The Monster Chivalrous Thief Group. In this Edo period, there was probably no one who hadn't heard this na.
No different from an ordinary chivalrous thief group, the activities of the Monster Chivalrous Thief Group also often involved stealing wealth on trade routes or in castles, and then distributing it to people in every slum.
Although the chivalrous thief group did good deeds in the eyes of the common people, according to the law, they were undeniably a criminal organization. During the Edo period, there had been other thief groups that robbed the rich to help the poor, but basically, it wouldn't be long before they were captured by the shogun's soldiers.
However, this chivalrous thief group, whose number of mbers had never broken double digits, remained an existence that gave shogun officials a headache.
A swordsman born with divine strength, a resourceful and cunning strategist, a cruel and vicious musketeer, an eccentric Onmyoji proficient in spells, and so on... Every mber of the thief group possessed a magical ability in a certain field that far exceeded the scope of ordinary human understanding. And because of this, they were feared as monsters by people.
In the most exaggerated rumor, the shogun once dispatched tens of thousands of soldiers to capture this thief group, but the other party forcefully carved out a bloody path of escape.
From then on, this naless thief organization was called the Monster Chivalrous Thief Group by the people.
"That iconic giant greatsword, there's no mistaking it. It's Yatogami Tohka!"
After soone among the guards called out Tohka's na, the samurai who were secretly planning to draw their swords and step forward unconsciously took a few steps back.
Unlike Yutsuki, famous for strategy and deception, this monster was a monster in the truest sense. One sweep of her greatsword, and nine out of ten people who approached would be chopped into at paste.
"Oh oh, found you, found you. So you were here, Yutsuki. (Chew~)"
Looking at the figure towering in the dust after stomping a large crater in the ground, Yutsuki sighed helplessly.
"Tohka, couldn't your entrance be slightly more subdued? A thief shouldn't be so conspicuous."
"Hm? I just happened to see you looking like you were in trouble, Yutsuki, so I jumped over from the cliff over there. Is that bad? (Chew~)"
"No, honestly I should say the timing was so good I want to give it full marks. By the way, what are you eating?"
"Oh oh! This, I bought it from a foreign restaurant called a bakery. It's called kinako bread, the taste is just incredibly good. Yutsuki, can you make this for later? (Chew~)"
Looking at Tohka, who was talking but couldn't bear to put down the food in her hands, Yutsuki felt speechless. This brother of hers was only particularly interested in eating. Because she often ran to restaurants to participate in various big eater competitions and won championships, compared to her cruel killing god image on the battlefield, the fas given by the restaurant owners she ate into poverty was much more well-known.
"Yeah, yeah... fernt the flour and then coat the surface with butter, huh... Then save one for later. I'll research and see how to make it."
"Um... Yutsuki-sama. Is she an acquaintance of yours?"
Seeing Yutsuki and the other party chatting and laughing without any pressure while surrounded by thousands of soldiers and guards, Shiori couldn't help but ask with so curiosity.
"Oh, this is the partner I ntioned, the ace of the chivalrous thief group, Yatogami Tohka."
"Hello, my na is Shiori."
"Oh oh, I'm Tohka! Shiori, nice to et you!"
Seeing Yutsuki completely treating his side like air and chatting about daily life just because one more person arrived, the Lord with a "?" face instantly flew into an uncontrollable rage.
"It's just one extra reinforcent, you guys sure are taking it easy! Soldiers, get them! Beat these two thieves to death..."
"Lord, this is terrible! Suddenly several strange people broke in from outside."
"Too strong! We are absolutely no match for them!"
"What..."
Hearing the bad news from the guards, the Lord's face turned pale.
"Kuku! Weak! Weak! Small fries of this level, even if you bring an army of thousands, you are no match for the Children of the Typhoons!"
"Fearless. Even if there are ten tis as many opponents like this, Yuzuru feels no pressure."
"Alright! Yoshino! We can't lose to them either~"
"Uuu... I will do my best..."
An exaggerated voice rang out from the crowd. Very quickly, using a sharp assault lance as a fra, covered by a long whip bringing hissing sounds of breaking wind and a giant rabbit-type Shikigami spitting wind and snow, in just the blink of an eye, the originally thick wall of people was instantly broken open, and several figures appeared in front of everyone.
"Ugh~ Kaguya, Yuzuru, Yoshino and Yoshinon, it took quite a bit of ti. (Chew)."
"Kuku~ As expected of my kin. It seems you have perfectly planted the seeds of fear into people's hearts for our Dark Legion."
"Retort. Aren't Yuzuru and the others chivalrous thieves?"
"Geez~ Tohka-chan, that's no good~ When Kaguya-chan said she saw Yutsuki-chan, Tohka-chan actually jumped right over from that cliff. It really gave a huge scare~"
"...Very dangerous... you know."
"Is that so, I just thought the shortcut was faster. (Gulp, swallows~)"
"Karasu Tengu—Yamai Kaguya, Kamaitachi—Yamai Yuzuru, Yuki-onna—Yoshino..."
When the soldiers confird the other party's lineup, their faces all paled in unison.
Honestly, when they saw Yatogami Tohka, the soldiers already had so intention of retreating. Especially after seeing three other monsters completely on par with Tohka, they basically lost all desire to fight.
Even though they had an overwhelming nurical advantage here, no one wanted to be the first to die.
"Then, my compatriot. Is this the target you are hunting? You have quite an eye."
"Praise. Makes want to take her ho a little bit."
"Uuu, rescued from the closed birdcage by the prince, her affection points must have perfectly UP! You're really sothing, Yutsuki-chan~"
"I'm....Yoshino... please take care of ."
"Eh, eh, eh!?"
Like a rare stuffed doll, Shiori, surrounded and curiously observed by Kaguya and the others, let out a panicked cry.
"Yes, yes~ Save the introductions for after we escape. Let's talk later, the trouble isn't over yet."
Pulling Shiori out from these curious babies, Yutsuki reminded them.
"The other party only has five people, and we have thousands. What are you afraid of!? As long as you bring back Orihi and capture these thieves, besides the bounty on the wanted posters, I'll add an extra five hundred ryo of gold..."
Pong——!
Suddenly, from an unnoticed corner, the sound of a gunshot rang out. The Lord with a "?" face, who was just shouting, collapsed silently to the ground.
"Father!?" Shiori cried out with a pale face.
"Oya oya~ No need to panic so much. It's just a normal tranquilizer bullet. After all, if I let him keep shouting like that, I would be very troubled."
Gently blowing out the light smoke from the matchlock gun, Tokisaki Kurumi stepped out from the darkness, a dangerous smile appearing on the corners of her mouth.
"Tokisaki Kurumi!?"
"That thousand-man slayer before joining the chivalrous thief group!?!"
"The Lord has been taken out? Do we still fight then?"
"I don't want to fight that group of monsters, if you want to go, you go first."
Now that they had lost their leader, the soldiers and guards were completely disorganized like loose sand. If Kurumi hadn't taken out the Lord and he had issued the bounty order, under the charm of money, the soldiers would have definitely rushed forward scrambling over each other. It must be said, Kurumi's move ca at the perfect ti.
If there was only a 70% chance of escaping at first, now it's 99%.
"Kurumi, we'll leave this place to you guys for now."
"Mhm, please rest assured. Yutsuki-san and Orihi-san, please hurry and leave. Uhuhu~ She looks quite delicious. Later, Yutsuki-san, you must introduce properly~"
Kurumi licked her lips sowhat obsessively, making Shiori's face turn a bit pale.
"Okay, okay~"
Yutsuki reached out and patted Shiori's head, answering helplessly.
...
"Are those Yutsuki-sama's partners?"
"Mhm, although their personalities are more or less weird, overall they are all good people. Shiori-chan, if you got scared, please don't mind it."
"No, I think they are all people with very unique personalities. Having such amazing partners, Yutsuki-sama is really lucky."
"Well... if I had to say, it's more like an inseparable bad affinity."
Arriving at the gate of Tengu Castle, unlike the scene of Kaguya and the others which was practically a slaughter, the guards at the city gate looked as if they had eaten sothing unclean. Their expressions were dazed, as if they had been brainwashed.
Seeing this scene, Yutsuki couldn't help but smile bitterly. As expected, this guy ca too.
"Husband~ I missed you so much!"
"Miku..."
"Yutsuki-sama, you, you and that partner are hus—"
Dodging Miku, who threw herself at her while calling out a sweet pet na, feeling the sowhat fanatic gaze of Shiori behind her. The corners of Yutsuki's mouth twitched slightly.
"Shiori, let introduce you, this is a partner of mine, Izayoi Miku. By the way..."
"Oh oh, what's with this child?! Cute to the point of breaking the rules! It's decided~ from now on you are my wifey~"
"Eh, eh, eh!?"
"She goes both ways..."
Pulling away Miku, who wanted to directly pounce on Shiori and pin her down, Yutsuki explained calmly.
"Hah..."
Shiori laughed sowhat awkwardly.
"Geez... Yutsuki, you really are reckless."
A sigh carrying a hint of helplessness ca from above the city wall. Yutsuki looked up, and Kotori, holding a giant axe and a candied fruit stick in her mouth, jumped down from the watchtower on the city wall.
"Boss Kotori. To actually specially lead everyone to a place like this for my sake, I'm so moved (wipes tear)."
"Stop kissing up!" Kotori rolled her eyes in annoyance. Waving the note in her hand, she complained.
"'I've decided to go to Tengu Castle to kidnap a princess on X year, X month, X day, at X hour. In order to play the hero saving the beauty and use the suspension bridge effect to win the beauty's heart, I've decided to keep this a secret and go secretly... I-I'm definitely not going alone because I'm worried you guys will drag down, so absolutely do not co!' What the heck is with this goosebump-inducing and roundabout ssage telling us to 'Hurry up and co help'!?"
"I always believed Boss, you would definitely understand the deep aning of this ssage."
Yutsuki gave a thumbs up and said.
"How exactly do you see !"
Kotori sighed speechlessly. Glancing at the sowhat shy Shiori, she said.
"Anyway, the city gate has been secured by us. Miku and I will regroup with Tohka and the others and then retreat. Yutsuki, you guys leave first. After all, as long as you successfully escape with Orihi, this battle is undoubtedly our victory."
"I understand... No. Before that, there's one more problem to solve."
Yutsuki shook her head and pointed at Tobiichi Origami, who was following closely behind her, and said.
"Wah~ This cold-looking guy is also very handso."
"Surprising, aren't there actually so pretty strong people in this city?"
"rmaid Princess—Izayoi Miku, and Phoenix—Itsuka Kotori..."
Origami glanced at the two plainly, then paid them no more attention. Instead, looking at Shiori behind Yutsuki, she asked seriously.
"Orihi-sama, I will confirm one last ti. Do you truly not intend to return to Tengu Castle?"
Shiori slowly but firmly shook her head.
"Attendant Tobiichi, I no longer wish to return to that narrow birdcage."
"Is that so... I am the Lord's samurai, and also the Princess's guard. Therefore, Orihi-sama's true wish, I cannot go against."
Origami gently exhaled, drew her katana, and pointed the blade straight at Yutsuki.
"Husband!?"
"Yutsuki!?"
"Wait, don't rush to be on guard, this guy has no killing intent. Tobiichi Origami, say what you want to say."
Smiling bitterly and making Miku and Kotori withdraw their ready-to-fight stances, Yutsuki looked at Origami.
At the very beginning when escaping the castle, amidst the smoke, logically speaking, hearing the Lord's cry for help, even knowing it was a trap, Origami as a samurai should have gone to protect her lord. However, she didn't hesitate to choose to attack Yutsuki who was taking Shiori away. From this point, Yutsuki could see many things.
Tobiichi Origami might be her enemy, but she would not be Itsuka Shiori's enemy.
Origami looked directly into Yutsuki's eyes with a serious gaze.
"If Orihi-sama falls into any misfortune outside, Ryougi Yutsuki, I will not hesitate to cut you down."
"What a terrifying threat~ Don't worry, I'm very afraid of dying, so that day won't co."
"...I hope you rember the words you said yourself."
Origami silently sheathed her blade and turned to walk back.
"To actually cast aside the shot Lord and chase after yourself just to specially say these few words, you really are a disqualified samurai."
Yutsuki watched Origami walking far away and sighed sowhat speechlessly.
"Then congratulations, Orihi-sama... No, Itsuka Shiori. Now, you are no longer a trapped caged bird."
Hearing Yutsuki's words, Shiori finally snapped back to reality. Now, she was no longer the Orihi surrounded like a star by the moon, but an ordinary girl—Itsuka Shiori.
"Eh, u-um, Yutsuki-sama! Can I be happy now?!"
"Of course you can~ My cute Shiori-chan."
Admiring Shiori, who blushed because of her words, Yutsuki chuckled softly and slowly reached out her hand.
"According to our promise, are you willing to travel the outside world together with ?"
"Asking this kind of question now, Yutsuki-sama really has a bad taste."
On Shiori's pretty face, under the fluorescent light of the moon, a dreamy and moving smile appeared.
Perhaps, she would experience hardships outside the castle that she couldn't even believe, and encounter many sorrows she had never seen before.
But, she would also encounter many happy things, many wonderful experiences she never had, be able to constantly et new people, and make many interesting friends like Yutsuki-sama's partners.
Compared to that narrow and unchanging prison, isn't this cruel yet beautiful world even more desirable?
Perhaps, relying solely on her own wings, she couldn't soar in this sky. But, as long as she has him, as long as she has his companionship!
Shiori tightly grasped that person's hand.
"I... No—my na is Itsuka Shiori. I am lacking in talent, but please take care of anew, Yutsuki-sama."
Definitely—it will be fine.
"I... am nothing but a frail caged bird. Clearly unable to fly in the blue sky, yet wanting to extravagantly wish for the outside world, is it greedy of ?"
...
"This Yutsuki-sama. Is not so annoying fly. But my one and only, most precious friend."
...
"Because, Yutsuki-sama already said it. She didn't co to rescue for my sake, but simply because she wants . So even if she fails the first ti, Yutsuki-sama will co a second, a third ti. I believe even with Father's generosity, you wouldn't forgive Yutsuki-sama, right."
...
"I, won't go back! I am going to escape this birdcage, and then go see the mountains and rivers of this world with my favorite friend!"
...
Watching Ryougi Yutsuki on the street, reciting affectionately as if performing an opera. The others looked at each other, gathered on the side, and whispered in discussion.
"Honey has been like this ever since after school. What exactly is she talking about?"
"...Judging solely from the content, it should be a story about a handso and suave samurai rescuing a beautiful princess kidnapped by a thief with bad intentions, and then eloping far away."
"Eh—I feel like Miss Origami's description is sowhat different from the lines Honey is reciting..."
"Oh, oh~ It sounds like it might be very interesting. Yoshinon feels her curiosity is going 'whoosh, whoosh!' constantly rising. I really want to ask Yutsuki-chan to tell us the story properly after we get back~"
"I am also... very curious!"
"Yutsuki looks very happy... Speaking of which, I always feel like I had a weird dream today. I always feel like I was swinging Sandalphon and fighting a group of people wearing clothes from a long ti ago... Mhm! Today's kinako bread is also so delicious~"
"Kuku—my kin. You have already felt that invisible revelation together with through our contract."
"Addition. Yuzuru also seems to have had a similar dream."
"Ara ara. It seems I am not the only one who has this feeling?"
"Well. Let's put aside what dreams we had for now. Rather than that, who exactly is the person always calling herself 'I' (in a feminine way) in Yutsuki-nee's mouth~ I'm actually more curious about that. Don't you think so? Shido~"
Seeing Kotori's aningful look full of smiles, Shido, covered in cold sweat, looked up and laughed drily.
"Ahahaha, I... I-I'm not very clear on that!"
At this ti, Yutsuki completely didn't care about the curious stares of the passersby, completely intoxicated in her own world. Like a believer reciting the Bible, she sang divinely...
"You're really too much, Yutsuki-sama. I had clearly already decided to give up. Yet you still appeared so suddenly and selfishly, and so suddenly and unreasonably stole everything of mine... really, it's too sly."
—I can't hear you! I can't hear you!
"Perhaps, relying solely on my own wings, I can't soar in this sky. But, as long as I have him, as long as I have his companionship!"
—I can't hear you! I can't hear you! I can't hear you! I can't hear you!
"I... No—my na is Itsuka Shiori. I am lacking in talent, but please take care of anew, Yutsuki-sama."
"Yutsuki, please spare ——————!!"
On the third day in the computer world, Itsuka Shido's unbearable dark history had one more item added to it.
User Comments
0 comments from readers