kijuu! That’s got to be the dumbest thing I ever heard! It should make anybody suspicious.”
The man gave Shushou a shove and sent her flying.
“It’s not dumb!” Shushou cried out. “That’s my kijuu!” She reached into her own pocket and pulled out the certificate Rikou had prepared for her. “If you want papers, I have papers too!”
The words had barely left her mouth when the man yanked it out of her grasp and tore it into pieces. “Worth the paper it’s printed on!”
The man’s shamelessly overbearing manner stunned her. Tossing the shredded paper aside, he next set to stripping the travel packs off Hakuto’s back and tossing them onto the ground.
“Be grateful I don’t hand you over to the authorities,” he called out, and jumped into the saddle. Hakuto cast Shushou a brief, bewildered look. The man dug his heel hard into his sides. Hakuto bolted away in a panicked sprint.
“Wait! Wait! Hakuto!”
The congested street parted before Hakuto and swallowed up the beast and rider. Shushou gathered herself up and bolted after them. Someone behind her grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Let me go!”
“What should we do? Call the constable?”
“But the man who says she stole from him—”
Shushou shouted at the jabbering adults, “I’ve got the notarized papers right here. He’s the real thief!”
With a curious glance at Shushou and then at the disappearing form of Hakuto, one of her fellow travelers plucked the scraps of paper off the street and pieced them together.
His mouth dropped open. “Hey, these are the real thing!”
“That’s what I’ve been saying! How can a bunch of adults be so stupid!”
While half of the onlookers who’d gathered around her scurried away, the other half peered at the certificate.
“Yeah, it’s got an authentic seal.”
“What about his?”
“Only caught a glance. Did anybody get a good look?”
As the adults stood there and chatted, Shushou shook herself free and ran off in the direction she’d last seen Hakuto. But the kijuu was nowhere to be seen on the crowded high street. Several adults tailed after her and assisted in a cursory search. They concluded only that the thief and the moukyoku had left through the main gate.
“Sorry about that, Miss.”
The man held out Shushou’s bags. He’d picked them up for her. Shushou took them from him. The two travel bags that had been slung across Hakuto’s back now dwarfed Shushou as she hugged her arms around them. She sunk to her knees and let out a long sigh.
“Um, Miss, are you going to report this to the constable?”
Shushou looked up at him. “Won’t the government offices be closed by now?”
“Then tomorrow?”
“I appreciate your concern. Thanks for getting my bags. And helping me look for Hakuto.”
“Ah, no problem.”
Shushou again checked out her surroundings. Dusk had settled on the town. Hakuto was nowhere to be seen.
“There’s nothing else I can do now but keep pressing forward, and all the more so without Hakuto.”
She looked at the people standing around her in confusion. The remainder of her itinerary would take an adult three days on foot. For Shushou, things would get a lot chancier. But she had no choice but to struggle on and see things to the end.
“Can anybody point me to a quiet, safe inn? I guess it doesn’t have to have stables.”
Part Two
Chapter 9
[2-1] T he morning of the Spring Equinox, the innkeeper saw off the girl and the man she’d hired as her bodyguard, the concern evident on his face.
Gankyuu held the reins of the haku as they walked along the dark streets, swept along by the throngs. He sighed mightily. He had patiently explained during breakfast how crazy an idea this was. Not only did his remonstrations go in one ear and out the other, but Shushou lay her head on the table and took a nap.
He was left with no choice but to resign himself to the situation.
Gankyuu was no stranger to life in the Yellow Sea. Many people were
The man gave Shushou a shove and sent her flying.
“It’s not dumb!” Shushou cried out. “That’s my kijuu!” She reached into her own pocket and pulled out the certificate Rikou had prepared for her. “If you want papers, I have papers too!”
The words had barely left her mouth when the man yanked it out of her grasp and tore it into pieces. “Worth the paper it’s printed on!”
The man’s shamelessly overbearing manner stunned her. Tossing the shredded paper aside, he next set to stripping the travel packs off Hakuto’s back and tossing them onto the ground.
“Be grateful I don’t hand you over to the authorities,” he called out, and jumped into the saddle. Hakuto cast Shushou a brief, bewildered look. The man dug his heel hard into his sides. Hakuto bolted away in a panicked sprint.
“Wait! Wait! Hakuto!”
The congested street parted before Hakuto and swallowed up the beast and rider. Shushou gathered herself up and bolted after them. Someone behind her grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Let me go!”
“What should we do? Call the constable?”
“But the man who says she stole from him—”
Shushou shouted at the jabbering adults, “I’ve got the notarized papers right here. He’s the real thief!”
With a curious glance at Shushou and then at the disappearing form of Hakuto, one of her fellow travelers plucked the scraps of paper off the street and pieced them together.
His mouth dropped open. “Hey, these are the real thing!”
“That’s what I’ve been saying! How can a bunch of adults be so stupid!”
While half of the onlookers who’d gathered around her scurried away, the other half peered at the certificate.
“Yeah, it’s got an authentic seal.”
“What about his?”
“Only caught a glance. Did anybody get a good look?”
As the adults stood there and chatted, Shushou shook herself free and ran off in the direction she’d last seen Hakuto. But the kijuu was nowhere to be seen on the crowded high street. Several adults tailed after her and assisted in a cursory search. They concluded only that the thief and the moukyoku had left through the main gate.
“Sorry about that, Miss.”
The man held out Shushou’s bags. He’d picked them up for her. Shushou took them from him. The two travel bags that had been slung across Hakuto’s back now dwarfed Shushou as she hugged her arms around them. She sunk to her knees and let out a long sigh.
“Um, Miss, are you going to report this to the constable?”
Shushou looked up at him. “Won’t the government offices be closed by now?”
“Then tomorrow?”
“I appreciate your concern. Thanks for getting my bags. And helping me look for Hakuto.”
“Ah, no problem.”
Shushou again checked out her surroundings. Dusk had settled on the town. Hakuto was nowhere to be seen.
“There’s nothing else I can do now but keep pressing forward, and all the more so without Hakuto.”
She looked at the people standing around her in confusion. The remainder of her itinerary would take an adult three days on foot. For Shushou, things would get a lot chancier. But she had no choice but to struggle on and see things to the end.
“Can anybody point me to a quiet, safe inn? I guess it doesn’t have to have stables.”
Part Two
Chapter 9
[2-1] T he morning of the Spring Equinox, the innkeeper saw off the girl and the man she’d hired as her bodyguard, the concern evident on his face.
Gankyuu held the reins of the haku as they walked along the dark streets, swept along by the throngs. He sighed mightily. He had patiently explained during breakfast how crazy an idea this was. Not only did his remonstrations go in one ear and out the other, but Shushou lay her head on the table and took a nap.
He was left with no choice but to resign himself to the situation.
Gankyuu was no stranger to life in the Yellow Sea. Many people were
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