"Nina couldn't… Nina couldn't…" the young girl whispered, the words a broken mantra as she tapped lightly on the boy's chest.
"Ohoho… mmmhpt… It's okay, Nina." The boy coughed, reaching up and patting his younger sister's matted hair. A faint, flickering light emitted from his palm, pressing against the gash on her head. The bleeding slowed and then stopped, but as the light faded, the boy's skin turned a sickly, ashen grey.
'Ohhhh, would you look at that, he taught himself how to manifest Reiryoku?' Yorimitsu watched from the darkness, his eyes wide. 'How impressive, so it was his aura I sensed clinging to the girl earlier.'
He watched the boy's chest heave with effort. 'But using energy in that condition is no better than committing suicide. I cannot let talent like that go to waste.'
Yorimitsu stepped out of the shadows, his silhouette cutting through the dim alleyway. "So, this is where you've been hiding."
His voice boomed in the narrow space. The boy flinched, but his instincts were razor-sharp.
"Nina! Quickly, get behind me!" the boy gasped. He forced himself upward, his legs shaking violently like a newborn calf's, but he refused to collapse.
'He has a formidable will too, hehehe, had it been master to find you first, she would have been so delighted. Yorimitsu enhanced his vision with his own Reiryoku, seeing the boy's internal flow. 'He's forcing every drop of energy into his joints just to supplement his dying frame.'
A slow, genuine smile stretched across Yorimitsu's face.
"Boy, tell me," Yorimitsu said, his voice dropping to a calm, commanding tone. "What is your name?"
"Ha?!" The boy stared, his guard still up.
"Look. This is yours if you tell me." Yorimitsu reached into a hidden fold of his sleeve, revealing one last piece of dried meat he had kept tucked away and dangled it before the boy's hollow eyes.
"My name is Ichiyoshi."
"Ichiyoshi, huh? What an odd name you have there," Yorimitsu chuckled softly. He tossed the piece of meat through the air. The boy caught it with a snap of his wrist, but he didn't even sniff it; he immediately pressed it into his younger sister's hands.
The boy then paused for a moment, staring at Yorimitsu.
"What is this that I am feeling? It is almost like there are hundreds of eyes looking at me right now," Yorimitsu thought, but that too was cut short.
…
"Take my sister," Ichiyoshi spoke abruptly, his voice raspy but firm. Yorimitsu looked at the boy, his face expressionless.
"Mmmm. And why should I do that?"
"You are from the Capital, aren't you? I can tell. Your clothes are different, and clean people around here all have dirty clothes, and you were handing out food earlier... You must be rich, why else would you give it away?"
"Haaaa. So, because I am from the Capital, I should just take your little sister? What if I hurt her?" Yorimitsu leaned in, his shadow stretching over them. "Do you truly know the reputation of the people from the Capital?"
"Tch. I know them very well." Ichiyoshi clenched his fist, the veins in his arm bulging as he fought back a surge of rage. "But even so, I can tell you are different from them. I can feel that you want something from me... but the fog around you isn't oily like the ones who usually come here."
'Oily fog ha can he read people's emotions by looking at their Reirkoyu? What's more, he spoke about the others. Are there other practitioners from the Capital who frequent this place?' Yorimitsu internalised the information, his mind racing.
"I know that even if you put her to work as your slave, she will at least get to eat, so it doesn't matter as long as she gets to live," the boy continued, his voice cracking. "It is better she goes with you. She will be dead in less than a week if she stays here. At least with you, she has a chance to live."
"Ohhh... look at those eyes." Yorimitsu stared into the boy's gaze. "It has been a long time since I've seen desperation that pure. Hhmmmmpt."
Yorimitsu sighed and began walking forward, his heavy footsteps echoing as he approached Ichiyoshi.
The boy's stance wavered as Yorimitsu closed the distance. He stood firm despite his trembling knees, his eyes never leaving the nobleman's face.
"But it's not your sister I'm interested in," Yorimitsu said, stopping just inches from Ichiyoshi. "I want you."
"Ha? Why do you want me?" The boy's expression shifted, his brow furrowing in genuine confusion.
"Hehehe," Yorimitsu chuckled, his gaze scanning the boy's frame as if he were looking at a rare, unpolished gem. "It is what is inside of you, to be precise."
"Inside?!"
"Yes." Yorimitsu tapped Ichiyoshi's chest "Your potential. I want it; you will become my retainer. In exchange, you will have all the food you can eat, a warm bed to sleep in, and a future that doesn't end in this mud." Yorimitsu reached out, his hand open and inviting.
A heavy silence followed. Ichiyoshi's breathing was shallow but steady as he weighed the offer, his eyes darting between Yorimitsu's hand and the shivering girl behind him.
"Can my sister come, too?"
"Hmmmm..." Yorimitsu's smile widened, softening the sharp edges of his noble features. "Of course. As long as you are willing to follow me, I will take your sister along as well."
The boy didn't hesitate for another second. His shaky legs finally gave out, but he didn't collapse; he fell to his knees in a formal, desperate kowtow. "Please... I will do anything you ask. I promise."
"Excellent. Stand up, gather what little you have, and follow me." Yorimitsu turned his back, standing at the mouth of the alley as he waited for the siblings to join him.
Within a few moments, the siblings were standing beside Yorimitsu.
"Wait. Before we leave, we must settle your condition," Yorimitsu said. He reached into his Inrō, a small, tiered case hanging from his side and withdrew a delicate glass vial.
"Here. Drink this," he commanded, handing it over.
Ichiyoshi took the vial. As he uncorked it, a rich, earthy aroma reminiscent of rain-soaked cedar and ancient roots filled the stagnant alleyway. Without a moment's hesitation, Ichiyoshi tilted his head back and drained the liquid in a single gulp.
"Great..." Yorimitsu moved with blinding speed. His fingers became a blur as he struck a series of precise pressure points across Ichiyoshi's chest, neck, and shoulders.
The effect was instantaneous. The sickly, ashen grey that had coated the boy's skin began to recede, flowing backwards as if being chased away by a rising sun. In its place, his skin took on a healthy, pale lustre with a faint, shimmering golden undertone.
"Mmm. That should supplement your energy for now," Yorimitsu noted, satisfied. "It won't fix your hunger, but it will keep your body from poisoning itself from the improper use of your Reiki.