(Yoimiya's Inner Monologue)
A long time ago, I can't remember how young I was. All I remember is that I had been making fireworks for a long time.
I loved the process of cutting all sorts of paper, thick or thin, big or small... slowly finding the perfect shape for the fireworks. I loved the process of packing the gunpowder. It's essential for making them fly, right? Thinking about them exploding felt wonderful. I loved waiting for the fireworks to dry, just like the grandpas and grandmas in Konda Village watching their crops ripen.
So, when I launched the fireworks, I liked to be quiet and complete the ritual.
Back then, I asked my dad a question that I still remember vividly: "Dad, you always say I'm your one-of-a-kind child. What's so one-of-a-kind about me?"
He said, "It's your eyes."
I thought he was just humoring me, so I puffed out my cheeks and punched his not-so-white-back-then hair with my little fists. But after I had vented, he still said that my eyes, from when I was making fireworks to when I was watching them fly, were captivating.
It's a little embarrassing to say, but I didn't really understand what he meant back then. Later, I think I started to get it. The eyes of someone completely focused are indeed special, but just special. Even after I grew up and saw many people's eyes when they were working—Tougo and Master Juugo at the smithy; Miss Mio at the textile shop; Old Man Shimura at his restaurant; even the shrine maidens at the Grand Narukami Shrine—I never saw what was so captivating.
Until…
"Yoimiya, help me with the fire."
At that moment, that face, I couldn't forget it. It was like a seal had been broken. The emotion conveyed in his words was familiar to me. Like after days and days of classes at the private school, when my head was spinning, and I finally got a break to go home... Finally, I can make fireworks!
I wanted to call out to him, to ask if he really liked forging. It was a stupid question that I only realized after I had said it, but thankfully, he didn't hear me. I couldn't help it; his mind was already on the forging.
That gaze held an obsession, an obsession that didn't want to leave for even a second. From heating the furnace, to forging, and back to heating… it was a repetitive, tedious process, but the fire in his eyes burned hotter than mine. Fire cools down, it goes out. How could anyone burn so relentlessly like him?
There was not a single impurity. There was no wager in his eyes. It was clearly just an excuse to forge, right? But he was different from me:
"This is nothing more than a failure."
Because he knew what a successful sword was, he knew what a failure was. So, I don't know what fireworks mean to me, but he knows. I only do it because everyone entrusts something to the fireworks. He does it to entrust something for everyone into the sword. I don't know what he's trying to do, but I know it's the same as me, something he's doing for everyone. So, his eyes have something more than mine.
After I realized that, I fell for him.
I realized it, but I didn't want him to know. What should I do? So I just kept chattering on and on. Oh no, did I annoy him? But, I'm so curious! I want to tell him, but I have no experience. Does this count as love?
Then let me just ask first.
"In that case, we are indeed very similar."
He looked at me, then at my hands. What's so good about my hands! They're ugly from making fireworks all the time…
Huh?
Ah…
Now I'm completely trapped.
…
"And that's how it is." Yoimiya looked as if she had let her hair down, restlessly twirling a strand with her finger. She tried to arrange her clothes to look more presentable.
"Hah…" Muramasa sighed, surprised by her unexpected seriousness. "I was thinking it was just a passing whim, but I didn't expect this. It puts a little pressure on me…"
"What, do you see me as some kind of easy girl?" His words annoyed her, and for a rare moment, she showed a flash of anger, shifting the pressure to him.
"No, it's just that it's only been a day. I never thought there could be such a serious reason…" He subconsciously made an excuse, but then smiled. "In any case, please forgive me."
"Hmph…" Seeing him say this, Yoimiya's anger subsided, replaced by a quickening heartbeat.
"As for an answer, I probably can't give one just yet." It was the expected reply, but the sudden drop after her racing heart was a bit much for her body to handle.
"Since you've been so open, I can't hide it any longer…" Muramasa made a grasping motion, and a swirling azure magical energy formed a blade in his palm.
"Eh?" The sudden change left Yoimiya unable to react. Why is he taking out a sword? No, why did it appear out of thin air? What is he doing? A torrent of questions flooded her mind, but she couldn't form a single rational answer.
Then, Muramasa pressed the blade into his palm and sliced.
Schlick—
Blood flowed from his palm. Before Yoimiya could scream, the blood turned into spirit particles and vanished before hitting the ground. The wound on his palm was refilled and healed by spirit particles within a few breaths.
"As you can see, I am not an ordinary living being."
"You're... an elemental creature?" After a long pause, Yoimiya managed to find a term to explain his body, but it wasn't quite right. Elemental creatures, at least, have a corresponding element.
"You can understand it however you like." Muramasa opened his hand, and the projected weapon dissipated into spirit particles. "In short, I can't give you an answer yet. I am human, that much is true. But this body is just something that could disappear at any moment. Getting married, falling in love… it's too early to talk about that now."
Muramasa didn't dislike this girl, or the other one. They both had their cute and admirable qualities.
"Is that… so?" Although I didn't succeed, this doesn't count as a failure… right? Yoimiya thought, pressing a hand to her now-steady heart. Then she looked at him. "Then, I'll wait for you too…" It was an obsession that said, It has to be you.
Seeing her spirits lift, Muramasa teased her, "And you should at least consider my feelings~ You just confessed for your own satisfaction. Think about me for a bit, won't you?" His dashing smile hid a look that said, You could at least try to win me over a bit more.
He's clearly taking advantage and still acting coy!
"You—" Seeing his expression, Yoimiya bit her lip and then pounced.
"Hm?" He didn't dodge, letting her rest her head on his lap.
"Hailing got to sleep while hugging you the other day, right? I want that too. You're not allowed to show favoritism…" It was a completely childish act, and Muramasa could only accept her cute demands with a wry smile.
So he doesn't dislike me… The fact that he didn't avoid her put Yoimiya's heart at ease. She felt his warmth and, where he couldn't see, a small, triumphant look crossed her face.
After a short while, the girl's breathing evened out. Muramasa gently placed her on his pillow. He then got off the bed and spent the not-so-long night by the window.
"To live… huh?" Recalling the mission his 'client' had given him, he couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion. "I was feeling a bit unmotivated before, but now I have another reason to complete the commission. Come to think of it, could it be because I gave the sword the name 'Yaegaki'…?"
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