At eleven, you arrived at the Raiden Clan's ancestral grounds. However, your public identity was no longer the head of the Beichen Clan, but an orphan from out of town.
It was a beautiful place, surrounded by mountains and bordering the sea. A light rail line connecting it to the city ran straight through this coastal town.
Dense trees grew on both sides of the tracks, from common hornbeams, Manchurian walnuts, and trident maples to prized red spruces, cliff pines, and winter cherries.
Honeysuckle and wild roses also grew in the gaps between the trees. The foliage hung over the tracks like thick clouds, making it seem as though they were traveling through a tunnel whose colors constantly shifted. That tunnel was made entirely of leaves and flowers.
At first, the children in town were curious about why your arms were wrapped in bandages. You merely explained that you had accidentally been burned by fire as a child. They were also interested in your eyes, and you only smiled in reply: they were a gift left behind by your mother. As time passed, everyone grew accustomed to it, and you quickly settled into life here.
Under the protection of the Ryoma Patriarch, you were indeed kept safe and spent a peaceful period of time here.
Compared to before, you had undoubtedly become much quieter. Even so, you still handled all your relationships with others properly.
The only thing that made you uncomfortable was running into an "acquaintance" you had not wanted to see.
The seaside.
Seagulls chased the setting sun as a mobile ramen cart slowly rolled over the shadows the sunset cast across the beach.
Beichen Heng sat on a bamboo stool while a little old man beside him slurped steaming udon and patted him on the back.
"Hey,