Seeing Ume's tear-stained face, Kiyokazu felt his heart sink. He instinctively set the bag of food on the ground and rushed to Gyutaro's side.
Gyutaro was still unconscious, but the two deep, bone-deep gashes on his back had been meticulously cleaned. The jagged wounds were no longer raw; they were covered in a thick layer of brownish medicinal powder and bound tightly with clean strips of cloth. Although some blood still seeped through the edges of the bandages, it was a massive improvement from the earlier sight of his pulsing internal organs.
What surprised Kiyokazu even more was Gyutaro's breathing. Compared to the clumsy, jagged rhythm from when he had first tried to mimic Kiyokazu, his breaths were now much smoother—becoming something uniquely suited to his own body.
Between the breathing technique and the medicine, Gyutaro's complexion was visibly returning to a healthier hue.
"It's not about Brother..."
Only then did Ume speak, her voice thick and nasal from crying. She shook her head at Kiyokazu, though the movement only made her tears fall faster.
"Brother's bleeding stopped after I applied the medicine, and his breathing stabilized. It's just... it's me..." Her voice hitched with a sob. She bit her lip hard, trying to force the tears to stop, but the effort only made them harder to contain. Her entire body trembled, and her words came out in fractured pieces. "I just... you were gone for so long. I thought... I thought you..."
"Thought I'd run off?" Kiyokazu asked reflexively, assuming she had been worried he'd absconded with the money.
But Ume's answer caught him off guard.
"If you had truly, truly run away with the money, I wouldn't have been this sad. I was just... I was just afraid you had died out there because your injuries were too much."
At this, Ume's sobbing completely drowned out her words. She couldn't go on.
Earlier, while treating Gyutaro, she had stared at the glimpse of his internal organs through the wounds and forced herself to remain calm and strong. She didn't even know how she had managed to steady her hands enough to sprinkle the medicine. From cleaning the wounds to applying the treatment and finally bandaging him, she had forced herself through every agonizing step.
Once the work was done, the exhaustion and pressure she had buried deep in her heart came rushing back, colliding with her terror for Kiyokazu's safety. This convergence of emotions had instantly shattered her psychological defenses.
In this dilapidated shack, guarding her dying brother alone as the twilight deepened, waiting for another person whose fate was unknown—the unspeakable fear and loneliness had nearly swallowed her whole.
Even then, Ume hadn't broken until the moment Kiyokazu pushed open the door. The high-tension cord in her mind finally snapped, and in that instant, her pent-up emotions transformed into an unstoppable torrent of tears.
No matter how precocious Ume was, the events of today were simply too painful and heavy for a girl of ten to bear.
Kiyokazu was not an unobservant man. On the contrary, he was quite sensitive to the feelings of others. Seeing Ume in such a state, he understood exactly why she couldn't stop crying. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently patted her shoulder, which was still shaking with sobs.
"I'm alright," Kiyokazu said, softening his voice to a gentle, comforting tone. "When I was buying the food, since I wasn't wearing a shirt, a peace officer pulled me aside for questioning. That's why I was delayed. But look—I brought the food back!"
As he spoke, he gestured toward the items in the bag.
Ume looked at the food, a flicker of joy crossing her face. But then, noticing Kiyokazu's bare torso again, a bashful flush crept into her cheeks. She coughed and hurried to explain, "I—I didn't mean to just strip your clothes off. I... my own clothes were a bit..."
Kiyokazu knew she had torn her own garments to make bandages for him. He smiled, and seeing that her mood had stabilized, he immediately pivoted to more pressing matters.
"Alright, let's not worry about that now. We need to leave this place as soon as possible. Those thugs could come back at any time, and... I ran into something unusual on my way back. I don't know if you've heard rumors about man-eating demons, but I feel like the roads aren't safe anymore."
He didn't hide the existence of demons, but he kept the details vague to avoid overwhelming her with terror. They already had enough on their plates; causing her more panic wouldn't help.
"Demons? Do such things really exist? But... but we're in our current state..."
"Don't worry too much. We're still within the town limits. Even if there are demons, they shouldn't dare to eat people out in the open."
Ume nodded vigorously, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Now was not the time for weakness. "Brother's wounds were only just bandaged. He shouldn't be moved too much, or they'll just rip open again."
She looked at Gyutaro, her eyes full of worry.
Kiyokazu nodded understandingly and reassured her. "I know. We'll eat something first to get our strength back. Once he's a bit more stable, we have to move before the sun goes down completely. I'll carry him on my back and do my best not to disturb the wounds."
Ume agreed. After another deep breath, she said softly, "Okay. I'll do whatever you say. I saw you bought some hoshii. I'll get some water to soak it so we can all eat."
Kiyokazu nodded. He was truly exhausted.
Ume picked up the old wooden ladle that had seen better days and walked to the water vat, scooping out a measure of cold water.
At that very moment, not far away at the entrance to the Yoshiwara District, a man with bright orange hair wearing a black samurai uniform appeared.
"Umu! Yoshiwara!"
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