Mayoi watched the backs of Yae Sakura and the other two gradually recede into the distance until they disappeared completely from her sight. At last, she could no longer hold it in...
Tears kept falling as she collapsed onto the soaking wet ground. The paper umbrella slipped from her hand to one side, and she burst into loud sobs!
She had always thought she was strong. No matter how miserable or painful things became, she could endure it. In order to defeat the enemy she hated, she often practiced swordsmanship alone in other places!
She had not cried when she fell from the mountain. She had not cried when terrifying demons chased her for an entire night. But now... she simply could not hold back anymore.
She felt as though the world had completely abandoned her. The world was so vast... yet there was nowhere for her to belong.
She sat in the torrential rain, letting it beat down on her body, too distraught to care about any of it.
She did not know how much time had passed. Her head felt heavy, and she had no strength left in her body. She only wanted to lie down, but the ground was covered in standing water, making it uncomfortable... yet she did not want to move.
Until suddenly, she felt someone pick her up. She struggled to open her eyes and discovered that Yae Sakura, who had left earlier... had somehow returned.
"What a disobedient child!"
Yae Sakura held Mayoi in her arms and shook her head helplessly. Why did she have to gamble with her own life?
If Yae Sakura had not still been a little worried and chosen to let Kaede and Kagome go ahead while she came back for a look, Mayoi might really have died here.