The blade was right in front of her. Cold steel. Its point aimed at Riko's throat. The assassin did not move. Did not attempt to move. To abduct Riko——they held that order, yet their hand never reached out. (This is wrong.) Something shifted in Riko's mind. Back in the modern era, she had possessed a sharper instinct than anyone for reading the true intentions of those around her. The professor was bored during lectures, that senior said one thing but meant another——that intuition was honing itself now, growing keener. Two companions lay fallen. This single assassin could not bring Riko back alone. So they were simply buying time until reinforcements arrived. (Now. I'll pretend to break down crying——) "[crying]I... I can't... not anymore..." Her voice trembled. She let all strength drain from her body. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground. Both hands pressed against the earth, curling inward. She covered her face with her kimono sleeve, shoulders shaking. The assassin's attention wavered for just a moment. Riko's hand clawed at the ground. Sand gathered at her fingertips. A handful. Her arm moved before she could stand. Sand struck the assassin's face——a dry, sharp sound. *Jac.* "——!" The assassin covered their face with both hands. Blinded for mere seconds. That instant was all it took. "[serious]...Now." A low voice. But certain. Mizuchi, balanced on one knee, pushed off the ground. With every ounce of remaining strength, he swept both hands at the assassin's ankles. A dull *thud* as the assassin pitched forward. The blade fell to the earth, metal ringing. "[serious]Run!" Riko ran. She thrust out her arm to Mizuchi, pulling him up. His body was heavy——blood still seeped from the wound on his back. But his legs moved. Both their feet kicked at the soil, driving deeper into the forest. And then it came. White mist rose all at once, thick and suffocating. Hibika's mist-veil——the natural shroud that the mountain domain took pride in. The gaps between trees were painted white. Five paces ahead vanished from sight. Ten paces ahead disappeared entirely. The sound of pursuing footsteps grew distant. Moving her tangled feet, Riko ran deeper and deeper into the forest. It was the first time since her reincarnation. She had cut through danger with her own actions——that sensation traveled from her trembling soles up through her entire body. --- Once the footsteps had completely faded, Riko settled Mizuchi against a large boulder. The autumn forest at night ran deep. The smell of moss hung in the air. An owl called somewhere in the distance. No lanterns. No candles. Only moonlight filtered thinly through the mist from beyond. She placed her hand on Mizuchi's back. The fabric of his kimono was wet. Warm——the warmth of blood. "[serious]Please, bear with me a moment." She tore the cloth Toki had given her into thin, thin strips. Her hands shook, but the cloth tore. She confirmed the position of the wound and pressed the strips firmly against it, layering them. Mizuchi's body stiffened for an instant. "[cold]...Don't make a fuss." "[serious]It's not a fuss. Without stopping the bleeding, you'll die." Her voice came out stronger than she expected. Mizuchi fell silent. He did not argue. She wound the cloth. Pressed. Wound again. Riko's hands traced across Mizuchi's body. All she felt was body heat and the thin rhythm of his breathing. "[gentle]...You're skilled." "[serious]In the modern era, I learned a little first aid... but that doesn't matter now. I'm sorry, it's nothing." "[gentle]No. It feels like I'm coming to know you... I don't dislike it." Riko's hands stilled. Mizuchi's voice was far lower than usual. Hoarse. His consciousness was beginning to drift. "[gentle]Do you remember... the first time I saw you? In the garden, you were crying." "[serious]...I remember." "[gentle]From that moment, I couldn't stop thinking of you. It wasn't a duty. Simply... I couldn't leave you alone. Someone crying by themselves in such a place." "[serious]Mizuchi..." "[gentle]Even if it meant breaking the code... I wanted to protect you. You." The words fell softly. The owl's cry echoed once more in the distance. Heat gathered at the corner of Riko's eyes. She understood Mizuchi was sincere. Those odd eyes——gold and silver——trembled even in this darkness, and she could see it. She had been told before that someone would protect her, but not since her reincarnation. Yet the weight of this confession was different from words spoken as duty. But. Something else stirred within Riko's chest. Souma's profile surfaced in her mind. That night, before the candle, his voice saying "forgive me" to someone. That night when the corner of his mouth had lifted for just a moment. The emotionless declaration as he left through the castle gate. It had been cold. And yet Riko had wanted to be near him——that feeling had not vanished, even now as she heard Mizuchi's confession. Both feelings were real. Neither could be erased. Riko wept and continued to hold Mizuchi's hand. No answer came. None could come. She could only hold his hand. His hand was cold, but that coldness felt warm now. --- How much time had passed. When the mist had thinned somewhat, Riko's mind cleared. (If we stay here like this, we'll both die in this forest.) Reality cut through emotion. Mizuchi's wound was deep. If they remained here through the night, dawn might never come. She had to tell Souma. The Orochi clan's plan. Sawa's betrayal. Evidence—— Riko checked inside her sleeve. She had taken it during the battle. The short blade the assassin had worn at their waist. A crest carved into the hilt. A pattern of intertwining serpents, unfamiliar——it belonged to the Orochi clan. This was proof. "[serious]Mizuchi. Can you tell me the direction to Tsukikage?" Mizuchi opened his eyes. Faintly, but surely. "[cold]...You can't possibly..." "[serious]I'll carry you. I can't leave you here." "[cold]It's impossible. My weight——" "[serious]I won't know unless I try." Riko looped Mizuchi's arm over her shoulder. She stood. It was heavy. The weight came down on her legs. Still, she stood. Mizuchi indicated the direction in a low voice. Northeast. Toward the Souga mountain range. Riko began to walk. One step. Then another. In the dark forest, she moved carefully, avoiding roots beneath her feet, sidestepping branches. Mizuchi drifted in and out of consciousness, correcting their course in whispers——"not that way," "to the right." Each time she heard his voice, Riko felt a small measure of relief. The physical endurance she had built as a university student in the modern era was serving her now. The arms that had carried heavy club equipment year after year. The legs that had cycled thirty minutes each way to school. The personality that had never learned to give up——what she had thought was her only strength. As night began to pale, the density of the trees changed. An open space appeared. Several small huts. White smoke rose thinly from a chimney. It looked like a charcoal-burning settlement——but Riko already knew what this was. It was Tsukikage. --- The moment the gate guard noticed them, a voice rose. A figure emerged from one of the huts. A woman, perhaps in her fifties. Silver hair, nearly white, bound at the back of her neck. Sharp as a blade behind narrow eyes. Black shinobi garments visible beneath her kimono. Her footsteps made no sound. Her posture held no wasted motion——she was the leader, Riko intuited at once. The woman took in Riko and Mizuchi in a single second. Without a word, she raised her hand, and two nearby shinobi came to receive Mizuchi. "[serious]Treat him. Quickly." A low, brief command. The shinobi ran. The woman turned to face Riko directly. "[serious]I am Kazakiri. Leader of the Shadow Clan." "[serious]I am Kirijima Riko. I was... Lord Souma's former concubine." "[serious]I know. I also know that Mizuchi broke the code." Kazakiri's eyes looked directly at Riko. Eyes of judgment. Yet they had not yet decided anything. Riko's trembling hand slipped into her sleeve. She withdrew the short blade with the crest and offered it to Kazakiri. "[serious]The Orochi clan is moving forward with an assassination plot against Hibika domain. This is proof. It was at the assassin's waist." Kazakiri took the blade. She examined the crest on the hilt. Her narrow eyes moved slightly. A silence fell. A long silence. "[serious]...I'll send word." Kazakiri turned and gave brief instructions to a nearby shinobi. The fastest one to Souma——those words reached Riko's ears. Riko remained standing. Her knees were shaking. Her feet were numb. Still, she did not sit. After some time, Kazakiri stood beside Riko. "[serious]Before Souma's reply arrives... there is something I should tell you." "[serious]...What is it?" "[serious]The reason Souma banished you." Riko's feet took root in the ground. "[serious]When the incident with Sawa occurred, Souma already knew there was a traitor within the castle. An enemy agent near the inner chambers——if that were the case, the next target would be you. To use you as a hostage, the concubine who carries Souma's meals. Or to use you as a tool to poison him. Either way, if you remained in the inner chambers, you would become the next target." "[serious]...So he banished me." "[serious]By sending you outside the castle, he made it harder for the Orochi clan to reach you. An awkward man. He never said as much, and cast you out coldly instead. So you would understand nothing." Riko could say nothing for a long time. The morning she left the castle gate returned to her. "You are a woman who brings trouble. Leave the castle by dawn." That emotionless voice. Those stone-like eyes. Every word now pierced her chest anew with a completely different meaning. ——They were words spoken to protect her. A single tear fell from Riko's eyes. Then another. Then she could not stop them. No sound came. Only tears, falling endlessly. Her affection for Souma took on a clear, definite form for the first time. It transformed into certainty without doubt——she loved him. She understood it truly now, for the first time. Behind those cold words, she had finally seen what had always been there. Yet in that same heart, Mizuchi's confession remained. The sensation of that cold hand. The words "I wanted to protect you, even if it meant breaking the code." Neither could fade. Both were real. The light of dawn began to paint the roofs of Tsukikage's huts a pale color. Kazakiri stood beside Riko in silence. She said nothing. Simply remained. Riko wiped her tears with her sleeve. She lifted her face. She would wait for Souma's reply. That was all she could do now. But——Mizuchi's judgment had not yet been rendered. The traitor within the castle had not yet been captured. No one knew who the true mastermind of the Orochi clan was. What Souma's reply would mean remained unknown. In the light of dawn, Riko stood straight and still.