Yashiro the Blind

Yashiro yawned, slowly woke up, lay there, and leisurely stretched.

After a moment of relaxation, she focused her mind and the sounds and noises around her gradually became clearer, like an invisible net with countless threads crisscrossing and weaving a wondrous scene that only she could "see".

I can't hear Ryuko or the falcon Xiaojiu anymore, they've probably gone out. Kotoko and Mankisai's rooms are empty too. Inosuke isn't here as usual. There are people slurping something in the lobby. The sunlight coming in from the window isn't too strong, it shouldn't be noon yet...

Such thoughts flashed through her mind. The girl lay lazily for a while, then slowly got up, picked up her cane, opened the door, greeted the owner, went to the backyard to brush her teeth, and then sat in a raised spot in the lobby. She ate a simple bowl of rice porridge while listening to the other customers chat.

After eating and drinking her fill, she put down her chopsticks, leaned on her cane, and went out for a stroll. She wandered around the castle town, not encountering any scoundrels or hooligans to pass the time. She still had some cash in her pocket, so she didn't need to go to the local casino to earn some pocket money for the time being. Feeling bored, she suddenly felt a familiar gaze.

"This……"

After hesitating for a moment, Yashiro shook his head, gave a wry smile, and turned to walk towards a more secluded alley.

Tap, tap, tap... As the number of pedestrians and houses around her decreased, the sound of the cane tapping the ground naturally became clearer. She walked further and further off course until she reached a dark corner, which turned out to be a narrow dead end, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The girl stood in the middle, resting her other hand on the cane.

The sound of clothes rustling in the wind could be heard in front of, behind, and above.

“Hiding your head and tail doesn’t make you a hero. You’ve been following me for so long, why not show yourself?” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough for everyone present to hear clearly.

The next moment, a soft laugh came from above, followed by a soft sound behind, and a figure descended from the sky, landing lightly and gracefully on the ground like a cat. A fragrant breeze wafted into his nose, and Hachiro was slightly taken aback—the newcomer was a woman.

"Even if we don't hide our true colors, we're not exactly heroes." The man sounded quite young, around twenty years old, and spoke with a strong local accent, clearly not from the Kinki or Tokaido regions.

“But what you said makes sense. Hiding around is not very polite, so we will listen to you and show ourselves. Now it’s your turn to ‘appear’.”

"You are joking, Your Excellency."

"Hehe, we were just joking. After all, this isn't a tense situation, so why make the atmosphere so tense? Don't you agree?"

The person behind her smiled and raised her hand, immediately producing a tinkling sound, as if a string of bells was tied to her wrist. The crisp sound of the bells further accentuated the woman's melodious and gentle voice. Especially when she spoke the last word, she suddenly raised her hand slightly, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, which made people's hearts flutter and their imaginations run wild.

In addition, the strange fragrance, made from some unknown ingredient, wafted into Yashiro's nose even though they were several meters apart, making her feel a little itchy and prompting her to rub her nose a couple of times.

Then, in a somewhat muffled voice, he asked, "If you don't want things to get tense, why did you follow me to this remote corner and set up ambushes on all sides, as if you were afraid I would run away?"

"Hehe, it's just better to be safe than sorry, don't worry about it."

The woman giggled, and at the same time, a series of bells jingled.

"To avoid any misunderstanding, let's start with a simple introduction. I'm Chiyo from Mochizuki in Shinshu. We're all women, so there's no need to worry about formalities. Just call me Chiyo. And in return, I won't use any of those overly formal suffixes like 'mature,' 'young lady,' or 'miss,' I'll just call you Yashiro. Little Yashiro, you shouldn't mind, right?"

“I don’t mind how you call me, but I do mind that you know my name,” the girl replied.

Her response was another light laugh mixed with the sound of bells: "Look at what you're saying. The youngest daughter of Tenfu Goro, the disciple of Kashin Koji, the junior sister of Hibiki Kato, a master who can kill Mishima Doppo in a one-on-one duel. If even you, a young and promising swordsman, haven't heard of her, how dare I call myself someone who makes a living from this?"

"So, who is your target? Master has been detached from worldly affairs for a long time, and Senior Brother is very discreet in his actions, rarely provoking those he can't afford to offend. Apart from that, either you want to avenge Mishima Doppo, or you've come for my father..." Yashiro tilted his head. "I guess it's the latter?"

Chiyo chuckled: "Clever, it seems that you, Hachiko, are not only skilled in martial arts but also quick-witted. You are both intelligent and capable, and you are so cute. I really like you so much. How about coming to stay at my house for a few days? Not only will there be plenty of delicious food and drinks, but there will also be many more fun and exciting things waiting for you. I guarantee you will be so happy that you will never want to leave me again."

"Sorry, I'm not interested."

"The rejection was so decisive and clean, it really hit me hard..." Chiyo exaggeratedly clutched her chest, looking over with a pitiful and endearing expression. "Won't you reconsider?"

Unfortunately, this was completely pointless for the young girl.

“I’m not interested,” she replied again, tapping her cane. “Now, may I leave?”

"Of course, we're not here to fight you. You can leave whenever you want, but before that, I hope you'll wait a little longer, just a little while. Let me see, three, two..." Chiyo said with a grin, drawing out her words as if she were keeping someone in suspense while counting down. Just as she counted to two, a barely perceptible sound of wind breaking suddenly came!

For a moment, Yashiro was distracted and felt a pain in the back of her neck. When she reached out to touch it, she touched a short needle as thin as a cow's hair.

"Well……"

Her expression changed, she covered her forehead, staggered back a few steps, leaned against the wall as if she wanted to say something, but she just slowly slid down and finally sat on the ground.

Seeing this, Chiyo clapped her hands together with a "smack," and with her usual melodious and charming local accent, she walked over with a graceful smile: "Ichi, don't worry, we won't do anything to you. We'll just let you get some sleep. When you wake up, you'll experience the most wonderful taste in the world. Trust me, it will definitely leave you wanting more..."

Before the word "return" could be uttered, the person had already arrived in front of him.

The girl, who had been sitting there motionless, suddenly looked up, her cane flashing like lightning, the tip already pressed against the other person's throat.

"...For the past five years, my master has forced me to soak in a large bathtub every day. Although that period was quite difficult, it wasn't entirely fruitless. At least... apart from certain rare and potent poisons, most common poisons in the world are no longer effective against me. I don't even know about the Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup of Master Guoxin. It seems that you, Chiyo, are indeed not suited for this kind of work."

The girl's lips curled up slightly, her soft voice carrying a hint of teasing.

Chiyo's gaze wasn't on Yashiro's face, but rather on the girl's hand—the slender index fingertip was currently gripping a mechanism on the cane. Knowing the intricacies of ninja tools, Chiyo naturally understood that this cane, though seemingly ordinary, actually concealed a secret. If the girl exerted even a little force, the mechanism would activate, and with the cane pressed directly against her throat, she would surely die without any chance of survival.

A bead of cold sweat quietly dripped down his forehead.

“If ‘sister’ has any other tricks up her sleeve, please show them to me so I can see them. Otherwise…” Yashiro chuckled softly, “I’ll get angry.”

……

Chapter 54 Mochizuki Kagura Uta

"the first time."

The tense atmosphere and the lingering killing intent created a sense of unease. Just as Chiyome was at her wits' end, racking her brains for a way to escape, Yashiro suddenly withdrew his cane, extended a finger, shook it twice, and asked with a hint of mockery, "Want to continue?"

The bead of cold sweat on his forehead finally trickled down his cheek and dripped from the tip of his chin.

Chiyo quickly withdrew, creating some distance, and cautiously observed the girl. Although she still had a smile on her face, the smile had become much stiffer: "Hehe... Of course we have to continue. The thing we dislike the most is giving up halfway."

"Then let's go... Since you all have such an interest, I will gladly accompany you to the end."

After saying this, Yashiro slammed his cane down, turned his head, and listened carefully to the sounds around him.

Chiyo was clearly not alone. Even though the people she brought were all skilled in hiding, they couldn't escape her ears as long as they couldn't stop their hearts from beating.

One, two, three, four... Excluding Chiyome, there were about ten people lying in ambush nearby. Each of them was agile and professional ninjas of the Ranbo type. Considering Chiyome's identity, their origins were already obvious.

The Tobo Shu under Takeda Harunobu...

Having understood this, the girl roughly knew why Chiyo had approached her.

It's all for "Tenfu Goro," or rather, the former leader of the Tōbō Clan, Kanna. Regardless of their past, Kanna's sudden disappearance, whether it was related to the betrayal of his subordinates, etc., at least for now, the Tōbō Clan seems to be interested in finding this former leader. As for whether this is a decision made by a high-ranking member of the Tōbō Clan or an order from the Tiger of Kai, there is too little information to speculate.

Since Kanna is now swaggering around under the name of Tenka Goro, if you want to lure him out, then yourself, the legitimate Tenka orphan, is undoubtedly the best bait.

Despite Chiyome's flowery words about how exciting, fun, and unforgettable it would be, which even made Yashiro slightly tempted for a moment, not a single word of it was true. So, of course, she wouldn't obediently go with her.

If we can't go, then we'll have to settle things with fists and feet.

In just a short while, Chiyo truly lived up to her reputation as a figure who would be remembered in history. Even though she had not yet become the "leader of the priestesses of Kai and Shinano provinces" and a powerful intelligence chief under Takeda Harunobu, she had already demonstrated remarkable mental fortitude at such a young age.

She had just narrowly escaped death—at least that's how she felt—and within a few breaths, her previously rapid heartbeat had calmed down, her voice was no longer trembling, and she covered her mouth with her sleeve and chuckled sweetly.

Her laughter was charming, and the crisp sound of bells seemed to have a strange magic that could bewitch people: "As expected of the person I have my eye on, I want to take you home and pamper you more and more... However, I don't think it's good that you don't listen to reason and have to suffer the consequences. You have to change that."

"You have to accept both the toast and the penalty drink; only then can you be considered healthy," the girl replied.

Chiyome seemed taken aback for a moment: "That makes sense—"

As soon as the word "reason" was uttered, a strange fragrance suddenly wafted over, and the woman moved swiftly towards him, striking out with her palm!

As the cane struck, it collided with something with a loud "bang." Judging from the sound, it seemed to be a short, unsharp piece of metal. Chiyome immediately flicked her wrist, sweeping the metal object up the cane with a sharp, piercing whistling sound.

"Well……"

The sound was like a sharp needle piercing her ears, making the girl somewhat annoyed. Frowning, she loosened her grip on her left hand, letting the cane fall, and instead grabbed it without flinching or dodging. "This is... a flute?"

"It is the ancient Cloud-Stopping Flute, one of the Seven Techniques of the Moon Gazing School. How is it? Does the timbre suit your taste?"

As she spoke, Chiyo's iron flute twirled, slipping away from her grasp like an eel. Simultaneously, Yashiro's knee struck, sending the broken cane flying again. She grabbed it, using the cane as a weapon, and struck it with the tip, clashing with Chiyo's flute once more—

Woo!

Another sharp bang!

"It's noisy."

She couldn't help but click her tongue, and was about to switch from defense to offense when Chiyo suddenly lightly stepped back, held the flute to her lips, and began to play it in a mournful tone.

She named her flute "Eyun" (meaning "Abandoning Clouds"), and the sound it produced was indeed as its name suggested, loud enough to stop the clouds from flowing. Each note seemed to tear through the sky. As she played, her body swayed gently with the melody, and the bells tied to her wrists jingled incessantly, like a harmony, complementing the flute's sound.

One was loud and clear, the other crisp and clear, sometimes high and sometimes low, sometimes near and sometimes far, gentle and melodious, captivating the soul. Ba Xun felt a ripple in his heart. Suddenly, a "thump" came from not far away, the sound of a drum!

Boom!Boom!Boom!

The drumbeats continued without ceasing, one after another, like the rising tide, sweeping over everything, yet they did not overshadow the sound of Chiyo's flute and bells. The three blended together perfectly.

Following closely behind, the zither, pipa, and hupai, along with many other instruments, joined in. As they worked together, they subtly stirred the girl's emotions, causing her to feel joy, anger, sorrow, and grief. As the melody changed again and again, she felt as if she had drunk strong liquor, her head spinning, and her chest pounding as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her, making her very uncomfortable.

boom!

The cane tapped on the ground. Yashiro pressed his throbbing temples, trying to concentrate and discern Chiyome's location from the chaotic melody.

"...Hmm!?"

But before she could make any progress, a sense of crisis suddenly rose from the bottom of her heart!

Completely subconscious, the cane swept backward, but the result was an empty feeling in the hand—the shot missed?

The thought flashed through her mind, and the flute music stopped. The girl felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder!

She turned around again, her cane swirling as she swung it out. However, the sounds of the zither and pipa, layer upon layer, surged like waves, while the occasional drumbeats and the striking of the clappers disturbed her mind and made her unable to exert her strength. Her swing of the cane missed its mark once more!

A fragrant breeze wafted around them, bells jingled, and suddenly a hand reached out and gently brushed her nose. Before Yashiro could retaliate, it swiftly withdrew, leaving only a series of giggles in her ear: "Now it's one to one, we're tied~".

The clear flute sound rose again from all directions!

In the darkness, Yashiro leaned against her cane, her eyes tightly shut. In her perception, she felt as if she were a small boat caught in a storm, about to be swallowed up by the raging waves if she wasn't careful.

"Well, to welcome you as a guest, we even brought out this Kagura song, the most treasured piece of the Mochizuki-ryu style. It should be impeccable in terms of etiquette, right? Those old fogies in the family said something like 'why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut,' tsk tsk tsk, as expected, your older sister understands things best. Come on, be good, continuing to endure it will be bad for your health~ oh."

The fragrant breeze wafted on again. Although Chiyo was speaking, the flute music did not disappear. It seemed that someone else was playing it in her place. The girl remained silent, only listening to the sound getting closer and closer until it stopped in front of her. She gritted her teeth and pushed her cane forward!

"Hehe, missed, missed~ As expected, even the most powerful person has a weakness. Once your hearing is sealed, you'll have no choice but to surrender obediently, Yashiro—" Her figure shifted again, elusive, sometimes to the east, sometimes to the west. Yashiro pursed her lips and suddenly reached into her sleeve...

It was at this very moment.

Zheng!

Suddenly, another pipa melody rang out, like pearls rolling on a jade plate, interrupting the conversation without warning.

Although there was a pipa before, the girl could clearly hear the difference. Compared to the harmonious blend of the various instruments before, the pipa strings that sounded now were like a sharp knife, piercing straight into the middle of the melody and shattering the originally flawless tune. The pressure that Yashiro felt also eased.

"Is someone trying to sabotage things?"

Chiyo's voice sounded slightly puzzled. She then made a few gestures, and the Kagura song, which had been perfectly unified, suddenly split in two. The third drum and the dragon flute took the initiative to meet the biwa sound that had interrupted them halfway through. The flute sound was unpredictable and the drum sound was thunderous, but the biwa was fighting against two opponents, and for a time it was still not at a disadvantage.

But from another perspective, it means that they are temporarily unable to intervene in other matters.

Chiyo was relieved to see this and chuckled again: "He's a master, but unfortunately he still can't save you. Little Yashiro, just accept your fate." With that, she held the flute horizontally, about to play it, when Yashiro's left hand flicked and pulled out from her sleeve, her fingers flashing with light as she held two silver needles.

Among the many skills of ninjas, there are several surprise attack methods such as needle throwing, needle blowing, and needle holding. Depending on the different schools of transmission, the specific techniques vary. Upon seeing the girl with a needle in hand, even though Chiyome was very confident in her Kagura song, she still felt a tightness in her chest and subconsciously prepared to dodge.

But the next moment, under her surprised and suspicious gaze, Yashiro did not throw the silver needles as a hidden weapon. On the contrary, she actually pierced the two needles into her ears, one on the left and one on the right!

"Wait……"

I just wanted to kidnap you... and take you back as a hostage. There's no need to resort to such a suicidal tactic! For a moment, Chiyo almost thought the girl was going to destroy her ears. The words to stop her were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back down.

wrong.

Only then did she notice that although the two silver needles were deeply inserted into her ears, not a single drop of blood had flowed out. As the needles entered her ears, Yashiro's disordered breathing and chest heaving due to the Kagura song suddenly calmed down, as if she had returned to her initial calm state.

"I see, so you prepared a trump card... Well, with such an obvious weakness, how could you not try to deal with it? But Yashiro, are you... deaf right now?"

Chiyo seemed to be deep in thought when she suddenly picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it at her.

Although the stone was still knocked away by the girl's staff at the last moment, she noticed that the stone's time and reaction were significantly slower than before.

"To avoid being disturbed by the music, you sealed your ears, but in doing so, you also lost your martial arts skills... Hehe, I really don't know whether to call you clever or a fool. But it's okay, I like kids who are a little silly, that's more fun when playing together. Come on, I was originally planning to play a little longer, but since someone has suddenly appeared and interfered, just to be safe, let's not waste any more time and obediently come back with us—"

Speaking lightly, Chiyome skipped and hopped, her steps as light as a cat's, silently reaching the girl's side.

If it were a normal Yashiro, she would probably still be aware of it, but at this moment she just stood quietly in place, tilting her head, seemingly trying to sense the movement around her, unaware that the enemy was already close at hand.

Having just been in a car accident, Chiyo was especially cautious this time. She stared intently at the cane and the hand holding it. After a moment, once she was sure that the other person's demeanor was genuine, she made up her mind, swung the iron flute, and, with just the right amount of force, struck the girl on the back of the neck.

……

Swish!

A blur before my eyes, a flash of silver light.

Although Chiyo's iron flute struck down, the spot was already empty. At the last moment, Yashiro ducked to avoid it, and with a casual flick of her wrist, she drew the thin, light sword she had hidden in her cane. The tip of the sword trembled slightly as it was placed against her throat.

A familiar scene.

But compared to the cane, the cold, sharp edge of the sword was clearly more terrifying.

For a moment, she even felt like crying.

You don’t play like this!

"You...you can actually hear me?"