These events occurred while Mitsuba was unconscious and recovering in the Infinity Castle.
The ones who poisoned them were the people from the swordsmanship dojo living next to Keizo's place.
For years, these people had been trying every possible method to force Keizo into voluntarily handing over that luxurious Soryu Dojo.
Originally, they had only resorted to some underhanded petty tricks behind the scenes—disgusting, yes, but nothing that violated the law.
For Keizo, as long as he endured, it would pass. It was no big deal.
But yesterday morning, for reasons unknown, these people made their move.
Taking advantage of the dawn hours, they quietly climbed over the walls into Soryu Dojo and poisoned the well, attempting to kill Keizo, his daughter, and Hakuji all at once!
Completely unaware of this, Keizo and his daughter died from poisoning shortly after drinking the well water upon waking.
Only Hakuji, who had left early that morning for his hometown to share the joyous news of his upcoming marriage with his late father's spirit, escaped by sheer luck—having been in too much of a hurry to drink from the well.
When Keizo and his daughter suddenly died, the neighbors nearby initially had no idea who was responsible.
It was the centenarian master who found the "Tengu" beggar—the same man who had been begging nearby that dawn and happened to witness the swordsmanship dojo people climbing into Soryu Dojo—and finally learned the truth from him.
Enraged, the old man immediately went to the magistrate's office, informed the officials of the incident, and demanded that the poisoners be arrested and sentenced.
However, the officials—long since bribed by the swordsmanship dojo—while pretending to agree to the old man's request, did not arrest anyone from the dojo after sending him away. Instead, they arrested the sole eyewitness, the Tengu beggar, on charges of spreading false rumors, beat him severely, and expelled him from the town.
Upon learning this, the centenarian master was overcome with fury and fell gravely ill...
Thus, time moved to evening. Hakuji, who had finally rushed back from his hometown, upon learning the truth, completely lost his sanity. After burying Keizo and his daughter's remains alone, he headed straight for the neighboring swordsmanship dojo.
Then, the most horrifying thing happened.
That night, all sixty-seven disciples of the swordsmanship dojo who had gathered to celebrate, plus two constables from the magistrate's office who had come to join the festivities—a total of sixty-nine people—were all killed single-handedly by Hakuji, who had come for revenge.
That night, the entire swordsmanship dojo was covered in blood and strewn with human corpses. Only one maid survived.
After that, Hakuji disappeared.
Late that night, some reportedly saw him, covered in blood, leaving the town in a daze.
But no one knew where he finally went...
"Everyone in town is saying you've probably died—either by suicide or wild animal attack, all sorts of rumors... Good thing I didn't believe them. I followed the thick, inescapable scent of blood on you and finally found you here."
On a mountain outside the town, Hakuji knelt before a mound of earth, his body caked with dried blood, his soul seemingly lost, his eyes hollow and vacant, motionless.
Undoubtedly, buried in this grave were Keizo and his daughter.
Behind Hakuji stood Mitsuba, arriving with an umbrella.
"I'm sorry, Hakuji. It's all my fault."
Looking down at the grave before her that didn't even have a tombstone, Mitsuba's eyes were filled with guilt.
"Claiming to be your friend, yet not being by your side when you needed me most... I'm truly sorry..."
She stepped forward and knelt beside Hakuji at the grave. Mitsuba's expression was somber as she spoke in a low voice:
"I still remember Keizo once told me that your name and personality were very much like the guardian komainu statues placed before shrines—that you couldn't live without protecting something.
Looking back now, that metaphor was remarkably apt.
It's just a pity that fate has never treated you fairly. First your father, then Keizo and his daughter...
They are always like this, repeatedly taking away the important things around you.
I understand the pain in your heart right now, and I know that you must want to die at this moment.
However, before I came, I promised that old man that I would take good care of you.
If I let you die just like this, then the life of the boy named Hakuji would truly, completely, be nothing but tragedy.
So, little one, just this once, please allow me to make a choice for you without permission—I will let you live."
Mitsuba slowly turned her head. She looked at Hakuji, who remained kneeling nearby with vacant eyes staring at the grave, and spoke word by word:
"Hakuji, I will turn you into a demon. Not only that, I will seal away all your memories up to this point.
But don't be afraid—this is only temporary.
From now on, everything will start anew for you. I will do my utmost to guide you and lead you toward a brand new life.
And then, someday in the future, when you have rebuilt yourself, found new meaning in life, and truly taken that new step forward, when you are able to bear this tragic past—I will definitely return all these memories to you. I promise..."
"..."
When Mitsuba hurriedly returned to the Centenarian Dojo, it was already evening.
On the bed in the room, the hundred-year-old master who had vomited blood yesterday from rage at the magistrate's actions now had only his last breath remaining.
"Little Mitsuba, did you find that child Hakuji?"
The moment he saw Mitsuba return, he immediately stretched out his withered hand, trembling as he tried to grasp hers.
His voice was extremely weak. Even without using the Transparent World, Mitsuba knew that this old man of such long lifespan was approaching the end of his life.
"Don't worry, old man. I've found him."
Taking a deep breath, Mitsuba smiled and went forward to sit by the bed, taking the old man's hand.
Behind her, Sumire quietly withdrew, leaving this final time to the two people in the room.
"Found him, good, found him..."
Receiving Mitsuba's answer, the old man finally relaxed. His wrinkled face finally showed a trace of a smile.
"Little Mitsuba, I want to entrust that child to you... I hope you can take good care of him... His life shouldn't be like this... Neither he nor Keizo's family should be like this..."
"Old man, you really are... clearly on the verge of death, yet still worrying about others?"
Though her tone remained as sharp as ever, looking at this old man before her who was clearly dying yet still entrusting others to her care, Mitsuba's face finally showed a smile of helplessness.
"Old fool, do you think I left Hakuji there alone and rushed back here for no reason?
Don't you have any wishes of your own to entrust to me?
Don't you have anything you want me to do for you? Like inheriting this dojo, or taking care of those children?"