“Um… excuse me?” Yoichi called. The young tamer drew the attention of the innkeeper, who slowly turned to him. “Tell me, son. Do you need anything else?” he asked.

“May I ask how you know Princess Sui?” ​​

The man’s gaze focused on Yoichi’s face. Before answering that question, he waited a few seconds.

“Let me explain… I met her a short time ago. She didn’t have time to tell me who you are and… I mean…”

“You’re curious what connection there is between a lonely old man like me and the Princess of Tentochu. It seems fair” the innkeeper interrupted, anticipating his interlocutor’s question.

Yoichi confirmed, nodding his head.

“I met Sui when she was just a little girl. It was during her first escape from the Imperial Palace. I saw a little girl with dark hair and flamboyant clothes walk into my inn in broad daylight. When she asked me if she could hide in one of my rooms, I thought she was just the daughter of some wealthy man who was playing hide-and-seek, so… I agreed. She reminded me of my granddaughter; I always had a soft spot for wild, lively children…” the innkeeper recounted, getting lost in memories.

“After a few minutes, three men in armour broke into this place, stepping on the same floor that warmly welcomed you a few minutes ago. When they asked me if I had seen a black-haired little girl, I couldn’t believe my ears.”

“Did you tell them that Sui was hiding here?” Yoichi asked, intrigued by the tale.

“Of course not. She was just a scared little girl, and those ugly mugs didn’t look like babysitters,” the innkeeper chuckled. “Luckily, I managed to be convincing enough to get them out of here. Coming out of her hiding place, the little girl looked me in the eye and told me that I was her only friend. This broke my heart,” he sobbed.

That old man’s reaction was so spontaneous that sweet tears came down from his eyes. “After that day, I never saw that pretty little girl again. I remember she had the comb you showed me in her hair.”

“This one?” Yoichi asked again, looking at the metal comb with the imperial symbol.

“If she gave you an object that she has been carrying with her since her childhood, it means that she cares a lot about you, boy” the old man reflected out loud. “I wish you a good night” he added, walking up the creaking stairs of the inn.

Yoichi remained speechless. His hands tightened Sui’s hairpin while his mind displayed the memories of that old innkeeper, flipping through them like the pages of a dusty book.

Enatsu’s hand touched his shoulder. “I think it’s time to end this day. What do you say? Too many things have happened out of the ordinary and, I don’t know about you, but I’m very tired,” he admitted, politely asking him to open the room door.

“You’re right. Let’s go,” he answered, approaching the door and sticking the key into the old lock. Despite being old and a bit rusty, the key easily turned inside the gear, accurately oiled.

When the door opened, what was once the best room in the White Rose, took shape in front of the eyes of the two adventurers: the central wall of that square room, located in front of the entrance, was enriched by a large glass window that offered a magnificent view of the neighbourhood.

The white moonlight came through that window, allowing Enatsu and Yoichi to move smoothly through the sparsely furnished room. Despite the upholstery in very bad condition, the view offered by that glass window was lovely and gave that place a warm and welcoming air.

A large, soft mattress of feathers lay on the floor, just under the window. Without thinking twice, Enatsu let his cloak fall to the ground and threw himself on it.

*puff* – the softness of that bed gently accompanied the free fall of the young merchant, whose face sank into one of the pillows. “Oh, my goodness… this bed is the softest I’ve ever touched,” he mumbled in a muffled voice.

Yoichi chuckled, letting Kenji down to the ground and taking off his backpack. The young tamer, who until the day before was a simple farmer, put all his equipment in a corner of the room, not far from the bed.

After also removing his sweaty jacket and shirt under it, Yoichi lay down next to his friend. A long sigh followed his gaze, which gradually rose to the ceiling.

Kenji climbed on to the soft feather-stuffed bed, crouching beside its master. On the other side of the room, Sora perched on a half-broken bedside table, watching over Enatsu.

The strong drowsiness of the two travellers prevailed over their desire to comment on recent events. Within minutes, the farmer and the merchant fell into a deep sleep, pampered by the warmth of that room, well isolated from the outside.

…

“Tweet! Tweet, tweet!” – Sora’s chirping sanctioned the beginning of a new day.

Yoichi’s eyes opened slowly, noting that the intense sunlight coming from the large window illuminated his feet and the rest of the room.

Enatsu continued to snore, sleeping blissfully. Kenji’s tail unrolled on the bed, and the little Nekage stretched out, mirroring the movements of its tamer.

“Aaah… what a great sleep. This bed is much more comfortable than that pile of straw on my farm,” Yoichi pondered, sitting down and rubbing his eyes.

Suddenly, with the birds singing in the background, an incredibly sharp pain went through his chest. With one hand tight on it, he was forced to keel over in pain.

“Aarrgh… help… my chest… aargh!” he cried painfully, his voice blocked by the intense burning that seemed to envelop his internal organs.

In a desperate gesture, Yoichi tried to move his arm to wake Enatsu, but the pain suddenly spread to his whole body, preventing him from any movement.

It’s not a dream, this time! I can’t move, and I feel like dying! What the hell is going on?! He thought in panic, looking worried at Kenji. The little Nekage had stopped moving, sharing his every pain: its tail was twisted on itself, and its body was bent in two as if a sharp blade had just pierced it.