The hot spring water obscured their view of each other, so neither could see much.
But a man had suddenly appeared in the hot spring, and he had even given her something to eat... No matter how she looked at it, he couldn't be a bad person, could he?
Still... how long was he planning to stay in the water?
He wore a Fireman Mask, with only the lower half of his face exposed so he could eat the rice balls.
So was he from the Swordsmith Village?
They had greeted each other politely. What were they supposed to do now?
In this situation, should she draw her sword?
The problem was, its blade was so badly worn that she had sent it to someone named Tetsu no Sosuke for repairs. She didn't have a sword right now!
Kochou Kanae, the Flower Pillar and one of the Nine Pillars, faced the most awkward moment of her life!
"Um, I'm done soaking!"
Tetsu no Sosuke suddenly spoke. "Could you turn around?"
"Oh! Of course!"
Relief washed over Kochou Kanae. She turned around at once without another word.
Behind her came a splash of water, followed by hurried footsteps fleeing the scene.
For no particular reason, just hearing those frantic steps made her want to laugh.
She fought the urge to look back. She rather wanted to see just how disheveled he looked as he ran away.
But given his haste, he clearly hadn't had time to get dressed. If she turned around now, she would definitely see something a good girl shouldn't.
Just one peek?
A tiny ripple of curiosity stirred in her heart. As though an invisible hand were gently turning her neck, she glanced back...
But he was already gone.
Only a small bundle remained beside the hot spring, with a few uneaten rice balls inside.
"Rice balls..."
She licked her lips and moved closer. "I didn't even notice what they tasted like earlier."
She picked one up and took a small bite. Her eyes lit up. "They're actually delicious. Such a distinctive flavor..."
Tetsu no Sosuke felt like a fox fleeing in panic, without even time to tuck his tail away. He ran all the way from the mountaintop to halfway down before hurriedly putting on his clothes.
"I'm done for... Who was that woman?"
Thinking back, she had been almost impossibly beautiful!
"Wait, why did she look familiar? A woman... a swordswoman... familiar... Have I seen her face in an anime or manga?"
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