In the wake of the Summit War, a yōkai hunter negotiates a pact between her clan and the Heart Pirates. The alliance is fragile from the start, but things are complicated further when her tenuous relationship with the Surgeon of Death takes an unexp...
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"What in tarnation is she...!?"
The fisherman's eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he spotted Arisa emerge from the trees around quarter of an hour later, stumbling awkwardly under the weight of the loudly snoring Mink she had slung over her shoulder. He wasted no time vaulting from his vessel and trotting down the ramp to meet them.
"Is that your friend? Is she okay?!"
"Think she's just sleeping... Still need to check though," Arisa gritted out. Reaching the boat, she struggled to haul Riyu's bulk over the side.
"Oi, easy there!" The fisherman quickly stepped in to help.
After a bit of scuffling, they managed to situate Riyu lengthwise across one of the seats. Arisa's Transponder Snail started ringing soon after the fisherman began reeling up the anchor so they could set off again.
She knew who it was from even before she activated the receiver.
"Chidori, did you find her?"
Uncle's delivery suggested he most certainly was not expecting an answer in the affirmative. Arisa tentatively glanced over to Riyu's slumbering form as the fisherman set to work opening the sails.
She sweatdropped as the Mink shifted slightly with another absurdly loud snore, before turning back to the Snail with a helpless air.
"...yes, I have her with me now."
There was a stunned pause, followed by a scrambling sound from the other end of the line.
"...what do you mean?" another voice broke in before Misokatsu could respond, followed by a hissed "Donabe-dono, quiet!" from the background – likely Hokyū.
Arisa flinched in surprise from the volume and moved the miniature Transponder Snail back; she hadn't expected the Tenkū-jō representative to have been allowed to sit in on the call.
"They left her there?" Donabe demanded. "Unbelievable! Is she alive? Wounded?"
"She's unconscious, but seems unharmed otherwise," Arisa answered reluctantly. "...I think they snuck something into her food."
There was a small pause as her listeners digested this. The Snail shifted faces to mimic her uncle's ruminative expression.
"They went through all that trouble, and yet didn't take her hostage," Misokatsu finally said. "Interesting."
"Interesting?" Donabe repeated, sounding appalled. "No, this is-... This is ridiculous – an insult to the Uzuki name!"
"Calm yourself, Donabe-dono!" another familiar voice interjected. Arisa felt herself stiffen in alarm. It was Kurowashi-sensei.
