ACE OF FATE

Isamu smirked again, his competitive nature flaring up once more. "And if they refuse our terms? What then? Do we even have any proof of our innocence?"

"Then war will be inevitable," Haruto said.

"War changes everything," Miku said quietly, breaking her silence. "We must be prepared not just for battle but also for its aftermath—the suffering it will bring to our people."

Miku's expression remained stoic as she considered the implications of their decisions. War would not only claim lives but also disrupt families and communities across their kingdom.

"I can't let the same thing that happened to me happen to other families," Miku promised herself.

Haruto cleared his throat, redirecting everyone's attention. "Fumio should manage the economy of Higashihara moving forward."

Every clan leader nodded in agreement.

"Well, if I am given this esteemed role, then I shall fulfill it! You will see, Lady Yotsuba, how this country blossoms into a prosperous paradise," Fumio declared proudly, puffing out his chest.

Miku did not even glance in his direction.

"Can I make a request?" Kiko asked.

"Yes, of course," replied Haruto.

"Then please allow me to accompany Lady Yotsuba!" Kiko Sasaki exclaimed confidently.

"Lady Sasaki, are you certain?" Haruto asked.

"Yes, I am certain!" Kiko replied, exhaling heavily through her nose.

"And I suppose you don't mind, Lady Yotsuba?" Haruto inquired.

"Do as you please, but I won't take responsibility for anyone," Miku stated.

"I guess that's a yes," Haruto responded.

"She is so impressive!" Fumio thought as he looked at Miku.

"Then, if Lord Kenshin is going to the Bestia Kingdom with his samurais and Lady Yotsuba is heading to the Draconis Empire with Lady Sasaki and her samurai..."

"Wait, if I go to the Draconis Empire with that fool, then that monkey girl will also follow us."

"May I suggest something?" Miku interjected.

"Yes, Lady Yotsuba."

"I know someone who is very familiar with the Bestia Kingdom; it might be beneficial," Miku explained.

"Yes, that would be very helpful," Isamu agreed.

"That reminds me, why did you only bring one samurai?" Haruto asked.

"I thought there was no need for more than him," Miku replied calmly.

"What's his name, by the way?" Haruto questioned.

"His name is—"

"What was it? That kid calls him 'sensei,' and I haven't heard the old woman speak his name either," Miku thought blankly.

"You should ask him yourself; I don't like speaking on behalf of others," Miku said with a straight face, a drop of sweat rolling down her temple.

"I see; then I guess I should ask him myself," Haruto acknowledged.

"By the way, does everyone agree with me staying here to prepare for the war just in case and to find clues for Kaal's mission?" Haruto asked.

"Yes, I think that would be great," Isamu said.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"And Katsu, have you discovered anything from that Kaal we found?" Isamu asked.

"No sir, we are still awaiting his awakening," Katsu replied.

"He can provide us with crucial information," Haruto noted.

"But why did they even leave him here?" Isamu queried.

"Whatever the reason may be, we need to remain vigilant. That same reason could be the cause of war because I believe the Draconis Empire knows that reason; that's why they see us as an alliance to the Kaals for some reason," Haruto replied.

"Now we don't know how they will react to the news of the emperor's death," Haruto added.

"Yes, the Kaals are very dangerous," Isamu said with a smirk.

"I know what that smirk is about; you just want to fight those Kaals again, don't you?" Haruto said.

"O-Of course not!" Isamu replied, sipping his tea. "Ugh... this tea is bitter!" he shouted.

At that moment, a man entered the room and whispered into Katsu's ear.

"I have bad news, respected clan leaders."

After saying that, they all followed Katsu to the lower floor and into a yard on the other side of the castle. When they arrived, they saw five bodies on the ground covered with blankets.

"Gasp..." Kiko was terrified at the sight.

"Who are these men, Katsu?" Haruto asked.

"These were ninjas we sent to keep an eye on the movements of the Draconis Empire."

"I see..." Haruto said and put his hands together to pray for their souls.

Miku spoke, her expression resolute. "We need to strengthen our defenses and gather intelligence on their movements. If they believe we are vulnerable, they may strike before we are ready."

"I will handle that once we are in the capital of the Draconis Empire. I will make sure to provide enough proof of our innocence," Miku asserts.

Kiko shifted uneasily. "What if this is just the beginning? The Kaals and the Draconis Empire... we could be facing a two-front war."

Kiko's voice trembled slightly. "And how can we possibly negotiate peace when they've already drawn blood?"

"We cannot afford to be complacent," he said, his voice steady yet urgent. "The Draconis Empire will see this as a sign of weakness. We must prepare for their response."

"Remember," Haruto cautioned, "we're not just fighting for our clans anymore. We're fighting for the survival of our entire kingdom."

"Then I guess this meeting is over. Please prepare for your departures," Haruto concludes.

Nearby, servants awaited to show the guests to their quarters. Miku followed one young girl to her room, while Isamu and Haruto headed back to the infirmary hall. Kiko accompanied Katsu and Fumio to discuss further details and inform the other samurais from each clan about what had happened.

"Here is your room, M'lady," the young servant girl announced as she opened the door to Miku's room.

"M'lady!" the girl called out just as Miku was about to step inside.

Miku turned to her, her silky hair moving like gentle waves. Slightly annoyed but curious, she asked, "What is it?"

The girl hesitated, gathering her thoughts. "You are so powerful and fearless. I admire that about you. But... do you ever feel scared or lonely? Like when you have to make tough decisions for your clan or do something super difficult?"

"Huh?" The young girl was surprised to see that Miku had put her hand on her head.

"Of course I do; everyone does. When I'm afraid, I focus on who I want to become and what I want to achieve while remaining righteous. And when I feel alone..." Miku paused.

"It's getting late, and I'm tired; we can continue this talk later," she said.

"Yes, M'lady!" The girl shouted with a huge smile.

Miku closed the door as the girl started to walk through the hall.

"Wow! I can't believe I met Lady Yotsuba!" The girl jumped as she walked.

"I'm going to tell Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, big brother, big sister, Uncle, Aunt—and my friends! They are going to be so jealous!"

[Patter-Patter]

Some other workers passed by her, and she immediately lowered her head in embarrassment.

"I wonder why she didn't finish her sentence? People say she never smiles. I thought I could make her smile or at least see her smile... well, I guess I failed... sigh."

Back in Miku's room, "Draconis Empire, huh... I suppose the Yotsuba clan is safe for now; thus, I must abide by these people's decisions," Miku pondered silently.

[Scrape-Thud]

Miku sat on the floor. She curled into herself, knees drawn tight to her chest—though her chest was too big to perfectly connect her knees to her face—she tried to make herself as small as possible.

"Father, I did it; I managed to save your legacy one more day—"

Suddenly, she was interrupted by a familiar voice in her head—not her father's. "Let me help you, my beloved."

"Yes... only you can," Miku whispered softly. Her heart raced as she felt that if she didn't see this person soon—whose voice echoed in her mind like bells—she would die. But she had to complete her mission first; then she could reunite with the person she wanted to see the most.

[Slide-Open]

Everyone's faces shifted toward the door as Isamu and Haruto entered the infirmary hall.

"Oh, you're back, Lord Kenshin and Lord Furukawa!" Felix said.

"Yes, but why are you calling us by our last names?" Haruto asked.

"You shouldn't; you can call me by my given name—same for all of you. After all, you helped us fight those Kaals," Haruto added.

Everyone was very happy about this, while Felix was not as he was already doing this before. Using a clan leader's given name—even if they weren't their leaders—was a huge accomplishment for samurai. It meant that the samurai had been acknowledged by a clan leader.

"And you can use mine if you defeat me," Isamu said while raising his hand with the other hand on his chin, a smirk on his face.

Everyone's happy expressions turned blank at Isamu's words.

"Ahem... Okay! If you last five minutes with me in a fight, then you can use my given name," Isamu declared.

No one's spirits were lifted by Isamu's new offer.

"So, did you find anything unusual about Lady Miku?" Felix asked, breaking their funny atmosphere.

"Aren't you awfully worried about your clan leader who doesn't care if you breathe or not?" Isamu said.

"Of course I am worried because I respect the goals she wants to achieve while fighting through nightmares," Felix replied firmly. "Although the part about her not caring if I breathe or not is true," he added with a faint smile as he rubbed his cheek.

"It feels like more than respect. By any chance, are you in love with her?" Haruto asked.

"Yes, I am," Felix replied with an earnest expression.

"Whaaaaaat!" Everyone exclaimed in disbelief.

"Wait, do you know how babies are born?" Haruto asked, breaking everyone's shock.

"Now that you mention it, I never thought about it," Felix said, tilting his head slightly.

"Yeah, just as I thought; this boy hasn't grown into a man yet," Haruto remarked.

"Huh?" Felix responded to Haruto's words.

Everyone in the room started laughing at what they just discovered.

"Haha, you can fight like a hero but don't know something so simple!" Hayate laughed as he never had before in his life.

Felix was confused and began to ponder where babies came from. He remembered that his father had once told him children are born after nine months of care. An idea struck him.

"Of course I know!" Felix said firmly, closing his eyes, and everyone stopped laughing at his words.

"Babies... are... born... by... cultivating... baby seeds," Felix began to explain.

"First, you take the baby seed and plant it in the field. Then you water it and take care of it for nine months until it grows."

"Once the baby is fully grown, you just pluck it out like vegetables," Felix finished explaining.

A silence followed his explanation, and after a few moments, loud laughter erupted from the infirmary hall. Laughter is the best medicine after all, people thought as they passed by the infirmary hall.

"And about your lady, only her Zor aura was different than before; that much I can say," Isamu said.

"Aura was different?" Felix looked confused.

"Wait—you mean you don't know how to sense the Zor aura of a person?" Isamu asked incredulously.

Everyone present was shocked by Felix's words; some wondered how he could even be a samurai if he didn't know how to sense someone's Zor aura.

"I can feel a bit of tingling if that counts," Felix said earnestly with a straight face.

"Why do I feel like I am talking to a child?" Isamu thought at Felix's earnestness.

"To think that you're the only samurai Miku brought and you don't know how to sense someone's Zor aura!" Haruto said while fidgeting with his white beard.

"He is the only one representing the Yotsuba clan!?" Hayate was even more surprised.

"And you weren't even at 10% of the speed of the Kaals," Haruto added.

Even after hearing these words, Felix stayed composed; he thought that if he got in trouble, so be it—but he wouldn't allow anything to fall on Miku, remembering her warning.

"I will just tell him that I'm a new samurai here to be trained in samurai etiquette," Felix thought of excuses.

"So... I've decided that I will train you alongside Isamu," Haruto declared boldly.

"What!? Training? I don't need training!" Isamu shouted at Haruto's words.

"You were in pretty bad shape after the fight, weren't you?" Haruto questioned Isamu.

"That always happens in fights," Isamu said while crossing his arms and turning his face away.

"I guess he didn't suspect me. Whatever it is, I can't fight them; they are far stronger than me, and I don't know if they have their Zor releases or what their powers are," Felix contemplates.

"Hmm... This is the man she was talking about, huh? His Zor energy level is so high it could even be above the Himura brothers' Zor energy levels combined—I wonder what his fate will be," Haruto ponders thoughtfully.

"What are you up to, Mistress of Fate?"

"A-And he's getting trained by Lord Haruto now? What's happening?" Hayate is beyond shocked.

"But what about Lady Miku? Will she allow it?" Felix asks.

"Don't worry about her; she doesn't mind," Haruto said confidently. "I guess," he whispered.

"Ugh..." The light blue-haired samurai got up from his futon, who had heard all the conversations.

He got up, slightly losing his balance, and holding his head as if it hurt a lot.

"What about me, master? What am I supposed to do?" he asked with determination in his striking brown eyes.

"Relax, Yuri; this isn't something you will do alone. You all play important parts in this," Haruto explains patiently.

"Yes, master. Forgive me." Yuri bowed slightly.

"First, I want to tell you that you'll be traveling. Some will go with Lady Yotsuba and Sasaki, while others will accompany Lord Isamu," Haruto announces decisively.

"Hey! Since when can you use my first name?" Isamu protests indignantly at Haruto's casualness.

"Because you're my student now," Haruto replies nonchalantly.

"I never agreed to that!" Isamu shouts back defiantly.

[Smack-Thud]

Haruto smacks Isamu on the head hard enough to knock him out and break through the wooden floor below. "Shut up and let me finish talking here!"

"Yuri, Nene, and Sei will be going with Lord Isamu," Haruto continues without missing a beat.

"Hayate will go with Lady Yotsuba's group," he adds matter-of-factly.

"Even he is calling me Sei!" Sei exclaims dramatically while shedding copious tears.

"It's all your fault, Four Eyes!" Sei shouts at Nene.

"Who are you calling Four Eyes, you mushroom head!" Nene shouted back at Sei.

[Bam-Grit]

They collided their heads while gritting their teeth.

[Clap]

"The rest of you will also have special training with someone strong," Haruto said. "This is not a normal situation we are in; we are at the brink of war," he stated seriously.

Immediately everyone's face turned serious as they understood the gravity of the situation.

"Now, you pick him up and come with me," Haruto signaled for Felix to get Isamu.

"Hey, be careful with Lord Isamu," Nene said dramatically.

Felix nodded and slowly picked Isamu up onto his shoulder.

"I wish you the best, brother," Hayate said encouragingly to Felix.

"I want to see you stronger than you already are and have a sparring match with me," Hayate added with a grin.

[Puff-Puff]

Felix smiled at Hayate's words, and they fist-bumped each other before Felix left the hall with Haruto and Isamu to prepare for what awaited him next.