While they were arguing about who to blame for their misstep, the lady who had gone to the chief had finally reached the courtyard.
She stopped abruptly upon seeing Hozumi having a friendly chat with Ryo. It was apparent she was scared to approach.
She didn't know what Ryo might do once she revealed what she and the other ladies had found out. He might hurt her or the chief and then it's over.
She also kept looking behind him, worried that the other guests might follow her to prevent her from reaching any village leaders.
"What were you thinking opening the door like that?" Shingen scolded Katsuo.
"I didn't know they were coming. I'm sorry, alright." Katsuo explained, feeling remorseful.
"We need to find Ryo sensei before this gets out of hand," Koji proposed.
"I'll go," Katsuo volunteered, hoping to make up for his mistake.
Katsuo knew Ryo had gone out to look for the chief. Knowing that the chief lived near the courtyard, he decided to start his search there.
When the lady, who was about to expose the troop's secret, looked behind her, she was shocked to see Katsuo approaching fast. Terrified, she bolted toward the chief and hid behind him. Then, she told him everything in a frantic whisper.
The chief was understandably shocked by what he had heard, prompting him to instinctively step back and gesture to shield the lady behind him.
"Who are you people?" the chief aggressively asked as he shifted into a defensive posture.
At this point, Katsuo was already in the courtyard, a few shakus away from them.
"Ryo sensei. They know," Katsuo said, not mincing words.
Ryo paused for thought, trying to come up with a good excuse. But he realized lying further wouldn't do any good. So, he decided to tell the chief and the lady behind him everything.
First, he knelt, something the three weren't expecting.
"Hozumi-san, please forgive us for lying to you. We are not tradesmen. We are members of the imperial army."
One hour ago—
"Aren't we supposed to clean our katanas? It's been days since we last took them out. They must have rusted by now," Hiraoki suggested.
"I was thinking the same. I missed mine. It's a shame we can't train with it here," Yukimura agreed.
The two began unwrapping their katanas. Ordered not to reveal their weapons, they attached a piece of wood board to their ends and then wrapped them in thick fabric to disguise them as tradesmen's tools.
These katanas were specially forged to replicate the samurais' main weapons. If they were to oust the shogunate, they must learn to counter their most fearsome fighters.
The other boys caught wind of the conversation and decided to take out their katanas too. Katsuo, on the other hand, wasn't interested. Instead, he wanted to go outside to get some air.
He quickly opened the door and headed straight into the deck, forgetting to close the door behind him.
One hour later—
"You are royal guards?" Hozumi asked, still cautious.
YOU ARE READING
Saving Touma
Mystery / ThrillerWhen the past and the future collide, chaos follows. Lives from different worlds intertwine and dance in a perpetual loop. The victim? An innocent child whose future would remain uncertain and cost many lives to retrieve. The key to all of this is a...
