012. Take Azami's side.

"Enough!" I shouted at the two screeching harpies clawing at me. They were both taken back by my sudden raised voice and released me as well as being silent for long enough to let me get a word in edgewise. "Even a child knows that one's parents are to be respected above all else."

Setsuko seemed to be shocked by my display of filial piety, and Azami was about ready to lay into some nasty and annoying speech so I seize the moment and continued. "Take the tale of Xaio Jing. Confucius teaches that he who loves his parents does not dare to do evil unto others; he who respects his parents does not dare to be arrogant to others. Love and respect are exerted to the utmost in serving the parents, and this virtue and teaching are extended to the people."

I don't have a clue how I could remember my early childhood studies of Confucius before I was **** to become just a poor farmhand, but suddenly the text was as clear as day in my mind and I could repeat it perfectly as if I was reading it in my hands right now. I think it surprised the two Takahashi women as well, but Setsuko, knowing she'd lost this one just turned and huffed away without a word.

Azami opened her mouth with a deep breath, clearly about to shout something at her, but I stopped her with a gentle cautionary quote, also from Confucius, "The noble-minded are calm and steady. Little people are forever fussing and fretting." She looked at me as if she had no clue what I was saying, but quickly closed her mouth to think for a moment.

We stared at each other for a moment, considering each other. Then she asked, "Did you have something you were doing?"

"Oh, yes I…" I began, but she cut me off.

"Then best you get back to doing it," she said coldly and stalked off to leave me alone. Well, I couldn't just stand there, so I went back out to look for Ushi and finally heard a moo from the west, so headed out to the front of the Takahashi manorhouse to follow the sound. When I got there I could see the wayward beast's tail behind the broken vine-covered walls of the old ruined temple and hurried to retrieve the missing farm animal. He'd been chewing at the vines on the central stone obelisk, and I could only imagine how that would affect his digestion.

The sun had just set and the nearly full moon was glowing with its pale white light now, and as I took the reins of Ushi's harness something made me look at the hole in the vines where Ushi had chewed away. There chiseled in on the rock was the character for 'healthy', but it was also the first character of my given name. I pulled back the vine to look at the next character in curiosity and was surprised that the next one was 'rule', completing 'Kenji'. Then I had to continue, though I knew it was probably just some crazy coincidence. The preceding characters thought really freaked me out. 'Pine' and 'base' declared 'Matsumoto'.

I told myself I was just being silly however since my name was actually a fairly common one. This was probably some history or tribute to some ancestor of mine. I release Ushi's harness to pull more and more on the vines, exposing the text around my name, but there wasn't any. It was only this name as far as I could tell. Breathing hard from ripping away the vines Ushi turned as he cocked his head and turned to walk away. I moved after, not wanting to lose him again, but then I could hear Kouki's voice carrying from our home as she called out "Kenji!" to call me home.

Ushi was similarly called, so I caught up and took his reins again and walked him back before yelling "Coming!" I stabled Ushi in the barn and returned inside to our small home to find Kouki had dinner ready. Neither of us spoke about what had happened earlier as she served me up a small bowl of rice and vegetable stew.

After a bit, the silence was just too much so I asked, "Did you know my name is on that old stone obelisk in the temple ruins?"

She sighed and scowled at me, "Please don't tell me you are a vandal now!"