Gojo Satoru rested his crossed hands beneath his chin, watching the footage on the screen with a solemn, serious expression.
Although he wore a black blindfold, the two boys beside him did not doubt that he could see the anime playing on the television. They remained silent, merely watching the footage they had already seen once before with strange, subtle expressions.
The plot was not particularly complicated, but it revealed quite a lot of information.
First, it established the historical setting: the turbulent, war-torn age of five hundred years ago. After the Onin War, daimyo rose across the land, each claiming territory for themselves. Yet amid that chaotic era, there was a village like a Peach Blossom Spring.
The village was surrounded by rivers and built against the mountains. Thanks to convenient water transport and the business of ox and horse stations, it displayed a rare prosperity and wealth. There were also many cherry trees planted long ago throughout the village. Every mid-spring, in the third month, cherry blossoms bloomed along the roads and before and behind the houses, creating a scene as beautiful as a painting.
—The spring atmosphere was so rich it seemed ready to spill out from the screen.
Perhaps because the budget had been especially generous, the animation was exceptionally refined, with an incredibly delicate and realistic style. Every detail screamed lavish production values, and nearly every frame could have been used as wallpaper—the kind that made it impossible to choose just one.
But precisely because of that, the characters were highly recognizable. It felt as though they could be identified at a glance even if they appeared in reality...
Especially for the three of them.
The village had originally been prosperous, but after setting up the background, the story abruptly took a sharp turn. The