Artist's commentary
"How did you meet my lord?" I asked Lady Youmu.
She had an expression as if she did not understand the meaning of the sudden question, but after explaining that I did not know much about either of them and was somewhat bothered by it, she smiled and said, "I see... yes...." "Hmm... yes, the time him and I met... it was over a year ago. I had gone into the village on an errand..." she began. "There, I got tangled up with a group of delinquents. I guess my childlike stature led them to believe I was some sort of weak fairy. Being somewhat familiar with a blade myself, I had decided to discipline them when suddenly, someone grabbed my arm and ran out of there." I asked if the person was my lord. She nodded and continued, "After a while of running until we were sure they couldn't get us, he stopped and said, 'Are you alright? There are a lot of those kinds of gangs hanging around, so be careful,' all out of breath. At first I thought he had just misunderstood and gone a bit too far, but... that was the first time a man ever protected me like that." She shifted her gaze downward. "I was also thinking that he seemed like a person who had a hard life. The thought of a powerless human living in a world where youkai run rampant and coming to the aid of someone he didn't even know... it just made me worry about him."
"That's 'cause you have integrity, Youmu-chan," the proprietor interrupted. "No, it just worried me is all. After that, we exchanged greetings whenever we saw each other in the village. Wanting to repay him for protecting me, I began accompanying him. One day I realized that I had grown to enjoy being with him. Then..." "She's always finding some way to ambush him just to see him," the proprietor interjected, causing Youmu to cast her face down. "She's a devoted one, that Youmu. Even changed her hairstyle after she met him. I bet she came down here today to see him," he said with a hint of contempt. Lady Youmu fell silent. "I understand now why Lady Youmu wishes to care for my lord. He is truly benevolent, even allowing a complete stranger like me to borrow his home. I wonder if he had not considered the possibility of me being a bad person? The absolute kindness in his heart to not think about such a danger must captivate Lady Youmu, and I... to be continued
