Chapter 35: Chapter Thirty-four: People are not what they seem
He was mostly keen to avoid going out for anytime as well, since he knew that Shino and Hajime were still busy gloating over everything at this point. And thus, made going out difficult even he was not certain where to start. Mostly thinking about who to ask, no one should really trust another person which they did not know.
Takara did mention that she did not know, as much as the district having changed much since she last stepped foot into it. As such, she merely gave him suggestions as to who he should go with more than anything else. And so far, he was right to have avoided it since the city was huge.
"Kazuho, someone left a letter for you." He turned back and passed him a small letter. He read it with only surprise.
I'm a humble letter writer who knows a lot of people, and if you may I can help you. Find me in the street above yours, and there we shall talk.
An old friend
He read it once more, to make sense of it in all certainty. As he was once more hanging in the hallways, trying to understand whether all of this was real or not. When he read one more time, and certain that it was so. He looked up and realised than he was receiving a letter from a total stranger. Even if said man promised to help him.
And the way he signed, it meant that Kazuho must have knew him at some point in life. Which were plenty; a reason why he needed to be more cautious when he was here. Mostly because they will know him, even if was by several years. He had a handsome face, which many remembered with ease. As well as his height being taller than most, even as a child.
Even as he did his best to keep himself low, mostly to assure that he will be able to avoid trouble. Having all sorts of reason why he had to do so, and to assure that he will be able to do so at his own comfort without having to keep in mind his many enemies.
Should he? Flismy was the word to describe this, not enough to even convince him to make a visit. A better option was if he chose to wait it out and see how he will have responded. Still, upon seeing it it did seem to be someone whose handwriting he must have read a lot. The peculiar way of writing certain characters, the sometimes weak grammar. It was clear that this person did not have much education, or if it was it was later in his life.
If anything, it meant that it was not some Daimyo or Samurai who will have done a lot better in their writing. Samurai often had to learn bushido, which was how they will used their sword, requiring years of mastery as well as being unable to learn anything else. And ruled out merchants, where words was how they earned their keep.
Even as he began to guess who he was, but could not make a decision.
"Is anything wrong?" Shino grabbed the piece of paper from him, looking at the contents of it. "I do hope that you're smarter than that."
"I'm going to see how he will react rather than anything else." He took it from her next, mostly rolling his eyes.
"By the way, is the guy an old friend?"
"Should be. I do have a few people in mind." Even as he did not have clues, but he wasn't not that desperate at the end of the day. And he wasn't even all that sure. But he was not keen on really looking into it at the end of the day. Mostly to avoid anything really all that bad.
He took in a deep breath, knowing that it was incredibly difficult. For a girl that he had not met in a long time, neither had he been in contact with. Finding her was going to be tough, and even now he was still nowhere, and was worse off than he began. With most of his companions different from him.
"By the way, where is Hajime?"
"I'm here, you know." He came here, leaning against the hallway. And when he did not come inside, he was a little suspicious. "And he's the receiver, you've done your job."
"I finally found you." A small boy panted as he looked at him. He seemed as though he had been through a lengthy sojourn, or spent the days running through the streets just to come here. "A letter from Shinrou."
He grabbed it in an instant, while Shino merely glanced. And Hajime muttered under his breath that the boy refused to hand over the letter, as though he knew Hajime was lying. Either way, it was in his good news. As much as he was curious just how did the boy know it was him.
"He didn't seem anything like the picture which I was given." If anything, he should be thanking the man when he went home. Either way, it was common sense to have done so at the end of the day. At least when compared to the fact that he could have handed this over to anyone.
He took it, before making a run for it. Knowing that the two of them will have been likely to continue trying to know everything about him; even things they were better not knowing. And locked it, knowing that was going to be crucial. Or something had occurred back in Okiban, which was important enough to let him know.
When he opened the letter, he was faced with a dilemma. His house was being raided, and by a clan powerful enough to afford shinobi when compared to normal mercenaries. That was not all, it was by someone who knew his house. Which was few and far between, given how little connections he had done so far.
It had to be the Sasaki. And just when he had managed to find enough clues to lead him to her, this had to happen. It meant that he had to find Masaki and Yuki as soon as possible, although that will be difficult. It was a situation that could not wait.
He really needed a drink and to think this over seriously.
"So, someone had gotten lost?" Junri had been free to ask this today, where she had the day off to herself. And she began it, by lighting her kiseru for a smoke. The same way that Kazuho did to wine, as he drank bottle after bottle when he was exhausted. Masami stood on the top floor with her, mostly an empty place with rooms that were rarely used. She mostly loved to go up because of the scenery.
"Saitou Masaki." Which was a rich boy, possibly a Daimyo's son given how he was addressed when his servant called him. No one else could even use it, unless he was a Daimyo's son. But it was not enough as an indicator.
"I know him." She widened her own eyes, at the fact that Junri did know the boy. "Average height, with a round face, small eyes. Am I right?"
"Yes." As much as this was far too much of a coincidence. But still, she ran one of the richest inns in the city of Okiban. There was bound to be some like Masaki there, even if it was a little strange.
"Do you want a smoke, I can lend you one."
"No, I prefer to drink." And so far, she has not because she could not be drunk at any point in time. She still had to work, and this was her lunch break. After eating something, she came to talk with Junri, who was interested in knowing what went down that night.
"Either way, he is a Daimyo now with an elder sister. Someone who is hiding their father's death from him, and hiding because her father's vassals want her. She becomes a suitable leverage, because of how close she was to Masaki." It was suspicious, to have Junri know so much about something. Even as she did not manage to even see who the woman was. "Either way, she still must be hiding from them. Sasaki is helping him find Kouya."
"I'm going to get a drink before I come back up." She went down with good idea as to what was going on here. She needed to tell Yuki as soon as possible, they needed to leave the place. She knew too much, and such a woman was dangerous. Her knowledge could mean something; she could be associated with someone.
And she was not even all that keen to find Hajime at all, as though she was fine with merely bumping into him one of these days. Even if it was unlikely, but it was something which caused her concern. She went down and asked for an actual bottle, before suggesting that she will come back later. It was the best course of action if she was not certain as to how this could go. And if she could get more information, but knew that her target was a possible danger as well as being alone.
Going inside the room she shared with Yuki, where she opened it to find the girl looking at a picture book. She looked up to her, with merely a raised eyebrow. "We have to leave and find Kazuho, as soon as possible."
"Why?"
"Junri, there is something off with Junri." She began to pack her small number of belongings since she took little here in the first place. She was lucky to even have gotten this, even if it wasn't they had fewer chances to blow her cover.
"Really?" She stood up.
"Don't you find it odd that she had never did much inquiry for Hajime at all?" She did not, even as she did not like the man. But she could tell that the two of them were close. But they were too focused on trying to survive and looking for Kazuho if they had time they did not think it was strange for something like this.
"True, what should we do?"
"I'll head back, you go ahead and find Kisuke and we'll meet at the same location. The saitou household and nowhere else. I have to talk with her to end things." Masami took a knife which was given to her by Kisuke and kept it hidden. Her sword will have been less practical, and she did not want to alert Junri who could know. And she rather not take her chances as of now. She began to pack while she closed the door, heading down to the first floor.
"Here's your bottle." She paid them and went up. To the top again, where she waited. "That was long."
"They had to brew it." It was not too long, just enough that it will not arouse suspicion. Hoping that Yuki will have been careful in her choice in this.
"What do you know about Kouya?"
"He was a man who killed an underworld lord, someone who has been running the place for a long time. Nothing particularly outstanding, although without another of the clans it meant that our country is vulnerable to outside interference. And one which made even the men at the top fear his name, as he was the one credited with many great feats."
"What if it was not? But rather the effort of a man who sought to keep himself unknown?"
"Then, it will be even more interesting. Either way, he is a man hunted by the bakufu, the underworld and not even welcome by the Imperial Court." She inhaled it one more time. "But for it to be a scheme, whoever it is must have had some grand plan in mind to maintain such an illusion."
She looked away for the moment. "Either way, Hajime mentioned that he was Kouya. And I know that you know who he was. And is that Yuki running off at the end?"
Yuki had managed to escape to the streets, her red hair standing out in the crowd. It could not be helped, even as she knew that her current situation was precarious. She was exposed to her, and if she wanted to get rid of her it was easy.
"Well, guess you do know Kouya after all. And you are far more trouble than I thought you will be." She took out her blade, and thankful that it was not a gun. If it was, escaping was more difficult. But it was still just as dangerous.
She mostly dodged her strikes, as she went closer to the roof tiles. Before she climbed up the roof which Junri followed. She jumped down the building, with Yuki coming to her. She managed to land on her feet and overall unscathed. Both of them did not look back, running all the way.
If anything, thankfully she never knew where Kisuke worked or even where he was in general.
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