My Little Bride

Omake Part 2

"What do you mean?" Dororo asks with nothing but pure confusion.

Come morning, Tahomaru and Hyogo (where Hyakkimaru is nowhere to be found) knocked on their door to inform them that they will handle the rest of the journey, emphasizing that it's gonna be just the three of them.

"We have decided to leave the two of you in the meantime. So you can enjoy the scenery and this village." Tahomaru says yet deep inside hopes that their lie will work.

"Aneue, you take care of the young lady while we're away. We wouldn't take too long, alright?" Hyogo made eye contact with Mutsu who is folding her arms over her chest, staring at him as if knowing something is going on. Mutsu, however, knows for the fact that it is not very wise to expose them. She is aware that no matter what the reason is, Tahomaru and Hyogo are doing it for a great cause.

"But where is Hyakkimaru?" Dororo asks looking from behind expecting Hyakkimaru to suddenly appear and explain everything for her.

"Uh, aniue said we should follow him afterward." Tahomaru tells, sweat starting to trickle on his forehead.

"You mean he already left without telling me?!" Dororo fumes, the young men step backward and silently pray to the goddess of mercy that they are doing this right. Hyakkimaru surely needs to pay them some talent fee after they volunteered to save his ass.

"That..that's not true! I mean, we're here to..to inform you that..that..." Tahomaru is out of words and darts his eyes to Hyogo. Say something!

"That's what Young master Hyakkimaru wants." Hyogo buts in and Tahomaru nearly choked. That was so bold and bad. Aren't they here to lie?

"He wants me to be left here?! But why? I thought we're all in this together." Dororo interrogates them again. She cannot fathom how Hyakkimaru would just leave her behind considering he did not tell her beforehand personally.

"Because.." a light sparks inside his head and Tahomaru fakes a smile. "It's dangerous! We heard there's a lot of bandits and enemies in this region and aniue is simply concerned for your safety," he explains, hands motioning upwards in exaggeration.

Silence came with Dororo weighing his reasons and Tahomaru starting to get paler from the lack of oxygen due to stress. Heck, now he understands why Hyakkimaru does not want to see Dororo and lie to her face.

"Hmm, I see." Dororo puts a hand over her chin. Both Tahomaru and Hyogo feels a relief knowing that they somehow convinced her.

"Then take care, the three of you,"

Mutsu bids them good luck in a manner of knowing they are planning something.

-xxx-

"Phew! That was close!" The younger Daigo slumps on his horse and Hyogo sighs. The trio is on their way to a steep hill. He rants on how Hyogo did not cover up the lie and instead nearly exposed them.

Hyakkimaru is beside them and is grateful. He is aware that if it was him, Dororo would cling until his arm broke if he refuses to bring her.

"Worry not, I'll be paying for your lunch today." Hyakkimaru says and two glances at each other.

"We demand dinner too." Hyogo and Tahomaru say in unison.

The older Daigo shakes his head but agreed.

Their journey is longer than expected. Third mountain in the east approximately twelve kilometers. Details like that are simply no joke. That being said, they're already exhausted as hell by the time they arrived in Munetsuma's place. Hyogo did the job of asking the villagers about the exact location of the blacksmith's house. And luckily, almost everyone is pointing in one direction. As travelers, they are bound to get lost now and then, especially without a precise map.