Gori speaks the amount of Haru's reward aloud. Everyone, even Haru himself, is shocked. It is a lot of money.

Izumi thinks of all the deaths that could be avoided, they could stop ambushing and live peacefully for years!

Bou thinks of all the food he could eat.

Gori tries to guess what Yuu would do if she were here.

Minamori thinks of all the weapons they could buy.

Hideo does a quick calculation and realizes that even if his family worked for four generations in the fields they would not be able to get such an amount.

Now Haru understands the despair of those who have been chasing him for the past two years. He cannot believe that he is still alive with such a bounty on his head.

Chapter 7 - Preparation.

"Ah! What a pity..."

Hideo concluded:

"He's already one of us."

"He accepted to stay?"

"He has."

Bou smiles, miming, pretending Haru is on his back. The others laugh.

"You have fun with him, don't you, Bou?"

Minamori recalls a good time with Haru.

"He taught me how to dodge attacks better... Plus he's a good kid."

"And he competes with me in knife throwing, no matter how many times he loses. Everyone else has already given up."

"Ah, he does the same in climbing with me!"

"Dueling with him is unpredictable and fun, he makes impossible things look easy."

There is a new pause in the conversation, very different from the previous ones.

"Let's not turn him in."

"Right, he's already family!".

"Arata? Never heard of him!"

Everyone laughs. Gori tears up the wanted poster.

Haru kneels in the doorway, covering his mouth, trying not to be heard as he sobs and cries. Tobi comes up behind him and puts a hand on his shoulder. Haru turns to face him, but to his surprise, the tall dark boy is also crying. He makes a silent sign with his index finger as he enters the temple to apologize to Gori.

Arata Haru can hardly believe he has such good friends.

......

One morning, a man standing next to the captain blows a bugle in Toyama Castle. After a few moments, several warriors come out of the castle gates or enter the estate gate. The captain arranges them in ranks. He wears black armor, composed of all six parts of a traditional Sangu armor, minus the Kabuto helmet. He slams the handle of his naginata spear into the ground, making a noise.

"Attention!"

He holds up a wanted poster.

"That's the one we're looking for, the last Arata!"

His voice echoes.

"Whoever kills him can retire! He will be able to eat meat for the rest of his life, gorge himself on rice, drink the finest beverages, have all the women he wants, and still not be able to spend it all. He will be capable of having as many children as he wants and provide a peaceful life for them too! Isn't our Daimyo kind?!"

The captain raises a white banner with the Maeda clan crest. A large black hollowed-out circle skirts the borders of the coat of arms, with five other black-filled circles standing out from a central pentagon which in turn also has a circle in its center.

The samurai roar, their hands raised and fists clenched. They are many and well-armed with swords of various types: Uchigatanas, Katanas, Wakizashis, Chokutos, Taichis, Odachis, and Kodaichis. Spear blades spear above the ranks, one can see Kikuchi Yaris, Kata Kama Yaris, Ju-Monji Yaris, and Naginatas.

Few have armor as complete as the captain's, but most have at least three pieces of armor, be it a Dou covering their chest, Kotes protecting their arms, or Haidates protecting their thighs. Some have even heard that the boy has a tendency to attack the neck, and has defeated a samurai that way, so some wear Yodare Kakes with small metal plates protecting that area.

"Don't forget the kindness of the Maeda clan! Our lord's only interest is the body. Bring me that boy even if mutilated, bring me even if burned, bring me in parts, I DONT CARE, but don't even THINK about bringing me another body instead, for I WILL KNOW!"

The men are divided into groups of five and go out through the gates. Each group is responsible for a region of Toyama city, the port, and the surrounding roads.

A bald man with a white beard sees the Daimyo's men leaving the castle grounds. He walks through the city following the warriors, crossing a crowded bridge, until he arrives at the Asano estate. The guards recognize him, and let him in.

A girl with yellowish-brown eyes, short hair, wearing a red Iro Muji kimono with three Asano Kamons, welcomes him and escorts him to the chambers of the nobleman who lives in this house.

"Abe-san! Right on time!"

Lord Asano is always happy to see an old friend.

"Come, come, let's drink together!"

"Kind of early for that, isn't it Asano-san?"

They kneel facing each other, while the girl kneels at Mister Asano's side, facing him.

"If the things you say are true, I guess we have plenty of reasons to drink! Ahahah!"

"But if we need to be alert, maybe staying sober is a better choice. Have you seen how many Daimyo samurai are on the streets?"

"Oh! Well, well, well..."

He looks at the girl in the red kimono.

"Maki, bring us some tea."

She bows slightly, stands up, walks to the fusuma door, slides it open, bows again, and leaves, closing the door again.

......

Back at Toyama Castle, the captain gives orders to the last group of samurai to leave, telling them where they have been assigned. His attention is stolen by a lady coming out of the bushes, bloodied.

"Help us! Help!"

She holds his armor, pleading.

"I don't know what happened, but stay back!"

He takes her hands off him, she falls to her knees on the ground.

She tries to speak, even though her breathing is heavy.

"Our taxes... We were coming to pay... The taxes!"

"Well, where are they? Where are the wagons?"

"S-sto-stolen!"

"In that case, I can't do anything for you, the Daimyo's forces are focused on matters... More important."

"More important than mountain thieves stealing our taxes?!" Stealing our lives?!"

"Yes! That's right! Go back and plant more! Start your life over again. Give me the name of your village, I'll send a man to escort you back. That's the most I can do for you."

"A man? ONE?! We need many! Many!"

The captain sees this blood-filled lady losing control. He signals for his men to leave and turns his back on her, walking back to the castle. She is still crying on the floor.

"If it wasn't for that... Damn giant boy! Damn those boys! Damn thief... With a wooden stick! Damn the boy with scars on his face! Damn...Damn that green eye bitch...! Damn them! Damn them!"

The captain comes back and bends down to talk to her.

"You said, scars on the face?!"

"What?"

He takes Haru's wanted poster from inside his armor.

"Have you seen this boy?"

"Y-yes! That's him! Damn him! Nobody could catch that bastard. He has to die!"

The expression that mounts on the captain's face startles the woman. These are not the eyes of an honorable warrior, which one would expect from a Daimyo captain, but of a murderer; a predator after his prey.

"Good."