XIII

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  Arc XIII Chapter 10

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  “Look, Nii-san, what’s that?” Mayumi turned her head, her index finger pointed somewhere.

  Yuji followed her gaze. “Eh? What’re you talking about?” Distracted as he was, Mayumi capitalised on his lack of attention, striking his nose with a gentle boop.

  His sister grinned mischievously. “Hehehe, see, got you there, Nii-san. You fell for it!”

  Yuji, meanwhile, did not share her sense of mischief. “That wasn’t funny, Mayumi.”

  Mayumi giggled in response. “For me, it was. Anyway, Nii-san, look over there. Aren’t these carts? There’re many of them.”

  Yuji turned his head, following her gaze. His sister was right. There were indeed many of them. One. Three. Five. Seven. Ten. Twelve. And so on. They were a curious sight. The carts were luxurious, heavy, and spacious, each pulled along by pairs of horses. They were lacquered black with their blinds lowered. Every single of them was draped in embroidered silk and laden with more gold and silver than what most people in Amegakure would earn in a lifetime. Together with their entourage, the carts moved along the streets, passing through the masses of people who quickly made way. Whoever was riding inside of them, it had to be a person of great importance. “...”

  Mayumi tugged at his clothes. “Nii-san, do you know who they are?”

  Yuji was not sure either. “I’ve got no idea. Maybe a noble lord? Or a daimyo?” Which was far from impossible, considering all the guards protecting the convoy. If he had to guess, an entire company of ninja was escorting them. They were numerous, and they were heavily armed.

  In fact, the ninja in question looked vaguely familiar. He recognised their armour, grey and black steel. They wore greaves, gauntlets, vambraces, even a cuirass beneath their flak jacket, not to mention a tanto slung around the back of their waist. They wore their headbands with pride.

  These were Ame-nin. And not just any. Judging by their appearance and bearing, they were probably part of the Guard. They had been taught about them at the academy. They were the elite of the elite. Ame’s best ...

  “...” Yuji froze, his eyes widening. What he saw made the blood in his veins go cold. This was not possible ... It could not be ...

  The ninja ... All of them ... On their shoulders ... They were all wearing a shoulder patch. The patch bore a crest, different yet undeniably familiar, one neither he nor his sister would fail to recognise. A black chrysanthemum on white ground. This was her crest.

  Mayumi tugged at him, confusion written across her face. His sister was even busy waving her arms in front of him. “Nii-san, Nii-san, is something wrong? Are you there? You’re blanking out!”

  “...” Yuji fell silent. The carts ... Rich and powerful ... The ninja ... The crest ... Suddenly, all the dots connected. Suddenly, it all made sense.

  The carts stopped, and the entire convoy came to a halt. And so did the guards. The ninja turned, their backs straightened. The men and women directed their gazes directed like what seemed directly at them.

  Mayumi gulped. “Nii-san, am I wrong, or are they staring at us?”

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  “...” Yuji seconded her opinion. They were. Quite poignantly so. Tension lay in the air. Had they done something wrong?

  Fortunately for them, a rather familiar voice came to their rescue. A certain girl appeared from inside the cart in front of them with a certain feline safely nestled in her arms. She smiled at them, waving at them. “Mayumi~. Yuj~. There you are~.”

  Mayumi’s eyes lit up at her sight. “Yuki~.”

  Her steps light and nimble, Yuki came immediately rushing to their side, only to quickly bow and apologise profusely. “Sorry everyone~. I am really sorry for being so late, but preparations took longer than expected. As it turned out, Nee-san still had a few things to arrange, right, Katsuki~?”

  “Nya~. Nya~. Nya~.” Katsuki nodded agreement, even going as far as to raise her paw. “Her Nya-san purrved indeed to be quite occupied, nya~. You have my paw~, nya~.”

  “...” Yuki nodded along sagely, wholly agreeing with her cat’s version of the events. “Anynya ... I mean, anyway, I hope that you did not have to wait too long, Mayumi, Yuji.”

  “Oh, not at all, Yuki.” Mayumi sparkled. “We were getting by. More or less, weren’t we, Nii-san?”

  “Ehm, ... What ...” Yuji stumbled, meanwhile, finally released from his previous stupor. Yet, his thoughts lay elsewhere, still focused on the black chrysanthemum. “Yes. Sure. More or less. A lot of interesting things to see, I guess.” Which was obviously a lie. In Amegakure there was nothing to see except for rain, and ugly skyscrapers, and rain, and ugly skyscrapers, and even more rain, and sometimes maybe less rain, provided that you were lucky.

  Yuki sighed, visibly relieved. “I am glad to hear so. I assure you that I did not mean to be so late. That having been said, I think that it is time to introduce you to my Nee-san.” The girl clenched her fisties, motivated. “In fact, she has been looking forwards to making your acquaintance. I have told her a great deal about you.”

  Mayumi marvelled, her mouth agape. “Ohh!”

  By contrast, Yuji blinked, not believing his ears. “You did what?”

  Yuki raised her index, switching to her supposedly more mature and wiser persona. “Yes, Nee-san appears to be quite interested in you since I mentioned you for the first time. She has been wishing to meet you in person ever since.”

  “Hmm ... Hmm ... Hmm ...” Katsuki nodded along, her whiskers fully agreeing.

  Yuki beamed at them, her gentle, beatific smile bewitching as usual. “No need to be shy. I am delighted to finally introduce you to each other. I know that Nee-san can be, let us say, somewhat cold, at times, but I promise you that Nee-san is a kind person in her way.”

  Her cat nodded in full agreement. “Her Nee-san can be a harsh meowstress indeed, nya~.” The usage of the terms ‘meowstress’ and ‘harsh’ did not escape notice.

  “... ... ...” Yuji was unsure about how to react. Yuki’s words did not inspire much confidence. Quite the contrary. And yet, there was something to it, something more. There was this feeling. This tickling. This nagging thought in the corner of his mind. The guards ... The black chrysanthemum ... The girl whom they had met all these years ago ... Yuki’s beloved Nee-san ... Could it be? Was it possible?

  Yuki grabbed Mayumi’s hands, pulling her along with an innocuous smile on her lips. “Come, Mayumi, Yuji, Nee-san is waiting.”

  Yuji only belatedly noticed their departure, quickly storming after them. “Hey, where’re you going? Wait for me, you two!” The trio stopped in front of one of the carts.

  Yuki beamed with a hint of discernible pride. “Nee-san, look, here are my friends that I have told you about. This is Mayumi.”

  “...” As courtesy demanded, his sister offered a polite bow.

  “And this is Yuji. The bestest big bother in the whole world! According to her.”

  “...” He followed his sister’s example, offering another bow.

  ...

  ...

  ...

  Yet no response came forth. Silence filled the air as they were met with utter indifference, much to his consternation.

  “... ... ...” Yuji clenched his fists. In the end, they were ignored ... Just as usual ...

  “Hehehe~, oh my~.” A mere chuckle interrupted his thoughts, her voice and choice of words soft, yet tempered. Tender, yet domineering. Melodic, yet commanding. “Mayumi ... Yuji ... I remember these names ... To think that our paths would cross again~. How fortuitous, would you not agree?”

  “... ... ...” Yuji froze, his entire body stood like petrified. Even his heart skipped a beat. This voice ... This pitch ... This lilt ... There was no mistake.

  The curtains stirred. Her hand pushed the blind aside, allowing her to reveal herself. A smile greeted them, paired with a faint chuckle. Yuki’s sister beamed at them, despite the fan in her hand concealing her lips. Her face betrayed her delightment. And yet, the purple of her eyes gleamed undiminished, almost luminescent. Her eyes retained their predatory glee. Raw, untamed, powerful.

  Clad and born in silk, her sister rose with the grace and countenance becoming her station, each step unhurried like the drifting clouds. Three years had passed. Even then, her presence was still as vivid, still as enrapturing, still as regal, as he remembered. Her hair long, lustrous, black and smooth like lacquer. Her skin pale like moonlight, like fine porcelain. The epitome of a princess. Not one meant to wilt with the passage of youth, but one destined to rule.

  Her sister approached them, a smile still firm on her lips and her fan folded. “Ignoring the less recent nature of our acquaintance, it is a pleasure to meet you again~. My beloved Yuki-chan appears to hold you two in high regard~. So far, her sentiments appear to be well founded.”

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