The moment their footsteps disappeared fully into the house, the peaceful silence returned to the backyard.
Kagerou let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"…It's been twenty days," he muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Where the hell is my Nichirin blade? Kagaya said fifteen days at most. Fifteen." A pause. Then, louder, "Fifteen, damn it!"
All the maturity and mentor-like calm he displayed seconds ago evaporated instantly.
For the twentieth time this month, he felt the urge to go to the Ubuyashiki Estate, walk straight up to Kagaya, and shake him by the shoulders like a disappointed housewife.
"Should I just go meet him directly?" The thought lasted exactly one heartbeat before he clicked his tongue.
"…No. He's sick. I'm not stressing him out just because I'm impatient," Another sigh. "I'll just… go buy tobacco"
That, at least, was a problem he could solve.
He brushed his haori lightly, straightened the collar, and that was it. He didn't need to wash up, he hadn't even broken a sweat fighting the trio of small men earlier.
Kagerou stepped out of the yard and headed toward the market.
---
After Ruka's passing, every errand fell to Kagerou. Groceries, household necessities, charcoal, spare tools, if it didn't involve actual swordsmanship, Shinjuro didn't touch it.
Kyojuro tried once.
Just once.
He came home with items from twenty different stalls, all overpriced, all wrong, and somehow included a live chicken.
So Kagerou became the default errand-runner. By now, he knew every stall, every shortcut, every merchant worth trusting.
But today, he only needed tobacco.
So he didn't head toward the main road or the friendly vendors who always tried to feed him extra rice balls for free.
Instead, he took the shortcut.
A narrow, forgotten passage between buildings, half alley, half shadow.
He'd found it years ago while chasing a pickpocket.
The thief escaped.
Kagerou found a faster route.
And he kept it.
It wasn't a place normal people would walk into.
Dark.
Quiet.
The smell of rust and stale sake clinging to the walls.
Voices echoing in the distance, the low murmurs of men who didn't want to be seen in daylight.
A place where trouble gathered like mold.
A place people avoided unless they wanted to disappear.
But for Kagerou?
No.
He didn't avoid danger.
---
As he stepped into the alley, the air shifted.
Eyes from the dark corners turned toward him, cautious at first, then greedy.
He heard whispers.
"Hey… that kid again"
"Tch. Walks like he owns the place"
"Wanna jump him?"
"Hell no. Didn't you hear? Last time someone tried, they woke up three days later, go try if you want but don't involve me"
Kagerou ignored all of them.
He walked calmly.
One hand inside his haori and one hand holding his Kiseru.
But beneath his calm posture, a faint ribbon of smoke curled around his foot like a loyal serpent.
Invisible unless you knew how to look.
A warning.
A promise.
He turned the corner of the alley, boots tapping softly against the dirt, then he stopped.
"W-What do you want!!"
A desperate voice echoed between the narrow walls. Kagerou's eyes narrowed. A few steps ahead, partially hidden in the shadows, two grown men had cornered a young lady. Her face was hard to see from where Kagerou stood, blocked by their broad backs, but her trembling voice told him enough.
"Huh? You walked in here by yourself, and you expect to just walk out?" one of the men sneered, grabbing her wrist.
"Look at that pretty face… If we sell her, we won't starve for a whole month," the other chuckled darkly. Then, with a vile grin, he added, "But before that, we should enjoy her a little. Right?"
"S-Stop! What are you doing?!!" She struggled, her voice cracking with fear. "S-Someone, help!!"
But her screams only made the two men look more entertained, not alarmed.
"AHAHA! Scream louder if you want. No one's coming for you," one said, licking his lips. "This is our turf. People hear you, but they don't care"
She stumbled backward, trying to escape, but her legs buckled, the earlier chase had left her ankles scraped and bruised. She grabbed the wall for support, barely standing.
"D-Don't come closer!!" she cried.
The men advanced slowly, savoring her fear, completely oblivious to the new presence behind them.
They were reaching for her again when a calm voice cut through the tension.
"Alright," he said, voice so steady it seemed to freeze even the alley's stench in place. "You can stop there"
The two men stiffened.
They hadn't heard footsteps.
They hadn't sensed anyone approaching.
But suddenly, he was standing right behind them.
The young lady's eyes widened with fragile hope, but Kagerou didn't spare her even a glance. His gray eyes were locked on the two men alone.
"Tch… who the hell are you?" One spat, trying to hide the fear in his voice. "Piss off if you know what's good for you!"
Kagerou blinked slowly.
"…Really?" he said, lifting his kiseru and taking a calm drag. Smoke drifted lazily between them as he spoke again. "Well~ I don't want to"
A flash of irritation crossed the man's face. He stepped forward and grabbed Kagerou by the collar of his haori.
"You looking for trouble, brat?"
Kagerou didn't flinch.
"Looking?" He tilted his head, bored. "No. I already found it"
Before the man even processed the words, his wrist twisted sharply.
"Crack*
A dry, sickening snap echoed through the alley.
"GYAA!!"
Kagerou released him without ceremony, letting the man collapse, howling and clutching his broken arm.
The other man froze where he stood. Sweat poured down his temple in a single instant.
"What… what are you…?!"
Kagerou stepped forward once, just one step, but the man flinched when Kagerou's fist was already near his ear, just an inch from hitting his face.
"You two should really choose different hobbies," Kagerou murmured.
Something in his tone, calm, detached, not even angry, was far more terrifying than rage.
"Now." The ember on his kiseru glowed faintly as he exhaled. "Kneel… apologize to the lady... and maybe you'll leave with only a few broken bones"
The men dropped so quickly they nearly crashed into each other.
"S-sorry! We're sorry!! We didn't mean-"
Kagerou sighed. "Pathetic"
Finally, his gaze shifted to the trembling girl.
"You alright?"
"Y-Yes… thank you…"
Hearing that, a small smile tugged at Kagerou's lips. "Good to hear"
Then the smile faded. His eyes slid past her, toward the shadows.
The two men were scrambling away, limping, stumbling, convinced he wouldn't notice if they didn't make noise.
Kagerou clicked his tongue.
"Now," he murmured, stepping in front of the girl. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Close your eyes..."
She blinked. "Eh…?"
"You don't want to see what happens next"
His voice was calm... too calm.
And in that instant, the two men finally realized: Trying to run was the worst mistake they could've made.