We walked around the city for a day, but we couldn’t find the man with the eye patch and the cross-shaped scar on his cheek. It was just me, being seen by passersby.
[Yuna, you’re only looking at the stores, not the guy that we’re looking for.] Shinobu
I entered the tourist mode halfway through.
It’s because it’s more fun to look at the town’s scenery, rather than looking for that person.
[I thought that my presence would make me stand out, and they would notice me.] Yuna
[No one would think that a girl dressed as a bear is looking for them.] Shinobu
Well, I certainly stood out, but you wouldn’t expect a girl dressed as a bear you’ve never met in your life to be looking for you, would you?
[But if I stand out, doesn’t that mean that Shinobu, who’s I’m with, stands out too?] Yuna
[That’s…] Shinobu
[Besides, isn’t it a bit too much to look for one person in a town this big? Can’t you get someone to help you?] Yuna
Two people, rather than one. Three people rather than two. The more people who’re searching, the bigger the chance you’d find him.
[I don’t want to search with too many people because I don’t know where the information will leak out. If they find out we’re looking for them and they hide or flee the town, we’ll have to start all over again.] Shinobu
That’s true, but it’s a tough call. The more people who’re searching, the higher the chance of finding him, but also the higher the risk of information leaking out. It’s hard to say which is better.
I honestly hope we can find him within the next three days. Yeah, I can only hope.
After a long day, I took a bath in the hot spring and hugged Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear to relax after a long day.
The second day of exploration begins.
I walk around the city as I did yesterday.
[Shinobu, don’t you want to kill that man?] Yuna
My parents were outrageous. So if they got killed, I would not want to kill or catch the culprit. If they get killed, it is most likely my parents’ fault.
[That’s true. But if I kill him, then that would be the end of it. I want to catch him and get him to confess to a lot of things he did.] Shinobu
[Just to confirm, half-dead is fine, right?] Yuna
[What kind of horrible things are you planning to “half-kill” him?] Shinobu
I’m thinking about it.
[You know, like soaking him up in fear from the bottom of his heart?] Yuna
If you instill fear in someone so deep that they can never do anything bad again, they won’t do it again. Before they try to do something bad, would they feel like it’s a death sentence?
But before that, why did they kill Shinobu’s father?
If it was a random murder, it wouldn’t have been a big deal.
It’s possible that Shinobu’s father did something wrong and was killed.
Hmm, but then there would be no reason to capture him. If Shinobu’s father was evil and the man with the scars was righteous, then he would be innocent even if we captured him.
Then again, maybe Shinobu was right, and the man was the evil one?
[Why did that man kill your father, Shinobu?] Yuna
[……I don’t know. That’s why I want to capture him and find out about that too.] Shinobu
So, is it possible that Shinobu’s father is a bad guy?
But she said he killed other people. Are those people bad people too?
The guy’s portrait looks like he’s a villain.
There is a possibility that the person who drew the portrait has mixed in personal feelings about the guy, and we should not judge people by their looks. I’ve had trouble with people judging me by my appearance many times.
The more I think about it, the less I know. I’m going to have to be very calm about this when I find a guy.
And today as well, the sun begins to set without finding a man.
[Let’s look around some more and then we’ll have dinner.] Yuna
I called out to Shinobu, who is standing next to me. But there was no reply. I looked at Shinobu and saw that she had stopped walking.
[Shinobu?] Yuna
[There he is.] Shinobu
Shinobu’s gaze was fixed on a single point. When I turned my sight to where Shinobu was looking, I saw a tall man dressed like a samurai.
That’s the guy?
The man had just come out of the dumpling shop.
When the man was about to leave the store and start walking, he immediately changed direction and started walking away from us, so I couldn’t see his face clearly, and I couldn’t see the cross-shaped scar on his cheek.
But I could see that he was wearing an eye patch over his left eye.
[Let’s follow him.] Shinobu
[Aren’t you going to catch him?] Yuna
[Not here. There are still people around. If we create a commotion and cause damage, we’ll be in trouble. If possible, we should move to a deserted place or find out which inn he’s staying.] Shinobu