42 – Ninja Ninja #1
Did someone take money from me? The Ninja Sisters had such fierce expressions that I couldn’t help but wonder.
They were expressionless, but still felt sharp and cold.
Then, the oldest grandmother who had come in last waved her hand. It was as if she was telling them to stop.
“You’re being too nosy. Can’t you see the child is scared? Everyone, calm down.”
“Yes, Lady.”
Only then did the Ninja Sisters open their eyes wider. In reality, their expressions hadn’t changed at all.
They still had a fierce demeanor. Their gaze could easily tear a person apart.
“Is it scarier because they’re wearing masks?”
If I hadn’t known Sakura, I probably would have wet myself. When the ninjas approached me, I would have screamed and looked for Swoon.
Even the yakuza members who covered themselves with Irizumi seemed like they should lower their heads in front of the real Kunoichi Sisters. The aura they emitted was that intimidating.
“So, you’ve returned this time.”
The grandmother, addressed as Lady, slowly approached and pulled out a chair to sit down. She tapped the table and motioned for me to sit.
There was a strange power in her voice. An intangible force commonly referred to as charisma seemed to be enveloping me.
Even her gaze was not easy to withstand. Lady’s eyes were filled with firearms.
It was the gaze of an old warrior who had survived all sorts of battles, not that of a hazy old man. It was completely different from the gaze of other old people who were simply waiting to die.
I swallowed hard and replied.
“…Yes, well.”
“I heard Sakura also returned this time. As soon as she came back, she came to me and talked about you.”
“….”
“I heard you almost died, Sakura.”
Grandmother passed Sakura. Standing beside her, Sakura received Grandmother’s words.
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“Yes, Rei saved me. Marco must have been kidnapped.”
“So you swore to repay the favor?”
“…I swore to repay the favor by staking the honor of the Kurotsuki family.”
Was it really necessary to stake the honor of the family?
“It feels like she’s putting a lien on the house.”
In fact, that was the nuance. As soon as the topic of honor came up, Grandmother’s expression changed.
“Even if you are the successor of the Kurotsuki family, it is not something to mention lightly. The honor of the family is heavier than your life. It comes with responsibility.”
“I understand.”
Sakura tried to make a defense of her own.
“I put my life in debt. I thought that a vow made with a life that has been saved is light and meaningless, so I had no choice but to swear on the honor of the family.”
“The master is the one who leads, not the one who wields. Remember that. Understand how the oath you made binds the Kurotsuki family.”
“…”
Sakura tightly sealed her lips. She had a face like a child who had acted rashly and made a big mistake.
Grandmother, who scolded Sakura severely, looked at me.
“The oath to our Kurotsuki family is important. It must be kept unconditionally. Sakura staked the honor of the family to repay the value of her saved life.”
“…”
“Tell me, how much is Sakura’s life worth, in your opinion?”
“Uh…”
Can one really put a value on a person’s life?
“To determine value, one must be able to determine.”
For example, the lives of those who seek to save others and those who harm others are clearly different.
They have to be different. I do not think their souls carry the same weight.
However, that does not mean that we can determine their worth.
“How will we decide who to save based on the value of a life?”
The people of Horn Village saved me. Thanks to them, I was able to survive.
Just thinking about it makes my throat tighten. I tremble so much out of fear.
That’s why I decided to save others.
The fear I felt at that time is still vividly engraved in a corner of my heart, making it difficult to pretend not to know those who are cornered. If there seemed to be a good chance of success, I rolled the dice.
“I want to help as many people as possible. As far as my hands can reach…”
I hope that standard is not measured in money.
“It’s okay.”
I nodded. I firmly rejected the compensation offered by the Kurotsuki family.
“I didn’t ask for or expect anything.”
The moment I put a value on Sakura’s life and received the corresponding compensation.
I felt like my heart would corrupt. I was afraid that one day I would long for revenge, for bloodshed.
“I should cut off these thoughts from the beginning.”
We are human. As humans, it is inevitable to have selfish desires.
But not now. I was still dreaming of romance.
My grandmother locked eyes with me, staring as if she could see right through my face.
“Your wrinkles are so deep.”
I couldn’t avoid her gaze. It was too manly to lower my eyes after boldly refusing.
Continuing the eye contact was burdensome as well.
So, I counted the wrinkles on my grandmother’s eyes and the number of black mushrooms that sprouted all over her face. I tried to hypnotize myself by counting.
“What are you looking at?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Being audacious.”
My grandmother clicked her tongue. The look in her eyes was far from pleased.
“Sakura, this guy seems to value your life more than a fortune.”
“?”
What nonsense is she talking about?
“He clearly shows what he’s thinking with that small brain of his.”
“……”
Is she seeing through my thoughts?
“Are you trying to empathize?”
The desire to help others. My pure desire to protect that altruism?
“The Kurotsuki family values honor.”
“……”
My grandmother looks at me as if I’m a wicked child.
“Realizing that I have no choice but to uphold Sakura’s oath, you should know that I won’t ask for any compensation. Give it to me on your own. A reward befitting Sakura’s life.”
“…That’s not it.”
“You wicked child.”
It’s really not like that. I’m so frustrated.
“Rei?”
Suu brought milk. Steam rose from the cup.
“What’s going on?”
Suu growled at the ninjas, but the intensity wasn’t strong.
‘Sono-shout.’
Suu relies on “Shin’an” to sense the evil intentions of others. Suu’s current reaction is Stage 1 out of 3 in a state of alertness.
‘Stage 3 is when I met “The Vanguard of Miracles” Nicola and Chessie.’
Skipping straight to the stage of throwing away Sanhon-iron. That’s Stage 3 of alertness.
Suu didn’t make the first move. It meant that the Kurotsuki family ninjas were not hostile towards me.
Is it the result of thorough emotional control training? Is it a show of favor towards the benefactor who saved Sakura?
My grandmother didn’t even glance at Suu and spoke.
“You’re controlling the beast.”
“…The term ‘control’ is a bit…”
“Or is the beast suppressing its instincts?”
My grandmother’s gaze fell on the cup. The corners of her mouth twisted roughly.
“Is that how you’re dealing with it?”
“……?”
“As a sinister beast.”
My grandmother looked at me again.
“Sakura swore on the honor of the Kurotsuki family. She vowed to pay the price for her life.”
“No, it’s not necessary. Really.”
“Don’t deceive yourself. I can see through you. You clever little one.”
“……”
“You said you didn’t want any compensation. But I’m sure you’ve already figured it out. If you don’t say it yourself, the Kurotsuki family can’t make a reasonable compromise.”
Sakura’s position within the Kurotsuki family was higher than expected.
The grandmother sitting in front of me was the head of the family, and Sakura was her granddaughter. And not just any granddaughter, but a direct bloodline descendant.
If Sakura had died in the labyrinth that day, it would have severed the direct bloodline of the Kurotsuki family.
“…Why would you enter the labyrinth?”
Why would you do something no different from a pilgrimage?
In response to my question, my grandmother answered.
“Of course, it’s to continue the bloodline.”
“But why on earth…?”
“The heirs of our Kurotsuki family have a venom flowing through them. They kill every seed injected into their bodies. Among the methods to extract that venom, going through the labyrinth is the safest.”
“……”
I understood.
“I have no intention of receiving any real compensation.”
Grandmother pushed her chair back and stood up.
“So, you’re trying to play tricks. But there’s nothing I can do about it. The life of my only granddaughter and the honor of the Kurotsuki family. I can never tarnish those values with my own hands.”
“……”
“Houbuki.”
At Grandmother’s call, a ninja stepped forward.
“Yes, my lady.”
“Sakura, as a direct bloodline descendant, has a duty to carry on the lineage. You know that, too, right?”
“I am aware.”
“This labyrinth expedition was the last one. Sakura, who has completely expelled the venom, will now return to the main house, marry the son-in-law, and continue the lineage of the family.”
“……”
The ninja with black hair, called Houbuki, bowed his head and listened to Grandmother’s words.
“Do you need an explanation of the mission I am giving you?”
“I swear to protect the honor of the family.”
Grandmother looked at me and then quickly turned her head.
As we left the inn, she said,
“Stay by his side and find out what he wants.”
“As you command.”
Houbuki knelt down on one knee and accepted the order. At that moment, the ninja sisters who surrounded me dispersed in a cloud of smoke and disappeared.
“Cough, cough!”
“These crazy b*tches! What the hell are they doing in someone else’s inn!”
The innkeeper, an old lady, shouted with froth at her mouth while sitting at the counter.