Chapter 71 Pariah

"Yuu! Are ya okay?!" the archer shouted, shoving me aside.

The Sun's rays were blotted out by a massive presence at my side. It was the man-giant. He stood next to me with eyes intently focused on my every move.

Mizuno dusted herself off and returned to her feet, her chin slick with blood.

"I'll clean ya up!" the archer affirmed, then retrieved a brown rucksack.

After rummaging through the bag, she freed her hand to reveal a small white cloth patch and some gauze. The archer reached forward to help, but Mizuno snatched the supplies from the her hand.

"I've got it, thanks," she eased.

While she cleaned and bandaged her wound, all other eyes were on me.

My countrymen, the archer, and the giant unblinkingly observed my every breath and every twitch. They watched me like I was a powder keg, and they were waiting for my explosion.

None of them glared at me with such vehement fury as the archer. She motioned her mouth, probably to insult, but was cut off by Mizuno.

"Drop it, Suda. It's fine."

Suda turned back in disbelief, gaping at Mizuno. "Are ya serious, Yuu?!

This guy attacked ya!" she threw a finger in my direction.

"It's. Fine. Forget about it," Mizuno ordered, plastering a bandage on her chin wound. "Worry about packing up camp; it's time to move."

Though she nodded in agreement, Suda's open hostilities were as evident as the Sun in the sky. She fixed an angered glare to me while gathering the rope of squirrels and scattered supplies.

Unsure of what to do, I followed my usual protocol on the war front. I assumed we were fugitives, so my first goal was to fend off any potential trackers.

I moved to dismantle the campfire remnants but was stopped by a massive hand on my shoulder.

I looked up to the one I'd assumed was "Shrug." He shook his head and held me in place. I must've been under guard to ensure I caused no more incidents.

With nothing to do, I reduced myself to just being an observer. The first I laid eyes on was Agawa. As expected, she avoided eye contact with me; she must've still been repulsed by what I did in the manor. Or by what I'd just done to Mizuno.

"Hey," I turned to Shrug, "could I talk to her?" I pointed a hand toward Agawa; she was rolling up some makeshift animal skin bedrolls for transport.

He narrowed his eyes and glowered at me. Then, after a moment, he shrugged and nodded, "yes." Though he let me go, he followed me close, waiting for the moment I might betray them again.

"Agawa?" I called out to her. "Could I have a word?" I wanted to ask her about everything that had happened so far.

But when she saw me, she had the strangest reaction. First, she wore a slight smile of relief, but that soon gave way to a grimace when I approached closer. She hastily completed her chore and speedily retreated away.

'Avoiding me, huh? It makes sense; it's only natural,' I sighed. I knew my bridge with her was burned, so I turned away in acceptance. 'I did what I had to do, I don't regret that,' I consoled myself.

Everyone else eyed me like I was the enemy, except for Kamida and, surprisingly, the woman I'd attacked. Whenever we traded glances, she nodded respectfully. It was like she'd given me a form of recognition.

After seeing her in a calm, non-hostile setting, I felt an incessant feeling of deja vu. Like I'd met her somewhere prior to now, more specifically, her cloak.

My attempts to unravel the mystery were halted when Kamida approached me.

"Sir, may I have a few words? I'd like to bring you up to speed on what you've missed." In spite of the high-tension situation that happened just moments before, Kamida seemed steadied and calm.

I, however, was still filled with regret and shame for my actions. I pensively closed my eyes and performed a slight bow. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you earlier. I-"

Kamida started chuckling and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Look, it's alright, Sir. In the end, nobody was hurt too badly, and everything worked out. There's no need to dwell on what's behind us; let's focus on what's ahead."

'Yeah, he's right. Now's not the time for shame.' Resolving to focus on our survival, I breathed deeply and bowed again. "You're right; please tell me what I missed."

"Of course, Sir!" Kamida smiled.

Before he started, I asked him about Agawa. After what she saw in the manor, I was concerned about her mental state. Though she seemed to loathe me, I couldn't help but worry for her health.

"You know," Kamida replied, "out of everyone, she was the most worried for your health, Sir. When you were healed, she was the most joyous."

'What? She was worried for me?' I stood there, staring quizzically at Kamida. The reaction she just gave me was one of aversion, not worry.

Kamida seemingly read my thoughts through my expression. "Mr. Sato, I'm not sure what happened between you two, but the manor was unpleasant for everyone, traumatic even. I'm sure she's just working through her feelings," he tapped my shoulder and smiled. "Give her time."

After that, he continued with his briefing.

From Kamida, I learned how they rescued me from death and how Takagi smashed my assailant's skull. I learned of a doctor who'd helped save my life, then had his taken by a mutant bear.

I learned of a child and his father that ran a clinic together within the town. A gray knight with the strength to blow humans apart with a massive sword, and I was finally filled in on the three I attacked.

"Shit..." I rested my head wearily in my hands. "I...I can't believe I attacked them... Police officers, no less."

Forget the Rules of Engagement; I could be considered a full-on traitor with what I'd done...

'So the fighting style wasn't coincidental,' I again made eye contact with Mizuno. My expression became apologetic, which she ignored and returned to work.

Before we left, I also introduced myself to the three new faces who'd been in the manor with us.

The two sisters, Ayame and Hikari, were both uneasy at my approach, though Hikari seemed the most afraid. She hid behind Ayame's back, only uttering the phrase "hello" before retreating from sight entirely.

I met the one named Takahashi. He didn't strike me as much. He was meek, easily frightened, and odd, to say the least. As we left, I saw him coating his hands in ash residue from what used to be the campfire.

When I asked him why he said it was because he was germophobic and learned in a class that ash could make a suitable replacement for soap.

I questioned Kamida about it, and he was just as surprised. He told me he hadn't seen Takahashi talk about having any phobias or much of anything, in fact.

I shrugged it off as the camp was finally packed. Then we began a journey through the wilds.