Chapter 25 - 7: The young woman and the children

Three children about ten years old then came out of the small wooden house looking at Nori with watchful eyes, then one of them, a young redheaded girl said

"Yato , Haya-chan asked you not to wander around the city, since a week we've been looking for you everywhere!"

Yato then began to scratch his hair embarrassingly before pointing at Nori with his finger...

"But look, I brought a ninja, he's gonna help us find the others."

"You fools, like a ninja would be interested in us, I'll strangle you!!!" Shouted the little girl running violently towards Yato

"Aghh...ahhh...stop it I won't do it again...ahhh...it hurts..."

Nori saw the kid getting beaten up and couldn't help but laugh.

Finally attracting the attention of all the children, including the little redheaded girl who then stopped hitting Yato.

Then the door of the house opened, and out came a pretty young woman with blond hair dressed in a red kimono, as she walked slowly and with difficulty towards Nori.

"Thank you, sir, for bringing Yato to us. My name is Haya... *cough*." said she, coughing violently

The children then rushed towards the young woman with worried faces.

"Haya-chan doesn't come out, go back inside."

"Haya-chan the doctor said you can't go out in your condition."

"Haya-chan..."

Seeing the children rushing to help the young woman named Haya, Nori couldn't help but help bring her inside.

The wooden house was divided into two rooms, a main room and a large bedroom with several fûton. Nori and the children put Haya on a fûton, then another child covered her with an old blanket.

"Thank you for your gentleman... cough... then I know your name." She said as her face was slightly pale.

"Nori Hisamatsu" replied Nori in a calm and soothing voice...

"Haya-Chan, I just wanted to find the others. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." Said Yato With guilt in his voice

"It's no big deal Yato you only wanted to help your friends, but don't go out so long in the future."

"It's okay now let's let Haya-Chan rest." Says the little redhead

"May I speak to her alone?" Nori asked the children

The children had a hesitant expression for a moment before Haya said

"You may go."

The children then nodded their heads and walked out of the room leaving Nori and Haya

"Mr. Nori, what do you want to talk to me about... *cough*..."

"Can you tell me about these so-called disappearances the kid was talking about."

Haya stopped talking for a moment before looking at Nori with a smile.

"I don't want to bother Mr. Nori with our problems, you've already brought us back..."

But before she finished her words, Noti interrupted her.

"Don't worry about me. I don't have to do anything anyway. Tell me about the disappearances."

Haya fell silent again before she began to tell Nori the facts.

Five months ago, in the abandoned district of Edo, children began to disappear mysteriously, the families notified then the authorities, but they were completely ignored, the abandoned district was a place belonging to the original inhabitants of the Edo valley, but since the economic changes in the city, the original inhabitants were gradually pushed out of the city centre, the cost of living in Edo was exorbitant, the horrendously high taxes added to the disaster of the previous two Ninja wars, many civilians from Edo died, Added to the arrival of a corrupt and shameless Daimyo who owned all the shops in the city and marginalized the poor, Edo was a paradise for the rich tourists and a hell for the poor inhabitants.

Even if everyone in the abandoned district was killed it wouldn't bother anyone.

And among the missing children were three children she had adopted, her father and mother were originally shopkeepers from a small town near Edo, who died in a skirmish between ninjas during the second war, she then came to this town and paid for a house in the abandoned district of Edo, then she gradually adopted children who were victims of the war, trying to take care of them as much as she could.

"They're poor children, they've already suffered so much from the war ... *cough*...I couldn't even help them...*cough*...they disappeared under my responsibility..I'm the one at fault..." she said as tears streamed from her eyes.

Nori fell silent and the children, who also had their ears glued to the door, began to cry.

Yato then gritted his teeth and opened the door

"Haya-Chan, it's not your fault! You've always done your best for us, I'll find Seichiro and the others."

"Yato..." she said as she dried her tears

Nori then got up and began to walk towards the exit door.

"I thought I'd have a quiet vacation, Yato's coming with me, we're going to find your friends."

"Master...wait for me..." Yato shouted following Nori outside.

"Yato's coming back, Haya-chan we can't leave that idiot with someone we've only just met." Says the little redheaded girl.

Haya then fell silent looking at the open door for a moment with a slightly worried facial expression.