Hoichi the Earless [Episode 3] The White Hand (8)

Blind Hoichi and Miyo, who cannot speak, challenge the white hand

Click here for the beginning

Click here for the previous episode

◾️Chapter 8: The Sound of Waves, Grilled Fish, and Toward the Southeastern Sky

――

The distant sound of the sea tickled his ears with a soft crash.

“...Ugh...”

Hoichi groaned in his slumber. His body felt heavy, and a numbness still lingered in his fingertips. However, the warmth of the air and the savory scent brushing against his nose confirmed that he was indeed alive.

“...Where am I...”

His raspy voice dissolved into the silence.

“Are you awake, Hoichi?”

A calm voice resonated from near the hearth. It was quiet, yet carried a sharpness like a blade.

“...Priest...”

Hoichi tried to sit up, but he couldn't muster the strength. Sensing his movement, the priest gently leaned in and supported his back.

“There is no need to move. Your body and soul are still in that battle with the demon snake.”

By the hearth, a small fire flickered, and three fish on bamboo skewers were dripping fat with a sizzling sound.

“It is hairtail. Before dawn, three of them were washed up on the shore, as if lined up. I decided to grill them as a celebration that your lives were spared.”

Just from the sound and the smell, Hoichi could imagine how magnificent the hairtail were.

“Thank you, I will partake...”

At that moment, the cloth moved slightly on the other side of the hearth.

Miyo opened her eyes and sat up slightly. Even without speaking, he could tell that her nose was inhaling the scent of the grilled fish and her eyes were softening.

“Miyo...”

At Hoichi's voice, Miyo nodded. Her voice had not yet returned, but a faint vitality had taken root.

The priest silently handed them each a skewer. The one in Hoichi's hand was searingly hot, and the charred skin was cracking crisply.

“...Thank you for the meal.”

The moment Hoichi took a bite, the overflowing umami enveloped his body. The realization that he was alive slid down his throat along with the salt and fat.

Miyo also wrapped her hands around her skewer and quietly tore the charred skin with her teeth. The scent and the presence connected the two.

“...Now that you have settled down, I have something to tell you.”

The priest continued quietly, still holding the remaining hairtail.

“I am heading to Kyoto from here.”

Hoichi turned his face toward him. There was no agitation, only a question rising in his chest.

“...Why to Kyoto?”

“The flow of resentment is gathering there. My wooden fish tells me so. Now that the impurity filled with malice has been purified, I feel a new vortex approaching from the southeast.”

Rain tapped against the roof, drop by drop.

“I will go and see. You two... rest for a while. When we meet again, our paths will surely cross once more.”

Hoichi nodded slowly.

“...Please take care, Priest.”

“Indeed.”

Saying only that, the priest stood up and gently slung his traveling bag over his shoulder.

――

The scent of the hairtail remained quietly in the room. Miyo closed her eyes slowly, still staring at the skewer in her hands.

Just like that, no one said a word; only the sounds of the wind, the waves, and the fire gently enveloped the three of them.


Episode 3 'The White Hand' (End)

※I post around 7-8 PM every day. I would be very happy if you could press the heart mark (Like). Thank you.

Click here for the continuation

Please take a look at this as well if you like