Masami allowed the situation to continue, knowing that it was best if she did not interfere. And she will be able to control it if it got out of hand, Hajime was likely to have brought weapons. Then again, so did they.

"Don"t you have a lot to say to me?"

"The same can be said of you."

"I don"t have anything to hide." He looked him in the eye.

"Well, don"t you have another name and even another name which is your actual ident.i.ty." Hajime smirked, even as Kazuho had not flinched.

"I don"t see how that is of any concern to you." They did live together but were not close in any form. After all, when Kazuho ran into trouble he was the first to laugh, and he will do the same if it ever happened to Hajime.

"It isn"t. However one guy is interested."

"I know all about him."

"So, even that isn"t out of your reach?"

Reminding him of the fact that he was once an infamous rebel of the Shogunate will have done quite a bit, if he had not known that beforehand. Although he doubted he will have panicked, but it will have made his hand even weaker as he could not even have a time to guess what he will throw next. This was easy for him to guess what Hajime will do next, there wasn"t much apart from his time as Kouya that he knew at the very least.

"You"ll be surprised to know my limits."

"I will try to figure it out." As he leaned closer. Hoping to see him break apart or grow comfortable, a sign that Hajime was getting to him in his head. Keeping himself calm was the best situation, even as he knew that he could not look below. But an advantage was Masami in this scenario who will block anything should it come out.

"This place should be familiar to you, Kouya."

He did not give any sign, even if Hajime knew that every action of his carried weight. He was never the sort who chose anything in random, without a particular reason. "After all, you chose Takara who worked under the man you also worked for?"

"Yes."

"His name was Daishin, from what I heard." Almost as though he wanted to glimpse at some sort of reaction out of Kazuho. Regardless of whether he knew the man was close to him, easy for him to make a.s.sumptions.

"Not close." As much as he leaned in closer.

"Figure out why I left."

"The bigger question should be how you left."

"You don"t need to figure it out, it"s not as though I can fly out of this country." Hajime gave a smirk more.

"Then, what did you do to become this renowned."

He deadpanned before him, clear that this question was something that could be worked out for himself. As much as he guessed that this was his strategy, not that he was able to find anything in particular to question back.

"Then, why are you after me?"

"You know the answer to this question." Money, which was the easiest thing to guess. And for a man like Hajime, he didn"t seem to have a more personal agenda with Kazuho otherwise he doubted that this will be all they did to them. Those who are obsessed with revenge tend to be unrelenting in their pursuit, and of course merciless once they found their target.

"I do know that it is nothing personal."

"That, I agree."

"You might want to lean back." Masami stood between them, knowing that this was likely a move of his. As much as he returned to the same expression as before.

"So, it is he who wants me."

"That"s right, it could be easier if you told me a little more."

"How about this?" Kazuho looked Hajime in the eye. "If you think my past is so simple, think again."

The man gave a wide grin. "Of course I know that it is not this simple, after all a child prodigy isn"t born through a commoner, at least not one which can make such an impact at that age."

An education was necessary, as many of this skills required the boy be taught at least a little about history, how wars are won, how tactics and strategies really work. As such, many guessed that his background was complicated. As much as no one could tell where Kouya came from and his true ident.i.ty. That was the deal he made with Daishin at that time; now the man was no better than an enemy.

Hajime could not grasp who he was, Sasaki will do better and likely knew it before he even made his move. He gave a smirk.

Before Masami had her sword on his shoulder. "You noticed."

Below was the fact he was holding a gun below. Kazuho kept his hands on it as well, not intending to reveal this until it was a necessity. With it now being an inch from being sliced.

"How about we put them on the table? Or has this been your idea from the very beginning." It was difficult to make a guess, but this was the best compromise he could do. Masami laid the blade on the table, having the hilt facing him, as though it was an a.s.surance. While he had his pistol facing Hajime"s direction, and he vice versa.

This was a stalemate, neither of them had anything which will throw them off. He didn"t know enough about Hajime, and what advantage he had was eroded the moment he met with Mamoru and received Shinrou"s letter.

"Am I interrupting something?" Ruri opened the door, taking a swift glimpse at the weapons laid out the table. Before she focused back. "Anyway, there is someone here to see you Kazuho."

Behind him came up one of the people he did not think he will be seeing. Not at any point in the first place. Kaede was standing right before him, she was older, dressed in a simple kimono. Well, he didn"t think that it was all too outstanding until of course he saw what Hajime looked in her. Kaede was calm, too calm given what he had heard. She must have been the one who found him, it will have made no sense otherwise. A pa.s.sing glance was enough for them, even as a single meeting had gotten Sasaki clear on his ident.i.ty.

If this wasn"t a situation where they were threatening each other with a possibility that they will be shot, and Hajime as his enemy, he will have laughed. Kaede looked at him, with a small smile on her face. And the fact that Hajime did know her at the end of the day. Clear that it was so, if he was so surprised that it was her.

Before he took the gun, shooting at them, something which was easily countered and went out by the window. Leaving only them to look at his escape. Kaede took a shot at him, taking out one of her pistols. In a quick fashion, before she turned back to look at them.

"Is he after you?"

"Yes." He was just nearly shot at, even as he showed no worry throughout it. It had missed and ended on the wall. Although avoiding the pa.s.sageway narrowly. Takara will appreciate if he did pay for this repair. He stood out and went out the door to give Ruri some extra cash for the damage.

"You"ve gotten better."

"So, are you going to run again?" Kaede sat down, knowing that it was a question which could be asked given his history of running away. Even if it was just once.

"No. I have a reason for coming back, hence I won"t leave." He made a promise to her, and he was going to honor it now. She will not have wanted him to put his life needlessly in danger, even as he went and done that soon after he made the very promise.

"Hope so. And why did you hide yourself and choose this name all of a sudden."

"Well for safety reasons and the latter is for you to figure out." Besides he wasn"t thinking too hard when he chose the name. It was familiar to his last; hence something he could answer to at ease. Without having to acquaint himself with it too much. Even as he knew that his real ident.i.ty was worthless, and keeping reminders will give away.

"It has to be tied to your past, isn"t it?"

He gave a grimace. Suggesting that it was not something he wanted to discuss. Kaede read it easily, as much as she ordered a bottle of wine from them and asked for a drink.

"Anyway, he works for the Sasaki clan?"

He nodded, and he knew that during his time as Kouya the Sasaki was after him as much as they were against him.

"No wonder Mamoru mentioned that this was dangerous." As much as it was how life treated him, he was not born into a normal family, and it was certain that a normal life was out of the possibility. Any form of it was not even possible to say the least.

"I have gotten myself into big trouble." Even without doing anything to really attract it, though going to the Sasaki clan was an poorly calculated move. Albeit he had no way of telling how Sasaki regarded it in the first place.

The wine came, where both of them took a cup of. He drank it, knowing that Kaede was a good drinker. If Hajime was well acquainted with him, at least by the looks of it. Masami also got one at the end of the day. Even as he wondered whether did he forget something for a brief moment. But it wasn"t anything really important.

"When haven"t you?"

Just like that time he had been with Daishin, he got himself in large trouble. As much as he could guess that he might have to leave soon. But not without asking Kaede a few things. Without asking Kaede where she worked at, or whether she has met him. He forgotten to ask Mamoru that, but it was not of much importance at that point. With Masami at his side, he was able to know what he had to know next.

"Have you met him?"

He looked at her. She shook her head. "I have not, he no longer is active here. And we quit after that, and when we heard that he was seen in the Saitou household I headed there to be the servant to his daughter Sachiko."

Then, he was not going to mess with it, it was better than nothing at any point." He let out a sigh. Something which had been eating at him. "However, the Daimyo died and before that he was rather focused on the spy network."

Highly unusual given the man"s personality, he had never been keen on something like that from what he knew as a child. He never did, as much as Kaede noticed it. "Something wrong?"

"Yes, it"s not like the Daimyo at all. Just trust me on this one." As much as he realized that he needed to leave. Masami had taped on his shoulder, hinting that it was not only preferable but necessary at this point in time. A lot of people were gathering behind them. Which Masami worriedly saw, and Kaede noticed it too when pointed out.

"If we meet again, tell me more." She left, perhaps knowing that she will be able to buy some time. Given how he was an unexpected visitor, and if Hajime was around could vehemently disagree that she knew Kazuho. And say that he was looking for Hajime and will be believed given that she was a customer.

He nodded, before he ran to the secret pa.s.sageway and entered inside. To a Yuki who folded her shoulders, almost wanting to scream. If she didn"t see that both of them were frantic in taking up their belongings, she will have continued before she followed and rushed after them.