After having dinner at the Kamisato residence, Muramasa was taken back to the village in a Yashiro Commission carriage.
"As expected of a great noble's dinner. What a feast…" After getting off the carriage, he was still marveling at the hospitality he had received. He wasn't sure if they always ate so lavishly or if it was just for his visit. It wasn't a waste though; it was a portion that two people could finish. He was a little surprised not to see Thoma at the estate this time. According to the young lady, he had been sent to 'Ritou'.
Ritou was the gateway to Inazuma, where the Kanjou Commission enforced a strict management system for foreigners. After the Sakoku Decree, for a long time, foreign goods would likely only be obtainable from there. And policy changes always brought problems; it was important to have a reliable pair of eyes and ears there.
Lost in thought, Muramasa arrived back at his hut. The lights were already out. Hailing must have gone home, he thought. But something felt off… He hadn't felt anyone leave the barrier.
With a desire to confirm, he entered his room and was met with the sight of a young girl curled up on his bed, sleeping soundly.
"…"
He backed out and closed the door. As long as she doesn't find out, I'll just pretend I never came back.
"Hm?"
The barrier was triggered at that moment, and Muramasa sensed it. He subconsciously grabbed a sword in the room and looked in the direction of the disturbance. The intruder was smaller than a normal person, but bigger than the fox that had snuck in before. It wasn't the presence of a villager, and there were traces of elemental power on them.
Preemptive strike—
Muramasa vaulted out the window. As he landed, his right foot shot back, his body leaning forward with gravity as he got into a stance. He tucked the blade under his arm, using his long mantle as a scabbard. "Phew…" He let out a long breath, a signal of his impending attack. The magical energy around him exploded, cracking the ground beneath his feet.
BOOM!
The static scene was torn apart in the next instant. The blade burst into orange flames. His body, now an afterimage, dragged a stream of fire, becoming a streak of crimson light that closed in on the still-unseen figure. "Hah!"
With a battle cry, he swung the blade in an upward arc. The drawn sword spewed flames, heading towards the dodging... tanuki?
"W-wait a minute!"
The completely terrified tanuki puffed out a cloud of white smoke and transformed into a small child in a tanuki-themed outfit.
A child?
Muramasa redirected the blade, avoiding the child. The tip of the sword grazed the ground beside her, the crimson heat of the blade and the shockwave washing over her face. When she turned to look at the ground that had been struck, she saw that a human-sized chunk of earth had been gouged out. The surrounding grass had turned to ash, and the soil was several shades darker. A direct hit would have meant instant annihilation.
"Little girl, what are you doing here?" Muramasa didn't let his guard down, but he did drop the sword in his hand. The blade turned into iron scraps and dissipated along with the scorched earth.
"I... I was sent by the shrine maiden to secretly protect you and the people around you... She said... it was the Yashiro Commission's orders!"
Secretly protect? What's the point of being secretive if you're about to be killed? Better to just spit it out and save your life.
The Yashiro Commission… that Kamisato Ayato?
Muramasa thought for a moment. "Do you have a Vision?"
The girl didn't dare to hide it and quickly nodded.
"Then, do you have any proof?" He couldn't just take her word for it.
"Proof... uh..." She scratched her head anxiously, unable to think of how to prove it. "We of the 'Shuumatsuban' are a secret organization under the Yashiro Commission. Uh... how am I supposed to prove that?"
Is 'secret organization' something you can just say out loud? Muramasa thought to himself. This 'ninja' seemed a bit unreliable.
No choice…
His eyes sharpened, magical energy gathering in them, and he peered into the karma entwined around the little girl. His Karmic Eyes activated. Normally, he would now understand the 'structure of fate' that had brought her here. However… unexpectedly, what appeared before him was not her fate, but an image: a field of brilliant stars spread out before him, the shining dots connecting to form the shape of a Mujina.
Then, a torrent of karmic information poured into his mind, the sheer volume making him feel dizzy.
"A-are you okay?" Sayu asked, seeing him close his eyes, his brow furrowed in pain.
"No, I'm fine." After processing the information for a moment, Muramasa opened his eyes again. At least he now knew she wasn't an enemy. I didn't expect my other 'abilities' to change so drastically in this world. I'll have to be more careful when using them…
"I believe you."
"Really?" Though she didn't know why, Sayu felt a sense of relief. At least she wouldn't be annihilated.
"Really," Muramasa nodded, but he was still confused. "But, that Yashiro Commission head should have known there's a barrier here. Didn't he warn you not to get too close?"
His question made Sayu freeze. Her small hands started to fidget, a guilty look on her face. "At that time… I was asleep."
"..."
Silence was the flavor of the night. Muramasa rubbed his forehead and let out another heavy sigh. "Do you want to think again if there's anything else you've forgotten?"
"Oh, there is! In three days…" She paused, then muttered, "Uh, no... I slept for a day, so it should be..."
"Ah, right! The day after tomorrow!" she shouted the last two words. "The day after tomorrow, people from Watatsumi Island will be coming. The leader is a brown-haired man named Ura... Gorou."
Muramasa had heard her muttering… So this child slept for a whole day yesterday? A look of 'you were slacking off yesterday, weren't you' crossed his face. Sayu, who was exceptionally skilled in this area, immediately bowed her head. "Because... I rarely go on consecutive missions... The sleepiness, I just can't stop it…"
"Consecutive missions?"
"Yes," Sayu nodded. "Usually I just hide, but I happened to be found that day and was sent on a mission to Watatsumi Island... After I got back, I really wanted to get a good night's sleep. But, when I was delivering my report, I was immediately given this mission..."
So, they usually can't find this child, and this time they just gave her back-to-back missions?
"But, this mission is okay…" she murmured, her eyes sleepy. "As long as you guys are safe, I can sleep all the time. And it's a long-term mission, ehehe…"
Then you should at least say what you need to say before going to sleep…
Muramasa was silent for a moment, then added, "You don't need to protect me. Just protect the little girl inside."
"I know~" Sayu said with a smile. "That's what the shrine maiden said too. By the way, do you have anything to eat in your house? I slept for a whole day and haven't eaten anything..."
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