A lone, one-horned cow, its eyes wide with panic, crashed through the lush thicket of Biyuu Island, its heavy hooves tearing up the soft, damp earth.

  "It's heading your way!" a man shouted from a nearby hunting blind, his voice a sharp note of warning in the otherwise peaceful afternoon.

  "On it," a girl with long, midnight-blue hair replied, her voice calm and steady. She stood in the middle of the path, her back straight, her silver-rimmed glasses glinting in the dappled sunlight. As the beast charged toward her, she drew her bow, the simple wooden frame looking almost fragile in her hands.

  She positioned herself, her stance unwavering, and pulled the bowstring as far back as it would go, a single, feather-tipped arrow aimed directly at the space between the cow's wild eyes.

  With a sharp whistle, the arrow flew, fast and true, lodging itself deep in its target. The cow let out a final, pained bellow, its legs buckling as it stumbled, limped, and finally fell to the ground just a few feet from where she stood.

  "Great work as always, Yukari," the man, Mr. Akira, a veteran hunter of Kumatou village, called out as he emerged from the hunting blind, a proud grin on his weathered face.

  Yukari bowed her head slightly. "Thank you, sir. Your guidance has helped me greatly."

  The rest of the hunting party came rushing out from the thicket, their initial caution quickly turning into amazement.

  "Great job, Yukari!” one of them shouted.

  “That's our star hunter!"

  "Marry me!" another added, his voice full of a genuine, if misplaced, admiration.

  "Alright, calm down," Mr. Akira said, trying to diffuse the situation. "You're crowding her." He turned back to Yukari, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "But I do admit, you are a fast learner. Are you perhaps some sort of famous war general or something?" he asked with a laugh.

  Yukari just laughed awkwardly, a flicker of her old life flashing through her mind. He's closer than he knows, she thought. "No, it can't be, Mr. Akira," she said, her voice a little too quick. "I just work out a lot, and the rest of the hunters have helped me. I swear."

  "I know, I know," he said, still smiling. He turned to the others. "You guys, let's tie that cow up and bring it back to the village. This is a big one."

  "Oooohhh!" the rest of the hunters shouted, quickly moving to their task, though the occasional "Marry me, Yukari!" could still be heard.

  "Hey, who said that?" Mr. Akira grumbled, shaking his head. He looked back at Yukari, who was trying her best to look anywhere but at the adoring hunters. "Don't you guys know she has a partner?"

  Yukari's face turned bright red. "No, Mr. Akira, I'm not married," she denied, her voice a little flustered. "...yet."

  "Really?" Mr. Akira looked genuinely confused. "My wife told me all about your farmer husband. What was his name again?"

  As he uttered those words, miles away in the Kumatou village marketplace, a young man with messy black hair sneezed.

  "Achoo!" Raito sniffled, rubbing his nose. "Who's talking about me?"

  This time, however, Raito was not selling vegetables like he used to. He was walking with a straight, determined stride, though a faint nervousness could be seen in the way he kept clenching and unclenching his fists. His direction was clear: a lone, quiet shop on the outskirts of the marketplace, a place he had found weeks ago and had kept a secret, even from Yukari.

  He arrived at the shop, its wooden sign so faded with age that the name was no longer legible. He took a deep breath and opened the sliding wooden door.

  "Hello?" he called out softly.

  The place was small, empty, and dusty. The air smelled of old wood, polished metal, and something faintly sweet, like aged incense. But the quality of the accessories displayed in the glass cases was breathtaking, even to Raito's untrained eye. Each piece, from the simplest silver ring to the most intricate jade pendant, was a masterpiece.

  "Ah, young Raito." An old, raspy voice came from behind a beaded curtain. "Hold on a second. I'll bring it out."

  An elderly man with kind eyes and skin that held a faint green sheen of scales emerged from the backroom.

  "O-okay," Raito said, his voice a little shaky. "Take your time, Mr. Woo." He stood there, his heart pounding in his chest, getting more and more nervous with every passing second.

  A few moments later, Mr. Woo, the elderly snake Sacred, returned, holding a small, red velvet box. He approached Raito, a knowing smile on his face.

  "Nervous, young Raito?" Mr. Woo asked, his voice a low, gentle hiss.

  "Yes," Raito admitted, fidgeting. "This is... very important to me."

  "I remember my own," Mr. Woo said, his eyes distant with a memory from a long-gone century as he handed the box to Raito. "It feels like yesterday." He gestured with his head. "Open it."

  Raito took a deep, steadying breath and opened the box. Inside, nestled in the soft, red velvet, was a simple silver ring. On it, a single, perfectly cut diamond in the shape of a sakura petal glittered in the dim light of the shop.

  He immediately remembered their first days on Biyuu Island, when they had stumbled upon a hidden grove of cherry blossom trees, a rare sight in Hanyuun. He remembered how happy Yukari had looked, her silver eyes shining as the pink petals drifted around her like snow. From that day on, he had resolved himself to give her a cherry blossom petal that would last forever, a promise to keep seeing that smile on her face.

  "This is it, Mr. Woo. It's perfect," Raito said, his voice quiet but full of a newfound certainty. He closed the box, a determined look on his face. "I'll pay now."

  "Five hundred Cal," Mr. Woo said.

  "What?" Raito looked up, confused. "But when I first asked, you said it was much more."

  "A discount for you, young Raito," the old man said with a warm smile. "I'm rooting for you. This moment... it's special. The magic only happens once in a lifetime. You must treasure it."

  "I will, Mr. Woo," Raito said, his voice full of gratitude as he handed over the money. She's the one, he thought, clutching the small box in his hand. I'm ready.

  However, Raito was not alone. Outside the dusty window of the small shop, multiple shadowy figures were quietly observing him, their gazes fixed on the young man with messy hair. Waiting.

  Back in the lush thicket, the one-horned cow was now securely tied to a pole. Multiple hunters grunted and strained as they lifted it onto their shoulders, its weight much greater than their usual prey.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "We'll have a massive barbecue today!" Mr. Akira laughed as he helped the others. He looked around, then frowned. "Hmm?" He noticed Yukari was not with them.

  A short distance away, Yukari had split off from the group, moving to another side of the thicket. She stood alone, her posture suddenly tensed. Or was she?

  "Hey," she said, her voice low and calm, directed at a large, unassuming tree beside her. "I know you're there. Come out."

  For a moment, there was only the rustling of leaves. Then, a figure dropped down from the branches, landing silently on the soft earth. It was a woman, her black hair tied back in a high ponytail. She was dressed in a sleek, all-black combat uniform, and a long, slender orange tail swished slowly behind her.

  "How did you know?" the woman asked, her voice a low, dangerous purr.

  "Ever since our group entered this area, I kept hearing rustling in the trees," Yukari explained, not taking her eyes off the newcomer. "But there were no birds, no monkeys. That means someone was following us." She drew her bow, nocking an arrow in one smooth, practiced motion. "So, who are you? And why were you following our group?"

  "Not your group, you silly girl," the woman said, her voice taking on a seductive tone as she took a slow, deliberate step forward. She pointed a single, gloved finger at Yukari. "You."

  "Me?" Yukari startled, taking a half-step back, her bow held steady. "Why me? I'm just a village hunter and a farmer."

  "That excuse might work on the rest of these simpletons, but not on me..." The woman’s lips curved into a knowing smirk. "...Snow Flower."

  The nickname hit Yukari with the force of a physical blow. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a loud, panicked beat that echoed in the sudden silence of the forest.

  The woman continued, her voice a low, confident purr as she listed off the details like a hunter reciting the traits of her prey. "Lin Meihua. General and High Council member of Jinlun, Ruhong. Age, two hundred and twenty-two. Midnight-blue hair, silver eyes, half-Sacred. Last known status: missing and wanted. That is you, right?"

  "No," Yukari snapped back, her voice sharp, a desperate attempt to deny the undeniable. "That is not me. I am Yukari Mei." She kept her bow aimed directly at the woman's heart. "Who are you?"

  "Oops, I forgot to introduce myself, silly me," the woman purred, clearly enjoying Yukari's reaction. "My name is Min Eun. I... let's just say I work for the esteemed Lord Takayama Godai. And he wants you, darling."

  "Why?" Yukari's voice was sharp. "Why me? I don't even know who this Takayama person is. You'd better leave, lady. I don't know who this 'Lin Meihua' person is, and I certainly won't go to work for someone I don't know."

  "Still denying it, I see," Min Eun said, her smirk widening. "I don't care if you know our lord or not. He wants you, and you will answer his call. Whether you want to or not."

  An arrow flew past Min Eun's cheek, so close it left a small, shallow scratch.

  "That is a warning shot, lady," Yukari declared, her voice cold as ice. "Either leave, or I won't miss next time."

  Min Eun just laughed, a low, throaty sound. "So brave. So vigorous. Are you sure you want to do that?" She tilted her head, her gaze full of a cruel, calculated pity. "You surely care about the well-being of that boyfriend of yours, right? The one... the farmer with the black hair?"

  "You..." Yukari's voice was a low growl, her knuckles white as she gripped her bow. "What did you do to him?"

  "Nothing... yet, sweetie," Min Eun said, her voice a purr. "As long as you stay quiet and follow me."

  "You're bluffing."

  "Am I?" Min Eun sent a sharp, high-pitched whistle into the air. From a nearby tree, a black, four-winged crow, its eyes a little too intelligent, took flight, heading directly toward Kumatou village. "I just gave a signal, sweetie. My boys are not as patient as I am."

  With that, Yukari bolted, her heart pounding with a new, terrifying urgency as she sprinted back towards the village.

  "You'd better catch him fast, Snow Flower," Min Eun called after her, her voice a triumphant monologue in the now-empty thicket. "You'll come crawling back to me. I know it."

  Yukari ran as fast as she could, her heart a frantic drum against her ribs. She passed the group of hunters, who had stopped on the way, waiting for her.

  "Hey, Yukari, where did you go?" Mr. Akira joked. "We were about to send a search party for you."

  But Yukari just ran past him, her face a mask of pure, unadulterated panic, leaving a very confused Mr. Akira and his team behind. In a few quick minutes, she had entered Kumatou village, her eyes darting around, searching for a familiar figure. She sprinted to their small farmhouse.

  Not here, she thought, leaving the farmhouse, her stomach twisting into a knot of fear.

  She saw Isao walking by, a stack of papers in his hand. She grabbed him by the collar of his loose-fitting white garb.

  "Ey, ey, ey, wha’cha you doin', lady?" Isao said, startled, nearly dropping his papers.

  "Where is Raito?" Yukari demanded, her voice slightly panting.

  Isao pointed in the direction of the marketplace. "Last I saw him, he was heading there," he gulped, intimidated by this new, terrifying version of Yukari.

  She immediately followed his direction, running towards the bustling marketplace.

  "Raito!" she shouted, her voice raw and desperate, cutting through the usual market chatter. "Raito, where are you?" Some people turned in her direction, their faces a mixture of confusion and concern, but she didn't care. All she could think about was finding him before it was too late.

  An hour later, her frantic search had turned up nothing. The sun was beginning to set, casting long, orange shadows across the village. A cold, familiar dread began to settle in her stomach. Finally, a small child, seeing her distress, pointed a tiny finger toward a dark, narrow alleyway between the tailor's shop and a closed-down teahouse.

  She found him there.

  He was slumped against a wall, his body a broken mess. His clothes were torn, his face was a swollen canvas of bruises, and a trickle of blood ran from his split lip. The vision of Kun, held and left half-dead in the Jinlun prison, entered her mind so vividly that her stomach wretched. She turned away, her body convulsing as she threw up in the street, a reaction born from her inability to handle the possibility of the same terrible situation happening twice.

  But it wasn't the time for weakness. She quickly resolved herself, wiped her mouth and rushed to his side.

  "Raito, Raito," she shook him, her voice a desperate whisper. "Come on, please be okay. Make one of your bad jokes, please."

  "Umgh..." Raito stirred, his eyes fluttering open. "Yukari... is that you?" he said weakly. "What... what happened?"

  "That's what I should be asking you," she cried, pulling him into a tight, desperate hug.

  "Last thing I remember..." he groaned, "I was going home... then I was ambushed. Three of them." He suddenly shouted, "Ah!" He frantically checked every pocket he had, his hands shaking. Then he felt it. The small, hard shape of the velvet box. He breathed a sigh of relief.

  "They... they stole our money," he said, his voice a pained whisper.

  "Money is not as important as you, you idiot," Yukari said, tears streaming down her cheeks as she helped him to his feet, draping his arm over her shoulder. "Let's go home. You need treatment."

  A short while later, they arrived safely back at their small farmhouse. Raito was set down on a chair next to the dinner table while Yukari quickly pulled out the first aid kit.

  "Ow, ow, ow, be gentle," Raito groaned as she dabbed a cotton ball soaked in ointment on one of his bruises.

  "Don't be a baby, it only stings," she replied, her voice still a little shaky.

  "Well, it's not as bad as the last time," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

  "Idiot," Yukari snapped, her voice sharp. "Don't joke like that in times like these." She began wrapping his ribs with a clean bandage, her technique much better than when they had first left Jinlun, thanks to Miss Yinzi's teachings.

  "Right, my bad," he said, wincing. "But delinquents these days... I can't believe three of them attacked me in broad daylight like that. I'll report them to Isao tomorrow."

  They're not delinquents, Raito, Yukari thought, her heart twisting with a cold dread. She had pieced it together, the people who attacked raito, they must be min eun’s. But she couldn't tell him. Not yet.

  "Yeah," she said, her voice a little too bright as she forced an awkward laugh. "What bad luck you have."

  "Hmm? Anything bothering you?" Raito asked, noticing the frown on her face.

  "No, nothing," she said, quickly shaking her head. "It must be just you. I'm just angry at the people who attacked you, that's all." It was an excuse, a lie. For the first time in a long time, she lied to him once more.

  "Alright, I guess," he relented, clearly not entirely convinced.

  "Get some rest," Yukari said, helping him to the bed. "To heal your injuries. I'll buy some dinner and alert Isao about what happened. Grilled fish sounds good ?"

  "Yeah. Be careful, Yukari," he said, his voice already growing heavy with exhaustion.

  She just nodded, and exited the front door. As the door clicked shut behind her, she saw them. Waiting for her.

  Min Eun stood there, the four-winged crow perched silently on her shoulder. Behind her stood three of her underlings, their faces hidden in wooden masks.

  "So," Min Eun said, her voice a low purr. "What will it be?"

  Yukari looked back at the closed door of the farmhouse, then back at the woman in front of her. "It's not like I have a choice, do I ?" she said, her voice cold as ice. "Whoever this clan lord of yours is, Takayama or whatever... he will pay."

  She began to follow them quietly into the night.

  "Oh, our lord won't be the one paying, darling." Min Eun said with a sinister laugh, a sound that was swallowed by the darkness. "He has a talent for recruiting people. Even you will become his."