Being one of the southern provinces, nights in Kouchi didn’t feel as cold as Tokyo even in December. The business district around the Harimaya Bridge intersection was already decorated for Christmas. Naoe looked at the unfamiliar lights of the city through the square window of the business hotel for a long time, smoking a cigarette.

It had been a week since he had arrived in Kouchi. He was staying at a business hotel along the river, just outside the business district. The image of himself sitting on the window sill with his tie loosened seemed to float in the nightscape beyond the window.

(It’s been two months since I came to Shikoku.)

He still had no solid clues as to Takaya’s whereabouts. Naoe had looked everywhere in Shikoku, following up on eyewitness accounts of someone who looked like Takaya. He seemed to have headed into the mountains, and Naoe lost track of him after testimony pointing to a sighting at a campsite near Nagase Dam in Monobe Village in northern Kouchi Prefecture. After that, having lost the trail, he had come to Kouchi City, the prefectural capital, to review his search strategy. He’d requested information from the prefectural police, but had learned nothing.

(I’m certain he’s in Shikoku.)

So long as Takaya had even minimal equipment, he would be able to survive deep in the mountains for an extended period of time. Shikoku might be small, but it was big enough to hide one person. In short, even if he were to search the mountains, they were deep enough that it was unlikely he would find anything. Naoe was prepared to mobilize a large number of people for the mountain hunt, be they riot police or firefighters. It would be slow, and Takaya might leave before they found him.

(I have to hurry.)

He looked at his left hand. The scar there cramped and throbbed nightly, keeping him awake. Takaya always appeared in his dreams, and no matter how exhausted he was, he could never sleep soundly even for a single night.

The number of cigarettes he smoked only increased.

The river reflected the neon lights of the back alleyways. A little past ten, he got a visitor: It was Katsuragi Ichizou.

“Been a while since I got to sleep on a futon.”

Ichizou, who had been sleeping in his car for a while, collapsed on the bed as soon as he entered the room.

“Oi, your room is next door. You can’t just sleep in here without asking.”

Ichizou offered Naoe a can of beer. “Let’s have a drink together. Show a little appreciation, at least: I’ve learned a lot about the Life-Ripping Star.” Half-raising himself, Ichizou looked up at Naoe. “The Red Whales did it, just like I thought.”

“The Red Whales?”

“Yeah,” Ichizou nodded proudly. He‘d been working to track down the Life-Ripping Star ever since the ’Star Cave’. “It’s just as I suspected. I knew it was them. I got the information from Sogou. In fact, I heard that the date and time of the attack was leaked to Sogou. But they didn’t care about the trap; they waltzed right in and took the star.”

Naoe looked at him, still leaning against the window sill.

“This is the onryouonryou (怨霊)

Lit.: "vengeful ghost"; the spirits of those who died in the Sengoku period who are still so filled with rage and hatred that they continue to exist in the world as vengeful spirits instead of being purified and reborn. you were talking about before—the collection of surviving Chousokabe vassals? From Tosa?”

“Yeah. They’re nameless onryou from Tosa who were part of the Ichiryou Gusoku.” Ichizou pulled the tab off his beer can and gulped it down. As the hops twinged in his throat, his brow wrinkled, “To put it simply, they’re something like bandits. They talk about reviving Chousokabe someday, but a few think they can take the country on their own—absurd things like that. They’ve had their eyes on the Life-Ripping Star for a long time, and they managed to swipe it a step ahead of us.”

“You know an awful lot, don’t you?”

“Mmn? Well, yeah,” Ichizou prevaricated, and gulped down his beer in an attempt to dodge the question. “They must have the Life-Ripping Star hidden somewhere in Shikoku. I could probably find it if I put out some feelers, but...”

He seemed disinclined.

“What’s the matter? Are you afraid of the Red Whales?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s not like that, but...” He looked depressed. He hadn’t really wanted to come to Kouchi, either. “There are a couple of people I don’t want really to see,” Ichizou muttered. Speaking of which, Ichizou spoke the Tosa dialect. He tried to hide it behind a Tokyo accent, but he tended to revert when he wasn’t careful. So he was from Tosa after all.

(Could he have some connection with the Red Whales?)

“Sogou is also frantically searching for the Life-Ripping Star. Why did I come in the first place, if I’m gonna back out now? I really want your liver. So I’ll stay with you a little longer,” he said, as if he were doing Naoe a favor—not that Naoe had asked.

Naoe admired Ichizou’s inveteracy. Not because he was in any way a good person, but that quite simply, he refused to give up on the liver of a kanshoushakanshousha (換生者)

Those who possess others by driving out the soul from a body and making it theirs.

Unlike normal spirits, kanshousha cannot exchange bodies at will; they can only switch to another host body when their current body dies. Because kanshousha become the owners of their bodies, choubuku does not work on them. It is, however, still possible to exorcise kanshousha when they are in spirit-form (i.e. between possessions).. Three months had already passed since he’d started his strange journey with Katsuragi Ichizou, who seemed happy to call him boss and act as his gofer. Especially since coming to Shikoku, he had made himself useful acting as guide and local expert. In this unfamiliar land, he was grateful for Ichizou’s presence.

The 88 temples formed a barrier over the entire island of Shikoku, and it was unlikely that a foreigner could readily discover the location of the Life-Ripping Star. Would he be okay?

“This area is like a garden; I’ll manage somehow. If I’m careful, I won’t have to see them again... They seem very awkward customers,” he explained. “Their castle is in Urado. The spirit of Chousokabe Nobuchika resides at Sekkei Temple, Chousokabe’s family temple.”

“Nobuchika? Motochika’s eldest son? He’s here?”

“Yeah. The leader of the Red Whales is crazy about him and is probably planning to use the Life-Ripping Star for him. They’re straightforward, simple, alcohol-loving, excitable, and weak against learned men. They’re provincial samurai who think they can compete with Oda and Takeda, laughably enough. Yeah, dream on.”

Ichizou, who tended to scorn the spirits of the «Yami-SengokuYami Sengoku (闇戦国)

Lit.: "Dark Sengoku", the civil war still being fought by the spirits of the warlords of the Sengoku period in modern-day Japan.», was being even more acrimonious than usual. He had emptied his can in no time at all and started working on a second.

“But they’re strong because they’re simple—I really believe that. If you start thinking too much, things get too complicated and you get stuck. You need to stay focused on a single important thing.”

“In your case, it’s that bone flute of yours. Whose bone is it?”

There seemed to be a story there, but Ichizou hadn’t told Naoe that yet. He appeared to want to avoid the subject. He rose and picked up the usual photo from the table.

“So this is your lord? What kind of man is he? I’ve been with you for a while, Boss, but I’ve never seen you smile.”

Ichizou knew that the young man in the photo was ‘Uesugi KagetoraUesugi Kagetora (上杉景虎) 1552? 1554? - Apr. 19, 1579

Also known as: possibly Houjou Ujihide (北条氏秀), Houjou Saburou (北条三郎), Saburou Kagetora (三郎景虎)

Historically: Uesugi Kagetora was the seventh son (sixth to survive to adulthood) of Houjou Ujiyasu, younger brother of Houjou Ujimasa, Houjou Ujiteru, Houjou Ujikuni, Houjou Ujinori, Houjou Ujitada, and older brother of Houjou Ujimitsu. His mother was the sister-in-law of Tooyama Yasumitsu, a vassal of the Houjou Clan (other sources say Zuikeiin, Ujiyasu's principle wife). It's likely that he and Houjou Ujihide were two different people and that Ujihide was the son of Houjou Tsunashige and living in Edo while Saburou was living in Echigo, so most historians refer to him as Houjou Saburou when describing his early life.

As a child, he was sent into the priesthood at Souun Temple in Hakone, then sent as hostage to Takeda Shingen of the Takeda Clan in the three-way alliance between Houjou, Takeda, and Imagawa formed in 1554 (though this last point is now in dispute, as it is told only in the Records of Ancient Battles of the Eight Kanto Provinces and recorded in none of the Takeda Clan records.)

He was adopted by his uncle Houjou Genan in 1569 and married Genan's daughter.

When the Houjou and Uesugi clans formed an alliance in 1569, Saburou was sent to Uesugi Kenshin in an exchange of hostages with Kakizaki Haruie. (At first, the hostage was set to be Houjou Ujimasa's third son Kunimasumaru, but Ujimasa could not bring himself to send off his son, who was then still a baby.) Saburou was sent to the Uesugi clan in early 1570. Kenshin, who never married, developed a liking for the handsome and intelligent Saburou. He married his niece Seienin, the daughter of Nagao Masakage and older sister of Nagao Akikage (Uesugi Kagekatsu) to Saburou, gave him the name Kagetora (a name that had once belonged to Kenshin himself), and adopted him into the Uesugi Clan.

When Kenshin died suddenly in 1578 without naming an heir, Kagetora and Kagekatsu, similarly adopted by Kenshin, fought for succession to the position of clan head (the Otate no Ran). Though Kagetora held the early advantage with the backing of Uesugi vassals such as Uesugi Kagenobu, Honjou Hidetsuna, Kitajou Takahiro, and the Houjou Clan, the tide of the battle turned with Takeda Katsuyori's betrayal to Kagekatsu's side.

When the Otate fell in 1579, Kagetora attempted to escape to Odawara Castle, but was betrayed at Samegao Castle by Horie Munechika and committed suicide. His wife committed suicide along with him (though there are also accounts that she remained behind at the Otate and committed suicide there when her brother Kagekatsu refused Kagetora's surrender.) His oldest son Doumanmaru died at the hands of Kagekatsu's troops along with Uesugi Norimasa, and the rest of his children were believed to have died along with their parents.

In Mirage of Blaze: He was born to Houjou Ujiyasu and Zuikeiin as their eighth (seventh to survive to adulthood) and youngest son. After his death in the Otate no Ran, he was charged by Uesugi Kenshin to become kanshousha in order to ensure that the peace of Japan is not disrupted by the onshou as the leader of the Yasha-shuu and the commander of the Meikai Uesugi Army.’. However, he wasn’t interested in Kagetora’s position or his influence in the «Yami-Sengoku».

He was only interested in the fact that Kagetora was ‘Naoe’s lord’.

“I can’t imagine it, but do you smile when you’re with him? Or do you act all stiff and formal?”

To Ichizou, Naoe was nothing but an arrogant, aggressive, powerful man with no consideration for others.

“To throw away your clan for your fallen master...”

Crap! He raised a hand to his mouth. But instead of transfixing him with that terrifying glare, Naoe was staring intently at the beer in his hand.

“I would kneel to that man for as long as he desires,” Naoe muttered in a low, resonant voice. "But I’ll kneel only to him and to no one else. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? Humans are creatures who kneel only to those who save them.

Ichizou gave Naoe a wide-eyed stare. He was taken aback by Naoe’s unabashed statements, but even more fascinated.

“Is your devotion to your master like us prostrating ourselves before Buddha or God?”

“I revere the gods and buddhas, but I don’t put any faith in them.”

Perhaps he meant to say that his faith was directed toward a living being.

But he was no saint.

He felt sorrow and joy. He wept; he was vain and cunning; he craved glory; he felt jealousy and resentment. He indulged in the pleasures of the flesh; he longed ardently for the right path; he had selfless compassion for others; he found pleasure in domination and submission. He was dependent, irresponsible, greedy, funny, and everything else. He was, so to speak, the essence of humanity. Wasn’t it that ordinariness—that ugly abject figure with the power to make him sense the path to Heaven in which he reposed a faith filled with love?

If Naoe found the heavy mass of his flesh—burdened as it was with excretion and reproduction—especially lovely, it was because he was unmistakably within it. Because it exposed him. His strength, ugliness, manliness, and abjection: all vividly there. One might say it embodied his soul. Of course, Naoe loved very single part of him. It was only with a small pain that he realized that his beloved’s ‘abject figure’ could itself be an object of faith.

It wasn’t the same thing as forgiving ‘baseness’. Even in the middle of the most animalistic of acts, Naoe could feel the holiness of his every part so clearly that he trembled and wept. How could he love him so much? Did faith await him at the end of carnality’s climax? Naoe had taken his ‘vulgar flesh’ into his mouth with boundless love. He prostrated himself respectfully and obediently. A caress was something that came from within. The act of love made the beloved tremble. Impelled by Naoe’s passion, his holy fluids flooded Naoe’s mouth. Why did this most obscene of acts resemble the most religious of acts? His scent permeated Naoe right down to his toes. Takaya taking Naoe in despite his pain made Naoe ache and filled him with helpless love.

Takaya’s embrace transformed even this abject man into a believer. If a vow of love was a vow of mutual loyalty, then he was a soul who lived entirely for the sake of that being.

“Naoe NobutsunaNaoe Nobutsuna (直江信綱) ? - Oct. 6, 1581

Also known as: Nagao Kagetaka (長尾景孝), Nagao Toukurou (長尾藤九郎)
Title: Yamato no Kami (大和守)

Historically: Son of Nagao Akikage, he became head of the Sousha-Nagao Clan at a young age. He later (around 1545) passed the position to his younger brother Nagao Kagefusa. When the clan was destroyed by Takeda Shingen and their territory lost, the family escaped into Echigo. There Kagefusa became a monk, and Kagetaka was adopted by Naoe Sanetsuna when he married Sanetsuna's daughter, Osen-no-Kata. He succeeded his adopted father as master of Yoita Castle in 1577 and was a vassal of Uesugi Kenshin. He promptly took the side of Uesugi Kagekatsu during the war for succession after Kenshin's death and mobilized the members of the Naoe Clan at the castle to subdue Kagetora's troops.

After the intra-house war and Kagekatsu's victory, a question of reward was called into question. Yasuda Akimoto, one of Kagekatsu's trusted commanders, had promised rewards to Shibata Shigeie, Mouri Hidehiro, and others to convince them to join Kagekatsu's side. However, Yamazaki Hidenori, Naoe, and others objected, for they had risked life and limb at Kasugayama Castle from the very beginning of the battle, while Shibata Shigeie and the others had been lured by promise of reward from Yasuda Akimoto.

Yasuda Akimoto committed suicide when he could not keep his promise of reward. Later, Mouri Hidehiro, carrying a grudge for his death, murdered Yamazaki Hidenori at Kasugayama Castle; Naoe, who was with him at the time and took up a sword to defend himself, was killed as well. His death ended the Naoe line, which Kagekatsu later resurrected by marrying Naoe's widow, Osen-no-Kata to Higuchi Kanetsugu and commanding him to take the Naoe name.

In Mirage of Blaze: According to Kousaka Danjou, and Houjou Ujiteru he was the ringleader of Uesugi Kagekatsu's forces in the Otate no Ran. He is now Uesugi Kagetora's protector and one of the Yasha-shuu under his command. He alone, as Kagetora's protector, was given the power to perform kanshou on other souls, a power he used to force Kagetora's soul into Minako's body. is a martyr for Uesugi Kagetora.”

That was the reason he had given Irobe KatsunagaIrobe Katsunaga (色部勝長) 1493? - 1569

Historically: In the Sengoku era, he served three generations of the Nagao Clan: Nagao Tamekage, Nagao Harukage, and Uesugi Kenshin and was master of Hirabayashi Castle. He was one of Kenshin's most respected generals and Kenshin's military chief of staff. He was killed at the siege of the rebellious Honjou Shigenaga's castle.

In Mirage of Blaze: One of the Yasha-shuu under Uesugi Kagetora's command. He is the only one out of the five Yasha-shuu who survives the battle with Oda Nobunaga thirty years before the start of Volume 1, and carries on the mission alone while the others are reborn. He is a baby when Naoe finds Kagetora again thirty years later, having only performed kanshou two years previously. for leaving Uesugi: because there was no other reason he could give.

Only one thing determined a person’s way of life: what will you be a martyr for? Whom will you martyr yourself for?

It was okay for a person to embrace only one truth.

It didn’t need a name.

Even a thousand years from now. Eternally—

(Even if the world rots away.)

Ichizou remained motionless as he stared at the photograph. He remembered the conversation Naoe had had at Odaiba. The cheerful Ichizou looked unusually serious.

“Are all the four-hundred-year-old people like you?”

“You’d realize if you met him even if you haven’t lived for four hundred years.”

He’d probably taken too long to get to this point.

Ichizou looked curious, but he eventually returned the photo to Naoe and stood. He was back to his usual self.

“Sorry about bothering you. I’m going to bed. See you tomorrow.”

He returned to his room. Naoe looked out the window again.

He still had no answers.

Heaven never reacted no matter how much he cursed it, and he had given up asking it for anything. It was his own feet that would save Takaya. Meanwhile, the life span of Takaya’s soul’s core was wearing away minute by minute. He hadn’t found him yet.

(I pray you’re still on this island.)

If he could hold him psychically, he would give all his soul to weave a rope to twine around him and make him stay. If he would only stay. If it were possible, he would want Takaya motionless as if in sleep, with no thoughts in his head and no burdens in his heart. Like a hibernating beast for whom using «power» was absolutely unthinkable.

Shikoku was a troublesome place. Koubou DaishiKuukai (空海) 774 - 835

Also known as: Koubou Daishi (弘法大師), or High Priest Koubou

A Japanese monk, scholar, poet, calligrapher, and artist who founded the Shingon school of Buddhism. He is credited with inventing kana (which includes hiragana and katakana) of the Japanese writing system as well as introducing homosexuality (or at least shudo) to Japan.

He studied in China from 804 to 806, where he was initiated into the Esoteric Buddhism tradition. He returned to Japan to establish the Shingon school, which would become the dominant Buddhism sect for the next 300 years. His teachings and his many writings, such as Attaining Enlightenment in This Very Existence, The Meaning of Sound, Word, Reality, The Ten Stages of the Development of Mind, and Ten Abiding Stages, synthesized Buddhism into a coherent whole, and displaced Confucianism with Buddhism as the official Japanese state ideology.

He was contemporaneous with Shaichou, the founder of the Tendai school.’s thick spiritual energy did an excellent job of hiding Takaya’s tracks. Telepathy lost its focus.

(And then there’s the lingering psychic energy at the ‘Star Cave’.)

It was very similar to Kagetora’s. Though the curse had disturbed it and he couldn’t be sure, it had lodged itself in his mind. Ichizou’s investigation didn’t reveal anything. His impatience at this unpleasant feeling was growing stronger. But could he assume it was a clue? Had Takaya been there? Was he involved?

“Damn it...!”

He needed more power. He didn’t care who or what. He clenched his left hand tightly around the throbbing scar. Give me power.

Naoe hadn’t told him, so how could there be an answer? Kagetora’s soul was going to die if it wasn’t «exorcised» soon. Naoe’s soul would die with it. But to «exorcise» Kagetora was like renouncing him. Purification was ‘parting’. They would probably never see each other again. Either way, eternity would be lost. Could he do it? Something so terrible? His mind rejected it; he couldn’t look at it directly. How could it be possible for death to be the only way to save Kagetora? No matter which path he took, a parting awaited them at the end of the road. A parting from which there was no escape stretched darkly ahead. How could something so accursed be allowed?

(That’s why I seek something capable of breaking through.)

He’d heard that the Life-Ripping Star could grant immortality. Its immense magical power might just save him. Naoe was holding on to whatever meager possibilities he could find now. A way to stop Kagetora from disappearing.

(I acknowledge it’s ego. I have nothing else.)

He crushed his unfinished beer. Amber liquid trickled down his hand. Get information from as many people as you can before speaking a word of complaint. Go a meter deeper into the mountain. Explore every possibility. If you don’t want to mourn. Someone whispered in the back of his mind: So you’ll continue to bind Kagetora until the world is destroyed?

(I want to live, with him.)

That was all. Call him an ego demon, but where was the sin in wanting to live? They were human beings, and they were helpless against the need to exist. They couldn’t help what they wished for. He didn’t know how many human and other living things had wished for the same thing throughout the ages. How could anyone be punished for wishing? He wanted to live. There was no logic in that. He didn’t want to mourn. He would continue to struggle. Human beings fought death. They wanted to live. And he wanted to live beside them.

He was so driven by impatience that he was losing his mind. He had to hold on: he knew there was a paper-thin line between reason and madness.

(I can find him.)

He had no choice but to believe in himself, and not only superficially. No one was going to save him. If he allowed himself to despair, he would fall into the abyss, and that would be the end. He had to believe.

Naoe stared at the lights of the city of Kouchi with eyes that defied a world which hid Takaya from him.

Naoe and Ichizou began working together the next day. Naoe drove, since Ichizou couldn’t. Ichizou had his laptop computer on his lap in the passenger seat. It was connected to his cell phone, and he’d been typing steadily, gathering information since morning.

“I don’t see any mail from Kuro-chan.”

He was referring to an information trader named Kuroki, whom Naoe had met in Tokyo. Ichizou had assigned him a nickname on a whim. After arriving in Kouchi, Naoe got in touch with a Kouchi Prefectural Police official through Sonoda, a newspaper reporter, who put him in contact with a journalist at the local branch office. He made arrangements to receive information via email.

“You should’ve given the Tokushima Prefectural Police a better honorarium. Oh, there’s something here about Hakuchi Castle.”

“What does it say?”

“Eyewitness accounts and such. It was definitely the Red Whales’ work, Boss. They’ve been after Hakuchi Castle for a while.”

“...You have some sort of connection to the Red Whales, don’t you?”

Ichizou hurriedly denied it. How very suspicious. There was no doubt the abnormal incident at Hakuchi Castle was entangled with the «Yami-Sengoku».

“Oh-ho, there’s some weird stuff here. There was a flash of lightning or something on the grounds... Ah-hah, that must’ve been the curse-burning fire. After that, hmm? It says flames like a huge serpent rose into the sky and disappeared...”

“Flames like a serpent?”

“Yeah... And the mountain fire instantly disappeared... Huh, really? What do you think?”

Naoe looked suspicious. Something was on his mind.

“I wonder if they used the Life-Ripping Star? I guess we gotta gather more information on the Red Whales.”

With Ichizou pointing the way, they headed for Mt. Godai, a small mountain to the east of Kouchi City rising 140 meters above sea level. It was known for being the location of Chikurin Temple, one of the most famous temples in the prefecture. Ichizou had an acquaintance there who apparently knew a great deal about the Red Whales. The car shot up the luxuriantly tree-covered mountain, which was famous for its azaleas. Naoe parked by a souvenir shop in front of the temple gate and followed Ichizou inside.

“This temple is where the monk from the yosakoi bushi verse ‘On Harimaya Bridge the monk purchases an ornate hairpin’ comes from. You know, about the monk who falls in love with a local girl called Ouma-san. Not that I’d want to be a monk at all, since in those days they weren’t even supposed to fall in love,” he joked as he nimbly ascended the stone steps.

They passed beneath the elegant old temple main gate with Mt. Godai written on it and saw a stone-paved path stretching before them. The autumn leaves must’ve been beautiful a little earlier in the year. A red five-story pagoda came into view.

The main temple building had a gabled, hipped roof and the calm air of a famous temple. There were many magnificent trees; in the green season, the hall would be covered with them. A group in white pilgrim’s outfits crossed in front of them, the bells on top of their staffs ringing lightly. This was the 31st amulet-issuing temple of the Shikoku Sacred Sites and one of the 88 barrier points.

“This is one of Kouchi’s blind spots. It was one of the Yamanouchi family’s temples, so the Red Whales don’t tend to get too close. ...Now then.”

Ichizou looked around. He didn’t see the person they were here to meet.

“That’s strange. I’ll go look around a little.”

Ichizou jogged toward the temple kitchen. Left behind in front of the hall to Daishi Koubou, Naoe looked up at the winter-desolated cherry trees nearby. The temple’s principal object of worship was Manjusri.

(I would certainly like to borrow the wisdom of Manjusri now.)

As it was a weekday morning in winter, visitors were sparse aside from pilgrims. Gazing at the thatched main temple building, a sense of nostalgia swept through Naoe. Lights glowing in the dark hall gave a sense of warmth. Temples with tiled roofs didn’t feel like that, somehow. The building had warmth.

His gaze caught on a man coming out of that building, whom he thought might be a traveler. He appeared to be alone. He wasn’t a pilgrim, and was perhaps visiting on business. He was munching on a piece of fried chicken while eagerly reading a memo as he walked toward Naoe.

He looked familiar somehow—an acquaintance from Kouchi? The other man looked up as if he’d heard someone call his name. Naoe saw his face harden like wax. Naoe’s eyes widened as well. He couldn’t say a word.

Both were stunned. —He couldn’t believe it.

The other man was equally speechless. The fried chicken fell out of his hand. It was the only modern food he liked. But the man stared at Naoe, oblivious.

“... Nao...e....”

Naoe could never have imagined he would meet this man here.

He was a busy man, after all.

Even Ayukawa couldn’t give the search his undivided attention. After the ‘Star Cave’ incident, he flew to Kyuushuu in answer to a summons, met with Tachibana Dousetsu, cleaned up in Bungo, and upon Irobe’s return, met with him to iron out their plans. ...Thus, his visit to Kouchi was also done as a part of his core business. Irobe had apparently decided to conduct a full-scale, detailed investigation in Shikoku. Miyoshi was the impetus. Ayukawa, who had come to Tokushima at Naoe’s behest, had not forgotten his main mission. The tension in the area was higher than ever before, and that wasn’t even accounting for the Life-Ripping Star incident. There were Oda’s ulterior motives in backing Miyoshi to consider, and above all, the signs of Chousokabe’s revival. Ayukawa, who had heard from Dousetsu in Ooita that the spirit of Chousokabe Nobuchika had been kidnapped, had also learned that there was a group trying to revive him. He now entered Shikoku again under Irobe’s official orders.

“I am entrusting you with supreme command in Shikoku. I expect it’ll be rough going. Please give it your undivided attention and devote everything you have to the task.”

(Leave it to me, Irobe-san.)

A fired-up Ayukawa had returned to Kouchi ten days ago.

(Thanks, Naoe. You’re the one who called me out to Shikoku, after all.)

Looking back on it now, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that Naoe had sensed the level of danger in Awa and called him here on purpose.

Or was that going too far? Thinking of his self-centered friend, Ayukawa began to make his move. There was no Lady in White in Tosa; there hadn’t been any particularly strong onshouonshou (怨将)

Lit.: "vengeful general": the spirits of the warlords of the Sengoku period, who continue their battles even in modern-age Japan. in the territory up to this point. But when had the spirits begun to come together?

(I’ll crush them before they metastisize.)

He’d started out early today, too. Relying on local psychics was one of his habitual practices in his investigations. He had heard there was a monk at Chikurin Temple who was well-informed about local spirits, and had promptly come to pay him a visit.

Given that the temple’s principal object of worship, Manjusri, was the guardian of his birth year, he’d had the premonition that something might happen—and apparently Manjusri had accommodated him with a completely unexpected meeting.

He looked up, sensing a presence that was strangely familiar.

He couldn’t believe his eyes.

(No way...)

Standing in front of the Koubou Daishi Hall was someone in a suit who could’ve been an actor. A face that he saw even in his dreams was, stunningly, turned toward him.

The strength drained out of him before he could even lose his cool.

Ayukawa was frozen in place. He had never expected to see him here.

The price of this reunion, it seemed, was his fried chicken.

“Boss! We’re in big trouble, Boss!”

Ichizou’s shouts echoed across the quiet temple grounds as he came running. He’d apparently met the person he’d come to find.

“Something terrible has happened! Awful...! Huh? Boss? Er, what?”

Naoe, who was supposed to be waiting in front of Koubou Daishi Hall, was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did he go?”

Naoe wasn’t at the temple. He was at the overlook parking lot at the top of Mount Gotai accompanied by the man he had just met.

One could see the entirety of Kouchi City from here. The wind blowing across the observation platform was a bit chilly.

Ayukawa followed Naoe. His glare was scary. It had been five months since they had seen each other. He’d thought that the next time he saw Naoe, he would probably punch him. But perhaps the fried chicken had ruined the mood: he’d neither hit Naoe nor yelled at him. He remained silent and glared.

“You think I’d be satisfied with a farewell letter like that?” After following Naoe to the observation deck Ayukawa finally addressed his back. “I don’t need thanks or apologies. I’ve been looking for you all this time.”

His back turned, Naoe remained silent for a long time. He had not spoken a word since their reunion. He turned slowly, his expression more sincere than Ayukawa had expected.

“That face says you have no intention of apologizing or thanking me.”

The calmer Naoe was, the more Ayukawa’s gut simmered. He was not planning on verbosity.

“Come back.”

Naoe didn’t even twitch, but his face changed when he heard what Ayukawa had to say next.

“Irobe-san has been appointed supreme commander.”

“...!”

“Just the other day. He’s carrying Uesugi all by himself. He’s made up his mind about the «Yami-Sengoku». The work the five of you once did, he’s going to take on that responsibility all by himself.”

“...”

“I can’t watch this. I’m not here to put things nicely. Come back to Uesugi, Naoe.”

Naoe’s teeth appeared to be slightly clenched. Ayukawa could tell by the movement of his cheeks. But he didn’t respond. If this were enough to make him go back, he wouldn’t have left Ayukawa behind in the first place.

“... I know that,” Ayukawa muttered in a low voice. “I know it very well. Your resolve. And the fact that you haven’t lost sight of yourself. I didn’t live through all those years with you, but I’ve been your friend. You’re not so strong that you don’t feel remorse for your sins. It’s in you, and not superficially either. I can understand that, even though I haven’t lived for four hundred years.”

Naoe listened with closed eyes.

“I’m asking you because I understand that. Irobe-san’s heroic resolve is too tragic to watch. Come back. You don’t have to be supreme commander if you don’t want to be. I just want you to be there for Irobe-san. Please come back...! Please!” He bowed deeply. But Naoe only frowned and didn’t respond. Ayukawa began to tremble. He stared at the ground, trembling. The moment he realized that Naoe wasn’t going to answer, he suddenly fell to his knees before him. It shocked Naoe.

“Ayukawa...!”

“Please! I’m begging you, Naoe!”

“Stop it, Ayukawa!”

Naoe immediately crouched and tried to pull him to his feet, but Ayukawa shook him off and pressed his forehead against the ground. Did he intend to stay in that position forever? His eyes were tightly shut as he pressed his head against the concrete.

The strain made him shake. Next to him, Naoe stared at him helplessly.

“... Irobe-san didn’t tell you anything?”

Ayukawa suddenly opened his eyes. But Naoe didn’t continue. Irobe had not told Ayukawa either about meeting Naoe in Tokyo—or about what they had discussed.

The feeling of being unforgiven spread through Naoe’s chest. Had Irobe kept their conversation to himself because Naoe was a deserter? Was his anger towards Naoe the reason? Or was it his particular way of...showing sympathy for the dead who should stay dead?

“Ayukawa, I have—no intention of going back.”

Ayukawa’s shoulders trembled.

“I died in Aso. I intend to discard the name Naoe Nobutsuna.”

Ayukawa’s head snapped up. His forehead was scraped and blood-stained.

“Naoe...!”

“I’ve already told Irobe-san everything.”

Ayukawa’s eyes widened; he was speechless. ...That couldn’t be.

“I’ve entrusted the position of supreme commander to Irobe-san. I’ve also restored the key to the Meikai Army’s door and transferred it to him. I’ve officially renounced Uesugi.”

“That...can’t be.”

“Irobe-san accepted it and took up the position of supreme commander. I no longer call myself an Uesugi. I no longer have anything to do with the «Yami-Sengoku».”

“Did he accept that? Irobe-san? Did he accept something so selfish?”

Naoe didn’t answer. He hadn’t accepted it. Or understood. He’d only said he would said. Naoe remained silent.

“I’m not asking you to understand. You don’t have to forgive me. I’m grateful to you—that’s all. From the bottom of my heart.”

“I don’t need your gratitude.”

“I’m not going to change my mind. I’m not going back.”

“Why...!” Unable to bear it, he clung to Naoe. “Why? Lord Kenshin has left! He’s gone! He entrusted everything to you, and he’s sacrificing himself to bring an end to the quagmire of war that is the «Yami-Sengoku»! Lord Kenshin is gone! Weren’t you supposed to take responsibility for everything?!”

“Ayukawa.”

“Have you ever thought about Lord Kenshin’s feelings? He is no longer...a human being! He can’t be reincarnated! That’s how much he gave to end the country’s onryou—the «Yami-Sengoku»!”

“I know. I know that, Ayukawa...!”

“No, you don’t! You don’t understand anything! What is so important? There are more important things! Why are you so obsessed with Kagetora-dono? If it’s not to kill him, then why?! I don’t understand. I don’t know what happened to you at the mountain cottage. Aren’t you supposed to want to end the «Yami-Sengoku» more than anyone else?!”

Naoe turned aside painfully.

“To exorcise the onryou and preserve the righteous order—isn’t that supposed to be the purpose of your existence? That’s why you have been allowed to perform kanshoukanshou (換生)

To possess another's body, driving out their soul, so as to be reborn with memories intact. Only Naoe of all the kanshousha has the power to perform kanshou on another soul.. You’ve lived for four hundred years. How can you renounce that?! You must have resented those four hundred years. Are you going to throw it all away? You’ve suffered for it, haven’t you?!”

Ayukawa shook his head furiously and appealed to Naoe in deadly earnest.

“I don’t understand you. That kind of loyalty isn’t loyalty. That kind of justice that’s indifferent to so much human suffering isn’t justice. Ego is just ego! It’s not something to be admired!”

“Ayukawa...!”

“I’m going to take you back, even if I have to do it by force!” Ayukawa yelled, suddenly striking with his «power».

“!”

Naoe didn’t even have time to create a «goshinhagoshinha (護身波)

Lit. "wave of self-protection"; the goshinha is a protective mesh spun from fine strands of spiritual energy which surrounds the caster and protects from an opponent's spiritual as well as physical attacks. The mesh gains strength and stability when it is multi-layered and becomes the goshinheki. The goshinha is Naoe's forte.». He slid to the ground, jolted by an electric current that ran through his entire body. Ayukawa’s face was a demonic mask.

“I’m taking you back to Uesugi. I’ll knock you down if I have to!”

“Boss!”

At that moment, Ichizou rushed to the scene. He had apparently forced the car down a one-way street. He abandoned it once he spotted Ayukawa, and pulled Kasumimaru from his waist.

“You asshole!”

The white bone flute exploded and transformed into a ferocious two-headed snake. Ayukawa couldn’t dodge the attack in time, and was bitten on the shoulder by one snake. He tumbled backwards, a strong numbness stealing movement from the right side of his body.

“Are you all right, Boss?”

Ichizou took the opportunity to help Naoe up. He was dizzy, but he stood. Ayukawa couldn’t get up. The snake’s fangs appeared to be poisonous. He couldn’t feel the right side of his body.

“I have to save him—...” Naoe said, panting. “I can lose anyone but him, Ayukawa.”

“What the hell is this?” Ayukawa still had the strength to shout. “What the hell is this Kagetora to you?”

Naoe looked at Ayukawa painfully as Ichizou pushed him into the passenger seat.

“I’m not letting you go, Naoe!” Ayukawa yelled, his right cheek spasming. “I’m going to take you back! Never doubt that, Naoe!”

The car burst forward, almost pulling Ayukawa along. Ayukawa turned his head away from the exhaust fumes; when he looked up again, the car was already driving away down the hill.

(Why can’t I convince him?)

Maybe it was the frustration. Tears blurred his eyes.

(I won’t back down even if Irobe-san accepts it!)

 
“That was a close call, huh?” Ichizou, who supposedly couldn’t drive but had figured it out from sheer exposure, said to Naoe as he gripped the steering wheel.

“Yes,” Naoe replied blankly, sinking into his seat. His whole body was still aching.

(Sorry, Ayukawa.)

To him, apologies were probably somewhat less than sincere. But for now that was the only thing Naoe could say.

“His heroic resolve is too tragic to watch...!”

His brow furrowed, and he closed his eyes.

(Irobe-san—...)

 
At the lookout, Ayukawa was still staring in the direction the car had disappeared. When he finally gave up, he looked toward the city. The bay of Urado glittered. He could see Kouchi. Kasumimaru’s poison only numbed his muscles, and soon faded away.

He stared for a long time at the city where Naoe had disappeared.

(I didn’t tell you after all.)

About the young man he’d seen at Star Valley TempleStar Valley Temple (星谷寺)

A temple of the Kouyasan-Shingon sect, Shikoku's Star Valley Temple is located in Katsuura Town. Its chief object of worship is Ekādaśamukha, the Eleven-Faced Kannon. It is the inner sanctuary of Tatsue Temple, the 19th temple of the 88 temples of Shikoku. It was said to have been built by Kuukai in 792.

Legend says that long ago, Kuukai pulled down an evil star that was causing misfortune to people and sealed it in this temple's rockery. When the evil star turned into a stone, this stone was enshrined. who’d looked a lot like Ougi Takaya.

If it really had been him, the situation was grave indeed. He couldn’t be ignored if he was part of the spirit group that had stolen the Life-Ripping Star. Kagetora was supposed to have died in Aso. Ayukawa was complicit in the secret, and had to dispose of him as a matter of taking responsibility.

Even so, he’d been willing to tell Naoe, depending on his attitude. If Naoe had said he would return to Uesugi. However—

(No, it’s the other way around...)

Naoe was the only person he wouldn’t have told, no matter what. If he did so, Naoe would become more and more distant.

He suddenly felt like laughing.

(Why did I prostrate myself in front of him?)

It hadn’t been his intention. Punch him, maybe, but kneel to him? He hadn’t thought of it even in the moment before he did it.

(I’m not very perceptive.)

His forehead hurt.

(I won’t give up, Naoe.)

His dazzled gaze fixed on Urado Bay glittering in the winter sun, Ayukawa was about to leave when his cell phone softly rang in his pocket.

“Hello?”

The caller was Yoshie KagesukeYoshie Kagesuke (吉江景資) 1527 - 1582

Son of Yoshie Munenobu and trusted vassal of Uesugi Kenshin. He served as keeper of Kasugayama Castle when Kenshin was absent during his battles. He also fought in many of Kenshin's wars.

He supported Uesugi Kagekatsu in the Otate no Ran after Kenshin's death along with his son Nakajou Kageyasu and his father Yoshie Munenobu. He committed suicide at Uozu Castle along with his father and two eldest sons when it fell to Oda Nobunaga in 1582.. Ayukawa’s eyes widened at his news.

(They did it.)

Sendai had fallen.

Irobe Katsunaga had finally raised his army. In just seven days, he had conquered Sendai. Irobe had led Uesugi’s army on a raid of Date MasamuneDate Masamune (伊達政宗) 1567 - 1636

Titles: Echizen no Kami, Mutsu no Kami
Also known as: birth—Bontenmaru (梵天丸), adult—Tojirou (藤次郎), posthumous—Teizan (貞山), self-introduction—Fujiwara no Masamune (藤原政宗), religious—Takeru Hikonomikoto (武振彦命), nickname—One-Eyed Dragon (独眼竜)

Date Masamune was a powerful daimyo in the Northeastern part of Japan during the Sengoku Period. He was the 17th-generation head of the Date Clan and the founding daimyo of Sendai-han. He was the eldest son of Date Terumune and Yoshihime, the daughter of Mogami Yoshimori.

Masamune was born in Yonezawa Castle (modern-day Yamagata Prefecture). He lost the use of his right eye after falling ill of smallpox in his childhood, and would later come to be known as the One-eyed Dragon. However, because of it his mother thought him unfit for rule of the clan, and favored his younger brother. When Date Terumune retired from the position of the clan head in 1584, Masamune killed his brother and became the head of the clan at 18.

Masamune was known as a brilliant tactician. Shortly after he became head of the clan, Oouchi Sadatsuna, a Date vassal, defected to the Ashina Clan in the Aizu region of Mutsu Province. Masamune declared war on the Ashina for the betrayal, but was forced to retreat by the Ashina general, Iwashiro Morikuni. Three months later, Masamune laid seige to Oouchi's stronghold at Otemori. It was said that he put some 800 people to the sword in retaliation for the betrayal. Thereafter the Hatakeyama Clan, the traditional rival of the Date Clan, kidnapped Masamune's father, who was then killed in battle when Masamune and his troops engaged the kidnappers. War ensued between the two clans, and Masamune would ruthlessly subjugate his neighboring clans, even those who were allied by marriage or kinship. He defeated the Ashina Clan in 1589, but was called by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to lay siege to Odawara Castle of the Houjou Clan.

He served both Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, though neither trusted him completely due to his ambition and aggression. Under Tokugawa Ieyasu Masamune controlled one of the largest fiefdoms in Japan and turned Sendai from a small fishing village to a large and prosperous city. He encouraged foreigners and was largely lenient towards Christanity and its practioners. He funded and backed the first Japanese expedition to sail around the world, which visited such places as the Philippines, Mexico, Spain and Pope Paul V in Rome.

He died in Edo at the age of 70 of esophageal cancer, and was entombed in the Zuihouden according to his last will and testament. His second son (eldest son by his legal wife Megohime) Date Tadamune inherited the position of clan head after him. using a grand siege strategy. Driven before the surprise general offensive and a well-calculated strategy which cut off any opportunities for counterattack, Date had been forced in seven short days to take humiliating flight from their Sendai stronghold.

(Brilliant!)

Ayukawa listened to Yoshie’s excited news admiringly. It was true. Sustained by Kenshin, Uesugi was different now. Its military strength had grown. Date must have felt terror before them. But there was more to the story.

“What?! The Date Clan is taking refuge on Uwajima in Shikoku?!”

Storms brought storms.

A huge typhoon from the Northeast was about to make landfall.

“Sekkei Temple was attacked and Lord Nobuchika killed! Did you hear that, Boss?”

Naoe and Ichizou were back in the city. They went into a coffee shop facing Ote Street, where Ichizou reported what he had learned from a Mt. Godai monk, but Naoe’s mind seemed to be elsewhere. This monk friend of Ichizou’s was psychically talented and had also earlier been visited by Ayukawa; he was extremely knowledgeable about the spiritual conditions in the area. He’d told Ichizou about the attack on Sekkei Temple.

“It’s serious—they extinguished him. Lord Nobuchika is... Lord Chousokabe Nobuchika is—!”

The excitement was all on Ichizou’s part. It seemed not a big deal to Naoe—or was he still thinking about what had happened with Ayukawa? He was not paying attention.

(I’m not getting through at all.)

“And then, listen to this. It’s about the culprit who killed Lord Nobuchika. There are rumors it was Uesugi.”

“What? Uesugi?”

Naoe lifted his cheek off his hand—reacting for the first time.

“What do you mean?”

“...Oh, fine,” Ichizou sulked. “When Nobuchika was killed, the assassin used Uesugi’s technique of—what was it called? You’ve used it too. Rumors are it was like that.”

“You mean Uesugi’s «exorcism» extinguished him?”

But Ayukawa hadn’t mentioned that. Only the Yasha-shuuYasha-shuu (夜叉衆)

The five kanshousha at the head of the Meikai Uesugi Army ordered by Uesugi Kenshin to hunt for the onshou who are disrupting the peace of modern-era Japan in a battle which has lasted four hundred years. Led by Uesugi Kagetora, with Naoe Nobutsuna, Kakizaki Haruie, Yasuda Nagahide, and Irobe Katsunaga. The name "Yasha" refers to soldiers in the army of Bishamonten, called "Yaksha". could use «exorcism» at this point.

“Strange. I don’t believe Uesugi’s made a move in this direction.”

“Well, rumors are always exaggerated. I also think it was Miyoshi or the like. They were on fire to get their revenge.”

Naoe, however, was still stuck on the thought. He brooded gloomily for a while.

He stood up abruptly and said, “Let’s get out of here. We have no time to waste. I want to go to the prefectural police.”

“Wait a minute... Boss!”

Ichizou hurriedly followed Naoe, leaving his half-eaten pilaf behind.

They left the restaurant and walked through the daytime city toward Kouchi Castle. The prefectural police headquarters was within walking distance. On the way there, Ichizou began to act strangely. As if he’d suddenly spotted something in the crowds of passersby, he turned around and hastily dashed into an alleyway. It startled Naoe, who chased after him.

“What’s the matter with you?”

“Whoa! That was a close one! I saw somebody I know.” Ichizou clutched at the wall with a hand pressed against his chest. “A possessor spirit from Tosa. You can’t just walk around here, oblivious.”

So there was something in Tosa that kept him away. What an annoying guy, Naoe sighed. His drifting gaze suddenly landed on the building opposite.

(What—...?)

Naoe froze. The building across the street appeared to host a gallery on the ground floor. Through the glass, he saw something strange.

“Huh? Wh—hey, Boss!”

Naoe entered the building with a momentum that said he was ready to break in if he wasn’t allowed in. There was a photography exhibition. Naoe walked straight up to one of the photos on display, his eyes glancing neither left nor right. It appeared to have been taken by a member of the city’s photography enthusiasts club.

Ichizou rushed after him. Naoe stood froze as a stick in front of the photo. Ichizou followed his gaze.

It showed a naked young man.

(This is amazing...)

He was bathing in a small stream in the middle of the forest. The sun was setting in the west, and its natural rays glittered against the spray of water dashed against the young man’s back and slipping down his skin in pearlescent droplets. Shadows accentuated his smooth muscles.
It was a beautiful, sensual work of art. The subject’s head was turned toward the sky as if in prayer, both his eyes and lips half-open.

(Nice expression...)

It made Ichizou sigh, even though he didn’t know much about photography. Was this what it meant to be photogenic?

At first he thought it was a model, so well proportioned and balanced was he.

He’d probably actually been taking a dip. You could hear the sound of the stream, see the dazzling light, smell the greenery. He was so dazzled he almost felt dizzy.

He looked around, and saw it was quite a conspicuous piece of work. It stood out from the rest of the amateur landscape photography. Its atmosphere alone was different.

“You like that one, Boss?”

Ichizou peered at Naoe’s face. It looked peculiar. Naoe’s eyes were wide open, and he stood perfectly still.

The title of the work was ‘The Solitude of Life’.

The photographer was ‘Mutou Ushio’.

Naoe didn’t move.

He stood there in front of the picture, holding his breath.