Volume 2, Chapter 38 – Cutting Bamboo to Make a Weapon

Volume 2, Chapter 38 - Cutting Bamboo to Make a Weapon

Translator: Immortal Dreamer

Lily looked at the surface of the mirror with some doubt. She could vaguely make out her and Shimizu’s hazy appearance in the reflection.

“This is strange. I did wonder if this might be the case, but it seems like this mirror is a little different from mine. My mirror can reflect the clear image of the real world, while Shimizu’s mirror is the same as other copper mirrors present in this Heian era. Although I don’t know what kind of force is present inside her mirror, I’m sure her mirror isn’t the same as mine,” Lily soliloquized internally.

“I better keep my mirror hidden until I clarify this difference,” Lily subconsciously felt like this might be the right decision to take.

Shimizu appeared gentle and graceful as she danced along with her mirror and showed no hint of her prior indifference towards everything. She let Lily go and arrived near the window lit by the full moon before showing a somewhat proud yet passionate expression to Lily as she spoke her next words.

“Do you know? There’s only one mirror!”

Ehhh?

Lily couldn’t help but feel a sense of incongruity when she saw the look of fascination on Shimizu’s face as she gazed upon the ancient copper mirror in her hands, treating it as if it were a treasure.

There’s only one mirror?

That can’t be possible.

I obviously have a similar mirror that possesses an unfathomable power on me. Why does Shimizu believe there’s only one mirror?

“And then one day, I obtained it, this captivating mirror that I can’t imagine letting go,” Shimizu clutched the ancient mirror in hands tightly. She was so possessive of it that she might not even let Lily touch it.

Lily could understand this, as each person had different things they cared about.

“It granted me unimaginable power as well as unfathomable swordplay. From then on, my progress shot through the roof. Within just a few years, I had turned from someone who didn’t even have the qualifications to train — a sickly, frail girl who everyone avoided during outings and was just considered as baggage — to the number one samurai among the younger generation of the Eastern Nations!”

“The Genji might have birthed me, but the mirror granted me life!”

Shimizu wore a majestic expression on her face as she spoke in a lark-like voice, “I know this isn’t just a gift it has granted me, it’s also a mission. This mirror’s secret absolutely isn’t so simple. As the woman chosen by it, perhaps it’s my fate to uncover its secrets! I have to solve the riddle of the mirror girls and also protect these unfortunate women in this dark world. I must reverse this damning fate they are born with!”

“Sister Shimizu...” Lily kneeled before Shimizu and looked up at her, feeling admiration. Shimizu was different from Lily. She had a frail body, but she still put in a lot of effort even though the circumstances surrounding her weren’t the best. Although Shimizu had a lucky encounter later, it had only paid off because of her obstinance. As the old adage went, hard work leads to success. The reason Shimizu was able to achieve her current position wasn’t just because she had obtained the mirror; it was because she had the mindset of a samurai!

She hadn’t sought all the prestige as well as her current position; it had come to her because she was determined and gained enough strength for it. Although the state of her health wasn’t optimal, she had noble aspirations and seemed to burn her life to pursue her passions!

Sister Shimizu is so admirable yet also so pitiful...

Lily had a vague feeling that this never-ending passion of Shimizu’s differed from the unrestrained behavior of Uesugi Rei. Unlike the endless warmth present in the world, Shimizu’s frail and petite body was akin to a bright lamp swaying within the night, its warmth possessing a limited range...

“Lily,” Shimizu voiced out, her gaze flickering, “You must have realized that those people will not give up at this point. Although I have become the number one samurai of the Eastern Nations’ younger generation because of the mirror’s favor, my secret is out in the open after that battle with Onigumo. I will have to live with the identity of the mirror girl henceforth and make enemies with those terrifying powers who have persecuted the mirror girls so long. This battle will last as long as I live, until the day I uncover the truth behind the mirror girls’ secret or die under their hands... Lily, even if it’s this way, are you willing to become training sisters with me and fight alongside me?”

Lily showed no hesitation and straightened her back, which emphasized her supple beauty. Her gaze, however, had turned resolute as she replied in a firm, decisive tone, “I am willing.”