Looking at those increasingly clear, repulsive faces, Ume knew that her luck had likely run out.
She recognized every one of these bastards.
While there was no shortage of women in Yoshiwara, a truly beautiful Oiran was a rare commodity. A top-tier Oiran had the power to transform a mediocre establishment into a gold mine overnight. Consequently, an industry known as "scouting" had naturally evolved alongside this trade.
Most of these scouts were comprised of Yoshiwara's local thugs. Possessing no skills of their own, they banded together for strength, hunting for beautiful young girls to sell to the madames of the brothels. They didn't need a steady stream of business; one successful catch was enough to fund their debauchery for half a year. Once they locked onto a target, they became like loathsome hyenas—vicious, persistent, and never letting go.
Fortunately—and unfortunately—Ume was beautiful. Even at barely ten years old, her future as a woman of peerless beauty was already undeniable.
Gyutaro had been incredibly careful. He knew how dangerous his sister's looks were and did his best to keep her hidden. Even when she absolutely had to go outside, Ume would wrap her head in a cloth or smear mud across her face.
But as the days grew harder, Gyutaro frequently had to travel long distances just to find a meager amount of food. During those times, Ume had to try and manage on her own. It was inevitable that she would eventually be spotted by these scum.
Because Ume was highly alert, she had warned Gyutaro the moment she noticed something was wrong. Although Gyutaro was only about thirteen himself, his formidable fighting ability had already earned him a small reputation in the slums. These "hyenas" numbered five in total, but because they were all cowards who feared getting hurt, they hadn't rushed to make their move.
First, an injury in a place like this—especially a deep cut—was essentially a death sentence. Even setting aside the lack of accessible clinics, none of these "brothers" would ever dream of dipping into their gambling money to pay for another's medical bills.
Second, they had recently sold another girl and still had some cash on hand. They weren't in a desperate hurry to snatch Ume yet. They had been observing Gyutaro's patterns and knew that in a family this poor, an opportunity to strike would always present itself.
As for Gyutaro's revenge? They had already planned for that. They intended to use a portion of the money from selling Ume to put a bounty on Gyutaro's head. In a godforsaken hole like this, it wouldn't take long for someone to bring them his head on a platter. This way, they would pay no price and eliminate any possibility of retribution.
These dregs of society were evil, but they weren't stupid. This time, even though Gyutaro had been careful to hide his tracks, the bastards had still sussed out his schedule and knew he would be away for two days.
Ume watched the approaching hyenas. She wanted to run, but when she turned toward the back of the alley, she heard the sound of scuffling and heavy footsteps. The alley was completely surrounded.
If there was no escape, Ume had long since prepared herself. She had no intention of being sold to those places; she could still vividly remember the way her mother looked when she died.
But even though her own life was in peril, Ume didn't panic. She took a deep breath, looked at Kiyokazu, and hissed urgently:
"Crawl out through the back of the alley! You aren't their target, and they haven't noticed you yet. Hurry up and get out of here!"
Kiyokazu didn't move. He stood his ground, looking at Ume, and asked softly, "And you? What about you?"
"I can't get away. There are five of them. Just... do me a favor in exchange for saving your life. Find my brother—his name is Gyutaro. Tell him not to come back! Tell him to leave Yoshiwara immediately and just... stay alive..."
In that moment, Kiyokazu made his decision. He crouched down and, before Ume's stunned eyes, took the rusted dagger from her hand.
"I don't want to pass that message to him," he said quietly. "And he definitely wouldn't want to hear it. Stay alive. It's better to find a different way to repay the favor."
He looked at the dazed girl and gave a small grin. His body still ached, but the effects of Sun Breathing were far exceeding his expectations.
As he gripped the rusted dagger and activated his Breathing Style, his entire presence underwent a earth-shattering transformation. If Kiyokazu had previously looked like a sickly, frail scholar, he now appeared to Ume like a brilliant, burning sun.
Facing Ume's shocked and bewildered gaze, he spoke calmly. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a reassuring weight that burned as hot as the sun outside.
"I'll handle them. Don't worry."
He took a small step forward, positioning himself between Ume and the trembling door. As the rickety wooden door was shoved open, the blinding sunlight spilled in, but it was entirely blocked by Kiyokazu's silhouette. He stood there, backlit by the glare, plugging the doorway.
The "headhunters" had reached the threshold.
Kiyokazu squinted against the light. There weren't many in front—only three. The other two were likely waiting at the alley's exit to intercept any escape attempt.
The three men stared at Kiyokazu's unfamiliar face with expressions of confusion and irritation.
"Hey! Who the hell are you, brat? Get out of the way!"
The leader was a tall, scrawny man clutching a heavy wooden club. Without a moment's hesitation, he swung the club toward Kiyokazu's head the second he finished speaking. He wasn't the type to waste words; "less talk, more work" was his mantra.
He had sized Kiyokazu up before attacking. The boy looked fourteen or fifteen at most, wore rags, and had a face he didn't recognize—clearly a refugee. If a kid like this died here, he'd be nothing more than a meal for the stray dogs or the local madmen. No one would care.
But to the man's utter shock, his powerful, heavy-handed swing was caught firmly by the boy's bare hand!
What terrified the man even more was that after catching the blow, the boy's arm didn't even budge.
Scorching sunlight filtered through the leaves, bathing Kiyokazu. Whether it was an illusion or not, the thugs felt a sudden, overwhelming aura radiating from the youth—a presence so intimidating it made them freeze in their tracks.
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