影と風 | Kage to Kaze | Shinazugawa Sanemi x reader |

30 - Upper Moon

Warning: No Sanemi in this chapter :(

Shit, shit, shit, I cursed internally, weaving through the crowded streets. The sea of bodies swayed and pressed against me, strangers brushing past without a second glance. It was disconcerting. Growing up here, I had always drawn at least a little attention. As the granddaughter of a celebrated oiran, people noticed me, or at least pretended to. Now, cloaked in the anonymity of my new role, I moved like a ghost, unseen and unacknowledged. 

It had been two weeks. Two long, infuriating weeks, and that damnable lower moon was playing games with me. She knew I was here. She knew that I knew. Yet, she hadn't made a move to attack me. Yatamahime. Her name alone conjured the image of her otherworldly face, a beauty so haunting that I had burned it into my memory the moment I saw her devour one of her victims. The scene still churned my stomach. But I couldn't act, not yet. I didn't know if she was alone, and something in my gut told me she wasn't.

My nails bit into my palms, small crescent moons marking my flesh in frustration. The lack of progress gnawed at me. I—

"Oof!" A startled voice pulled me from my thoughts. I had collided with someone, a young man, his chest solid as I stumbled back.

"Sorry," I mumbled, brushing past him without so much as a glance. His voice followed me, calling out, but I ignored him, my eyes scanning the skies for Sen. The black-feathered crow circled above, and with a quick gesture, I motioned for them to follow me as I slipped into a quieter alleyway.

"Tell Kagaya-sama that the lower moon likely knows of my presence," I murmured, gently brushing my fingers over Sen's sleek feathers. "Please ask him to keep this information private, though I trust his judgment." My hand lingered on their head for a moment before they shot into the sky like an arrow, leaving me alone with my thoughts once again.

By the time I returned to the mansion, the lantern-lit streets were buzzing with their usual energy. I offered polite nods to the staff as I entered, too drained to manage more. My feet dragged against the tatami mats, my only goal to collapse into the thin comfort of my futon.

"Ah, we meet again," a familiar voice chimed, freezing me in place. I turned, and there he was, the same young man I had walked into earlier.

"Who are you?" I asked, forcing a cold smile that didn't reach my eyes. My fingers twitched, itching to draw the dagger sheathed within my kimono.

"Yuya," he said, his tone light, his expression unreadable. "I'm the new muscle." He smiled, but it wasn't a genuine smile, just a practiced gesture of politeness, devoid of any real emotion.

Of course. A bodyguard. The brothel needed someone like him to keep rowdy customers in line. Men could be dangerous, especially when liquor and lust dulled their sense of control. Inside these walls, the women needed a shield, someone who could deter threats before they escalated.

"Well then," I said flatly, wiping any pretense of friendliness from my expression as I turned on my heel, eager to end this interaction.

"You're interesting," Yuya said casually, his voice following me like an unwelcome shadow.

I paused but didn't turn around. "How so?" I asked, my tone clipped.

"I barely see you. You're like a ghost," he mused, a faint edge of amusement in his voice. "And when I do see you, you're so alert. Like... a wolf in sheep's clothing. Always ready."

The words stopped me cold. My hand crept back toward my kimono, wrapping around the hilt of my dagger. "Ready for what?" I asked, my voice low.

"Ready to take care of things. To act when it matters," he said simply, as if he wasn't aware of how close he was to being silenced forever.