We walked around the city for a day, but we couldnât find the man with the eye patch and the cross-shaped scar on his cheek. It was just me, being seen by passersby.
[Yuna, youâre only looking at the stores, not the guy that weâre looking for.] Shinobu
I entered the tourist mode halfway through.
Itâs because itâs more fun to look at the townâs scenery, rather than looking for that person.
[I thought that my presence would make me stand out, and they would notice me.] Yuna
[No one would think that a girl dressed as a bear is looking for them.] Shinobu
Well, I certainly stood out, but you wouldnât expect a girl dressed as a bear youâve never met in your life to be looking for you, would you?
[But if I stand out, doesnât that mean that Shinobu, whoâs Iâm with, stands out too?] Yuna
[Thatâsâ¦] Shinobu
[Besides, isnât it a bit too much to look for one person in a town this big? Canât you get someone to help you?] Yuna
Two people, rather than one. Three people rather than two. The more people whoâre searching, the bigger the chance youâd find him.
[I donât want to search with too many people because I donât know where the information will leak out. If they find out weâre looking for them and they hide or flee the town, weâll have to start all over again.] Shinobu
Thatâs true, but itâs a tough call. The more people whoâre searching, the higher the chance of finding him, but also the higher the risk of information leaking out. Itâs hard to say which is better.
I honestly hope we can find him within the next three days. Yeah, I can only hope.
After a long day, I took a bath in the hot spring and hugged Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear to relax after a long day.
=====
The second day of exploration begins.
I walk around the city as I did yesterday.
[Shinobu, donât you want to kill that man?] Yuna
My parents were outrageous. So if they got killed, I would not want to kill or catch the culprit. If they get killed, it is most likely my parentsâ fault.
[Thatâs true. But if I kill him, then that would be the end of it. I want to catch him and get him to confess to a lot of things he did.] Shinobu
[Just to confirm, half-dead is fine, right?] Yuna
[What kind of horrible things are you planning to âhalf-killâ him?] Shinobu
Iâm thinking about it.
[You know, like soaking him up in fear from the bottom of his heart?] Yuna
If you instill fear in someone so deep that they can never do anything bad again, they wonât do it again. Before they try to do something bad, would they feel like itâs a death sentence?
But before that, why did they kill Shinobuâs father?
If it was a random murder, it wouldnât have been a big deal.
Itâs possible that Shinobuâs father did something wrong and was killed.
Hmm, but then there would be no reason to capture him. If Shinobuâs father was evil and the man with the scars was righteous, then he would be innocent even if we captured him.
Then again, maybe Shinobu was right, and the man was the evil one?
[Why did that man kill your father, Shinobu?] Yuna
[â¦â¦I donât know. Thatâs why I want to capture him and find out about that too.] Shinobu
So, is it possible that Shinobuâs father is a bad guy?
But she said he killed other people. Are those people bad people too?
The guyâs portrait looks like heâs a villain.
There is a possibility that the person who drew the portrait has mixed in personal feelings about the guy, and we should not judge people by their looks. Iâve had trouble with people judging me by my appearance many times.
The more I think about it, the less I know. Iâm going to have to be very calm about this when I find a guy.
=====
And today as well, the sun begins to set without finding a man.
[Letâs look around some more and then weâll have dinner.] Yuna
I called out to Shinobu, who is standing next to me. But there was no reply. I looked at Shinobu and saw that she had stopped walking.
[Shinobu?] Yuna
[There he is.] Shinobu
Shinobuâs gaze was fixed on a single point. When I turned my sight to where Shinobu was looking, I saw a tall man dressed like a samurai.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Thatâs the guy?
The man had just come out of the dumpling shop.
When the man was about to leave the store and start walking, he immediately changed direction and started walking away from us, so I couldnât see his face clearly, and I couldnât see the cross-shaped scar on his cheek.
But I could see that he was wearing an eye patch over his left eye.
[Letâs follow him.] Shinobu
[Arenât you going to catch him?] Yuna
[Not here. There are still people around. If we create a commotion and cause damage, weâll be in trouble. If possible, we should move to a deserted place or find out which inn heâs staying.] Shinobu
What Shinobu said was true, so we had to follow the man.
Personally, Iâd like to end it by unleashing magic from behind, but if the guy is innocent and it was only a backhanded attack by Shinobu, Iâd be the criminal.
U~u, itâs too much troublesome. Itâs such a pain.
[Letâs go, Yuna.] Shinobu
We kept our distance from the man a little so that he wouldnât notice us and tailed him.
[Are you sure about this?] Yuna
[There is no doubt. That appearance, I will not make a mistake about it.] Shinobu
She replied strongly.
The man is walking alone, unaware that he is being followed.
I wonder where heâs going. If possible, I would like him to go somewhere less crowded.
The man walking in front didnât notice us, but as usual, people passing in front of me kept looking at me.
As expected, my outfit is not suitable for tailing, I guess?
If Iâm just looking for someone, then yeah, but itâs impossible to do so in a bear suit.
[Shinobu, donât you think I should leave?] Yuna
[Itâs okay because weâre keeping a distance.] Shinobu
Shinobu and I kept our distance from the man and continued to tail him.
The man moved away from the main street and entered into a small alley.
Gradually the streets become less crowded.
[Are you sure you donât want my help?] Yuna
[Iâll take care of it. Iâll be fine.] Shinobu
Then I will not lose sight of him, and I will not let him escape. I donât want to go through the trouble of looking for him again. The man did not look back but continued on to the outskirts of town.
=====
The surrounding area is lined with old houses, many of which are surrounded by wooden walls. The streets are completely empty of people.
Itâs a good time to strike or talk.
[Shinobu.] Yuna
The man stopped, then he started to speak to Shinobu.
[I think this place is good enough.] Jubei
The man turned around.
As the sun was setting, the manâs face appeared in front of us under the sunlight.
He had an eye patch over his left eye and a scar on his cheek. It was definitely the man from the sketch that Shinobu had.
[Did you notice us?] Shinobu
Shinobu didnât even try to hide as we followed him.
[I kept hearing anyone will notice that.] Jubei
It seems that it was my fault. Thatâs why I told her Iâm not good at tailing someone.
But the man didnât seem to notice me. He didnât even turn around once. So how could he have realized that he was being followed by a bear?
Then the man looked at me and smiled.
[So you came to this deserted place knowing that you were being followed?] Shinobu
[You donât want to make a scene when we confront each other, do you?] Jubei
It seems the man has his own reasons for not wanting to make a scene.
[So, why were you following me?] Jubei
[Have you forgotten about me?] Shinobu
As soon as Shinobu said that, she waved her arm. At the same time, the man pulled out the sword at his waist. There was a sound as metal clashed with metal, and something fell to the ground.
Itâs a kunai! Shinobu threw a kunai! And the man blocked it with his sword!
I couldnât tell because I was right behind Shinobu. Shinobuâs movements were lean and fast. But the man prevented it.
It was a momentary attack, but the level was high.
[Oh, youâre the daughter of the man from that time? In other words, youâre avenging your fatherâs death, arenât you?] Jubei
[You quickly remembered, well that will make things easier.] Shinobu
Shinobu pulled out a small dagger from her pocket.
[I wonât kill you. But if I win, you will tell me everything.] Shinobu
[Then you should have attacked me from behind when you found me.] Jubei
The man held his sword up.
[I wonât do anything cowardly like that. Iâll beat you with my own strength.] Shinobu
[Fufu, interesting. Iâll be your partner then. So, the cute little lady dressed as a bear over there, are you just going to watch, or are you going to help?] Jubei
The man pointed the tip of his sword at me.
I feel like the tip of his sword is telling me that if I go to help her, he will attack me as well.
[I want you to stay out of this as you promised, and watch me. If anything should happen to me, Iâm leaving everything to you.] Shinobu
So sheâs basically telling me not to help and just watch.
[I also promised that if youâre about to be killed, Iâll step in.] Yuna
[Thatâs why Iâm saying if something happens.] Shinobu
There is a chance that Shinobu will be defeated before I can do anything about it.
If there seems to be a huge power gap,
Iâm going to make a move sooner rather than later.
Besides, Iâll find out if the man is a good or bad guy by his fight with Shinobu.
Shinobu runs, and the man waits for her.
=====
Authorâs Note:
Happy New Year to you all.
Iâm sorry for the delay.
I was worried that the bookwork did not proceed as much as I expected.
My next post will be in three or four days, if possible.
This year as well, yoroshikuonegaishimasu.