Masamune had not yet spoken when the tengu mask behind him cut in.
"Sensei, what are you talking about? Lord Masamune, a legendary ninja, has been passing down the secrets of ninjutsu to Lady Izuna through missions."
The noh mask echoed, "Calling it deception and exploitation is far too inappropriate."
Hidden in the ceiling from the start, Izuna found herself nodding in agreement.
Though she had set out much later, she knew the building's interior routes well enough to arrive ahead of her Shishou.
Originally, Izuna had planned to seek instructions from her employer after failing to locate Street Mouryo. But just before knocking on the door, her sharp ninja hearing caught the conversation inside.
"Oh? So Schale's Sensei is confirmed to be alone and off guard in the hallway? Good, just as I predicted. Bring him here. Last time we were interrupted by an accident, so make sure nothing goes wrong."
"Yes sir!"
Schale's Sensei, meaning her Shishou? Why did they want to bring him?
Before Izuna could understand, footsteps were already approaching the door.
Feeling instinctively that she must not be discovered, she used her keen vision and quick judgment to locate a spot where she could hide and continue listening.
The ventilation duct connecting the hallway to the room.
What followed was simple for a ninja. She leapt up, removed the cover silently, grabbed the edge of the duct, climbed inside, and replaced the cover without making a sound.
Since then, Izuna had been lying flat above the room, peering through the narrow openings to witness everything unfold.
When she heard her employer say they intended to kidnap her Shishou, she was shocked and uneasy. She only wanted to complete the mission to defeat anyone obstructing the job, including her Shishou who had been hired by others, and gain his approval. She had never imagined things would escalate to this point.
Then, upon hearing that the employer's true goal was to burn Hyakkiyako to ashes, she remembered her Shishou's question about violating the code of a ninja. Izuna had only accepted a commission to defeat obstacles. If she continued… would she really end up as an accomplice to something evil?
But the moment her Shishou questioned the employer's motives for deceiving her, every doubt vanished from her mind.
Her Shishou must care about Izuna.
Even the rude attitude he showed toward the employer earlier, Izuna now interpreted as concern that the employer was lying to and exploiting her.
Izuna wondered whether her injuries still hadn't healed. Why else would her mind suddenly feel so light and fuzzy?
With the endurance of a ninja, she held back the urge to grin and kept watching.
She completely agreed with what Street Mouryo delinquent had said. Her employer might not be on the level of her Shishou, but he was certainly an excellent ninja too.
This was a conclusion Izuna reached through independent thought, guided by her Shishou's teachings, and affirmed by her personal observation. It felt convincing.
What came next filled the little fox with anticipation. Would her employer be able to dispel her Shishou's concerns and help Izuna earn his approval?
"...You two stand guard outside. I want to talk to him alone."
Masamune spoke with no trace of emotion.
Street Mouryo gasped. "Eh? But…"
"No buts. What comes next is a conversation between remnants of the old era."
He cut them off sharply, irritation boiling inside him.
If these two problem children stayed any longer, who knew what else his pride might goad him into saying.
The tengu and noh masks exchanged reluctant glances but obeyed and left the room.
Izuna held her breath, determined not to miss a single detail.
Only after the soundproof door closed firmly did Masamune turn back.
"Heh. You mean that girl? Yes, she was quite useful."
Izuna's eyes narrowed in pleased relief, but then she heard the mocking tone that followed.
"She worked so hard for such a small payment. Playing a little pretend with her was enough to get her all fired up. I truly didn't expect that. In terms of combat ability, she's worth dozens of Street Mouryo delinquents."
"Pretend?"
My eyes narrowed, my voice turning cold.
"What else? Isn't that what a so-called ninja is? Things like obeying the employer's orders or doing anything because 'it's the ninja way'… even a half sensible child wouldn't take that seriously."
Masamune shook his head with theatrical pity.
"All I had to do was play along a little and she became completely cooperative, going on about how she would give her all as a ninja. Ah, she really is convenient. Cheap and foolish, yet extremely helpful. Gahahaha."
He couldn't hold back his laughter.
I watched him silently until the laughter faded, then spoke. "So you admit it. You used Izuna's dream and deceived her."
Perhaps because Street Mouryo was no longer present, Masamune sounded unusually honest.
"Yes, I admit I used her. What about you?"
"Me?"
He nodded. "Exactly. That girl said you're some legendary ninja. Ha. Such innocent nonsense. Yet even innocence has its roots. Schale's Sensei… you told her that yourself, didn't you?"
My silence was answer enough.
Masamune stroked his beard, pressing on.
"You accuse me of deceiving her and using her. Then tell me, how is what you did any different? I lied about being a ninja only because it was convenient to use her. What about you?
"As an adult, you don't actually believe you're a ninja. You're not still playing ninja games with that immature brat, are you?
"In the end, aren't you also deceiving her?"
Up in the ceiling, Izuna's heart pounded painfully. She clasped her hands together, praying desperately for her Shishou to deny it.
Yet what she heard was…
"I did deceive Izuna."
I confessed.