“Why even ask? Of course I climbed through the window!”
Shinobu set the large woven basket down on the wooden floor.
She pointed at the sturdy iron hook embedded in the window frame, then proudly patted her chest.
“Didn’t I tell you before, Rin? When I first ran away from home, I often climbed mountains by myself to gather medicinal herbs. Ten meters is nothing for a medical genius like me!”
Rin blinked her weary eyes, staring at the rope dangling into the darkness outside the window.
“Even so… what about the guards below?”
“I’ve been observing them for the past few days. Every day around this time, the castle guards change shifts.”
Shinobu leaned in closer, whispering with a mischievous wink.
“During the shift change, there’s about half an incense stick’s worth of time where the area below is completely empty with no patrols. As long as the timing is right, sneaking in here is no problem at all!”
Shinobu chuckled softly, flashing her neat row of teeth.
“So? Does your personal doctor make a good professional ninja?”
Before Rin could fully process her words, Shinobu suddenly stepped forward.
Taking advantage of Rin’s stiff, confused state, Shinobu’s small arms moved swiftly—wrapping around Rin’s waist and the back of her knees—and lifted her in one smooth motion.
“Alright, interrogation over! Let’s go right now!”
“Wait! Outside? Where are you taking me?!”
Rin instinctively tried to struggle, but her frail body was easily tucked into the large woven basket normally used for carrying firewood or medicinal plants.
It was spacious enough to hide a slender adult girl.
“Of course we’re going out to have fun! Why else would I go through all the trouble of climbing this tall tower?”
Shinobu pressed down on Rin’s shoulders to keep her seated at the bottom of the basket, then neatly arranged the covering cloth around her.
“A fireworks festival that only happens once a year, and you were seriously planning to lock yourself up in this dark room like the castle ghost? No way!”
“But, Shinobu…”
“Don’t worry, I know your status as the regional princess doesn’t allow you to wander freely in the city streets. That’s why I’ve prepared a secret disguise!”
Shinobu pulled out a white fox mask with distinctive red Inari patterns that had been hanging from her waist.
She knelt in front of the basket and carefully placed the mask over Rin’s face.
“There. This Inari mask is perfect for hiding your pale face.”
Seeing Rin now curled up obediently inside the basket with her face covered by the wooden mask, Shinobu nodded in satisfaction.
She turned around, slung the basket’s straps over both shoulders, and walked confidently toward the window.
“Wait, Shinobu! Stop for a second!”
Rin, now swaying on Shinobu’s back, tried to reach for the window frame with her one movable hand.
“I have important things to do tonight… I really can’t…”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Princess Rin is the busiest person in the entire castle—your schedule is piled up like a mountain and no one is allowed to disturb you.”
Shinobu replied in a casual, teasing tone.
“Let’s play a little quiz, Rin. Listen carefully—what’s 97 plus 42, plus 69? If you answer correctly, I’ll put you down right away.”
As a doctor who had handled all kinds of cases, Shinobu knew exactly how to deal with patients suffering from brain nerve blockages like Rin.
She understood that Rin’s ability for complex thinking had dropped drastically.
Giving her a random math problem that required quick calculation was the best trick to capture Rin’s entire focus and make her forget whatever she had been worrying about.
*Ninety-seven… plus forty-two…*
Rin’s brain immediately fell into a labyrinth of numbers.
Inside the swaying basket following Shinobu’s steps, she closed her eyes behind the fox mask and calculated with her remaining slow logic.
“The total… is two hundred and eight.”
The moment Rin murmured the answer, Shinobu had already reached the ground, slipped through the quiet rear castle gate, and blended into the city streets.
“Oh? You actually got it right? Amazing, Rin!”
Under the pitch-black night sky, a sea of people overflowed onto the dirt roads.
They were townsfolk pouring out of their homes to witness the highlight of tonight’s fireworks festival.
Colorful hanging lanterns emitted a warm reddish-yellow glow that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Grocery stores and food stalls that usually closed at night were now wide open, with shopkeepers standing out front loudly hawking their goods.
The atmosphere of the night suddenly came alive with excitement, chasing away the usual silence that blanketed the castle area.
Shinobu walked leisurely through the crowd with the large basket on her back, glancing left and right with a faint smile.
“So, Princess, tell me now. Where do you want to go? I’ll take you there in a flash.”
“You…!”
Rin finally snapped out of the number trap.
Her jaw tightened behind the wooden mask as she realized she had just been tricked with the same distraction technique used to calm sulking children.
She opened her mouth, intending to demand to be taken back to the castle tower.
But seeing the bustling crowd around them, Rin held back, afraid her voice would attract attention and reveal her true identity.
As a form of protest, Rin sank deeper into the bottom of the basket, refusing to utter another word.
“Alright, alright, my dear Princess, don’t sulk like that~”
Feeling the shift in weight on her back, Shinobu chuckled softly, trying to lighten the mood.
“Since we’re already out here, why don’t we enjoy the festival first before going back? Besides, the night air feels really nice.”
The basket on her back remained silent for a few moments.
After a long stretch of quiet amid the lively noise of the townspeople, Rin’s faint voice finally emerged from behind the covering cloth.
“Let me go home after this, Shinobu. I promise I’ll give you the summary of the breathing techniques… but I haven’t finished transferring everything to paper yet.”
Shinobu’s steps suddenly slowed upon hearing those words.
The smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by a gaze that suddenly dimmed.
“We can talk about swords and breathing techniques anytime, Rin. Tonight, you just need to rest your head.”
“I can’t.”
“My memory keeps shrinking every time I open my eyes in the morning. If I don’t force myself to finish it now… I’m afraid one day I’ll completely forget the shape of Yoriichi’s sword.”
“Rin…”
“Oh! Doctor Shinobu!”
Just as the atmosphere between them began turning melancholic, a loud call from ahead cut Shinobu off.
An adult man with his young son approached them from the middle of the crowd.
“Murata?”
Recognizing the man, Shinobu instantly changed her expression, putting on the friendly smile she usually showed her patients.
The man was Murata.
He was known as an honest, friendly citizen.
A few weeks ago, his youngest son suddenly suffered a severe high fever in the middle of the night.
The child lost consciousness and kept delirious.
When the town doctors had given up in confusion, they were fortunate to run into Shinobu, who had just come down from the mountain after gathering herbs.
Thanks to Shinobu’s quick remedy, the boy’s life was saved before dawn.
Since that night, the Murata family had become very close with Shinobu out of deep gratitude.
“What a coincidence meeting you here, Doctor Shinobu! I didn’t expect you’d also come out to see the festival tonight.”
Murata shook her hand enthusiastically, but his eyes soon glanced curiously at the giant wooden basket carried by the petite girl.
“Um… by the way, what’s that big thing you’re carrying on your back, Doctor?”
Because of the basket’s angle and the tightly arranged covering cloth, Murata couldn’t see Rin curled up inside at all.
“Ah, this is my cousin who just arrived from the countryside for medical treatment with me.”
Shinobu answered with a perfectly convincing expression, without the slightest hesitation in her eyes.
“This child has a rather weak physique and is very shy. She’s been begging me since this afternoon, asking her big cousin to carry her around to see the fireworks…”
*Thump!
Thump!*
Right after the lie left Shinobu’s lips, the woven basket on her back suddenly shook violently twice.
Rin inside seemed to deliberately kick the wooden wall with her still-healthy leg, venting her annoyance at suddenly being turned into a “spoiled country cousin.”
“Haha… looks like my cousin is getting impatient and too excited to hunt for festival snacks…”
With her smile still firmly locked in place, Shinobu raised her hand to her shoulder and gave the basket strap a strong tug—securing the basket so Rin couldn’t move or throw another tantrum inside.
Murata and his son could only blink, staring at the basket that had just rattled with slight confusion before nodding in understanding.
“Murata, if I may ask, which area has the most exciting fireworks festival activities this year?”
“The liveliest spot should be near the main market area, Doctor. I just came from there with my son. I heard they opened several new game stalls this year that weren’t there last time…”
“Alright, thank you very much for the information!”
After getting the directions she needed, Shinobu didn’t waste any more time.
She steadied her footing and half-ran toward the bustling main market area, carrying Rin inside the basket.