountain and as deep as the sea. Unfortunately, before we could even find a way to repay him, he had already..."

He finished speaking and let out another sigh.

Yashiro's attention, however, was focused on something else: "You mean, most of your skills were taught to you by my father?"

"Yes……"

Before he could finish speaking, his vision blurred, and Tianzhi Wuliu saw the girl who had been sitting cross-legged suddenly lunge forward, leaping up and thrusting her fingers like a halberd towards his chest!

This was a tremendous shock. In his haste, he instinctively raised his hand to block and parry, only to see the figure seem to transform into a falling leaf, using the momentum to propel him away. First, he felt a slight pain in his chest, as if the girl had poked him with her finger. Immediately afterward, her wrist flicked up like a nimble snake, her index and middle fingers spread apart, bypassing his hand that was trying to intercept him, and stabbing towards his eyeball—

In the blink of an eye, a deadly chill had already filled his heart. Faced with this attack without warning, he couldn't dodge or fight back. His mind went completely blank. He just stared blankly at the slender white fingers so close to his face. The fingertips were slightly hooked. If they were just a centimeter more away, they could easily gouge out his two eyeballs.

"Um..."

The world seemed to freeze at that moment. A bead of cold sweat trickled down the young man's forehead. He opened his eyes wide and, in the dimly lit room, caught a glimpse of the girl's childlike face hidden beneath her bangs. Her expression was neither sad nor happy, only her lips were slightly pursed, revealing a hint of bewilderment.

She swayed for a moment, then suddenly sat back down, as if what had just happened was a hallucination. But when she came to her senses, she found that not only her forehead but also her back was soaked with cold sweat. She tried to speak, but the words seemed to be stuck in her throat, like a fishbone, impossible to spit out.

What's infuriating is that the culprit showed absolutely no remorse, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he said, "Your style isn't Tenfu-ryu, but it does have some resemblance to Iga-ryu... Is it Momochi Tanba, or some school from Fujibayashi's side? It seems to be something else entirely, hmm, probably on purpose. Wait, did you just say 'you wait'?"

Caught off guard by the question, the young man stammered, "Yes, yes..."

"Including Hikogoro as well?"