Chapter 15: Friend (4)

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"I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorrrrryyyyyyyyy!!"

"W-What do we do...?! There’s blood coming from his mouth...! Big sister... Big sister kicked someone to death! Waaa... sniff... Waaaaaahhh~!!"

One girl bent over like a pickaxe, endlessly repeating her apologies, while the other worried tearfully over me.

The shrill chirping of the two girls was making my ears ache, and I wanted to tell them they could stop already, but...

I can’t breathe.

I had merely been kicked by another child, yet the stabbing pain in my chest and the shortness of breath that came with it were tormenting me.

Even in my previous life, when I had fought in battles, I had never sustained an injury this serious...

I could not believe that I had been rendered unable to fight just from being kicked by such a young... girl.

"Cough... gasp... Q-Quiet..."

"W-What did you say?"

"Waaaaaaaaah!"

I wanted to tell them to be quiet before my ears burst, but I could not breathe, so the words would not come out properly.

With all this noise, it was hard to find even the composure to draw a magic circle.

Not even a battlefield filled with gunshots and artillery fire could be this noisy.

Annoyed by this nerve-racking situation—the first of its kind I had experienced in this world—I shouted with all my strength.

"Will you two be quiet?!"

"Eek?!"

As I tightened my abdomen and yelled at the top of my lungs, blood spurted from my throat.

The blood I coughed up flowed away with the running stream.

At the sight, the white-haired girl let out a short cry and shook my shoulders.

"Hey, are you really all right? What if your ribs broke and pierced your organs?"

"...That may be so."

"This is terrible! Let’s hurry to the clinic!"

"...Hm?"

I shook off the girl’s hand as she seized my wrist to pull me up from the stream, then felt my chest.

"W-What? What’s wrong?"

"...It doesn’t hurt."

Only moments ago, I had not been able to catch my breath properly, nor could I even stand and keep my balance.

Yet mere seconds after coughing up blood...

For some reason, all the pain had vanished.

The stabbing pain in my chest had stopped in an instant.

On the off chance, I took a deep breath, felt around my chest, and struck it with my fist, but my body was perfectly fine.

I had no idea what had happened.

No matter how I thought about it, I should have been seriously injured.

Yet the pain was gone, and the blood flowing from my mouth had stopped just as quickly.

As I pondered it, a memory from when I had been an infant flashed through my mind—

The time I had fallen from a chair and injured my head, only for my torn forehead to heal in an instant.

The time blood from my body had gotten on a wooden board, and flowers bloomed from within it.

Right. It was surely... [God’s Child].

At the time, I had not properly understood this world’s language, so I did not know the details, but I vaguely understood that I was a [God’s Child].

Perhaps an ability I possessed as a [God’s Child] had healed the injury to my body.

Still, it was quite extraordinary.

I had thought I merely healed small wounds somewhat faster, but to think even a grave internal injury could heal on its own.

Once again, I was impressed by the abilities of this body.

"U-Um... are you... all right?"

"Hey, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden?"

Hearing the children’s voices again, I raised my head and met their eyes.

They appeared somewhat startled to see an injured person touching and hitting the affected area, staring at me with blank expressions. I answered them calmly.

"...No, it’s nothing. More importantly, my injury has healed, so you do not need to apologize."

"What?"

"But..."

"It was only a minor misunderstanding, so it’s fine. I have already received your apology, haven’t I? I have somewhere I need to stop by, so I’ll be on my way now."

My injury had healed, so there was no problem.

I had received their apology, and once the misunderstanding was cleared up, the matter was over.

Water had seeped into the scabbard and hilt.

I needed to find a blacksmith quickly and deal with it, or the water absorbed into the wood could cause the surface to warp or rot.

Just as I climbed out of the stream and tried to go my own way...

"Wait!"

"What is it now?"

"If you walk around looking like a drenched rat, you might catch a cold."

"...It’s fine. I’m in a hurry."

"I’m sorry, so let me dry your hair and clothes. Sit down for a moment before you go."

She was an impatient one.

Even though I told her I needed to hurry on my way, she was desperate to stop me.

"Y-Yes. My sister is right. You saved me from those children... and we did something awful to you. At least... please accept this as a small token of thanks."

"I did not do it expecting anything. This much is no trouble, so—"

"No. If you caught a cold because of me, my conscience would never let me rest!"

I knew she did not mean ill by it, but it made me uncomfortable.

Deciding there was no point continuing to argue, I turned my back and was about to head up toward the road.

"Listen when someone is talking to you!!"

"?"

The white-haired girl reached out and grabbed one leg of my trousers.

Then, with a Riiippp! I felt an alarming emptiness around my lower body.

Lowering my gaze slightly, I could clearly see what should not have been visible below my waist.

A thin scrap of cloth covering my pale-white groin.

Soaked through and clearly revealing the shape of my body, it was... the underwear I had been wearing beneath my trousers.

My lower half was exposed in nothing but underwear. When I turned my head, the white-haired girl held what should have been on my lower body—no, to be precise, what had once been my trousers.

"...What did you just do?"

"B-Big sister!"

"Sorry! I didn’t control my strength properly..."

At the girl’s answer that she had failed to control her strength, my mouth fell open.

Could this truly be... the strength of a child?

Could trousers really be torn apart just by grabbing and pulling them?

What kind of absurdity was this?

For a moment, I stood there shocked by strength beyond anything my common sense could comprehend. Then the younger sister with horns took off the furisode she had been wearing and held it out to me.

A pure-white nagajuban was revealed beneath it.

Her face red as a ripe strawberry, the girl spoke in a tiny voice.

"U-Um... why don’t you use this to cover yourself below, for now?"

"...Thank you."

"You would... be embarrassed to walk around dressed like that... so... let’s go to our house. I’m sure our mother will give you some new clothes."

Her name was Karin, was it?

Unlike her older sister, she seemed to have a cautious personality.

At least I was fortunate to have something to wear.

As for my clothes, I could simply ask Mother to mend them once I returned home later, so there was no need for them to apologize.

To begin with, I had no intention of making a big affair out of a minor incident between children. Rather than wasting time on such a trivial matter, it was more urgent to find a blacksmith and repair my sword.

"There is no need to go that far. I need to find a blacksmith quickly."

"What? Then that settles it~. Our house is a blacksmith’s shop."

My eyes widened at the sisters’ unexpected answer.

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After following the stream downstream for quite some time...

We arrived before a building near the creek, where smoke curled into the sky and the sound of iron being hammered rang out.

It was shaped like a wooden shack, with a large brick chimney rising from the center of its roof.

It had a rather different feel from the blacksmithies of my old world, but the sound of iron being struck was familiar.

When I was young, I often visited blacksmiths.

"...Excuse me."

"What is it? You again?"

"My blade is damaged."

"Let’s have a look, then."

"Yes."

"Haaah... Sir, just what in the world have you been doing with this sword for its edge to end up like this? Not only are there chips all along it, but there are cracks, and blood has seeped into them and caused rust... This can’t be repaired."

"...Is that so?"

"Just how many people have you been cutting down? As merchants, we are glad for customers who bring us swords to repair or buy, but as swordsmiths, it brings tears to our eyes. A blade we painstakingly forged comes back in this state before it has even lasted five days."

"...My apologies."

Just before the bloody winds of turmoil began to blow.

In Kyoto, whenever the Shinsengumi went on patrol, it was commonplace for us to cut down four or five groups of imperial loyalists.

What was more, having been entrusted with internal purges, I had even cut down members and officers who had abandoned the way of the warrior.

Even ordinary members were skilled warriors. Since I fought sword duels with men such as them, my blades did not last long.

As a result, I had been subjected to the swordsmith’s harsh words at the blacksmithy.

Now that I think of it, I truly do feel sorry for that swordsmith.

In any case, once I reached the door, I grasped its polished handle and pulled it open.

The interior visible through the open doorway was exactly like the blacksmithies I had often seen in my previous life.

A foot-operated bellows stood in the left corner, centered around a large furnace.

Before the bellows were a small anvil for hammering heated iron and a large wooden tub used to temper the heated metal.

A rack of assorted tools hung along one wall, while finished swords and farming implements were displayed on the other.

Before the furnace, glowing red and spitting sparks, a huge figure stood with her back to us, heating a piece of metal.

The sisters spoke to the towering figure, who looked to be at least eight shaku—around two hundred and sixty centimeters—tall.

"Mom, we have a customer~."

"M-Mother... we’re back."

"Huh?!"

Hearing the children’s voices, the person turned her head.

She was a gigantic woman with slightly dull silver hair, sharply slanted eyes like blades, golden eyes, reddish-brown skin, and a muscular body that looked as hard as steel.

What stood out most were the long horns extending from either side of her forehead.

The woman the children called Mother glanced blankly at me and tossed out a brief question.

"A customer? This little boy? More importantly, what is with that outfit?"

"H-Haha... There are certain circumstances."

"M-Mother... Big sister accidentally kicked him."

"What?!"

At the words of the younger sister with black hair, their mother reacted with shock, tossed the metal in her hand into the furnace, and came over to me.

She felt over my body with her thick, burly hands, looking at me with concern before asking about my condition in a strained voice.

"Oh dear, does anything hurt? You aren’t injured, are you?"

"...I’m all right."

"B-But... he coughed up blood earlier."

"He coughed up blood?!"

Upon hearing that I had coughed up blood, the woman gave the older girl a powerful knock on the head.

The girl let out a brief shriek, then shrank back at her mother’s loud rebuke.

"Ow!"

"Karen! Haven’t I told you? I told you not to go throwing your strength around without thinking!"

"No, the village children were bullying Karin, so I threw a kick at them, but..."

"Even so, you should have chased them away without fighting! You have more strength than other children, so didn’t I tell you not to wield violence as you please?!"

"I’m sorry!"

"Don’t apologize to me—apologize to this child!"

"I’ve already apologized more than a hundred times."

"Haaah..."

It seemed the older sister was named Karen and the younger one Karin.

After scolding Karen, the sisters’ mother turned her gaze back to me and apologized once more.

"I’m truly sorry. My daughter knows nothing and has strength without restraint... Are you hurt anywhere?"

"...No. There is nothing wrong with my body."

"Truly?"

"You already know, having felt me over, don’t you?"

"Yes. Certainly, having checked you over, I can tell that no bones are broken and you have no wounds."

Having confirmed I was all right, the woman let out a deep breath, seemingly calming down somewhat before introducing herself in an even voice.

"I am Kashua, a blacksmith who runs a smithy here in Buena Village. I am larger than most people and have horns because I am an Oni, so I hope you will not be frightened."

"...An Oni?"

"We are a small minority race that lives on a little island called Oni Island, at the eastern edge of the northern regions. We are not demons, so you need not worry."

An Oni... Roxy had told me about demons and beastfolk, but this was the first time I had heard of Oni.

Still, there was no reason to view her with prejudice or fear her simply because she had horns, or because she was a demon.

I shook my head at Kashua and spoke.

"No. My master was a demon as well. If I were to be frightened upon seeing you, Kashua, it would be no different from insulting my master."

"Your master was a demon... I see."

"...I am Lumius Greyrat, the second son of Paul Greyrat and Zenith Greyrat. It is a pleasure to meet you, Kashua."

I dipped my head slightly and introduced myself in a calm voice.

At my introduction, Kashua laughed heartily and patted my head.

"Hahaha~! I see. So you are Paul’s boy? Just as I heard, you are such a polite and dependable child."

"You praise me too highly."

"The more I look at you, the cuter you are. But why is your hair so wet? Now that I think about it, your clothes are soaked too..."

"Your daughter kicked me into the stream."

"Then why are your clothes like that?"

"They were also torn apart by your daughter’s grip..."

"Karen! You really...!"

Once Kashua learned what had happened, she glared and thundered in an impatient voice.

"I-I couldn’t help it either... I didn’t do it on purpose."

After reprimanding Karen, who answered again in a dwindling voice, Kashua spoke to me with a sigh.

"My daughter has made a mistake... I apologize once more."

"No. We merely had a small misunderstanding, and the clothes were only damaged because she was trying to do me a kindness. I have no intention of blaming her for it. So please do not rebuke your daughter."

"Well, well, what a sensible and generous child. All right. I will stop scolding Karen now."

At her mother’s hearty answer, Karen sighed in relief and clutched her chest.

"First, you must dry yourself and get dressed. I will prepare a change of clothes, so go wash yourself."

"But... I would rather you look at my sword first."

"Ah, you brought a sword. Yes, I will take a look at it, so wash yourself without worry. Karen, Karin, help Lumius bathe."

"Yes~!"

Kashua took the sword from my back, set the wet sword beside the furnace to dry, and headed up the stairs to the second floor.

Then the sisters dragged me by the arms and led me outside.

"You heard Mother. First, you need to bathe in warm water."

"I-If you catch a cold... that would be terrible."

"It can’t be helped."

I could not simply refuse the kindness they offered out of a sense of guilt.

If they showed such goodwill and I refused, that would be rude in itself.

A short while later, a large makeshift wooden tub was filled with hot water, and something utterly unacceptable unfolded before my eyes.

"All right, shall we have a bath~?"

"Y-Yeah."

"?!"

The two of them began untying their sashes and obi.

Realizing what was about to happen, I frantically waved my hands.

"W-Wait! Hold on! Stop!"

I had seen the female body countless times through my wife.

I had also had to care for and wash my young granddaughter, so it did not faze me, but this was a matter of propriety apart from that.

"What are you doing?!"

"Hm?"

"What do you mean, what? We’re going to bathe you. Have you never taken a bath before?"

Fortunately, Karen and Karin retied their sashes and obi, tilting their heads in confusion.

No matter how young they were, looking at the bare skin of unmarried women from another household was against the way of the warrior.

If my Shinsengumi comrades had been here...

"Saito! Have you abandoned the way of the warrior... and even human decency?! One who abandons the way of the warrior must commit seppuku!"

"Huh? Saito, no matter what, this is crossing the line, isn’t it?"

"Pfft! Hajime... Hajime has abandoned the way of the warrior... Pwahahahahaha~!"

"Saito, I am hardly one to speak, seeing as I chase women... but you are quite the pervert."

"Mr. Saito... has become unfaithful?!"

That was what they would say. I could not allow that to happen.

I hurriedly turned my head away, squeezing my eyes shut as I spoke to the sisters in a trembling voice.

"I am not talking about the bath. Why are you two coming with me?!"

"What are you embarrassed about? You’re acting strange all of a sudden."

"U-Um... if you do not get in soon, you will catch a cold. If you are really embarrassed... you can bathe alone, and we will help wash you from beside the tub. Of course... we will keep our clothes on."

We were not communicating at all.

It was fortunate that I had avoided bathing together, but what awaited me was still the humiliation of being washed naked like an abandoned puppy.

Was it truly nothing unusual in this household for men and women to bathe together?

As I stood there awkwardly, still unable to shake my dismay, there came a splash! followed by the sound of wet footsteps approaching.

"Why are you chattering so much? Why are you being so delicate over taking a bath?"

"That is not the issue..."

"I said take your clothes off already!"

"Urgh!"

Unable to see properly, I felt an alarmingly powerful grip seize my clothes and pull.

I tried to resist, but it was already too late.

One hand grabbed my upper garment and the other the furisode tied around my waist... and with a single pull, every article of clothing except my undergarment was stripped away.

"Aaaaaaahhh!"

"H-Huh?"

"Eh...?"

Returned completely to the state I had been in as an infant wearing only a baby undershirt, I crouched down and opened my eyes wide.

"I... told you not to..."

"You... were a boy?"

"A-A boy... whaaaaat?!"

To be forcibly stripped of my clothes—never in my life had I endured such humiliation.

My eyes reddened and my vision blurred.

My voice caught, and I could not speak properly.

"Waaaa... sniff... sniff."

"W-Wait...! D-Don’t cry."

"Oh no, no, no..."

Beyond the way of the warrior, even my pride as a warrior had been broken.

The injustice, frustration, and misery of it were so overwhelming... that my emotions surged beyond my control.

Six years had passed since I was born as Lumius Greyrat.

Since reincarnating in this world... I cried for the first time since my birth.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaah~!!"

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