To see the previous installments, click on the following links: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16

As Masaki Hayato and Aoi appeared, Rodrigo moved closer to the bars, as if by closing the distance he could make sure that it was not a vision and that they were really there. No words were needed.

Rodrigo's lips parted, but he couldn't find the right words. Emotion tightened in his throat. Aoi, she gave a faint smile.

‘Ro... Rodorigo..."(呂道利護). Her voice was soft, wavering with emotion, it was barely a whisper.

Masaki was the first to break the silence:

“Aoi has been found not guilty, Rodrigo Tanaka. The Date court's enquiries are now turning to the head of the workshop. It seems his father may have been a samurai in the service of the Uesugi before the shogunate redistributed the territories after the battle of Sekigahara.”

Rodrigo nodded slowly. His fate still hung in the balance, but in that moment, with Aoi free in front of him, for the first time in a long time he had reason to hope.

While Masaki told him the latest news about the court, Aoi stretched out her hands and, wrapped in a modest cloth, presented Rodrigo with some portions of onigiri (おにぎり). They were balls of rice with some dried fish, wrapped in a bamboo leaf to preserve their freshness.

Rodrigo felt an unexpected emotion of gratitude and a solitary tear rolled down his cheek.

To be continued

Note:

Sorry for the delay in posting but I am going to include voice in my texts to improve my English pronunciation. I haven't practised it for a long time. Thank you very much for the corrections. This is the link to the audio in English: https://voca.ro/1ik6pYOFQ8cc

Header Image:

Onigiri. Source: Wikipedia