Volume 7 Chapter 6 Kazuramichi Ako’s Resolve ⑤
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
We returned to the mountain path, once again making our way through the wilderness.
Ayabe Orihime-hime, clad in a mini-length kimono, moved with a lightness that defied her small stature. Her feet, which should have been bare, were adorned with ornate platform geta that clicked rhythmically against the stone and rock. It was attire woefully unsuited for a hike, yet her pace remained steady, showing no signs of fatigue.
”Hey, Ako.”
More than anything, she was talkative. Given the context of our climb, her lack of delicacy, and the fact that we had only just met, it was difficult to form any impression of her other than “annoying.”
”What is it?”
My voice was ice-cold, making no attempt to feign congeniality.
”Tell me. About your step-brother.”
Yet, Orihime-hime didn’t flinch, nor did she seem to interpret it as rejection. The hypothesis was hardening in my mind that perhaps she had been isolated all these years precisely because of this personality flaw. Her inability to gauge personal distance was likely innate, but there was also an air of inexperience to it. Perhaps the tremor in her voice was simply a reflection of her own underlying insecurity.
”As a practitioner from Kansai, I assume you need no further explanation from me.”
”I want to know. About him, through the eyes of a little sister.”
Irritated by her overfamiliarity—the way she referred to him simply as “him”—I opened my mouth to speak.
”He is a person I respect. He possesses a strong will—”
”I’m asking for his flaws.”
”A step-brother of his stature has no flaws.”
”There’s no way that’s true. He’s human, isn’t he?”
The most troublesome people are the ones who occasionally say things that make sense. I wanted to ignore her, but I had already learned through bitter experience that doing so would only lead to an endless, repetitive stream of “Hey”s.
”You also know about his reputation, don’t you? Is it fine to just leave it like that?”
”…He might be a bit loose with women.”
”My, my.”
Counting only the ones I am aware of, he currently has relationships with five women, myself included. While not unheard of for the heir of a prominent exorcist clan, it is certainly not a low number. And considering most, if not all, of those relationships are for something other than just preserving the bloodline… I didn’t want to imagine what kind of state I would be in, consumed by jealousy, if I weren’t one of them.
”Is he good?”
”And he is sometimes dangerously indifferent to his own safety.”
I chose to ignore her loaded question. I had no basis for comparison, and I had no intention of broadcasting my private affairs with my step-brother.
”Aside from that, he just doesn’t care enough about the trivialities of life, I suppose.”
”Oh, that’s worrying. Everyone trips over small pebbles at times—but even a simple fall can lead to fatal consequences.”
Her tone, meant to sound concerned, felt more like a grim prophecy. Before I could retort, Orihime-hime spun around to face me.
”We’ve arrived. Go change into your bathing wrap.”
As she said, the faint scent of sulfur drifted through the air.
”…”
Behind the cover of the trees, I changed—the wrap was sleeveless and just as short as her kimono, exposing a scandalous amount of skin. The “Second Bath” I reached was a true open-air hot spring, vastly different from the first. Two massive boulders overlapped, creating a natural enclosure large enough to accommodate several people.
”~~♪”
Judging by the way Orihime-hime lounged with her upper body resting on the edge of the tub, her backside visible through the milky white water, the depth seemed substantial. Two wooden duckboards were placed nearby, serving as a washing area. Similar to the first bath, there was a sign detailing its efficacy and origins, but this time, there were no supplementary notes.
”What am I supposed to do here?”
To my question, Orihime-hime interrupted her humming and looked at me with an expression of utter disbelief.
”You come to a hot spring and ask what to do, when you aren’t in the water yet?”
The look on her face made it seem like the most obvious thing in the world. I bit back the surge of emotion, nodded, and picked up the wooden bucket from beside the duckboard. I rinsed it, filled it halfway with water, and poured it over my shoulders. The water was quite hot. And then, I thought.
(Why am I so irritated?)
I had never thought of myself as a rational person—at least, not to the degree that others might assume. Even so, reacting this emotionally to another person’s behavior felt out of character. Orihime-hime’s actions were likely a mix of natural eccentricity and calculated provocation. I knew that, so why—
”Ako, you came here to learn the techniques of the Shinobi clan, didn’t you?”
Once again, she chose the perfect timing to interrupt my thoughts.
”…Yes. That is correct.”
I could not ignore that question. It was different from small talk or forced disclosures of personal proclivities—or was making me think that also part of her calculation? While contemplating this, I sank into the hot water. The water overflowed over the edge with a loud splash.
”Then have you heard? That the character for ‘endure’ (忍) is written with a heart beneath a blade.1“
”Of course. What of it?”
”And what do you think that means?”
”To remain calm and cold-blooded at all times, doesn’t it?”
”So, no. To endure means to bear, to withstand. To keep a heart that does not waver, even in the face of crisis or anything else—”
With those words, Orihime-hime stood up and sat on the edge of the tub. Having ordered me to wear a bathing wrap, she herself was completely unclad. Her physique, like her face, retained an impression of immaturity. The slight swell of her breasts, the faint shadow of her pubescence, the rounded limbs—yet the way she smiled so seductively, the red lips that spun those words, belonged to a mature woman.
”So, why do you need the techniques of the Shinobi clan? Ako.”
”To be of service to my step-brother. I came here to gain the strength for that.”
”So earnest. Yes, that isn’t a bad thing at all.”
Despite her words, Orihime-hime let out a soft, humming laugh in her throat. I endured the grating sensation. I took her previous remark as a pointed critique of my own flaws.
”But that is… the taste of love, isn’t it?”
I asked for clarification after she said it with the look of a young girl dreaming of romance.
”Love?”
”Yes. You seek the heart of a blade for the sake of the step-brother you yearn for.”
After saying this, Orihime-hime lifted her legs from the water and crossed them.
”The ‘also’ (亦) written above the heart in the word for ‘love’ (恋) is supposed to be the character for ‘entangled’ (䜌). It means tangled threads. Yes, in this case, the words imply ‘disorder,’ don’t they?2“
”…Are you trying to say I am unqualified?”
Was this provocation intended to point that out?
”Truly earnest, you’re working so hard, Ako—but it’s foolish. Is that what happens because you chase a brother you aren’t blood-related to?”
Clink. The water seemed to freeze. A light dusting of frost settled onto the surface of the bath. In the freezing air, however, Orihime-hime continued without even a tremor.
”Did I make you angry?”
”No. I just cooled my head before anything else could happen.”
In truth, the water was far too hot for someone like me, who suffers from the heat. But there are things you can see when you’ve expelled cold, calculated emotions and your head is clear. Orihime-hime had been introduced to me as an instructor, and while she was certainly unique, she was fulfilling that role.
”—Please tell me the core of it. Sister of the head of the Ayabe house.”
”Everything is the opposite. What is needed is not a blade to cut the tangled threads, but a technique to hide the blade within the threads. More than anything, what you should show is not the blade. It is the raw, exposed love that you have suppressed, hidden, and felt pity for.”
”————”
It was a suggestion. It was true that while I had always shown him my affection in abundance, I had made choices for Naoshi’s sake in many situations. Thinking that it was unacceptable for a younger sister to drag her brother down. But my feelings, as a woman, were not what I wanted them to be. The blood of the Yuki-onna flowing through me was not just cold; it possessed a heat that clung and yearned with infinite depth. Something was beginning to take shape. But that was not for now.
”Do you understand?”
”No, not yet. However—”
Then, I would do it tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after.
”I will steal it. The secret to this power. The ultimate essence.”
”A cliché phrase. But it’s not bad.”
At Ako’s vow, Orihime-hime showed a smile more devoid of malice than any she had shown before.
—
Summary:
Ako and Orihime-hime travel through the mountain to a secluded hot spring. Orihime-hime persistently probes into Ako’s feelings for her step-brother, challenging her perception of devotion and endurance. After an intense conversation about the hidden nature of love and the true meaning of the Shinobi spirit, Ako resolves to steal the secrets of Orihime’s power.
—
Trivia:
Orihime-hime wears a mini-length kimono and platform geta.
Ako is aware of five women, herself included, currently in a relationship with her step-brother.
Ako possesses the blood of a Yuki-onna, which is associated with cold and intense, clinging obsession.
Orihime-hime’s body mirrors her face in its impression of immaturity, despite her mature speech.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Orihime – Younger sister of the Ayabe family head and candidate for first-class exorcist.
• Ayabe – The Ayabe family name, associated with Nara. The lineage is one of the Kansai Eight Families and has its roots in a clan of shinobi.
• Ako – A young girl with a doll-like, expressionless face who conceals deep emotional intensity. She is the niece and adopted sister of Naoshi and serves as the assistant to the Acting Head of the Kazuramichi family while possessing the blood of a Yuki-onna.
• Naoshi – A man with thin lips and a cynical smirk who possesses eyes that occasionally soften with a rare, gentle light. He is the only son of the Kazuramichi house head and acts as the legal guardian and step-brother to Ako, operating with a ‘fake’ Kansai accent.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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