'Harutsuki'

[Yaoquizque]

'Harutsuki' gazed at the kid busy spelling with the rest of her class the word Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia written on the class board.

It was a young female - probably not far from nine or ten years old - with an urchin cut.
Her curious eyes were sometimes slipping over to the officer while she was spelling, making her miss syllables. She was then quickly reporting her attention to the board, until another subject of interest in the room was monopolizing her attention.

She looked well-behaved, yet unfocused.
Was it the blank spirit he was looking for, ready to be written on?

The child sat in front of him, seemingly rather intimidated by his presence.
"Are you afraid of me?" asked the officer after a moment the kid spent between fidgeting and gazing at him with curiosity.
"Yes, mister.." she answered with a little voice.
"Mistress told me to come here.."
"Since how long do you live here?"

The girl counted on her fingers with concentration.
"Four years, mister."
"And do you know why you are here?"

She gazed at him with a sad-looking expression.
"Mother and father died.."
He didn't say a word, contenting himself with observing her.
"They ate a fish and then they died.." finally said the girl.
"What kind of fish?"
"I don't know... A bad fish?" pondered the girl while gazing at him yet again with that expression full of curiosity.
"Hm..."

Of course, Harutsuki knew about the details. The child's parents were from a rich family owning a plantation on Kyushu. It just seemed they incurred the ire of an Hogoshan 'syndicate', who apparently found a way to appropriate their wealth, using legal and illegal means.
She was now an orphan, a child taken care of here, among her kind.

"Do you know what i am?" then asked the officer.
"You are..." She took a look at the uniform "A soldier?"
"That's right. I protect the Emperor and the shogunate from their enemies. I serve the Empire."

The man leaned forward to scrutinize the girl.
"Do you know what this means?"
She appeared to reflect on what she should answer.
"I..."
But nothing came. The officer leaned back, apparently disappointed.

He was about to leave when he felt something was pulling him from behind. The kid was gazing at him with her curious eyes.
"Mister... Take me with you please..."
"Hm.." mumbled the man, looking down at the little thing "I don't think i could make any use of you."
Thoughtfully, she raised her head to look back to him.
"You're looking for someone.."
"You don't have what i need." replied the officer after observing her again.
That said, he turned around and left the orphanage.

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