“Go away,” he said, without much hope of being obeyed. Jien poked him again. “Do you want to hear the news or not?” “What news?” He shifted forward and regretted it as his back burst into flames—the result of sleeping in an improper position. Gingerly settling back against the wall, he repeated the question. “It’s my fault,” he said after Jien had stopped relaying the news. “I let the demon escape my body, and it told the others I was a fox. That’s why the shinobi made this desperate attack.” “Do think it through, Aki. They would never have had time to plan and implement this attack if they’d started organizing after our visit. This began long before.” “I—” Jien waved a hand, babbling right over his attempt at a reply. “I’m aware it’s impossible to stop you from blaming yourself. Yuki’s been trying for three years, and he hasn’t had any success.
