The trio returned to Kurosawa's location and found that the crowd that had gathered there had already dispersed.
"You're the only one left here—did those people leave already?"
Kurosawa turned around. "I told them I'd draw my blade if they didn't leave."
"And then they left."
"As expected, that was far more effective than trying to reason with them. Perhaps from now on, I should…"
Kurosawa didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he asked about the Treasure Hoarders.
"Well? Did you catch those Treasure Hoarders? I didn't lie to you, did I?"
Lumine took out the IOUs from the boxes and explained everything about the Treasure Hoarders and the grocery store to Kurosawa in detail.
"That's how it is. You really were distributing 'relief supplies'—it's just that you paid for those supplies out of your own pocket."
After hearing this, Kurosawa seemed confused and bewildered.
"How could that be… Was I really such a person in the past?"
He shook his head. "I have no memory of it at all."
"Even after hearing all this, I still can't recall a single thing."
The current Kurosawa couldn't understand why his past self would do such things.
It was nothing but self-inflicted suffering.
Kurosawa then mentioned something strange to Lumine.
When he had gripped his sword earlier and threatened the residents, he had felt his body instinctively resisting.
Even as those people pressured and insulted him, he still didn't want to use force against ordinary civilians.
Hearing this, Lumine thought to herself—It really is because of this sword!
She asked Kurosawa, "Can you tell us the story behind this sword?"
"Of course."
Kurosawa began recounting the history of his blade to the three of them.
This sword had once been his father's weapon—a treasured family heirloom.
"I remember when I was little, I once stole this sword from my old man."
"I wanted to show off in front of the neighbor's kids, but my father gave me a harsh scolding for it."
"He told me…"
Kurosawa suddenly furrowed his brows. "…What was it he said? How strange—I can't remember again."
After thinking for a long while, Kurosawa shook his head helplessly.
"After losing my Vision, it feels like I've forgotten many important things."
"There are huge gaps in my memory, and no matter how hard I try, I just can't recall them."
[Hearing this is really heartbreaking…]
[Yeah, to have his Vision taken away for no reason, and now he can't even remember his father…]
[Could his wish have been to use this sword to protect others?]
[Exactly! That's why he resists using force against ordinary people!]
Mu Yang advised Kurosawa not to force himself to remember and to let things take their natural course.
Kurosawa accepted Mu Yang's counsel.
Once he relaxed, he instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword again.
This time, his expression changed.
Paimon pressed, "Did you remember something just now?"
Kurosawa was silent for a moment. "My father… seemed to have said that this sword carried his lifelong creed."
"Before he left this world, he placed the sword in my hands himself…"
"And told me that wielding this blade meant I should… I should…"
Paimon peered closely at the spot Kurosawa had just touched.
"Lumine, look—doesn't this part have some characters carved into it?"
Lumine followed Paimon's finger and saw that there were indeed words engraved there.
"'Benevolence and Righteousness.'"
"'Benevolence and Righteousness'?"
Kurosawa finally pieced everything together.
"If that's the case, then it all makes sense…"
"Going into debt to ensure others could live happily—that must have been my greatest wish in the past."
But that was the past Kurosawa.
The current him no longer held such thoughts.
Especially after experiencing the Treasure Hoarders' burglary and being accosted and insulted by the very people he had helped multiple times while chasing them down.
"What use is this 'Benevolence and Righteousness'?" he said indignantly.
"I upheld this path, spending my own money to buy food and aid them—and what was the result?"
Kurosawa turned away, continuing to vent his frustration.
"The Tenryou Commission took my Vision, and the people I helped refused to understand me!"
"The cruelest irony is that when I drew my blade against them, I still felt pain in my heart."
"I can't be a good person—but I can't even be a villain either! What… what am I supposed to do…?"
[This suddenly got really heavy…]
[Feels like Kurosawa really tried his best…]
[Is this just how reality is?]
[Damn, that's rough…]
[Kinda hopeless, huh…]
[Though to be fair, those people didn't know he was the one who bought the food…]
[The problem is—would anyone believe him if he explained now?]
[At the very least, they shouldn't make things harder for a good person…]
Paimon whispered, "Another poor soul…"
Lumine stared at Kurosawa's back, unsure of what to say.
She handed him the items they had retrieved from the Treasure Hoarders.
Kurosawa looked puzzled. "This is…?"
Lumine explained, "These are the things we took back from those Treasure Hoarders."
"I'm giving them to you now—what you do with them is entirely up to you."
"Just treat it as if you took them back yourself."
As he looked at the bundles of goods before him, Kurosawa fell into deep thought.
After a while, he gathered the items.
"Thank you. You've helped me see 'Benevolence and Righteousness' in a new light."
"I will continue walking this path—but I won't repeat the same mistakes."
After thanking Lumine, Mu Yang, and Paimon repeatedly, Kurosawa turned and left with the items in hand.
Mu Yang wasn't surprised by Lumine's approach—he understood her nature.
What did surprise him was Kurosawa's realization.
In Inazuma's current climate, being a purely kind-hearted person was still too much of a disadvantage.
He hoped Kurosawa could walk further on the path of "Benevolence and Righteousness."
Paimon let out a sigh of relief. "This way, he won't have to sell his father's sword, right?"
Lumine watched Kurosawa's retreating figure. "He probably won't."
"Losing a Vision… really does seem terrifying."
After meeting three people who had lost their Visions, Lumine had reached this conclusion.
Their lives had all undergone drastic changes after their Visions were taken away.
This change couldn't simply be labeled as good or bad.
Rather, a person's wishes, will, and even memories—
Should never be stripped away by others so casually.
"Losing one's desires really is terrifying…" Paimon turned to Mu Yang.
"Mu Yang, you should be careful too."
"Mm."
With that, the three of them entered Inazuma City once more.
If nothing unexpected happened… then something unexpected was about to happen.
In front of Naganohara Fireworks, two burly Tenryou Commission samurai blocked the path of a scrawny young man.
"Hand it over quietly. Don't make me do it myself."
...