Chapter 1010 Night Talk with Mikazuki
I opened my eyes and saw nothing but darkness.
I fumbled to my feet and turned on the bedside lamp, only to find that my tears had soaked the pillowcase and even my hair. However, I couldn't remember what I had dreamed about, only that strangely real sadness weighed on my chest, making it hard to breathe.
It's so strange. I haven't experienced this kind of thing in a long time since my health gradually improved. Why did it happen so suddenly today...
The room was a bit stuffy, so I got up and opened the window. A cool breeze blew gently on my face, and I realized that my clothes were wet with sweat and my throat was a bit dry.
I'd better go downstairs and get a glass of water to calm down.
"Huh?"
However, when I went downstairs, I saw a dark blue figure sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Oh my, it's so late and you're still not asleep, Lord? Staying up late is not good."
"...Mikazuki is it. If it were Grandpa, he would have rested by now."
However, after I retorted, the Tsukumogami, who called himself an old man and was transformed from the most beautiful and famous sword in Honmaru, just laughed "Ha, ha, ha" and looked up at the bright night sky in the yard with his teacup in his hand.
"Because the moonlight tonight is very beautiful. Such a beautiful view cannot be wasted."
Tonight was a rare full moon, its silvery light streaming down onto the courtyard. At first glance, it had a somewhat Honmaru-like feel.
"Besides, I'm your attendant tonight."
Mikazuki Munechika looked at me and smiled, "Come here, Homura."
For a moment, I seemed to have returned to the past, when I had just entered the Honmaru.
Back then, I wasn't in good health, and there weren't many newly opened Honmaru swords. Plus, everyone was either young or older, so it was a bit restrictive for a little girl like me. The tantos were fun to play with, but... when I felt homesick, I still felt homesick and afraid. And then there were the strange dreams, like today, that I couldn't remember, waking up in fear or sadness, shaking uncontrollably or crying.
At this time, as my attendants, those who took turns to keep watch at night would always comfort me in various ways.
There were those who stayed by my bedside, wiping my tears, those who held my hand and slept with me under the covers, those who patiently read to me from storybooks, and those who were not good at speaking but would light a small candle and stand guard outside the door. And Mikazuki Munechika, he would always sit by my side at night when I woke up with a start, looking out the French window at the courtyard in the Honmaru.
I sniffed, walked over obediently and leaned against him.
"Hahaha, Homura has grown up too."
Sanriku was wearing a light-colored crimson kimono tonight. Although his clothes were usually complicated and luxurious, he dressed simply, even a little plainly, when he was casual.
"You can't doze off on my lap like you used to. Hmm...it's a pity."
As he said this, he adjusted his posture so that I could lean more comfortably, and the wisteria flower hair accessory next to his hair swayed slightly in the moonlight.
By the way, back then I would always fall asleep next to my grandfather or on his lap. When I woke up the next day, I would be back in bed.
"Having a nightmare again?"
"Um……"
"Hmm - it's been a long time since I've had this kind of dream." He looked down at me, and in the moonlight I could see the crescent moon in his eyes. "Do you remember what you dreamed about?"
I shook my head helplessly: "No."
Even if I wanted to recall, I could only remember a very hazy picture, as if it was covered by thick frosted glass, with only the colors showing through.
Red, black, chaotic and blurred, a strange noise vaguely echoed in my ears, like the sound of the wind, or someone crying.
I started to feel sad again.
Suddenly, I felt a warm touch on my head. When I came to my senses, I saw Sanriku gently stroking my head.
"You're already so old, but you like to cry, little girl."
"However, this is also a good thing."
"...Is crying easily a good thing?" I always feel that I should be stronger.
"Of course." Mikazuki let me lean against him, shifting slightly before returning his hands to his knees. "Because your heart has become softer than before."
"But I think practicing kendo requires more determination."
"A firm will and a soft heart are not in conflict. It is precisely because of love that there is fear, hesitation, and the need to protect those who must be protected even in fear. Isn't that right?"
is that so?
"Tell me, what kind of troubles has our little girl encountered recently?"
In fact, these were all things that had been mentioned many times after dinner, but when Sanriku asked this question, the memories that had surfaced because of the experiences of the past few days came to mind again.
"Today I suddenly remembered something..."
Mikazuki's shoulders were thin but remarkably strong. He listened quietly and with a smile, which made me continue talking unconsciously.
"When I was a child, the hospital was on fire when I was born. My mother died in the same way. Later, when I was five or six years old, I was hospitalized in another nursing home for a long time, and that home also suffered a fire."
Although I also tried to investigate the cause of the fire, most of the existing searchable information did not provide a clear conclusion. I only speculated that there might be a problem with the hospital's circuits or equipment.
"Dad, he always said I was a monster, a jinx, that I killed Mom." The hand that held mine tightened, but I didn't stop. "Auntie told me not to listen to him, but then there was a fire in the nursing home when I was at my worst."
Different locations, different hospitals, the latter even a very famous resort, is it really possible that a fire accident would occur due to aging instruments or circuits?
"and……"
"and?"
I lowered my voice and gently told the hazy, dreamlike memories that had been hidden in my heart for a long time.
"Actually, when the nursing home caught fire, I always felt like someone saved me."
At that time, I seemed to have a very high fever, and my mind was a little unclear. I just felt very hot and uncomfortable. Everything around me was red, and the air I breathed seemed to be burning hot.
"It could have been a fantasy, after all, I was too young at the time."
That being said, the feeling of pain was so real that when that cool, even cold breath came over, the fuzzy consciousness became clearer.
In the fire, someone seemed to pick me up. Although I tried hard to open my eyes to see who it was, in the end, all that remained in my dream was a piece of black clothing and the young silhouette of someone.
I yawned, and my eyelids suddenly felt heavy, but I continued to lean against Sanriku, wanting to tell him about my aimless fantasies.
"Tell Mikazuki secretly, Toushirou-kun gives me a very familiar feeling."
"You always doubt his origins, but... I just... don't want to doubt him."
The thought of looking at him, staying with him, hearing his voice, and holding his hand would make my heart leap with joy. But seeing those eyes would make my chest ache and swell, and when I came to my senses, tears would quietly begin to accumulate in my eyes.
I even felt that he was the one who saved me.
I'm afraid no one would believe this wonderful fantasy.
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The chattering voices beside him gradually died down, and the breathing of the girl leaning on his shoulder gradually became smoother.
The moonlight shone on her, and her loose red hair lost the flaming power it had during the day and became hazy, like a flower blooming under the moon.
Hailed as one of the five most beautiful swords in the world, Tsukumogami, who had accompanied the girl for many years, sighed softly, "...So, perhaps this is fate...?"
"Is she asleep?"
A low voice came from behind him, but Mikazuki Munechika did not turn around because that might wake the sleeping girl up again.
Yamaubakiri Kunihiro didn't wait for the other party to answer. Instead, he walked straight to the French window and gently took the sleeping girl from his colleague's hands. "She hasn't had nightmares for many years. Why is she having nightmares again now...?"
"Perhaps it has something to do with the people and events she's encountered recently." Looking at the girl's peaceful sleeping face, knowing she was no longer plagued by nightmares, Mikazuki Munechika's smile faded. "Or perhaps the wheel of fate that once befell my lord has begun to turn again."
His words were vague, but Yamaubakiri Kunihiro fell silent. "Whatever it is, as her sword, I will face it with her." His cyan eyes stared unblinkingly at the Five Swordsmen before him. "I'm sure you're the same way."
"Hey, hey, that's being rather distant, Yamaubakiri." Seeing the other man lift the girl into his arms, Mikazuki Munechika also stood up. "Even if you've served other masters before, there's no difference between us now, right?"
"It's all thanks to you, Captain, that the little girl was able to fulfill her duties as a Shinsengumi at a young age and quickly build her own Honmaru."
Compared to many swords that came to Honmaru later, Mikazuki Munechika, as one of the main swords forged in the early days, naturally knew the origin of Yamaubakiri Kunihiro.
Faced with the other party's joking words, Yamaubakiri Kunihiro was not angry or embarrassed.
"You're still as playful as ever, Mikazuki Munechika."
After all, this is also true. In the early days when everyone was not strong, they relied on him who had served in other Honmaru and had combat experience to lead the team through history to search for the figures of historical revisionists.
"Anyway, thanks for tonight."
"No, no, this is one of the duties of a valet."
As he spoke, a handsome young man in a dark blue kimono walked forward and reached out to brush away the messy bangs of the sleeping girl in Yamaubakiri's arms.
"May my Lord have a good dream tonight."
The author has something to say:
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Well, it’s actually a very important chapter because it contains a lot of seemingly plausible foreshadowings and clues.
The quilt in Homura's house is not the original sword. It actually belonged to a previous owner and became what it is now for various reasons.
Alas, the god of death is really cold, so cold that I doubt my life every day orz
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