There was a small girl singing and playing with a ball among the water lily flowers. She stopped singing and said there was no continuation. The warrior Miura was walking at night, and there was a villager walking in front of him with a child. Miura imagined the big man was someone he knew and almost called out to him, but he ended up bumping into Natsu. When Natsu looked at him, she noticed he had two weapons and immediately apologized. Miura said, “No, I’m sorry for not looking ahead.” After that, Ofuu‘s father told her that this gentleman was Miura, a samurai, and was known to be very nice. Next, we moved to Ofuu‘s father’s restaurant where Ofuu served him food, but he didn’t eat. Ofuu‘s father asked him why he wasn’t eating. Miura replied, “Of course, it’s because I have a small problem.” He then asked if it was possible for him to listen for a moment. Ofuu‘s father said, “Of course.” Miura said, “I have an older brother.” Ofuu‘s father told him, “Stop pretending to be foolish; there is no older brother in the Miura family.” Miura replied, “But I do have an older brother.” He asked, “Ofuu, do you know my big brother, Sadana?” Ofuu replied that she was sorry she didn’t know him. Miura said, “Of course, no one knows my older brother, not even my parents.” Ofuu‘s father told Miura not to think too much about it and urged him to eat since the food was getting cold. Ofuu asked Miura if she could introduce him to a nice person. Miura said he was okay with it if the person was nice. Ofuu mentioned that this person might be able to help him. Ofuu‘s father said there was a customer who loved to poke his head into strange stories like this. Miura asked, “Is this person a swordsman who fights evil? Does he make money this way?” They laughed at Miura‘s words. Ofuu‘s father said, “No, this man is a mercenary and clearly he’s someone who can help you. Of course, he will take your money, but he’s a great duelist and can take out evildoers with one strike from his sword.” Ofuu told Miura that dealing with him might be tough, but he’s a good and somewhat nice person. Ofuu‘s father added that he eats Ofuu‘s soba here every day, and here he comes just as we’re talking about him. Jinta entered the restaurant and placed his order, catching Miura‘s attention as well. Ofuu‘s father asked Jinta if he liked the Ofuu‘s soba this time too. Jinta replied, “No, it was as usual.” Ofuu‘s father told him he should tell him at least once that it was good. Jinta replied that it was available in all the restaurants, but he liked to taste it here. After that, Ofuu poured tea for him. Jinta told her she got used to that. Ofuu said she is improving every day compared to the previous one. She asked him what he thought, and Jinta took a sip and told her that autumn is the season for trees and allows the beautiful scent to flow and the beautiful flowers to bloom. Ofuu agreed that was true. Jinta said it’s interesting to focus on this matter and told her he’s attracted to the flowers found in nature, like along the road. Ofuu replied that anyway, the season’s flowers have finished, and next time, she would tell him a story about the flowers. After that, Miura approached Jinta and apologized for interrupting. He introduced himself to Jinta and asked if it was true that he heard he was obsessed with weird stories and rumors about the evildoers. Jinta replied that he was good at defeating evildoers. Miura asked him if he could explain something to him if he asked. Jinta said it was a bit different, and all he could do was defeat evildoers. If it wasn’t evil, that wasn’t his specialty. He apologized to him. Miura said he understood, left the money for the food, and went. Ofuu‘s father asked Jinta if he could help Miura, telling him he was in big trouble because of his big brother leaving. Ofuu added that she was also asking this of him because Miura was very troubled because he lost someone important to him, and they begged him. Jinta said, “Okay, he would return the favor for what they had done for him,” which made them feel happy. Jinta told them that the food had improved a lot and that he had put a lot of effort into it. Ofuu‘s father replied that it was the result of practice. We shift to Natsu after she went to Jinta and joined him, asking for mochi and some tea. Sitting next to him, she asked Jinta if he liked mochi. He said of course. Afterward, the waitress served food to Natsu, and she said it was delicious when eaten hot. Jinta asked Natsu why things didn’t end with Zenji. Natsu felt choked because food had stopped in her mouth and immediately drank tea. She asked him what he was saying. Jinta said that she was now at an appropriate age. Natsu replied that she couldn’t be with Zenji. Jinta told her she would feel comfortable and secure with him. Natsu stated that Zenji was like a big brother to her. Additionally, her father mentioned marriage in front of her, but he told her that she could do anything she wanted when she got married. She thought about the store and that it would be better to have a big shelf filled with flowers.
She asked Jinta if he didn’t think that way, to which he replied that as a mercenary, he didn’t have a stable job. She acknowledged it but reminded him that he needed to take things seriously soon. She then asked his age, and Jinta answered he was 31. Surprised, she said he was older than Zenji and wondered if he had any secrets. Jinta said he would leave that up to her. Natsu asked if Jinta was leaving, and he confirmed he had work. When Natsu asked if it was another evil-doer, Jinta gestured yes. Natsu asked why he killed such people, suggesting if he had a mission, he could work on other tasks too. Jinta admitted he didn’t know why he did it. Natsu asked him to explain further, and Jinta said she had dared to suggest it, maybe that was the only thing he had left. Natsu felt relieved, commenting that he was usually calm, but now she understood he had a softer side, sometimes fragile but still human. Jinta told her to forget it. Natsu responded, “That’s enough. You’re not a stranger anymore. We’ve been together for a while now, and if you keep this up, you’ll stay a stranger forever.” She had to return to the store but stopped before leaving, telling him not to worry about wrinkles showing up on his face.
Next, we moved to Miura’s home. As he was about to leave, his mother called out to him, asking if he was leaving again today. She said she was sure he had no siblings. Miura replied, “I’m sure I have a brother.” His mother urged him to search for his brother and stop meddling in family history. “Those who understand virtue should forget this and seek help from a stranger. And those who have sworn allegiance should never forget they’re a samurai.” Miura questioned her, asking, “What’s this talk?” He added that if he found his brother, he would stop doing what he was doing. With that, he left the house. He ran for a while, then stopped, feeling tired. As he rested, he imagined his brother’s voice. His brother said, “You have no friends because you have a house, and you have a house because you have friends.” He reflected on it but didn’t want to give up his own will. Returning to the present, he asked, “Where are you, brother?” Suddenly, Jinta appeared and said, “You’re looking for me.” He introduced himself as Jinta, a mercenary, explaining that he had come to help but couldn’t promise a solution. Miura said he didn’t mind, as believing in him felt like salvation.
Jinta asked about what happened before his brother’s disappearance. Miura agreed to take him to the castle. Jinta followed, and on the way, Miura remarked that Jinta didn’t seem burdened by much, asking if he was from a samurai family. Jinta replied, “No, I grew up in a hut in the mountains in a place called Tatarba.” Despite that, he had ended up in this position, benefiting from his role as a warrior. Miura said he understood and then asked if Ko knew where he was from. Jinta confirmed. Miura added, “Because of Tatarba, when I saw your sword’s iron scabbard, I thought it was well-crafted. I have a hobby of studying swords, and I’ve heard that Kadon swords are known for their simple iron scabbards. But your scabbard is finely made.” Jinta explained that it was a top-quality sword originally kept in the castle, which is why he was allowed to use it. Miura asked for its name, and Jinta told him it was Yara. Miura noted that people from Kadono also called it Ono Musaku or Onari and asked if it was just a legend or if it was evil. Jinta said he hadn’t heard of it being evil and mentioned that the village lord had told him it had been frozen and couldn’t be broken even after a thousand years.
Miura then asked if he could see the sword, but Jinta apologized and said no. Miura said it was a long story and suggested they start now. Miura explained he had been searching for his brother Sedana, but no one seemed to remember him, not even his parents. He was the only one who clearly remembered his brother, and everyone else had forgotten him. Then, their father Ofuu appeared and said, “I don’t think people come here just to chat.” Jinta replied that people always came to the store, to which Ofuu said, “You’re very serious.” Jinta responded it was just a joke, mentioning they seemed concerned about Miura, which was why he had come. Ofuu said she was glad to hear him joke.
Jinta then asked when Miura’s brother disappeared. Miura explained it happened in late April that spring. It wasn’t strange, but he had noticed it. His brother had mentioned he was going to see his daughter before he vanished. He told Jinta about a flower in his brother’s room that he didn’t know the name of. It had a strong fragrance, small white petals with a yellow center, and a white line in the middle. His brother wasn’t one to care for flowers, so it caught his curiosity. Jinta asked when Miura found the flower, and Miura said it was after his brother’s disappearance. He was the only one who went into his brother’s room, so he thought his brother had left it there. Jinta asked if the flower was still there, and Miura said he kept it as proof, hoping it could help him. Jinta expressed his intention to visit the castle the next day.
The next day, Jinta visited Ofuu’s father’s restaurant. He was greeted by Natsu and ordered his food. Ofuu’s father asked Jinta when he had started this work. Jinta replied it had only been a few days. Ofuu’s father suggested he needed to put in more effort. Ofuu asked her father what he meant. Natsu then asked Jinta if he was close to Miura. Ofuu said they weren’t that close, but he visited occasionally, and they talked. Jinta replied it wasn’t much, and Ofuu agreed but added he was nice to her—serious but kind. Natsu asked if he was the man she had bumped into before. Ofuu confirmed, and Natsu remarked that he was very humble. Ofuu’s father mentioned that when it came to swords, Jinta’s eyes changed color. He then handed Jinta something, saying it was a gift from Miura. Jinta said he couldn’t take it, but Ofuu’s father insisted, saying it was of no use to him. Jinta eventually accepted and promised to keep it. Ofuu’s father thanked him and addressed him as Mr. Jinta. Ofuu apologized for her father’s insistence, and Jinta asked about the flowers with the white line. Were they water lilies? Ofuu confirmed, and Jinta noted they seemed small and that they might not be water lilies after all.
Finally, we see a little girl playing with a ball, while her parents watched her with happiness.
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