Chapter 10: A Resolute Departure
It was the long-awaited day of the harvest festival. Coincidentally, it had also been exactly one year since the day Gouki and the others appeared before Rio.
“Rio, the pie’s done baking!”
“The soup is simmering steadily here!”
“L-Lady Komomo! It’s dangerous to peek into the pot like that.”
Just like last year, Rio was cooking in the kitchen of the village chief’s house; this time, however, the members were different than last year, where it was just Ruri and Sayo. At present, there were four others apart from Rio in the kitchen: Ruri, Komomo, Aoi, and Kayoko.
While Kayoko silently worked away at cooking her specialty foods, the other members were working together to make the same kamutan and pie as last year. Ruri was used to cooking, but Komomo only started learning bit by bit when she came to live in the village, so she was still somewhat dangerous in the kitchen. In contrast, her mother Kayoko was cooking with tremendous knife skills.
Once the food was safely completed, they carried the dishes out to the square where the main venue was. The men of the village were already drinking, singing, and dancing with plenty of excitement. Among them was Gouki, who mingled with the rest of them with merriment. He seemed to be winning at a sumo-like sport with a consecutive streak.
“There are no social ranks here! Anyone with confidence in their skill may challenge me freely!” Gouki announced loudly, naked above the waist.
“Go get ’em, General Gouki!”
“Dola, it’s your turn!”
“Don’t be crazy! There’s no way I’d win!”
The men of the village raved on.
“...I can’t believe he had the nerve to leave Sir Rio and enjoy the banquet alone. I must have a word with him later,” Kayoko muttered in a cold voice as she spotted Gouki.
“No, please don’t worry about me. There are no ranks here, after all.” Rio shuddered softly as he quietly sent Gouki a lifeline.
“I understand,” Kayoko replied with a slightly disappointed look.
“All right! We’ve made kamutan again this year! Anyone who wants a serving, get in line!” Ruri yelled at the people in the square.
The villagers all gathered at once and worked together with the village ladies serving the kamutan for quite some time.
“We should join them and start eating, too, Komomo. I’m starving!”
“Yes. The kamutan Sir Rio made... I’m looking forward to it!”
Ruri and Komomo served their own helpings of kamutan.
“Thank you very much for your assistance. I apologize for making someone of your status work like this. If you’d like to, I was hoping we could eat together.”
“We have been invited to this harvest festival by the kindness of Lady Yuba — the least I could do in gratitude is assist. To receive Sir Rio’s words of gratitude, on top of having a meal together...” Kayoko said in an extremely humbled manner.
“No, this is just a simple village. There’s no need to act so formal in front of the others... Not to mention, Komomo is always eating together with us, so it’s too late for that now. Come this way,” Rio said, walking toward the area where Ruri and Komomo were sitting.
Hayate was also there — it was the area allocated for welcoming the Saga family. And so, they all sat down and began their meal as they chatted pleasantly amongst each other. Eventually, Gouki returned to join the conversation, too.
Around an hour later, Sayo hesitantly approached Rio.
“U-Umm! Sir Rio! Do you have a moment?” she asked him. The eyes of everyone present gathered on her. Sayo was trembling with a terribly nervous face.
“Yes. How may I help you, Sayo?” Rio looked up at her hovering figure and noticed she was wearing a familiar hairpin in her hair. He smiled — happily, for some reason.
“U-Umm. I wanted to talk to you...” Sayo was being very timid, but a strong will could be seen in her eyes.
“Sure. Shall we move somewhere else, then?” Rio suggested. He also wanted to talk to her before he left.
“Y-Yes. If possible, then, please.”
“I understand. Everyone — please excuse me for a moment,” Rio notified the others apologetically before rising to his feet. Then, he walked to an isolated area with Sayo.
Komomo was staring after the two of them with a slightly befuddled expression.
On a roadside where the hustle and bustle of the banquet could be faintly heard, Rio and Sayo stood facing one another. Sayo was shaking in extreme nervousness.
Rio spoke first. “...You’re still using that hairpin.”
“Ah, yes.” Sayo nodded uncomfortably.
“Was it around spring when Shin asked me to stay in the village, and you and I became estranged?”
“...Yes. I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble at the time.” Sayo bowed her head apologetically.
“You weren’t any trouble — I was just worried that I said something that hurt you, or that maybe you hated me now,” Rio said, letting out a troubled and bitter laugh.
“That’s not true! It’s impossible! You didn’t do anything wrong...”
“Could I ask you one thing?” Rio asked out of the blue, making Sayo nod stiffly.
“...Yes.”
“On the day that Shin appeared before me... Did that have something to do with me telling you I was leaving the village?”
“It... did. The one who didn’t want you to leave the village was actually me. That day, when you told me you were leaving the village, I... I got really sad... And was crying when I got home. My brother went wild when he saw me... and acted on my behalf...” Sayo could feel her heart thud as she spoke. Her whole body was burning, yet she was trembling as though she was cold.
“So that’s... what it was... Sayo, I...”
Rio’s expression darkened bitterly. He felt deep regret as he tried to tell Sayo there was no change in his mind to leave the village.
“U-Umm! There was something I wanted to tell you...” Sayo said with determination.
“...Sure, what is it?” Rio asked, focusing his eyes on Sayo’s face.
“Umm, that is... I know you might find it a nuisance to hear this, but... I-I... I like you, Sir Rio!” Sayo suddenly bowed her head as she confessed to him.
“...”
The surprise confession made Rio flinch. He looked down at Sayo’s lowered head, dumbfounded, and wondered what he should say to her.
What would be the proper response? The answer to that was obvious: it was either to accept or reject her words.
But, once he reached that point in his thought process, Rio instantly had the answer of which one he should pick.
He had known from the very beginning.
“...I’m sorry. I cannot return your feelings, Sayo.” Rio clenched his hands into fists and shook his head as though to stifle the pain in his heart.
“...I-Is that because you’ll be leaving the village, Sir Rio?” Sayo’s face twisted with heartbreak, but she seemed to have been prepared for the rejection as she asked that question.
“That isn’t the sole reason, but yes,” Rio said, deciding to reply truthfully about his feelings.
“Then — please take me with you!” Sayo proposed immediately.
“...That would be impossible, Sayo.” Rio’s eyes widened at Sayo’s instant response with no sign of hesitation, but he still shook his head.
“It’ll be fine! I worked my hardest so that I wouldn’t be a hindrance! For this past year, I’ve been practicing spirit arts every single day!” Sayo insisted with desperation.
“You did such a thing...” Rio could keenly feel Sayo’s emotions, rendering him speechless in spite of himself.
Half a year ago would have been springtime; she probably started practicing soon after Shin had groveled at Rio’s feet.
All in order to...
“Please. Take me with you. I-I want to go. I’ll do anything... I’ll work my hardest to not get in your way, so, please!”
Sayo was desperate — she bowed her head in a show of that desperation.
“...I’m sorry, but that isn’t the issue. I have no intention of returning your feelings,” Rio said regretfully, averting his eyes from Sayo.
“T-That’s fine. You don’t have to look at me. You don’t have to do anything... Just... At the very, very least... Let me stay by your side. Please.”
Tears fell from Sayo’s eyes as she grabbed Rio’s hand. She was desperately trying to make an appeal for her feelings.
“Sayo... I’m sorry. I’m really sorry,” Rio apologized, face twisting with guilt. After much thought, those were the only words he was able to put together. He wasn’t tactful enough to think of anything better.
He felt ashamed — did those feelings originate from his guilt toward Sayo, his sympathy toward Sayo, or his own hatred for himself? No one could know. The only one who would know was the person himself, but not even Rio knew.
“Fweh... Uuh... G-Guh... Sniff.”
After letting go of her painful grip on Rio’s hand, Sayo was unable to hold back her tears, having a keen understanding that it was pointless.
It was Sayo’s first heartbreak, but somehow, she knew. She had seen it coming... That this love would be fruitless. She knew, because she could feel that Rio was in a very far away place.
However, for Sayo, who was in the middle of experiencing her first love, she wasn’t able to give up and completely close off any possibilities.
That was why she had to do something. Yuba had told her that Rio was firmly determined, no matter how much she tried to stop him, so she had to desperately think of another effective option other than stopping him.
That was when Sayo came to realize that if Rio would leave, even if she tried to stop him, then she should just follow him instead.
That being said, in order to do that, she had to, at the very least, not be a hindrance. However, it was clear that just dabbling in spirit arts wasn’t enough for her to satisfy that.
She also didn’t think that she could fill that gap in the half-year before Rio left the village.
Even then, Sayo desperately worked her hardest. Even if it didn’t work out, she blindly exerted herself with the hope that her devotion would be acknowledged.
And yet... it still wasn’t enough.
“...”
Rio couldn’t bear to watch Sayo breaking down in tears before him. He almost placed a hand against her shoulder without thinking, but clenched his fist tightly and stopped himself.
There were no words that he could offer Sayo right now. Even if he spoke gently to her, he wouldn’t be able to do anything more than that. Since he couldn’t return her feelings, he would only be hurting her more with his half-hearted kindness.
With that thought, Rio turned on his heel, silently, his expression twisting in pain. But he slowed for a moment as he departed, fixing his gaze on the shade of a tree a slight distance away.
Then, the presence he felt from the shadows wavered faintly.
...Forgive me, Shin.
Rio whispered an apology in his heart, then distanced himself from Sayo with resolute steps.
“S-Sir Rio, wait...”
“...” He said nothing to Sayo’s weakly-spoken voice.
The distance between Rio and Sayo was close, yet hopelessly far. With no other option, Sayo could only continue to cry.
Meanwhile, Shin was glaring at Rio’s departing figure from behind the trees.
That jerk knew I was here. He really is an awful guy. He clicked his tongue and frowned.
Although he wanted to follow his impulse to run after Rio and beat him up, he knew nothing would come of it.
After all, it wasn’t Rio’s fault.
Shin gave an aggravated sigh and looked at Sayo instead. She was still crouched over the ground, crying. While there were barely any people around during the festival, that didn’t mean there was no one at all.
“Damn it!” Shin scratched at his head roughly and briskly walked off. There was no hesitation in his steps as he made a beeline for where Sayo was crouched.
“Oi, Sayo.”
When Shin called out to her, Sayo’s dainty body flinched.
“Bro...ther?” Sayo looked up at Shin with the face of an abandoned puppy as she cried.
“Are you giving up? You’re satisfied now, right?” Shin suddenly asked in a voice laced with irritation.
“I-I’ll give up. B-Because... I was rejected... It’s no use anymore,” Sayo mumbled with her head hung low.
“Oh, really. You’re giving up. Well, I don’t care either way. Who would want to give their precious little sister away to a good-for-nothing like him, right?” Shin said offhandedly, which made Sayo look up at him with sullen eyes.
“D-Don’t speak badly about Sir Rio.”
“Hey, hey — are you sticking up for trash like him? I have no idea what he was so burdened with, but he always had such a depressing face.”
“...Stop it, otherwise I’ll get mad, Shin.” The normally docile Sayo’s voice was filled with rarely-seen anger.
“Sure, the girls may find his face somewhat nice to look at. He can handle household chores and handiwork without a problem, and he’s strong enough to beat the crap out of Gon and those other bastards. ...Wait, shit, saying it out loud is making me even more annoyed. But that’s just how unpleasant that guy is. A sly and shrewd jerk!” Shin ranted on and on about Rio with negativity.
“Shin! How can you say such horrible things?!” Sayo flared up.
“Hah? I could say the same for you! How could you stick up for a guy like that?! Shouldn’t you hate him? He’s the guy who rejected you. Haven’t you given up already?” Shin asked provokingly.
“I-I don’t hate him. It’s not his fault!”
“Huh? Are you stupid? Do you love him, then?” Shin questioned further with a dubious look.
“...There’s no way I could hate him.”
“I’m asking if you love him. Are you dumb?” Shin finally looked down on Sayo in exasperation, making Sayo get worked up.
“That’s right! I’m dumb! I love him!” she cried out.
“DON’T GIVE UP, THEN!” Shin yelled back without a moment’s delay.
“...?!” Sayo, in spite of herself, could not find the words for a rebuttal.
“You love him, don’t you?! So why are you giving up after being rejected just once, after you worked so hard on practicing your spirit arts every day for half a year?! You gotta be kidding me!”
“Because he’s leaving the village! I don’t know what to do!!”
“You either wait for him to return, or you follow him!”
“W-Wait for him... But I don’t know when he will return! What if he comes back and then leaves again?”
“Then follow him!”
“D-Don’t be absurd! I don’t even know where he’s going!”
Shin had an illogical counterargument for every remark, making Sayo unable to hold herself back from arguing.
“Shit, that’s right. Then you’ll just have to wait. You’d better be prepared to wait as many years as it takes, until you’ve become an old lady.”
“...If I became an old lady, he wouldn’t even look at me anymore,” Sayo muttered offhandedly.
“Good grief... You two over there. Your voices are rather loud.” Gouki appeared out of nowhere and spoke in a tired voice.
“?!” The thought of their conversation being overheard by other people made Sayo glance around with a bright red flush on her cheeks.
“Don’t worry — there’s no one around other than me. Although that may not have been the case if you continued to argue like that,” Gouki said with a wry smile, reassuring Sayo.
“You’re Sir Hayate’s father...”
“Indeed. I am Saga Gouki.”
“Were you... eavesdropping? That’s not very nice of you.” Shin glared at him unhappily.
“S-Shin! Don’t be rude!” Sayo reprimanded him in a panic.
“You’ve got guts, boy. Interesting. I wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping — you two were simply having your sibling fight at a volume I couldn’t help but hear. So I decided to step forward.” Gouki laughed with a snort.
“...And? What do you want? If you’re just here to laugh, then I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
“I’d like to speak with that girl over there. You may leave first.”
“As if I’d leave my precious sister behind.” Shin stood before Gouki with a sullen expression.
“Hm. Then, listen quietly. Are you in love with Lord Rio, girl?”
“Eh... Y-Yes,” Sayo replied with a timid nod.
“Enough to abandon the village of your birth?” Gouki fired a follow-up question immediately after she had responded.
“T-That’s...” Sayo stumbled over her reply for a moment.
“Forget it, then. It looks like I was mistaken.” Gouki turned to leave.
“W-Wait, please! I-I love him! I love Sir Rio!” Sayo grabbed Gouki’s sleeve in a panic, speaking out as though she were making an appeal for her feelings.
“...And those words are the truth?” A serious expression showed on Gouki’s face as he questioned Sayo’s resolve.
“Y-Yes!”
As the sun gradually started to set, Sayo’s voice echoed along the roadside of the village.
Several days later, the day for Rio to leave the village had finally come.
A huge crowd of people were gathered near the west gate of the village to see him off. Among them were members of the Saga family, too; while Homura and Shizuku had already said their farewells before the harvest festival, he greeted them all in order, and said his farewells to the Saga family as well.
“Sir Rio, I hope that you won’t forget about me!” Komomo said, looking up with an uneasy face.
“Of course. I hope that you won’t forget about me either, Komomo.”
“Definitely! There’s no way I would ever!” Komomo nodded with a fist pump.
“Thank you, Komomo. ...Lord Gouki, Lady Kayoko, Lord Hayate. Please take care of yourselves. I’ll be looking forward to the next time we meet.” He looked at Komomo’s family members, who stood behind her, as he spoke.
“Those should be our words. Until the next time we meet, I shall sharpen my skills in anticipation, so thank you for everything.”
“Our whole family is much indebted to you. I look forward to the day we meet again.”
“To be honest, I keep being caught by surprise by... Lord... Rio. I believe we will meet again some day, so please take care of yourself on your journey.”
Gouki, Kayoko, and Hayate all offered their farewells.
“I will work diligently not to lose to you next time we meet. I wish you all the best.” Rio nodded with a cheerful nod.
“Go on, Sayo, you too. Don’t hold back!”
“Wawawah, Ruri!” Ruri pushed Sayo before Rio.
“Hello, Sayo,” Rio said with a faintly stiff smile. He hadn’t seen her since the confession.
“H-Hello, Sir Rio. Umm... Please take care of yourself.”
Despite seeming nervous, Sayo gave the brightest smile she could. In turn, Rio was also able to regain some of his ability to smile.
“Yes. You too, Sayo. Take care.”
“I-I’ll do my best. And, also... Sir Rio!” Sayo called Rio’s name with resolution.
“...What is it?” Rio tilted his head hesitantly.
“I’m going to do my best! I’ll do my best... So you do your best, too, Sir Rio!” Sayo said enthusiastically.
Rio’s eyes widened in confusion before he smiled in amusement. “...Yes. I’ll do my best. I’m very happy you came to see me off. Thank you very much.”
“I-It was nothing. I’m glad... Ahaha.” Sayo let out a breath of relief and smiled happily. She was almost moved to tears, but no tears of sadness spilled out.
“Aren’t you going to say anything, Shin?” Standing back beside them, Ruri turned the spotlight to Shin.
“Hmph. Well, take care, I guess. And you haven’t said anything either, Ruri.” Shin said bluntly.
“Ahaha, that’s because, y’know. I’ve already got my share of farewells in. Rio, make sure to visit if you have the time to come back. As often as possible, if you can,” Ruri said, flushing with embarrassment.
“Got it. I wonder... You might be married the next time we meet, Ruri,” Rio said, imagining the future.
“Ahaha, who knows. Oh, but if no one wants me as their bride, will you have me, Rio?” Ruri replied jokingly.
“...It’ll be fine. If it’s you, then I’m sure you’ll find someone wonderful to marry.” Rio evaded the question with a huff of laughter.
“Oh my, looks like I was rejected. Too bad. See you later, then, Rio.” Ruri shrugged with a small sigh and offered her hand out for Rio to shake.
“Yup, see you. I was really happy to be able to live like family with you, Ruri.” Rio returned Ruri’s handshake and nodded happily.
“We’re not like family, we are family. Even if we can’t tell anyone, you and I are cousins,” Ruri whispered in Rio’s ear.
“You’re right. Thank you, truly,” Rio said, smiling widely as he thanked Ruri.
Next, he addressed Yuba, who was standing nearby. “You, too. Thank you for everything.”
“Those should be my words. Like I said before, you’re welcome back here at any time. That’s why you must take care of yourself. Got it?” Yuba said with a huff of laughter on her lips.
“...Yes, thank you very much.” Rio bowed his head deeply, and Yuba looked around.
“Now! Is there anyone who has yet to say their goodbyes?” she asked.
“Have a good trip!”
“Be careful.”
“You can come back, but don’t forget the souvenirs.”
“I want alcohol!”
“Later!”
All the various voices of the village sounded off.
“...Doesn’t seem like it. All right, Rio. Have a safe journey!” Yuba cackled heartily and sent Rio off with cheer.
Rio bowed deeply one last time. “Okay everyone, I’ll be going now! I’ll make sure to bring back souvenirs for you!”
With those final words, Rio turned on his heel and waved with a smile, before walking out of the village as all the villagers loudly yelled their goodbyes.
Rio turned and waved his arms furiously as the distance between him and the village gradually widened.
It was the fall season of the year 999 of the Holy Era.
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