As they reached a nearby forest, the two friends stopped their mad rush and sat up in a tree, facing each other on two parallel branches.
"So, is there any explanation for all of this?" Izumo asked.
"Nothing I can tell you that you haven't noticed already. That victory victory finally made Ken lose his mind. He seems to have gone mad with pride after speaking to a random samurai. You did well holding him there. We've been searching for him the whole day."
"Holding him…"
"Hey. What's with that long face? Don't tell me you let that defeat get to you!"
"I mean…"
"Come on, look how pathetic you look right now. Haha!"
Izumo was not fond of the ridicule he was subjected to, but when he lifted his face to confront Kotaro, he saw a pair of the kindest eyes he could imagine staring at him with pure honesty.
"Look, you've worked hard to get here, and I'm sure you'll work even harder from now. So what if some important guy saw you taking a beating? He also saw you doing your best. We're still kids. Many chances will come and go, but you only need to take hold of one of them."
The kindness of this young boy called Kotaro was indisputable. Deep down, Izumo knew that if there was one friend he could not hold a candle to, that was the boy in front of him.
As the son of a weaponsmith, Kotaro did not have any outstanding goals such as rising through the ranks of the military, but he had plenty of talent to do so were he to ever try. Ability with weapons on Ken's level, magical prowess on the level of Kotoko, and physical strength comparable with Ten were the qualities that kept him one step above everyone with only half the work Izumo was putting in.
Of course, Izumo was now far superior in magic, but his advantage in this field was unfairly obtained.
"So, it's ok to feel down today. Just promise me one thing. Promise me that by tomorrow you will be the same Izumo."
"Keeping that bastard in check is too much for the rest of you alone, huh?" Izumo said in a rhetorical tone to lighten up the mood.
"Was it that obvious? Haha! Yeah, that's one thing nobody does better than you."
After taking a couple of minutes to admire the surrounding forest, Izumo decided to ask something a bit more personal, feeling it was the right time to corner his firend.
"So… About you and Kotoko…"
"Oh, look! There's a messenger running around the city. Let's go back and hear what he has to say!"
There was one more thing that Izumo had noticed about Kotaro since long ago—the bastard was also damn lucky.
*****
The cunning fox, after making sure that her friend took the little ones away, stared down the angered boy.
"What's the meaning of this, fox?"
With a mischievous look, she answered the question, disregarding the rude appellative.
"Oya? I just saw a crazed hooligan attacking my friend and jumped to the rescue~. Did I do anything wrong?" she said while placing a finger at the corner of her mouth and tilting her head.
"Don't give me all that! I always hated the way you play dumb. Where did Kotaro take him?"
"Don't tell me~. Was that your moment to confess to him? Oh! How scandalous! My boyfriend ran away with your crush right in front of our eyes!"
With her ears pointing up, the girl the tried proposing a truce to Ken.
"Then, shall we work together and find them?"
"Do you really think I'm stupid enough to let myself be dragged on a wild goose chase by someone like you? Let's see if you can keep your act up in front of my sword!"
"My dear Ken, is that a threat~" Kotoko asked as her fox ears flattened in anticipation.
"Better watch yourself, 'cause I'm not holding back."
But that was not a problem for the foxgirl.
"Oh, Ken. The one who should be holding back is cute little me~"
The next second, when Ken rushed towards Kotoko, a sudden wall of red fire ruse to block his path.
"What?" the boy asked in disbelief.
Without getting any time to rethink his strategy, Ken was assaulted by flames from all sides. This was clearly not heat or fire manipulation, as there was no fire pit around with enough flames.
"Eh?~ Don't tell me… All that talk and you don't even know who you're up against?"
The fox tribe, while mostly living in Tsukide, had a somewhat different way of expressing themselves through magic, as they preferred fire. That was the feisty nature of their tribe, who would appear calm on the surface, while deep down, they burned with a bright passion.
Even so, Kotoko took it a step further. As a girl, she ran away from home because she didn't want to follow in her mother's shoes as a miko, and since she despised the other positions the fox tribe often held—those of courtesans—she soon found herself in the position of a young kunoichi. The shinobi tribe that adopted her was one formed mostly of wind-using humans, so in order to adapt, Kotoko was now proficient in two types of magic.
Of course, Ken had been ignorant to the hidden identity of the girl, so he was not expecting such a strong adversary. Were he to find out all that fire had been taken from a single candle and amplified with plenty of oxygen, he may have given up on the spot.
"What's the matter, boy? Am I too much for you? I didn't even get as hot as I wanted yet~"
As Ken ran through walls and lassos of fire guided by the combination of elements, he did the one thing he was best at: he looked for an opening, and one soon appeared.
Seeing a small hole in the wall of fire, Ken rushed towards the girl while forming a wind cone in front of himself.
"I've got you now!" he shouted.
"I was hoping you'd try that!" Kotoko said with a smile turned maniacal, twisting her pretty face.
As the two were about to present their decisive hits, a loud scream resounded in the distance. Ken broke focus, and before he could understand what was going on, the boy got lifted in the air and smashed to the ground, even though Kotoko also seemed to have completely switched focus.
While the fight ended prematurely, one thing was clear. Kotoko smashed Ken into the ground with a takedown that took almost no effort. Realizing that, Ken could not help but wonder what would have happened had her finishing move made contact with him.
Meanwhile, the reason for their distraction could be heard clearer and clearer.
"All boys and men capable of holding a weapon, gather to the central market!" the approaching man proclaimed.
"The Daimyo is building an army!"
*****
"Thank you so much for bringing them back! Come in! We were just getting dinner ready."
"Ah…" for a second, the girl hesitated, but upon regaining her composure, she bowed politely and refused the invitation.
"Thank you, but it was not me who found the kids. I just brought them back. I will take your gratitude and pass it on to my friends."
Even with the mask hiding it, her kind smile was well received by the woman to whom the two kids were entrusted.
"Thank you, Big Sis! What's your name?" one of the two kids asked as both of them hugged her, their height only a head shorter than the girl.
"Ten. Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too, Big Sis Ten!" the other kid said. "I want to see your face. Why don't you take off your mask?"
"Oh? This?… Well…"
Seeing as Ten was hesitating to show her face, the kind woman intervened.
"Ok kids, if Miss Ten does not feel comfortable showing her face, we should let her do as she pleases."
"But…."
As the peaceful scene of a mom taking care of energetic kids was unfolding in front of the girl, a faint scream could be heard in the background.
"…..army!… war!"
"What?"
Upon hearing those dreadful words, the tengu lady switched her focus to the screaming messenger.
"Lord Daimyo is building an army! His lordship declared war on the neighboring province!"
*****
Back in Haneba, Mei was taking a well-deserved rest. Better said, she was dancing around the room in a bout of happiness, her beauty shining at every step even without the expensive makeup she usually wore.
That morning, the lady who owned the establishment came to her room and gave her the news she was waiting for. Thanks to her being favored by the daimyo, Mei had been selected as the new oiran of the city, and thus, she would become the most influential woman in the province.
"Finally, our dream is within reach! I made it! You can be whatever you want now."
As she was dancing alone in her room, Mei was startled by a knock on the door.
"Come in~" she said as she took a dignified position and hid her face behind her fan.
The one who entered was the old woman who had delivered the news just hours ago.
"Oh, it's just you…"
"What do you mean 'just you'? Do you want me to have you clean the rooms?"
The relationship between the two was similar to that of an ungrateful granddaughter and her grandma. After all, Mei spent 11 years—half of her life—working at this establishment.
"Regarding the date listed here, that promotion ceremony may have to wait a bit," the lady said while holding the piece of paper.
"Oh? Whatever may the reason be?"
The playful allure of the soon-to-be oiran remained unshaken, but the answer she received was quick to turn her face paler than her usual makeup could ever have.
"The daimyo is buying you for a long time. You're to keep him company on the battlefield."