Fujimoto showed no sign of wanting to go on another round of whore hunting when the sun settled in the horizon.
The incident had punched some sense into him. On the other hand, humiliation from Tetsu had ignited something else in Shinji’s mind.
Once again they found themselves walking in the street of Pryeg.
“What does his crystal ball do?” Shinji asked.
‘”Whatever it does, it must be doing fine. It was just a crack.” Fujimoto answered him.
“I worry more about his wife’s head.”
“Well, she was the one who locked the door so my mind has got no room to worry about her well being.”
“Is here any safe place to sleep?” Shinji watched around.
“Don’t you miss our horses?” Fujimoto came with a question.
“They must be missing us too.” Shinji put a smile on his face and then they marched towards the stable.
A while later they reached in the, now overcrowded, stable.
It took them some time to spot their horses.
“Do they even feed these elegant creatures?” Fujimoto caressed neck of his horse. Starvation was visible in his horse’s eyes.
He collected a dry bundle of hay from otherwise nasty stable and started hand feeding his horse.
“I’ve got some for you as well, Shinji.” He said.
Shinji didn’t answer.
“Shinji, I know you are listening.”
But it didn’t seem he was.
“Shinji!” he hurried to turn back.
His friend was asleep on hay.
_
The night went by but the smell didn’t bother any of them.
Sleeping along with animals with appeared to be matter of comfort for some reason.
Before falling asleep, Fujimoto was worried about moving feet of sleeping horses. But horses did not move their feet.
Shinji opened his eyes after coming out of sleep.
Fujimoto was still in dreamland.
Crawling towards Fujimoto over horse excreta, Shinji stirred him to break his sleep.
“Fujimoto, we will try to convince Tetsu again.” said Shinji when his friend woke up.
There was no way Fujimoto could take him with seriousness, “Try to find another way. He would never help us if we keep showing our kindness to him.”
“I will tell him what happened to his son Hames.”
“So you intend to break the vow you made to a dying man?” Fujimoto dusted off dirt from his clothes.
“Not breaking. Just tweaking it a little bit.”
“Don’t add another risk. You know how sacred vows are. You break it today and someday it will strangle you anyhow. What if the broken vow catches up with us on the day where it matters the most?” Fujimoto had started getting worried.
“I’ll say Chosokabe injured or paralyzed his son. Tetsu might be becoming a prick now but he is Hames’ father. Nobody would let such thing let go. And see, we are cut-throats. Tetsu might tell us Chosokabe’s address just for the sake of vengeance.”
Fujimoto was compelled to think.
“If this works, I will believe there is something special in horse farts.” Fujimoto adjusted his clothes, “I’m ready.”
