Yashiro the Blind

"It's not that you said something wrong, but that your idea itself is wrong. In today's world, no one knows their future fate. Whether you are from a noble family or an ordinary person, we are all the same, with our feet on the ground and our heads held high, living in this world."

"We don't know what tomorrow will bring. Don't let my current appearance fool you. A few years ago, I was nothing more than a wandering ronin, no different from a beggar. I've only managed to get to this point by chance by gaining my lord's trust. If I were to become complacent and look down on others because of this, it would mean that Lord Nobunaga has misjudged me. I am just an ordinary, insignificant person!"

Rather than saying that Fujikichiro was reprimanding his followers, it would be more accurate to say that he was using these words to warn himself that he must never be arrogant or conceited, for pride leads to ruin and humility to benefit. Everyone else thought that since he had already risen from a commoner to a samurai, he should be satisfied, but only Fujikichiro himself knew that his ambitions went far beyond that.

One day, I will become the ruler of a country and a city, and leave my own mark on history in this chaotic world.

The young man's eyes shone brightly, like the sun, but the next moment, he suddenly showed a look of surprise: "Oh my, you said everyone would come, and here they are!"

Before he could finish speaking, Fujikichiro had already strode forward to meet him. Quanzang was slightly taken aback, but quickly followed. The two of them jogged along, and before long, the blurry figure on the other side of the road became clear.

They were two young women, one in front of the other. The one in front was in her early twenties, with a pretty oval face and thin, long eyebrows like willow leaves.

Unlike many women of the time, she didn't let her hair down. Instead, she tied it into a high ponytail at the back of her head, looking radiant. She carried two bundles in her arms and had a particularly eye-catching long knife on her back.

The knife, including the handle, was five feet long. It had no scabbard; instead, the blade was wrapped in strips of cloth. From a distance, it looked like a bamboo pole, swaying precariously and attracting considerable attention.

But Fujikichiro's gaze only lingered on her for a moment before turning to another person behind her—or rather, two people.

There was one big and one small. The big one was blind, thin, with long hair. Perhaps because of his appearance, he looked younger than his actual age, like sixteen or seventeen. He wore a thin old shirt, with a gourd tied around his waist and a broken pipa on his back. He held a cane in his left hand and tapped it in front of him, while his right hand held the hand of a little girl who looked like an ice sculpture.

The little girl looked to be about three years old. She was holding two skewers of meatballs and happily eating them.

As the distance between them closed, the ponytail girl carrying the long sword noticed Fujikichiro and his companion. Her eyes showed some wariness as she stepped forward, blocking their path. Just as she was about to ask a question, she heard the blind girl behind her laugh and say, "Don't be nervous. This is the groom I told you about."

Oh, I see!

The girl suddenly realized what was happening and stopped being wary. At that moment, Fujikichiro approached, first smiling and nodding at the unfamiliar girl, and then greeting the blind girl: "Yo, Yashiro-san, we meet again!"

His tone was familiar, exactly the same as I remembered him from a few years ago.

“We meet again, Mr. Hiyoshi.” Yashiro replied with a smile. “Oh, I should call you Mr. Fujikichiro now, shouldn’t I?”

"That's right, haha, but there's no need to be so polite. We're all friends, just call me Fujikichiro. And this gentleman—I don't know how to address him?"

“My name is Minji Maru,” the girl replied.

"So you are Miss Minjimaru. It's a pleasure to meet you. You have an extraordinary bearing, just like Miss Yashiro." Fujikichiro laughed heartily, showering Minjimaru with compliments. Minjimaru beamed with delight.

Finally, Yashiro couldn't take it anymore and coughed twice. Fujikichiro then stopped talking, but instead of continuing to chat with Yashiro, he squatted down, looked at the remaining little girl at eye level, and greeted her seriously.

"..."

Despite her mischievous nature at home, once outside and around strangers, Mio suddenly becomes shy. She timidly shrinks behind her mother, looking at Fujikichiro with trepidation. The latter, unperturbed, stands up again and smiles, "What a lovely little girl. I wonder what her relationship is with Yashiro-san..."

"It's my daughter."

"Huh?" Although he had expected it, Fujikichiro was still taken aback. "But... Miss Yashiro, didn't you say you didn't like it..."

He blinked, looked back and forth between the two people, one big and one small, their faces quite different. He didn't say the rest of his sentence, but instead clapped his hands and laughed: "I see, haha, come, come, it's rare for the three of you to come all this way, so I, Fujikichiro, will lead the way and show you around so you can experience the local customs and culture of Kiyosu Castle!"

Although he allowed others to call him by his name directly, he still referred to himself as "Yashiro-san" as before. This was not an oversight, but rather a reflection of Fujikichiro's thoughtfulness.

When they first met, they were both ronin, of equal status. But now, Yashiro is still a commoner, while he has become a low-ranking samurai. Although Fujikichiro himself doesn't care about this difference in status, he can't guarantee that others will feel the same way. So he specifically asked the other party to call him by his first name, precisely to downplay this difference and prevent their once pure friendship from turning sour.

Human nature is subtle, and often a small thing is enough to create a rift. For Fujikichiro, although he and Yashiro had only known each other for a short time, her existence could be said to symbolize his past time of hunger, cold and wandering. The moment he saw her, he couldn't help but recall the various things he had experienced in Tōtōmi.

If it weren't for the other party's intervention, he might have already died under Hikita Kou's sword, and if it weren't for Matsushita Kabei's help, he probably wouldn't have the fate he has today. Not only these two people, but in the past twenty years of his life, he has encountered countless kind people, and it is because of these small acts of kindness that he has become the Kinoshita Tokichiro he is today.

That's why, for this wedding with Nene, although Fujikichiro had invited many of Oda family colleagues and friends, he also wanted to see people connected to this past. Of course, Kabei couldn't come, and the others were about the same. After much deliberation and trouble, he finally learned from his colleague Kuwabara Jinnai that Yashiro was now living in Tōtōmi. Overjoyed, he personally wrote an invitation and had it sent over.

"...That's right, oh my, it's so wonderful that you've come, Miss Yashiro! If you don't have anything important to do, please stay a few more days so I can properly show you my hospitality!"

Overjoyed to see his old friend again, Fujikichiro talked nonstop the whole way, recounting everything from his experiences after their separation to the wedding two days later, and how he met Nene. Fujikichiro was exceptionally good at talking; even the simplest little thing could be described vividly and engagingly, without needing anyone else to find topics or continue the conversation, and there was never a dull moment.

Not to mention Minji Maru, even Mio, who was originally a bit shy, looked up and listened intently.

Yashiro listened quietly. In fact, one reason she decided to bring this person along was to broaden Mio's horizons. After all, Mio had spent almost the entire past three years in the mountains, with the furthest she had ventured was near Ryutaiji Temple, let alone beyond Tōtōmi. This opportunity presented itself, and after asking Mio's opinion, they decided to embark on a spontaneous and enjoyable trip.

However, Mio is still young, and she might not be able to take care of everything by herself. In addition, she is blind, and although she can live a normal life, she cannot see things, which is inconvenient in many ways. Therefore, Minjimaru was brought along as well. Hatsume seemed to want to come along as well, but unfortunately, she had not finished the homework that Jiro had assigned her some time ago, so she had to give up in resentment.

"Sister Yashiro..." Before leaving, Hatsume clung to her as always, hesitant to speak.

"Don't worry, I'll bring you some souvenirs and local products when I come back." Thinking that she wanted a gift, Yashiro patted her and promised with a smile.

"That's not what I meant..."

"So what do you want to say?"

“It’s just that…” Hatsume sighed, “Yashiro-neechan, it’s fine if you go out and have fun with Mio and Minjimaru-neechan, but please don’t bring any other women back—this house is already overflowing!”

"..."

Hearing this, Yashiro felt as if she had inexplicably started a harem. But she wasn't one of those oblivious protagonists from her past life who wouldn't even take a bite when food was offered to them. If any girl around her was interested in her, Yashiro wouldn't boast, but she could go straight to home base that very day, all in one go. And she would definitely be the one on top...

There isn't a problem!

Especially when she thought about how Fujikichiro, who used to eat miso rice with her, was now getting married, while she herself hadn't even gotten a glimpse of the character "人" (person) in the "贝" (shell) radical of the character "贴" (sticky), a faint sadness welled up in Yashiro's heart.

Fortunately, none of the beautiful girls around her, whether it was the Tenji sisters or Ryuko, or even Jiro-hoshi, seemed to have any intention of getting married. If they could just make do and live together like this, it wouldn't be a bad thing... Thinking this, she felt that her idea was a bit selfish.

"Never mind, even if everyone leaves, at least I still have you, Mio, by my side..." When he's drunk and there's no one else around, Yashiro would act like this, acting cute towards his daughter.

As if the roles had been reversed, Mio, who was usually the one being held and coaxed, would act like a little adult at this moment, holding her drunken mother in her arms while trying to pat her shoulder with her little hands—she simply couldn't reach her back—and saying in a serious tone, "Yes! When Mio grows up, she wants to stay with Mommy forever!"

"Waaah, Mio is so good, I love you the most..."

It's lamentable that someone lived two lifetimes without understanding the saying "Disaster comes from the mouth," until later, when they were filled with regret, it was too late...

This is a later story, so let’s not discuss it for now.

At this very moment, Fujikichiro had long since sent his attendant, Gonzo, back to the mansion to tidy up the guest rooms and furniture. He then led the way for the three of them, talking non-stop and occasionally throwing out a joke that made Minjimaru and Mio giggle. Yashiro listened quietly, occasionally revealing a smile.

Suddenly, her cane paused slightly, and she stopped walking.

"Miss Yashiro, what's wrong?"

"Master?"

Seeing this, the others stopped talking and began to ask questions. But Yashiro didn't answer immediately. Instead, she tilted her head, concentrating intently on sensing something. After a moment, she pointed her cane in a certain direction:

"There's a faint smell of blood over there, someone might be injured... but it could also be a small animal like a rabbit. Shall we go check it out?"

……

Chapter 120 The Sickle-wielding Stranger

That was indeed a wild rabbit.

The rabbit had a long wound on its left leg, as if caused by a sharp weapon. The flesh was torn open, and blood was gushing out, staining the surrounding weeds bright red. It lay weakly curled up under the tree, barely clinging to life.

"Oh dear, how pitiful!"

Fujikichiro cried out, and Minjimaru and Mio also showed expressions of pity.

Such is the contradiction in human nature. Fujikichiro often goes hunting with his lord Nobunaga, using hawks and hounds. Rabbits, pheasants, and deer are all just prey and delicacies in their eyes. Meanwhile, Minjimaru has been living in the mountains for the past year and has also been going out hunting with her long sword. Even Mio praises the meat she eats, understanding the meaning of "it tastes so good" at such a young age.

But whether it was the feeling of sympathy for those of the same kind, or the pity evoked by the rabbit's pitiful appearance, none of the group felt any connection to the little rabbit as prey or food; they only felt compassion.

Just as Minji Maru was about to do something, Fujikichiro beat him to it. He was the closest and immediately took off his sleeveless haori without hesitation, carefully wrapping the rabbit in it: "It's badly injured. I think it's best to take it home first and see if we can save it."

Noticing the girl's gaze, he shrugged indifferently: "Clothes can be washed clean if they get dirty, but you only have one life. Once you die, it's gone—come on, let's walk faster, or I'm afraid this little guy won't be able to hold on!" After saying that, he took the lead and strode forward.

After walking only a few steps, not hearing the usual tapping sound of the cane, he turned around curiously: "Miss Yashiro?"

"coming."

Yashiro snapped out of her daze, tilted her head slightly, and smiled in a certain direction, intentionally or unintentionally, before quickening her pace to catch up.

Fujikichiro's original plan was to take the three of them to explore the castle town, eat, drink, and have some fun. However, plans change, and with a minor injury, they had to abandon that idea for now. They hurried back to Fujikichiro's residence, and before they even entered, the young man shouted, "Gonzo! Gonzō!"

"I'm here, Master... Wait, what happened to your clothes?" Quan Zang rushed over and was about to ask what was wrong when he saw the blood-stained haori in Fujikichiro's hand and was startled again.

"Forget about the clothes, hurry up and get the medicine and bandages, quick!"

"Yes, yes!" he replied, bowing his head, but still couldn't help asking, "Are you injured, or are the guests...?"

"It's not a person, it's a rabbit! Okay, hurry, hurry, hurry!" After anxiously dismissing Quan Zang, Fujikichiro placed the bundle of clothes down in the living room, checked the rabbit's breath, and exclaimed happily, "Great, it's still alive!"

A moment later, Quan Zang hurriedly brought bandages and medicine. The master and servant struggled for a while, and Minji Maru joined in along the way. The remaining two people, one small and one disabled, could only stay by their side and not cause any trouble, which was the best help they could give.

After finally applying the ointment, bandaging the wound, and feeding the rabbit some water, everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the situation stabilized.

Fujikichiro then instructed Konzo to fetch a basin of clean water. After washing their hands and changing into new outer garments, they took the rabbit to rest. Fujikichiro then clapped his hands and said, "That's about it. I'm sorry, we're guests, but I made you run around like this."

"It's about saving lives and healing the wounded," Minji Maru said lightly, shaking the water droplets off his hands.

Mio stared timidly at the bloodstains on the two of them, then turned her head away, tugged at Yashiro's sleeve, and waited for the latter to squat down before whispering in her ear, "Mom, will that rabbit... die?"

"I don't know." Yashiro thought for a moment, and instead of giving the child some nice words, she answered honestly, "But we've done everything we can. We've done all we can, and now we can only leave the rest to fate."

"Oh……"

Mio nodded, her expression somewhat sullen, though it was unclear whether she had understood.

But the two adults over there had already adjusted their mood. Fujikichiro smiled again, personally led the three to the guest room, arranged everything properly, and told Yashiro and the others to rest well. He then hurriedly left the room. The Oda family did not support idlers. After all, he was a public servant and naturally had proper work to do on a regular basis.

Watching the other person run away like the wind from the window, Minjimaru put down the long sword he was carrying and looked around with great interest.

Although her father was a samurai of the most prestigious family, and she should have lived in a samurai mansion when she was young, she was too young at the time and didn't have a deep impression of it. In addition, her hometown was far away in the northeast, and the design of the houses, the interior decoration style, the street scenery, and the clothing of the passers-by were all very different from those in Owari. For a while, everything she saw felt very new and exciting.

As for Mio, she had only ever seen simple wooden houses and quiet temples since she was a child. She had never lived in such a spacious house before. On the one hand, she was amazed, but on the other hand, she was a little scared by the unfamiliar scenery. She huddled next to her mother, not daring to run far, and her little hands tightly gripped the latter's sleeve.

"Don't be afraid, Mom is here."

Yashiro rubbed her head, and Mio nodded, but still looked timid and hesitant, giving off a similar vibe to the wild rabbit from before.

"Speaking of which, isn't this Fujikichiro a bit too enthusiastic... Master, are you on good terms with him?" Minji Maru gazed at the street scene for a while, then looked away and asked curiously.

"Well... it's not that great, is it?"

"That……"

“He does that to everyone—that’s what makes him so great.”

Yashiro smiled. Back when they were at Matsushita Kabei's house, apart from the incident where they fought Hikita Toyogoro, they usually just ate and chatted, joking around and bragging, because they had a mutual friend, Inosuke. That was all.

If I had to say, the only difference between me and my drinking buddies is that I don't get to eat meat.

Only soybean paste mixed with rice.

So much so that even now, when I think back to that time, the scenes in my memory have a hint of soy sauce flavor.

If it were anyone else, after so many years, they probably wouldn't even remember her face or name. But after all these years, Fujikichiro was still able to act so enthusiastically, without the slightest hint of distance. And the most impressive thing was that Yashiro could sense that although the other person's behavior was a bit exaggerated, his joy was not something he was deliberately faking, but rather something that truly came from the bottom of his heart.

Those who achieve great things must possess extraordinary qualities. If we say that among the three great heroes of the Warring States period, Oda Nobunaga was farsighted and Tokugawa Ieyasu was patient and benevolent, then what Fujikichiro, or rather Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was best at was his ability to control people's hearts.

The world is full of lamentations about the deceit and wickedness of human hearts, just as Bai Juyi wrote in his poem: "Fish in the sea and birds in the sky, can be shot high and fished deep. Only when people face each other, can one not predict what will happen even when they are close at hand." They do not know that as long as they treat others with sincerity first, others will eventually repay them with sincerity.

The saying "You give me a papaya, I return you a precious jade" perfectly illustrates this principle.

"Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me." While talking to Minji Maru, Yashiro also reminded himself that he still had a lot to learn from Fujikichiro in this regard.

She was not, after all, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, and could not reach the state of "originally nothingness," where the mind is like a clear mirror, needing constant wiping to prevent it from being obscured by dust. Especially now that her swordsmanship had reached a minor level of proficiency, neither the best nor the worst, the more she was in this situation, the easier it was for her to develop a carefree and arrogant mindset—external enemies are easy to kill, but the poison in one's heart is hard to extinguish.

"I understand." Minjimaru nodded seriously, clearly having taken his words to heart.

To be honest, Yashiro wasn't really worried about her becoming arrogant and complacent. Although over the past year she had discovered that her foundation was already quite good, she had both talent and was diligent in her training, it was just that she was going in the wrong direction, resulting in less effort for more results. With a little guidance, she made rapid progress, from being able to barely hold her own against Saemon to now being able to easily defeat the Saemon brothers working together, and even managing to last thirty to fifty moves against Mai.

But Minji Maru possessed a pure and innocent heart, utterly devoted to his friends and equally loyal to his enemies; his most outstanding quality was sincerity. In contrast, Yashiro was more worried that his adopted apprentice might one day be lured away by someone with a simple meat bun…

Fortunately, Japan doesn't have meat buns anymore.

"correct."

With that topic settled, Yashiro pondered what to do next. Should she take the other two out for a walk? It was a rare opportunity to go out, and it wouldn't do to stay cooped up inside forever. But then Minjimaru changed her mind and asked, "Master, did you find something in that grove of trees just now?"

"Oh, you noticed too?" Yashiro raised an eyebrow.

"No, I was just guessing!" Minji Maru replied.

This child is indeed honest.

Yashiro smiled and shook his head, then explained directly without keeping us in suspense: "Besides us, there was another person hiding in that forest at the time."

"What?" Minji Maru exclaimed in surprise.

"What?" Mio exclaimed in surprise, but Yashiro was certain that the girl hadn't understood.

She bent her finger and gently tapped the little girl's head, reminding her, "Minzhi, don't you find it strange that when we passed by, there was a rabbit lying there, and it was injured?"

With just that one sentence, Minji Maru realized what was going on: "Was it that person who injured the rabbit?"

“That’s right, the person must have been injured, which is why I smelled blood. Later, the other party probably heard our footsteps, and not knowing whether they were friend or foe, they tried to hide and injured a wild rabbit to cover their own scent with the rabbit’s blood.”

"If that's the case, why didn't you say so back then, Master?"

Hearing the girl's question, Yashiro just smiled and said, "We came out this time to attend Fujikichiro's wedding, and we took the two of you out to have some fun, so you won't be cooped up at home all day and get moldy. Since we're out having fun, it's best to stay out of some trouble, so we don't get into any trouble and end up fighting and killing each other, which would leave us no time to have fun."