After resting at home for three days, Masashi set off for Hokkaido.
When he exited the customs area at Sapporo New Chitose Airport, Masashi didn't feel the stifling heat he had imagined; instead, he felt quite cool. Compared to the hot weather in Tokyo, the temperature in Hokkaido was much more comfortable. Even in the hottest months of July and August, the average temperature here was only around 20°C (68°F). Everywhere, he could see pedestrians wearing light jackets or long-sleeved shirts.
After settling into a hotel, it was already after 4 p.m. Masashi stood in front of the large glass windows of his room, gazing absentmindedly at the city below.
The next morning, Masashi followed the address provided by Lei Li and arrived near the western part of the city. After asking around, he finally found Nagakawa's old home. At first, he doubted if he had come to the wrong place, as it was obviously a kendo dojo. However, when he saw the sign outside that read "Yagyu Dojo," he knew he was at the right place since Nagakawa Kyuujirou was a member of the Yagyu school of swordsmanship.
He knocked on the door, and a teenage boy in a kendo uniform opened it.
"Can I help you?" the boy asked.
"Hello, I'm looking for Mr. Nagakawa Kenichi."
"Sorry, Mr. Kenichi is not here."
"Then what about Mr. Kenji?"
"He's not here either."
"Who's in charge here?"
"The dojo master is Mr. Shiraishi Junichi."
"Shiraishi Junichi? Is he a disciple of Nagakawa Kyujirou?"
The boy seemed slightly displeased that Masashi had directly mentioned Nagakawa Kyujirō's name. He replied coldly, "Yes, Sir Shiraishi is indeed the senior disciple of Mr. Nagakawa. Do you have business with him?"
"Then I want to see him."
"It's possible that Sir Shiraishi is too busy to see you right now. You should come back another time." The boy's irritation grew as he saw Masashi act as though he were ordering something.
"You go tell him that an old friend of Nagakawa Kyujirou has sent someone to find him. He will naturally come to meet me."
"Do you really know Nagakawa-sensei?" The boy was very skeptical.
"Just tell him what I said," Masashi replied, growing impatient.
The boy hesitated but eventually went inside to relay the message.
After a while, a tall middle-aged man emerged with the boy.
"Are you Shiraishi Junichi, Nagakawa Kyuujirou's senior disciple?" Masashi scrutinized him.
Shiraishi Junichi furrowed his brows. "I am Shiraishi Junichi. May I ask what brings you here?"
"I... My master was an old friend of Nagakawa Kyuujirou. Many years ago, he left something with my master, and now I am here to return it to the descendants of the Nagakawa family."
"May I ask the name of your master?"
"Lei Yin." *
"What? Your master is Lei Yin?" Shiraishi Junichi was greatly shocked.
Masashi nodded.
"Please come in. I apologize for the lack of courtesy." Shiraishi Junichi immediately invited Masashi into the dojo.
The boy stared wide-eyed at Masashi, clearly surprised to see his teacher being so respectful.
As they passed through the training hall, Masashi could hear the sounds of people shouting while practicing kendo. Looking through the hall's window, he saw many people in kendo uniforms with protective gear, practicing swordplay or sparring. On the wall in the middle of the hall was a large calligraphy with the words: "Heart Like Willow Fluff."
"Heart like willow fluff, coming and going without a trace, no marks left behind. But it is difficult," Masashi muttered to himself, recalling what Kyuujirou had once said.
Hearing Masashi's words, Shiraishi Junichi no longer had any doubts, as the words were exactly what his master had taught him.
In the reception room, Shiraishi Junichi poured tea for Masashi.
Masashi was surprised by Shiraishi Junichi's tea-making skills, as this burly man's tea-making was quite refined. After taking a sip of the tea, Masashi said, "Your skills are almost on par with your master's."
Shiraishi Junichi replied, "I'm flattered. My master once said that kendo is like tea ceremony, but I still don't understand the meaning of that."
"That's because you think of kendo as just a weapon for killing. Do you think the tea ceremony is just about making tea?" Masashi said faintly.
Shiraishi Junichi suddenly felt a jolt, and a feeling of enlightenment washed over him. He excitedly said, "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Hirota. I will never forget this."
Masashi looked at him with a sense of satisfaction.
Just then, a girl in a white kendo uniform walked over.
"Bro Junichi, did you need something from me?"
"Rumi, come here for a moment."
Shiraishi Junichi turned to Masashi and said, "Mr. Hirota, this is my master's granddaughter, Nagakawa Rumi, and she is also the heir of the dojo."
He then addressed the girl, "Rumi, this is Mr. Hirota Masashi, a disciple of Mr. Lei Yin."
"A disciple of Mr. Lei Yin?" Nagakawa Rumi looked at Masashi in surprise.
"Hello, may I visit your grandfather's memorial?" Masashi asked gently.
"Please, follow me." Nagakawa Rumi nodded, leading the way.
In the quiet hall, Masashi stared at the photo of Nagakawa Kyuujirou in the memorial hall, lost in thought.
"Can I sit here alone for a while?"
Shiraishi Junichi and Nagakawa Rumi exchanged looks and quietly left the hall.
"Nagakawa, do you still recognize me? I'm Lei Yin," Masashi spoke to Kyuujirou's photo.
"You might not believe it, but I'm the dead Lei Yin. I'm now called Hirota Masashi."
"You must think this is funny, right? Well, I was forced into it."
"Sigh, we were both so impulsive back then. Even though I found out you changed your name to Kyujirou before I died, I knew you did it to avoid seeing me, so I never came to find you."
"Forget it, it's been so many years. You've passed on now, so we won't talk about the past. Do you remember the 'Nine Souls' you left with me? I'm sure you haven't forgotten. I've come today to return it to your family. By the way, it's been a long time since I've seen your treasure; you must want to see it again." Masashi opened the box he had brought and placed an ancient-looking Japanese sword in front of the memorial.
"Old friend, sometimes I envy you. You can go so peacefully. As for me, I might not see you again until hundreds of years later." Masashi smiled bitterly.
"I've seen your disciples and granddaughter. Looks like you have a good successor. Do you remember Little Black? That brat who I always beat up? He's grown up now, but he's still as dumb as before. And Chang'an, he's still the same, always wearing a white long robe and hardly speaking. Ha, I must be getting old, like a nagging old woman. But who else can I talk to if not you?"
"Nagakawa, there's something I've always wanted to say, but I could never say it back then."
Masashi paused and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry. Although, if I could turn back time, I'd do the same thing. But I still feel like I owe you something. If you have a next life, please come find me and beat me up properly."
Masashi lit a stick of incense for Nagakawa, then left the hall.
---
* Welp Lei Yin is his previous life's name and he adopted Little Black, so Little Black's name should be Lei Li.