The two slow from a full sprint into a walk.
Jiro takes one deep breath and is good as new. A few strips of cloth still hang from him, most of them having flown off during their sprint.
"Alright, I think we're far enough. I doubt they're going to send anyone after us. That would mean going against Naku's orders. Apparently, they'd rather obey them, even if it means leaving him for dead."
He pulls off the last remnants of his camouflage.
"Don't…" Masaki sucks in a sharp breath. "…say that."
Jiro turns to see Masaki bent over, hands braced on her knees.
"He… he's okay. He has to be." She rises up, drawing in another deep breath.
"I didn't mean it like that. Naku's stronger than all of us. If he hasn't come back, there has to be a reason. I just don't know what."
Jiro drifts off for a moment, then snaps back.
"We should head to the market first. It's not too far out of the way. See if Naku told anyone where he was going."
"Not a bad idea…" She huffs out a breath. "Surprised you came up with it."
"At least catch your breath before you start insulting me. "
She glares at him between breaths.
He shakes his head. "Anyway, try to save your energy. We've still got a long way to go."
"I'm fine. Let's get moving."
"Suit yourself." He turns and starts pushing through the brush.
After a while, the path opens onto a larger road that cuts in front of them. The morning light begins to brighten everything around them.
"Market should be down that way." He points left.
Now that she's caught her breath, Masaki cuts in front of Jiro and takes the lead down the road. He falls in behind her, wondering where all that confidence was after their sprint.
They arrive at a small market square, wooden stalls clustered around a cleared dirt patch of land. Elderly men and women busy themselves setting up their shops. Fruits, vegetables, figurines, clothing, fresh meat, fish, and alcohol—for a small market, it seems to have everything. The two step into the market.
A middle-aged man setting up his stall calls out to the passing pair.
"Well, look who it is. Haven't seen you two in a while,—or together, for that matter. What brings you here this early?"
"We're looking for Naku. Did he stop by here a few days ago?"
The man rubs his chin, trying to think back.
"Hmm. I'm not too sure, I'd go ask Goro, if anyone saw him, it would've been him."
"Thanks, Tanaka." The two take a step away from the stall.
"Hey, before you go. I got my hands on some Bleach manga. You asked for some a while back, you still interested?"
Jiro steps back toward the stall. "You managed to find some? How many volumes?"
The man grins and pulls up a white manga volume, a bold 7 printed across its center.
"Got this one and two more. Since you've got a birthday coming up, I'll let you have this one. But the other two are gonna cost you."
Jiro grabs the book without hesitation. "No way, this is right where I left off! They're about to break into Soul Societ—"
Masaki cuts him off, yanking the book from his hand and shoving it into her robe.
"Hey, what the—?!"
"We have more important things right now than some stupid manga. Honestly, are you ever going to grow up? Let's go."
She drags Jiro toward the alcohol vendor's stall.
"I'll have the others waiting for you when you're ready!" the stall owner calls after them.
Jiro twists back to wave at him.
They approach another stall, this one different from the rest. A sign hangs above it: Goro's Spirits. No food. No convenience items. Just bottles. Small, large, oddly shaped—sake, rum, gin. It had it all.
A short man stands with his back turned, barely visible behind the stall.
Masaki steps forward and rings the small bell dangling overhead.
The man turns and takes two steps up onto a small pedestal, finally bringing himself into view.
"What can I do for—oh, just a couple of kids. What? You trying to get drunk and sneak off to a hotel? I was a kid once. Don't think you're fooling anybody. Now get lost before you scare off my customers!"
Jiro and Masaki slowly look around the desolate market square, then back at the man.
"Uh, we're not here for anything like that. We just wanted to ask if you've seen Naku recently." Masaki responds.
"Naku? He's back already?"
The man's demeanor instantly changes, and he quickly pulls more bottles onto the table, presenting them for sale.
"He bought out most of my stock a few days ago. Lucky for me, I restocked. So where's that fine fellow?"
"Well, that's kind of what we're trying to figure out."
"So he's not with you two? Why didn't you say that from the start?!"
He snatches the bottles off the counter and stuffs them back beneath the stall. "Stupid kids. Wasting my time!"
Jiro steps forward in front of Masaki.
"We just want to know if he said where he was going when he left."
"If y'all ain't here to buy something—which you clearly can't—then leave me the hell alone!"
"Move." Masaki cuts back in front of Jiro.
She calmly picks up one of the bottles and holds it over the edge of the stall. Then she lets go. Glass erupts across the ground.
"Oops." Her tone is anything but apologetic.
"What the hell are you doing?! You're going to have to pay for that!"
"Y'know, selling alcohol to minors is a grave offense. Pretty sure you'd lose your license over something like that." She picks up another bottle.
"Now stop acting like an ass and tell us what we want to know."
"Put that down!" The man lunges across the counter, his hand clamping around the neck of the bottle.
"Just tell us what you know! Why're you being so difficult?!" She yanks back.
They struggle over the bottle until it slips from her hand and shatters against the ground.
"You!—"
She leaps up and snatches another bottle from the top shelf, this one oddly shaped and clearly far more expensive than the rest.
The color drains from the man's face. "N-not that one! H-he said he was going into town to pick up something special!"
"Did he say where?" She tilts the bottle over like she's going to drop it.
"He's meeting someone in the old quarter! Now put that down!"
"And to think we could've avoided all this if you weren't being such an ass."
Masaki sets the bottle down on the edge of the stall and turns away.
"Hmph."
As she turns, her arm taps the bottle, sending it over the side off the stall. It shatters against the ground, its intricate glasswork reduced to glittering shards. She walks off without missing a step.
Jiro stares, mouth wide open, just as stunned as the shop owner.
He slowly backs away, then hurries after Masaki.
He catches up to her at the road.
"That was… intense."
She glances at Jiro from the corner of her eye, slightly embarrassed. "Which way?"
He proudly steps in front of her and heads left, back the way they came.
"Seems I'm not so useless after all." He continues to proudly lead on.
They walk down the road in silence for a moment.
He glances over at her.
"So where's she been hiding all these years?"
She keeps her eyes forward.
"Do you want to find Naku or not?"
"Of course I do! I'm just saying, the Masaki I know usually doesn't threaten small business owners."
"Well, that was the only way he was going to tell us anything. Plus, he was being an ass."
"And I've definitely never heard you use the word ass before."
"Just keep moving."
She quickens her pace, putting some distance between herself and Jiro.
Hours later, they're dragging themselves up a steep hill. Cicadas drone as the summer heat beats down on them.
"Why are there so many hills?"
"The fearless bottle-smasher defeated… by a hill."
"Can you shut up and just tell me how close we are?"
"We're getting close. This should be our last one."
He sprints ahead, pushing toward the top of the incline.
"It better be." Masaki pants, wiping sweat from her face.
At the top, Jiro looks out to see a town sprawling in the distance, tucked between the surrounding hills.
"There it is…" he whispers to himself.
Memories flood Jiro's mind—his childhood, his friends, school, the restaurant, his parents.
Masaki catches up to him, barely making it to the top.
"Wow." Her eyes light up as she takes in the town below. She's never seen anything like it.
Suddenly cured of her exhaustion, she starts down the hill.
She looks back at Jiro, still standing there, staring off into the distance, lost somewhere in the past.
"What're you doing? Let's go!"
Her shout pulls Jiro back to the present. He shakes the memories loose and follows Masaki down the road.
They arrive in town. The streets are alive with activity. Stalls are being set up, lanterns hung overhead, and workers swap places to avoid spending too long under the brutal summer sun.
Masaki looks around in awe at the festival preparations.
"This place is amazing!"
Jiro scans the area.
I can barely recognize it. Everything's changed so much.
"This is what had you so worked up? A bunch of grandmas hanging lanterns?"
Jiro ignores her, his eyes still searching.
Something feels off.
"Okay…" She gives him a look. "Well, do you know where this old quarter is supposed to be?"
Jiro still doesn't respond.
"Hello?" She nudges him.
A black SUV turns the corner and rolls down the street. The townsfolk's relaxed expressions vanish. Some retreat into their shops. The vehicle creeps forward at a slow, deliberate pace.
Jiro quickly grabs Masaki and turns them both away from the street.
"What the—"
"Just go with it."
The SUV passes by and turns down another road.
Jiro lets go of her.
"What the heck was that?! Don't just grab me like that!"
"It seems we have more than just grandmas to be worried about. C'mon."
"Hello?! Don't ignore me!"
He heads down the sidewalk.
"What are you even talking about?" She hurries after him.
Jiro slips into a nearby alleyway.
"Didn't you see when that SUV passed? Everyone was terrified."
"I don't get it. Who was in the car?"
"Remember when I told you Naku saved me from some bad people? These are them."
"What? How is that possible?"
"I've seen this before. They tried to scare my dad into doing what they wanted. Looks like this town didn't fight back."
"So, what? This place is run by a bunch of gangsters?"
"Looks that way. We can talk about it later. Right now, we need to hurry and see if anyone in the old quarter knows what happened to Naku."
He glances over Masaki's robes, then down at his own.
"But first, I think we're going to need to blend in a little more. Come on."
Jiro steps out of the alley and heads down the street.
He spots a shop with shirts swaying outside on hangers.
"Jackpot."