SAI SHINU
A shiver ran through my whole body. "Hold on… you're the leader of a personal army and the daughter of this village head?" I said, shock making my voice tremble.
"That's right," she replied calmly.
I stopped walking. "Wait—if you lead the personal army, then who leads the public army?"
She answered without hesitation. "Oh, the man who created and trained all the personal army."
"And who is he?" I asked.
She said, "The man who carried out the execution. His name is Juro Kouji."
My eyes widened instantly. Even though that wasn't his true name, my heart started pounding like crazy.
Namae grabbed my hand. Immediately, a calm washed over me, steadying my breath. We resumed walking slowly, side by side.
I asked, "The army you lead… how many members does it have?"
"If you count me in the final number, it's ten," she said.
Unease crept into me. An army I knew nothing about—ten people, trained in silence—capable of appearing out of nowhere. Such power could crush me if it turned against me.
"What about your powers? What are they?" I asked.
"Well," she said, "I can wield all four elements. I can generate and control them."
She reminded me of Yosuke.
"I have a friend with abilities similar to yours, but…"
"But… what?" she asked, curious.
"He's a wielder of all three generations," I said, locking eyes with her beautiful amethyst-purple gaze.
Her eyes widened. "This is the first time I've heard of something like this existing," she whispered.
"I won't even bother asking what your abilities are," she added, half a smile tugging at her lips.
"If you're lucky, you might see them in action one day," I replied.
We reached a set of stairs. She motioned for me to walk up first, and we climbed. At the top, a white door awaited.
I frowned, uncertain, but she stepped aside and opened it. "Come in," she said.
I entered slowly, every step weighed by the unknown. She closed the door behind us.
The room was elegant: purple walls lined with white and golden detailing, a wide golden ring hanging from the ceiling—an unusual lamp whose value I couldn't even guess. Across from me sat a bed with a low table at its foot. To the left, a bookshelf nearly overflowing. To the right, a blackened window.
"Please sit down, Sai," she said.
I obeyed. She drew the curtains across the window, dimming the room until only a faint glow remained. Enough to see, but tiring to the eyes if you stayed too long.
She sat across from me, posture straight. Her gaze never wavered.
"Like I promised, I'll tell you about your mother," she said.
"Okay, but first, I have a question," I said.
"Spill it," she replied.
"Almost three years ago, I was at a motel, and suddenly someone—an assassin—raided the village," I began.
She didn't respond, so I continued. "Someone stopped him, but the whole motel learned he was from Sora Village and that he was after a girl. Her name was Yuri Koi."
"Yes, I remember how that started," she said slowly. "My master returned to the village terrified, and he told us that a girl named Yuri Koi almost killed him."