Volume 1
Prologue Part
2
Memories of
Late Summer Are Still Vivid 2
Translator : PolterGlast
Akira has very few
belongings and the packing of his luggage was done in less than a quarter of an
hour.
He is also prepared to
be chased like a criminal and evicted from this place without being given any
of his belongings.
He walked straight
along the gravel path from the front entrance to the main gate, which was not
very long.
The two, who had been
master and disciple for a short period of time, kept pace with each other in
silence throughout their stride as the cobbles crackled beneath their feet.
――What a pitiful child.
Fuwa Naotoshi could
not help but feel a twinge of pity.
Naotoshi is not
officially a vassal of Ugetsu. He is the second son of the Fuwa, one of the
eight families that hold territory in the eastern part of Kabeju Province.
He was an outsider who
had been introduced to a distant relative of Ugetsu Tenzan as a son-in-law
about two years earlier.
Even though it was a
request, it was unusual for a direct descendant of the eight families to establish
a relationship with someone outside of the province, and at the time, there was
a lot of fuss about it.
Therefore, he knew in
his bones how depressing it was to be talked about behind one's back.
When he visited this
mansion, he was surprised to learn that Akira had been left hidden away, and
was shocked at his existence and how harshly he had been treated.
Tenzan had been
planning to make Souma his heir since then, and he took Souma with him to all
the events except those involving Gioin. Because of the way he treated Souma,
some people even assumed that Souma was his legitimate son.
Some of the other
families, like Naotoshi, may not even know that Tenzan has a son other than
Souma.
Akira was about to be
killed without being revealed to the public.
――But, on second
thought, this banishment might be a good thing for him.
Naotoshi glanced at
Akira, who was following half a step behind him.
It was obvious that
even if he stayed here, there would be no safe haven for this child.
So, it was not a bad
idea to give up the hope of shelter here and look for a place for himself in
the outside world.
Arriving at the main
gate made of oak, he instructed the gatekeeper to open the gate.
Normally, he would not
be allowed to open the gate when only a few people were passing through, but
Naotoshi decided to let him pass through here, as a gesture of respect for the
child, who had not actually committed a crime.
Although it was not
possible to open the door all the way, a gap was opened just enough for one
person to pass through.
"...Akira-kun,
this is a message from the head of the family. You must not return to this land
again."
"......Yes."
With a heavy heart,
Akira responded in a quiet tone of voice. Saying his concern would only become poison.
"I'm sure you
already understand, but there are three things the head of the family has to
tell you.
First, you are not
allowed to use the name of Ugetsu.
Second, you must leave
the territory of Ugetsu by today.
Third, you must not
interfere with Gioin's affairs. You're not allowed to go inside Kokuten
Province. If you are to be seen in the province, Ugetsu will hunt you down.
...... that's it. I
suggest you leave this place quickly."
While telling him so,
Naotoshi gritted his teeth inwardly, thinking that the conditions were quite
reasonable.
Haraku, the capital
city of the Samidare Territory, is located just beyond the mansion, and there
is a train station that crosses the province there, but because Akira is
treated as a criminal, he was given little money to spare.
Considering his future
life, he could not afford to spend what little money he had on transportation.
Nevertheless, in order
to get out of the Samidare Territory by the end of the day, the only way
remaining is to cross the border on foot.
If he were to go on
foot, we would have to use the road, but it is going to take a large detour, so
it would be very difficult to get out by the end of the day from the time the
sun begins to go down.
The most likely way is
to cross the mountain where the old road is located in the south, but at the
speed of 10 years old, it would barely be enough to reach the territorial
border at the top of the mountain.
However, the old road
was built along a series of mountain ridges, and it was only a somewhat cleared
mountain road.
It would be extremely
difficult, even for an experienced adult, to cross the mountainous area on foot
along the old road, which has not even been paved.
Even if he were able
to cross the border, it would be an impossible task for him to provide
basic necessities for his life with the money he had on hand, which would be exhausted by the time he arrived at the destination.
With things having
been so well arranged, Akira's options were almost limited to one.
He had no choice but
to live on the border of the territory.
Along the mountain
ridge where the old road passes through, there are people who are not
registered in Civil Registration Bureau.
They are called
"mountain dwellers," and their position is lower than that of the
people of the province, and they are basically not allowed to live on the
plains.
Tenzan forces him to
live as a wanderer on the border of the province by reducing his resources to
the limit.
It is not a life that
a child who has just turned 10 can endure.
――This is execution in
the name of exile.
Naotoshi wanted to
voice a complaint, but he was also fully aware that his voice was not strong
enough to stand up to Tenzan.
So, he decided to
return the favor a little by offering Akira a means of income.
"...Akira-kun, do
you bring your talisman box with you?"
"...Yes."
Among the few
belongings he has with him is a set of brushes and inkstones given to him when
he practiced the art of talisman.
In addition, there
were several bundles of high-quality papers to put spiritual power into, which
were given to him in somewhat larger quantities.
"You couldn't
master the fuu-jutsu, but I taught you how to make the most in-demand
regeneration and recovery talismans. However, they are not yet complete because
they do not contain spiritual power. But, conversely, they can be completed as
a talisman as long as they are filled with spiritual power. If you somehow
manage to cross the Samidare territory, you should visit a guild in one of the
relatively large cities.
I hear that some practitioners
have trouble writing the symbols.
Whether you go to a
practitioner or a guild depends on the situation, but you should be able to get
a relatively high price for your work.
There are some people
in the guild who only specialize in writing symbols but cannot put spiritual
power into them, so they will look at your skills, and I don't think they will
take advantage of you."
"..........................."
"If you sell all
of the talismans you have on hand and the ones you have written on paper, you
will have enough to live on for the time being. After that, it's up to you,
Akira-kun."
"...........................Yes."
"...Well, good
luck."
"Thank you very
much. ――Naotoshi-sensei."
Naotoshi closed the
main gate as if to shake off any lingering emotion, looking painfully at Akira,
who hung his head down with his seemingly fade away voice.
――――――――――――――――
The oak gate closed
with a heavy thud.
He stood there for a
moment as if at a loss.
However, the gate did
not open again, and he staggered out of the place, his expression tinged with a
sense of regret.
He took a few steps
and looked back at the gate. And again, after a few more steps he looked back.
――He was expecting
something, somewhere in the depths of his heart.
He had an illusion that
the gate would open wide and his family would greet him with smiles that he had
never seen before.
How many times has he
dreamed of this for as long as he can remember?
Until the last moment
at the very end, when the gate disappeared from sight, he had expected to be
greeted by his family, an illusion that he had believed in so fleetingly.
When the entire
mansion disappeared from sight, that illusion, which had never been fulfilled,
was shattered.
At that moment, an
inexpressible urge surged up from deep within him. He turned on his heel and
ran furiously down the gravel road leading to Haraku, following the urge that
raged in his heart.
Ugetsu's mansion is
located halfway up a mountain called Mt. Rengyo.
From there to Haraku,
there is only one straight gravel road, so there is no need to worry about
getting lost.
The path runs all the
way down.
But there is no way
that a child's physical strength will last forever, and for a brief moment his
tangled feet are caught in the gravel and he tumbles to the ground with great
force.
"A~u~u!!!"
While scattering
gravel, he slid on the ground with the momentum of the downhill path.
He crouched on the
ground, writhing in agony from the impact and the pain that came late.
A few moments later,
his scraped knees and arms were slowly burning.
He raised himself up
and fearfully checked the feverish areas.
Blood was slowly
flowing from the slightly larger wound.
He thought the pain
would bring tears to his eyes, but to Akira's own surprise, he was calm inside.
....... What the. I am
surprisingly fine, even though I was banished.
He muttered to himself
in a corner of his mind.
――Somewhere in his
heart, he heard a sound that could only be described as the sound of something
hard and fragile cracking and breaking apart.
――Pop, pop, crack,
crack. The sound didn't end with a single sound, but rather, it piled up and
rang in Akira's ears.
At that moment, his
vision wavered and blurred.
Drip, drip. On the
gravel road, where the sun was beginning to slant slightly, large drops of
tears fell and made a black stain.
With a strangely calm
emotion, tears streamed down his cheeks at a never-ending pace.
――Why do my tears keep
pouring, even though I am fine?
For some reason, the
abnormality of the situation, even though it was about himself, made him laugh,
and his trembling mouth twisted into a distorted sneer.
The tears, made of
warmth that is gentle to the end and does not lose to the still raging summer
heat, shatter on the ground and dry up.
――Haa. I had no choice
but to accept it.
――It's a good thing that
I had been holding it inside of my heart.
But, he has to stop.
Stop this spilling emotions from his heart.
When all those tears
run dry, there will be no turning back.
"U-, ugu~u, fu,
fu~u."
He gritted his teeth
and endured what was about to spill out.
"U…, ~uu…… fu~, fuー."
How long had he been
doing that? It might have been short, it might have been long.
When the slant of the
sunlight became stronger, Akira finally stood up.
Whether the tears have
dried up or not, there is no way for anyone else to know.
Surely, neither does
Akira himself know.
Akira is no longer
crying. That fact was all that was needed.
Wiping the tear stains
messily with his handkerchief, he pulled out a self-made regeneration talisman
from his baggage to heal his grazed wounds.
Although he was
advised that it would be a source of income if sold, he thought it would be a
good idea to always have at least one with him.
In the first place,
since it was not filled with spiritual power, it should not be possible to
activate it.
Naotoshi, too, was so
focused on the writing of the symbol and the spiritual pulse that he never
thought of using it as a test.
Therefore, no one
really knew whether or not the talisman had been completed.
Regeneration talismans
are talismans that can heal physical damage to some extent.
The formula for this
type of talisman is complicated and requires a tremendous amount of spiritual
power to be poured into the talisman.
Naturally, they were
expensive, and to use them for something as minor as a child's scrape would be
like throwing money down the drain.
......Well, Akira is
not going to be able to activate the talisman, so it is unlikely that he will lose
his expensive regeneration talisman.
With his left hand, he
held up the talisman, and then he lifted his right index and middle fingers to
form a sword finger.
He placed his sword
finger on the red sacred thread that sealed the talisman and swung it out with
the intention of severing it.
Shatter. Contrary to
Akira's nervousness, the sacred threads were easily severed with a faint sound.
"...........................Eh?"
The one who was
surprised by this phenomenon more than anyone else was Akira himself.
Akira's sword finger,
which does not contain any spiritual power, should not even be able to activate
the talisman simply by assuming that gesture.
In Akira's hands,
black glowing phosphorescent light erupted from the talisman, transforming
itself into a pale blue, glimmering ember.
It was unmistakably a
healing flame.
The pale blue flame
that flared up without a sound dyed the corner of Akira's vision that had begun
to turn red with the color of healing.
".........What?
Eh?"
Akira's expression, lit
up by the blue glow, snapped back from self-doubt to reality.
Recognizing that the
flame, which has no heat, was indeed present, he hurriedly pressed it against
his scraped arms.
―――Flare.
It burns brightly and
pleasantly refreshing heat began to heal the affected area.
"...... What the
heck? It works!"
No one, not even Akira
himself, thought it would work. So, he did not even think of trying it out.
It's just a
subconscious trap created by that one pitfall of thought.
"......Since I
can activate talisman, perhaps――"
His mumblings had a
slight glimmer of hope, however, he did not continue them.
――Will my family approve
of me? Will my family accept me?
――Above all, should I go
back to my suffocating life in the corner of that dark and cramped mansion?
The life that he had
been leading up to now seemed to be a gray, faded, cracked, and miserable
thing.
――No, I refuse.
In his heart, a young
beast, just born and on its feet, bared its fangs and roared.
――Yeah, even if I were
to die, I will not return.
There was not a trace
of pain left in his healed body.
His strangely calm
mind was filled with so much distortion that it even felt exhilarating.
Having calmed down to
that point, he took out of his pocket the amulet that his grandmother had given
him as a memento.
He remembered the will
from his grandmother.
The family feared that
the money might be passed on to Akira from his grandmother. That's why, her
grandmother's inheritance was strictly controlled, not many things were given
to Akira by her grandmother as mementos.
Among the kimonos,
daily necessities, and other small personal items, she had given Akira an
amulet from a shrine at the foot of Mount Rengyo when she realized that she was
about to die.
[Akira, I will die
soon. That is inevitable, but I am only worried about how you will be treated
afterward.]
While handing over the
amulet, she reminded Akira.
Harming Akira directly
is not something to worry about, as it would inevitably bring displeasure to
Gioin, but it was easy to imagine that after her death, Akira's banishment
would probably be inevitable.
Tenzan's intention in
restricting his grandmother's inheritance could be seen as an arrangement for
Akira's death due to factors other than Ugetsu.
The most likely way to
reduce the chance of survival without money would be to banish Akira with his
possessions cut to the limit.
Then, the means that
can be adopted for his survival is also how to procure money.
His grandmother was
gradually preparing that method as well.
[Take this amulet and
go to the shrine at the foot of Mount Rengyo.]
In the premises of the
shrine, where cicadas were chirping, a row of Forsythia trees, Akira's grandmother's
favorite, grew along the path.
These trees bloomed in
the spring. Although he felt that he would no longer be able to see the yellow
flowers in full bloom here, he did not feel much sadness.
――Ah, I see. I didn't
like those flowers.
――I just loved to see my
grandmother's face smiling at those flowers.
In accordance to the
will, he held up the memento amulet in the hole of a rotting tree behind the
sacred tree.
Naotoshi had told him that his grandmother was not good at fighting with spirit tools, but on the
other hand, she was a master of the art of talisman.
In response to the
amulet, the concealed seal placed inside the hole was broken.
Hidden in the bottom
of the hole was a package, wrapped in greaseproof paper and tied with a hemp
cord, that barely fit in both of his hands.
It must have been
quite a burden for her weak body, which was no longer able to move freely, to perform
the technique on it.
Grateful for her
grandmother's kindness, Akira unwrapped the package, which was wrapped in
several layers of greaseproof paper.
Inside were a bundle
of money wrapped in rubber bands, high-quality paper, five bamboo canisters, and
a letter.
In the sunset, when
darkness was beginning to spread, he quickly read the letter.
Inside was a brief
guideline for the future.
To use the money
provided within the package to leave the Province as quickly as possible.
Suggestions for
options for earning an income as a Fuu-jutsu specialized artist same as
Naotoshi's advice, and a general method for crossing over to the other
provinces and further establishing a livelihood.
50 yen? How did she
manage to obtain such a large sum of money?
Furthermore, a bundle
of high-quality paper to write the talisman and holy water that is filled with
spiritual power to the utmost limit.
――Thank you very much.
Without saying it out
loud, without shedding a tear, Akira felt moved.
Gentle prayers that
would not hurt the good things that lingered in his heart.
After a while, Akira
carefully packed her grandmother's mementos into his bag and got up.
His steps were
determined and without hesitation.
Eventually, his steps
became a short trot, and then he started to run.
He had to hurry. The
train was supposed to arrive at the end of the evening.
Deep in his heart, he
knew he had to turn away from the noises and he must not stop running.
With his young pace,
he would just barely be able to jump on the train even if he hurried.
Let's hurry.
Believe that there is
a life ahead of you.
In the distance, he could hear the sound of a steam train, whistling its whistle to signal its arrival at the station he was heading for.
――――――――――――――――
TIPS: Regarding
Monetary Units
The unit names of
money are yen, sen, and rin.
Each unit is rounded
up to the nearest hundredth.
The smallest unit is
rin, and when converted to real monetary value, 1 rin = 1 yen.
1 yen = 100 sen and 1
sen = 100 rin.
For example, the 50
yen that Akira received from his grandmother would be 500,000 yen in real money
value.
