Chapter 81: A Final Reunion x The Big Bad Eiichiro
"Hold on, the food is almost ready."
Sakonji Urokodaki was in the kitchen frying tempura. The New Year holiday was just two days away, and the boy was going home, unable to celebrate here. So... for the old man living alone, today was New Year's Eve. It called for Osechi ryori—chashu soba with tempura, garnished with black beans.
Roy followed the delicious aroma into the kitchen to help out. Beside him, the ever-hungry Makomo peeked in, licking her lips.
"During the day, you go practice your sword. I'll stay home and make some rice balls for you to take on your journey. Tonight, we'll slice some more wild boar for sukiyaki..."
As the tempura crisped up perfectly, Sakonji Urokodaki, unusually chatty, listed the plans. He sounded less like a master and more like Roy's mother, Kie Kamado. Before leaving home, his mother had given him similar instructions. Now, it was Sakonji's turn.
Roy listened quietly, not interrupting. Leaning against a pillar behind him stood the silent fox-masked boy. Sabito had his arms crossed, lost in thought, a touch of melancholy hidden beneath his mask. He wasn't usually sentimental, but the few days around the New Year always brought a wave of sadness. He felt it, just like Makomo, Shinsuke, Fukuda, and the others, but he never showed it. He was the senior disciple; he had to be the strong one for this family.
Soon, the noodles were cooked as well.
At the square heated table, master and student sat opposite each other, a bowl of noodles before each. But unlike usual, today Sakonji Urokodaki had taken out extra bowls and chopsticks from the cupboard. He carefully arranged them around the table—one bowl, one pair of chopsticks each—neatly lined up. Counting carefully, there were exactly thirteen sets.
They corresponded to Sabito, Makomo, Shinsuke, Fukuda... all thirteen of his departed disciples.
"It's the holiday. I thought, even if they can't eat, perhaps their spirits below can watch, or even just smell the food. That would be good too."
Sakonji Urokodaki picked up his own bowl and began distributing portions into the empty ones. Roy watched silently. Makomo's eyes reddened again, and faint sobs emerged. Roy put down his bowl and chopsticks and gently placed his hand over Sakonji's. "That's too little, Master. Our brothers and sisters are watching. We can't be stingy..."
Who... is watching?
Sakonji Urokodaki froze. He then felt a warm current flow from Roy's hand into his own, spreading up his arm, through his chest and neck, until it covered his eyes. And then... the former Water Hashira, like a weathered stone statue standing solitary guard over a ruined past, suddenly seeing his disciples return home for a visit, seemed overwhelmed with joy, simply staring blankly.
"Makomo?" After a long moment, his hand trembled as he reached out and touched the little girl's head.
Makomo's body stiffened, equally stunned. Then Sabito, then Shimizu, then Fukuda, then all the disciples who had studied under Sakonji Urokodaki, many of whom he had practically raised himself—all were frozen in disbelief!
A moment later, a strange cry broke the silence. Shinsuke, overcome with emotion, fell right off the rafter. Forgetting that as a ghost he could fly, he landed on the floor and didn't bother getting up. Scrambling on hands and knees, he crawled to Sakonji Urokodaki, hugged his legs tightly, and wailed, "Master! It's me... Shinsuke!"
"Waaah... you can finally see me...!"
Was it painful? To long for someone for so long without response? To always be there, yet only be able to offer one-sided companionship? Between 'life' and 'death', though separated only by a thin veil, that very veil perfectly illustrated how close yet infinitely far apart they were.
"Master." Sabito came back to his senses, tears streaming down his face without him realizing. He removed his mask and knelt heavily at Sakonji Urokodaki's feet with a thump. Fukuda, Watanabe, and Shimizu followed suit—thump, thump, thump—forming a circle around their master.
"I... you... Eiichiro..." Sakonji Urokodaki was completely overwhelmed by the immense shock and joy. Decades of composure shattered as Makomo threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Waaah... sniffle..." Outside, the snowstorm raged, rattling the paper windows.
Roy sat by the table, watching quietly. He acted as the medium, maintaining the flow of Nen, connecting life and death, leaving the world entirely to Sakonji Urokodaki and his spectral students. He ate his soba noodles, slowly savoring their reunion and their shared longing.
"Master, all these years, I've just been hoping you could see me, just once. When you cook, I watch beside you, but sadly, I can't eat..."
"Master, every time you carve, I'm right there. I try to get you to notice me by blowing the wood shavings away, but you always think it's just the wind..."
"Master... Master, me too! Every time you come to pay respects, I deliberately blow out the candles in the shrine to remind you I'm right here..."
"Master..."
"Master..."
Face after familiar face... words poured straight from their hearts, striking Sakonji Urokodaki to his core. Beneath the mask, the old man's face was already streaked with tears. He touched one head, then another, wishing he had twenty arms to embrace them all.
His voice trembled. "Miss... Master misses you too..."
"I knew it. I always knew you were all still here..."
Joy poured out through their tears without restraint. After a while, the cabin gradually grew quiet again. Everyone dried their eyes, only then remembering, with some embarrassment, that someone else was in the room.
Sakonji Urokodaki, Sabito, Makomo, Shinsuke, Fukuda... all turned to look at Roy. The boy slurped his noodles, picked up a piece of tempura, popped it in his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and then broke into a smile. "Please, continue. Don't mind me."
"Ahem." As the senior disciple, Sabito cleared his throat, stood up, and looked at him intently. "You did this, didn't you, Eiichiro?" Or rather... "You knew we were here all along, didn't you?" The fox-masked boy's eyes were sharp, his tone almost dangerous. Sakonji Urokodaki, as the conduit for the Nen, could feel the 'warm current' directly. He looked at Roy with a heavy gaze, saying nothing, yet saying everything.
Whoosh! Shinsuke materialized beside Roy as a ghostly wind, slinging an arm around his shoulder with a conspiratorial grin. "Well now, Eiichiro, you kept this hidden pretty deep, huh? Almost had us fooled..."
Speaking of being fooled, Makomo, hiding in Sakonji's embrace, suddenly remembered something. She peeked at Roy, noticed him glance her way as if sensing her gaze, and quickly buried her face back in Sakonji's robes. Oh no... he knows... he saw everything... Makomo... Makomo... how can you face anyone ever again? The girl burned with shame. It's all his fault... Eiichiro is just too mean!
The big bad Eiichiro silently finished his noodles. He neither confirmed nor denied anything. He said nothing, yet seemed to say everything. Finally, he put down his bowl and chopsticks. "Let me be clear, I don't have the power to bring the dead back to life. You still can't eat what you couldn't eat before. I'm talking about the noodles, of course."
"No, you've already done more than enough." Sabito took a deep breath, his expression serious as he walked up to Roy. Roy could clearly see the scar on his cheek, count the stitches from years ago.
The fox-masked boy bowed deeply, a formal gesture of respect. "I, Fujita Shuichi, on behalf of my departed junior brothers and sisters, thank you for what you have done."
So... your name is Fujita Shuichi.
☆☆☆
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