Visiting the Injured

The three little brats followed the middle-aged man, turning left and right until they arrived outside Genma's bedroom.

Once they reached Genma's door, the middle-aged man who had led them there took his leave.

The three knocked lightly on the bedroom door a few times. A woman's voice came from inside. "Come in."

Though it was only two words, her voice was beautiful, gentle, and pleasant to hear...

A reader: "Hey! Author, cut the crap. Don't think we can't tell you're just trying to pad the word count. She only said two words, for crying out loud, and you've made such a big deal out of it."

The author: "All right! I admit I was wrong. I repent. Back to the point."

With permission granted, the three pushed open the door and entered. As soon as they stepped into the bedroom, they caught the strong smell of medicinal herbs.

They entered the inner room and saw Genma lying on the tatami. A young woman, who looked to be only twenty-five or twenty-six, was bandaging his wounds.

As Genma lay on the tatami and saw that the visitors were his young, adorable subordinates, he merely gave them a look, signaling for them to sit for a while.

The young woman didn't even turn her head. She continued concentrating on changing Genma's bandages.

After the three sat down, Taichi leaned close to Kamizuki's ear and whispered, "The woman changing Genma's bandages is his wife. Her name is Chiyuki Shiranui."

"Oh," Kamizuki replied softly.

Since Chiyuki Shiranui was concentrating on changing Genma's bandages and hadn't turned around, Kamizuki hadn't seen her face.

Kamizuki was just about to take in the room when he noticed a little girl sprawled at the foot of the tatami. Her upper body lay on the mat, while her bottom rested on a small stool. She was fast asleep, a smile on her face.

Who knew what happy thing she was dreaming about?

From where Kamizuki sat, he could only see half of her little face in profile. But even that was enough to tell she was an exceptionally cute, adorably airheaded little girl.

The little girl was dressed in a bright red, modified kimono.

Her grayish-brown hair was tied in a single ponytail that fell down her back.

Looking at the little girl's bright red, modified kimono, Kamizuki couldn't help thinking that it sure didn't use much fabric.

Suddenly, he wondered why her outfit seemed so familiar. Kamizuki tried hard to remember what it was about the little girl's clothes that seemed so familiar... Think... think...

While Kamizuki was racking his brain, Chiyuki had finished rebandaging Genma.

Chiyuki Shiranui tidied up the bloodstained bandages and the things she had used to change them, then finally turned around.

Only after she turned did Kamizuki get a clear look at Chiyuki Shiranui's face.

She wasn't especially beautiful, but she had an air of nobility about her. The faint smile on her face made her even more charming.

Kamizuki had always felt that when admiring a woman, her looks weren't the most important thing. As long as she wasn't grotesquely deformed or visibly impaired, it didn't matter if she was only average-looking. What mattered was whether she had a smile on her face—and whether it was a beautiful one.

(Oh dear, I'm terrible at putting this into words... I'm getting more and more tangled up. What I'm trying to say is that when Kamizuki looked at women, what he liked most was a girl who smiled a lot.)

After tidying away the clutter, Chiyuki turned around and smiled at the three of them. She first gave an embarrassed little bow, then said apologetically:

"I'm so sorry, guests. I was changing my husband's bandages just now and neglected you. I truly apologize!"

Seeing how courteous Chiyuki Shiranui was, the three hurriedly waved their hands and replied, "Not at all. Changing his bandages is more important."

Genma, lying on the tatami, saw how polite everyone was being and gave a helpless smile. "All right, Chiyuki. These three little brats are my subordinates. We're all family, so you don't have to be so formal with them."

Hearing Genma Shiranui say that to Chiyuki, the three nodded in agreement, all saying, "Exactly! Exactly!"

Kamizuki chimed in politely, "That's right, Sensei's wife. We heard Sensei was injured, so we came especially to visit him."

Hearing Kamizuki call her Sensei's wife, Chiyuki had a faint blush on her cheeks. It was the first time anyone had called her that.

After a little more polite back-and-forth, Genma finally asked Chiyuki to go downstairs. Just as she was about to leave, she seemed to remember the little girl still sleeping at the foot of the tatami.

She was about to carry the little girl downstairs with her when Genma glanced at the child and said, "Go on, Chiyuki. Mai's sleeping so soundly right now. Don't disturb her."

Since Genma had said so, Chiyuki could only give a wry smile before leaving to attend to her own business.

When Kamizuki heard Genma call the little girl Mai, it was as if something suddenly clicked in his mind.

After Chiyuki Shiranui left the room, Taichi asked, "Sensei, how are your injuries?"

Genma still had that senbon between his teeth. Smiling at his three subordinates, he said, "These are just minor injuries. It's nothing serious. If the Third hadn't insisted I come home and rest for a couple of days, I would've..."

After they chatted for a while, Genma noticed that Kamizuki seemed distracted. Every so often, he would glance at his little niece with those Byakugan, and there was something about the look in his eyes that struck Genma as strange.