Yashiro the Blind

To be fair, while Yashiro is good-looking, she isn't the type to immediately impress. Compared to a vibrant peony, she's more like a quiet orchid.

Her features were delicate, her figure petite, and even her face was smaller than others, making her look exceptionally young, perhaps only fifteen or sixteen years old. Her shoulder-length hair was left loose and unbound, like wet raven feathers, jet black and glossy, as smooth as lacquer. The sunlight filtering through the leaves fell on her long eyelashes, causing them to tremble slightly, as if light were flowing within them.

Yashiro closed her eyes, only a sliver of white showing, held her cane to her chest, held a small knife in her left hand and a piece of wood in her right, and was intently carving something.

For some reason, Minjimaru's gaze was fixed on that piece of wood and she couldn't look away. Neither the surrounding scenery, the red sun in the sky, nor the blind girl's beautiful face could attract her attention in the slightest. In that instant, the girl's entire world seemed to consist only of that small knife and that piece of wood.

"..."

She remained silent, without even changing her posture, quietly observing for an unknown period of time, until Yashiro gently exhaled and placed the nascent wooden carving at her feet. Although it was only a blurry outline, it was already clear that it was shaped like a horse.

In fact, it was indeed a horse.

Yashiro was never good at saving money in her past life, and she is the same in this life. However, she spent most of her money on herself back then. After having an adopted daughter, she would always think of buying new things and toys for Mio as soon as she had spare money. However, to this day, Mio's favorite toy is still the wooden horse given to her by Jiro.

This incident left Yashiro somewhat resentful, feeling that her pride as a mother had been hurt. So, she worked hard and, after learning wood carving, always wanted to "avenge her humiliation." However, although both involve using a knife, martial arts and carving are vastly different. As a result, despite practicing and pondering it since last year, she had wasted a lot of materials and still couldn't produce a single piece that she could be proud to give to Mio.

At this moment, although the statue was only in its initial shape, she felt inexplicably awkward. She sighed and wanted to throw it away, but when she looked up, Minji Maru suddenly leaned over—she already knew that the other party had woken up, but she was focused on the wood carving and the other party did not move, so she did not pay attention to him.

To everyone's surprise, the girl, who hadn't moved an inch, suddenly lunged at him. Yashiro, thinking that Minjimaru was after her, even tried to block her with her hand, but the girl picked up the little wooden horse, her eyes shining brightly as she stared at it without blinking, not even glancing at her.

"..."

Why do I suddenly feel a little angry?

……

Chapter 117 Minji Maru Becomes an Apprentice

"Miss Yashiro, could you sell this wood carving to me? I'm willing to pay any price!"

Minjimaru probably really liked the statue, and was even willing to spend money to buy it, but Yashiro saw it as a failed practice piece, worthless, and gave it to her casually.

The girl was overjoyed: "Really? Can you really give it to me?"

"Do you have any money on you?" Yashiro asked in return.

These words struck Minji Maru squarely at her weak point. Thinking of her missing bag, the girl shrank back, her voice becoming even softer: "N-no... but I'll find a way to earn it!" she hurriedly added.

"No need, it wasn't anything valuable to begin with. You can have it if you want. By the way... do you really like this kind of toy?" Yashiro asked curiously.

Minjimaru shook his head: "I don't really like it."

"That……"

"This wooden carving gives me... a very strange feeling," the girl said, still examining the half-finished wooden horse in her hand.

Yashiro wasn't being modest; the toy was hardly exquisite in appearance. Moreover, perhaps because the sculptor was blind, the horse's shape was somewhat crooked, with one leg longer than the other, and several unnecessary knife marks on it, making it look particularly messy.

If this wood carving were taken to the nearby market, it would probably be hard to sell for even a few coins. But Minji Maru's eyes were fixed on the messy knife marks, his eyes shining as he pondered something.

She subconsciously rubbed one of the knife marks with her thumb and felt a slight stinging pain. For a moment, the girl had the illusion that she had been cut by a sword. She pulled her thumb back, but when she looked again, her fingertip was still as smooth as ever.

No wounds.

Noticing that Minjimaru was lost in thought, seemingly contemplating something and radiating an aura of not wanting to be disturbed, Yashiro stopped talking, leaving the girl to ponder alone, and turned to do her own thing.

They sat there for almost half an hour, until the sun had completely set and the night sky had replaced the afterglow of the sunset. Only then did Mai return home with Hatsume. The two sisters had bought some food at the foot of the mountain early in the morning and shared it with Yashiro and Minjimaru. They then woke up the drowsy Mio: "Eat something before you go back to sleep, or you'll wake up hungry again in the night."

"Ugh... I want to sleep..."

Mio's little head bobbed up and down in Yashiro's arms. Her face was full of sleepiness, and she seemed to be still in a dream, half asleep and half awake. She didn't even open her eyes, and only her mouth was moving slowly.

Thanks to the gentle guidance of the adults around her, she understood the importance of chewing food slowly and carefully at a young age. Even when she was extremely sleepy, she still chewed each bite carefully. Only after swallowing all the rice did she open her mouth like a little bird, waiting for the next bite.

The child didn't eat much; he was full after eating about half a rice ball. He then drank some water, rested his head on his mother's shoulder, and fell asleep again soon after.

"Eat your fill and then sleep, grow up to be a little pig..." Yashiro patted her head, and Mio hummed twice, whether it was an unconscious reaction after falling asleep or a way of protesting, she didn't know. Her two little hands were already wrapped around her waist, but now they were even tighter.

"Hoohoo."

Yashiro chuckled softly, holding her in one arm and picking up her cane with the other. She slowly stood up, said goodnight to the Tenji sisters and Minjimaru, and took Mio back to her room. Incidentally, the four of them had lived here together for more than two years, and most of the time, whether eating, playing, or relaxing, they were basically together.

Especially when Mai is out, Yashiro stays by Hatsume's side at all times, whether on the mountain or down below. Unless Hatsume asks for permission, he won't let her go on her own to avoid any accidents. After all, the world is not peaceful, and there are often wolves and tigers in the wild. Not only Mai, but Yashiro himself is also worried about Hatsume going out alone.

She originally thought that teenagers at this age were at their most rebellious, and that even if Chuya was very sensible, she would still be a little unhappy if she protected her like this. So she had asked her indirectly and said that if Chuya did not want to be protected like this, she could teach her some self-defense techniques.

Although Chuya's legs are not flexible and she can only walk slowly, unable to run and jump like an ordinary person, she might as well learn to use ranged weapons such as shuriken and kunai. Even if the little girl has limited strength, she will at least have a fighting chance if she encounters danger.

Moreover, Yashiro herself had learned more covert techniques such as blow darts and needle spitting. The former does not require much strength; as long as you aim at the target, you can puff out your cheeks and blow into the bamboo tube. If you also coat the blow dart with poison, you don't even need to hit a vital spot to kill instantly.

The latter involves hiding a specially made fine needle under the tongue and exhaling it using a special breathing technique. If it pierces vulnerable areas such as the eyeball, it can immediately turn the tide of battle, or at the very least catch the enemy off guard. Many Iga ninjas use this move as their trump card.

When Yashiro was being chased by her uncle and his men, she used this needle-spitting technique to successfully kill several adults. However, as her martial arts skills improved, she gradually no longer needed to rely on this strange skill. Moreover, with needles in her mouth, drinking and eating were not pleasant, and she would easily prick her tongue and mouth, which was very uncomfortable.

But for Hatsume, these skills that don't require much trouble or effort to turn the tables on her opponents are just right. Of course, considering that it is now the mid-16th century, the best weapons would be firearms. Unfortunately, matchlock guns are still a genuine luxury item in Japan, worth a fortune, and ordinary people like them don't need to consider them at all.

Furthermore, the matchlock guns currently on the market are not powerful or have a good range. They can only be fired once due to manufacturing limitations, and loading them takes a lot of time, involving pouring gunpowder and constantly stirring with a tube. While they are fine with cover and support on the battlefield, they are far less convenient and useful than throwing darts in private one-on-one combat.

After explaining the pros and cons of several weapon techniques to Hatsume, Yashiro asked her which one she wanted to learn. To her surprise, the girl hesitated for a moment and then suddenly asked, "If I have the ability to protect myself... will you still stay by my side like you do now, Yashiro-neechan?"

For a moment, Yashiro didn't know what she meant. Was she annoyed by him, or was the little girl afraid of being lonely? After thinking it over and over, he couldn't make up his mind, so he simply chose a safer answer: "As long as you wish, Hatsume, I will always stay with you."

"As long as I want it..."

"Yes."

I thought this answer was flawless, but for some reason, Chuya seemed subtly disappointed after hearing it. Even when asked, she just shook her head and smiled, saying, "It's nothing."

Since the girl had already said so, it wouldn't be right to keep pestering her for details. Yashiro could only sigh inwardly that girls of this age were indeed hard to understand. After observing for a few more days and finding that Hatsume was indeed alright, he put the little incident behind him.

Just like this moment.

She strolled out leisurely, and as soon as her figure disappeared, Hatsume immediately shifted her gaze to the side. Minji Maru, who was munching on a rice ball, was caught off guard and met her eyes, pausing for a moment: "What's wrong...did I eat too much?"

Hatsume shook her head, her gaze fixed on the wooden carving beside her: "Minamoto-maru-neechan, could this statue be...?"

She always spoke to people in a sweet tone, and she looked very well-behaved and cute, giving people a very good first impression. Minji Maru was no exception. He was a little flattered by her calling him "sister," and he grinned, showing his teeth: "You asked about this? It was given to me by Yashiro-san today."

“I thought so too. After all, such an ugly… such a unique wood carving, you simply can’t buy it outside.” Even though the person herself wasn’t there, Hatsume still used a more tactful approach, her eyes narrowing slightly. “But, I see. Yashiro-nee gave you something as soon as we met…”

"Yes, Yashiro-san is such a kind person." Minjimaru smiled happily, a grain of rice stuck to the corner of her mouth. She casually wiped it with her hand, and the grain of rice was then rubbed onto her cheek. "Do you like this too? If you do, I'll give it to you?"

His open and honest demeanor, coupled with his disheveled face covered in rice grains, instantly dispelled the sour feeling that Chuya had initially felt. The little girl paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "No need."

If she wanted this kind of wood carving, she only needed to ask Yashiro, and she would definitely make a new one for her herself. There was no need to steal it from someone else.

Mai sat to the side, listening to the conversation between the two. She immediately saw through her younger sister's thoughts, but could only sigh in exasperation. Unable to bear watching any longer, she quickly changed the subject: "By the way, when I went down the mountain today, I told Zaemon and the other two brothers—the ones you met—to go back to where they were before and see if they could find your baggage."

"Ah... thank you all!"

"No need to thank me. Since you were introduced by Yashiro's friend, you're practically our friend now. It's nothing, just a small favor." Mai waved her hand; after all, it was Saemon who was running the errand, not her. But seeing the girl's surprised expression, she thought for a moment and decided to give her a heads-up: "However, it's been so long, it might have been picked up by someone else. You'd better not get your hopes up too high... Is there anything important inside?"

"You asked if there was anything important inside?" Minji Maru tilted his head. "There wasn't much inside, just two pieces of clothing and some money. It's all just worldly possessions; if I lose them, it's fine... Wait, no, there is indeed one very important thing inside—"

She suddenly remembered something, and her face changed drastically. "There's a letter in the bundle. It's from Sister Longzi, and she wants me to give it to Miss Baxun!"

……

Nothing happened that night, except for Minjimaru, who was filled with worry, her mind filled with the thought of betraying her boss's trust. As a result, this carefree girl actually went to bed a full ten minutes later than usual... Of course, it was also possible that she had taken a nap during the day.

However, the next morning, before dawn, Zaemon delivered the bundle. Although the outer packaging was filthy with bloodstains, the contents were intact. Seeing this, Minjimaru was finally relieved. After opening the bundle, he didn't even glance at his own belongings, but instead carefully took out the letter that he had solemnly placed at the bottom.

"I have sought out many friends; seeing this letter is like meeting you again:"

"The last time we met was last winter, and I don't know when we'll see each other again. I was originally planning to come back to visit you after a while, but recently I met a Nanban merchant named Lilu in Sakaimachi. She's very beautiful, only slightly less so than me, and has a very interesting personality. You two would definitely get along well. I'll introduce you two sometime..."

...In conclusion, Lilu said she had urgent business in Luzon, but her original bodyguard happened to have an upset stomach and couldn't leave, so she wanted to hire me as her bodyguard for a while. I also wanted to see what it was like overseas, so I agreed. It'll probably be a month or two before I'm back, which is perfect timing for autumn, so we can roast sweet potatoes together then...I want to eat seven, no, nine!

"That's enough about my matter for now. Next, there's the person who delivered the letter to you. Her name is Minjimaru. Like Lilu, she's a friend I haven't known for long. She's been troubled by a strange thing for a long time, and I thought you might be able to help her, so I sent her to find you. If you can help her, then help her. If you can't, I'll think of another way."

"Oh right, Minji Maru has a very powerful enemy who killed her father. I originally wanted to help her take revenge directly, but she insisted that it would only be meaningful if she did it herself. There was nothing wrong with what she said, but unfortunately, her skills are really not that great. At this rate, I don't know when she will be able to successfully take revenge."

"Grandpa said that if a person's heart is full of hatred, they will eventually go down a path of no return. So another reason for sending Minji Maru to see you is that I hope you can teach her a few skills and give her some pointers so that she can get her revenge sooner and put her mind at ease. Of course, as I said before, if you are not available, let Minji Maru stay with you for a while. When I come back, I will introduce her to another master to learn from."

"That's about it... Hmm, anything else? Oh right, Lilu gave me some sweets from her country, I think they're called konpeito. They're sweet and really delicious. I was thinking of having Minji Maru take some over for you and Mio, but by the time I realized it, we'd already eaten them all. I'll leave this debt for now and make it up to you next time we meet."

"That's it, everything's alright!"

"—This is addressed to His Highness the Dragon Prince."

After reading the letter aloud, Mai licked her slightly dry lips. "Your friend is still as talkative as ever."

"Hoohoo."

Yashiro shook her head and smiled wryly. Since she settled in Tōtōmi, Ryūko would visit her every now and then. She had met Jirō and the Tenji sisters a few times; although they weren't close, they were at least nodding acquaintances. She doted on Mio immensely. On her first visit, Mio was still breastfeeding and happened to be hungry, crying and fussing. Before she could even find a wet nurse, Ryūko patted her chest and confidently assured her, "No need to trouble yourself, I'll take care of it!"

Having said that, she immediately picked up the baby, undressed, and prepared to go—it's hard to describe Yashiro's feelings at that moment, as if a thousand mad horses were galloping through her mind, she was extremely shocked: It's only been a short time since we last met, how could you have given birth to a child without a sound! Otherwise, where would the milk come from?

But it turned out that she was overthinking.

Lord Dragon Prince's confidence is not due to any practical experience, but simply the fearlessness of the ignorant.

On that very day, the granddaughter of the Sword Saint, who had swept across the Eastern Kingdom with a longbow and sent countless bandits fleeing in terror, was utterly defeated and routed by an infant child. It was truly a case of one thing being the nemesis of another, a truly poignant situation.

Later, Yashiro pulled the still-shaken Ryuko aside and explained the relevant information to him. The latter was dumbfounded, blushing, and staring at them with an incredibly shocked look. But Ryuko was never one to give up, and he was not discouraged by this small setback. After that, he made some more efforts and finally became completely inseparable from Mio.

After Mio started learning to speak, she wanted to teach the little one to call her "Ryuko-sama" (Master Ryuko). Later, she compromised and said that calling her "Ryuko-mama" (Ryuko's mother) would also be fine. Unfortunately, for some reason, little Mio wouldn't even call him "sister" (older sister). She kept saying "Ryuko" (Ryuko) and "Ryuko" (Ryuko), calling him by his name, which greatly upset Ryuko.

"One day I will make her call me Mom!" Longzi clenched his fist and vowed.

“I’m her mother,” Yashiro said irritably.

"Then call him Dad."

"You want to take advantage of me?"

"What do you mean by taking advantage? I didn't ask you to call me dad." Ryuko retorted confidently. If it were anyone else, this would definitely be considered sarcasm, but with Ryuko, Yashiro was unsure whether she was really thinking that way, and for a moment she didn't know whether she should retort.

Fortunately, Mio was resilient enough not to be corrupted by the sweet talk, allowing Ryuko to successfully gain the upper hand. Their "battle of wits" has continued to this day, with no clear winner in sight. However, if she were to actually unleash a powerful weapon like konpeito (Japanese candy), perhaps she could truly win Mio over…

Luckily, the dragon prince is a glutton.

Yashiro silently breathed a sigh of relief, then sat up slightly, turned her head, and asked Minji Maru beside her, "Minji-san, you heard what was in the letter. It seems that Ryuko wants me to give you some pointers on martial arts... I'm fine with that, but what about you? If you don't want to..."

In her opinion, at least outwardly, the two of them were only a few years apart in age. Being instructed and taught by someone of the same age, no matter how skilled that person was, would logically make one feel a little awkward and resentful. If Minjimaru also had this thought, she naturally wouldn't force him.

"Of course I would—"

But the girl didn't hesitate at all; almost the instant Yashiro finished speaking, she excitedly agreed. Not only that, the next second, she suddenly prostrated herself on the ground, full of imposing force: "Master, please accept my bow!"

Not only Yashiro, but even the Tenji sisters on the side were stunned.

"and many more……"

She only said she was going to give the other person some pointers, so why is she calling him "master" now?

Is this how respectful we are to our teachers?

……

Chapter 118 An Invitation

As the ancients said, even a teacher who teaches you a single word is still a teacher, let alone someone who imparts knowledge and skills!

In response to Yashiro's question, Minjimaru's answer did seem to make some sense. Furthermore, seeing that the girl was innocent and didn't appear to have any ill intentions, she considered it and essentially acquiesced to this explanation.

Of course, this is just a verbal title for now. If he were to actually take on a disciple, he certainly wouldn't be so hasty. Even setting aside all the other trivial rules, the most important point is that Yashiro himself has not yet received permission from his master, Kashin, and is not qualified to take on a disciple on his own.

They had to go back and ask their master for permission first. Only after she nodded in approval could they officially accept this disciple into their fold. From then on, when they walked in the world, they could openly announce the name of their school... Speaking of which, what was their school called again?

Yashiro suddenly remembered this question and thought about it carefully. She realized that her master, Kashin, had never mentioned this matter to her. Kato Danzo should know about it, but she had never thought to ask. Now she didn't even know where Danzo was.

This senior brother has always been the type to travel all over the world. He's almost sixty years old and still has no home or family, living a carefree and independent life... If the general course of history hadn't changed, he might be serving Uesugi, the sister of the Uesugi clan in Echigo, or he might have already joined the Takeda clan.

Being too far away and having no other options, Yashiro could only silently hope that his senior brother could live a good life and not end up like in another timeline, where he might be surrounded and killed while using the toilet.

In another sense, it will leave a lasting "steal".

She shook her head, putting her senior brother's matter aside for the time being, intending to find an opportunity to inquire about this old bird later. He was so old, without family or friends, and would likely still need her, his junior sister, to help and care for him in his later years. However, even if fate didn't change, Kato Danzo still had at least ten years to live—he died in 1569—so there was no need to worry in the short term.

Needless to say, as for her master, Koshin Koji was always mysterious and unpredictable. After Yashiro settled down in Tōtōmi, she asked Mai to write a letter for her, in which she briefly mentioned her experiences over the past few years and that she had adopted a child. She then asked a traveling merchant who was going to Nara to deliver the letter for her.

When the merchant arrived at his destination, he wandered around like a headless fly for a long time, unable to find the location Yashiro had described. He even thought he had been tricked and complained to Yashiro when he returned. At first, Yashiro suspected that the merchant had simply gone to the wrong place. Later, she asked several other people for help, but without exception, none of them could find the way in.

One time might just be a coincidence, but several times added together clearly indicate something else. Guoxin Jushi has always been incredibly powerful, and the skills she learned in those years were only superficial. Even if the other party really had some kind of amazing means, whether it was a mechanism or magic, it doesn't seem unbelievable that they could hide the entire mountain.

Since she couldn't find her master, Yashiro had no choice but to put the idea aside for the time being. She could always find some time later to take Mio back to Nara. For now, it was better to be grounded and focus on the present—even though all she could see was darkness.

"Yashiro, I've said it many times, this kind of joke is not funny at all."

"Really? I think it's quite interesting."

"Yashiro-neechan..."

"Master..."

"Mother……"