"My wish, huh..."
As if Mitsuba's words had triggered some memory, a hint of recollection gradually surfaced in the centenarian master's cloudy eyes.
"If you have one, hurry up and say it. After I send your old bones off, I still need to rush back to keep an eye on that little one Hakuji..."
"Little Mitsuba, did you forget? My wish—you've already helped me achieve it, haven't you?"
"What did you say?"
Listening to Mitsuba's deliberately sarcastic words, the old man simply smiled.
He withdrew his hand from Mitsuba's grasp, then mustered his last bit of strength to slowly raise his hands, placing both index fingers against his cheeks on either side.
With this somewhat peculiar gesture, the centenarian master weakly spoke to the puzzled Mitsuba before him those words that had traversed the long passage of time.
"Big Sister Mitsuba... you have to... be happy..."
Buzz!
Her mind went blank, her eyes instantly blurred.
With the old man's gesture, time seemed to rapidly reverse at this moment!
In an instant, Mitsuba felt as though she had returned to her youth, to the period when she served as head of the Tsugikuni household.
Returned to that small town that had imprisoned her entire life, returned to the day she first met the Butterfly.
Returned to that secluded alley on that morning, returned before the group of children squatting on the ground playing happily together...
And then, she saw it.
She saw that shy little boy, at the moment of her final departure, pointing at his own cheeks with both hands, mustering his courage to offer her that blessing.
[Big Sister Mitsuba! You have to be happy!]
"That's impossible..."
In her mind, the figure of the centenarian master gradually merged with the memory of that shy child.
"How could it be... you? That little one back then was actually you?
That's impossible... how could you have lived this long?"
Her pupils constricted sharply. Mitsuba subconsciously stood up, looking at the old man before her in disbelief.
She instantly activated her Blood Demon Art, scrutinizing all the old man's past karma.
[Morning, played the Sheng Guan Tu (Promotion Game) with a mysterious, elegantly dressed older sister who called herself "Mitsuba" in the alley with companions. Lost badly.]
[Big Sister Mitsuba was taken away. Mustered courage to tell her to be happy. Big Sister Mitsuba seemed to cry because of it.]
[So it turns out, Big Sister Mitsuba was the daimyo ruling our town...]
[Told companions I wanted to see Big Sister Mitsuba again. Was mocked harshly by companions. Very sad, cried from anger...]
[After the fireworks festival, Big Sister Mitsuba died from illness. Grief-stricken, moved away from this town with parents...]
[Don't want to get married...]
[Parents died from illness...]
[Used money parents earned from past merchant travels to open a dojo in an unremarkable small town. Named it Centenarian Dojo...]
[Centenarian Dojo couldn't compete with another swordsmanship dojo in town. Couldn't recruit many disciples, but didn't care because of the money...]
[Time flew by, lifespan passed one hundred years. Traveled for a while to celebrate my longevity.]
[Late that night, by the roadside, happened to encounter a young girl sitting on a stone in a daze, not knowing where she should go.]
[This little girl was so strange. She looked exactly like Big Sister Mitsuba in my memory. When I heard she also called herself Mitsuba, I almost thought I had returned to the past. Fortunately, she didn't notice my abnormality...]
[I took her in, asked her to be a swordsmanship instructor at Centenarian Dojo. She agreed.]
[I'm certain now. She must be that Big Sister Mitsuba I met when I was young...]
Reading through these threads of karma one by one, tears uncontrollably welled up in Mitsuba's disbelieving eyes.
"How could this be... you actually... lived until now?"
"Yes... incredible, isn't it? It seems I was fortunate enough to be... a very long-lived person..."
Slowly lowering his hands, the centenarian master gazed peacefully at Mitsuba before him and smiled:
"I waited a hundred years just to see you again, to speak with you once more, to see you smile one more time...
Big Sister Mitsuba... my wish, you've already helped me achieve it long ago, haven't you..."
"I'm sorry, for these past five years, I never recognized you even once. I'm truly sorry..."
"There's no need to say sorry... being able to see Big Sister Mitsuba living so happily every day, these five years have already satisfied me...
Now I must go first... in the future, Big Sister Mitsuba, you too must live happily..."
His breath gradually weakened. Looking at Mitsuba before him, who once again grasped his hand and kept crying and apologizing, feeling the warmth of her palm, the centenarian master slowly closed his eyes with a smile.
"..."
With the passing of the centenarian master, Mitsuba also lost her last attachment to the small town.
Perhaps, it was finally time for her to leave this town as well.
The transfer of dojo ownership took some time. On the day of departure, Mitsuba had wanted to see Sumire one last time, only to discover that the Butterfly Clinic was already empty.
She had left first, not even telling Mitsuba where she was going.
Though she could use the mandala flower she left on Sumire to track her location, Mitsuba did not do so.
She respected her friend's choice.
This little butterfly had an exceptionally stubborn and unique personality.
For things she couldn't fully possess, she would rather not have them from the start.
If she couldn't keep Mitsuba by her side forever, she would rather maintain an ordinary friendship between them.
[Keeping a person... by your side forever?]
Mitsuba shook her head.
Yes, the little butterfly was right. She indeed couldn't do that.
She might stay with someone for several years, or even a dozen years, but she couldn't stay with the same person for decades, or even hundreds or thousands of years.
Mitsuba understood her own personality well. She was someone who easily grew bored. She could neither stay in one place for long, nor get along with the same person for extended periods.
From the perspective of human emotions, she should be very "philandering," or rather... very "fickle."
And that little butterfly happened to be an extremely devoted person...
It was precisely because she understood these things that Sumire chose to let go and leave even when she had the opportunity...
[Alright, don't be sad, don't be distressed.]
[The old journey has ended. Collect yourself, Tsugikuni Mitsuba. You should prepare to start a new journey.]
[Only this way can you live up to those friends who care about you...]
"Big Sister Mitsuba, are you leaving?"
Taking a deep breath, just as Mitsuba closed the gates of Centenarian Dojo and turned to leave, a young boy suddenly poked his head out from behind a nearby wall.
This boy had white oak-colored hair, a delicate and rather cute appearance.
Mitsuba had an impression of this child—a very strong impression, in fact.
After all, anyone who came to propose to you every day with nothing better to do would certainly leave a deep impression.
"Yes, I'm leaving."
Looking at this white oak-haired boy with red-rimmed eyes who seemed to want to say something more, Mitsuba simply stepped forward, crouched down, and smiled as she patted his head.
"Live well from now on, grow up happily, find someone you truly love to marry, and live a joyful and happy life, understand?
And then... don't casually propose to girls when you have nothing to do. After all, not everyone in this world has Big Sister Mitsuba's good temper, got it?"
"But Big Sister Mitsuba, I..."
"Hey! Stop! I'm leaving already. Little one, you can't possibly still not let me go even at a time like this, right?"
With those words, after wiping away the boy's tears for him, Mitsuba smiled, stood up, waved her hand, and walked away into the distance.
"Alright, that's it. We'll meet again if fate allows."
...
[This portion of content officially concludes, but Hakuji and Koyuki's story isn't over yet. After the main storyline begins, Akaza will still have a latter half to his arc.]
[Since Mitsuba is strong in both Blood Demon Art and subjective initiative, readers hoping for tragedy may be disappointed meow, because Mitsuba's demon life simply cannot contain tragedy meow~]
[Starting from the next part, the two strongest troublemakers in this book will officially team up and begin their legendary demon life of causing chaos everywhere meow~]
[Speaking of which, I originally planned to briefly write a side story about Sumire's mother, but I really can't write it anymore meow~]
[Additionally, readers are advised to take a look at the side story content in the next chapter meow, since it still hides an important detail meow~]
____________________
Support me at patreon.com/dzeref887 and get access to over 100 chapters!