Yashiro the Blind

After that heart-to-heart talk in the thatched hut, every time she heard the two of them together, Yashiro always had an indescribable feeling in her heart, as if there was something stuck in her throat. However, she did not show it. Whenever Kotori came over, she would still listen to her talk about all sorts of random things with a smile, as if she were taking care of an innocent and carefree little sister.

Days passed by like this, and she and Wan Guizhai were both waiting for the same news. However, Long Zi stayed here for some reason, idling around and not doing anything productive. She either ate and drank everywhere, or ate and drank everywhere. Although she didn't seem to exercise much, her figure didn't get fat at all and remained slender and well-proportioned.

Yashiro once secretly poked the other person's lower abdomen with her finger, and found it not only firm and taut, but she could even feel something that looked like abs...

I really envy others!

Upon hearing this, Longzi asked in surprise, "Don't you have any?"

"I...you...this..." Yashiro was momentarily at a loss for words.

But her reaction piqued Longzi's interest, and he eagerly pounced over, saying, "Let me see!"

"No!"

The girl struggled fiercely, dodging and weaving, almost causing Kato Danzo to throw out his smoke bomb, which was supposed to kill a hundred enemies but also cause three thousand Ganges sands of damage to himself. She finally managed to escape someone's vicious clutches, her hair disheveled and her clothes in disarray, panting as she hid back in her room.

"you……"

Unexpectedly, an uninvited guest was already waiting inside.

Thinking of his rather unsightly appearance—even though he couldn't see it, his shame wouldn't disappear—for a moment, Yashiro had already drawn his sword halfway, intending to kill him to silence him. Fortunately, at the last moment, he deduced the identity of this uninvited guest from the words and heartbeat of the other party.

With a "whoosh," the sword in the staff was sheathed again.

"You...you...you scared me to death!"

Although the sword wasn't fully drawn, the murderous aura it exuded in that instant made the person inside break out in a cold sweat. "What did I do to offend you? Why did you draw your sword without saying a word!"

"Starving to death is a small matter, but losing one's integrity is a great matter," Yashiro replied solemnly.

"What did you lose that you're so serious about? It's just... ugh, looking at you, did you just come back from doing 'that'?" The person who came in was only halfway through their rant when they noticed the girl's appearance—to be fair, to be honest, it was indeed easy to misunderstand.

Swish!

"Wait, wait, wait. I have absolutely no interest in the personal matters of a little brat like you, so put your sword away right now. Honestly, at such a young age, you're always drawing your sword at the drop of a hat. You have no manners at all. I really don't know where you learned that from..."

“Miss Shizu, you have no right to say that.”

"why?"

“You didn’t sheathe your blade either, did you? We’re evenly matched.” Yashiro said, pointing with his finger.

The newcomer turned his head, glanced around, and then suddenly flew into a rage: "This is a naginata!"

"A naginata is still a knife," the girl argued.

"Ha, little guy, you're quite the sharp-tongued one. You're completely different from what Inosuke said. You don't have a shred of humility or politeness..." The person raised his hand and tapped his forehead, then suddenly laughed. "But I prefer your current personality."

It was Shizu, the priestess who had saved Toyogoro and Koto's lives.

Yashiro took the opportunity to straighten her clothes and brush her disheveled hair back into place before putting down her cane and sitting down on the floor.

Shizu sat leisurely on the edge of the windowsill, one leg crossed, her naginata leaning against the wall. The sunlight streaming in from the window shone on the blade, making it gleam like a mirror.

The reflected light pierced straight into the girl's eyes, but her eyes were white and she was completely unaware. She did not flinch or cover herself, nor did she blink or close her eyes unconsciously like a normal person. She simply sat quietly, reached out and pulled her cane onto her knee.

"how?"

After a moment, Yashiro suddenly asked with a smile.

"You... didn't you feel anything?" Shizu remained seated, her expression somewhat surprised and uncertain.

“That’s true for the eyes, but the light on my face is a bit harsh,” the girl said with a smile. “So, Miss Shizu, you must have already determined whether I’m truly blind or feigning blindness—may I ask why?”

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was being presumptuous. Please don't take it to heart."

Shizu apologized readily, then leaped down from the windowsill, picked up his naginata, and said, "As for the reason, instead of me explaining, let Inosuke explain it to you himself. After all, it was his idea, and you two have known each other for a longer time, at least longer than I have, so it's more convenient for him to explain... Perfect timing, he's here now."

As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps followed closely behind, thump-thump-thump, and Inosuke walked in quickly, carrying something in his arms.

He glanced around the room and immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, Shizu, you're still alive... I told you not to test people so casually. What if we upset them? We have something to ask of them, so there's no need to create unnecessary trouble. Besides, Yashiro is my friend to some extent. As the saying goes, even if you don't care about the monk, you should at least look at my old face—Yashiro, it's so good to have you here."

Seemingly aware of the growing invisible killing intent in the room, he decisively chose to shut up and nodded to the girl.

"Mr. Aota, it's been a long time." Yashiro silently loosened his grip on the sword hilt and greeted him with a smile.

It has indeed been a while since we last met.

Since the day he reunited with his junior sister Shizu and learned the truth about his master's death fifteen years ago under the guidance of Manguisai, he has hardly returned to the inn. It seems that he has been running around with Shizu, searching for the whereabouts of the fake Tenfu Goro and avenging his master.

During this time, Yashiro wasn't idle either. Although she herself didn't know exactly what she was busy with, she was running around every day, so she could be considered to have a rather fulfilling life... right? So much so that hearing Inosuke's voice again now felt like a long-lost feeling...

Okay, actually not.

It wasn't that she was heartless; it was just that this fat man was incredibly talkative. It was only because the inn and tavern didn't have cashew chicken available for order these days, otherwise she would definitely have been stabbed by the diners next to her. They had only met for less than a minute, and she already had the urge to kick him out.

"...By the way, how's your search going?"

Recalling what Kanna had said last time, Yashiro asked with some curiosity.

"I was just about to tell you about this, Yashiro!" Inosuke said with a smile. "Actually, the two of us have already caught the thief by the tail. As long as we follow the clues, I believe we can catch him in the next few days and avenge our master."

"This……"

Do you need any help yourself?

The words lingered on her lips, but she ultimately didn't ask them. However, Inosuke seemed to have read her mind and waved his hand, "Miss Yashiro, don't worry. We've made thorough preparations and won't lose to that villain. Besides, this is a feud between our sects, and it should be resolved by the two of us. If we let outsiders interfere, even if we win, we won't have the face to face our master in the future."

“I see…” Yashiro nodded.

But then Inosuke changed the subject: "However, there is something I would like to ask you for help with, Yashiro-san."

"But it doesn't matter."

“This is it.” He pushed the thing in his arms toward him; it was a rectangular wooden box.

The girl held it in her hand, weighed it in her hand, and felt that it wasn't too heavy: "What is this?"

"The Great Floating Stream's family heirloom book of military strategy records all the profound mysteries of the Great Floating Stream, and it is the only copy of its kind in the world," Inosuke said solemnly.

"What……"

Upon hearing this, Yashiro's right hand, which was holding the box, trembled involuntarily. He felt that the box, which was originally quite light, suddenly became heavy. The so-called military strategy book was actually the inheritance of all the moves and techniques of this school. In his previous life, he was more accustomed to calling it a martial arts manual.

The reason it is called a book of military strategy is due to the nature of the world. Ronin who make a name for themselves with their swordsmanship are often not content with being alone. Their next step is to find a famous lord they admire and serve him to show off their talents. Therefore, compared to swordsmen and sword masters who fight alone, they prefer to call themselves strategists. For this reason, martial arts practitioners who travel around the world to train are usually also called military strategy practitioners.

In other words, Inosuke had actually handed over the secrets and essence of his own school of martial arts to me.

“Miss Yashiro, a life-or-death confrontation is no child's play. Although Shizu and I are quite confident we can defeat our opponent, if something unexpected happens, we might die, but the Great Floating Style cannot be lost, and this book of military strategy cannot fall into the hands of thieves and be used by them. I have thought it over and over, and among the people I know, only you are the most suitable to entrust this item to. Firstly, although our acquaintance is short, I trust your character, Miss Yashiro, and secondly…”

He hesitated for a moment, and the girl laughed, "I'm also the only one who can't secretly watch and learn the Great Floating Style moves, right?"

“That’s right…hehe.” Inosuke chuckled sheepishly, readily admitting it. “Well, Yashiro-san, I know this is a hot potato, but after much thought, I can only ask you for help. If we both return safely, everything will be fine, but if we unfortunately die, I hope you can find someone else to carry on the Great Floating Stream—of course, if you want to learn it yourself, that’s fine too. I believe that with your abilities, Yashiro-san, you will certainly not disgrace the name of the Great Floating Stream!”

Yashiro pondered for a moment, then nodded: "...Okay, I promise you."

"Thank you."

Before Inosuke could speak, Shizu, who had been listening quietly, thanked him first. Then, he rested his naginata on his shoulder and, taking advantage of his height, patted Inosuke's shoulder. "Alright, the item has been entrusted to you, and we have no other regrets. Good things should be done sooner rather than later, so let's set off. The sooner we kill that bastard, the sooner Master can peacefully attain Buddhahood."

"kindness."

Inosuke responded with a sound of agreement, said nothing more, turned and left the room. Yashiro listened with her head tilted inside, hesitated and then said, "Wait a moment."

"Does Miss Yashiro have anything else to say?"

"I wasn't calling you, I was calling Ms. Shizu..."

"what?"

This time it was Shizu's turn to turn her head, and at the same time, there was a loud bang as the naginata she was carrying crashed into the door.

"I just wanted to remind you to put the naginata down... It's all right now."

"..."

……

Do you think the two of them can win?

Not long after the two left, Longzi approached and asked a question.

"Were you eavesdropping?"

"They were the ones talking so loudly, their voices were practically drilling into my ears, what could I do!" Lord Longzi always had his reasons for doing things, and upon hearing this, the eldest rolled his eyes without any politeness, turning the tables on the other side.

But then he asked again, "Do you think they can survive?"

"To be honest... I don't know."

"Then why aren't you stopping them?"

"The hatred for killing my master is irreconcilable. What right do I have to stop them? I can only hope that everything goes well for them." Yashiro shook his head.

"really."

Longzi agreed, and the topic was dropped.

As if she had already lost interest in the outcome of Inosuke and the others' match, she skipped over to Yashiro, first stuffing a handful of dried fruit into the girl's mouth, and then, as the girl opened her mouth to take it, she suddenly squatted down with lightning speed, lifted the hem of her clothes, poked and slashed her hand, and let out a sigh:

"Wow!"

They quickly retreated before the cane could strike.

"You guy..."

The girl gritted her teeth.

The dragon prince laughed heartily.

After laughing, she wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and suddenly asked, "By the way, Yashiro, how long do you plan to stay here?"

"It's probably... about time I should go." Yashiro thought for a moment. Once Chiyome returned and that matter was resolved, he should be able to set off.

She would have been done after answering that question, but sensing the dragon prince's meaningful gaze, she sighed softly and obediently asked, "And you, Dragon Prince?"

"That's exactly what I was waiting for you to ask!" Longzi clapped his hands with a grin. "Have I ever told you that I have a grandfather?"

"Said."

"Did I mention that Grandpa's sixty-sixth birthday is coming up soon?"

"Not this one."

"I certainly didn't say that besides broadening my horizons, I had another purpose for coming here: to find a birthday gift that would please my grandfather."

"I definitely didn't say that."

"Let me tell you, you might think this is easy just by hearing it, but it's actually not simple at all! Grandpa is like a block of wood, he has no hobbies whatsoever. I've been wandering around Sakai Town since I left home, and I still haven't found anything that Grandpa would like—and the most inexplicable thing is that I don't know when I ran out of money, isn't that strange... Could it have been stolen by a tanuki monster?"

Longzi kept complaining.

However, considering her bottomless appetite and her expensive southern barbarian attire, Yashiro felt that this matter most likely had nothing to do with the tanuki monster.

In contrast, the girl was more curious about how much money the dragon prince had brought with him when he went out, which allowed her to spend lavishly all the way without running out of money yet.

"...With the date drawing ever closer, I felt embarrassed to go back empty-handed... Just then, I suddenly remembered something!"

Longzi puffed out his chest triumphantly, glanced around, and nudged Hachisaku with his toe.

"...What has Lord Dragon Prince thought of?"

"That's exactly what I was waiting for you to ask! It's very simple. I heard my father say that my grandfather had many, many disciples. What's that saying again... right, 'his students are all over the world'! So I thought, my grandfather must really enjoy teaching disciples, otherwise he wouldn't have taken on so many students—I wouldn't have!"

Ryuko's words were indeed quite convincing, and Yashiro nodded in agreement, "Indeed... So, what is your final thought, Ryuko-sama?"

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she had a feeling that the conversation was about to steer towards her.

"So, Grandpa likes to teach apprentices, but he certainly won't just teach anyone. They have to be talented and hardworking for it to be interesting to teach them."

Ryuko pointed a finger and said, "In other words, I want to take you back as a gift to Grandpa so that he can take you as his apprentice. That way, Grandpa will have an apprentice to teach, you can learn my family's swordsmanship, and I can stay with you all the time. Wouldn't that be killing three birds with one stone? Everyone would be happy! What do you think, Yashiro? Don't you think it's a good idea?"

Well, it's not an illusion.

Listening to Ryuko's enthusiastic voice, Yashiro was stunned for a while before finally catching up with the other's wildly imaginative thoughts.

"No... before we discuss whether this is a good idea, I'd like to ask you, what's your grandfather's name?"

If it were a historically famous swordsman, that would be fine, but she had no interest in becoming a disciple of some obscure, unknown taro dojo.

"Huh? Didn't I say that?" Longzi was taken aback.

The surprise was so genuine that even Yashiro began to have doubts. After recalling her memories, she confirmed, "You really didn't say that."

"Alright, it's not too late to tell me now. My grandfather's name is Tsukahara Bokuden, I think he was the founder of some kind of Shinto-ryu school, and he was quite famous around here... So, Yashiro, have you heard of that name?"

"I asked casually," Long Zi asked.