Butterfly Naming

The next morning, she met up with Yori in the courtyard. The other two groups had already set off on their duties so only their group remained. Yori was discussing something with another member of the samurai group, so Natsume waited by the side. She was not particularly interested in their plans for defending against the Giant Crabs, so she didn't bother to eavesdrop. Natsume stared out toward the sea in the distance.

According to the map provided by the ancient scrolls from Mount Kakazan, there was a Nature energy eruption point in the deep-sea north-east of here. She made a note to herself to go check it out sometime during her training. While staring at the coast, she noticed the errand boy came over with two large packs of luggage.

"Isn't it pretty?" The youth threw down the packs and they let out a heavy thud.

"Nn, I never saw the coast where I'm from." Although her memories contained many images of different coasts, she never personally experienced it before.

"Where are you from?" He asked curiously. Natsume could tell that he didn't have any hidden schemes from his expression. However, she just sighed and shook her head in response. "Ah, sorry, I've never left this village so I can only listen to the stories of the samurai." He scratched his head awkwardly.

"You were born here?" Natsume felt that he didn't look like or have the same temperament as the locals.

"No, Owner-sama found me on the drifting on the water when I was a baby." The boy didn't seem to have any problem revealing his past to her. This pure personality was very rare in the world and reminded her somewhat of some people in the future. He was born in the wrong era.

"My name is Suzume. The place I come from is either at war or preparing for the next battle." Natsume was slightly moved by his personality and told him a little about herself. When he heard this, his smile grew wider, and he looked at her with a passionate expression.

"Are there really strong people there?" He asked with excitement.

"Ah, yes, people that can reshape the land and call upon demons." Natsume gave him vague descriptions but the stars in his eyes grew brighter as she spoke.

"One day, I'll become powerful and challenge those people at the peak!" He made a fist and raised it into the sky. His conviction and single-mindedness made her chuckle. Natsume didn't know what his motivations were, but she didn't think it was important.

"What is the name of the future number 1 in the world?" Natsume asked offhandedly, riding on his enthusiasm.

"Uh… boy?" His expression cracked and he lowered his head. Natsume looked at him strangely.

"What kind of name is that?"

"Actually, Owner-sama never gave me a name. She said, 'I'm not your mother, so pick a name for yourself.' I'm not very bright so I never thought of a name… Everyone just calls me boy." He scratched his head awkwardly. Natsume thought that was very strange, but then remembering her first impression of the inn owner she could believe it. Natsume could create an identity at the drop of a hat, so it was no problem for her.

"You were found in the ocean… And you are very strong… how about Kai?" Natsume threw out a name to give him ideas, but he suddenly perked up and nodded his head vigorously.

"Kai… Kai… I like it. Its very simple and easy to remember. Ah, but its so simple, how will I stand out and be remembered?" He was torn. He obviously liked the name, but those strong people had such cool and complex names.

"Maito Kai. Strength and resilience to aim for your target." Natsume felt the name was very smooth and sounded good to say. However, something in the back of her mind made her feel weird about the name. She couldn't quite place it.

"Maito… I've never heard of that word before. Suzume-san you are so smart. It sounds really good! Maito Kai!" Kai shouted his new name proudly which caused Yori and the other samurai to look over. Natsume covered her face in embarrassment as she realized why the name sounded strange. The name, no, even the word came from her future memories.

However, Kai was so much like those three figures in the future that she was shocked. 'Is he related to them?' She wondered. His natural physical strength was ridiculous. He didn't have robust chakra, so it was either bloodline or pure effort. However, something made her lean toward the latter.

"Suzume, it's time to go." Yori called out to her while rolling up the large sea map. Natsume stood up right away and straightened her back. Her slightly embarrassed expression went back to a neutral, stoic one. Natsume nodded toward Kai and walked up to the samurai group that was already ready to go. "Bring our supplies. We will camp outside."

Natsume paused and looked back at the two overstuffed packs that Kai had brought earlier and realized why he came up to her earlier. 'The position of an apprentice samurai… Or a glorified porter!?'

However, she controlled her facial expression and went over to the two packs. Fortunately, Kai's build was similar to hers since he was younger than her, so the packs were easily handled by someone of their stature. If they were any bigger or bulkier, even if she could lift the weight, the material would rip from the imbalanced carrying posture. After heaving the bags up over her shoulders, she quickly joined up with Yori and the others.

"Sensei, do you not have any storage scrolls?" Natsume thought there might be a lack of resources in the north, but rather she heard one of the samurai's chuckle.

"Of course, we have them. But you are in training now." Yori cleared his throat and clarified. "You will start with strength and stamina training. At night, you will draw and swing your sword a hundred times."