The six canoes drifted sluggishly in the kegare creek. Karasuma’s famished young warriors were having a late breakfast.
Rice balls and boiled eggs.
The village’s warrior code was very particular about food and nutrition. It prescribed two conservative meals a day, one for energy and protein (eggs, fish, meat, along with rice) and the other to fulfill essential nutrients (nuts, vegetables, fruits).
Canoe 2: Shigeo (M,15), Akako (F, 16), Kento (M, 16)
Canoe 3: Hajime (M, 20), Megumin (F, 19), Yuuta (M, 20)
Canoe 4: Daigo (M, 20), Kafu (M, 19), Chiyo (F, 17)
Canoe 5: Nadeko (F, 15), Illumi (M, 15), Masaki (M, 15)
The aspirants’ waterborne vessels, ingrained with sailing kitsu, had been made to float abreast of each other so that the group could speak among themselves with ease. The preceptors’ canoe was coasting ahead while Yorokobi’s vessel was trailing behind. Both were divorced from the rest, watching out for dangers. They had doggedly decided not to let the morning’s events be repeated.
The setting of nature and natural sounds was soothing- a motley of birds chirping away, insects buzzing in and out, frogs croaking to their mates, all in the backdrop of the babbling creek water. The young ones found a bunch of low-hanging berries. Daigo sacrificed one of his petty knives to drop a dense bunch from a vine.
During times of war, the warrior code was eased. The present circumstances were undoubtedly not warlike. Still, the danger they had escaped from an hour back, at least, entitled them to a late second breakfast. Sweet forest berries as dessert were icing on the cake.
The only other edible things within reach were mushrooms of different colors, growing on tree trunks or rocks. They were abundant on either bank of the creek. However, it was difficult to tell the palatable ones from the poisonous ones.
Kafu, being a Shibai Sharin priest, refrained from food. He was fasting for the day. Instead of eatables, he drank from a flask that reeked of wild saffron and bush-lilac.
Nadeko: “Did you figure it out?“
Masaki: “Figure out what?”
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Illumi: “How Keiji sensei ran on water, of course, you airhead!”
The three youngest in the group were also the most vulnerable. The recent events had put the fear of the goddess in them.
Nadeko was a petite, round-faced girl who resembled a doll.
Illumi was a curious, lean teenager, always brimming with energy.
Masaki was an artistic but brooding kid. He kept to himself most of the time. He had been weaving a miniature basket from leaves when Nadeko had disturbed him.
All three of them had been strong-armed by their ambitious parents to become aspirants in the Legacy Trials.
Kin-lords had announced the trials suddenly. The declaration had been almost two years in advance. It had caught many senior aspirants unawares.
After every run of the Legacy Trials, a trials-recess was taken for three years. During the recess (the gap between two consecutive trials), failed aspirants used their time productively. They explored employment opportunities with wealthy clients from other villages, especially Karasuki. They found work as bodyguards or became training instructors.
Even Karasuma did not ignore talented warriors who could not succeed in the trials. Village sanctioned long-term missions were designed to put them to work. Thus, the seniors planned the trial-recess in such a manner that they returned to Karasuma just before the trials. They came back home experienced, seasoned, and flush with gold.
However, this time around, the untimely trials would exclude most of the senior aspirants. Taking advantage of this, influential parents from all kin had made concerted efforts to send in their children.
The young ones were still stuck, figuring out Keiji’s miraculous ability.
Nadeko: “Tell me. Tell me!”
Masaki: “It was kitsu without a doubt. What else could it be?”
Megumin: “Perhaps he cast pellets of kitsu into the water and tiptoed on them?”
Megumin was a nineteen-year-old girl who said ridiculous things frequently without realizing it. Hajime and Yuuta sniggered. Since school, the three had been friends. People referred to them as the bulwark-trio. It was because of their team’s record of being unbeaten in mock battles.
However, Megumin was not very sharp for her age. The boys left no stone unturned, making fun of her dullness. Megumin was a robust girl, as tall as and beefier than the boys, who were about five feet ten. Her gifts lay in her formidable strength.
Hajime and Yuuta were both champions of kitsu.
The bulwark-trio regretted not taking part in the rescue earlier. But then, they had no experience fighting in the unfamiliar terrain. But then, there is nothing that a young warrior could do in the middle of the raging Mizusashi river. They could not imagine having the ability to walk on water like Keiji.
Daigo: “Does he wear any rarefied shoes that displace his weight? Perhaps a rare artifact?”
Kafu: “That is not likely, Daigo-dono. The way he moved on water, it was as if he was gliding. Or, more accurately, as if there was no water.”