Natsumi fired and the projectile flew through the air before hitting its target. As the rōnin lay on the ground–lifeless with an arrow on his head, she rushed over to Ken. Tears began falling from her eyes as she knelt besides him. "Kenny… talk to me…" she said, placing the back of her hand on his neck. Faint!
She tore his jacket and used a piece of the cloth to cover his stab wound. Afterwards, she pressed her hands on his chest several times before exhaling into his mouth.
Moments later, Ken gasped. "T–There…" he said with a cough. "Goes our first kiss." He had a slight grin with bits of blood smudged on his lips.
"This isn't the time for jokes Kenny." She smiled, wiping her face before embracing him. "Don't overexert yourself, you've lost a lot of blood."
Ken stared at her, their eyes meeting. "Okay, mom…" he said, shifting his gaze to one side. "I see you… f–finished him…"
"I couldn't have done it without you."
All of a sudden, faint voices echoed from the surrounding forest.
"Help!"
"Help!"
"You hear that?" asked Ken, trying to sit up but failed. The numbness throughout his body had nullified most of the pain. "Go," he said facing her. "They need your help."
"But…" she said, hesitant. "I can't just leave y–"
Ken coughed up blood and glanced at his torso. "We both know this is it for me…"
"That's not true…" she sniffled, placing a hand behind his back. "There's gotta be a way! I can… I can carry you–"
"N–Natsu, please." His voice started to fade. "Look after Kenji–"
"NOOO! KENNY!" she screamed at the night sky as she embraced him, unable to hold back the heavy downpour. A few minutes later, she heard the voices again but her focus was still on him. "We were supposed to become S-level together," she muttered, closing his eyes.
"Anybody out there! Please help us!" the voices echoed.
Oh… Natsumi got up carrying her comrade and walked to a nearby bush. Afterwards, she dragged the rōnin to another spot and plucked Ken's sword from his back. Once the blade was sheathed on her waist, she grabbed her bow and headed towards the voices. As she got closer to a small, wooden hut–they became clearer. Cautious, she drew Ken's katana with one hand and the other held the lighter. Inside the structure, three women in their late twenties were bound at their hands and feet with tight ropes.
"Please, miss… save us," said one of them.
Natsumi saw the bruises on their faces and hers turned pale. "Right," she said, sheathing the katana before untying them.
The first woman to speak thanked her countless times. "My younger sister had been missing for two days," she said with a sniffle. "When no one helped us search for her, we set off from our village–not too far from here, and followed the river upstream. It was when we got to the valley where we saw them–"
"I'm so sorry," said Natsumi, placing a hand over her shoulder. That must've been her, she recalled the woman who had been nailed to a tree.
"My sister and her boyfriend–" The first woman's voices started cracking as she broke into tears. "What kind of sick person does that, huh?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
A momentary silence filled the room.
"Before we could get them down," the woman continued. "That filthy man ambushed and brought us here." She frowned and spat on the floorboard. "H–He… he said if we didn't do what he wanted… we were going to suffer the same fate."
Natsumi inspected several bruises around their necks and thighs. Not a word came from the other two women but their pale faces and blank stares said plenty. "I'm sorry for what you went through," she said before cringing in disgust. "And as for him… you needn't worry because he won't bother anyone again."
She escorted them to their village and on arrival, the first woman offered her a place to sleep. At dawn, she borrowed a pull cart and connected Ken and her horse to it. Next, she retrieved his and the rōnin's bodies and drove back home in silence.
☯
Kazuo and Haru had concluded their week-long peeping plan. The duo woke up just as the birds started chirping and went to the bathhouse before breakfast. Some minutes later, they heard a group of girls giggling in the next room.
"Ikuzo," said Kazuo, getting out of the hot water in a loincloth. "We'll use that." He pointed upwards at a wooden grid on the ceiling. As they approached the wall separating the two rooms, he climbed atop Haru's shoulders.
Haru grunted, his legs wobbling. "C–can you reach it?"
"Watch out…" Kazuo tossed the grid down and raised himself through the opening. Once inside, he lowered his hands and helped Haru climb the wall.
It took them a few minutes to crawl facing each other until they stopped at a similar grid on the other side. A cloud of steam passed through the vent, obscuring their view so they had to wait for it to clear.
"Sugoi (Awesome)," said Haru, maintaining the low tone. "This is so cool."
Kazuo lowered his head towards to grid openings to get a better look. "Yo, bro…" He grinned with an exaggerated nosebleed. "I can see some tits!"
"Who's?" Haru's face glowed. "Lemme see…" he said, pushing Kazuo backwards.
The ceiling made a faint squeak and the boys froze.
"Hey Haku," said Mikoto, glancing upwards. "Did you hear that?"
"No Miko…" Kohaku raised her eyebrows. "What is it?"
"Up there." Mikoto pointed. "I think someone's in the vents."
The rest of the girls shrieked, trying to cover themselves with their hands and towels.
"Oh, no… perverts!"
"Shit," Haru whispered, sweat dropping from his temples. "We're busted."
"Shhh…" Kazuo placed a finger on his lips. "Go back!" he said, gesturing at Haru.
Haru did as instructed and crawled back to the boys' side. As he jumped down, he froze again.
"What were you doing up there?" said a boy's voice.
Shit, not Kenji! Haru cringed, turning around to face him. "I–I–I…"
Kenji had short, black hair and brown skin. He wore a grey yukata and appeared to be the same age as the two delinquents. However, his short height made him look younger than them in comparison. "Yamazaki, I asked you a question?"
Creaks sounded on the wooden ceiling as Kazuo crawled back.
"Nothing!" said Haru, raising his voice. "I–I heard a weird sound that's all…"
"Wait…" Kenji moved Haru aside. "Who is that?"
At that point, Haru's face was drenched in sweat. "N–No one!"
"Let me guess… the newcomer." Kenji sighed, folding his arms. "Hey Inazuma, I know it's you up there."
"Kuso." Kazuo muttered between gritted teeth and jumped down. He stood beside Haru with a frown and gave him the side eye. You should've checked if the coast was clear… dumbass!
"I'll be sure to notify our seniors about this," said Kenji, grimacing before he readied to leave. "Perverts!"
"Yo…" Kazuo followed Kenji and gestured at Haru. "He wasn't in on any of this."
Kenji kept moving and shut the door behind him.
"What's his deal?" asked Kazuo, getting into the bath.
"Uh, don't mind him. He thinks he's cool–like his cousin Ken."
"Him, cool?" Kazuo pointed at the door, furrowing his brows. "Never!"
"Y–Yeah…" Haru scratched his cheek. "What are we gonna do when he tells on us?"
"Don't worry, I got this…"
Moments later, they left for their dorm and got dressed before heading to the cafeteria. After the breakfast of steamed rice and tempura (deep fried vegetables and seafood), they proceeded to the classroom and were the last to arrive.
"You're late." Hideo fixed his glasses and gave the boys a stern gaze. He gestured for them to be seated and turned to the rest of the students. "Okay, good morning class!"
"GOOD MORNING YAMAZAKI-SENSEI!"
"Before we start, Kazuo and Kenji are being summoned to the Sage's office."