The main street lined with medium and small buildings was quiet, with no signs of people or phantom beasts. In the middle of this, Shinnosuke stared blankly at a collapsed building.
As he kept an eye on him, Himari joined her hands in a playful gesture toward Satsuki, smiling.
“Keep it a secret that my brother defeated the Inukami, okay?”
“Why keep it a secret?”
“Because I want to keep it quiet that he has the power of a samurai—our warrior spirit.”
“Then it’s a secret, huh. But first, was Shinnosuke actually a samurai?”
“Yes, that’s what I said. So please, keep it a secret.”
Himari clung to Satsuki’s arm, shaking her like a child trying to get her way without any intent to convince.
Shinnosuke sighed, then turned around.
“Hey, Himari. If you’re going to ask someone for a favor, you should give a reason. That’s where you’re lacking.”
Seeing Satsuki looking troubled, Shinnosuke took Himari by the scruff like a kitten and pulled her back. He then turned to Satsuki.
“We’ve kept it hidden until now, but we possess the warrior spirit. Also, Himari has healing powers. That’s rare, right?”
Samurai are known to possess enhanced physical abilities, endurance, and reflexes beyond normal human limits, as well as telekinesis. They can also infuse their energy into their blade, making it sharper, and release slashes from their sheath in an iaijutsu strike. Rarely, they have the power to heal others.
“Yes, it’s incredibly rare. I know nearly everything about the samurai, and even in Owari Province, there’s only one person with such an ability.”
“Exactly. With powers like that, people might want to marry us into their bloodlines, even if we don’t want to. Maybe not as much as in the past, but it still happens.”
Due to these circumstances, their late parents had hidden their abilities to prevent their daughter from being exploited by noble families. Shinnosuke had followed suit, but he couldn’t leave Satsuki behind. He believed that Satsuki would keep it a secret.
“But the Owari Province would give you the highest treatment.”
“In exchange for an unwanted marriage.”
For his harsh words, Shinnosuke received a kick from Himari—probably half in frustration.
Satsuki thought for a moment, then sighed with a slight smile.
“Fine… I understand. I’ll keep it a secret.”
In the end, she always agreed when Shinnosuke asked for help. This time was no different. Shinnosuke was about to thank her, but Himari jumped in before he could.
“Thank you, Satsuki-nee!”
Shinnosuke shook his head with a smile, switching back to monitoring their surroundings. But his expression twisted as he noticed the half-ruined building again.
“I trusted you, Satsuki-nee! Now that you know my power, let me know if you ever get hurt. I’ll heal you right away.”
“That assumes I’ll get hurt.”
“Ah, I guess so. But I didn’t mean it like that.”
Their banter was just like old times.
Listening to their exchange, Shinnosuke gazed at the wrecked building, feeling a pang of regret. Satsuki came over, dragging a clinging Himari along. It was a familiar scene.
“Hey, Shinnosuke, the building is bothering you, isn’t it?”
“You noticed?”
“Of course. Anyone would.”
Shinnosuke was so downcast that he couldn’t help but think sarcastically.
With a gentle smile in her pale purple eyes, Satsuki said, “Naturally, if a building is destroyed, the person who destroyed it would be held liable.”
“Please don’t say that—it hurts.”
Shinnosuke groaned at her words. As much as he wanted to ignore it, it was a reality. The compensation for a whole building would be incredibly high.
On top of that, he couldn’t let anyone know about their samurai powers.
They’d have to run, but he didn’t feel strong enough to ignore his guilt.
“But there is, in fact, a way out of this,” Satsuki said.
“Are you suggesting there’s insurance I can sign up for right now?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about! No, it’s not insurance. It’s that samurai are exempt from liability claims.”
“No way. I can’t become a samurai.”
One of the reasons Shinnosuke hadn’t become a samurai was his lack of social status, which disqualified him from the role.
“Shinnosuke is in trouble, and I am a samurai. Alright, I’ll take his place.”
“Oh!”
A ridiculously self-serving proposal was made.
“Are you sure? Even if you get exempted, the paperwork sounds like a hassle.”
“But Shinnosuke’s in a bind. I have to do something.”
Shinnosuke and Himari looked at each other, raised their hands together for a high-five, and even did a little dance. Watching the siblings, Satsuki put her hand to her mouth and smiled.
“In return, tell me the full story later. And, listen to my request. Also, be mindful of your words since everyone’s here now.”
With that, Shinnosuke looked across the street.
From the other side, people holding swords approached one after another. They were samurai, and it seemed they had just finished clearing the area of magical beasts.
The samurai looked around at the fallen Inukami and the half-ruined building with astonishment.
“Lady Satsuki! Are you safe? What in the world happened here?”
One raised his voice in shock, and the others nodded in agreement. From their reactions, it seemed that what Shinnosuke—well, now what Satsuki had done—was quite impressive.
“To think you singlehandedly defeated not only Kotama but also Inukami.”
“But she even wrecked that building.”
“Please leave it to us! Samurai have immunity privileges. We’ll handle the paperwork as soon as we return. Rest assured!”
Satsuki turned around and gave a quick wink, showing that the building issue would be handled smoothly.
“By the way, Lady Satsuki, who is that child?”
Himari was still clinging to Satsuki. Although they looked close, it was natural for those who knew nothing of the situation to feel confused.
“This child is an acquaintance of mine.”
“I see! So she was rescued. That’s wonderful.”
“Yes, truly.”
Listening to their conversation, Shinnosuke gestured for Himari to come over. Satsuki was in work mode right now, so he didn’t want to interrupt. As a fellow working adult, it was only natural to show that kind of consideration.
Shinnosuke bowed respectfully.
“Thank you very much. You really saved us.”
“Thank you so much for helping! Wow, we really were saved! Oh, can I post this on social media?”
“Sure, especially with the building wrecked. It’s amazing—demolishing a building while fighting magical beasts.”
Shinnosuke added this as a parting comment.
However, Satsuki gave him a brief glare. Apparently, that was unnecessary.
“Well then, let’s head home.”
“Right. I’m so tired. See you later!”
“You could work on your manners a bit more, you know.”
Shinnosuke muttered as he started walking. Himari quickly caught up, walking beside him and waving to the others as they left.
“That went well, big bro.”
“Yeah, it really did.”
“So, what would you like for dinner? It’s my turn to cook tonight, so I’ll make something special!”
Despite eating so much at the festival, Himari’s appetite was still strong. Holding back a comment about overeating, Shinnosuke pretended to think it over and looked up at the reddening sky.
With the festival now over, his heart felt oddly light and refreshed.
