"So... you're leaving too?"
Washizu didn't react with anger—instead, there was a trace of relief in his voice.
Though Yasumoto hadn't mastered all of Naoko's teachings, his medical talent was undeniable. Perhaps that was why she had taken him as her student in the first place.
Someone like him shouldn't be buried in this dying village.
"If even I leave... then this village..."
Yasumoto didn't finish. In a way, he was the last pillar holding Higi Village together.
Without him, the place would collapse in every sense.
"Sigh."
Washizu could only exhale heavily. Selfish as it was, he wanted Yasumoto to stay.
The flyers stirred mixed reactions.
Some villagers were elated—Higi's locals, who'd had little direct experience with the Shogunate, clung to naive hope in its mercy.
Others dreaded the idea—refugees from Tatarasuna knew better than to trust the Shogunate's butchers. They'd rather take their chances with the resistance, flawed as it was.
And then there were those who didn't react at all.
Their eyes had begun glazing over, lingering too long on family and friends.
The Tatarigami's whispers were drowning them.
After distributing the notices, Yasumoto wheeled his cart to the village entrance, where Gorou still waited.
"Miss, come with me. It's not safe here."
Glancing at the shadowy figures trailing them, Yasumoto kept his voice low.
Thanks to Naoko's legacy, he commanded enough respect that even the desperate wouldn't attack bystanders near him—not while they relied on his "medicine."
Gorou nearly revealed his identity then—
Until Bai Luo's voice rang out from beyond the village.
"Lady Hina! There you are! I've been worried sick!"
Bursting onto the scene with Gorou's bundled uniform in tow, Bai Luo frantically checked him over like a distressed guardian.
Gorou: "..."
He opened his mouth—then closed it, resigning himself to his fate with the air of a man who had accepted the absurdity of existence.
Take off the dress? Not a chance.
Cross-dressing was a slippery slope—first time, or forever.
Bai Luo's scheme had reached its first milestone: getting Gorou into the outfit.
Now came normalization.
The key? Making him wear it in public, repeatedly, until the embarrassment faded.
Once Gorou could stride through a crowd in a kimono without flinching—Phase One would be complete.
If he ever volunteered to wear it? Victory.
And if—
Heh. One step at a time.
"You're... Lady Hina's companion?"
Yasumoto showed no surprise at Bai Luo's attire.
As mentioned, "Himura Battousai" cosplay was old news in Inazuma—even Inazuma City sold replicas.
The Tenryou Commission had tried cracking down, but selling red kimonos wasn't illegal. They'd given up.
"Yes. Our Lady Hina is a light novel enthusiast. She came to Yashiori for research, but vanished while changing. I nearly lost my mind!"
Bai Luo silenced Gorou with a gesture before steering the conversation.
At first, Gorou was puzzled—until Bai Luo's next words clarified everything.
"What happened to this village? I remember it being lively. Now it's..."
Ah. Master Himura is gathering intel.
Now that he thought about it—
Yasumoto had snapped Washizu out of his frenzy.
Yasumoto distributed the medicine.
Yasumoto might be the only sane person left.
Of course Master Himura saw through him immediately.
Compared to that, Gorou's desperation to shed this outfit seemed childish.
It's just clothes. For the mission, I'll endure.
I'm Watatsumi's general! I've faced worse!
Even if I must trade armor for silk—I'll play the part!
With newfound resolve, Gorou fluttered his eyelashes and clung to Bai Luo's sleeve like a bashful maiden.
Bai Luo: "..."
What the—
Did my brainwashing skills suddenly max out? Since when does he lean into it this hard?!
"Let's talk at my house. It's not safe here."
Yasumoto eyed the lurking refugees warily. Without his protection, no one knew what the maddened villagers might do.
People had disappeared before.
Exchanging a glance, Bai Luo and Gorou followed him through the mud to Yasumoto's home.
Yasumoto didn't live in Higi Village.
To Gorou's shock, his house stood behind the resistance camp, separated only by a hill.
Soldiers had reported a lone dweller here before, but after confirming he was just a civilian, they'd left him be.
No one realized it was Yasumoto.
"Here we are. If you don't mind the humble surroundings, please come in for tea."
After parking his cart under a rain cover, Yasumoto wiped his face and ushered them inside.
His cottage was small—a thatched roof like Higi's, likely built by the villagers.
The cramped yard overflowed with medicinal herbs steeping in jars.
Most striking was the pile of violet melon rinds in one corner, their purple runoff swirling ominously in the rain.
Yet inside, the space was meticulously kept.
The roof was waterproofed, and the interior divided neatly into three rooms—two bedrooms barely fitting a bed each, but radiating an odd sense of comfort.
Though clearly tidied recently, traces of a woman's touch lingered—faded herbal scents clinging to the walls, overpowering even Bai Luo's plum-blossom umbrella.