Curious

"Lady Ito, wait for my Master to come to you," Daisuke said at last. That was the only response he could offer to her that would save him from speaking much.

Nodding slightly, he turned around to leave.

Hana stood there with a certain dread and shock wash over her as she watched him mount the horse before immediately riding off into the distance.

She was left terrified and confused.

She didn't know how long she stood at the entrance until her consciousness was jolted back to the present when she felt the smoothness of the porcelain bottle in her right hand.

Slowly, her gaze landed on it as a long sigh fell off her thin lips. Her brows were constricted in worry.

Releasing another deep breath, she pulled herself together and turned around to go back into the house while hoping for this phase to pass.

During the time her mother was absent, Haruka had been restless and had stopped sewing.

She had grown a little distracted with her situation. To her being locked in and not allowed to step out even when Daisuke was there, was a truly gruesome punishment when they knew she was a bird that needed to be set free.

Feeling a little downcast, Haruka put down her work items and fiddled with her sore fingers with a few thoughts running through her mind.

Mr. Suke is here, what about his Master? Did he come with him?

From her thoughts, she had unknowingly looked forward to meeting Naoki again as her heart fluttered a little at the thought of that mysterious man she had once set her eyes upon.

As soon as Haruka heard the sounds of approaching footsteps, she picked up her needle and a piece of white cloth big enough to make a child's apron and began to sew with a serious expression on her face.

A moment later, she heard the sliding door push open which was followed by its closing and the soft footsteps of her mother.

Hana walked in and went to take her seat on the futon placed in front of the short-legged table on the floor, without sparing her daughter a glance.

She was still in a trance as she slowly sat and propped her arms on the table before her.

Feeling the odd ambience, Haruka's fingers paused as she raised her gaze slightly and directed it ahead.

Tilting her head to the side, her eyes narrowed at her mother who was staring blankly at the translucent door.

"Mother," she called out with a soft tone laced with a little confusion.

Hana jolted back to consciousness and quickly darted her gaze in her direction.

"Are you done?" She asked, trying to sound normal while fiddling with the item in her hands.

Without needing a soothsayer to tell her, Haruka knew that something must have happened when she went out to meet Daisuke.

Her mother's eyes were still unsettled and displayed a glint of worry which forced out her concern and curiosity.

For as long as she could recall, being curious and concerned was one of her very likely traits, especially her curiosity.

Glancing at the item in her mother's hand, she couldn't help but ask about it.

"Mother, what do you have in your hand?"

Instinctively, Hana's gaze shifted back to the item in her hand and recalled its importance.

A contemplative gaze sat on her face as she thought hard about whether to reveal the details of her conversation to her or not.

But after a few moments in which Haruka had left her to her thoughts, passed, her concerned voice rang once more in her ears.

"Mother, what is wrong? What did Mr. Suke say to you?" She questioned with her full attention now turned to her mother.

She knew her mother's state was a result of whatever conversation she had with Daisuke, and she couldn't help but get curious as to the content of their chat.

Her sewing classes could wait.

At this point, Hana knew there was no way she could escape her daughter's questions, and a long sigh escaped her lips as she made her decision on the spot.

With her gaze glancing between her worried daughter and the item she was given, her pursed lips parted.

"Mr. Suke gave this to me. Apparently, his Master made this and asked for it to be passed unto me."

Recounting her mother's words in a questioning manner, Haruka's eyes widened in surprise, "Mr. Suke's Master gave this to you?"

Hana nodded simply and kept mute afterwards.

Her daughter's eyes squinted, letting her own thoughts roam free in her mind. 'The man from that night?'

This was so unexpected, Haruka thought.

Trying to figure out more about what information she could get, she directly asked about the content of the bottle.

At this point, that was the key to unravelling the mystery, the answer that would uncover her confused state.

Not having in mind to withhold anything from her daughter since they have come to this point, Hana spilt everything to her.

"It's a dye for your hair," Hana began, taking a slight pause to watch Haruka's reaction.

"Mr. Suke's Master knows about your hair having two different colours… Mr. Suke also hinted at the possibility of others like his Master finding out about it."

In her last sentence, Hana gave her daughter a knowing look, also hinting to a particular set of people just the way Daisuke had done, which they were both aware of.

However, Haruka was not interested in her mother's hint, but at Naoki.

How did he come to know about her hair colours?

The first and only time she had seen him was a few days ago, and she was sure that her hair was all black as her mother had personally helped her to reapply the black dye to her hair a week before that day.

If there was a mistake somehow, her mother or someone in her family would have pointed it out to avoid her getting into trouble.

If there was any part of her body that had the most attention from her, then it was her hair, to avoid mistakes, caution was the strong and only watchword Haruka adhered to most.

Unlike Hana, Haruka was not that shocked by Naoki's identity because she had seen and felt his strangeness.

A man whose aura could be felt from a long distance. A man who appeared in her house that day before she and Daisuke arrived.

There was no short route for him to follow to her house that she was aware of. And if not, how did he pass them by without her noticing?

With all of this, she was not too surprised, just that she was inquisitive as to how he knew about the matter with her.

'By any chance, can he see through the dye?' She thought deeply to herself.

Before Haruka could finish pondering over this matter, she heard her mother's conclusion.

"Mr. Suke's Master must be as powerful as the Daimyos," Hana revealed with another thought swirling in her head which she refused to mention.

For now, she would keep that to herself while they faced the current issue.

Hearing her mother's statement, Haruka came to the conclusion that she knew more since she was able to guess a little about Naoki's identity.

"Mother, do you know the actual identity of Mr. Suke's Master?" She inquired curiously.

Looking into the distance with her eyes envisioning something only she could see, Hana's brows drew in close. "I will find out when he comes to me."

Daisuke had mentioned that his Master would come to see her, and she knew that she would find out his identity in that meeting, but she was hoping she wouldn't have to wait for long.

Not just Haruka, but even she was as curious as a cat when it came to anything about her daughter's safety.