The only battles Seiko fought in were those that took place in or near the capital. She always hated going out there, having no choice but to let her voices give her instructions—having no choice but to kill, often viciously. Yet…she didn’t want to fully retreat, either. Her voices would drag her back out to the battlefield, one way or another, and she didn’t want to worry Mikka by telling her.

A full year passed since that first battle. Seiko lost count of how many lives she had taken in the skirmishes since then. It was hard to find acceptance with it; she either had her own thoughts by being around friends, or she her thoughts were overwhelmed by imaginary voices.

Eventually, Lord Ozuru officially made her a soldier, although she kept an eye on Princess Maenomi from afar by the girl’s own request. Seiko often stayed near Kinjo, finding that the voices disappeared entirely when she was near him. She was scared of herself and what she could do when she was alone, so in a way…she was almost drawn to him. Perhaps aiding her decision was that the voices tried to force her away from him—they fell completely silent in his presence, so it was one of her few forms of protest against the things.

Around midday, Seiko and Kinjo were filling in wherever they needed soldiers, which currently meant standing by the entrance. Some quiet conversation was entertained among the soldiers—if nothing else, many of them learned the skill of paying attention to your surroundings while also idly chatting with someone else.

There weren’t a lot of people that came in or out of the palace after the second battle; technically visitors were allowed, but they were often questioned and many people weren’t willing to sit through all that. Still, as the others chatted, Seiko caught sight of someone coming closer.

She frowned when she recognized the man. She glanced at Kinjo for a moment. “Do you mind if I talk with someone?”

“Just be quick, I suppose,” he replied.

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Kinjo didn’t seem to completely understand, but nonetheless Seiko cast him a thankful smile. She quickly removed her weapons—a precaution, in case the voices urged her to take blood—and sat them aside, which the other soldiers noticed as well but didn’t say anything about. When all was done, Seiko approached the man; he didn’t notice her until she called him, having been distracted by some festival stall selling goods for the summer festival.

“Ujuro!”

He immediately took notice, attempting a little smile. Seiko’s voices returned—even in their slightly quieter state, they were still louder than she was used to. Ujuro’s smile faded in favor of a frown as she suppressed a wince.

“Are you all right?” Ujuro asked kindly.

“I’m fine,” Seiko replied quickly. Her relationship with the man was a bit strained; her voices didn’t like him, and she followed them so blindly at times that her feelings were the same. Of course, like many men in his position—those who only married to support a mother and her children—he seemed to assume it stemmed from said marriage. She could never think clearly enough to explain her actions.

They fell in silence for a moment while Seiko gathered what little thoughts the voices allowed. Sighing, she asked, “If you’re here, who’s at home with Mother?”

“Mikka’s with me, actually,” Ujuro replied hesitantly.

“You let her travel?”

“She’s not as bad as it sounds. Just a bit tired.”

“Last I heard she couldn’t leave the house, much less the village.”

“‘Last you heard’ was two months ago. Things can change in that time; she’s gotten better.”

There was another few moments of silence for both of them to quiet down. Most of their conversations went like this, and the time away and circumstances only made it worse. Despite the voices urging otherwise, Seiko stayed silent for a few more moments.

“Do you…” Ujuro began awkwardly, trying again to start a decent conversation, “Do you want to see her?”

“I have to continue standing guard,” Seiko replied.

Ujuro gave an amused look, glancing at the other soldiers at the entrance to the palace. “That’sstanding guard? They’re chatting.”

“Stay on task, please,” Seiko said patiently. “If Mother can make it here, I won’t mind seeing her.”

“I can go back and get her,” Ujuro said.

Seiko nodded. “Then please do.”

Ujuro murmured final agreement and went farther into town; Seiko returned to the entrance of the palace and waited for Mikka to come. She wasn’t exactly pleased that her mother left home, but…it would be nice to speak with her again.