It was another busy day at the town market, with the sun's intense heat forming beads of sweat on many a brow.
She handed some bronze coins to a merchant who had sold her some rice and went on her way. The heat, mixed with the size of the crowd, felt suffocating, so she was grateful that she could finally head back to the house.
On her way, she passed by the large statue they had seen on the day they first came to the town.
She stopped and looked at it from behind. She could just make out an inscription on its back, similar to the kanji inscribed on the back of her uniform, though it was too weathered to make out clearly.
As she was staring at it, one of two young boys passing by bumped into her.
"Sorry, miss," he said before turning to leave as if he were suddenly in a rush.
Before he could get far, though, he was pulled back by a pinch on his right ear. His face twisted in agony as he turned to see that the hand belonged to the girl he had bumped into.
"What the hell!" he yelled, his earlier soft tone completely gone. "Let me go!"
"I'll only say this once," she said in an eerily calm tone. "Give me my pouch back."
"What are you talking about, lady?" he yelled in defense. "I didn't steal your pouch."
She pinched his other ear so tightly that he started tiptoeing from the pain.
"Here, just take it," his friend said as he held out the small money pouch. "Just let him go."
She let go of one ear and took the pouch with that hand. After feeling its weight, she let him go, and he immediately grabbed his now-red ears with teary eyes.
"You'll need to keep practicing if you think you can ever steal from me," she said as she looked at the boy who had handed her the pouch. "Now give me the rest of the coins."
A look of shock spread across his face. He wanted to run away, but instead he gave in and pulled out the handful of bronze coins he had removed from the pouch before handing them back to her.
Once he returned them, the two boys ran away, mumbling curses under their breath, but she simply turned and continued on her way.
The rest of the walk back to the house was uneventful, and before long she found herself standing in front of the wooden door of the house.
"I'm back," she said after stepping in.
"Already," a voice called out before she could see who it was though she already knew," welcome back, Miyuki. "
"I wanted to get out of that heat as fast as I could," she replied as Kanami stepped out from the small room that served as the kitchen," it was suffocating out there."
"What will you once you get a taste of the summer heat then?" Kanami asked as she took the small bag of rice from her.
"I think it's all the people thst make the difference," Miyuki said as the two of them entered inside the kitchen.
"So how are you feeling today?" She asked.
"I'm fine," Kanami replied," you guys keep getting worried for no reason."
"But this morning.." Miyuki said before she cut her off.
"That's normal," she said," Come on is it your first time seeing a pregnant lady."
"I guess it is," she replied after some thought, " and it's not my father could tell me anything about them."
"Then lucky you," Kanami said," you get to experience this hell with me first hand instead of on someone's word."
A a brief silence Miyuki asked," I'm sorry for prying but how did it happen if your still single?"
She didn't answer and Miyuki immediately pulled back saying," you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No it's fine," she replied that cheerful look she had a few moments before gone," the truth is I was married. That was until three months ago."
"What happened?" Miyuki asked," was it a fight that broke it off."
"No," she said softly," he was killed."
An awkward silence took over. Miyuki fumbled with some words in her head trying to figure out what to say.
"his body washed up by the bridge one afternoon after he had gone missing since the night before,"she continued.
"I'm sorry," that was all she could say.
"Don't be," Kanami replied as she lifted up her head," I was pressured into that marriage after my father died by some distant relatives and I wasn't very fond of him either because of his violent behaviour, gambling addiction among other irredimable qualities.
Her gaze shifted back down and she squeezed her fist tight.
"But even then," she said her voice faltering," I still cried when we found his body."
" I don't know why," she continued her lip twitching as she spoke,"Maybe it was out of grief for my own child who now had to grow up without a father and in a life of poverty from all the debt we would inherit."
"What about his relatives?" Miyuki asked," did they do anything for you."
The minute their son died they abandoned us completely," she replied," even when I told them I was pregnant they didn't bother to help."
" Why live with the burden of taking care of the cursed Shio sisters who bring death to all in their wake," she said,"I'm sure that's what they thought. The only reason that they had their son marry me is because no sensible family would dver accept a scumbag like him but we were desperate after the desth of our father so i accept."
"Did they ever find out who killed him?" Miyuki asked. Asking more questions seemed like all she could do and it frustrated her.
"No," she replied," he wasn't particularly popular as you would guess so finding just one person with the motive and timing was hard."
"So in the end the Doshin abandoned the case as suicide. No one followed up on it and the case was forgotten."
It was best to forget a foul man like him for most people," she continued, "but im sure they pity us for having to live with the consequences of his actions."
"I could never marry again even if I wanted to," she said with a breaking voice," I was cursed to raise my child alone with only my younger sister and boy with no memories to support me."
She loosened her fist and looked back up at her.
"That was until you guys came," she said her gloomy look fading.
"From the contributions Izumi and Lloyd bring in atop of those of Ayako and Hyogo we can finally live a decent lifestyle even despite our numbers," she continued," and a kind girl is here at home to help me around the house."
" it is almost like a dream."
"It's the least we could do," Miyuki said," after you accept us into your home even with the dangerous truth of who we are an what we're after."
"I couldn't ask for more," Kanami said with a smile," i just wish that the future will be filled with the hope that I feel today."
A smile crossed Miyuki's face.
" I hope so too.