Hiiragi-to is somewhat like Ishka.

　As I walked down the road leading to the Miken residence, I suddenly thought about that.

　Hiiragi and Ishka are both fortified cities surrounded by walls, so it's natural that the atmosphere of the cities are similar, but that's not all.

　A single wall separates the city from the rest of the world, where ferocious demons are strolling about, but the faces of the residents of the city do not show any signs of fear. Everyone is walking with their feet firmly on the ground. And that is exactly what the scene is like.

　There is an absolute trust in the soldiers who protect the city, and a pride in knowing that they are the ones who support them. These two things give the inhabitants of Hiiragi City a sense of calmness and peace.

　The Founding Emperor of Ad Astera once said, "The way is to make the people do the same thing with their superiors". Roughly translated, it means "the unity of those who rule and those who are ruled is important", and in that sense, the unity of the Hiiragi Capital is probably one of the best on the continent.

　That of Ishka was greatly damaged by the Illusory Species (Hydra) and the Demonic Beast Stampede, but that of Hiiragiuto seems to have become even stronger than it was five years ago. The scenes that seemed so ordinary five years ago were quite interesting now.


"The reign of the sword is unshakable, huh? That's quite a feat.


　He smiles sarcastically. Surely it must have been a trivial matter to the Gokens and to the residents of Hiiragi no matter how trivial or unimportant it was to the Gokens and the residents of Hiiragi no doubt.

　Had Goz or Cecil been next to me, I would have said something, but they were walking away from me, so my sarcasm melted in the air, unheard of.

　The reason I kept Goz and the others away was because if Goz, who was wearing a dodgy blue-linen eight- banner Jinbaori, or Cecil, who was wearing a kimonos to look at, were around, they would attract unwanted attention.

　Goz, the shiba of the Gokenshi family and the third rank of the first banner, and Cecil, the side concubine of the head of the family. These siblings of the Shima family are naturally famous in Hiiragito (Shuto). I don't want to be prying into who that shabby young man walking with them is.

　I walked slowly, looking at the streets lined with houses of eastern architecture. The hometown where I spent thirteen years since I was born, and it's not something that remains in my memory for the most part, just like the time of "The Road to the Law".

　I can feel the residue of my memories here and there in my field of vision. There was a sweet shop around the corner, and I remembered that I used to go there with Cecil and Ayaka.

　When I've done all my business, I should stop by and grab one of the dumplings. If I do so, it might bring a sense of nostalgia to my heart that is as dry as the Catalan desert.

　--I was thinking about this when a figure appeared from behind the corner I was looking at.

　A young boy with gray sparse hair and red copper skin. He was wearing multiple layers of cloth around his head like a turban. He seemed to have just stopped by the sweet shop I had in mind, and was holding ten skewers of dumplings in both hands.

　I thought he had bought too many, but the boy vigorously chewed up the dumplings and threw them into his stomach before he could even look at them. By the time he passed me, the ten dumplings had been neatly reduced to just a skewer.

　The boy licking the red bean paste (anko) and molasses from his fingers was a failing grade in terms of etiquette, but strangely I didn't get the impression that he was mean. I could feel the wildness and vitality of a boy of his age, which naturally made my cheeks smile.

　He's a year or two younger than me. Looking at the scars peeking out from his face and arms, he's probably one of the Blue Lin Banners. He's also a pretty good user.

　-- which means it's an opponent I might be fighting in the future.

　I quickly narrow my eyes and look at the boy. You'll be able to find out if you'll be able to get a good deal more than you'd like.

　And then suddenly the boy's eyes suddenly turned on me. I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on the subject. I'm sure this is what they mean by "piercing gaze". I was under the illusion that the will to fight had come as a gust of wind.


I'm going to buy a fight, okay?


　The boy said this with some amusement. There was no anger in his eyes, only a burning desire to fight against a strong opponent.

　I'm not a fan of this, but I'm a fan of the idea.


I'm not going to do that. I apologize for my disrespect.


　The fact that we apologized honestly was surprising, and the boy looked like he was disappointed. He also looks vaguely disappointed.


'What, I thought I finally had a decent opponent. Well, if you don't want to do it, there's no way around it. You're not going to be able to watch anyone else,

Be advised. We'll keep that in mind. I'm sorry.

I've already accepted your apology. You can have two. I'll see you-- hmm?


　A strange voice suddenly escaped from the mouth of the boy who was about to pass me with a fluttering wave of his hand. Something wrinkled between his eyebrows as he stared at me - the bracelet on my left wrist, to be precise.


''........Hey, you. Where did you get that bracelet, where did you get it?

This one?　It was a gift from a friend of mine when I left for my trip.

Friend, friend. By the way, what did your friend say about the benefits of the bracelet?

I think they're praying for good health.


　When I nodded my head to see what it was about, the boy crossed his arms and stared at me with the face of some kind of scholar tackling a difficult question. His gaze was even sharper and deeper than the one he was giving me a moment ago. It was the gaze of an observer who was a few steps above me.


What's your name?　I'm Kagari.

It's empty.

I see. Then take good care of your friend, Sora. Also, you don't really belong to this island if you got this when you left, do you?

Yeah, I'm not from this island.

Then you better get off this island as soon as possible. Unless you want to get into some kind of trouble.


　Then the boy - Cagali quickly turned on his heel and hurried away. To the south, in the direction of the port I had come from.

　I watch its back for a little while, but eventually I too turn on my heel and start walking. North, towards the place I once called home.


◆◆◆


　There was no interference that I had anticipated.

　When I arrived at the Mikado Mansion, I entered the mansion without being blocked at the gate and was guided by Brother Seema to one of the guest rooms. I'm going to inform the master of my arrival and then we will have an audience in the grand hall. They wanted me to wait in this room until the time was up.

　I had no intention of interfering in the arrangements, so I nodded in agreement with Goz and the others.

　According to what Goz said, the audience will be soon, which means that he has no intention of making my father wait for me, so he wants me to report back to Master Shizuya slowly after the reunion is over.

　Apparently, the old guard believes that once I see my father, I'll let bygones be bygones and be ready to fight again under the banner of the sword. Or, he may simply be hoping that I'll be able to do so, but either way, it's a very annoying experience.

　I couldn't help but think about going to my mother's grave, report on my five years of life in the island, and then eat some dumplings before leaving the island.

　However, that would only fulfill one of the purposes of my trip to Onigashima.

　I had three purposes for coming to the island this time. The first was to visit my mother's grave; the second was to counteract the swordsman's hostility towards the sparrows; and the third was what I had done to Gozu, Cecil, and that boy, Kagari, since arriving on the island.

　In other words, to watch.

　Five years ago, the people around me were like peaks without peaks. Because they were so high, they all looked the same to me. My peers, the flatlanders, the highlanders, the highlanders, the twin peaks, and even the swordsmen looked the same.

　I know that they are stronger than me. But we can't measure exactly how strong they are. So there was no difference between being in awe of my father and being in awe of Laguna. Because to me, they were both absolute powerhouses.

　Having fought against Goz, Klimt, Cryer, and others in the Canary Kingdom first, I have an approximate idea of my current strength. I'm definitely one of the strongest in Onigashima, having defeated the third-ranked first flag, and that too, Goz, who had excited the air armor.

　However, even with that fact, I was unable to completely wipe out the awe etched in my heart. No matter how strong they become, no matter how strong they become, despite the fact that they have defeated Goz and the others, there is still a whispering voice that tells them they are no match for the people of Onigashima.

　That must be the residue of a mind from five years ago.

　A sense of inferiority that was deeply, deeply rooted in his heart. The bottomless sense of resignation that you can't become anything.

　--The curse that declares the weak to be superfluous.

　It puts a lid on the belief in oneself.

　I'm sure this curse can only be exorcised by confronting it directly. That's why I've been doing this. I'm going to be able to see everything with my own eyes right now.


The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it is a very good idea to have a good time. Gokan-sama wanted to see you. Please come to the hall after you have changed your clothes.


　I slowly stood up in response to Goz's voice that came from outside the fusuma (sliding door).