Hakuji's life

Muzan left. Hakuji watched his figure cast a long shadow in the sunset and gradually disappear before slowly closing the door.

To him, this doctor, whose name he had never learned throughout that year, was deeply mysterious. He had kindly helped Hakuji, treated his father, and then left.

Three years later, he had suddenly appeared again.

Hakuji had never mentioned Koyuki's name, yet the doctor seemed to know everything. He had left a few warnings before hurrying away again.

He was like the incarnation of a god, coming and going in haste.

Had a god truly taken pity on me and come expressly to help me?

Hakuji could not figure it out.

But he remembered Muzan's words.

Be wary of the other dojos. Protect Koyuki. Watch out for poison.

Several years later, Hakuji turned eighteen.

That night, beneath a sky filled with fireworks,

Koyuki confessed her feelings to Hakuji.

Hakuji no longer hesitated and immediately confessed his feelings to her in return: he would become stronger than anyone else and protect her for the rest of their lives...

The full moon, the starry sky, and the blooming fireworks framed their figures and their confessions, bearing witness to that moment.

A few days later, Hakuji wanted to go home and tell his father the news. But just as he was about to leave, the doctor's warning kept echoing in his mind-watch out for poison.

Something seemed to click in Hakuji's mind. Having just stepped out of the dojo, he hurried back inside and shouted:

"Koyuki! Master Keizo! Come to my house with me!"

Koyuki, who had been scooping water to prepare a meal, turned toward Hakuji as he ran back and smiled. "Sure."

That evening, Hakuji's father accompanied them to the Soryu Dojo so they could begin preparing for the wedding together.

But as soon as they returned to the Soryu Dojo, they discovered several dead birds lying near the well and beside the water jar. A dead sparrow was even floating in the water dipper.

Hakuji's pupils contracted, and he hurried over.

Swallowing hard, he grabbed a bird foraging beside the wall and made it drink the well water.

The other three gathered around in confusion, only to see the bird die on the spot shortly after drinking the water.

"!"

All four of them understood. Someone had poisoned the well!

Koyuki's face filled with lingering fear. If Hakuji had not asked them to go with him, would she and her father already have drunk the well water and died?

Unable to contain himself, Hakuji threw down the dipper and shouted, "It had to be one of the nearby dojos! I'll go find them!"

Koyuki seized Hakuji's hand and looked up at his face. "Don't act rashly."

Hakuji's face was blazing with anger. "They nearly killed you both!!"

Master Keizo pressed a hand to Hakuji's shoulder, his expression grave. "Let's investigate first, then leave it to the Magistrate's Office."

Reluctant to let it go, Hakuji gritted his teeth and nodded.

When the people from the swordsmanship dojo discovered the next day that everyone at the Soryu Dojo was unharmed, they immediately realized their plot had been exposed. Yet they showed no sign of panic and simply stopped coming to cause trouble.

A few days later, Hakuji and Koyuki held their wedding.

A week later, they found conclusive evidence and reported the swordsmanship dojo to the Magistrate's Office.

But to their surprise, the swordsmanship dojo turned the accusation back on them.

The Magistrate's Office blatantly denied their evidence and imposed a penalty without another word, ordering the Soryu Dojo to hand over its premises to the swordsmanship dojo as compensation or face imprisonment.

Hakuji finally snapped. He erupted on the spot and kicked the official in the face. "I'll kill you!!!"

"Help!! Seize him!!"

"You rabid dog!!!"

The official was knocked to the ground by the kick and struggled as he bellowed. The scene instantly descended into chaos.

In the end, Hakuji and Master Keizo left the Magistrate's Office with their clothes slightly disheveled and several sword cuts on their arms.

The two returned to the Soryu Dojo but could not bring themselves to open the door, standing outside and staring at each other.

What now? We lost our heads and beat up people from the Magistrate's Office. We're definitely going to be convicted and thrown in prison!

We're doomed!

Should all four of us flee?

Just as the two were agonizing over what to do, a creak sounded-

The front door opened.

Koyuki looked at the two men outside in confusion. "Why are you standing out here?"

Neither quite knew how to explain it, but Keizo finally told her what had happened.

After hearing the whole story, Koyuki was both angry and worried.

But footsteps behind her reminded Koyuki that they had a guest.

When Koyuki went out to answer the door and did not come back, Muzan and Hakuji's father came out to see what was going on.

Hakuji was startled at the sight of Muzan. "Doctor?!"

"I heard you talking out here. Did something happen?"

Muzan asked.

Keizo had also heard Hakuji mention the doctor who had "helped him so much," but one thing puzzled him: did this doctor not look far too young?

From Hakuji's description, he ought to have been at least in his thirties or forties, yet he looked about the same age as Hakuji...

Hakuji recounted the incident to Muzan and his father, then turned to Muzan and said anxiously:

"Doctor, you should leave now. Otherwise, when the Magistrate's Office comes to arrest us, you'll get dragged into this too."

That damned Magistrate's Office was colluding with the Kendo Dojo. Given what they were like, once they discovered the doctor knew him, they would never let him off.

In a place like this, convictions depended entirely on the whims of those enforcing the law.

Muzan, however, was unconcerned. He merely nodded and said thoughtfully:

"I see. Don't worry. I can handle it."

The impression Muzan had left on him over the years made Hakuji instinctively believe he really could resolve this matter, even though the idea seemed absurd when he thought about it.

Having lived for hundreds of years, Muzan had lost interest in showing off or flaunting his powers before others. He simply informed Yanagisawa Jiyuki of the situation and left him to handle it.

This place was not particularly remote, so Yanagisawa Jiyuki could still take care of it.

As the four waited anxiously, news arrived three days later: nearly everyone at the Magistrate's Office had been dismissed and exiled for accepting bribes. The Kendo Dojo's master had been arrested for bribery, and the dojo had been prohibited from operating.

Muzan stayed at the Soryu Dojo for a few days. When Hakuji learned the news, he ran up to Muzan in astonishment to tell him about it.

"Doctor, how did you do it?"

"A friend helped me, that's all."

After staying a few days, Muzan could no longer bear their excessive deference and hurried away.

They all felt they owed Muzan so much that they practically wanted to pledge themselves to him, treating him as their most honored guest.

Muzan's reaction: old man on the subway staring at his phone.

As time passed, Hakuji inherited the Soryu Dojo. The dojo took in a few students and gradually came to life.

Hakuji's father and Keizo could not withstand the passing years either, and died one after the other.

Having seen their children find happiness, they passed away peacefully.

More than a decade later, the frail Koyuki also reached the end of her life.

Hakuji sat at Koyuki's bedside with one of their children, watching her slowly close her eyes as her breathing fell silent.

His child had also inherited the dojo. Thanks to his strong constitution, Hakuji remained healthy even past forty.

After living a fulfilled life, the one thing he could never let go of was his inability to repay the doctor who had once helped him. He did not know where the doctor was now.

Was he still alive?

Hakuji suddenly wanted to search for the doctor while he could still get around.