𝕊𝕆𝕃𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕊 | 𝐁.𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐦𝐨𝐧×𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤!𝐎𝐂

𝟘𝟠. 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕜

Koshi turns around to see the townspeople standing before her and staring at her in silence. The expressions on their faces were unreadable.

Koshi frowns as she bows to all of them. "Thank you for treating me with such kindness. And I am so sorry for all the trouble that I have caused... I will be sure to repay you for your generosity and repair any damages that I've made to the town. Once I'm finished, I will take my leave..."

She lifts her head. And turns to walk away.

Konro, Benimaru, Hikage, and Hinata watch her go. By the time she vanished out of everyone's sight, they began to move while talking to one another.

"ᴍʏ ɢᴏᴏᴅɴᴇss, sʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ɪs ᴀɴ ɪɴғɪɴɪᴛᴇ. ᴅɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴀᴛᴛᴏᴏ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀ ʙᴀᴄᴋ?"

"ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ sʜᴇ's ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴠᴇɴɢᴇᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴏɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ 𝟽?"

"ɴᴏ, sʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ. ᴡᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴏғ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ʙʏ ɴᴏᴡ."

"ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪғ ɪᴛ's ᴀ ᴛʀɪᴄᴋ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪғ sʜᴇ's ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴜs ᴀs ᴀ ᴘʟᴏʏ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴏᴜʀ ɢᴜᴀʀᴅs ᴅᴏᴡɴ?"

"ᴏʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪғ sʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ɪs ᴀ ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ?"

"ɪғ sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇɴ sʜᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴀɪɴ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ɪɴᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ʟᴏʀᴅ ʜɪʙᴀᴄʜɪ ᴅɪᴅ ᴋɪʟʟ ʜᴇʀ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴀʟʟ."

"ʙᴜᴛ ʙᴇɴɪᴍᴀʀᴜ ɪsɴ'ᴛ ʜɪʙᴀᴄʜɪ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's ɴᴏ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ ғᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʜɪᴍ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛs ᴘᴀsᴛ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs. ɪ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛʟʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ʙᴇɴɪ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴏғ ʜᴏᴡ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛ ʜᴇ ɪs ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ʜᴇʀ."

"ʜᴇ's ʀɪɢʜᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇ, ɴᴏᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴋɪɴᴅʟʏ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇɴɪᴍᴀʀᴜ's ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ ᴜɴʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴜs. ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ, ʜᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʙᴇ ʀᴜᴅᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ ғᴏʀ ɴᴏ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ."

"ʙᴜᴛ ʙᴇɴɪᴍᴀʀᴜ ɪs ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴍᴀɴ. ᴅᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ ʜɪs ᴅᴇᴍᴇᴀɴᴏʀ, ʜᴇ ʜᴀs ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴs."

"ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ᴡʜʏ ᴋᴏsʜɪ ʜᴀsɴ'ᴛ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴏʀ ᴀsᴀᴋᴜsᴀ ʏᴇᴛ. ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ sʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡs ʜᴇ's ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴍᴀɴ ᴛᴏᴏ, ᴅᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄɪʀᴄᴜᴍsᴛᴀɴᴄᴇs ᴏғ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ."

Those were but a few of the many things Benimaru and Konro heard the townspeople say while walking back to Company 7.

"How are you feeling?" Konro asks Benimaru.

"I should be asking you that," Benimaru says. "He hit you pretty hard with that beam."

"I'm fine," Konro assures Benimaru with a smile. "Wouldn't be the first time I took a pretty hard hit in this line of work."

Benimaru was quiet.

"But if you're really that worried, I could find Koshi and have her take a look at it."