He waited by the window for dawn. The one who woke up first, however, was Yoimiya, who had gone to sleep later.
"You're awake so early?" Looking at her rubbing her eyes, still drowsy, Muramasa couldn't help but say, "You could have slept a little longer."
"Mmm... but if Hailing found me sleeping in your bed, it would be bad, right?" She deliberately lowered her voice, but the smile on her face was wider than her voice was low.
Such strange little thoughts… Muramasa mused, then headed for the door. "I'll go check the luggage again. We'll leave once she's awake."
By the time Hailing was up, they had all washed up and were on their way back to the village. The sky, which should have been dawning, was still dark. Hailing and Yoimiya sat on the cart, while Muramasa stood at the front, pulling the two of them out of Inazuma City.
"Hah~" Yoimiya yawned from the cart. "Did we get up too early?"
Hailing, on the other hand, was hesitant and clearly restless. "Muramasa, are you sure this is okay? Pulling the two of us... isn't it too much?"
"It's fine. It's just two young girls, not two sumo wrestlers." Muramasa pulled the cart effortlessly, his pace even faster than a normal person's walk.
"So fast…" Thinking back to the secret Muramasa had shown her last night, she was less surprised by his superhuman strength.
"By the way, Yoimiya, are you planning to come all the way with us?" Seeing that Muramasa was fine, Hailing relaxed and turned to ask Yoimiya.
"No, I'm just walking you part of the way~" Yoimiya laughed. "Who knows when we'll see each other again?" A round trip to the seaside village took at least a day. No matter how much Yoimiya wanted to, it would be difficult for her to visit often.
So, just let me stay a little longer… Looking at the smile on Yoimiya's face, Hailing felt it was a little different from usual. But what was even more different… was her clothes. She was wearing her usual orange yukata, but today, she had it wrapped tightly, not half-open as usual.
"This is really inconvenient to wear like this…" Yoimiya quietly tugged at her sleeve, thinking about how to alter the style when she got back. I definitely can't just leave it open for convenience like I usually do…
"It's so dark today… I was hoping to walk with the sun," Hailing remarked, looking at the thick clouds overhead.
"Well, the rainy season is coming, isn't it? But with the Shogun here, we don't have to worry."
"The rainy season will affect sailing…" Unlike Yoimiya, Hailing was a standard fisherman's daughter, so her thoughts naturally went in a different direction. "I don't know if I can manage on my own."
For a family by the sea, having a boy was of utmost importance. Sailing and hauling in fish were all physically demanding jobs. Different villages also sold their catch to different fisheries. Where there was opposition, there was competition. The cake was only so big; if you took a bigger bite, I got a smaller one. It was a simple truth. And the relationships between the fisheries inevitably affected the relationships between the fishing villages. So, most fishing villages were secretive, hiding their techniques and clearly defining their fishing territories. This naturally led to a system of punishment for betrayers.
In his past life, Muramasa had heard of a custom called mura hachibu. Simply put, it divided daily interactions into ten major events: birth, coming of age, marriage, building a house, illness, floods, memorial services, travel, fire, and funerals. Mura hachibu meant being cut off from eight of these. Only in the event of a fire or a funeral would the other villagers interact with you. So, having more boys was a form of security for them. And now, Hailing still bore the name of a fishing family, but it was difficult for her to do the work of a fisherman.
"Oh right, what are you going to do when you get back, Hailing?" Yoimiya asked with concern.
"I don't know…" Hailing shook her head. "Maybe I'll make a living by gathering herbs for a while? I used to occasionally go with my family to gather some herbs to sell here and buy things."
I see. No wonder Hailing was the one who came to sell things… A small fishing village was usually self-sufficient. If they needed anything, they could rely on merchant caravans. So, it had to be Hailing, who was more familiar with Inazuma City. Plus, they wanted to get rid of those things. Leaving them around was like having a wound that would never scab over.
Just then, Muramasa remembered something. "Speaking of which, Hailing, you have a very good memory and ability to distinguish things, don't you?" To be able to identify whitebait and understand different herbs.
"Ah… do I?" Hearing Muramasa say this, Hailing was first happy, then confused.
"Yes. In that case… maybe you could learn something else. Like being a doctor."
Being praised like this made Hailing blush. "N-no way. Someone like me… and I don't have money for school or anything."
Sensing her hesitation, Muramasa encouraged her, "The main thing is whether you want to do it or not. Before that, my forge is still short one helper."
Hearing the kindness in his words, Yoimiya chimed in, "That's right, that's right! Muramasa said it yesterday—'Having a body that can do anything you want but doing nothing would be such a waste!'"
Seeing Yoimiya's expression, Muramasa couldn't help but smile. "But, no matter what, the choice is still yours. I'll just say one thing. If you want to live, it's better to look forward."
Look forward…
Hailing pursed her lips. After a short silence, she replied, "Okay."
Hearing her response, Muramasa began to think of something else. "I wonder when that 'payment' will arrive…"
"By the way, Muramasa," Yoimiya leaned over the side of the cart. "Do you think Tougo will be okay?" She was, of course, referring to the offering blade.
The listener just "hmm"-ed and tilted his head back slightly. "Don't worry. He just needs to learn how to 'take a leap'."
…
Amenoma Smithy, Closed.
The usually open smithy had been closed by Amenoma Juugo, leaving only Tougo sitting inside. Before him, on a black sword stand, rested the blade—Yaegaki Muramasa.
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