kscans

Chapter 4 - Those Who Leave the Capital

"So, what do you think? Would you like to travel the country with us?" Shion moved away from Shintaro and returned to her formal kneeling position as she spoke.

"We have money prepared. The dojo will surely suffer a great loss without you. Of course, we will also pay you a salary every day."

What kind of joke is this? Shintaro couldn't help but laugh. The eloquent lines sounded comical coming from someone with such an innocent expression. It was obvious she had been made to practice them.

"Are those your true feelings?"

"Yes."

"Why do you need to see the country? When you can't even... see." He asked hesitantly, yet pointedly. Shion simply smiled.

"Sometimes, one can see better in the darkness. Besides, my friends are my hands, my feet, and my eyes—but the world is a wide place. We don't know when some powerful foe might attack us. With someone like you, Shintaro-sama, our journey would be much safer."

"Forgive me for saying so, but your friends are all excellent swordsmen, and they coordinate well. I think you could drive off most opponents."

"Hoho? Is that what the man who defeated us as if we were children has to say?" Saneyuki interjected from the side. Shintaro made a face as if he had bitten into a bitter bug.

"If I hadn't broken from the dojo's forms, I would have struggled."

"Oh, you rate us highly, do you? But if a swordsman like you appeared, it'd be all over for us. What we want is a bodyguard who can handle anything that comes our way, no mistakes. Shion is our life. We want to protect her perfectly," Kiku said, her voice filled with passion. Shintaro looked at her with a sense of surprise. She was so serious, a stark contrast to her seemingly promiscuous appearance. He recalled how kindly she had spoken to Shion, like a real older sister, and nodded.

"If you insist, I don't mind accompanying you. But there's no need to inform the dojo."

"...Why is that?"

"That dojo no longer has any use for me." He barely managed to swallow the words that threatened to escape: They'll be relieved to see me gone.

It was infuriating to let them have their way. But he couldn't stay either. He didn't want to be gossiped about for lingering pathetically at the dojo, nor could he bear the thought of being badmouthed for running away with his tail between his legs. If it made no difference whether he stayed or left, then he might as well go somewhere no one knew him.

It would be great if he could make a name for himself somewhere. Even if he rotted away, it was better than exposing his fallen state to people he knew.

How could he possibly go on living in this neighborhood, so close that the shadow of the Tower fell upon it? Every time he looked up, he would remember Mana and resent the man who had taken her; he would never have a single day of peace. And if he were to step on that shadow, he would be scorched by a burning humiliation.

Shintaro steeled his resolve, raised his gaze, and met Shion's eyes. She was looking at him with an anxious expression.

"What do you mean, no use for you?"

"Did you do something to get yourself in trouble?" Saneyuki pressed him immediately. Shintaro gave a wry smile. It was only natural for them to be concerned, knowing that the man they were trying to recruit was on the verge of being expelled.

"I've lived my life honestly. But... perhaps that very honesty was my downfall." Would it have been better if I were more forceful? More cunning?

Shintaro asked himself these questions, but sighed, knowing that nothing would change now.

Mana had certainly loved the straightforward Shintaro. The smiles she gave him every day without fail were a sign of her trust in an honest man. Her father, too—it was greed that had warped them. They should have known to be content with their modest happiness, but an unexpected proposal had made them dream.

Shintaro quietly closed his eyelids.

"I'm a farmer's son with no backing, just an ordinary man. Besides my skill with the sword, I have nothing to lose. That's why I was cast aside. They decided I was of no use to them." Then he slowly opened his eyes and gazed at Shion and the four men and women who stood protectively around her.

"If you still want to make use of such a man, then do as you please."

*

In the end, Shintaro packed for the journey without asking for details about his employers' identities. All he knew was that they wanted a skilled bodyguard and were willing to pay him a salary, which didn't sound like a bad deal. He figured they would value him as long as he was useful. Besides, it seemed odd for a man with no status or fortune to be cheated out of to be prying into the backgrounds of others.

Evening came.

When Shintaro returned to the inn, the group was waiting for him at the entrance. Shion wore a wide-brimmed hat with a thin cloth veil and stood surrounded by her four companions, as if being protected. Her appearance was unusually striking, so they had taken measures to shield her from prying eyes. Their departure at dusk was also a means to avoid attracting attention.

"Well then, let us go," Shion said as he joined them, and the group set off. Shintaro followed, but after five or six steps, he paused and glanced back.

He had left without a word to anyone, but for a moment, he entertained the futile hope that Mana might have noticed and come to stop him. Mana would be happy. She would be a dutiful daughter and live a life free from want of status or money. She wouldn't chase after Shintaro and needlessly throw her life away.

Shintaro turned and faced forward. The figures of the group ahead were blurry; it was because he was unmanfully grieving their separation.

They couldn't afford luxuries, but they had surely been happy together.

He chided the person who was no longer there in his heart. The boundless emptiness was maddening. The untainted girl had, at some point, become a woman with worldly views, and only the boy had been left behind. By the time he realized it, she was already out of reach, and the only path left for him was to disappear from her sight.

Was it a sin not to change, or was it a sin to change?

Shintaro was frustrated by the fickle human heart and tormented by its absurdity. Yet, for the path that had now opened before him as a result, he felt a sliver of gratitude.

I will never return here.

With that resolve, Shintaro took his first step into a new life.

*

The journey had begun, Nana explained to Shintaro, at the earnest request of Shion, who was losing her eyesight.

The quiet, plain-looking girl was surprisingly frank and almost boyish when she spoke. She wore light makeup, not because she liked it, but seemingly out of necessity. Just the other day, she had laughed at herself, saying things like:

"Without a little makeup, my plain face looks even plainer."

You can't truly know a person until you open up and talk to them. Kiku and Nana were prime examples of this.

Kiku, who gave off a strong impression of being careless and self-indulgent, was actually very caring and meticulous. Shion was fond of her, calling her "sister." She was a good cook and resourceful. And Nana was a resilient girl who could say what needed to be said at crucial moments. Because she was usually quiet, her words carried immense weight. Shintaro was in a constant state of surprise.

That day, they were camping in a rocky area in the mountains, aiming to get about four hours of sleep. Shion, Kiku, Saneyuki, and Sahei were sound asleep, while Shintaro and Nana were on watch.

"The young mistress said she wanted to see as many things as possible before she lost her sight completely," Nana said. Shintaro was a little surprised.

"It wasn't from birth?"

"No. But our journey continued even after she went blind. She said she wanted to feel the different smells and sounds of various places..."

"So you're all just putting up with her selfishness?"

"Of course not. Being of service to the young mistress is our greatest joy. We've never once thought of it as selfish."

"I see." Shintaro nodded lightly and fell silent. He didn't feel the need to ask why they were so devoted to Shion. He feared that if he knew the reason why the four people he was traveling with loved Shion so deeply, he might find himself drawn to her as well.

Getting too close is forbidden. He had had enough of being betrayed just when he started to feel like family. Shintaro closed his heart.

Yet the beautiful girl sleeping by the bonfire somehow looked happy. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, just as they had been when she was feeling the shape of his face.

Is she happy because she thinks her journey will be easier now that she's hired a new bodyguard?

Shintaro considered this, but something didn't quite sit right. A bodyguard just needed to be strong and reasonably loyal. Appearance shouldn't matter. Especially for someone who can't see, it should be completely irrelevant. But before getting down to the main topic, Shion had seemed overly concerned with just that.

Am I overthinking it...?

Shintaro sighed and looked away.

He didn't know how long it would last, but every journey has an end. It's just until then. It's a temporary bond.

He repeated this to himself over and over in his mind.