‘I can see why you’re so impressed with her,’ conceded Hayato, now heading to bed himself. ‘Even if she is a ninja.’

‘Ninja or not, Miyuki’s proved to be a good friend,’ said Jack, a little defensive at Hayato’s inherent prejudice towards her.

‘Well, it’s obvious she thinks the world of you,’ said Yori, too wrapped up in his kuji-in to realize what he’d just said.

Jack glanced guiltily over at the sleeping Miyuki. He hadn’t been aware that her feelings ran that deep or were so apparent to everyone else.

Saburo raised an eyebrow archly at him. ‘Does Akiko know about her?’

‘Y-yes,’ said Jack, awkward at the implication. ‘They met once in the Iga mountains.’

‘I bet some sparks flew when they were introduced!’ Saburo laughed.

‘You’re not far from the truth,’ Jack admitted, recalling the girls’ first tense encounter within a blazing farmhouse, set alight during daimyo Akechi’s invasion of the ninja village.

Wanting to shift the focus from Miyuki and Akiko, he asked, ‘How’s Kiku? Have you seen her since the Shogun closed the school?’

It was now Saburo’s turn to look flustered. ‘She’s well,’ he replied, suddenly finding the hilt of his new katana of great interest. ‘In fact … she was the other reason I went on my musha shugyō … to impress her father!’

Jack grinned at discovering Saburo’s romance blossoming. He’d suspected as much when Kiku had stayed behind following Saburo’s injury in the attack on the Niten Ichi Ryū.

‘Well, if we survive beyond the black moon, you’ll have enough tales of courage to win her father over.’

‘If we survive?’ queried Saburo, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. ‘I thought you’d burnt the bandit’s camp to the ground. Surely Akuma’s no longer such a threat?’

‘Jack entered the cave and roused the bear,’ said Yori, now anxiously rubbing a set of prayer beads at the thought of the impending raid.

‘But the bandits will be weakened from hunger and without supplies or weaponry,’ Saburo argued.

‘Perhaps,’ said Jack. ‘But I wouldn’t be surprised if Akuma doesn’t have some hidden reserves.’

Alone with his two close friends, Jack felt he could admit his true concerns.

‘Having seen Akuma for myself, I’m even more worried than before. The man isn’t called Black Moon for nothing. His heart is black. He didn’t show an ounce of pity or remorse when torturing that farmer. Akuma’s not just cruel, he’s pure evil. We either win this battle outright … or we must prepare ourselves for the worst.’

38 Straw Soldiers

38

STRAW SOLDIERS