>>5797306>>5797315>>5797395>>5797315>>5797335>>5797373>>5797395>>5797405>>5797449>>5797618You don’t necessarily see a reason to argue with any of these plans. Both because it would be mildly absurd to argue in favor of living in a tent vs sleeping in a bedroom, and because you didn’t have enough information on what Lord Third had in store for you to make a decision on if you really, truly wanted to be alone or with a group for that conversation.
You do decide to fish for a compromise anyway.
“There’s an onsen out back? Can I camp out there instead so I can be closer to the nature kami?”
Hotaru sighs “Any one of the rooms in this inn are a ten second walk from the onsen. You don’t need to literally live out there.”
“... Okay, can Naoki come with me to speak with Lord Third at least? I definitely trust him with whatever he has to say.”
“What, and you don’t trust me?!” Masami asks, pouting about it.
“Him and I have just talked more about our backgrounds…”
“I have my reasons.” Hotaru says. “Chiefly among them is that you do have the right to privacy in your personal matters. Lord Third has afforded you that luxury and I don’t want you squandering it out of misplaced comradery before you even know why. If you want to tell the entire world afterwards, that’s your choice. Need I remind you as well that you’re supposed to do as I say?”
Well… Shit. There really wasn’t a whole lot you could do in this situation. You acquiesce with a nod.
“Good boy. As I said, I’m not an overbearing woman, but circumstances can tie my hands.”
You miss the more informal waterfall woman you met in the second semester of your first year at the academy.
—
The following day, you wake up bright and early in your tent and take a quick look around as you prepare to move. What to take, and what to leave? You’d have to roll up the tent so you could return it to Junpei. Your clothes, figurines, and other small possessions could go in a bundle… and the river rocks for the two shrines you had made. You could possibly leave them here, but… Honestly, Shigure had a legitimate grave that you could visit. There was practically a newly dug wing to the village graveyard for the Uchiha clan, there was no real reason to maintain a shrine for him in your household, especially not for the rest of your life. You feel you’ve honored his memory enough but it’s time to move on to the more regular routine of just visiting the graveyard every once in a while like the other ninja do, though of course you’d drop off your river rocks at his grave as a sign of how you felt. You’d visit him once in a while, along with the… Sure to grow number of dead comrades you’ll no doubt see come and go as the years drag on.
