The Blonde Loli and Her Big Sister

[Shibakawa] A Dry Valley 2 km From the Dungeon

About three hundred meters ahead of Rāja and Haruna, a pair who had slipped out of the main camp, now blazing magnificently at the bottom of the pit, were fleeing east.

"They're quite fast. Haruna, can't you catch them at a trot?"

"Then I'll go to a canter."

[Someya] 5 km From the Dungeon, Atop the Plateau

The gap was closing little by little, but the fugitives were running at a fair speed.

"Awfully fast for humans. Express couriers, maybe."

Impressed, Haruna composed a clumsy senryū. The fugitives wore towels wrapped around their heads, short kimono, and on their feet leggings, gaiters, and straw sandals. The larger one was barely 1.6 m tall (about five shaku two sun). The smaller didn't reach 1.5 m (five shaku).

"Ninja, surely. Ninja aren't in their ninja garb most of the time, so any sort of clothing would be no surprise. By their heights, a parent and child, or a married couple."

In this region, men generally run about 1.6 m and women about 1.5 m, a little taller than in the Edo period. Of course there are also big men of six shaku (1.8 m). For the record, even in the Edo period a lord's palanquin-bearers stood six shaku, and Edo Castle had towering women called onna-rokushaku who bore the ladies' palanquins in the inner chambers.

"Haruna, if you can't catch them before the Ayasegawa, go to a gallop."

[Ayasegawa] 6 km From the Dungeon, A Dry Valley

"Haruna, gallop, please. Ninja or no, they can't beat a horse."

Without a word Haruna kicked off her straw sandals (horseshoes) and ran at full speed. But the fugitives accelerated still further and, slower than Haruna though they were, tore along at a pace fit for a horse.

"Wh-what is that? They're ninja?"

Ninja, running at a speed sure to take gold if they entered the Olympics.

[Sasakubo] 7 km From the Dungeon

When Rāja checked her watch, their time over roughly a thousand meters was about one minute fifteen seconds. The trouble is that in this world there's no standard radio signal, and the length of a day differs, so the watch has to be reset every single day.

[Kuroya] 8 km From the Dungeon

Their time over roughly two thousand meters was about two minutes thirty seconds. Forty-eight kilometers an hour. Against a racehorse they'd go nought for a hundred, mind you (though here they were running nearly in a straight line, with no slowing on the corners).

"Doesn't look like they'll hold out to the next valley, the Motoarakawa, 10 km from the dungeon… Somehow, before then…"

Since Haruna was wearing clothes, she couldn't use a whip as a signal. For the record, her tack, like Nakagawa Hisakiyo's jinba-gura, is a carrier-frame fitted with a saddle and stirrups, so there's no bit to use and no reins either.

"Good, thing, you, aren't, wearing, armor, right?"

[Sueda] 9 km From the Dungeon

Their time over roughly three thousand meters was not quite three minutes forty-five seconds… it didn't get there; closer to four minutes. The pair ahead seemed near their limit too, but so was Haruna.

Just as Rāja was thinking Maybe we can't catch them after all. Death to ninja, the larger of the fugitives took a magnificent spill. Sprinting flat out without kicking off her sandals was what did it. The smaller one rushed over in a panic.

"Tsukuba, you at least, run!"

The fallen one cried out. The towel and gaiters had come off, revealing horse ears and horse-legs. This is what it means to show the horse's legs.

"I won't leave my big sister."

"They were horse-beastfolk?"

Haruna hadn't noticed. They're also called "horse-beasts," but that, it seems, is not a very nice word.

"You two there, surrender quietly."

From atop Haruna, who had somehow caught up, Rāja leveled a naginata at them.

"So be it. Take my head. But spare at least my little sister Tsukuba's life, I beg you."

The fallen one, like Haruna, had a human face with ears and legs gone horse, a horse-beastfolk. Her coat was a liver-chestnut, a dark, reddish-brown color all over.

"No! If you do anything to my big sister I'll never forgive you!"

The smaller one was a horse-beastfolk too, but her coat was flaxen-chestnut. Her ears were a bright reddish-brown (and her lower half probably the same), but her hair and tail were blonde. In short, a blonde loli.

"I won't take your head. But you there, the little one, Tsukuba, was it? If you try to run, I'll cut down your big sister."

"You aren't hurt? Can you stand?"

Meanwhile Haruna called out to the fallen liver-chestnut. The liver-chestnut tried to rise, swayed, and the flaxen-chestnut Tsukuba hurried to steady her.

"It's come to this; there's nothing for it. Please, deliver the finishing stroke."

"No!"

Haruna and the flaxen-chestnut said it at the same time.

"Rāja, let's take this child back with us."

"Yes, Marie will be pleased too. Now then, your name?"

"Kasumi, I am called. Boil me or roast me, do as you please."

"I'm an Asura, so I'm no man-eating ogre, and…"

"Um, Kasumi-san, climb on."

Haruna put on her spare straw sandals (horseshoes), set the liver-chestnut on her back, and started home.