One, eyes drawn to the other side.
Two, the homeland suddenly a long way off.
Three, parents whose faces cannot be seen.
Four, trace the path to the underworld.
Five, they grow farther away over time.
Six, nostalgic for the olden days.
Seven, all the tears dry to nothing.
Eight, and before long...
That's where the song ends.
KAEI YEAR 6 (1853)
E-excuse me!
I'm so sorry, sir! Please forgive my rudeness!
No, I'm the one who should've been watching my step.
Allow me to apologize.
Oh, b-but I...
No need to fret, little lady.
This fella here is Naotsugu Miura-sama,
and while he may be a samurai, he's famous around these parts for having a heart of gold.
Thanks for waiting. Here's your kake-soba.
Thank you kindly.
What's the matter, Naotsugu-sama?
No appetite today or what?
Oh, not exactly. Just a nagging concern, I suppose.
Got something on your mind?
Yes.
Would you lend me an ear, good sir?
Sure. I'll listen to whatever you need to get off your chest.
Thank you.
It's about my older brother, you see...
Whoa, hold your horses!
Don't start talking crazy.
Everybody knows that you're the Miura family heir. There's no way you have an older brother.
No, I am quite certain that I had an older brother!
Ofuu-san?
Y-yes?
Do you know him? Perhaps you've heard of a man by the name Sadanaga Miura?
I'm afraid not.
Well, that figures. Nobody seems to know about my brother.
Not even my parents.
I'm starting to wonder if I've just lost my mind.
Naotsugu-sama. Try and lighten up, okay?
Look, your soba is gonna get cold!
Um, Miura-sama?
Sorry if I'm overstepping my bounds here, but shall I introduce you to a good man for the job?
You know someone?
Yes. I think he might be able to help with your predicament.
Oh, that's right!
Actually, one of our regulars is a fella who loves poking his nose into all sorts of freaky stuff.
You mean to say, he's some sort of diviner or shaman?
Huh?
People who make their living by exorcising evil spirits.
Nah, he's just a ronin!
But for some reason, he goes around resolving strange incidents and mysteries.
For a price, of course.
And I hear he's got sword skills that can slice a demon to ribbons!
Wow.
He may come off as intimidating, but he's a kind man.
Not to mention he has some funny quirks.
He stops by every day to stuff his face with our kake-soba.
Oh, speak of the devil!
Welcome in, pal!
Welcome in.
Kake-soba, please.
Comin' up!
One order of kake-soba!
You're just hooked on our kake-soba, aren'tcha, pal?
No, not really.
There you go again.
Would it kill ya to have a little more tact?
Okay.
The soba here may be plain, but I've developed a soft spot for it.
Now you're talkin'.
Let me pour you some tea.
You've gotten quite good at that.
I should hope so. I've been working to improve a little each day.
And what progress have you made, Jinya-kun?
Fall is the season for sweet osmanthus.
It exudes a very pleasant fragrance,
and starts to bloom beautiful flowers around this time of year.
Yes, that's right!
Plants are pretty fascinating to learn about.
My eyes are drawn to all the flowers on the roadside now.
See, I told you!
Well, now that we've covered all the different seasonal blooms,
I'll teach you about flowers in mythology next.
Sorry to interrupt your conversation.
Um, if I may...
My name is Naotsugu Miura.
Sorry, I realize this may come off as rude,
but I understand you are a man who occupies himself with rumors of demons and other strange phenomenon.
Or so I've heard.
Indeed.
Slaying demons is my livelihood.
Great! Then I bet you can get to the bottom of a mystery for me, yes?
Not necessarily.
Huh?
My expertise is limited to slaying demons.
I'm afraid I won't be of much help unless demons are the cause of your problem.
Sorry.
Oh, I see...
Miura-sama!
Hey, pal. I hate to ask, but couldja find it in your heart to lend Naotsugu-sama a hand?
His dummy of a big brother apparently went missing and now he's worried sick about him, ya see.
Please consider it.
I think losing someone so important has made him very emotionally unstable.
Pretty please!
All right. I suppose I do owe you two a favor.
You seem rather obsessed with this guy.
Well, yeah, he's one of our few regulars.
DANGO
AMAZAKE
TEA
What are you doing here?
Excuse me! May I have an order of tea and isobe mochi?
Coming up!
You like mochi?
Yep.
Huh.
Here is your order.
Thank you.
Yum. This tastes even better when you haven't had it in a while.
On a related note, when are you and Zenji getting married?
Where did that come from?!
You've turned 16 now. That's marrying age.
Okay, but you're crazy if you think I'd marry Zenji.
Is that so?
I imagine Jyuuzou-dono would feel more at ease seeing you married to someone like him.
But Zenji is... you know, more of a brother figure.
Besides, even though my dad has his own ideas for prospective husbands,
he's already told me I'm free to choose for myself.
Granted, from a business perspective, I'm sure he wants me to marry into a samurai or merchant family.
What about you? Don't you want a wife?
Not many women are eccentric enough to wed a ronin without a steady job.
Oh?
I suppose that's true.
But there comes a time when you seriously have to consider settling down.
How old are you, anyways?
Thirty one.
No way! You're older than Zenji?!
You joked about being "immune" to getting old... but, like, what's the actual secret?
Who knows?
I'm putting the money for my bill here!
You're leaving?
Duty calls.
Demons again?
Say, why do you go around hunting demons?
With good swordsmanship like yours, you should be able to find a number of other jobs, no?
I wish I had an answer.
I'm not sure why I'm doing it, myself.
How does that work?
But if I had to give a reason...
it's because this is the only path for me.
I see.
Well, that's kind of a relief to hear.
Hm?
You have such a dry personality that it sometimes feels like you don't care about anything in life.
Honestly, I never knew what to think of you.
But now, I see that even you can be a whiny worrywart.
So you're just another regular guy.
Natsu-dono...
Call me Natsu.
We've known each other long enough now. Being so formal all the time just makes things awkward.
Guess I better get back to the shop.
Don't spend too much time brooding, okay?
You'll end up with permanent wrinkles on your forehead.
Arimori.
You're going looking again?
How many times must I tell you?
You are the only heir to the Miura family. You have no older brother.
Except I clearly remember him!
I hear that you've been going as far as the slums and the red-light district in search of this brother. Is that right?
Abide by morals, exemplify courage, practice compassion, and behave with courtesy.
The samurai code dictates that we give literally everything in service to our sworn lord, Tokugawa.
And yet you don't seem to care about that in the least.
I'll focus up on my duties once I find my brother! Now excuse me.
Enough of this already! Arimori!
Hey, Arimori.
Homes aren't what make people.
It's the people who make the home.
Uh-huh...
"For home and country." I can understand that sentiment.
But even so, I'm not willing to twist my values and beliefs just to abide by it.
Where are you, my brother?
Off to look for him?
It's you!
Jinya. Lowly ronin at your service.
In regards to your mystery, I have decided to do some digging into it after all.
Huh?
However, I can't promise that I will get any answers. I hope you understand.
Sure! That's fine.
I'm happy to know you believe me.
That alone is enough to give me peace of mind.
Now then, I'm sorry to cut to the chase,
but I'd like to know how things were before your brother disappeared.
All right. Then come to my-
In that case...
You introduced yourself as a ronin, earlier, didn't you?
Yes.
I can't help but notice the katana you carry is of rather high quality.
Do you come from a samurai background?
No, not at all.
Oh?
I once lived in a mountain village filled with bellows that were used by blacksmiths to forge katana,
and I served in a role that required me to wield one.
Now I'm serving that role once again,
and have gotten direct permission from the shogunate to carry this blade.
I see.
Are you from Kadono, per chance?
An impressive deduction.
Well, hearing about blacksmiths and bellows, plus seeing that iron scabbard gave me an inkling.
It's embarrassing to admit, but I'm somewhat of a connoisseur.
Learning about the different makes of blades is a pastime of mine.
I've heard one trademark of Kadono blades is the simple yet refined metalwork on the scabbards.
And the quality of your scabbard is outstanding.
This was originally a sacred blade that had been enshrined in the village.
But circumstances led it into my hands.
Oh? Does it have a name?
It's called Yarai.
Yarai, eh? Well, that's very interesting!
The blades of Kadono are said to be effective against demons.
One term for cleansing evil spirits is "oni-yarai," which may have inspired the name.
Or perhaps that katana was once used to exorcise a demonic spirit in a local legend.
Do you know of any such stories?
I can't say that I have.
Nobody knows if it's true,
but the village chieftain said this is a mystical katana that's remained pristine for over a century.
How fascinating.
Is there any chance you could unsheathe it for me?
No.
My apologies. I've gotten a little too fanatical.
I don't mind.
But we really should get started.
Of course.
As I've already explained, my brother, Sadanaga Miura, has gone missing.
But I can't find him no matter how much I search.
Worse yet, nobody seems to remember who he is.
No one at all?
No. My parents claim they've never heard of this "Sadanaga" person.
And that I'm the only heir of the family.
Furthermore, although some people seemed to have vague memories,
they ultimately just told me the same thing.
I'm forced to conclude that nobody actually remembers my brother except for me.
Begging your pardon, gentlemen.
But if you're gonna talk about serious business like this,
I think it's common sense to do it in a private place where there are no people around.
Good thing hardly anybody comes to this shop.
Your tongue's sharper than your sword, eh, pal?
Joking aside, I got the impression that the two of you were quite concerned for Miura-dono.
Hence why I brought him here.
Nothing, I'm just tickled pink that you've lightened up enough to start telling jokes.
Whatever.
When exactly did your brother disappear, Miura-dono?
Just before spring started, at the tail end of January.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at that point, until he suddenly...
No, hold on.
I recall him saying something not long before that,
about "going to see a girl."
And one more thing, I found some flowers in his room.
Flowers?
I'm afraid I don't know enough about plants to say what kind, but they had a strong fragrance.
The leaves were narrow and the flowers were small with white petals and a yellow center.
My brother wasn't really the type to appreciate flowers, so I thought it was strange.
When exactly did you find them?
Right after my brother disappeared.
No one else visited his room except for me, so I imagine it was my brother who left them there.
Do you still have the flowers?
I figured they might serve as evidence, so I made sure to preserve them before they wilted.
Miura-dono.
I know it may be problematic, but I would like to pay a visit to your house tomorrow.
Huh?
Oh, hey, Jinya.
Natsu-do...
Natsu.
Welcome in, Jinya-kun.
Kake-soba, please.
Sure. One order of kake-soba!
Say, pal, when did you start calling Natsu-chan by her name?
Oh. A few days ago, at her request.
Ofuu. You gotta step it up a little more, ya hear?
What are you talking about?
But I must say, you two seem to get along well.
Not really. It's nothing special.
Ofuu, how close are you with Miura-dono?
With Miura-sama?
We aren't especially close or anything, but we do talk on occasion when he visits the shop.
Why do you ask?
I was just curious.
I see.
Well, he's always been polite in our interactions.
I find him to be a kind and earnest gentleman.
Hold on, are you talking about that samurai who I bumped into the other day?
Yes.
He seemed like a very humble guy.
Sure, but he can get pretty hyperactive whenever the subject of swords comes up.
Which reminds me!
Take a look at this, pal.
Wow, a kogai?
Well, you know how the Miura family are vassals of the shogun, so it's necessary they have these kind of tools.
Anyhoo, not that it means much, but he gave me this kogai meant for samurai.
I swear, everything boils down to swords with him...
Let the guy talk freely and it's either strictly business or just something about katana.
I've even heard that his mom chews him out, like "enough is enough, Arimori"!
You've had dealings with his mother?
Huh?
Yeah, but only enough to catch a quick glimpse of her.
She's a real terror, ya know. Harps on people regularly from what I hear.
With all that said, pal... Would ya mind taking this kogai off my hands?
But Miura-dono gave that to you as a gift. I can't.
It's fine. There's not much sense in the owner of a soba shop having samurai gear like this.
Yes, but...
I don't really have a need for it anymore.
So please just take it off my hands.
Okay?
Fine. I'll hold onto it for you.
I appreciate that! Thank you.
I'm sorry. My dad should know better.
Ofuu.
Yes?
The flowers with white petals and a yellow center that Miura-dono spoke of... are they daffodils?
Although he did say they were small.
I just hope they're anything but daffodils.
This is the garden of happiness.
The warm and sunny place where I spent my childhood days.
But...
...the way back is long gone now.