"Coming!" A series of loud footsteps can be heard going down the stairs. A little girl then finally opens the door where she saw a familiar face.
"Koyori-nee!" She jumped and hugs Koyori immediately. "Ichika! How are you?"
"I'm still as beautiful as you." The two laugh at their conversation.
"Why did you visit?" Ichika answers after inviting Koyori inside.
"Well… It's been more than a week but Hisashi hasn't called me. I heard what happened from Sukehiro-san and Ryuya-dono. I was also told about how he was sent away for a while. I was told that no visitors are allowed when I visited. But then he was gone. Then earlier, I met Sukehiro-san again. I asked him about Hisashi and told me that he came back already. Can you tell him that I'm here?"
Ichika listened to her earnestly. She looks up the stairs and then the door before saying.
"Etto… He went out for his duty, I think?" She said trying to remember clearly.
"Eh, really? Can I ask where he went? I haven't seen him in a while." Koyori said with obvious sadness on her face.
"Yeah, I think he was sent to a farm in the north of town to help catch pests."
"He has to do that?"
"Yep. It's for jail duties. He'll be up until later, I think?"
…
Koyori reached the northern farmlands in more than half an hour. However, since Ichika didn't tell her the specific location, she decided to ask about it to the residents.
"Sir, do you know a kid, around my age? They said that he was sent to work on the farm."
"A kid working on a farm? It's not common, but it's certainly not rare. Can you be more specific young miss?" The middle-aged man said.
"Uhm, he has a long hair. Long, red hair. He also has red eyes. He looks like he will bite anyone but he certainly wouldn't." Koyori describes Hisashi in the best way she could. She wanted to say a more detailed description if the man didn't understand but then she saw how his face contorted.
"Young miss, do you know that… that… kid?" The man certainly wanted to say something else, but seeing the earnest reaction from Koyori, he managed to say, kid.
"Hisashi? Yeah! He's one of my best friends!"
"One of best friends? So you have many friends?"
"Yeah. My mom told me to make friends at school so I did. And Hisashi is one of them!"
"You see kid, I think you have to cut off with this Hisashi friend of yours." The man seriously said to her. This changed Koyori's expression to a worried one.
"Eh?! Why?!" Koyori exclaimed loudly almost attracting everyone's attention.
"Well, you see… This friend of yours… He's the spawn of the devil! He almost killed someone in the mountain. Luckily, he was able to run and two samurai stopped this friend of yours."
"Huh?! What do you mean? I thought he was only defending himself. No! I know that he's only defending himself!" Koyori's voice got louder. She wasn't able to accept how Hisashi was being called a devil right in front of her face. The man looks around and saw how the people are looking at them.
He then kneels to Koyori's level and said in a low voice.
"Yeah. That's what they wanted you to know! However, many said that the devil's blood in his body took over him and possessed him." He said while making some scary hand signs with his hand – which didn't scare Koyori for one bit. All she can feel was fury for what the man was telling her.
"No! I was…" Wanting to say something else, she kept her mouth shut. Then, she remembers her first encounter with Hisashi.
-----
"Let me guess… They called me the Devil Child Hisashi?"
"What do you mean? You're called the Idiot Hisashi."
"I'm just joking… Of course, it's Devil Child Hisashi. I kinda like it tho."
"What do you mean you like it? It's a curse."
"Cause it sounds cool!"
-----
'I was there wasn't I? Didn't he protect me again? Why do I have to listen to these people when Hisashi clearly protected me from the bad guys?' Koyori thought while looking down. Remembering how Hisashi was once referred to as a "Devil Child" to now being called that again almost made her cry.
"Is something wrong, young miss?"
Koyori then thinks of how useless she was when Hisashi protected her and now he was being discriminated against by the village again.
"Young miss!" The man's call snaps Koyori out of her broke down. She looks at the man eye-to-eye and asks.
"Do you know where he is sir? I just want to tell him something." Koyori said most pitifully.
"Well, unfortunately for you, I have no clue. I only know about his story." The man said. Seeing how useless he is, Koyori thanked him and asked another person. This time, a jewelry stall owner.
"Why are you asking me about a Devil Child?! Just the mere thought of him brings bad luck! I need to sell my product, and he is a bad omen! Ask someone else!"
Hearing another badmouthing about Hisashi almost made Koyori snap. However, realizing her situation, she can't bring any more bad records to Hisashi.
After asking for 11 more people, 10 of whom insulted and cursed Hisashi, she was in disarray. No one knows where exactly he is. When she was about to come back and just wait in Yami family's house though, someone called out to her.
"Hey, young missy. I heard that you're looking for someone named Hisashi." Hearing the familiar voice, she turns around and saw Ryuya.
Although she wasn't close to him, he saw him many times already and they know each other. Hisashi also told him some things about Ryuya that she didn't know.
"Ryuya-dono!"
"Come 'ere. He's resting." Ryuya signals and Koyori follows behind. While walking, Koyori didn't waste any time and asked about Hisashi.
"Ryuya-dono! Why is Hisashi here? Also, why are people talking bad about him?"
"Why? Well, he's on community service for withholdin' information about a dungeon. I wanted to talk to you about that with 'im, but he doesn't want to see you… yet at least? As for the rumors, unfortunately, even I can't do anythin' about it isn't entirely a rumor."
"He… He doesn't want to see me? Why?! Also, it is a rumor. He was protecting me and our dungeon."
"I 'unno. Ask 'im later. I'm just here as his supervisor as I was able to take charge regardin' the dungeon situation – which was his charge. And, it wasn't a rumor. At the very least on the perspective of the onlookers and him, I think. Just ask 'im."
"…"
Hearing this, Koyori stayed silent. Just like Ryuya's advice, he'd rather just ask Hisashi to fully know the situation. However, after finally seeing Hisashi, she was heartbroken in just seconds.
"We can't be friends anymore."