New Uses for the Breath of the Sun

"Then... be careful on your way."

"Mm."

Silence fell again. Only the wind stirred, sending petals swirling through the courtyard.

Standing in the breeze, the girl asked, "May I have this painting?"

"Mm." Tetsu no Sosuke nodded, his mind elsewhere.

"Thank you. I really like it."

She likes it...?

Tetsu no Sosuke suddenly looked at Kochou Kanae. An inexplicable impulse surged through him, one he could neither suppress nor bring himself to control.

"What about me? Do you... like me?"

He watched her, a slight tremor in his voice.

The girl seemed to freeze. Her lips parted, and an unreadable tangle of emotions filled her eyes.

Tetsu no Sosuke had no idea where he had found the courage. Now that he had asked, he could only stare at her.

He said nothing and waited. His silence was fierce, like a predator watching its prey, his eyes locked on her without giving her the slightest chance to evade him.

A smile suddenly touched Kochou Kanae's lips, then spread.

A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.

She looked at Tetsu no Sosuke. "I'll tell you when we meet again."

"Next time..."

Tetsu no Sosuke blinked. The girl had already risen to her feet.

She turned and gave him a faint smile. "I'll be waiting for the Nichirin Blade... that you're bringing me."

Before noon, with petals scattered across the garden, the girl drifted away like a butterfly. Carrying the painting Tetsu no Sosuke had given her, she seemed to vanish into the wind.

Tetsu no Sosuke could only stand there, utterly dumbfounded.

"Does... does that mean she likes me or not? Why couldn't she tell me now? Why wait until next time? Hey... I haven't even made the rice balls I promised."

Chapter 12: New Uses for the Breath of the Sun

The breeze through the woods carried the fresh scent of grass and trees into the Sword Forging Shed.

Bare-chested, the young man studied the red-hot iron with intense focus. His right hand brought the Forging Hammer down again and again, while the notification [Impurities -1] sounded in his ears.

It was the second day since Kochou Kanae had left.

In just one day, Tetsu no Sosuke had settled on the complete design for the Nichirin Blade he would forge for Kochou Kanae.

And the day before that, the day Kochou Kanae had left, Kotetsu had delivered the materials he needed.

Kotetsu had also brought a drop of blood that Kochou Kanae had forgotten to give him before she left.

The blood came in a small bottle. Tetsu no Sosuke treated it to keep it from drying and clotting, then carefully stored it away.