(T/N: Third chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed the read! and Thanks for the support!!
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"I can offer that price because my Suzuka Sake House has been a century-old establishment in the Suzuka District. Can your wholesale price even compare?" The young shopkeeper's voice turned sharper. "Try selling that shady-looking booze somewhere else, see if anyone'll even take it."
Komamura Sajin was silent for a moment before responding, "I can work at your shop. Just give me food in return…"
The young man's expression eased, as if a thought had just struck him. "If you can supply mandarin wine on a regular basis, maybe we can negotiate. I could raise the purchase price a bit…"
Komamura shook his head. "I won't be going back to Inuyama."
[TN: Inuyama (犬山) , a territory associated with the Wolfman Clan]
The young man gave a short laugh. "Then there's nothing to talk about. I don't need extra hands here. And with how you look, leaving you in front of my shop would probably scare away all my customers!"
He waved dismissively. "Don't block the entrance. You're hurting business."
Just as Nanatsuki was about to speak to Komamura, the latter's nose, hidden beneath his bamboo helmet, twitched slightly.
The canine sharpness of his senses caught a scent from afar. Komamura's expression shifted, and without another word, he turned and hurried off.
He hadn't been gone long before four figures, all wearing bamboo helmets, appeared at the far end of the street.
They paused briefly in front of Suzuka Sake House.
"Komamura Sajin stayed here for a while," one of them said.
"I smell mandarin wine…" said another.
"Must be what he brought out with him."
"Doesn't matter. He hasn't gotten far, after him!"
The four bamboo-helmeted strangers chased off in the direction Komamura had gone.
Inside, Kyōraku Shunsui withdrew his gaze from the window.
"Those bamboo-hatted weirdos… They're from the Wolfman Clan, right?"
The group's hearing was sharp, they'd clearly caught every word of the conversation outside.
"Most likely," said Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, nodding lightly. "When I first established the Gotei 13, I visited them. I granted them domain over Inuyama and the surrounding areas. In return, they agreed not to harm Shinigami or Rukongai residents without cause."
Nanatsuki asked curiously, "I haven't heard much about the Wolfman Clan these past few years. They don't leave Inuyama often, do they?"
Yamamoto replied, "That's correct. The clan lives in seclusion within Inuyama and rarely steps outside. Seeing them here today is rare indeed."
The group of wolfmen had clearly been in a hurry, but Yamamoto showed no interest in pursuing the matter.
After finishing their meal, the group left the Suzuka Sake House.
At the same time, out beyond the streets of Suzuka District, bubbles rose slowly in a river, disturbing the calm surface.
The bubbles drifted toward the riverbank. With a sudden splash, a strange figure wearing a bamboo helmet emerged from the water.
Komamura Sajin had escaped Suzuka District by diving into the river.
He had left in such haste because he was being hunted by members of his own clan.
He'd gotten into some trouble recently, and word of it had reached the Wolfman Clan. As a result, they had sent people to capture him and bring him back.
But if they succeeded, he'd likely be locked away and never see the outside world again.
Komamura couldn't accept that fate. He couldn't bear the thought of living his days hidden away in the mountains. He wanted to wander the world, perhaps even become a Shinigami.
"Good thing there was a river. The current should wash away my scent. That'll throw them off for now," he thought.
He removed his bamboo helmet, revealing a head like that of an Akita dog.
In his left hand, he clutched a large, struggling fish, at least ten pounds by the look of it. He'd grabbed it while swimming.
Komamura scanned the riverbank, then began walking downstream. He needed to find a place to rest, build a fire, and roast the fish.
That evening, he found a suitable spot in a desolate mountain area.
There, Komamura came across an abandoned shrine.
The shrine was in ruins, the roof partially collapsed, debris and wood scattered across the ground. It clearly hadn't been maintained in ages.
Inside, the sacred statue lay toppled and broken. It was so weathered, it was hard to tell what deity it had once represented, its twisted shape barely resembled anything human.
Behind the shrine, Komamura discovered an overgrown graveyard.
The graves varied in age, but even the newest among them were covered in weeds.
A withered banyan tree stood beside the cemetery, nothing left but dry branches. A row of crows perched silently above, watching the intruder.
Caw! Caw! Caw!
Their shrill cries echoed from the dead branches.
'No one should come to a place like this at night,' Komamura thought.
After confirming he was alone, he gathered some firewood and started a fire.
As he roasted the fish, however, he picked up the scent, and sound, of people.
"Yare yare, I told you someone was making a fire. Can't you smell that? Smells like grilled fish. This spot's perfect for a break, let's rest in the shrine tonight."
"Your nose is better than a dog's."
Hearing the voices from the shrine's courtyard, Komamura hurried to put his bamboo helmet back on.
'Why would people come here at night…?' he sighed inwardly.
He'd only wanted a quiet place to rest, but it seemed the fire had caught the attention of travelers below the mountain.
Looking at the fish roasting over the flames, Komamura hesitated. The newcomers weren't from his clan, so he didn't flee. He decided to finish the fish first.
Under his bamboo helmet, his ears twitched. Someone was approaching the graveyard.
"Mmm, smells good! Someone's cooking behind here?" Kyōraku Shunsui stepped past the shrine and walked into the back courtyard.
"Phew, grilling fish over a grave?" Shunsui blinked at the sight of the fire, the fish, and the bamboo-helmeted figure.
Nanatsuki, following behind, also spotted Komamura by the fire.
He was surprised. He hadn't expected to run into Komamura Sajin again so soon.
In Nanatsuki's memory, Komamura had once received a great favor from Yamamoto, and ever since, had been fiercely loyal to him.
Now that he thought about it, that event likely took place during this very training journey.
"That's a huge fish! Looks good, mind sharing half with us?" Shunsui, ever shameless, walked right up and asked. "I can pay for it."
Komamura, keeping a cold and aloof demeanor, simply replied, "Help yourself."
He'd been starving all day and didn't really want to share. But to avoid conflict, he agreed to Shunsui's request.
As a member of the much-mistrusted Wolfman Clan, Komamura had learned to live cautiously.