Book 3: Chapter 42: Sheath and Blade

Lily felt like laughing after looking at the smug look on Yumi’s face from the misconceived belief that her scheme had worked perfectly. What’s sadder was that she could easily end fellows like Tokugawa and Takeda with Kagura manipulating the Sakura Parasol by expending the Blood Spirit Magatama even if Nanako weren’t present here.

However, Lily felt really reluctant to use such a fatal move because of her negligence and didn’t plan to use it unless as a last resort.

Yukiko spoke up at this moment, “Yumi, since you call her the Mirror Girl, does Lily really have the mirror? Can you let me see it?”

“Hmm? Do you want to see it, Sis? Fine, then. Lady Haihime desires that mirror greatly as well. However, it’s still uncertain whether Lily’s mirror is the real one, so I shall keep it safe with me for the time being!”

Saying so, Yumi arrived in front of the anxious Lily. What do I do if the mirror is taken away? I can control the items within the mirror as long as it’s within ten meters of me, but if Yumi plans to take it further than that, I’ll really be forced to use the Blood Spirit Magatama.

“I need to stay calm, there’s still a chance,” Lily resisted the urge to use the Blood Spirit Jade.

Yumi ignored Lily and fondled Lily’s body directly, making her blush slightly.

There was nothing on the sides, and as women hid items inside the sash most of the time, Yumi felt up the inner side of Lily’s sash and finally touched upon an item.

As such, Yumi pried the front of Lily’s dress open and groped inside, the scorching touch of Lily’s satiny skin making her heart pound slightly quicker. Soon, she found the mirror and pulled it outside. It looked the same as Shimizu’s mirror that she had shattered, but she had no reason to step on it this time and merely planned to let Yukiko take a look before handing it over to Haihime.

The mirror looked pretty plain and unembellished and carried Lily’s warmth and scent with it.

“It really is the Ancient Mirror…” Yukiko’s eyes glistened with excitement after seeing the mirror.

Lily, on the other hand, failed to understand why a meek and abused married woman who relied on a tyrant’s support to acquire a sense of security was so interested in this mirror as well.

Lily felt a deep sense of loss when she saw that Yumi was about to put the mirror inside her sash and really felt like using Kagura at this very moment!

“Calm down, me. That Blood Spirit Jade is too precious, so it’s not worth it to waste it here. There will be many chances ahead, so I just need to find a moment when Yumi isn’t paying attention and escape from the bindings using the escape arts.”

However, Lily’s eyes grew wide open at this moment.

A dainty girl holding a black parasol appeared at the entrance of the cave from where cold wind was blowing in.

“Could you allow me to take shelter from the rain here?” Minamoto no Shimuzu was dressed in a snug long-sleeved black kimono and her eyes twinkled like blue luminous pearls as her gaze met with Lily’s, seemingly ignoring Yumi.

“S-Sister… Shimizu?” Lily felt an inexplicable surge of emotions flood her entire being at this moment.

Yumi turned around vigilantly and questioned, “Why are you here, Shimizu?”

Shimizu ignored her and entered the cave after folding the parasol, “Lil’ Sis Lily, you really are no good without me. Haven’t you got caught yet again now?”

“Sister Shimizu…” Lily felt a little overwhelmed and didn’t know what to say momentarily.

Yumi stood in front of Lily and said, “What are you planning, Shimizu? I was the one who caught Lily. It’s fine if you want to take her to Lady Haihime along with me, but don’t think you can steal my achievement!”

Only after hearing this did Shimizu seem to recognize Yumi’s existence, but she just smiled faintly in response, “I haven’t got the least bit of interest in achievements and whatnot. Take it all if you want to.”

“Huh?!” the bound Lily was taken aback after hearing his. What’s Sister Shimizu saying? Why are they talking as if they are colleagues? Did Sister Shimizu defect to the Hundred Demons’ side? N-No, that’s impossible!

“However,” Shimizu continued, “I cannot let you take Lil’ Sis Lily away. She’s mine and no one is allowed to take her away or injure her. Got it?”

“Hmph! It seems like you really plan to s.n.a.t.c.h this Mirror Girl! Don’t think you can look down on me just because Lady Haihime helped you, Minamoto no Shimizu! This Mirror Girl is a key person for my and Sister Yukiko’s survival. I won’t yield her to you!” Yumi had no intentions of stepping aside.

“I’ll have to get my little sister personally in that case,” Shimizu stated, and a flash of dark light emerged from her parasol suddenly.

Yumi unsheathed her katana to block the sudden attack, but she was sent flying back and crashed into the cave wall with a bang.

Yet Shimizu didn’t stop with that and rushed towards Yumi immediately.

“How dare you!” Yumi rolled to the side in a panic to dodge Shimizu’s katana, but her range of movements was restricted by the walls of the narrow cave.

Shimizu turned aside and kicked Yumi, sending her crashing into a rock.

She then charged in again for the kill and slashed upwards at Yumi, which Yumi was barely able to block with her katana. Shimizu’s Unsmiling Blade, Tranquil Bamboo, rippled as if it were made of black ink at this moment and impelled Yumi’s blade upwards.

“Bang!” Yumi’s katana flew out of her hands and pierced into the cave’s roof while Shimizu’s blade, clad in black eldritch energy, pressed against Yumi’s neck.

“What?!” Yumi’s chest heaved up and down intensely at this moment. She knew Shimizu was quite formidable, but she never expected she would get defeated by her so quickly and effortlessly. Looking at how Shimizu still had a lot of strength to spare, it made Yumi really wonder if the gap between her and this blade maiden was really so huge.

“Hand over the mirror!” Shimizu stated.

“Shimizu! How dare you attack me for this Mirror Girl?! Are you planning to betray Lady Haihime? She definitely won’t let you get away with you! You really cannot be trusted!”

“Slap! Slap!” Shimizu slapped Yumi with the front and back of her hand consecutively, making her feel a little dizzy from the slaps. Shimizu, however, maintained a cold expression and slid the katana down towards Yumi’s stomach.

“Kyah!” Yumi screamed while closing her eyes.

“Don’t!” Yukiko also screamed in fear while covering her mouth.

In the end, Shimizu just sliced Yumi’s sash open and caught the mirror that fell out from it while Lily watched all this happen with a dazed look in her eyes.

“Hehehe. The real mirror has fallen in my hands once again,” Shimizu looked at the mirror and felt a plethora of emotions as it was something that she once desired all her life.

Her black long-sleeves flung around charmingly as she turned around and looked at Lily with a slightly mischievous smile, “Unlike me, this mirror is the real Ancient Mirror, a real treasure… but I don’t need it any longer because I’ve found an even more precious thing.”

Shimizu arrived in front of Lily lithely and kneeled down, squeezing the mirror into Lily’s cleavage gently.

Her breath contained a faint transcendent scent as she stated the following words, “This treasure belongs to you, little sister. I’ve retrieved it for you.”

“Sister Shimizu…”

Shimizu got up gracefully and arrived behind Lily to untie her bindings and helped her stand up.

“Are you all right, little sister?” “Sis…”

Shimizu had once coveted the mirror pretty badly, but she returned it to Lily without the slightest hesitation the moment it really fell into her hands.

Lily couldn’t hold back her tears and revealed a content smile from the depths of her heart, “I knew I was right in believing in you, Sister Shimizu.”

Shimizu then turned around to look at Yumi who laid on the ground now and handed the rope to Lily, “We might as well kill this despicable woman, little sister.”

Shiu began sobbing incessantly at this moment as if she had something to say, so Lily unblocked her mouth.

“Sis, please don’t kill her… don’t kill Sis Yumi. S-She was just desperate and isn’t a bad person…” Shiu pleaded.

“I won’t kill her, Shiu. But…”

Lily stepped forward and commanded coldly, “Turn around and lie down on your stomach!”

“W-What… do you want…” Yumi knew she was gonna end up in a miserable state this time, so she turned around and lied down on her stomach grudgingly.

Lily then tied up Yumi firmly with the rope.

“J-Just what do you want to do?”

Lily didn’t reply and took out a handkerchief to block Yumi’s mouth.

The rain still showered down from the skies outside the cave and both Lily and Shimizu went outside at the same time with a tacit understanding.

Both held parasols in their hands, one crimson and one black, with the rain acting like crystal curtains around them.

The two blade maidens gazed into each other’s eyes just like that.

“Forgive me…” Shimizu was the first one to speak up, “Lil’ Sis Lily, on that night, I didn’t mean to…”

“I know, Sister Shimizu. I’ve never doubted you even for a moment.”

“I’m sorry…” Shimizu still felt guilty and couldn’t help but weep while hiding her face, “Wuh… for a moment, I really did hate and envy you and even felt that it would be great if you didn’t exist and the mirror belonged to me… I’m really sorry, my little sister…”

Shimizu threw the black parasol aside and hugged Lily.

“Don’t say that, Sis… I know you were suffering from pain and agony… I may not have been as strong as you if I had a body like yours, Sis.”

Lily and Shimizu hugged each other tightly.

“Sis… Why did Yumi say Haihime helped you?” “It’s because I had nowhere else to go, because I thought you were dead…”

Lily gripped Shimizu’s hand gently and picked up her parasol, allowing her to unsheathe the blade clad in black grudge.

“Your katana is full of so much grudge, Sis. It has become a cursed katana, too. Was it because of the sorrow you felt for me?” “It isn’t sorrow, but despair. The only thing remaining in the world without you is just this pitch-black grudge.” “Mhm. I can feel it…”

“Come, Sis…” Lily pulled Shimizu towards a clean rock, “I’ve kept it safe for you all this time…”

Lily took the bamboo sheath out from the mirror. As Tranquil Bamboo was a grade 6 katana, it was also possible to store the sheath within the mirror.

“What… t-this is…” Shimizu’s gaze slackened. “You haven’t forgotten, right, Sis?” “How could I?” “Why haven’t you thrust it in yet then, Sis?” Lily inquired with a flushed face. “Mhm. Hold it properly then, little sister.”

As Lily had retrieved the sheath from the mirror, the sheath appeared in front of Lily’s chest with its mouth faced downwards. Lily was just about to turn it upside down, but Shimizu prevented her from doing so and pushed the sheath forward instead.

“Ngh…” Lily moaned softly as the sheath got wedged in between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Shimizu then pulled Lily by her hand and turned her around, her slender finger caressing along the arc of Lily’s back, forcing her to slouch forward with her palms against the rock, her b.u.t.tocks rising up high in the process. As the sheath was about to fall down, Lily was forced to clamp it in between her legs and its mouth was exposed outside towards Shimizu perfectly1.

Shimizu held Lily’s waist with one hand while her other hand aimed Tranquil Bamboo towards the sheath’s mouth. Although she a.s.sumed a firm and powerful posture, her eyes were full of warmth and love.

“Clang!” The sheath’s mouth oozed out translucent raindrops endlessly as the shimmering blade thrust inside slowly.

Once it was two-thirds inside, Shimizu revealed a gentle and elegant smile suddenly and looked down at her beloved little sister affectionately before pushing the final third of it inside with a quick and powerful thrust2!

“Ngh!” Lily closed her eyes slightly and issued a content, m.u.f.fled moan with a flushing face.

Her sister Shimizu’s blade had thrust into her lonesome and hollow sheath at last, and her sister Shimizu had also returned to her3.

Lily blushed as hard as an apple, yet joy filled her entire being in this instant.

1. Silva: …Doggy style?
2. Silva: …Author, what are you doing! How can you turn sheathing a sword into… into something like this!
3. Robinxen: Phrasing!