At noon, Asano Mori was in his own courtyard, carefully feeding warm water to the worker who had been drained of a great deal of vitality by the Faceless Shadow Demon.
The worker's name was Fujiyoshi. Like Asano Shigeru, he had once been an employee of the Sendai Dyeing and Weaving Company, only to be mercilessly cast aside after suffering a work-related injury.
Although the Shadow Disease on his body had disappeared, his sunken eye sockets and ashen complexion made it impossible to tell how much longer he could hold on.
"Mori... Mori-ge..." Fujiyoshi's voice was barely more than a breath as he struggled to open his eyes and look at Asano Mori. "I never thought that Shigeru-ge... it was because of that monster..."
"Don't talk... Fujiyoshi. Get some proper rest..."
Suppressing his grief, Asano Mori wiped the cold sweat from Fujiyoshi's forehead with his sleeve. "Focus on recovering. Big Brother didn't die for nothing. We'll make them pay. We'll get justice for everyone."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the silent figure seated by the doorway—Asuka.
Since rushing back to the Asano household last night, Asuka had not slept at all, swiftly and meticulously investigating the traces of demonic aura inside and outside the town.
The suffocating atmosphere of dread that had gripped everyone just yesterday seemed to have been scattered by the wind.
"The shadows... they really seem to have recovered."
"Yeah, when I woke up this morning, my body felt a lot lighter..."
"Did you hear the noise last night? Seems like the Asano kid hired someone and had people patrolling the village all night..."
On the way back, Asuka had even seen several children gathered together, scratching lines in the mud with tree branches.
"Look! My shadow's nice and dark!"
Their smiles were pure and innocent, completely unaware of the danger they had narrowly escaped.
Just as he had expected, once the Shadow Demon vanished, everyone's Shadow Disease was cured.
Now, under the midday sun, Asuka was taking a light nap to recover his strength.
"Um... sir, what should we do next?"
Asano Mori's voice sounded from behind him.
Asuka did not open his eyes, replying calmly, "There is no 'we.' Next, I'll find the source of the Shadow Demon and end this."
"But you alone... don't you need help?"
"Help?" Asuka slightly opened one eye, looking over Asano Mori, who had regained some spirit and was no longer just a drunkard. "You saw what happened last night. There's nothing you can do."
He nodded toward Fujiyoshi lying inside the dilapidated house. "Your greatest use is taking care of him."
Although Asuka's words were blunt, Asano Mori understood that he was right.
Last night's enemy was clearly not human. And this young man had dealt with it calmly. Compared to that, he really was useless—but still...
"No, I can help!" he insisted. "If those monsters are targeting workers like my brother, people who wanted to band together and confront the Dyeing and Weaving Company, then I know where they'll go next!"
Asuka listened quietly, curious to see what insight this drunkard could offer.
"Harada Tadakazu! They'll go after him!"
"...Who is that? Why are you so sure?"
Asano Mori rubbed his stubbled chin, recalling seriously. "Big Brother once said that Harada-ge was also a worker at the dye factory. He couldn't stand the way workers were treated and was organizing some kind of union. Anyway, he wanted to stand up for people like my brother!"
"Those monsters' ultimate target has to be Harada-ge! He's in Sendai. I can take you to him!"
Sendai City... Faceless Demon... Dye factory...
Asuka's eyes slowly opened. He took Asano Mori's words seriously, already beginning to plan the next steps.
Thud!
As he was thinking, Asano Mori suddenly dropped to his knees, performing a proper dogeza, slamming his head hard against the cold dirt!
"Please! Take me with you to Sendai!"
"I know I can't fight those monsters, but I know Sendai's streets. At the very least, I know a few places where we can stay!"
"My brother's death can't go unanswered! I need to see those damned things destroyed with my own eyes! Please! I'll do anything—be your servant if I have to!"
Watching the man bow repeatedly, his voice trembling, Asuka didn't know what to say.
Suddenly, he recalled his teacher's words:
[Asuka, try working together with teammates. In this world, having companions to walk alongside you makes everything a little easier.]
"Companions... huh..."
He murmured softly, rising to his feet without looking at Asano Mori's pleading gaze.
"Follow me."
Asuka's voice still carried no warmth, but to Asano Mori, it sounded like heavenly music.
He snapped his head up, thanking him profusely. Asuka, however, couldn't understand what there was to thank him for. For all he knew, this man might be killed by a demon at any moment. Truly incomprehensible.
There were no lengthy farewells. Asano Mori entrusted the injured Fujiyoshi to a familiar aunt next door, changed into a barely presentable set of clothes, packed some dry rations and water, and hurriedly followed Asuka northward.
After a day and a half of travel along the Oshu Highway, the two finally saw a massive city slowly rising on the horizon.
At the city's edge, factory chimneys pierced the clouds, belching thick black smoke.
Beyond the industrial zone, the rooftops of the castle town spread out like dark waves, interspersed with boldly designed Western-style buildings—banks, tailor shops, and teahouses owned by the wealthy.
"Samurai sir, that's Sendai!" Asano Mori spoke, his voice tinged with a suppressed sense of familiarity.
He pointed northwest, where a solemn complex of buildings stood atop a small hill, shimmering with black-gold light beneath the setting sun.
"That's Osaki Hachimangu, the guardian shrine of Sendai! If you have time, you should go pray there. It's very effective!"
"Just call me Asuka."
Asuka continued walking, constantly probing the surroundings with his spiritual pressure, searching for anything amiss.
The sky here felt heavy, the air filled with the stench of chemical agents, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
The closer they drew to the city center, the louder the urban clamor became.
Wide main roads split and crisscrossed. Laundry hung overhead in the alleys like international flags.
From small taverns came the raucous sounds of drinking games. At public water taps, housewives washed clothes and vegetables while exchanging gossip, inevitably circling back to the soaring price of rice.
Iron monsters with square heads, which Asuka had never seen before, continuously emitted "beep-beep" honks, usually directed at the long lines of rickshaw pullers competing for customers.
Well-dressed gentlemen, merchants in kimono carrying leather cases, rural women with massive bundles on their backs, and young women in modern Western dresses who still moved with reserved caution...
All kinds of people converged and dispersed here, together composing the living tapestry of the Taisho Era's largest city in the Tohoku region.
"So where do we go now?"
To be honest, this was Asuka's first time moving through such a bustling metropolis.
Even in his previous life, he had never entered the central districts of the Seireitei. Scenes like this were genuinely unfamiliar.
"Let's head to Sanmonjiya in Higashi Rokubancho first! It's an old bookstore where workers often gather. The owner's a good man. Before... before, he helped me a lot. We can use him to get in touch with Harada-ge!"
Asuka gave a slight nod, signaling Asano Mori to lead the way.
At the same time, his gaze subtly shifted toward Osaki Hachimangu on the high ground.
'I can't shake the feeling that the pressure coming from that place is strange....'
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