News of Akutagawa’s death blasted through the village.

“It was assassination; someone assassinated Akutagawa-san!”

The Red Whales‘ hideout at East Mt. Iya was in a great uproar. The leadership had managed to keep the discovery a secret for a time, but it seemed to have leaked. Someone had killed Akutagawa Chikamune, the Red Whales’ strategist. It had happened not long after the successful theft of the star. Three days after the discovery, Kusama, head of the Red Whales, made an official announcement, the content of which was:

Spies from Sogou carried out the assassination of Akutagawa-donohonorifics

A brief list of honorifics used in address:

san (さん) - the most common honorific, usually used to address someone outside one's immediate circle with respect
kun (君) - usually used towards boys and men of junior status or equal age and status
chan (ちゃん) - a diminutive used mainly towards children, and intimate friends, especially women; also used as an endearment for girls
sama (様) - the formal form of "san", showing a high level of respect
senpai (先輩) - used to refer to someone with a more senior status, such as a freshman towards a senior
sensei (先生) - often translated as "teacher", but can actually be used to show respect for anyone with superior knowledge in a field, including doctors and writers
dono/tono (殿) - an antiquated term which roughly translates to "lord", used to show great respect for the addressee, who can be of equal or higher status than the speaker
uji/shi (氏) - in ancient times, carried the meaning "of the ~ clan" or "of the ~ surname"; now used in formal speech and writing to refer to someone unfamiliar to the speaker.
hime (姫) - used to denote a princess or lady of higher/noble birth
. They’ve already been caught and disposed of. They probably came to retrieve the Life-Ripping Star.

That was it for the official comment.

No details were given, and the report was much too simple considering that a ranking member had been killed, but no one was suspicious. The honest Ichiryou Gusoku exploded in anger at the word ‘assassination,’ every mouth cursing Sogou, every eye swimming with tears for Akutagawa. Kusama’s voice trembled. His face was pale and his comments terse, which everyone assumed was due to grief. But Kusama’s agitation wasn’t due to mere grief. He was desperately trying to hold back some unusually heavy and dark thoughts—and not just Kusama, but the other ranking members as well. Yet only a few seemed to notice the unnatural stiffness of their faces.

Takaya was at the very back of the group, staring at them with quiet eyes.

Kada Reijirou stood next to Kusama, his eyes closed from start to finish.

Mt. Tsurugi’s autumn leaves were withering, and the season of cold wintry winds was here.

Takaya and Ushio were sent out on three more missions. Skirmishes with neighboring enemies seemed an everyday occurrence. Ushio had gradually become able to control his «power», which meant Takaya simply tagged along behind everyone else as if what had happened at the ‘Star Cave’ had been a lie. Still, he did help out when they landed in another pinch, a feat which made him the center of attention again (surprisingly, he seemed to be the type who talked when he couldn’t do anything else).

They had become accustomed to life in the Red Whales community. One day:

“Hey, Mutou. Why don’t you join us?”

Iwata Eikichi called out to Ushio mid-training session.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m practicing martial arts.”

Ten or so people were practicing paired karate.

“Everyone’s a little tense because of Akutagawa-san, so this is a way to raise morale. This is an ancient form passed down in Tosa called Usubae-ryuu. We developed it among us local samurai—it’s kung fu of a somewhat different style. Why don’t you give it a try?”

The form was like a combination of karate and aikido. The style was rustic rather than elegant—very much something the local samurai had taught themselves.

“I’ll teach you the forms, come and try it with us.”

“What? Wait, I can’t!”

His only acquaintance with martial arts was through arcade games. Eikichi forcibly dragged Ushio into learning Usubae-ryuu.

“No, no, not like that. Drop your hips more. Strike with your arms alone. Put your elbows on your hips, like this.”

Eikichi’s attentive instruction went on and on until, as evening fell, Nakagawa called out, “That’s enough.” He had just returned from a three-day absence.

“If I don’t stop you, you’ll make him work until morning.”

Nakagawa laughed at Ushio’s relief at finally being released.

“Iwata is susceptible to enthusiasm. When he sees you have an aptitude for something, he gets all fired up to teach.”

“Huh? Me, aptitude?”

And he got annoyed with those with no aptitude.

“That’s what I hear, Ushio-san. I heard you worked hard at Four-Legged Pass [Yotsuashi Touge]. Kada-san said that he recognizes you have a lot of ambition.”

“Hmm... I’m motivated, sure.”

He wasn’t yet accustomed to his «power», so if he made a mistake, he would be a liability.

“Have you and Ougi-san restored your friendship?”

Ushio suddenly fell silent. Whenever the subject of Takaya came up, he felt out of sorts. He hadn’t really talked to Takaya since the attack on the ‘Star Cave’. Nakagawa soothed Ushio’s sulky mood with fatherly sympathy.

“You haven’t been around each other much. You brought Ougi-san here, didn’t you? Are you just going to let it get worse and worse?”

“...How should I know? He’s the one who’s been avoiding me.”

He hadn’t seen Takaya around lately. Ushio thought Takaya was probably mad and avoiding him.

“Ougi-san wasn’t fighting at the cave to take the credit; he was fighting to protect you.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“If it weren’t for him, you might have died.”

“I know that!” Ushio jerked his head aside, angry as a rebellious teenager. “That’s why it’s so intolerable.”

It was mortifying that Takaya had shown off what he could really do. “I’m going to run away and go home?” What was he talking about? He was so strong! Ushio felt that he had not only been surpassed, but outclassed. He was ashamed that Takaya, whom he’d thought helpless, had played such an active role, while he himself had needed protection from everyone around him and had barely made it back alive.

“Why did I even bring a guy like that along? All Kusama and Iwata can talk about is ‘Ougi Ougi’... I’m only here to make him look better.”

“Ushio-san.”

“I’m an idiot. I wish I never brought Ougi along in the first place.”

He seemed to mean it. Ushio’s back as he walked away looked very small. Since the ‘Star Cave’ incident, his trust in Takaya had been replaced by suspicion and a sense of inferiority. This obsession over superiority between men was deeper-rooted than one might think. Nakagawa could do nothing about their relationship turning sour.

Speaking of soured relationships, there were two men who had an even more worrisome fissure between them: Kusama and Reijirou.

Kusama had been so shocked by Akutagawa’s death that he had locked himself in his room and left the running of the place to others. Though he claimed to be in mourning, what he truly feared was what he might say in front of other people. He couldn’t eat—that was how great a blow Akutagawa’s death had been. In any case, Kusama had suffered the worst blow of them all. On the other hand, Reijirou was going about his business with such enthusiasm—with such brazenness, almost, that he seemed to have already forgotten all about Akutagawa.

In any event, things had become quite alarming. As he sighed gloomily, Nakagawa heard someone calling to him from the lodging houses. He saw Oooka, their footboy, running toward him, expression urgent. Something else had happened, apparently.

“You’re back, Nakagawa-san! I’ve been waiting for you. It’s awful! Ougi-san is—!”

“?! Ougi-san is...?! What’s wrong?”

“Please come, hurry.”

Oooka pulled him by the hand into the administration building, and from there they rushed to Takaya’s room. Several people on nursing duty were clustered anxiously in front of the door.

“He hasn’t eaten at all the last three days. He’s been shut up in his room for all that time.”

“What?!” Nakagawa scowled. “What do you mean? Is he in there?! Why don’t you go inside?”

“Because...well... Everyone who’s tried to enter the room just suddenly collapsed, like they inhaled poison gas.” It had happened to two people one after the other; one of them was still unconscious and in critical condition. No one knew the cause, so everyone had been too afraid to enter the room. Nakagawa immediately shook off their restraining hands and tried to open the door. It was locked. It meant: do not enter. He broke the lock and forced open the door.

“Ougi-san...!”

Takaya was there. But he was cowering by the wall. The room was filled with a poisonous vapor that dazzled his eyes for a moment, but Nakagawa didn’t falter. He immediately opened the window, raised Takaya in his arms, and checked his condition. He hung limply.

(Oh no...!)

“Oi! Prepare an IV, now! And get me a syringe!”

Oooka and the others rushed out. He’d been poorly for a while, but his condition appeared to have deteriorated during Nakagawa’s absence. Not only that, but it looked as if Takaya had been fasting for all that time. Why hadn’t he told anyone he was sick?

“Ougi-san! Can you hear me?”

Takaya’s eyes opened a slit in response. He was conscious.

“Why didn’t you say anything to all these people around you?”

Everyone had apparently been so busy that no one had noticed Takaya.

His harsh reproach was not unreasonable. Since using his «power» at the ‘Star Cave’, Takaya had been in bad shape. He had a slight but lingering fever and no appetite. They‘d thought it was due to fatigue, but that wasn’t the sole reason. Nakagawa treated him skillfully without fear of Kihachi’s poison. The others moved away out of fear, but Nakagawa was brave. After purifying the room’s ’energy’ with holy water, he laid Takaya down on the futon and gave him an intravenous drip, after which Nakagawa finally managed to catch his breath.

“Why did you let it get so bad? Why didn’t you call anyone?”

He apparently hadn’t taken any food or even water. Nakagawa looked miserable.

“You’re so weak. Did you want to die?”

Takaya turned his face to the wall.

“...Ougi-san.”

“Leave me alone.” His voice was faint. “Don’t bother with me...”

He felt more sad than in a mood to scold. Nakagawa wrung out a towel and used it to wipe Takaya’s forehead.

“I’m a doctor. I can’t just ignore someone who’s sick.”

“—...Aren’t you afraid?”

“Of what?”

“You’ll die.”

“You can’t treat a patient if you’re afraid of him.” Nakagawa asked quietly, “Did you intend to die?”

Takaya didn’t answer. Instead, he laughed scornfully low in his throat. “You’re possessor spirits, so it’s not like you’re afraid of your bodies dying, right?”

“...Ougi-san.”

“I don’t understand you people.”

That they were possessor spirits didn’t make it okay. The crime was no different from killing a vessel.

On the table, Takaya shook his head weakly.

When he was with them, he no longer understood life and death, the meaning of existence. These were real bodies weaving their web of words in front of him, but those with whom he exchanged words were existences severed from life and death. They breathed; their blood circulated; their hearts beat. There was always a heaviness when life came to a halt. It hurt. It was never simple, and it hurt so much...

“Why couldn’t I have made this decision sooner—...?” Takaya muttered, covering his eyes with the back of his hand. “What am I doing...?”

Nakagawa’s eyes widened at the sight of him moaning in pain. Takaya had never allowed anyone here to see his ‘weakened self’ before. It wasn’t just his body. Takaya wasn’t crying, but Nakagawa could tell what he was trying to do by how he was weakening.

The very fact that he was alive was itself a sin.

(I knew that I would become nothing more than a murderer.)

Takaya no longer recognized himself. He had been thinking about it ever since. What was he doing here? The mission that had sustained him for four hundred years had abandoned him; he had lost what had given his life meaning, and now there was no one who needed him. His life no longer had any value or meaning. His life would be nothing but sin if he continued to live. And if that was the case, then why shouldn’t he kill and purify himself? The longer he stayed alive, the more likely it was he would kill someone. So long as he lived among people, so long as he could not go to some deserted place, it would happen someday. Why should he remain here?

What was making him do this? Why had he not gone to the world’s end? Why was he still alive, while claiming to have been swept away? Four hundred years ago, he wouldn’t have hesitated to slash open his belly like a man. And yet.

He had become so weak.

“If I’m going to be weak, I might as well be weak like this...”

It was better to be weak. If he couldn’t take his own life, if he couldn’t will his life to end...

“—What am I... What in the world...am I doing—...?”

(Isn’t this simply passive suicide?)

Nakagawa’s eyes widened. He was surprised by how badly Takaya was shaking. Though frail and in pain, Takaya made no sound of complaint. Nakagawa decided he couldn’t just leave Takaya like this.

Nakagawa gently grasped the hand Takaya was holding over his eyes. The unexpected warmth made Takaya’s eyes widen.

“If to live is a crime, then we possessor spirits share in that crime. But I can’t do anything about my existence either.”

“...”

“I have no choice but to live.”

Takaya closed his eyes. His mind was a jumbled mess, and he couldn’t quite understand what was going on. Was there any way for a soul to live on after losing its body?

“We, at least, need you. We need you. We want you to live.”

This was no lie. Nakagawa covered him with a blanket.

“Kada-san has heard about your condition. I’m sure he will be worried. Since what happened with Akutagawa-san, he’s been so busy that he hasn’t been able to come see you. Please take care of yourself,” Nakagawa said. He put away the blood pressure cuffs and syringes. As he was about to leave, he added, “I envy you, Ougi-san. I wish I’d had longer to live my life. Please take care of yourself,” he repeated. Takaya stared at the ceiling. He felt the life-giving drops entering him from the inner bend of his elbow.

The door closed. Takaya closed his eyes.

 
He bumped into Reijirou as he stepped out into the hallway.

“How is Ougi?”

He’d apparently been questioning Oooka.

“He’s a little weak, but with the IV and rest he’ll be better in two or three days. I think it would be better let him have a little quiet.”

The problem, as Nakagawa saw it, was more in the disturbance of his energy than his physical condition.

“Two people collapsed after being poisoned. One is in critical condition.”

“He hasn’t had enough training.”

“Since the star theft, Ougi’s energy has been chaotic. He can’t control the poison anymore.”

“Is that why he’s able to use «power»?”

“Probably. Please stop using him. There’s something wrong with him. Every time he uses «power» while in that condition, his life is shortened.”

"I wish I could, but he’s going to have to work harder than ever.

“Are you planning to use him and throw him away?”

There was a hint of censure in his words. Nakagawa, too, suspected what Reijirou had done to Akutagawa—that was included in his condemnation.

“If necessary.” Reijirou didn’t seem to feel any guilt about what he had done. “Please keep looking after him. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Kada-san...! Kusama-san is!” he was about to say, but stopped himself: being overheard would be bad. Kada walked away as if he hadn’t heard, and Nakagawa gave him a hard look. As Nakagawa turned to leave, he ran into Ushio. The second floor and above were the ranking members’ private rooms. Unless he had business with them, this area was off-limits to the rank-and-file.

“What’s the matter?”

Ushio stammered, but then asked hesitantly, “Is Ougi all right?”

“If you’re concerned, why don’t you go visit him?”

Ushio lowered his gaze. “Not like it has anything to do with me,” he said, and went back down the stairs. He’d apparently come out of concern, but wasn’t prepared to come clean about it. Good grief.

(Something seems to have been suddenly set in motion by the star theft.)

Nakagawa looked at the forest outside the window. The autumn leaves were almost gone, and the forest was beginning to prepare for winter.

(Where the hell are we going?)

They had as yet no idea that they were at the center of chaos.

(What am I doing?)

Mutou Ushio was thinking the same thing. He was sitting by the sunken hearth in an empty common room with his head in his hands. He was being so uncool. He was perfectly aware he was acting like a sullen child. Yet there was nothing he could do about it.

True, he was angry with Takaya. He regretted having trusted him. It was mortifying. He’d been outclassed. His shortcomings had been on display. He shouldn’t have brought a guy like that with him. But—

(I forced him to come, didn’t I?)

These days he suffered from frequent headaches. Being able to use «power» was a good thing, but why couldn’t he do anything about these headaches?

(Is this why I’m so irritable?)

“Looks like Ougi’s collapsed, Mutou.”

He looked up to see Yoshimura and his friends at the entrance. As usual, they regarded Takaya as their enemy.

“Serves him right, that red-eyed bastard. You must feel like an idiot, getting beaten by Ougi like that. Ouch,” Yoshimura said sympathetically, approaching.

He‘d heard that this man’s ’Ougi offensive’ had recently escalated. He seemed extremely mortified by the fact that his bullying attempts to silence Ougi had rebounded on him so forcefully that he’d been shaken to his core.

“You were the one who was supposed to brilliantly decorated by your first campaign. He’s shown himself to be a dirty rotten scoundrel at heart. The Red Whales would be better off if we expelled him. In fact, two of us got killed. We need to protect our comrades. We’re gonna petition Kusama-san now. Why don’t you come with?”

Yoshimura was the leader of a pack of the rank-and-file. Ushio didn’t like the fact that he was surrounded by a crowd of his followers wherever he went. Yoshimura hugged Ushio’s shoulders in an overly-familiar manner.

“Look, Mutou, you should join us. Let’s drive Ougi out together. With Ougi gone, Kusama-san and the others will turn their attention to you.”

Ushio glared at Yoshimura sharply, brushed Yoshimura’s hands off, and left the common room without a backwards glance.

“What the hell? Why is this batch of newcomers all cocky bastards?”

“Feh, whatever. Mutou is fine. ...The problem is that red-eyed bastard.” A dark fire burned in Yoshimura’s eyes. “I’m gonna find your weakness, Ougi Takaya. I’m gonna make sure you can’t stay here. Don’t think that you can enjoy the good life forever.”

“—What’s Kada doing?”

It was late at night. Nakagawa had come in with a change of clothes. Takaya, still prone, had asked the question as if he had just remembered it. He seemed to have regained his composure.

“He’s strategizing an attack against Hakuchi with Someji-san and others.”

“They’re...going with Hakuchi, then?”

Nakagawa nodded. He looked grave. “I see,” Takaya muttered. He was also concerned about Reijirou.

Kada Reijirou had apparently been present at the scene of Akutagawa’s assassination.

He’d told people that he had taken out Sogou’s assassin with his own hands after witnessing the assassination, but no one with any knowledge of the true state of affairs believed him. It was obvious who had killed Akutagawa.

When Kusama first learned of it, his mind had apparently gone blank. The shock was indescribable. His face had turned white as paper. He’d frowned and trembled all over, then struck Reijirou hard before locking himself in his room.

It must have been Kada who had killed Akutagawa.

The shock had been too much.

If word got out, there was no telling the uproar it would cause. He couldn’t allow his comrade’s murder to become public knowledge. Thanks to the efforts of Samanosuke and others, they managed to get away with publicly blaming Sogou (in line with Reijirou’s report), but Kusama’s heart raged against Kada.

“Of course. Akutagawa-san was an important link to Lord Chousokabe. He was a foothold. It’s unforgivable that he should have killed by one of his closest friends.”

Kusama probably hadn’t expected Kada to resort to such forceful measures. The shock was so great that the plan to move the Life-Ripping Star to Kouchi had been put on hold. Meanwhile, Reijirou was proceeding with his attack on Hakuchi Castle. Ironically, those who were convinced that Sogou was responsible for Akutagawa’s murder were so determined to attack Hakuchi in revenge that even Kusama couldn’t stop them.

“—I have a bad feeling about this.”

“You’re worried about them?”

“...Not really.”

“But I understand. The rupture between those two will lead to a rupture in the Red Whales.”

Kada had acted too hastily. He’d known that something so reckless as assassination endangered their future, but he’d been unable to stop himself.

“Did you perhaps realize, Ougi-san?”

“Realize what?”

“That Kada-san was going to kill Akutagawa-san.”

“What does it matter even if I did? It’s none of my business what he does.”

“It doesn’t look that way. I think you’re quite concerned about it.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“He’s the one who says that the nameless should band together to become a force in their own right—and that’s the Red Whales. We’re proud of our independence. He is too serious and did a reckless thing.”

This solicitous man seemed to understand Kada’s feelings quite well.

“Deep down, he has a hard time trusting people. That’s why he always goes about things alone. You can be on Kada-san’s side. Won’t you help him?”

“I don’t have that kind of power.”

“No, you’re capable of it.”

Takaya silently glared at Nakagawa.

“Will you help Kada-san so that he will not be misunderstood?”

“...I’m not getting involved.”

He turned away. He feigned indifference, but in fact, he had been concerned about Reijirou ever since that day.

What Reijirou had said to him had pierced into him like a tiny thorn...

“Revenge against life itself.”

(Show me.)

If you’re capable of it. If you can.

(Show me, Kada Reijirou.)

It was past lights-out.

Ushio didn’t return to his room. Like a child who had lost his place in the world, he sat down on a piano chair in the corner of the hall. He pondered as he idly pressed down against the keys.

If it weren’t for him...Ushio would be...

(I’m the one who got him into this mess, aren’t I?)

Takaya’s red eye. When Kada had called it an evil eye, Ushio hadn’t believed him; he’d thought Kada had made it up to make it easier for Takaya to stay. Apparently, though, it really could kill. He was perfectly fine within the sacred precincts of Mt. Tsurugi, but Ushio had heard that due to the poison he carried, it was dangerous just to be with Takaya.

(Was it the poison that called the spirits when we first met?)

And two people had collapsed today.

(He wanted to be alone.)

He didn’t even have room to be thinking on a level of whether he was outshining Ushio or making him look good.

(What should I do?)

He sighed again and looked dazedly up at the wall. A panel photo hanging there caught his eye. It was a scenic shot of Mt. Tsurugi. Speaking of which, what had happened to his favorite SLR camera? He’d had it with him on coming here. He had forgotten all about photography in the interim. Feeling as if he had suddenly remembered a very important friend, Ushio rushed to the warehouse. He was sure that he had left his camera with his bag, tent, and other gear.

The camera, second in importance only to his life itself, was stored with the rest of his belongings. It made Ushio happy.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t been taking care of you at all, have I? There there—...”

He stroked it like a child and looked through the viewfinder. The familiar weight and feel of the camera in his hands made him happy for the first time in a long time. He notice that there was still some film left.

(That’s right.)

 
“Huh? Photograph developing solution?”

Ushio was visiting Nakagawa in his room to make the request. There was a microscope and rows of test tubes. Nakagawa was staying up past midnight nightly to experiment with an antidote.

“Yeah, I’d like to develop this film. I’m passionate about photography, and I have to do the developing myself to be satisfied.”

Ushio was holding two or three rolls of film. “All right,” Nakagawa said, and kindly provided him with all the necessary equipment for developing the film. A simple darkroom was set up in a corner of the washroom.

“What kind of pictures did you take?”

Ushio commenced his developing process at once, while Nakagawa observed with interest. Ushio worked quickly and skillfully inside the change-bag.

“Various things. The Iya mountains, Ooboke Valley, and so on.”

Hearing the noise, Eikichi stopped by while on his rounds. Nakagawa asked for a special dispensation just for the night. Eikichi also came to take a curious peek inside the darkroom.

“Oh, so this is how you develop pictures. Not bad, you.”

At first Eikichi watched with deep interest, but eventually he was overcome with a need for sleep and went back to his room. Nakagawa also returned to his work after about 30 minutes. The cottage village slept.

(Seems like it’s going well...)

He took the film out of the developing tank and looked at it through the light source. This time, the film seemed to be generally good. Remembering when he’d taken the pictures, he checked the negatives one by one. His hand suddenly stopped.

(This...—...!)

What was he looking at? Ushio quickly prepared photographic paper and an enlarger. Once he estimated the film to be dry, he immediately began the printing work. Ignoring the other negatives, he set the desired frame and carefully and painstakingly exposed it. A short time later, Ushio stood in the simple washroom darkroom, staring at the image of his subject emerging from the liquid. Ushio was perfectly frozen underneath the red light. The result was a photograph that he couldn’t believe had been taken by him.

(It’s beautiful.)

It was the picture of Ougi Takaya he had taken that day in the mountains of Iya.

Takaya’s monochrome figure, captured in that single detached moment and printed on photographic paper, was more beautiful than any other subject he had ever photographed. The picture looked alive.

(It’s natural.)

It was enough to make Ushio gape.

Spray refracting light; drops of water traversing his supple back; his well-muscled shoulders. Nuances of shadow beautifully conveying the texture of his skin. The tension of the toned flesh and the antelope-like line that stretched from his lower back to his thigh. It was as if he could feel the smoothness of his arched neck to his chest. Danger and toughness underlay his body in perfect balance. How beautiful he was.

Above all, the expression on his face.

His lips parted, his eyes staring heavenward. This expression—

And then he realized: the vitality he’d captured wasn’t due to his photographic technique, but due to his subject. It was the subject’s own power. This vibrancy came from within him.

He had the wild animal’s innocent essence that Ushio was ever drawn to. Was this truly a human being just like him? He accepted the nature of Iya as it was without defense, with his whole body—

“Oh...?”

Tears welled up in Ushio’s eyes and overflowed before he realized it.

He couldn’t hold back any longer.

Sobs overcame him, and he cried silently with a hand pressed against his mouth. Seeing Takaya like this, everything that he had been holding back in his heart surged out of him as if a dam had been broken.

The first feeling that came back to him was: “It hurts.”

It was the loneliness that resonated with him. Just from this one photograph, Ushio could understand the pain of Takaya’s loneliness.

Ushio cried alone in the darkroom until dawn.

“We can’t sit back and simply let Miyoshi throw their weight around!”

“We must attack Hakuchi soon!”

It was the next day. It was exceptionally noisy outside as the rank-and-file stamped into the public square for a meeting. Those who wanted revenge for Akutagawa’s murder had gotten fed up and were kicking up a fuss.

“How long will you keep silent?!”

“Retaliation for retaliation! The Red Whales must stand up now!”

“We call on our leaders to attack Hakuchi immediately! Let’s attack Hakuchi Castle!”

Eikichi and Nakagawa surveyed the scene from their window. Hikawa Samanosuke, alerted by the commotion, hurried over to them.

“What’s all this yelling at this gods-forsaken hour?!”

“They want to attack Hikuchi to avenge Akutagawa-san’s death.”

For the past two, three days, the call for an attack on Hakuchi had been growing rapidly. They had finally exploded this morning.

“Attack Hakuchi! Now is the time to attack Hakuchi and avenge Akutagawa-dono!”

“We must pay Miyoshi and Sogou back!”

The gathering continued to swell dangerously. If left unchecked, it looked as if a riot might break out. Just as Samanosuke was about to go break it up, Kada Reijirou appeared at the entrance.

“Hey, it’s Kada-san!”

The soldiers immediately surged toward Kada, every person shouting for an attack on Hakuchi, for revenge.

“Everybody, be quiet!”

The cold voice echoed through the mountain morning. Kada deliberately ascended the stage and addressed the crowd:

“I apologize to all of you for the delay. I understand your passion perfectly. We cannot allow Miyoshi and Sogou’s misdeeds to continue. If we can’t be angry when we are angry, there is no point to us. We, the Red Whales, are the only ones who can protect our homeland, our Tosa, from Oda!”

(Kada-san...!)

Nakagawa and the others had no time to stop him.

“We will attack Hakuchi immediately!” Reijirou declared without hesitation. “We will attack Hakuchi Castle! We will take Shikoku!”

A roar of joy so loud that it seemed to split the mountains rang out at the foot of Mt. Tsurugi.

 
The date for the attack on Hakuchi was finally set.

The troops’ demand had seemingly necessitated the verdict, but had it really? Kada Reijirou made all the core decisions for preparations. Everyone’s spirts rose as they began to arm themselves.

But Hakuchi was also a matter of life or death for Miyoshi. If they were to attack, they needed to be prepared for anything. Reijirou intended to use the just-taken Life-Ripping Star, for which he needed permission from Kusama. The attack on Hakuchi was no longer Reijirou’s idea alone; it was the consensus of the entire group. Kusama couldn’t possibly refuse.

Yet Kusama stubbornly, steadfastly refused to permit the use of the Life-Ripping Star. Reijirou finally had to negotiate with Kusama directly.

“Why won’t you understand, Kusama-san...?!”

It was still early in the morning.

Reijirou was in the meeting room reserved for the leadership. Blood was already rushing to his head. He approached Kusama, who was sitting at the front.

“It’s obvious that if we’re serious about the attack on Hakuchi, it’ll be a fierce battle. If we use the Life-Ripping Star, we won’t lose any men. This is the time to use it. Please allow it to be used,” Reijirou requested earnestly. But Kusama only stared at the wall cynically. Reijirou yelled, exasperated, “Why, Kusama-san?!”

“Why? You ask me why?” Breaking his long silence, Kusama suddenly turned cold eyes toward him. “—It’s obvious. The Life-Ripping Star belongs to Nobuchika-sama. It isn’t ours. We cannot use it in a mere local battle.”

“What do you mean, ‘mere’? Do you not care if our comrades die? Isn’t preventing that why we have the Life-Ripping Star?!”

“We already decided that the first use of the Life-Ripping Star would be for Nobuchika-sama. We must not diminish its power by tarnishing it.”

“What are you talking about? The Life-Ripping Star is supposed to be used for war! It isn’t Chousokabe’s; it belongs to us, the ones who stole it! It belongs to the Red Whales!” Reijirou argued passionately. Understandably.

They had enshrined the Life-Ripping Star at Daiken ShrineDaiken-jinja (大剣神社)

Daiken (Great Sword Shrine) is located on Mt. Tsurugi at an elevation of 1,820 meters (5,971 ft). It is known to 'sever bad connections and forge good connections'. at the summit of Mt. Tsurugi, where the Red Whales took turns keeping a strict watch. The small wayside shrine holding the star boasted a sturdy lock, to which Kusama held the key. The complicated lock had been made by the Red Whales’ locksmith from spirit-iron, and even Reijirou couldn’t remove it without the key.

“Let me use the Life-Ripping Star. Let me use it to attack Hakuchi.”

“If I refuse, will it be my turn to die by your hand, Reijirou?”

Reijirou choked. When he looked up, he saw the cold eyes of Kusama waiting for him.

“How dare you ask me for the use of the Life-Ripping Star, Reijirou.”

“Kusama-san...”

“Do you think I feel nothing?”

“...”

“I’m enraged to the bottom of my heart by what you have done.” He said it calmly, but something dark drifted in his eyes. “You stole something very precious to me. Stole not only from me, but from the Red Whales someone who was truly important to us.”

“Kusama-sa...”

“I don’t forgive you. Look at my hand: just to look upon your face makes it tremble from the desire to draw my sword...and you want me to allow you to use the Life-Ripping Star?”

The air was filled with killing intent. Reijirou stiffened. Kusama sneered with fury.

“I’m angry, Reijirou.”

“Kusama-san.”

“I didn’t think you were that kind of man. What an ingenious way for you to go about it. Killing Akutagawa-dono and then inciting his comrades by tricking them into believing the Sogou did it. You made them think it was about revenge. Is this your plan? What a calculating man, what a despicable man. Was all of it a plot? What an evil man. Damn you. What have you done?!”,Kusama slammed both hands against the desk. “Now my road to Chousokabe-sama is even longer! The Red Whales have lost a precious pillar, and it’s your fault! It’s all your fault, Reijirou!”

“Kusama-san...!”

“Akutagawa-dono cared for us so deeply. He gave me his recognition. He was our samurai general! But you! But yooooou!”

“Listen, Kusama-san! It wasn’t like that; you never saw that man for who he truly was. That man, Akutagawa, wasn’t what you thought he was. He didn’t even think of us as human beings. He was going to use us as much as he could, and then throw us away when he didn’t need us anymore!”

“I won’t listen to your filth!” Kusama stood, yelling dismissively. “No matter what kind of a person he was, we needed him to rise. We needed him to clear away the regrets of our past lives, to get back on our feet.”

“No. We can do all of that without someone like him. We’ll build our own stairway. We don’t need someone else to make the stairs that will allow us to rise up!”

“I don’t want to listen to your sermons.”

“No, I won’t shut up. You were taken advantage of. He never thought of you as anything more than a dog!”

“Take care, Reijirou!” Kusama’s face was red with agitation. “I could afford to lose anything except Akutagawa-dono! He was necessary for the revival of Chousokabe! Yes—more than you!”

Reijirou held his breath. He felt as if his chest had been split wide open. Tears welled in the corners of Kusama’s eyes. He didn’t think it was from pure agitation. Did he regret what he had said? Or were those his true feelings?

After a moment of silence, Reijirou asked, “Would it have been better if I died instead?”

“...”

“Was Akutagawa was more important than me—when we came up from nothing together?!”

“Yes, he was! I depended on him! He had so much more learning and wisdom than us! You ruined everything! Killing you isn’t enough! Why, Reijirou? Why would you kill Akutagawa-dono? Why take him from us? We can’t survive without him! The Red Whales are done for, everything is over!”

Kusama burst into tears and wailing. Reijirou remained silent. Kusama sobbed like a man not used to tears. He cried as if trying to exorcise his despair.

When his tears dried up, Kusama panted for breath. No matter how much he screamed, Akutagawa was not coming back.

Eventually regaining his composure, Kusama told Reijirou in a low voice, “—I will not allow you to use the Life-Ripping Star. If you want to attack Hakuchi, do so under your own power, Reijirou. Now leave.” With that, Kusama turned away and did not give him another glance. Reijirou gave up. He sighed deeply, bowed, and left the room.

Kusama didn’t turn when the door closed.

He glared out the window at the trees swaying in the wind.

The morning sun poured into the cracks in both their chests like stinging poison.