Elsewhere.
SWOOSH!
Leaping from tree to ground, she ventures her way through the district of Unmei Kaitensuruha.
“This place sure is different. I wonder if the people here speak different languages.”
SWISSH
Having been here for less than an hour, she finds the place rural.
It looked like something straight out of the historical shows she used to watch.
Landing on the ground with a soft elegance Shimizu looks at her surroundings, this town is bustling with a lot of movement and commotion of the citizens that live there.
“Woah, it’s like one of those ancient Chinese towns from the shows I used to watch, Shimizu says, taking in the scenery.”
She takes in everything around her.
The buildings, people, even the market tents lining the road.
She really wishes her phone was not dead so she could take pictures.
Like real bad.
Though with one thought of that, she’ll probably freak these people out.
“Selling two pieces of Anpan! All for 5 UIU!” A merchant at a stand yells.
While looking around at the different stands she wonders if she could buy anything.
Without the currency of this world, that seems quite difficult.
“O-ow!” she winced in pain.
Despite having been wrapped by bandages and healed, the wound in the side of her body hadn’t fully recovered.
Even small movements cause her pain.
“That damn Kara.” She curses in her head.
Luckily she hoped she would not have to get into a fight at all.
“So it seems this outfit is helping me out” Shimizu sighed while walking past the crowds.
The Nagareru kazenorōbu seems to be helping her out.
But she wonders if just staying with people that had helped her survive the encounter would have been better.
Nonetheless she’s glad she’s alive either way.
Smelling the air, it feels different.
Though she could have probably imagined it being different, she didn’t expect this.
It’s not like when she first came through the veil having been out in the wilderness.
Looking around Shimizu tries to find any place that could conceivably help her.
She steps into a building and is immediately stared down.
This must be a bar of some sorts she leaves a little embarrassed.
Going into a market, Shimizu stares at the many different foods and items.
Digging in her robes or even pockets, she finds a small pocket book.
Luckily she is surprised she still has this from writing down interesting foods she had when she was in Europe, must have forgotten to put it back into her bags at home.
She writes down the many interesting things, the foods are similar to some things she has tried.
Though there’s nothing modern here.
“Hey miss!” A man speaks out.
“Uh? Yes?”
“That attire you wear. Are you a part of the scouting troops?” The man asks curiously
“Actually!”
“Yes I am a part of the scouting troops” Shimizu confidently says
“Oh, well it’s great for people like you to have a position in the force!” The man bows his head
The sudden act of kind gestures weirds her out, though she doesn’t mind this man’s respect.
Shimizu finds this hilarious, as she intends to take advantage of this false image.
After having her time around the market, examining and having a good interest in the food.
She eventually leaves, going on her main mission of finding out more about this place, maybe she could bring something back home as her mind wanders aimlessly as she walks.
“E-excuse me man!” A woman shouts at the shimizu’s side
Shimizu rushed into the store with the woman trailing behind her.
To Shimizu’s surprise the place is getting robbed by a couple of bandits wielding swords.
Turning around the bandits snicker in her direction.
“Well well, it seems like the little miss brought herself one of the scouting troops dogs!” One bandit snarls
“I-interesting, I didn’t think they would allow a woman into a force like that, wouldn’t you be suited for more serving in the squads. Hehe” Another gnarly bandit chuckles
“And what are both of your problems? You came in here ransacking this place for a little enjoyment aye~?”
“So what if I am a woman? Never tangoed before. Come on then, have a taste~”Shimizu keens in as her eyes sharpen.
“Tanzo, let’s get on with this. I want to go home and drink a lot of booze.”
Leaping over the counter, the bandit named Tanzo tries to slash at Shimizu with his blade.
“Aw damn…” Shimizu gets worried as right now she isn’t suited to be fighting
SWOOP
Jumping in the air.
She lands on his blade manipulating the Tamaryoku around her, shattering half of the man’s blade.
“So you’re a fighter huh? Very well” The Bandit pulls out another blade, swiping his blade towards Shimizu’s direction.
SVWOOP!
“Haha tanzo! You actually managed to cut her” The Bandit in the back chuckles before he dashes in, taking advantage of this moment.
Shimizu in her head gets tired of the situation as she cannot go all out as she wants too.
The man gnarly bandit tries to grab Shimizu by her legs but his advance gets evaded.
Shimizu focuses her Tamaryoku into one of her legs before kicking the man.
The man catches her leg attempting to stab through it.
“Ion Denka…”
“KASOKU!” Shimizu shouts
Her body bursts with speed as she twists around the man’s hand kicking him with a sudden force.
SWISH!
The man is sent flying crashing into multiple shelves.
“Don’t think you’ll get so lucky!” Coming from behind her, the other bandit swiftly swings his sword.
SLISCH!
Managing to cut her, blood flows seamlessly from the arm she had put up to guard.
He tries to pull his blade out of her arm, struggling to do so.
“Do you people know how to have manners?” Shimizu quietly says while coughing up blood
Shimizu’s arm with the bandits blade still lodged inside begins to faintly glow.
SWOOSH!
A purple stream of energy runs up her arm as steam emits from her arm.
“What is this?” the bandit questions the reveals purple light invades his eyes
The energy shapes into sharp jagged edges running up her arm till the tip of her fingers.
Melting the tip of the blade of the bandit’s sword as the heat continues to intensify.
“What the-”
Slicing up, she leaves a nasty gash into one of the bandits’ chest.
“If I weren’t so injured. I could have easily taken you and your partner” Shimizu barks.
The man falls, Shimizu extends the hot blade of electricity into the man’s body.
The hot blade drags the man through the ground as Shimizu slowly raises her hand.
“AGGHH!” The bandit screams.
“It doesn’t feel good does it?” Shimizu questions with serious intent
“TANZO!” The other bandit yells rushing at Shimizu with his blade
“Ah, I guess I forgot about you” She smiles before pointing her finger at her back.
Tamaryoku charges intently into the tip of her finger.
“Hey, if you survive this… tell me how hot it felt? Okay?” Her pupils dilate, like some sort of mechanism.
“Suemitsu hari…” She mutters coldly
BWOOMPPT
Before anyone could react.
A beam of energy almost instant is sent through the Bandit and out of the roof of the building.
The force of the beam carries the bandit out.
Shimizu sighs in relief knowing this situation has been handled, though she is concerned this situation has caused a bit of commotion.
“Ack”, Dropping to the ground she barely holds herself up as blood drips from her mouth.
She has overexerted herself.
” Are you alright?!” The woman who asked for help shouts.
“Y-yeah I think, s-so.”
“Oh dear you shouldn’t go beyond and above for something like this. Not right after your injury!” The woman hurriedly helps Shimizu up.
“W-wait, how do you know?”
“Well it was me who patched you up!” The woman happily remarks
“So your Mr.
hōboku’s wife?
“Yes indeed, my name is Kusa Saku Barasono.”
“Heh, well mines Shimizu–”
Shimizu passes out from her overexerting herself in her injured state.
“O-oh… You must have worked yourself. I’m sorry you had to deal with that. Once I saw your face, I was happy that you managed to recover from the Kara that had attacked you” Her expression becomes one of worry.
“Kōka!” Saku shouts.
“Get down here! Please!”
A boy gets down and rushes into the messy main floor.
“Are the bandits gone? Is it over?”
“Yes it is over. Please hurry and get her to a room, she must rest”
“Get the others in the back to help support her and clean up!”
“Y-yes Ma’am!”
Kōka carries Shimizu on his shoulder as he takes her unconscious body upstairs.
Hopefully she could recover from this encounter, a somewhat fated one at that.
“Ugh.”
She begins to move, feeling the pain from her side along with the new wound in her arm she struggles to move.
Opening her eyes with blurry vision she can see herself laying on a bed, her entire body hurts as the somewhat cool room showers her with its humidity.
“Ah.”
“So you rushed in despite your injuries? Oh my Shimizu! You could have ignored that plea for help.”
A tall red-haired woman kneels down near her bed side, her eyes covered in bandages as she leisurely drinks away at wine.
It’s almost like she’s there and not at the same time.
Some of the wine spills and stain her dress, she licks her lips before putting the wine down.
The woman chuckles a bit as she fixes the corkscrew hairpins that keep her hair up.
“Yeah… I know I know. But honestly I thought I could have taken them. I mean despite my injuries those guys were nothing.”
“Well, I mean I didn’t think it would slow me down that much.”
“Tsk Tsk Tsk. You should’ve fired Suemitsu hari directly at that building at full power and loathe those bandits~”
“Are you crazy?! I could have killed innocent people inside there, and besides I don’t think I could have fired it at full capacity.”
“Just food for thought ya know~ Well I think what you did was mighty fine, though if I were to handle it myself.”
“Alright stop talking, let me rest for a while Marasukīno junchūsei… It’s hard enough having you suggest things in your ears.”
“But y’know, don’t think that refusing to take action isn’t any better. I’m glad that you dwelled more into yourself when piercing that bandit.”
“I guess that is true, but I think whatever situation it was. I would not be able to handle it without… your guidance.”
“Aha, that’s more like it~”