Chapter 121: Silver Soul (Side Story)

"Why come here?" Okakura Take asked, looking at the man in the black robe.

"To live here," the man in the black robe replied in a hoarse voice.

"Live in an inn?" Okakura Take frowned. She looked at him warily, a hint of unease showing in her eyes.

"..." The man in the black robe sensed her caution. He raised his hand, gently placed it on her head, and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry."

"Huh?" Okakura Take was puzzled. Was he telling her not to overthink things?

"I don't have a home, so I have no choice but to stay here with you," the man explained.

"I see. So you don't have a home either." After saying this, she looked at him and asked, "By the way, I still don't know your name. I'm Okakura Take. What about you?"

"..." The man was silent for a moment before saying, "You can just call me Kyon."

"Kyon..." Okakura Take repeated the name.

Afterward, the man in the black robe took her to rent two rooms, one for each of them. Having just come from the battlefield of the Joi War, Okakura Take was overjoyed to see the soft beds; she threw herself onto the mattress and fell asleep instantly.

After she fell asleep, the man, wrapped entirely in black, entered. He gently pulled down the bandages covering his face, and his silver, curly hair immediately sprang forth. This man was Gintoki Sakata, fifteen years in the future.

He watched the sleeping Okakura Take and sighed. He slowly reached out to stroke her hair, tucked the blanket around her, and then quietly slipped out.

The next day, Okakura Take woke up full of energy. After washing up, she ran to the room next door and knocked. The door opened immediately.

"Good morning, Kyon." Okakura Take greeted the black-clad Gintoki with a bright smile.

Gintoki did not speak, merely nodding.

"Kyon, what are we doing today?" she asked.

"Looking for a place to live," Gintoki replied in a low voice.

"Looking for a house? That’s a good idea. Staying in an inn every day is so expensive." Okakura Take agreed readily.

The two set out to find a home. Edo was mostly deserted now, and vacant houses were everywhere. Without much effort, they rented a decent place at a cheap price. Gintoki paid for it; when Okakura Take tried to cover half the cost, he refused. She decided she would find work in a couple of days and take charge of their meals, as she couldn't keep taking advantage of him.

And so, Okakura Take began her life living with Gintoki. Of course, in her eyes, he was still Kyon.

She found Kyon to be a strange person. Whenever he ate, he would either take his food to his own room or loosen only half his bandages, exposing just his mouth. To this day, she still had no idea what he actually looked like.

Recently, Okakura Take finally found a job as a kitchen assistant in a ramen shop. The pay was low, but it was enough to scrape by.

"Okakura, your complexion is much better than when you first arrived. You looked as pale as a corpse back then. Now, you finally look like a living person," said Shogo Kanai, the ramen shop owner. He was a man in his forties, a warm-hearted fellow who loved to talk. Okakura Take was very grateful to him for taking her in.

"Really? That must be because your ramen is so delicious, Boss, it’s what brought me back to life," she replied while washing dishes.

"Haha, you really know how to make me happy, Okakura. Work hard, and if I ever leave, I’ll leave this shop to you," Kanai said happily.

"Leave? Where are you going, Boss?" she asked, puzzled.

Hearing her question, Kanai sighed. "With Edo the way it is now, the White Curse continues to spread. I’m doing alright, but my son is still young. I can't let him stay on Earth to wait for death. Once I save enough money, I intend to take him and leave this planet."

"Boss..." Okakura Take fell silent.

Having been on Earth for many days in this future, she had learned about the situation. A highly contagious, lethal virus called the White Curse had broken out. Those infected saw their hair turn white before their organs failed and they died. From the onset of symptoms to death, it only took half a month, and to this day, the source and transmission method remained unknown.

The virus had broken out five years ago. In those five years, many had already left Earth. Those who remained were mostly the impoverished, the infected who were nearing death, and those who simply could not bear to leave.

That evening, Okakura Take finished her shift. Boss Kanai had specially made two bowls of ramen for her to take home to her "brother." Yes, she had told him she lived with her brother.

Though she called him her brother, she only knew him as Kyon and had never even seen his face. She didn't know how old he was, but judging by the chin he exposed, he seemed quite young...

"Kyon, I'm home. We're having ramen tonight." As soon as she opened the door, she saw Kyon standing by the window, staring blankly at the night sky.

She was used to this side of him. Several times at night when she got up for water, she had seen him standing on the balcony watching the stars. She felt that Kyon must be a man with many stories; even now, he remained a mystery to her.

Furthermore, she had noticed that Kyon often disappeared, and there were several times she had returned to find the house empty.

While eating ramen that night, Okakura Take finally couldn't hold back anymore as she stared at the chin he revealed while eating.

"Kyon, do you keep your face covered because you're afraid of catching the White Curse?" she asked curiously.

Gintoki, in the middle of eating, froze. After a moment, he said, "No."

"Oh?" Her eyes darted around, and she asked, "Then are you covering your face because you're too ugly?"

"Cough, cough, cough." Gintoki choked. He hadn't expected her to call him ugly. Even now, Gin-san still considered himself quite handsome!

"No," his reply this time carried a hint of exasperation.

"Fine, Kyon. Look, we’re friends now, aren't we? But apart from your name, I don't even know what you look like. If we ever part ways, I won't even be able to find you because I don't know what you look like," she said, looking at him.

"..." Gintoki fell silent. After a while, he said, "Then there's no need to look for me."

"What is that supposed to mean! Hmph!" Annoyed, Okakura Take pushed her bowl away and walked back to her room.

Gintoki looked at her door and gave a bitter smile. He stood up, cleared the table, and washed the dishes.

Okakura Take sat on her bed, arms crossed, feeling angry. She felt that over the past few days, she had come to see Kyon as a good friend. Even though he was mysterious, she could feel his care for her.

She felt awkward. He knew so much about her, yet she knew nothing about him. This made her feel insecure, as if he might suddenly vanish.

After a while, she quietly opened her door. She saw Kyon back on the balcony, watching the night sky. Bathed in the hazy moonlight, he looked as if he might disappear at any moment.

"Kyon." She couldn't help but step out and call to him.

Gintoki turned to look at her.

Okakura Take walked over, looked up at him, and asked, "Are we friends?"

Gintoki nodded.

"Very good friends?" she asked.

Gintoki nodded again.

"Then will you suddenly leave?"

Gintoki was stunned this time. After a long pause, he nodded.

"I see..." Okakura Take lowered her head, feeling dejected. "I’ve really come to see you as a good friend lately. It’s fine if you have to leave, but you must tell me if you're going—you can't just disappear."

"…Alright." Gintoki reached out, ruffled her hair, and promised her.

Okakura Take felt happy again. She looked up, waved at him, and said, "Okay then, I’m going to sleep. You should get some rest too, Kyon."

With that, she returned to her room.

Left alone, Gintoki watched her door close before sinking to the floor. He looked down at his palms, a bitter glint in his eyes.

"This time... I won't let you die. Let the past end the future..."